Southeast Missouri State University has granted emeritus status to eight retiring faculty members.

They have a combined 255 years of service at the school, led by English professor Henry Sessoms who was on the faculty for 38 years.

Besides Sessoms, the list includes accounting and finance professor John Crampton, foreign languages associate professor Richard Kump, art professor Grant Lund, agriculture professor William Meyer, music associate professor Jerry Richardson, history assistant professor B. Bob White and Peter Yaremko, political science assistant professor.

Crampton, Meyer and Yaremko each taught at Southeast for 34 years. Kump and White each taught at the school for 33 years. Lund taught at the university for 28 years. Richardson taught at the school for 21 years.

Emeritus is an honorary title bestowed on retiring faculty by the Board of Regents with the approval of the Faculty Senate, the provost and the university president.

Crampton thought of retiring three years ago, but decided to stay on for the opening of the new business building, Dempster Hall.

"This is more like a corporate building as opposed to a classroom building," said Crampton, who chaired the accounting and finance department for nearly two decades.

A lot has changed on the campus over the years. "We didn't even have computers when I started. Our business department started the computer center on campus."

Kump, who taught German, is glad to see a renewed interest in foreign language study. "International firms are demanding people with foreign language study," he said.

Like several of the retirees, Kump will teach part time during the next school year.

Meyer, who chaired the agriculture department for 21 years, began working at Southeast in 1965. At that time, the university farm operated in the area that today is the Show Me Center.

Then-university president Dr. Mark Scully kept a horse at the farm. "He was out there most every day. He rode over the farm quite often," recalled Meyer.

White directed the Center for Regional History for eight years. He helped found the university's historic preservation program 19 years ago.

"That is one of the crowning achievements for the years that I served at the university," said White. "Those students will be my legacy," said White, who plans to travel in his retirement.

Richardson helped develop the ethnic music and jazz program at the university.

Nearby construction work in recent years has made it challenging to teach music at Brandt Hall.

"The last two years has been noisy and the parking has been terrible," said Richardson.

Richardson said Cape Girardeau was a great place to raise a family.

But he is moving back to sunny, southern California where he used to live.

The weather is better, he said. "I hate the ice and freezing rain."

Yaremko, who is from the Ukraine, was 12 years old when he and his family immigrated to the United States.

Yaremko, who will continue to teach part time, said he has enjoyed teaching at Southeast.

His political science classes have all been held in buildings close to Academic Hall.

"I never taught any further than half a block from Academic Hall in all my years here," he said.

Yaremko, who grew up in Pennsylvania, worked his way through college as a bricklayer.

"I still do it as a hobby," he said. "I find it very relaxing."

Yaremko plans to travel to the Ukraine this summer. Yaremko, who has an older brother living there, wants to write a family history.

Lund has drawn upon his love of art for years.

During his 28 years at Southeast, Lund built a reputation of professional independence.

He is known for his "Dome Series" prints, which in one way or another incorporate the dome at Academic Hall.

"Education is More Than Gerbils" is the title of one print which depicts the dome as a water bowl for animals spinning on a wheel.

Lund and his family plan to move to Logan, Utah, this summer.

Sessoms wanted to be a "top gun" Navy pilot in the 1950s. An ear infection kept him grounded.

He ended up an English professor.

"I read a lot of trash when I was a kid,' said Sessoms. "Eventually, I realized that Mickey Spillane wasn't as good as William Faulkner."