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Generations for Freedom from The Sedalia Democrat and Latisha Koetting to receive 2007 Governor's Humanities Book Award

(PRLEAP.COM) On October 10, 2007, at an award ceremony at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion, Latisha Koetting and The Sedalia Democrat will receive the 2007 Governor’s Humanities Book Award from the Missouri Humanities Council, for their publication Generations for Freedom: Honoring the Sacrifices of West Central Missouri Veterans from the Civil War to the War on Terror. Each year the Governor of Missouri and the Missouri Humanities Council celebrate the accomplishments of people who have made exceptional contributions to our understanding of Missouri, its people, and its stories. The Book Award recognizes an individual whose book has increased our understanding and appreciation of Missouri’s history and culture, regardless of publisher or the author’s place of residence.

Generations for Freedom is a collection of oral histories from the men and women of West Central Missouri who have served in the military. It records memories that may otherwise have been lost. Of the 142 stories in the book, 64 of these veterans have died. Stories from veterans who served in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the current war in Iraq are included.

In fall 2000, the city editor asked his staff what could be done for Veterans Day. A suggestion was made by Mrs. Koetting to ask World War II veterans to submit their stories for publication. The response was overwhelming and the Veterans page was born. More than six years later, it’s still a reader favorite.

The series has had a direct impact on the community. The heart of the Veterans’ page is oral history. These stories remind readers of the sacrifices the men and women of our state have made to keep the nation safe. Many of the children of veterans are amazed to see their parents in the paper and even more surprised to read what they have to say. The vets are reluctant to talk to their families about their time in the military.

The stories are now being preserved for future generations and are being shared in schools. Teachers have asked some of the veterans to visit their classrooms to share life stories.

The book was released in November 2006. To kick off its publication, the Democrat and the Sedalia Chamber of Commerce hosted a book release celebration Nov. 9. All veterans in the book, their families and friends, and the public were invited to attend. With a full house, honoring veterans from nine Missouri counties, something was shared about every of the veterans profiled in the book. A bell was rung for those who weren’t able to attend.

A special moment in the evening was when the final name was read. The veteran was in the hospital because of a health problem. His grandson, Alex, rang the bell on his behalf. Alex remarked how thankful he was that his grandfather’s story was preserved and how he couldn’t wait to share it with his children and grandchildren. That moment reinforced the importance of documenting these histories. The Sedalia Democrat is committed to keeping the Veterans page alive.

Latisha Koetting has worked at the Sedalia Democrat since November 1995. She started off in the circulation department, but soon moved over to the newsroom, where she is the newsroom assistant. Her duties include everything from writing obituaries, wedding, engagement, anniversary and birth announcements, to keeping calendar items updated and publishing school honor rolls. Her favorite part of her job is working with the veterans and documenting their stories. Her inspiration comes from her own grandfather, an Army veteran of World War II. "Unfortunately, I wasn’t smart enough in my younger years to make the time to document his story," writes Mrs. Koetting. "He died in 1994. I am trying to help by documenting the stories of other veterans." The Democrat has published almost 200 military stories to date.

In her spare time, she keeps busy with her husband, Chris, three children, Hunter, Chandler, and Sierra and stepdaughter, Ashley. She is a Cub Scout leader.

Founded eight years after Sedalia itself, The Sedalia Democrat began as a weekly newspaper in 1868 and began printing daily in 1871. The paper was discontinued in October 1888, only to be revived in December by new owners John A. Hannay and A.C. Baldwin, who renamed it the Sedalia Gazette. Hannay sold his interest in the Gazette to C.H. Streit in 1890. The Gazette became a Republican Party paper after Baldwin moved to Georgia in 1891, and was reinstated as the Sedalia Democrat shortly after his return.


The Sedalia Democrat has been the newspaper of record for the Sedalia area and has served the community through the post-Civil war trauma, two world wars and the social upheaval of the 1960s. Today’s Democrat serves over 30,000 print and 20,000 online readers in an eight-county region of west-central Missouri and has been recognized with numerous awards of excellence by the Missouri Press Association.

Dave Phillips became publisher of The Sedalia Democrat in June 2007. Phillips was formerly publisher of The Newton (KS) Kansan, a Morris Publishing Group newspaper. He has held positions at the Augusta (GA) Chronicle, the Hattiesburg (MS) American, the Pensacola (FL) News Journal, Arkansas Gazette and San Bernardino (CA) County Sun.

Phillips is a community advocate and has served on the board of directors for local chapters of Communities in Schools, United Way, and Habitat for Humanity.

Nominations for 2008

These awards are based on nominations from the public, for outstanding contributions by a person, group, or organization to the humanities in Missouri. The deadline for submission for next year’s awards is Friday, January 25th, 2008. To submit a nomination, please complete a one page information form, and include a one page summary and any supporting material to illustrate the nominee’s accomplishments.

Links to more information

2008 Nominations form, due 1-25-2008: PDF DOC
Links to all 2007 Humanities Awardees http://www.mohumanities.org/programs/awards/gaward07.htm
Previous Governor’s Humanities Awards 2006 : http://www.mohumanities.org/programs/awards/gaward06.htm
2005: http://www.mohumanities.org/programs/awards/gaward05.htm
2004: http://www.mohumanities.org/programs/cultural/guvaward.htm
Programs of the Humanities Council: http://www.mohumanities.org/programs/index.htm
Missouri Passages Newsletter: http://www.MissouriPassages.com
Humanities Blog: http://mohumanities.blogspot.com
Missouri Humanities Council logo jpg: http://mohumanities.org/images/newlogo5.jpg

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