JOE SULLIVAN JOINS MISSOURIAN AS NEWS DIRECTOR

R. Joe Sullivan joins the Southeast Missourian today as news director.

Sullivan comes to Cape Girardeau from Topeka, Kan., where he served as executive editor of the Topeka Capital-Journal, the flagship newspaper of Stauffer Communications Inc.

Sullivan has worked for the Stauffer newspaper group the past 21 years, serving as editor or publisher in the Missouri towns of Nevada, Independence, Maryville and Blue Springs, as well as Topeka.

Before joining Stauffer Communications, Sullivan was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and an editor at The Wall Street Journal in Dallas and New York.

He grew up in Piedmont, where his family still lives.

"It's a pleasure to come back to Southeast Missouri to live and work. It really feels like coming home," he said.

"The Southeast Missourian is a good newspaper, and I hope I can contribute to continuing its standard of excellence, as well as achieve new goals," Sullivan said.

Publisher Wally Lage said the hiring of Sullivan is "a continuation of our commitment to make the Southeast Missourian the best newspaper of our size in the country."

But another major reason for Sullivan's hiring is a large list of company agenda items that cannot be accomplished without additional personnel, Lage said.

The newspaper plans to launch a secondary news network -- pooling stories to share among the state's mid-sized daily newspapers.

"We are also working to initiate a Sunday magazine as a common section in all our daily newspapers," said Jon K. Rust, assistant to the publisher.

Sullivan also will coordinate the Southeast Missouri News Network, which links all of the Rust Communications newspapers. These include daily newspapers in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Dexter and Kennett, and weekly publications in Jackson, Chaffee, Advance, Bloomfield, Malden, Blytheville, Ark., and Osceola, Ark.

"An important reason for bringing Joe to the Missourian concerns the fact that Jon Rust will be leaving within the next few months," said Lage.

In addition to serving as assistant to the publisher, Rust has also been editorial page editor since 1993.

He will be moving to Washington, D.C., but will continue to write columns for both the Southeast Missourian and the Southeast Missouri News Network.

Rust plans to pursue post-graduate courses and further newspaper training. He intends to return to Rust Communications within a few years.

"So much of me hates to leave the Cape Girardeau area right now," said Rust. "Southeast Missouri continues to progress excitingly, and the newspaper is growing -- more pages, sections and expanded coverage for our readers. But this time provides the best opportunity for me to gain some additional training elsewhere."

Rust will depart for Washington in mid-August.

Ken Newton, editor since 1988, will assume the editorial page editor duties after a brief transition period. This includes leading the newspaper's editorial board, writing editorials and coordinating the editorial and op-ed pages.

Newton also will assist in the Southeast Missourian's growing book publishing division.

The newspaper published the "Cape Girardeau, City of Roses" history book last December. The book is in its second printing. A book of Jean Bell Mosley writings also will be published later this year. A number of other projects are in the planning stages.

Sullivan is active in many newspaper organizations.

He is past president of the Northwest Missouri Press Association, a member of the human resources committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was chairman of the committee that organized the Missouri Society of Newspaper Editors.

Most recently, Sullivan co-chaired the Kansas Media-Bar Committee.

His wife, Marge, has owned an advertising and public relations company. Most recently, she served as book editor for the Stauffer Magazine Group, a division of Stauffer Communications.

They have two sons: Jason, who does medical research in Boston; and Brendan, a student at Kansas State University-Salina, where he is majoring in pilot training.