MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS: St. Louis attorney, civil rights pioneer and nonagenarian, Frankie Freeman, and “Voice of the Cardinals” Mike Shannon are two new, local members of the Academy of Missouri Squires.

Gov. Jay Nixon and his wife, Georganne Wheeler Nixon, hosted a lunch today at the Governor’s Mansion to welcome four new members to the ranks of the Squires. Along with the St. Louis pair, Peter Herschend, founder and co-owner of the company that runs Silver Dollar City, and Jack Magruder, president of A.T. Still University in Kirksville, were named as members.

Neither Freeman, 92, nor Shannon was able to attend, said Scott Holste, a spokesman for the governor.

The academy is a non-profit organization that honors the accomplishments of Missourians in their communities or on the state or national levels. It was founded by Gov. James T. Blair in 1960. It is limited to 100 living members and new Squires are chosen by the existing membership.

To qualify, the by-laws state that a person “must have achieved true greatness in his or her community, the state of Missouri or the United States.” It also requires that members must either live in Missouri, be employed by the state or be a native-born Missourian who lives elsewhere.

The ranks of the Squires automatically include the governor and living former governors of Missouri. Among the first class of Squires in 1960 were Harry Truman, Thomas Hart Benton and Stan Musial. The names of the Squires in the Class of 2009 will be added to plaques on display in the first floor rotunda of the Capitol.