Mary Elizabeth Rawlings Cornine, Lillian Rawlings Cott, Dixie and Woody Niceley, Bertha Cott Surles, and Vesta Morton Rawlings discuss growing up, working, and living in Marshall, Missouri. 

Highlights

Grandma Vesta lived a few houses down from Sam Walton ("reputed to be the richest man in the world").

On the Family Volume 1, Track 1 (Recorded 1987 in Ames, Iowa)

Karlie Schaphorst, 20, describes saving a young girl's life while lifeguarding. Recorded in Columbia, Mo., on Monday, Mar. 2, 2015. (0:59)

Lifeguard Story

Kewei "Kelvin" Hu describes how he came to love Starbucks as a boy in China. This interview was recorded on Monday, March 9, 2015, in Columbia, Mo.

Chinese Coffee

BROOKSIDE, THE BEALS, 9TH STREET LOFTS AND THE LOFTS ON BROADWAY. ALTHOUGH SOME COLUMBIA RESIDENTS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THESE NEW STUDENT HOUSING COMPLEXES, NEARLY EVERYONE IN COLUMBIA KNOWS THE NAME "OPUS." THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS SIGNED A PETITION LAST YEAR TO BLOCK THE CONSTRUCTION OF YET ANOTHER HOUSING COMPLEX DOWNTOWN, THIS TIME SPEARHEADED BY A MINNESOTA-BASED DEVELOPER: THE OPUS GROUP. AFTER A LENGTHY LEGAL BATTLE, OPUS WAS GRANTED PERMISSION TO BUILD A SIX-STORY APARTMENT TOWER IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN.  PETITIONERS LIKE MICHAEL ABSHEER STILL THINK THE PLAN WAS APPROVED TOO HASTILY.

They're jumping the gun when it comes to infrastructure like proper electrical and sewage systems in the city. They need to start addressing that, and don't let all the special interest groups come in and put a gun to their head trying to force them to do something against their policies that'll ultimately cost us all a lot more money in the end.

IN ADDITION TO BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS LIKE WATER AND POWER SHORTAGES, THE OPUS DEVELOPMENT WILL ONLY PROVIDE PARKING FOR A THIRD OF ITS RESIDENTS. 

(Nat Sounds 1&2)

DESPITE SUCH FIERCE OPPOSITION, CONSTRUCTION STARTED ON THE SITE SIX MONTHS AGO, WITH THE DEMOLITION OF CHONG'S ORIENTAL MARKET. THE MARKET WAS RELOCATED ACROSS THE STREET, BUT THE MOVE PROVED TOO MUCH FOR THE ORIGINAL OWNER WHO SOLD THE PROPERTY. 

We bought it last year. The city kicked the old owner out, and he didn't want to do it anymore. So, we bought it.

JEAN LEE, WHO’S FAMILY PURCHASED THE BUSINESS, IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE NEW BUSINESS MORE HOUSING WILL BRING. HOWEVER, JEAN ALSO WORRIES ABOUT FIGHTING FOR PARKING.

We could do street parking, but it's difficult, and then we only have four or five spots, which is hard.

MANY BUSINESS HAVE SUFFERED FROM A LACK OF PARKING DOWNTOWN IN THE PAST, WITH SOME SHOPS LIKE RED MANGO GOING OUT OF BUSINESS AS PARKING BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF PESSIMISM DOWNTOWN ABOUT THE OPUS PROJECT, UNTIL THE TOWER IS COMPLETED, JEAN AND MICHAEL BOTH WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT THIS ONCE-QUIET BLOCK BECOMES.

Opus Story

(Nat sound 1)

ON MOST AFTERNOONS, BUSINESS AT SHAKESPEARE'S PIZZA IN COLUMBIA, MISSOURI SLOWS TO CRAWL. EMPLOYEES HAVE TIME TO SWAY TO THE OLDIES THAT PLAY OVER THE PA SYSTEM, AND THE FEW CUSTOMERS THAT DO DROP IN CAN SIT JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE. THE OLD BRICK WALLS AND THE VINTAGE SIGNS THAT DECORATE THEM MAKE EVEN THE SOLO PIZZA-LOVER FEEL AT HOME. HOWEVER, ON THIS PARTICULAR AFTERNOON, SHAKESPEARE'S IS THE TALK OF THE TOWN.

We're moving there, behind us. And we'll be back in hopefully about 16 or 18 months. 

YOU HEARD RIGHT. ACCORDING TO ALYCIA LEWIS, DAUGHTER OF SHAKESPEARE'S OWNERS, THE LOCATION THAT HAS SERVED COLUMBIA FOR OVER 30 YEARS IS GETTING BULLDOZED. IN ITS SPOT DEVELOPERS PLAN TO BUILD DOWNTOWN'S FIFTH STUDENT HOUSING PROJECT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. MANAGER KURT MIRTSCHING IS INTENT ON PRESERVING THE FEEL OF SHAKESPEARE'S, BUT HE KNOWS NOT EVERYTHING WILL SURVIVE THE MOVE. 

Well, the signs can come down, the tables and chairs can be moved. The cabinets were you get your soda and order your pizza those can be saved. All the equipment, the ovens, the dough machine, all that can obviously be moved and saved. The bricks and the wood walls and whatnot can't really be saved because you can't really take that apart. 

ALTHOUGH MIRTSCHING IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT KEEPING THE STORE THE SAME, IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE THE SAME QUIET AFTERNOONS THIS COLUMBIA RESIDENT HAS COME TO LOVE.

(Nat sound 2)


Evan Church