River Campus turns 10: Specially composed symphony to mark anniversary, history of Vincentians in Cape

Mark Twain paid St. Vincent's College and Seminary high compliments in 1883 when writing Life on the Mississippi.

The school, he said, was known to have "as high a reputation for thoroughness as any similar institution in Missouri."

The historic seminary is in for more high praise Tuesday as part of Southeast Missouri State University's 10th-anniversary celebration of their River Campus, as subject of a specially composed symphony.

The concert piece was composed by Gordon "Dick" Goodwin, a former Cape Girardeau resident and current professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina.

St. Vincent's was founded in 1838, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher education on the west side of the Mississippi River.

The River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University as seen in August 2008, when it marked its one-year anniversary.Fred Lynch

Local musician and historian Jerry Ford, in writing about the Vincentians' trailblazing history in the region, goes as far back as the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to provide the context necessary for one to understand the opportunities that lured a group of intrepid French priests to the area to originally settle around Perryville, Missouri.

In 1818, they established a center in Cape Girardeau in which to educate and train young men to become Catholic priests.

According to Ford's telling, without the Vincentians, the university wouldn't be where it is today.

Since its founding, the school and grounds endured flooding, a tornado and the hazards of the Civil War.

The Seminary building is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

Southeast's Board of Regents bought the college and grounds from the Vincentians in 1998.

People who attended the seminary, such as Phil Boyle, still look back with fond memories on their time at the school.

"I attended the Cape from 1951 until 1955," Boyle said via email. "Great years in my life for sure. Made many great friends. ... Wouldn't trade the memories or the friends."

Southeast Missouri Symphony artistic director Sara Edgerton will address concert attendees before the performance, and the day's festivities will include tours of the River Campus, remarks by Southeast president Carlos Vargas-Aburto and Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger.