By Bob Van Leer

  (Columbia, MO, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2008) - The University of Missouri Journalism School was founded in 1908, the first journalism school in the United States and this year had a celebration to mark the 100th anniversary.

  I graduated from the school in 1951, and my late wife, Betty, also graduated from the school but in 1952. I decided since I have been associated with the school for more than half of those 100 years to go back to the celebration. Betty and I visited the school several times over those years and always visited with Dr. Earl English, who took over as dean of the school when we were students there. We also took classes under him and it was the start of a life-long friendship.

By Bob Van Leer

  (Columbia, MO, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008) - For the next two days there were informational sessions all day long, a half-hour to an hour each and so many it was impossible to attend them all. I found that four a day was all I wanted to handle.

  The first session I attended was in Neff Hall, the oldest of the journalism buildings. When Betty and I attended the school there were two interconnected buildings. There are now six.

  The session on "New Models for Journalism" was held in a theater-type lecture hall on the second floor. This hall was one of the few things in the school that hasn't been remodeled or changed. It does have new seats. Still, I could see in the back rows within a few feet of where I met Betty in a class on the History and Principles of Journalism.

By Bob Van Leer

  (St. Louis, MO, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008) - This morning I took the shuttle back to St. Louis and was picked up at the airport by my younger sister, Ruth Chiodini, and her daughter, Sandy. I'm to stay with my other sister, June Pallardy, Steve's mother.

  In the evening we had dinner at June's home with Paul Collins and his wife. Paul is a friend from childhood and Paul brought me up to date on friends from a half-century ago.

  That night what was left of Hurricane Ike hit St. Louis. There was not a whole lot of wind, only a few tree branches were broken and some power outages. But there was a deluge of rain, 4-5 inches in a few hours and the drainage was not capable of handling it so there was some severe flooding in low spots.