affection for the state of missouri, in part because it s where i had my first job. i was newly married and just out of college, and my husband was in the army stationed at fort leonardwood, and i lived about 90 miles south of here in wanesville. i in habited a converted motel room and drove 30 miles to work each day at the daily news where i wrote [ applause ] where i wrote obituaries and articles for the society page, reported on an occasional sports story and even interviewed people who had seen a ufo. [ laughter ] i also sold classified ads. and my favorite that i remember was, this man came in and this is what he gave me. he said, senator, cemetery plot for sale. owner must move. sell at sacrifice. [ laughter ] there s another reason i love missouri. because it gave america the gift of harry hume. harry truman who was my first american president. i don t have to tell this audience truman was both a remarkable leader and a remarkable man. nor do i have to tell you about