When called to duty, our Missouri legends answered
This article is written for the News-Press Now and the Missouri Highway 36 Heritage Alliance.
Like a good fictional novel, how did this group of world-changing men grow up along a 200-mile stretch of highway in one state? These Missourians not only left an impactful legacy, but when their country mobilized for war, like a million others, they served. Fulfilling a patriotic obligation to their country and themselves.
The Messenger: Walter Cronkite Jr
Our nation was in an all-out struggle, World War II.
A young Walter Cronkite Jr. had just been hired as a War Correspondent for CBS News and wanted to make an impression. He decided to go where the action was, hitching a ride with the 101st Airborne. Cronkite glided into enemy-occupied Holland on invasion day to get the story of capturing a strategic bridge during the Allies' Operation Market Garden.
Cronkite survived to file, then proceeded to cover the Battle of the Bulge, the surrender of Germany, and the Nuremberg Trials, all adding to his credibility. This on-the-scene reporting built a reputation that ultimately made him the man citizens in the United States looked to for the truth.
Watched by millions, Cronkite anchored the CBS evening news from 1962-1981, delivering unbiased, straight-from-the-hip facts that could influence presidential elections and end wars.
He became “the most trusted man in America.”
A walk through the Walter Cronkite Memorial on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, will remind you of the cultural shift and chaotic times this son of a dentist helped guide the nation through.
The Equalizer: Jesse James
The 1860s was a vicious time in the United States.
Young Jesse James' allegiance to his family and the south was determined early. Experiencing personal tragedies and the Civil War, led Jesse to live a life of retribution and crime.
Anderson, Quantrill and James were at war, fighting the equally ruthless Jayhawkers, joining bushwhacker bands, raiding Kansas towns in a tit for tat, murderous rampage, creating ill will between the two states for generations.
“Quantrill and his men were no more bandits than the men on the other side,...all they were trying to do was protect the property on the Missouri side of the line,” lamented Harry S. Truman.
The Patee House Museum and Jesse James Home in St. Joseph, along with the Jesse James Birthplace Museum in Kearney, Missouri, will give you the feeling of the life and times of this immortal, but legends die hard; better to leave your wallet in the car.
The Marketeer: J.C. Penney
James Cash Penney was too old to physically fight in the World Wars so what was a patriotic innovator to do? The answer: sell War Bonds. His stores sold millions of dollars worth.
The United States fought the wars by borrowing money from its citizens. Penney did his part.
J.C. Penney’s Home and Museum in Hamilton, Missouri, takes you through the life and struggles of a country boy who conquered the world of retail.
Tour this bustling quilt quilt-laden town, check out the Museum, but don’t forget, dress appropriately.
The Warrior: General John J. Pershing
Pershing helped save the world.
The general’s earliest memories at four years old were of his Unionist father in 1864, barricading their home, fighting off bushwhackers with a six-gun.
After West Point, directing Buffalo Soldiers as a Second Lieutenant, saving unceremoniously Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders on San Juan Hill, then chasing Poncho Villa and losing most of his family in a tragic fire.
Pershing’s life was stoic and all military.
Guiding the Allies to victory in the Great War brought the world's gratitude and attention.
Little Laclede, Missouri, holds the state’s museum and compound honoring this hero. Come, recognize his importance and salute the man.
The Healer: Dr. A. T. Still
During the Civil War, Missouri was in conflict. The States' allegiance was split.
Always interested in medicine, Andrew Taylor Still felt the Union call, fighting in several 1864 battles against Confederate General Sterling Price's invasion force, trying to reclaim the State.
Observing trauma and frustrating procedures that used so-called “modern medicine,” Still looked for a new approach to healing.
As with most innovations, Still’s Osteopathic Medicine and Manipulation was generally rejected by rigid mainstream medicine.
Only after Osteopathic Doctors, DOs, were not accepted into medical military service during World War I and II did the new approach get national recognition.
DO’s filled the void left by the deployed MD’s gaining the appreciation and success they enjoy today.
A visit to the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine at A. T. Still University in Kirksville will leave you relaxed.
The Dreamer: Walt Disney
Proud to be an American and all that meant with many never-say-die opportunities.
Disney followed his brothers, volunteering at the age of 16, joining other Americans in France during World War I, and driving an ambulance.
Nobody had more ups and downs in business than young Walt Disney, but he persevered.
Gaining impressionable inspiration from his time growing up in Marceline, Missouri, Walt never forgot. You can see the town’s influence in almost everything he created. Main Street, the Learning Tree, love of trains, and nature dominate Disney’s theme parks and early animated pictures.
Walk through the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline, and you’ll feel like a kid again. The Cynic: Mark Twain
Like so many who experienced battle, during the Civil War, Twain lost whatever youthful noble illusions of combat many had.
Twain aged, observed and changed using brutal satire in his writing to question society, government, and ourselves.
Mark Twain went on to become one of the most influential writers and thinkers in American history.
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and the government when it deserves it!” “Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.” “Do the right thing. It will gratify some and astonish the rest,” all Twainisms.
Hannibal, Missouri, is loaded with Mark Twain sites. Take a tour, you'll walk out smiling and questioning authority.
From the renowned people on 36 Highway who gave us the sayings: “and that’s the way it is," "this is a hold-up," "cash or credit," "we’ll attack at dawn," "how’s that feel," "dreams can come true," and "wrinkles are merely where smiles have been.”
Take a drive, learn, explore, and appreciate what these Missouri giants in history accomplished.
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Bob Ford’s History will appear in each edition of the Midweek, Weekender, and Corner Post. To get more of Bob’s work, go to his website, bobfordshistory.com, for videos, visit YouTube, TikTok, and Clapper.
