Happy 82nd Birthday: The articles of incorporation of what would become the Scott-New Madrid-Mississippi Cooperative Association were filed on January 8, 1938, with the recorder of deeds in Benton. The first meeting of the cooperative was held at 1 p.m. on Jan. 15, 1938, at the Del Rey Hotel in Sikeston. (Today the building houses Jeremiah’s Restaurant and Lounge.) The meeting was called to order by Elon Proffer, one of the original incorporators and a stockholder. He was unanimously chosen as chairman and Alwin Gasser was chosen to be secretary and keep the minutes.
Those present were: Proffer, Rev. Hubert J. Eggemann, John T. Carlton, E. Moxley, E.L. Cobb, David Conn, E.S. Nelson, R.G. Stroud, H.G. Cathey, J.H. Spradling, Sylvester Schuchart and John G. Russell. Each one was certified as a subscriber to a share of the cooperative’s stock at $5 each. The purpose of the meeting was to adopt subscribers as stockholders, adopt the articles of association and certificate of incorporation from the Secretary of State, adopt bylaws, and any other business that came up.