Thinking Out Loud

The Cole County Landwehrs @ CCHS Tuesday PM

Fred and Theresa Landwehr arrived here in 1908 with seven children, a horse named Lucy and a St. Bernard. East McCarty Street did not exist. The rest is history.

A dairy on Ash Street where Prison Brews is now located. A farm transformed into three hundred home sites. Careers at Central Bank and the Attorney General's Office. A young mother victim of the 1918 Great Infuenza. The youngest son lost in a war against his father's home county.

I will try to summarize just a portion of who they were, what they saw, and how they and other farm families added to the heritage of Cole County and Jefferson City  -  Tuesday March 12 @ 7:00 p.m. at the Cole County Historical Society Museum (across Madison from the Governor's Mansion). 

Missouri Wine: Peter Hofherr Tells All

Peter Hofherr is chairman of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board and vintner at St. James Winery. Here is everything you want to know about Missouri wines: past, present and future. 

 

Charles Palmer Is Blazing Old Trails

There are tons of books on Lewis and Clark, and during the bicentennial celebration we learned a lot about the Expedition. Charles Palmer has been a strong supporter of local efforts and he's a docent at the Trailhead Memorial in Jefferson City. But he's taken his mission to a new level. His handy publication, "Follow the Lewis & Clark Trail in Missouri" follows the expedition trail through present day settings through Missouri. It's both historical and modern, with local folklore, photos and directions for obscure sites you'd never be able to find without his help. It's spiral bound to sit on your dashboard all the way from Bird's Point to White Cloud. Mine will have an honored place in my bedside reading library.

Charles will be signing his books at Downtown Book and Toy in Jefferson City Thursday at 11:00. You can order through Book & Toy, or post a Comment and I will get you connected. 

JCMO during the Civil War - 7/4 Presentation

Missouri's military, politcal and cultural conflicts during the Civil War replicated the nation's conflicts. On July 4 @JCMO re-enactors will do 20 minute recreations of "Civil Conversations" at 5 and 6 pm near the Lewis & Clark Memorial as part of the Salute to America Festivities.

In attendance: President Lincoln, General Grant, Mayor Bruns, Governor Gamble, Police Chief Rhodes and citzen Wallendorf. 

An Immigration Meditation

The wife of my dad's cousin passed away Yesterday. Dorothy Reinke was a gentle soul and lived a full life, all the way to age 96.

Dorothy married Frank "Franz" Reinke in 1943. They had three children: David, Mary Kay and Jane. 

Her life is worth celebrating for a number of reasons, but one of my private reasons is that my grandfather, Fred Landwehr, an immigrant who married an immigrant, returned to Germany when Franz was a teenager and brought him to America to work initially on the family farm, extricating Franz from a country that was in economic and political shambles. Here is a photo of Fred (right side) in the front yard of the Landwehr farm in Ankum, Germany, circa 1927.

Franz was a bit of a character. He had a loud laugh and he carried his thick German accent to his grave. He was given a chance by his uncle Fred. He came to America, worked hard, married a good woman from Russellville, and raised a fine family. 

I am not sure how this story fits into the current immigration discussion. But stories like this should not be forgotten. They should form the basis of anything America does in the future since these stories are the basis of America's present.

Former IBM President Grew Up in JCMO

John Opel passed away on November 3. He grew up in Jefferson City and attended Westminister. His family owned a hardware store. According to TechEye.net, Opel was at the helm when Big Blue entered the PC market. 

 

Civil War Lecture Thursday Will Include Current Issues

There are lots of events commemorating the Civil War lartely. But the presentation by Dennis Boman Thursday night at 7:00 at the State Archives (Secretary of State) Building will include some issues that are in the news today. The title is "Lincoln and Citizens' Rights in Civil War Missouri: Balancing Freedom and Security."

Lincoln stretched the consititution to its limits when he ordered troops into the state and approved war time policies he thought were necessary to subdue the insurgents. Boman will argue that the same issues are at stake today when we debate military tribunals and Guantanimo.

 

 

My little tribute to Tony LaRussa

A little known fact is that Anthony LaRussa, Jr. received a law degree from Florida State University in 1978. It's not likely that these three years of pressure and indigestion made Tony a better ball player, but I will wager that it helped him become a great manager. 

I've seen fine lawyers when the walls seem to be crashing down around them. It might be in a courtroom or a business negotiation or a political slugfest. They have a rare talent to rise above the immediate pressure, stay focused on the big picture, and move forward strategically. There is a resolve in their eyes and a firmness in their chin.

I saw that look recently in the dugouts in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Texas and St. Louis.  

He probably would have made a fine lawyer. But he certainly put his education to good use elsewhere -- and the game of baseball is better for it.

 

Sonny Liston may appear @JCMO Wednesday 11-2

Ok, it's a long shot. But the folks at the SyFy Channel are not discounting any possibilities next Wednesday Night at 8:00 CST on national TV. This edition of the Ghost Hunters show is titled "The Bloodiest 47 Acres" and will explore the old Missouri State Penitentiary site, decommissioned in 2004. The film crew was on location this summer. The Jeff City CVB will host a mini-event on site to view the TV show.

In 1952 Charles "Sonny" Liston was sentenced to five years for robbery. Encouraged by a chaplain to try boxing, Liston was paroled on Halloween night 1952. Ten years later he knocked out Floyd Patterson in the first round to become the heavyweight champion of the world.There is a large mural on the south wall at MSP with his image. 

The CVB will be on site to view the TV show. KUDOs to the CVB and the state Office of Administration for understanding how visitors are excited to learn about the history behind the walls. 

"Do they have Starbucks down there?"

This map shows the mean (not in the angry sense) population of the United States, as it has evolved since the founding of the nation. 

My goodness, what will happen when the dot moves into Arkansas???