They call themselves "The Downtowners," a trailblazing group of men and women who were here at the beginning to bring to life a fledgling junior college in Southeast Missouri. Fifty years later, they gathered to receive recognition for their work in laying a strong foundation for what is now Three Rivers College.
"Today is a celebration of all of those employees who began our institution," TRC President Dr. Wesley Payne said. "They're the roots of this college and they built the foundation of our success that we're growing on still today."
Founded in 1966, classes began in 1967 at TRC and were housed in a collection of buildings in Downtown Poplar Bluff, hence the group's name, The Downtowners.
"In honor of all of those members who started the college and did that great work in our beginnings, we wanted to memorialize their efforts and their work with a permanent plaque in the administration building and a celebration of the founding of the college and that strong foundation that they built and gave us for the future," Payne said.
Of "The Downtowners," only one currently still works for TRC. Gene Bess has coached basketball since 1970 and can add the title of the college's longest serving employee to his vast list of achievements.
"It wasn't something that I vowed to do when I first started, but I've just kind of been able to weather the storms and do what I enjoy so I'm still doing it," he said.
Though Bess has seen the college prosper on its new campus and has met a lot of new folks along the way, the group of Downtowners is something he holds dear to his heart.
"This group is a bunch of great friends that I've had from the very beginning," Bess said. "They're special people and they did a great job of setting the tone for our college, educationally and otherwise."
Downtowner Ben Pulliam spent 20 years working for TRC and for most of those years served as the director of admissions. Pulliam said he is proud to leave behind a legacy of hard work and perseverance in the college's history.
"This honor means a tremendous amount of good feeling," he said. "I enjoyed my time here very, very much. It was an excellent experience to see this thing grow and the improvement made in the last five or six years is just tremendous."
Pulliam stood by Payne while "The Downtowners" plaque was revealed during yesterday's ceremony. He beamed when he saw smiles, and even a few tears, appear on the faces of his former colleagues.
"Everyone wants to be remembered for something that's a winning situation and this new campus is really a winner. We had no idea when we started that this campus would ever look like this," said Pulliam, who served on the TRC Board of Trustees after his retirement.
TRC's first president, Dr. H. Tudor Westover, moved his family to Poplar Bluff from Flat River, Mo., with a vision in mind. His daughter, Patricia Westover McWilliams attended "The Downtowners" ceremony in remembrance of her father.
"(My) parents were always great about making (me) feel important," McWilliams said. "When we came down here the first time, daddy told me we didn't have to do this if I didn't want to. But I saw the sparkle in his eye. There was no way I could tell him no and take that away from him."
McWilliams said she was in the first class of students during the summer of 1967. She said she and her friend Nita Blemker served on the first student council, chose the school's mascot, song, colors and even received a cease and desist letter from Warner Brothers regarding Rocky Raiders' likeness to Yosemite Sam.
"I guess Rocky Raider looked a little bit too much like Yosemite Sam, but it wasn't intentional," McWilliams said. "He's a raider, we were raiders, it just seemed to fit."
McWilliams said seeing her experiences intertwine with the history of TRC has been an unforgettable experience, but that without "The Downtowners," none of it would have been possible.
"The Downtowners were essential," McWilliams said. "They were a close-knit group. The did all of the paperwork and did everything that was needed to get us our accreditation. Without them, we wouldn't be seated here today."
Downtowner Shirley Davenport's early days with TRC were a bit different than many of her fellow Downtowners. Prior to working for the college, Davenport was a student during the instution's first two years.
"Not only was I a student at the downtown campus, I also worked in the business office at the downtown campus after I graduated," Davenport said. "After I left, I continued my education at Southeast Missouri State University as a commuter student and earned my degree in business management."
Davenport was one of TRC's first non-traditional students, as she chose to marry and have children before pursuing her own education. However, Davenport said her time at TRC and the friendships she made there will forever remain special.
"There was a camaraderie there, they're just such nice people," she said. "I really enjoyed Three Rivers as a student and I enjoyed working there. It's nice to see everyone again."