[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21446]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THE SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN

 Mr. TALENT. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a 
historically significant anniversary for one of Southeast Missouri's 
most widely recognized and respected institutions. For the past year, 
the Southeast Missourian, located in Cape Girardeau, MO, has been 
celebrating its grand centennial.
  Its first issue rolled off the presses on October 3, 1904, with 
George and Fred Naeter at the helm. The brothers had purchased the 
small business with hopes of one day transforming it into the thriving 
company thousands of faithful readers are familiar with today. After a 
number changes, the Southeast Missourian was formally dedicated on 
September 11, 1925, at 301 Broadway.
  Over the past several decades, the Southeast Missourian has provided 
timely reporting of the important changes in the region. Much of the 
area surrounding Cape Girardeau is rural. The Southeast Missourian has 
been a primary source of information to those readers. They depend on 
the Southeast Missourian for local, statewide, national and world news.
  From the reports on flooding along the banks of the Mississippi 
River, to the birth announcements in the Sunday edition, the Southeast 
Missourian has a unique appeal that is difficult to match. They have 
set a precedent for excellence in print journalism with the underlying 
theme of community and public service. It's been a personal privilege 
over the years to be covered by the paper's news department and to 
discuss ideas with its editorial board.
  The Southeast Missourian has been instrumental in collaborating with 
its host city of Cape Girardeau to strengthen the community through 
local enterprise. And year after year the newspaper continues to give 
back countless chartable donations and sponsorships to the community.
  I express my sincerest gratitude to the entire staff, past and 
present, for their contribution and dedication in making the Southeast 
Missourian the publication it is today. I extend warm congratulations 
to the Rust family, which has continued to raise the bar year after 
year in achieving excellence for fair and objective journalism. Joe 
Sullivan, the editor of the paper, in particular deserves credit for 
his hard work and professionalism. I hope for the next 100 years, the 
Southeast Missourian will continue to make a difference for the good in 
Southeast Missouri.

                          ____________________