Almost Yesterday

Wednesdays at 7:31 a.m. & 5:18 p.m.

Hosted by Frank Nickell

Southeast Missouri State University

Almost Yesterday is a glimpse into the rich history of our region. Dr. Frank Nickell takes listeners on a journey to specific moments in time, such as the first radio broadcast on KFVS, the history of Farmington’s Carlton College, and the short-lived safari on a Mississippi River island. A gifted storyteller and local historian, Dr. Nickell’s wit and love for the past are combined with sounds and music that augment his narrative.

On Saturday, June 7, 2008, Almost Yesterday received First Place in the "Special Programs" category at the Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards Banquet in Kansas City, Missouri.

Local support for Almost Yesterday comes from Heartland Custom Flooring.

Almost Yesterday: The New Sound of Riverboat Jazz

By Frank Nickell • 23 hours ago

Cape Girardeau musicians Jess Stacy and Peg Meyer became part of the movement that led to the transition of Dixieland jazz to swing. — Southeast Missouri State University

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a new musical sound came up the Mississippi from the south. It moved north with the orchestras of the river excursion boats. Thus, Cape Girardeau was among the first communities in the nation to receive this new music.

Almost Yesterday: The shoe industry comes to Cape Girardeau

By Frank Nickell • Dec 31, 2019

Shoe Factory September 9, 1907 — Southeast Missouri State University

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Roberts, Johnson and Rand Shoe Company of St. Louis opened a manufacturing plant in Cape Girardeau. The date was September 9, 1907 and this proved to be a significant development in the economic growth of the city.

Almost Yesterday: Farmington's Dr. Andrew Ivy

By Frank Nickell • Dec 3, 2019

Dr. Andrew Ivy, 1893 - 1978 — Southeast Missouri State University

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Andrew Conway Ivy was one of the most well-known and celebrated physicians in the world. Born and raised in Farmington, Missouri, Dr. Ivy graduated from Southeast Missouri State Normal School in 1913, where his father, Henry Ivy, was a member of the science faculty.

Almost Yesterday: Warren Hearnes Becomes Missouri Governor

By Frank Nickell • Nov 26, 2019

Warren Hearnes was the first Missouri governor elected to two consecutive terms. He brought significant changes to civil rights, education, mental health, the environment, and highway programs — Southeast Missouri State University / KRCU

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Warren Eastman Hearnes became governor of Missouri. Born in Moline, Illinois, on July 24, 1923, Hearnes grew up in Charleston, Missouri, the county seat of Mississippi County, a place he called home for the remainder of his life.

While in high school he determined that he wanted to attend West Point in pursuit of a military career. The desired appointment was received and he graduated from the academy in the class of 1946. In 1947, Hearnes married his high school sweetheart, Betty Cooper, a minister’s daughter.

Almost Yesterday: The Iron Mountain Baby

By Frank Nickell • Nov 12, 2019

William Moses Gould Helms, 1902-1953 — Southeast Missouri State University

It seems like almost yesterday that one of the great legends of Southeast Missouri was born. On the afternoon of August 14, 1902, William Helms, a farmer near Hopewell, Missouri stopped to water his horse in a stream under a railroad trestle near Irondale. As he turned to leave he heard the muffled cry of a child. To his great surprise he found the sound coming from a suitcase that was on the river’s bank at the water’s edge. Inside the suitcase he found a baby boy with an extra set of clothes and a spool of black thread.