Homecoming honors

In addition to the festivities that accompany Homecoming at Southeast Missouri State University, the university honored several individuals who have made lasting contributions to the university and the community.

Today, we'd like to highlight those individuals.

The alumni association recognized eight people at the alumni breakfast Saturday morning in the Kem Statuary Hall in the Wehking Alumni Center.

They are:

* Don and Saundra Crader of Marble Hill, Mo., founder and CEO of Kaiser Midwest and homemaker, respectively.

* Marsha Haskell, regional director of external affairs with AT&T Missouri.

* Dr. Karen Crites Hendrickson of Cape Girardeau, chief nurse emeritus of Southeast Hospital, now SoutheastHEALTH.

* Reginald Dickson of St. Louis, chairman and CEO of BYW Investment Advisors Inc.

* Dr. Fred and Mary Elizabeth Renner Saalfeld of Springfield, Va., retired executive director and technical director of the Office of Naval Research and retired founder of the Career College Research Center in Burke, Va., respectively.

* Steven Schneider of Jackson, first vice president of investments and branch manager of Stifel Nicolaus in Cape Girardeau.

The alumni association on Friday also recognized seven alumni and one faculty -- who brought "distinction to themselves and the university" -- with Merit Awards. They were:

* Cynthia Boren, Class of 1975, of Alexandria, Va., deputy sports editor of The Washington Post.

* Dr. Bernard DuBray, '69, of St. Peters, Mo., superintendent of the Fort Zumwalt School District in O'Fallon, Mo.

* Dr. Julie Harper, '91, of Birmingham, Ala., practicing dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and founding director of the American Acne and Rosacea Society.

* Rodney Hudson, '71, of Syracuse, N.Y., a faculty member with the Syracuse University Drama Department.

* Dr. Randal Otto, '77, of San Antonio, professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

* Jim Piatchek, '63, of Lakeland, Tenn., co-founder and CEO of Senior Advisory Group and The Professional Disturber, as well as a chartered life underwriter, a chartered financial consultant and a chartered mutual fund counselor.

* Dennis J. Kehm, '65, of Festus, Mo., retired judge, 23rd Judicial Circuit, Division 4, in Jefferson County, Mo.

* Receiving the Faculty Merit award was Dr. Michael Aide, professor of agriculture and chairman of the Department of Agriculture at Southeast.

Congratulations to all of the honorees. It's a pleasure -- and quite necessary -- to see the benefits of higher education in the community.

It's also essential to recognize those who have contributed to the cause and have used their education for success in Cape Girardeau and beyond.