Former Missouri Senator Emory Melton Commemorated
Shown above, left to right, are: former Missouri Senator, Doyle Childers; former Missouri Senator, Gary Nodler; assisting artist, Adrienne Quiros-Zucca; “America’s Muralist,” Raine Clotfelter; Barry County Advertiser/Litho Printers Manager, Marty Jenkins; Owner of Melton Publications and Emory Melton’s son, Stan Melton; Assistant Manager of Litho Printers, Matt Willis; Missouri Treasurer, Scott Fitzpatrick; and former Barry County Commissioner, Cherry Warren. Photo by Sheila Harris.
June 30
Sheila Harris
Clouds parted Saturday morning as a sizeable crowd gathered for a special Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the offices of The Barry County Advertiser and Litho Printers in Cassville.
The ceremony marked the recent completion of two exterior wall murals painted by “America’s Muralist,” Raine Clotfelter. The double-mural, Clotfelter’s first outdoor project of the season, depicts the Cassville Courthouse and former Missouri Senator Emory Melton, on one wall, and a classic trout-fishing scene from Roaring River on the other wall.
Both murals were commissioned by Melton Publications in memory of Senator Melton, who passed away December 26, 2015.
After a childhood spent in McDowell, Melton worked his way through college and law school, and was then drafted into the U.S. military, where he served for a year as a criminal investigator.
Upon his return from service, Melton established a law practice in Cassville and served as Barry County’s Prosecuting Attorney from 1947 until 1951. During that period of time, he married Jean Sanders (of Shell Knob) and the couple subsequently had two sons, Russ and Stan.
The Meltons began Litho Printers and The Barry County Advertiser in 1967, and while the faces of personnel changed over the years, the businesses remain in constant production.
Melton served in the Missouri State Senate for the 29th district from 1973 until 1997. While there, he impressed his colleagues with his diligence and integrity. His successor in the senate, Doyle Childers, of Reed Spring, called Melton “the voice of reason.”
“As I got to know Emory better,” Childers said, “I realized just what an influence he had. In the senate, when a bill was contested, he’d say, ‘Let’s stop and look at this for a minute.’ He didn’t speak a lot, but when he did speak, he was able to influence people.”
Former Barry County commissioner Cherry Warren called Melton one of his biggest mentors and spoke, too, of his influence and integrity.
“Emory would defend people in his law practice whether they could afford his counsel or not,” Warren said, citing the example of an accused murderer who Melton successfully defended for $100.
Warren added that Melton, always seen in his signature coat, tie and white shirt, was “so much fun to be around.”
“When you think of Emory, you think of history,” Warren said.
Melton, known as the go-to man for information about Barry County’s history, hand-penned two books and wrote numerous historical pieces for various publications.
Warren attributes the construction of Roaring River Lodge to Melton’s influence, too, due in large part to his 20-year service on the tourism commission in the senate.
Former Missouri Senator Gary Nodler also painted a glowing portrait of Emory Melton, with particular focus on the late senator’s wit in reference to the proposed passage of a bill that would negatively affect law enforcement in Barry County.
“When Emory said, ‘let’s just take Barry County’s sheriff’s office for an example,’ he was asked by a senator from Kansas City if he thought residents of Barry County were smarter than those in Kansas City,” Nodler said. “Emory answered, ‘well, yes. Everybody in Barry County knows where Kansas City is, but I bet only one person out of ten people in Kansas City knows where Cassville is.”
Stan Melton, son of Emory Melton and owner of Melton Publications, called his father his hero.
“He lived an amazing life of service and truly loved what he did,” Melton said.
All who spoke at the dedication ceremony were in agreement that the murals were a great way to commemorate Melton.
Barry County Advertiser publisher and Litho Printers manager, Marty Jenkins, added that Emory Melton may have had some reservations about them, though.
“The first thing he would have asked,” Jenkins said, “is ‘how much are they going to cost?’”
Sheila Harris
Clouds parted Saturday morning as a sizeable crowd gathered for a special Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the offices of The Barry County Advertiser and Litho Printers in Cassville.
The ceremony marked the recent completion of two exterior wall murals painted by “America’s Muralist,” Raine Clotfelter. The double-mural, Clotfelter’s first outdoor project of the season, depicts the Cassville Courthouse and former Missouri Senator Emory Melton, on one wall, and a classic trout-fishing scene from Roaring River on the other wall.
Both murals were commissioned by Melton Publications in memory of Senator Melton, who passed away December 26, 2015.
After a childhood spent in McDowell, Melton worked his way through college and law school, and was then drafted into the U.S. military, where he served for a year as a criminal investigator.
Upon his return from service, Melton established a law practice in Cassville and served as Barry County’s Prosecuting Attorney from 1947 until 1951. During that period of time, he married Jean Sanders (of Shell Knob) and the couple subsequently had two sons, Russ and Stan.
The Meltons began Litho Printers and The Barry County Advertiser in 1967, and while the faces of personnel changed over the years, the businesses remain in constant production.
Melton served in the Missouri State Senate for the 29th district from 1973 until 1997. While there, he impressed his colleagues with his diligence and integrity. His successor in the senate, Doyle Childers, of Reed Spring, called Melton “the voice of reason.”
“As I got to know Emory better,” Childers said, “I realized just what an influence he had. In the senate, when a bill was contested, he’d say, ‘Let’s stop and look at this for a minute.’ He didn’t speak a lot, but when he did speak, he was able to influence people.”
Former Barry County commissioner Cherry Warren called Melton one of his biggest mentors and spoke, too, of his influence and integrity.
“Emory would defend people in his law practice whether they could afford his counsel or not,” Warren said, citing the example of an accused murderer who Melton successfully defended for $100.
Warren added that Melton, always seen in his signature coat, tie and white shirt, was “so much fun to be around.”
“When you think of Emory, you think of history,” Warren said.
Melton, known as the go-to man for information about Barry County’s history, hand-penned two books and wrote numerous historical pieces for various publications.
Warren attributes the construction of Roaring River Lodge to Melton’s influence, too, due in large part to his 20-year service on the tourism commission in the senate.
Former Missouri Senator Gary Nodler also painted a glowing portrait of Emory Melton, with particular focus on the late senator’s wit in reference to the proposed passage of a bill that would negatively affect law enforcement in Barry County.
“When Emory said, ‘let’s just take Barry County’s sheriff’s office for an example,’ he was asked by a senator from Kansas City if he thought residents of Barry County were smarter than those in Kansas City,” Nodler said. “Emory answered, ‘well, yes. Everybody in Barry County knows where Kansas City is, but I bet only one person out of ten people in Kansas City knows where Cassville is.”
Stan Melton, son of Emory Melton and owner of Melton Publications, called his father his hero.
“He lived an amazing life of service and truly loved what he did,” Melton said.
All who spoke at the dedication ceremony were in agreement that the murals were a great way to commemorate Melton.
Barry County Advertiser publisher and Litho Printers manager, Marty Jenkins, added that Emory Melton may have had some reservations about them, though.
“The first thing he would have asked,” Jenkins said, “is ‘how much are they going to cost?’”
Above, former Missouri Senator, Doyle Childers (left) visits with America’s Muralist, Raine Clotfelter (right), Saturday at a mural dedication ceremony held at The Barry County Advertiser to honor the late Senator Emory Melton.
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Above, former Barry County commissioner, Cherry Warren, shares memories of Emory Melton at a mural dedication Saturday at the offices of Litho Printers and The Barry County Advertiser.
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