New book highlights Southeast Alumni Merit Award recipients

The history of Cape Girardeau cannot be told without including Southeast Missouri State University. Last year part of that history was captured in a book published by the university about its 200 Alumni Merit Award recipients.

Though largely a collection of individual stories, the project was organized and edited by Jane Stacy, the former director of alumni services at Southeast.

The book, "A Mosaic of Memories of the Alumni Merit Award Recipients Southeast Missouri State University 1958-2010," features interviews of the award recipients and personal stories from either the recipients themselves, family members or close friends highlighting their time on campus.

Stacy said the idea for the book came from a conversation she had with Dr. Frank Nickell, the director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast.

Upon her retirement in 2009, Nickell asked Stacy to write a follow-up to Dr. Arthur Mattingly's book, "Normal to University: A Century of Service." Though she has a background in history and research, Stacy did not want to write a "fact after fact" book.

"Dr. Frank Nickell and I had discussed writing a story about the history of the university, and I wanted to do something from the point of view of the award recipients we were writing about," Stacy said. "We all see our years at Southeast differently."

Stacy, a 2008 merit award recipient herself, worked at the university for more than 30 years and was married to former university president Bill Stacy. She personally knew all but two of the 200 Alumni Merit Award recipients.

Nickell said Stacy started the merit award program and "was the only person who could have done this book." He added that as an alumni director she was an "intense multitasker" and is a "great champion" of the university.

"Few individuals have had their lives so intertwined with the university," Nickell said. "Few people have demonstrated their love and concern for this institution as Jane has."

Bill Holland, vice president of university advancement and executive director of the foundation, agreed that Stacy was the perfect person to make this book happen.

"Jane Stacy is a legend at Southeast Missouri State University," Holland said. "Jane has touched so many people during her career. Only she could have pulled together all of these wonderful stories about alumni who have brought great distinction to the university. This history is going to be invaluable to future generations."

For the book Stacy interviewed the recipients still living and the family and friends of the deceased.

Between the start of project and when the book went to print, according to Stacy, nine of the award recipients -- some of whom personally wrote about their experiences at Southeast -- died. She said this book will be something the families of these individuals will cherish for years to come.

Stacy said one of the best parts of the book highlights several key individuals who were not Alumni Merit Award recipients but also made an impact on the university.

"There were so many important people who helped shaped the university [into what it is] today," Stacy said. "We highlighted some of them in a section entitled 'The Giants of Southeast.'"

Among those "giants" are former head of the English department Dr. Harold Oscar Grauel and former university president Dr. Mark Scully.

Stacy and her family have a long history with Southeast. Her oldest son, Dr. Mark Stacy, is an Alumni Merit Award recipient and her other two children, Sara Stacy Dyer and James Stacy, are Southeast graduates as well.

Stacy's book may be purchased at the university bookstore, Barnes and Noble in Cape Girardeau and through the Center for Regional History. Nickell said the book will soon be available on amazon.com as well.

Book proceeds will, according to Nickell, go toward a scholarship of Stacy's choosing at the university.

Talking about the book, Stacy said, "It's something that I want to do because I want to give back. I've asked people to give. I want to always do the same."

Stacy said she's already working on her next project, a book highlighting the individuals and teams inducted in the university's Athletic Hall of Fame. The anticipated release date for that book is December of this year.

Southeast Missourian editorial-page editor Lucas Presson contributed to this story.