Stories from Wednesday, June 24, 1992

Plenty of flowery words have been written to describe the railroad's impact in settling this nation. We will attempt not to recite those here. However, we note with some sentiment the disappearance of the Cotton Belt railroad from our midst. Once an innovative and profitable concern, and the catalyst for growth in several area communities, the Cotton Belt has fallen victim to changing times and corporate reorganization. We will miss it in our midst...

JACKSON -- The Jackson Municipal Band, under the baton of conductor Nick Leist, will hold its weekly concert on June 25. The special guests this week will be a girls trio known as Forever Friends. The three young soloists are Robyn Hosp, Cheryl Fortner and Paula Andrews...

High schools from 12 districts participated in the 43rd annual Southeast Missouri District Industrial Technology Awards program held April 24-25 at Southeast Missouri State University. During the two-day event, over 137 entries were exhibited and 25 contest winners were selected. Winners advanced to the Missouri State Industrial Technology Awards program, held May 2 at Jefferson City High School...

One of the important landmarks in Missouri is the site of the Old Bethel Church on the south side of Jackson, west of the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern tracks. It has the distinction of being the first non-Catholic Church established in Missouri. The date was July 19, 1806. Cape Girardeau was a small river settlement of about 50 people, and the territory was barely 2 years old. The land had become part of the United States in 1803, but the change in government did not occur until 1804...

A girl who apparently drowned after sniffing spray paint fumes in the Jackson City Park was warned against using inhalants in a junior high health class, police said Tuesday. Police learned from friends of Bobbi Jones, 13, that she and other teens discovered in school that inhalants can produce a high and decided to try them...

Motorists who use Highway 177 from Cape Girardeau to go to the Procter and Gamble Paper Products plant, M&W Packaging plant or Trail of Tears State Park are advised to use an alternate route. The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department said beginning Thursday vehicular traffic over the Flora Creek bridge on Highway 177 at Egypt Mills will be reduced to one lane during daylight hours to allow for construction of a bridge...

Cape Girardeau businessman Pete Poe thought it was a shame that a city the size of Cape Girardeau didn't have a community-wide fireworks display to celebrate the Fourth of July. So he did something about it. Poe made a few phone calls and found he wasn't alone in his concern...

Southeast Missouri State University officials might hire a private cleaning service to manage the institution's janitorial operations in an effort to increase efficiency and save money. The Board of Regents earlier this month authorized the university administration to take bids for such management services...

A Corps of Engineers official Tuesday warned Parks and Recreation Advisory Board members against placing too much emphasis on the recreation component of a federal flood control project here. Wayne Miller, project manager for the Cape LaCroix Creek-Walker Branch flood control project, said the city at some point must curb costly changes in plans for a recreation trail that's part of the proposal...

The celebration that will recognize Cape Girardeau's 200th birthday will kick off in October, and plans are under way for a year of bicentennial activities. Members of committees planning the Cape Girardeau Area Bicentennial Celebration met Tuesday to discuss the planned activities...

Plans for the SEMO District Fair, Missouri's fourth largest outdoor event, include country music, bull riding, trained camels and more. Pete Poe, president of the fair board, kicked off the 137th annual district fair Tuesday. The fair will be held Sept. 13-19 in Cape Girardeau's Arena Park...

BECKY MCLARD Occupation: Assistant manager, Precious Memories Current home: Jackson Pet Peeve: "Drivers who don't use their turn signals." I've always looked up to. Why? "Vanita Jones, my boss. She is successful at everything she does." The best part of my job is: "I knew what I wanted for my own wedding even before I was engaged. However, I change my mind with every season and every new style."...

Three area students will report to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. July 2. Clinton Tracy of Cape Girardeau, Kent Tranter of Jackson and L.G. Black IV of Charleston will be inducted for the Class of 1996. The three are among 1,125 students admitted. More than 14,800 students applied to the academy. Midshipmen are from all 50 states and 22 foreign countries...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The sounds of a paddlewheeler's calliope and the yell of "Steamboat a' coming" still create a feeling of excitement in small villages and towns along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. "The only thing that creates more excitement is the yell of "two steamboats a' coming,'" said Bo Helt, executive secretary of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce...

THEBES, Ill. -- Kathleen McCain, 60, of Thebes, died Monday, June 22, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. She was born Nov. 6, 1931, at Chaffee, Mo., daughter of John P. and Ruby Goolsby Sater. She married Robert McCain Dec. 15, 1956...

BLOOMFIELD -- Funeral service for Chief Petty Officer Randall Lynn Vandiver of Virginia Beach, Va., will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Chiles-Cooper Funeral Chapel with full military rites. The Rev. Bill Pennington will officiate, with burial in Bloomfield Cemetery...

JACKSON -- Zula Hahs of Jackson, age 87, died Tuesday, June 23, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 17, 1905, in Cape Girardeau, the daughter of David Seabaugh and Nancy Jane Seabaugh. Surviving is a son, Mirley Hahs of rural Cape Girardeau; a daughter, Margie Roberts of Oak Ridge; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a brother...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Funeral service for Ruby Leek of Rockford, formerly of Cairo, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Crain Funeral Chapel in Tamms. The Rev. Cecil Leek will officiate, with burial in National Cemetery at Mound City. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6-9 p.m. today...

Lee Roy Sykes, 85, 1013 S. Kingshighway, died Tuesday, June 23, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born May 28, 1907, in Abbeville, Miss., son of Charles C. and Ora Bennett Sykes. He and Louise Paul were married Sept. 2, 1933, in Jonesboro, Ill...

Perry A. "Fonso" Howell, 87, 611 South West End Boulevard, died Tuesday, June 23, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Dec. 27, 1904, at Zalma, son of John C. and Elizabeth Jane Fulk Howell. He and Ruby Allen were married July 6, 1976, at Tilsit. She died May 5, 1987...

Audrey C. Pflanz, 78, 114 Centennial, died Tuesday, June 23, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born Oct. 13, 1913, in St. Louis, daughter of Albert L. and Estell D. Hanselmann Riedesel. She married Valentine A. Pflanz July 22, 1949, in St. Louis. He died Nov. 14, 1987...

Willie Lee Betts, 65, 1008 N. Main, died Sunday, June 21, 1992, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Aug. 15, 1926, in Lambert, Miss., son of Abe and Phyllis Goodwin Betts. Betts was a retired construction worker, and member of New Bethel Baptist Church. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II...

OAK RIDGE -- Mary McLane, who attends Oak Ridge R-6 High School, has been named a United States National Award winner in mathematics. She was nominated for the national award by mathematics teacher Carole DelVecchio. Her name will appear in the United States Achievement Academy Official Yearbook, published nationally...

Jerome E. Thurman, son of James L. and Sheryl Thurman of Cape Girardeau, has graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. He begins his residency in internal medicine at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. After his residency, he plans to complete a fellowship to further sub-specialize in internal medicine...

A report from the International Lyme Conference will highlight the June 30 meeting of the Lyme Disease Self-Help Support Group. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Harrison Room at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Presenting the report will be Pam Lynxwiler, Lyme coordinator for Cape Girardeau physician Edwin J. Masters...

About 75 descendants of Christian Gotlieb and Marie Jacobine Knaus Kies attended a family reunion June 14 at Cape Girardeau County Park. Chairpersons were Mary Masters and Phil Penzel. Most of those attending were from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, St. Louis, and Prattville, Ala...

MARBLE HILL -- The 12th annual Eaker family reunion will be held Sunday at Marble Hill VFW Hall. The event will begin at 9 a.m., with a basket lunch at noon. Relatives are urged to bring any memorabilia. Lorena Eaker of Church Hill, Tenn., will talk about recent family events. She is author of "The Eaker Family History."...

Elizabeth A. Hale of Cape Girardeau has been awarded the David E. Hoche Memorial Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University during the 1992-1993 academic year. The Hoche scholarship is awarded to freshmen who are graduates of Cape Girardeau Central High School and are majoring in accounting. Recipients must maintain a grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4 scale...

Lorie Michelle Coomer of Kennett has been awarded a Regents' Scholarship, a Missouri Leadership Award, and a Girls State Leadership Award to attend Southeast Missouri State University during the 1992-1993 academic year. The Regents' Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class and who score above the 90th percentile on the ACT or SAT test. The award covers full-time fees per semester and is renewable for four years...

Cynthia Seabaugh, Southeast regional coordinator for the American Heart Association, was recently named honorable mention for the Rookie of the Year Award, a national honor. The award is designed to recognize leadership, professionalism, dedication and performance among new AHA-exempt staff members...

Robert Dean Felker of Cape Girardeau is attending the Concordia Spanish Language Village near Minneapolis June 15 through July 11. The Language Villages, sponsored by Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., is an informal experience-based program introducing young people ages 7 to 18 to 10 world languages and cultures...

Taryn N. Johnson of Cape Girardeau is one of four students to receive a sizable scholarship for graduate study at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale this fall. Johnson was awarded the Morris Fellowship, a renewable scholarship that includes free tuition. If renewed, the scholarship could be worth well over $14,000...

Holly and Casey Bauer of Cape Girardeau have been accepted as state finalists and will be competing in the American Coed Pageants to be held July 4-5 in Kansas City. Holly, 7, and Casey, 6, are daughters of Bob and Teresa Bauer. The American Coed Pageants are open to girls between the ages of 4 and 19 who are good students. Emphasis is placed on physical fitness, mental alertness, self-confidence, achievement in school and service to the community and church...

Five Cape Girardeau residents were named to the 1992 spring honor roll at Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville. The students are Julie Logan, sophomore; Sean Lynch, freshman, biology major; Brian Reeves, senior history major; Amy Ringwald, sophomore, communication disorders major; and Douglas Steward, senior, English major...

Deborah Lynn Kerber, daughter of Joe Kerber of Freeport, Ill., and Coy O. Coonts of Cape Girardeau, is the recipient of the Contact Lens Achievement Award, sponsored by Ciba Vision. The award is presented to graduates who have shown themselves to be exceptional contact lens clinicians during their optometric training while at the same time maintaining above average academic work...

BENTON -- Donna Lynn of Benton, daughter of Donald and Katherine Lynn, is attending Missouri Scholar's Academy. Held in Columbia on the University of Missouri campus, the Academy began June 14 and will continue through July 4. Held for the first time in 1985, the Missouri Scholar's Academy provides unique opportunities for students to enhance their academic skills by offering classes which differ from the traditional educational programs. ...

Some time back, I made the mistake of referring to an architectural beauty as a house. To me, a house is a house unless I'm the one living there, though I graciously agreed that hers was indeed a home. So is my three-room rented apartment to me. From a word-conscious correspondent comes a query about my use of "the whole world" in a recent column. ...

JACKSON -- Warranty deeds issued at the office of Janet Robert, Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds: Bobby G. and Jane K. Clark to Shan-Kate Inc.; John Baker and Andrea L. Skaggs to Stephen A. and Colleen R. Gabriel; Michael L. Haertling to Donna Cummins...