Posted on January 14, 2025January 15, 2025   Leave a comment on Pacific Junior Chamber of Commerce / 85 Years of Community Service and Fun, White Hats and All

Pacific Junior Chamber of Commerce / 85 Years of Community Service and Fun, White Hats and All

By Pauline Masson-  When I called the Pacific Jaycees the guys in the white hats for their efforts to rescue the popular Halloween Spookfest that was running out of steam in 2009, they accepted the accolade in good humor by donning white cowboy hats when they delivered a check to the Chamber of Commerce to help fund the event. Good fun and Good works had been a trademark of the Pacific Jaycees from the beginning. Ever since they formed as … Continue reading “Pacific Junior Chamber of Commerce / 85 Years of Community Service and Fun, White Hats and All”

Posted on January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 1 Comment on David I. Hoven: Plumber Who Captivated the City With a Love of Sports and a Winning Smile

David I. Hoven: Plumber Who Captivated the City With a Love of Sports and a Winning Smile

By Pauline Masson –  In October 2024, when the MVR-III school district announced its inaugural Pacific High School Hall of Fame the first name on the list of three inductees was David I. Hoven – a PHS alumn who does not fit the traditional definition of fame. The other two names on the inaugural list, George Hinkle Jr and Linda Wells, each has a history in a particular sport that gave them a more recognizable claim to fame.  George Hinkle … Continue reading “David I. Hoven: Plumber Who Captivated the City With a Love of Sports and a Winning Smile”

Posted on December 30, 2024December 31, 2024 1 Comment on Route 66 Goodies: Former Hardware Store Turned Memorabilia Mall Captures a Mixed Crowd

Route 66 Goodies: Former Hardware Store Turned Memorabilia Mall Captures a Mixed Crowd

  By Pauline Masson –  When Scott and Kandi Wolf decided to turn the former Tom Wolf Hardware store at 410 East Osage into what they called an antique mall they started with a clean slate. They didn’t know what to expect. “It was all Kandi’s idea,” Scott Said. “She looked at the empty store and said, ‘Why don’t we,’ and I thought, yeah we can do this.” Tom Wolf, Scott’s father, built the 9,000 square foot building 45 years ago … Continue reading “Route 66 Goodies: Former Hardware Store Turned Memorabilia Mall Captures a Mixed Crowd”

Posted on December 26, 2024December 26, 2024 2 Comments on Thoughts on Growing Old Gracefully

Thoughts on Growing Old Gracefully

By Pauline Masson – I once wrote an essay that said, “I always wanted to grow old gracefully.” I pictured myself in my seventies and eighties climbing Kilimanjaro, which seasoned mountain climbers say isn’t a real challenge like Everest, but is an easy walk in a good pair of shoes. Or, I would spend my days working in my garden, under a big hat, as Goethe, the German, poet, playwright, and statesman imagined for himself.  But its not working. I … Continue reading “Thoughts on Growing Old Gracefully”

Posted on December 24, 2024December 25, 2024 1 Comment on Snippets of Christmas in Pacific Past and Present

Snippets of Christmas in Pacific Past and Present

By Pauline Masson – A tiny working Ferris Wheel – probably inspired by the 1904 World’s Fair – lured shoppers to gather on St. Louis Street and stare at the plate glass window in Alsobrook’s Drug Store in 1925, where it rotated round and round and flashed its Christmas lights through the holiday season. Bill Hirth, grandson of the man who crafted the two-foot tall wheel with ten passenger seats is dusts it off and turns it on every December … Continue reading “Snippets of Christmas in Pacific Past and Present”

Posted on December 22, 2024December 22, 2024 2 Comments on Board of Aldermen Bent on Change Are Stalled In City Administrator Search – Too Many Choices

Board of Aldermen Bent on Change Are Stalled In City Administrator Search – Too Many Choices

By Pauline Masson – In the six months since two city administrators voluntarily resigned from the post aldermen have been remarkably quiet about a prolonged search for someone to manage the city. In response to a question about the search, Mayor Heather Filley said 38 candidates have applied for the job. Most have been rejected but a few remain to be interviewed. Previous city administrator Steve Roth resigned August 11, 2023 after nine years in the top city job. Interim … Continue reading “Board of Aldermen Bent on Change Are Stalled In City Administrator Search – Too Many Choices”

Posted on December 15, 2024December 15, 2024

A Spectacular 1873 ‘No Holds Barred’ Boxing Match Still Remembered 70 Years Later

By Pauline Masson – A long washed away but remarkably substantial sandbar in the Meramec River – at approximately the location of the former Priest’s Ford – once flanked a small log hut and provided the backdrop for a spectacular bare knuckles ‘no holds barred’ boxing match that was recalled in the local newspaper seventy years later. The boxing match was between two well known local lads, the unmistakeable hope of two pioneer families.  One was George Mcnamee, the stalwart … Continue reading “A Spectacular 1873 ‘No Holds Barred’ Boxing Match Still Remembered 70 Years Later”

Posted on December 10, 2024December 10, 2024 1 Comment on Sand Mountain is a Geological Treasure / The National Park Service Might Take Notice

Sand Mountain is a Geological Treasure / The National Park Service Might Take Notice

By Pauline Masson A sixty-year-old National Park Service program targets geological treasures like our Sand Mountain to promote appreciation of the nation’s natural heritage. President John F. Kennedy established the National Natural Landmark (NNL) program in May 1962 to identify and recognize outstanding examples of the natural features that “are important for the illustration of the basic geological and ecological story of America.”  The National Park Services runs the program which helps owners promote their site as a destination, recognizes … Continue reading “Sand Mountain is a Geological Treasure / The National Park Service Might Take Notice”

Posted on December 4, 2024December 4, 2024

Shoe Factories Joined the Railroad, Bottling Plant and Canning Factory to Bring Hourly Jobs to Pacific

By Pauline Masson –  Pacific was in the throes of the national Railroad Shopmen’s Strike of 1922 and under threat of losing the Missouri Pacific Railroad repair shop altogether – which it did when the strike ended – when a Mr. Oscar Arcularius telephoned Mayor Albert Koppitz with the idea of bringing a shoe factory to Pacific. He was anxious to do it, Mr. Arcularius said. All Pacific needed to do was to provide a building. The shoe factory would set … Continue reading “Shoe Factories Joined the Railroad, Bottling Plant and Canning Factory to Bring Hourly Jobs to Pacific”

Posted on November 22, 2024December 8, 2024 1 Comment on Are You Watching This?

Are You Watching This?

By Pauline Masson – My late friend Bob Bailin had a memorable reaction to troubling behavior in others. Rather than take them on directly, he looked elsewhere for solace. When he saw people – and especially friends –  acting out of line, he would tilt his head back, look up to Heaven, and say in his best “My Goodness!” voice, “Are You Watching This!” That came back to me like a nursery rhyme jingle that keeps playing over and over … Continue reading “Are You Watching This?”