This and that, along with some of those over there

As you may have gathered from last week's column -- which was written, I now realize, in a stupor induced by prescription drugs -- things have been topsy-turvy in the Sullivan household.

I'd like to be able to report that everything is pretty much back to normal. I would base that on the fact that I am pretty sure which day of the week it is. That was certainly not the case last week.

But that's old history now. Onward and upward. Whatever that means.

Here are some bits and pieces that deserve attention.

Here goes.

Bob Evans

Not the restaurant. This Bob Evans (Robert Childs Evans Jr.) and I had what could be called a loose professional tie. Bob had, many years ago, been the sports editor at the Southeast Missourian. That was long before I arrived more than 20 years ago.

I met Bob in the first weeks I was in Cape Girardeau. I was asked to speak to a men's group at the Lutheran Home. As customary, there were questions and answers at the end of my talk.

Bob was a resident of the Lutheran Home. He had been in a terrible car accident. He couldn't walk. He could talk, but many folks found him difficult to understand. Other longtime friends had little trouble conversing with him.

At that Lutheran Home get-together, Bob asked question after question about the Southeast Missourian and the newspaper industry in general. He obviously had a keen and curious mind, and it was clear he kept up with what was going on in journalism.

Later, when my wife and I landed at Christ Episcopal Church, one of the first parishioners to welcome us was Bob Evans.

Bob's motorized wheelchair barely fit through some of the openings in the old church building. The scars were there to prove it. Bob's driving was headstrong, to say the least.

The church's parish hall is several steps higher than the church floor. It took several years, but eventually a lift was installed that would allow Bob (and others) to join his church family during coffee hours and parish potlucks.

For a long time Bob was the editor of the parish newsletter. Even after he relinquished some of those duties, Bob continued to contribute regular reports and observations.

Bob died Monday night. He was a descendant of Cape Girardeau's founding families. His ancestors received a land grant from the king of Spain in 1797. Much of that property is still in the hands of family members.

Bob will be missed in many ways. I, of course, will miss Bob's cheerful greeting every Sunday morning: "Loved your column this week, Joe."

Loved hearing it, Bob.

Change of address

A while back I told you how it took three weeks for the U.S. Postal Service to fully process and implement my change-of-address request.

In the mid-1980s my wife and I built a house in Blue Springs, Missouri. We decided we needed bookshelves for the living room. We wound up buying five bookcases from House of Denmark.

A few weeks after we purchased the bookcases, we received a postcard from House of Denmark about a sale. OK, we thought. That was nice to know.

Here's the deal. We've moved many times since the mid-1980s. We have never notified House of Denmark of those moves. Did the USPS?

Over the years, we have received not one, but two postcards from House of Denmark before every sale. They have all been addressed to "Robert Sullivan." That's almost three decades of relentless marketing. Wrong name, but, thanks perhaps to the USPS, always the right address.

"Notify sender of new address," says the yellow label on the postcards. Not on your life. Apparently someone will do that for us.

Avis Muench

A year ago I wrote a column about our dear Avis and the wonderful celebration arranged by her former students. For many, many years, Avis taught voice in Southeast Missouri, and those students' voices can still be heard. Many of them are fine pianists and organists too.

Last year was Avis' 99th birthday anniversary. It was a tuneup for the big event this year. Those students are ready to reassemble for another salute to Avis on reaching the century mark.

A reception -- and a whole bunch of singing -- are scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Christ Episcopal Church parish hall. It's going to be a great afternoon. Come on in.

Joe Sullivan is the retired editor of the Southeast Missourian.