[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 29, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E713-E714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           ROBERT A. DEMPSTER

                                 ______


                           HON. BILL EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 28, 1995
  Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, Robert A. Dempster was buried yesterday in 
Sikeston, MO, where he had lived most of his wonderful life. He died 
last Friday at age 82 after a long illness. Not many in this Chamber 
knew Robert; but he was my friend, and I cannot let go his passing 
without sharing a thought or several thoughts about this remarkable 
citizen who sought no fame, but deserved it; who made a fortune that to 
him was relevant only in how much he could do with it, not for himself, 
but to give away, to the benefit of universities and students, 
churches, hospitals and patients, and to other good causes in his 
community, region of the State, the State, and the country.
  I shall ask permission to include newspaper articles about Robert 
that will reveal the depth and breadth of his life, his career, his 
caring, his compassion, and his commitment. But I want to take this 
moment to note in the Congressional Record, the closest thing we have 
to an official national diary, that it is Robert and people like Robert 
who give this country the inherent strength it has. Somehow, out there 
among us, is Robert with vision--the understanding of one's duty, the 
perspective to dream, and the ability to bring those dreams to reality, 
not for his personal aggrandizement, but for the benefit of all to 
share and enjoy in the finest, most uplifting and enduring sense.
  Robert Dempster made a phenomenal mark in his 82 years. He will be 
long remembered by those whose life he touched, but also by countless 
others who will never have had the privilege of meeting him, but will 
be touched by the generosity of his spirit and his works.
  I include a news article from the Cape Girardeau Southeast 
Missourian, March 26, a news article from the Standard-Democrat, 
Sikeston, MO, March 26, and an editorial from the Standard-Democrat, 
March 27.
  I also include a special tribute, offered by the Southeast Missouri 
University Foundation.
            [From the Southeast Missourian, March 26, 1995]

                 Southeast Backer Robert Dempster Dies

                            (By Mark Bliss)

       Sikeston, Mo.--Retired lawyer and civic leader Robert A. 
     Dempster, one of Southeast Missouri State University's major 
     benefactors, died Friday, March 24, 1995, at his home at the 
     age of 82 after an extended illness.
       Dempster was a devoted friend of the Cape Girardeau school. 
     His wife, Lynn Dempster, is a member of the school's Board of 
     Regents.
       Over the past 15 years, he contributed nearly $2 million to 
     the institution.
       Dempster's contributions include $1 million toward 
     construction of a business building, which will be named in 
     his honor. Construction of the $15.8 million building is 
     expected to begin in May and be completed by August 1996.
       Visitation will be held today from 4 to 8 p.m. in Sikeston 
     at the First United Methodist Church Dempster Chapel. 
     Dempster contributed financially to the construction of the 
     chapel in memory of his parents. The funeral will be Monday 
     at 2 p.m. at the church. The Rev. Charles Buck will 
     officiate, with burial in the Sikeston City Cemetery.
       Dempster helped establish the Southeast Missouri University 
     Foundation in 1983 and served as its first president. Over 
     the years, the foundation has raised millions for the 
     university.
       ``He was a wonderful man to us,'' university President Kala 
     Stroup said Saturday.
       Robert Foster, executive director of the foundation, 
     mourned Dempster's death. ``I lost a friend,'' he said.
       Foster said Dempster was ``the guiding genius behind the 
     foundation.''
       Although not a graduate of the institution, Dempster 
     devoted the last decade of his active life as an attorney and 
     civic leader to promoting and supporting Southeast.
       He was a good friend of Bill Stacy, the university's 12th 
     president.
       Dempster endowed scholarships for needy students, and 
     funded the conversion of an apartment building into an 
     academic building and construction of an auditorium for Crisp 
     Hall of Nursing.
       ``We honor Robert A. Dempster for his vision, dedication 
     and generosity, but first and foremost, we remember him as 
     our friend,'' university officials said in a prepared 
     statement.
       Southeast wasn't the only school Dempster aided. He made 
     numerous financial gifts to his alma mater, the University of
      Missouri, and particularly its law school. He served as a 
     trustee for the law school.
       He was appointed to the University of Missouri Board of 
     Curators in 1978 by then-Gov. Joseph Teasdale and served a 
     six-year term. He was chairman of the finance committee 
     during his tenure on the board.
       He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Scarritt 
     College, a Methodist school in Nashville, Tenn.
       He practiced law for more than 60 years, retiring in 1993 
     as managing partner of the Dempster, Barkett, McClellan and 
     Edwards law firm. In 1994, he quit practicing law.
       In 1993, he helped fund construction of the Missouri Delta 
     Medical Center's rehabilitation complex, which bears his 
     name.
       Dempster was born April 8, 1912, in Ava, Ill., the son of 
     George A. and Emma Dempster.
       He moved to Sikeston with his parents in 1915. He attended 
     Sikeston public schools, graduating in 1929.
       He attended Central Methodist College in Fayette for two 
     years and then transferred to the University of Missouri law 
     school, graduating in 1934.
       During his senior year in law school, he was elected city 
     attorney for Sikeston.
       In 1942, he became an officer in the Navy and spent 30 
     months on the island of Okinawa during World War II. He rose 
     to the rank of lieutenant commander before leaving the Navy.
       He resumed the practice of law in 1945 and served six years 
     as Scott County's prosecuting attorney.
       In 1960, he founded the Security National Bank of Sikeston. 
     Mercantile Bank bought it in 1982, and he served as board 
     chairman for the bank from 1960 to 1986.
       He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, and 
     served in a number of leadership positions. He also was 
     involved in development of the Wesley United Methodist 
     Church.
       He was active in civic affairs. Over the years, he served 
     on the chamber of commerce board and as president of the 
     Sikeston Industrial Board.
       Dempster served as an honorary colonel on the staff of two 
     Missouri governors.
       He and Beatrice Dobbins of Longmont, Colo., were married in 
     1943. She died in June 1973.
       He and Lynn Matthews were married May 23, 1978.
       Survivors include his wife, and three stepdaughters, Pam 
     Waltrip of Sikeston, Paulette Mouchett of Jackson, Miss., and 
     Vicki Burke of St. Louis.
       Ponder Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
                                  ____

              [From the Standard-Democrat, March 26, 1995]

           Longtime Sikeston Attorney, Robert Dempster, Dies

       Sikeston, MO.--Sikeston attorney and prominent citizen 
     Robert A. Dempster died Friday, March 24, 1995, in his home 
     following an extended illness. He was 82.
       Born in Ava, Ill., on April 8, 1912, son of the late George 
     A. and Emma Dempster, he moved to Sikeston with his parents 
     in 1915, where he lived for the remainder of his life.
       A 1929 graduate of Sikeston Public Schools, Dempster 
     attended Central Methodist College at Fayette for two years. 
     He then transferred to the University of Missouri School of 
     Law, where he graduated in 1934. During his senior year in 
     the law school, he was elected city attorney for Sikeston, 
     and upon graduation he returned 
[[Page E714]] to Sikeston and began his career as an attorney.
       As an officer in the U.S. Navy, he spent 30 months on the 
     island of Okinawa, Japan, in 1942. He retired as a lieutenant 
     commander.
       In 1943, he married Beatrice Dobbins of Longmont, Colo., 
     and she preceded him in death in June 1973.
       On May 23, 1978, he married Lynn Matthews Dempster and she 
     survives.
       He is also survived by three stepdaughters, Pam Waltrip of 
     Sikeston, Paulette Mouchett of Jackson, Miss., and Vicki 
     Burke of St. Louis.
       Dempster resumed his law practice in 1945 and served as the 
     Scott County prosecutor for six years. In early 1960, he 
     founded, chartered and built the Security National Bank of 
     Sikeston, for which he was chairman of the board until 1982, 
     when the bank was purchased by Mercantile Bank of St. Louis. 
     Following the purchase, he remained with Mercantile Bank for 
     four years as chairman and president of the board.
       In 1982, he assisted his friend Dr. Bill W. Stacy, then 
     president of Southeast Missouri State University at Cape 
     Girardeau, to organize the University Foundation and Copper 
     Dome Society. He served as president of this foundation for 
     two consecutive terms. He also endowed many scholarships at 
     the university and donated the initial $1 million gift for 
     the new Business Education Building, which will bear his 
     name. Dempster was honored by the university by being named 
     ``Friend of the University'' in recognition of his service to 
     the university.
       He was appointed to the University of Missouri Board of 
     Curators in 1978 by Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale, where he served 
     for six years. Dempster was the chairman of the Finance 
     Committee during his tenure on the board. Numerous gifts were 
     donated by Dempster to the University of Missouri, 
     particularly the University of Missouri Law School, where he 
     has served as a trustee. He also served on the executive 
     committee of the University of Missouri Development Fund 
     Board and was a trustee of the Jefferson Club. Dempster was 
     selected as a charter member in the Law Society and received 
     an honorary membership in the Order of the Coif for his 
     contributions to the bar and the new Law School Building at 
     the University of Missouri School of Law.
       In April 1984, he was appointed a trustee with the U.S. 
     Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. ``His love for the Navy made 
     this the most revered appointment in his long career,'' 
     stated a family member.
       Active in Sikeston's civic affairs, Dempster served on the 
     board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce, was president 
     of the Sikeston Industrial Board, Kiwanis Club and Sikeston 
     Boy Scouts of America, the American Cancer Society. He was 
     also very active with the Young Democrats of America and had 
     been an honorary colonel on the staff of two Missouri 
     governors. He was known for his contributions to veterans 
     organizations and was judge advocate of the local American 
     Legion post.
       In 1993, he was instrumental in the construction of the 
     Robert A. Dempster Restart Physical Medicine Complex of 
     Missouri Delta Medical Center. He also possessed an avid 
     interest in education and was a member of the board of 
     trustees of Scarritt College, a Methodist school located in 
     Nashville, Tenn.
       In 1993, he retired as managing partner of the Dempster, 
     Barkett, McClellan and Edwards law firm, after nearly 60 
     years of practicing law.
       A lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church, he 
     served as a trustee, board member and lay leader, where he 
     made a major contribution toward the construction and 
     furnishing of the Dempster Memorial Chapel, in memory of his 
     parents. He was also instrumental in the organization of the 
     Wesley United Methodist Church.
       Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. today at the Dempster 
     Chapel. Services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Monday in the 
     sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. 
     Charles E. Buck, pastor, officiating.
       Burial will follow in Sikeston City Cemetery.
       Pallbearers will be: Phil Barkett Jr., Spencer Edwards, 
     Kevin Edwards, Matt Sikes, Fred Scherer, Tom Burke, Greg 
     Colwick and Bill Waltrip.
       Honorary pallbearers will be: Robert L. ``Bob'' Meyer, 
     David Blanton, Judge Marshall Craig, P.J. ``Pete'' Ponder, 
     Maurice Stauffer, Dr. Leo A. Bruce, Dr. Bill Shell, Dr. Max 
     Heeb, Dempsey Gardner, Dr. Wendell Weathers, Don Agnew, Cline 
     Carter, C.P. Black Jr., James M. Baird, the Rev. Tom Geers, 
     Weber Gilmore, Terry Fitzgerald, Rick Adams, Michael Jensen, 
     Dr. Bill W. Terry, Pat Murback Dobson, Dr. Kala M. Stroup, 
     John Mobley, Dr. Tony Poole and Joel Montgomery Jr.
       Ponder Funeral Home of Sikeston is in charge of 
     arrangements.
                                  ____

              [From the Standard-Democrat, March 27, 1995]
           Our View: Community Benefited From Robert Dempster
       You could spend an entire day recounting stories of Robert 
     A. Dempster and still not scratch the surface. His life was 
     one of accomplishment in law and business but, in the end, it 
     was his generosity that will endure. Bob Dempster died 
     Friday. Yet the stamp of his success and his compassion and 
     concern for others will live forever. Not every community can 
     boast a Bob Dempster. And Sikeston along with all of 
     Southeast Missouri will benefit for generations from the 
     legacy that remains.
       If Bob Dempster had a chance to write his own obituary, we 
     suspect it would concentrate on his military career. It was 
     his years in the Navy and his later involvement with the 
     Naval Academy that brought him the most pride. Dempster would 
     have down played his millions of dollars in donations to 
     higher education, his generosity toward the local hospital or 
     his countless other financial assistance that he provided 
     routinely. But as a community we cannot and will not forget 
     that generosity.
       Bob Dempster was quite simply a powerful man. He was 
     respected by those in positions of great power who filed to 
     his door for advice and counsel. He tool under his seasoned 
     wing far too many to count. He had time for all.
       He was proud to champion underdogs. In many ways, he 
     considered himself an underdog as well. Yet through 
     determination, hard work and a keen insight, he reached a 
     plateau that few ever imagine. He liked to help others who 
     displayed similar grit. He sought them out and prodded them 
     on. That part of his personality can never be measured.
       And Bob Dempster could spin a yarn. He would relive, with a 
     special gleam in his eyes, the baseball exploits of his 
     youth. He would tell of Sikeston's early days when only two 
     lawyers called Sikeston home. With his faithful dog Judge by 
     his side, he would speak candidly of those days. You could 
     tell in a sense that he missed them.
       He once had a young client injured in a car accident. He 
     arranged to have the youngster ``sworn in'' as an honorary 
     deputy sheriff. The smile from that young boy--a 
     snaggletoothed wide smile that went from ear to ear--was the 
     reward Dempster wanted. I'm not sure how the case turned out 
     but on that day, that young boy was a winner. And there were 
     others. Thousands of others.
       Robert A. Dempster will be remembered not so much for who 
     he was but for what he did. He left a mark on so many that 
     his legacy will remain for generations to come. And if our 
     time on this earth is gauged by what we leave behind, Bob 
     Dempster left his handprint far and wide. He will be 
     remembered.
                                                                    ____

              Robert A. Dempster: Friend of the University


      a memorial tribute from southeast missouri state university

       The Southeast Missouri State University community mourns 
     the passing of a great friend and benefactor, Robert A. 
     Dempster. He is remembered with extraordinary affection and 
     respect by those with whom he worked on behalf of the 
     University and its students.
       Although not a graduate of the institution, Robert A. 
     Dempster devoted the last decade of his active life as an 
     attorney and civic leader to promoting the welfare and 
     building the excellence of Southeast Missouri State 
     University, and to providing access to quality higher 
     education for the young people of this region.
       In 1983, Robert A. Dempster suggested the formation of a 
     new organization, the Southeast Missouri University 
     Foundation. His experience as a member of the Board of 
     Curators of the University of Missouri, where he was active 
     in the initiation of private fund-raising efforts, proved 
     invaluable to the Southeast Foundation at its inception.
       As the first President of the Southeast Foundation, Robert 
     A. Dempster issued a challenge which has been accepted by 
     thousands of men and women during the past 12 years. ``I 
     became a part of the Foundation,'' Mr. Dempster wrote in 
     1984, ``because of my deeply held feeling that substantial 
     support from the private sector is necessary if Southeast 
     Missouri State University is to continue to maintain the 
     highest academic standards * * *. Our University must be 
     given whatever support is necessary to continue its long 
     tradition of excellence.''
       Robert A. Dempster was tireless in his activities on behalf 
     of the University, and his generosity was truly legendary--
     including the endowment of scholarships for needy students, 
     the donation of an auditorium for the Crisp Hall of Nursing, 
     and providing gifts for two buildings, the current Robert A. 
     Dempster Hall, and a splendid new facility for the 
     University's College of Business which will be named in his 
     honor.
       We honor Robert A. Dempster for his vision, dedication, and 
     generosity, but first and foremost he was our friend. To his 
     widow, family and other friends, we extend heartfelt 
     condolences.
     

                          ____________________