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Almost Yesterday is a glimpse into the rich history of our region. Dr. Frank Nickell takes listeners on a journey to specific moments in time, such as the first radio broadcast on KFVS, the history of Farmington’s Carleton College, and the short-lived safari on a Mississippi River island. A gifted storyteller and local historian, Dr. Nickell’s wit and love for the past are combined with sounds and music that augment his narrative.On Saturday, June 7, 2008, Almost Yesterday received First Place in the "Special Programs" category at the Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards Banquet in Kansas City, Missouri.Almost Yesterday airs every Wednesday at 5:42 and 7:42 a.m. and 5:18 p.m.

Almost Yesterday: Walter W. Parker Retires from SEMO

Southeast Missouri State University
Parker led through the college through the Great Depression, World War II, and the Korean War.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Walter W. Parker retired as president of Southeast Missouri State College.  The date was July 1, 1956, and his 23 year tenure as president of the institution is the longest in its history.

President Parker assumed the presidency of the small teacher’s college in July of 1933.  Born in rural Howard County, Arkansas on January 17, 1889, Parker graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas with a degree in English, and began his career in education at Central Missouri State College as a young professor of English.

Graduate work at Columbia University in New York enabled Professor Parker to advance to chairperson of his department, dean of the college, and later president of Northwest Oklahoma State Teachers College.  When Parker assumed the presidency at Southeast in 1933 there were 637 students and 46 faculty members on the campus of five buildings.

As president between 1933 and 1956, Parker saw the college grow to 1,715 students and 80 faculty.  Five new buildings were constructed to meet the demands of the post-World War II expansion:  Kent Library, Cheney Hall, Myers Hall, Memorial Hall, and Houck Field House.

President Parker was widely recognized for his service at Southeast.  He received two honorary doctorates, served as president of the Missouri State Teachers Association and the American Association of Teachers Colleges, and was proud that President Harry Truman appointed him to the Board of Visitors of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.

In 1956 failing health led to his retirement, and seven months later he passed away. At his death he was praised as a gentle man whose educational contribution to the community, the college, and the region would forever serve as his memorial. 

Frank Nickell is a retired history professor at Southeast Missouri State University.
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