Newspaper's history points to its future

When things get old, what happens?

They break. Usually.

That's what we've come to expect. Planned obsolescence abounds.

Do you think any of the investors in the first bridge across the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau thought, back in the 1920s, that a new bridge would be needed when the 21st century rolled around?

When I first moved to the Kansas City area in the early 1960s to go to college, the Paseo Bridge, a beautiful suspension structure across the Missouri River that allowed commuters from the fast-growing Northland to reach offices in downtown skyscrapers, was still considered new. The toll was a dime. Now the bridge has just reopened after a $21 million refurbishing, and the latest highway-spending bill includes $50 million for a new bridge.

Nowadays, we expect things to wear out, don't we? If you have an automobile older than your grandchildren, you're probably a member of a classic car club.

How old is your refrigerator? Appliances that once kept running and running and running now give up the ghost almost as soon as the monthly payments end. We finally had to replace the hardy Maytag washer (purchased in the early 1970s) and dryer (purchased in the late 1960s) that came with the house we bought eight years ago. I'd like to think the new laundry equipment will last another lifetime, but ... .

When I was born, the Southeast Missourian had just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Although I didn't know them, there were people alive when I was born who had been reading the Cape Girardeau newspaper since its first edition rolled off the press.

Think about that.

Sometimes it's easier to connect with history if we make it personal. For example, when I was studying Civil War history at Shady Nook School in the Ozark hills over yonder, there were still a few folks around who were old enough to have seen President Lincoln give the Gettysburg Address.

Relatives who are diligent about genealogy inform me that one of my ancestors, Joris Wertmuller (of the Swiss Wertmullers by way of Holland due to religious persecution), settled in Pennsylvania a century before George Washington became the first president of a new nation.

I just received a review copy of a wonderful book detailing the history of Prairie du Rocher, an Illinois village across the river from Ste. Genevieve, that has maintained its French roots and many of its customs for nearly 300 years. Yet it's hard to find even a few Southeast Missourians who know about Prairie du Rocher or the nearby restored Fort de Chartres. If you're a history buff, you've got to go see for yourself.

Tomorrow, the Southeast Missourian is having a blowout street party to conclude its yearlong centennial celebration. I am pleased that, despite its 100 years of service, the newspaper is not broken.

Throughout the past year, much of the public's attention has been drawn to the history of the newspaper. Rest assured that just as much attention has been given during those 12 months to the future.

We are building on the strength -- the muscles, if you will -- that come from a century of work. We are refurbishing the parts that were built to last. We are constantly replacing and upgrading to keep up with the latest tools and technology.

It may be a mite soon to start thinking about the newspaper's bicentennial. But that 125th anniversary will be here before you know it.

R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.