Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/494

 434 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI years he was faithful in attendance at the meetings of the board, was a member during a great part of the time of the executive com- mittee, and gave to the school the best service which his great financial ability and experi- ence made possible. Perhaps the man most closely associated in the minds of most people with the work of the Normal school is Hon. Louis Houck, who became a member of the board of regents in 1886 and is still a member and has been for 24 years the president of the board. In fact, Mr. Houck 's interest in and connection with the school began long before he became a member of the board. It was due in part to his active and intelligent interest that Cape Girardeau was selected as the site for the school and during all the years of the school's existence he has had an interest in its wel- fare. Since his connection with the board of regents, and especially since he became its president, he has devoted to the work of the school much of his time and thought. Few weeks have passed in recent years in which Mr. Houck has not devoted some hours to the consideration of the needs and wants of the school. It was his presence on the ground, and his wide experience in affairs that made possible the erection of the present school plant at a cost, very generally considered, ex- tremely low. Mr. Houck has given personal attention to the work of the school and it is not too much to say that to him perhaps more than to any other one person the school owes its success. No doubt the generous dealings of the legislature with the school has come in part, at least, because of Mr. Houck 's connec- tion with it. His wide acquaintance with men of affairs has inspired confidence in the wisdom and ability with which the school would be conducted. The present board is composed of Hon. Louis Houck, president, C. D. Matthews, Jr., vice president, Leon J. Albert, secretary, Hina C. Schult, Moses Whybark, Edward A. Ro- zier and William P. Evans, ex- officio, R. B. Oliver of Cape Girardeau is the board's treas- urer and the executive committee is composed of Louis Houck, Moses Whybark and Leon J. Albert. Former Presidents Principal C. H. Dutcher was born Febru- ary 17, 1841, in Pike county, Illinois, his parents being natives of New York. He was reared on the farm and after completing the course of study in the coimtry schools he spent a year at Christian luiiversity at Can- ton and then became a student at Kentucky university, where he was graduated in June, 1864, with the degree Bachelor of Arts. Dur- ing part of his college life he served as a volunteer nurse in the hospital organized in the buildings of the uuiversitj'. After his graduation he taught school at Danville, Ken- tuckj', and then at other points in that state. In 1872-73 he was principal of the city schools of Kirksville, ilissouri, and in the latter year was elected a member of the faculty of the Kirksville State Normal school, teaching Latin and science; he held this position imtil 1877, when he became principal of the State Normal school at Cape Girardeau. As we have seen, his administration, which was conservative and businesslike, enabled the school to be- come thoroughly established. He held the principalship for three years and then en- gaged for a time in banking. In 1881 he became a teacher in the State Normal school at Warrensburg, holding the position until 1892, when he re-signed. Mr. Dutcher is a member of the Christian church and a man of highest character and ideals. He was not only a successful administrator and execu-