Bob Hendrix

With the death of Bob Hendrix last week, Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri lost an advocate for community growth and improvement. Hendrix led the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce for more than 20 years until 1993 -- a span four times the normal tenure for chamber executives.

Hendrix was deeply involved in the community in so many ways. He served on and led boards at Saint Francis Healthcare System and helped organize such important groups as the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, SEMO ACT Council, Cape Commodores and the Industrial Development Authority of Cape Girardeau County. Several major employers came to Cape Girardeau as the result of recruiting that involved Hendrix.

Much of what Cape Girardeau enjoys today as a vibrant and diversified industrial, retail, medical and educational center is based on a foundation Hendrix helped create. His vision and advice will be sorely missed.