Jim Drury street naming a fitting tribute

One of the more important developments in Cape Girardeau over the past decade or so has been a development of a relationship.

The Drury family, major players in the development of the city's commercial west side, has been working with city government leadership rather than against it.

Earlier this week, that sentiment was celebrated by the city and the family when, with a news conference, the city announced the naming of a street for the late Jim Drury.

The street runs past the new SportsPlex, paid for by dollars collected by the city's hotel and restaurant tax. It is a building that came about after a long and complicated history that touches upon the origins of the Show Me Center, CVB and River Campus. Differences between Jim Drury and the city were mended, however, thanks to more accountability. Drury and other local hotel operators began to have input in how hotel/motel taxes would be allocated going forward. Now the city has a much stronger relationship with the Drurys, and the city is better off for it.

Jim Drury was a man of strong principles.

Speaking at the ribbon cutting and news conference, his daughter Diane Drury said her father, who died in 2008, "always stood with the common man" and that the family is "proud of his role in the growth and prosperity of the city."

It's hard to imagine what Cape Girardeau would have become without Jim Drury's business mind and tenacity. The road memorializing the businessman is a worthy tribute to one of the city's most historical figures. The Drury family has built quite a legacy both here in Cape Girardeau and across the country.