August 24, 2022
On the button
Around Town The Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri hosts dayof-giving fundraisers. Pg. 3
St. Charles County resident takes passion for button collecting to national prominence as president of the National Button Society
St. Charles County to spend $2.2 million in ARPA funds to protect students Pg. 5
Business
Ameren grant pays for energy efficient HVAC unit in St. Charles home for adults with disabilities. Pg. 5
By Brett Auten Louella Yeargain was at a country auction in the early 1990s when lightning struck. She was in a heated bidding battle with a gentleman over a jar of buttons. Back and forth they went before Yeargain waved the white flag. Yeargain planned on using the jar for sewing purposes; the gentleman for something different. Always an inquisitive mind, Yeargain had to find out the motivation. “I asked him, ‘What was in that jar?’” Yeargain said. “And he told me, ‘If you knew buttons, you’d know.’ So, there was the challenge.” Not only did Yeargain learn about buttons, she developed a borderline-obsession and at the same time became one of the leading forces in button collecting and even the book on it. In fact, Yeargain just completed her term as president of the National Button Society. She has served in many leadership capacities in the button world (a member of the Midwest Regional Button Association, Missouri State Button Society, and the St. Louis area Gateway Club) and she co-wrote the booklet, “A Descriptive Catalog of Pictorial Overall Buttons,” with her husband, Ray Yeargian, and Jerry DeHay and it is used by collectors all over the world. “I really enjoy learning about them, whether they are new or old,” Yeargain said.
Features
Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Submitted photo St. Charles’ Louella Yeargain shows some of the top buttons in her collection. Yeargain recently completed her two-year term as president of the National Button Society.
“You can look at the history, the beauty, the material. There are all sorts of ways to look at a button.” Why is button collecting popular? There are dozens of reasons. Buttons are often little works of art, depicting an ancient scene crafted in metal or painted on bone and placed under glass. Others have significant financial worth. Some that are from the 18th century can bring plenty of awe when you
think about its historical path. The National Button Society’s focus is on clothing buttons of all ages. The organization was formed approximately eighty years ago and now has over 2,300 members worldwide. Their mission is to promote educational exhibits, encourage research, publish information and preserve for future generations all that is beautiful and historic See ‘BUTTON’ page 2
Serving St. Louis, St. Charles and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 24 No. 34 | 636-379-1775
Moore On Life, Yeggs & Crossword. Pg. F-4
Weather FRIDAY Partly Cloudy 87/68 SATURDAY Partly Cloudy 90/71 SUNDAY Partly Cloudy 89/73