The late C.M. McWilliams has been hailed as the "father of county extension."

McWilliams of Jackson, described in early-century news items as "the first agricultural county agent in the United States," was named "County Farm Adviser" on Aug. 1, 1912, for the first organized extension work in the state, a position he worked at until March 1, 1918.

Earlier in 1912, two Missouri counties were working toward extension programs with the Missouri College of Agriculture.

In Cape Girardeau County, an interested group made the rounds, collecting the signatures of 1,000 men on a petition, asking the county court to appropriate $1,500 annually for three years to get an extension program started.

The court made the appropriations June 15, 1912, and McWilliams was employed Aug. 2.

This was the first time that a county agent had been employed under a cooperative agreement between the county court, College of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Five months later, on Jan. 1, 1913, the same cooperation went into effect in Pettis County.

Lots of things

During the first year of extension activities, adoption of a stock law, which required vaccination of hogs for hog cholera, was responsible for controlling the disease.

Since then, the University of Missouri Outreach and Extension is a lot of things to a lot of people.

In 1920, in its eighth year of existence, the group cooperated with school nurses and teachers in Cape Girardeau to weigh and measure 1,800 children in grade schools, which led to programs by the center on food and diets.

A year later, the outreach and extension center cooperated with the Red Cross to conduct 17 nutrition clinics in several rural schools.

During the earlier years of the new organization, soil surveys were conducted, dairy cattle were introduced to the county and new crops -- alfalfa, soybeans, sweet clover and hairy vetch -- were introduced to the county.

The outreach and extension service was on its way.

Today, the group is building on history and looking to the future, with more than 100 programs a year and advancements into telecommunications and computerization.

In 1997, assistance was provided to Cape Girardeau residents 55,496 times. Newsletters were mailed to 4,664 subscribers with mailings totaling almost 30,000 pieces.

Needed: more space

A major problem for the program is lack of space, and Dr. William Meyer, president of the Cape County Extension, has cited the need for more space.

Meyer, Dr. Manuel Pacheco, University of Missouri president, and Dr. Ron Turner, executive vice president and director of cooperative extension, were guests at a recent fund-raising kickoff for a new building for the extension service.

Meyer emphasized that the demands for programs and new ones are increasing each year and said the 102 programs are crowding the existing facility.

Proposed is a $350,000, 7,000-square-foot Cape Girardeau County Education and Extension Center.

The outreach and extension network is a unique and valuable resource, ideally suited to deliver educational programs, said Pacheco.

"I've learned during my statewide travels that citizens of Missouri want their university to be accessible to them as adults as well as to their children," he said. "They understand that university research has profound impact on their lives and livelihood."

Turner congratulated the volunteers who have helped kick off the campaign. "Citizens provide energy, time and financial gifts to efforts such as this one because they know their gifts are investments in the future of Cape Girardeau in the 21st century," he said.

Third of the way home

The campaign is a third of the way home. more than $110,000 has been received in cash, pledges, and the donation of 2.5 acres of ground for the building

Also involved in the fund raising is a local 4-H club, which is sponsoring a raffle. The club leader, Dortha Strack, sold Turner the first ticket.

Cape Girardeau County led the way in the development of the outreach and extension programs in Missouri.

"We're asking Cape Girardeau countians to lead the way again," say Darrell Aufdenberg and Roger Schwab, co-chairmen for the fund drive.

People interested in helping the fund campaign can call (573) 243-3581 for additional information.

Only recently the group has received a number of checks, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. The $10,000 check was from NationsBank. Pledging $5,000 each were the Cape County Soil and Water Conservation District, SEMO Swine Improvement Association, and SEMO Pork Producers Association.

These, and numerous small checks from businesses and individuals, have shoved the total to more than $110,000.