REMEMBERING THE MAYORS
City of Desloge, St. Francois County, Missouri
By R. Northcutt, Daily Journal Staff Writer (1987)

Since that time 10 men have been elected by the people to serve as mayor of the city. Of those men to be elected to the office, five are still living.

Listed below is a brief history of each of the men who have served as mayor:

D. ELMER BROWN, 1941-1951

D. Elmer Brown was born in Desloge on Nov. 6, 1889, and lived in the city all of his life. Prior to serving as mayor, he operated the first skating rink in Desloge.

After selling the business, Brown opened the Desloge Motor Company which was located on North Main. It was during this time that he got elected as the first mayor of the city.

Brown served at the post for 10 years before he decided to retire. He was very active in the First Baptist Church in Desloge where he sang in the choir and taught Sunday school.

Brown eventually sold the motor company and opened a furniture and hardware store in Flat River. The store was closed and the contents sold in 1956 to raise money for Brown's hospitalization when it was found that he had cancer.

Two-and-a-half years after the discovery of his cancer, Brown died at the age of 69. He and his wife, the former Francis Marie Babka, had five children. The only child still living is Ruth Reeder, who resides on Pine Street in Desloge.

CARL C. BRIM, 1951-1963

Born in Desloge on April 27, 1889, Carl Clay Brim has the distinction of serving the longest as the city's mayor.

While Brim was raised in the city, he did leave Desloge for a number of years, only to move back and open an insurance business. During his years as mayor, he actually ran his business out of city hall.

Not much is known about the man, even though several people in the community still remember him. He died of cancer on May 15, 1970 in Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.

Brim and his wife, Anna Monroe Brim, who died before her husband, had five children. At the time of his death, he had 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. None of his relatives still remain in the area.

WYMAN BUCKNER, 1963-1965

Wyman Buckner was born and raised on a farm outside of Desloge in 1901. He moved to the city in 1922 when he married the former Maude Son, the daughter of a Bonne Terre doctor.

After attending the Farmington Business College, Buckner started working for the Ford Car Dealership in Desloge across from city hall. Later he bought half-interest in the business.

As mayor, Buckner was instrumental in getting mail delivered door-to-door in the city. He also worked on such items as the city's sewer system.

Buckner died in 1982 at the age of 81. Mrs. Buckner still lives in the city. The couple had one son, Wyman Wayne, who currently lives in St. Louis.

ELVA THURMAN, 1965-1969

Born in Redford on March 30, 1899, Elva Thurman was raised in Reynolds County. He was a teacher in the rural schools of the county for a number of years, and was even elected county assessor for one four year term.

Thurman later went to St. Louis where he worked for Monsanto Chemical Company. When he retired from the company he moved to Desloge and ran for mayor. He held the position until his resignation on July 14, 1969.

Thurman died on May 29, 1986 at the age of 87 in St. Louis at Missouri Baptist Hospital. He and his wife, Pearl, who still lives in Desloge, had four children. One son, Winfred, is deceased. The other children are: Melburen, of Ste. Genevieve; and Laverne Sigillito and Dorothy Crandall, both of Ballwin.

LEE THURMAN, 1969-1973

Lee Thurman (no relation to Elva Thurman) was born in Sprott, and was educated and raised in Desloge and Farmington.

During his life, Thurman held a number of jobs in the county. He worked as a car salesman for what was at the time Turner-Stevens Chevrolet. After that he worked in the sheriff's office for Jim Hickman and Ken Buckley. At the time of his death, he was working as a county road superintendent.

Thurman was elected mayor in a special election in October of 1969. During his four years as mayor, a new subdivision around the Desloge Baptist Church was started, and the City of Cantwell became a part of Desloge.

On Sept. 5, 1978 at the age of 62, Thurman died of a heart attack. He and his wife, Delberta, had two children. The son, Lee, works in Farmington as a certified public accountant, while the daughter, Mrs. Debbie Urzi, lives in St. Ann and works as a secretary for McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis.

TIM RICE, 1973-1974

Tim Rice was elected as mayor at the age of 26, and is the youngest person to have ever held the post. Born and raised in Hannibal, he moved to Desloge in 1969 where he accepted a job with Federated Insurance Company.

Prior to running for mayor, Rice served for a year as alderman. He served as mayor of the city for exactly one year and eight days before resigning due to conflicts on the board of aldermen.

In 1977, Rice and his family moved to Waukee, Iowa, which is a suburb of DeMoine. The family now lives in Owatonna, Minnesota, where Rice still works selling insurance.

Rice and his wife, Linda, have two children, John and Michelle.

RUSSELL (SIEKE) TIEFENAUER, 1974-1977

Russell (Sieke) Tiefenauer was born in Munger in Reynolds County on Dec. 14, in 1919. He later moved to Desloge where he was educated in the local school system.

Tiefenauer, whose brother Eugene (Herky) is currently an alderman in Desloge, served as acting mayor from July through October in 1969 due to the resignation of Elva Thurman. He was then elected to the office of mayor in a special election in May of 1974 after Tim Rice resigned the position.

During his time as mayor, the city bought its first police car and hired its first policeman.

Tiefenauer has worked for Ready Mix Concrete for the past 35 years. He and his wife, Geneva, have five children.

WAYNE McENTIRE, 1977-1979

Wayne McEntire was born on June 22, 1940 in Iron Mountain and was raised there as a child. He attended school at Bismarck, and later took classes at the Flat River Junior College.

A carpenter all of his life, McEntire has worked in numerous construction jobs in the area. For a time he served as Civil Defense Director for the county, and also worked for the county road district.

Prior to being elected mayor, McEntire served on the board of aldermen. He now lives in Bonne Terre. He is the president of the Eagles in Desloge, and is a member of the Mineral Area Elks.

He has two children, Barbara, 23, and Chris, 27.

HARRY G. WARD, 1979-1983

Born near Knob Lick on Oct. 31, 1904, Harry Ward moved to Desloge when he was about 10-years-old. He was educated in the Desloge school system.

Ward worked for St. Joe Lead for nearly 43 years, before his retirement in 1969. He has been very active in the community throughout his life. He served for four years as chamber of commerce president, and 12 years on the school board. Also, he has been a member of the Desloge Methodist Church for the past 50 years.

Ward and his wife, Scebulah, who passed away about nine years ago, had two children. Bob lives in Desloge and is a state representative, and Harry lives in Battle Creek, Mich. and is a coordinator of a vo-tech school.

JACK RABADUEX, 1983-PRESENT

Born in Flat River on February 26, 1926, Jack Rabaduex was raised in the area. He moved to Desloge in 1953, and has lived in the city ever since.

He is retired from the postal service, where he worked as assistant postmaster in Flat River, and supervisor of postal operations in Farmington.

A lifetime member of the First Baptist Church in Flat River, Rabaduex has been very active in the community. He has been a leader in scouting in the county for more than 30 years, and is a past recipient of the Silver Beaver award which is the highest award a volunteer can receive.

Since becoming mayor, Rabaduex has seen the completion of the sewer project at Highley Heights and the completion of the new city swimming pool.

Rabaduex and his wife, Mary Alyce, have eight children.

Published by THE DAILY JOURNAL, Flat River, St. Francois Co. MO, Tues. Sept. 1, 1987 in a supplement "We Remember Desloge."