100 years and countless reasons to celebrate

Anniversaries are relatively young inventions, if you like to put things in a cosmic perspective.

Until there were stone circles or some other method of calculating the planet's rotations and trips around the sun, there was no way to tell when to celebrate an anniversary.

With the development of calendars and clocks, our lives have been parceled out in measures of time -- a relative concept that Einstein may have understood, but most of us really don't. For us, time either passes by much too quickly -- especially as you get older -- or much too slowly -- especially if you're waiting for Christmas morning.

We're all familiar with birthday anniversaries and wedding anniversaries. It's a major milestone when someone turns 100, and the event rarely goes by without a special observance of some kind. There have been a few marriages that have reached the 75-year mark, but not many. And these special occasions certainly merit some hoopla.

For the next year, it is the Southeast Missourian's turn to party. A hundred years ago today, the first edition of what became the Southeast Missourian was published.

The newspaper's history is full of events and activities that are rich in meaning and context. That's primarily due to the Naeter brothers. You will be hearing quite a bit about the Naeters as the Southeast Missourian's centennial is observed over the next 12 months -- including these special centennial sections in today's newspaper.

The Naeters were not natives of Cape Girardeau. They came here on a steamboat excursion and learned that a weekly newspaper had gone out of business and was for sale. It didn't take Fred and George long to put together the money to make a down payment and set up shop. They were later joined by a third brother, Harry.

(It may be of some interest to know that there was a fourth Naeter brother, Robert, who apparently had no printer's ink in his veins. He went to Wyoming and became a rancher -- although when he died he was living in Cape Girardeau. A spinster sister, Nora, taught music at what is now Southeast Missouri State University and gave private lessons. Their widowed mother, Mrs. Mary A. Naeter, also was living in Cape Girardeau at the time of her death in 1913.)

For the next 72 years -- from 1904 to 1976 -- the Naeter family ran the Southeast Missourian and made enormous contributions to the community that are still an important part of the business, cultural and social landscape.

For one thing, the Naeters wanted their newspaper to build up the community. And it did. It supported progressive development and enterprises that today make Cape Girardeau the most important city on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Memphis. To accomplish this, the farsighted Naeters started an organization to promote business and industry -- an organization that proved to be a harbinger of what is now the chamber of commerce.

The Missourian building at the corner of Broadway and Lorimier Street was another major contribution. Instead of building an ordinary office building, the Naeters displayed a flair for the city's history and produced an ornate structure with Spanish and Moorish curves and hues. Today, the building is a landmark and architectural gem that boasts two tile murals of extraordinary beauty and craftsmanship.

Throughout the past century, the Southeast Missourian has striven for excellence in every endeavor. The pride of the Naeters in publishing what became a daily newspaper was outstripped only by their commitment to excellence and their devotion to the community they chose as home.

Corporate vs. community

In 1976, the decision was made to sell the newspaper to the Thomson group, at that time one of the largest newspaper-holding companies in the world. The corporate philosophy of Thomson's management was far different than the enterprise the Naeters had built from scratch.

It was against this backdrop of corporate rather than community interests that the newspaper struggled for the next decade -- a situation ripe for competition, which was provided by Cape Girardeau native Gary Rust.

By 1986, Rust had demonstrated his own brand of perseverance, determination and community devotion in such large measure that Thomson, for the first time in its corporate history, agreed to sell one of its newspaper properties.

Under the careful guidance of Rust, along with dozens of loyal employees and now the hands-on management of Jon K. Rust and Rex Rust, the Southeast Missourian is part of one of the fastest-growing family-owned media companies in the nation.

That's a lot to celebrate.

A hundred years. Thousands of editions. Hundreds of dedicated employees. Countless hours of toil and sweat to get the latest news into the hands of readers. Hundreds of editorials urging something better or bigger for Southeast Missouri. Thousands of letters from readers with ideas of their own. A gazillion Speak Out comments -- many of which found their way into print.

All of this -- and more -- have turned the fabric of the Southeast Missourian into a tapestry so rich in design and content that it will take another year to tell the story and have a proper celebration.

What a year it will be.

Please join us in this amazing centennial voyage. Along the way, we hope you learn our history and come to understand the motivation that makes us try harder and harder to be the best newspaper anywhere.

Happy birthday, Southeast Missourian.

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