Stories from Wednesday, September 23, 1992

Cape Girardeau observes a renewed energy in these late days of August. Streets are more crowded, stores and restaurants are more lively and the general pace of life here has picked up. After a summer lull, students are returning to Southeast Missouri State University, where classes begin Monday. We welcome this influx of collegians and celebrate the vibrancy it brings to this community...

SIKESTON -- After 10 years of exhaustive work by volunteers, a cemetery that had been neglected for more than a century has become an attractive burial place for several hundred people who lived in the 1800s. A man who led the clean-up effort, the Rev. Marvin Butrum of Sikeston, wants to make sure the cemetery does not revert to its wilderness condition. To assure its continued maintenance, a corporation is being formed and donations are being solicited to establish a perpetual care fund...

JACKSON -- A course entitled Senior Emergency Training will be held Thursday at Jackson Manor Nursing Center beginning at 10 a.m. The free program, sponsored by Senior Healthcare Network Club, provides senior citizens with information on what to do before an ambulance arrives, including tips about warning signs for angina, heart attack and stroke, basic life-saving education, and do's and don'ts about what to do before help arrives...

Dr. Richard A. Martin will discuss smoking and the teenager, the new Missouri law, on this week's "Ask Your Doctor" television program. The show airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on cable channel 13. "Ask Your Doctor," a local medical program, is sponsored by St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital, the Cape Girardeau County Medical Society and channel 13...

Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. and the Area Wide United Way are sponsoring a grant writing seminar entitled Funding Overview for Non-profits. The seminar will be held Oct. 5 at Drury Lodge from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fee is $25 per person and payable in advance. Checks are to be mailed to the Area Wide United Way, P.O. Box 562, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0562 no later than Oct. 1...

The recent sale of the principal retail unit of Hartmarx Corp. Hartmarx Specialty Stores Inc. to HSSA Group Ltd., a company affiliated with Maurice L. Rothschild & Co. of Chicago, could have far-reaching effects on the Thorngate Ltd. operations in Cape Girardeau and Chaffee...

BARBARA BROWN Occupation: Sales support specialist, Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Pet peeve: "People who can't make a decision." The best part of my job is: "Helping others to accomplish their goals." What do you do in your spare time? "Read, counted cross-stich, continuing education, walk."...

When her first daughter Katie was born five years ago, Kathy Wolz was back at work three weeks later. That part of Jay and Kathy Wolz eight-year marriage resumed at normal speed. It was just everything else that changed. He was a media professional, she was an attorney. There was a mortgage on a nice house in the western part of Cape Girardeau. Two car payments. Law school loans. But still money left over for day care...

The presidential campaign will return to Cape Girardeau this Friday when Tipper Gore, the wife of Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Albert Gore, makes a brief visit here. Mrs. Gore will speak at 3:45 p.m. Friday at the gazebo in the Common Pleas Courthouse Park...

Republican state senatorial candidate Peter Kinder emerged from the primary election campaign with about $27,000 more in campaign contributions than his Democratic opponent, Betty Hearnes of Charleston. According to campaign finance reports for the period covering 30 days after the August primary election, Kinder had raised $68,640 while Hearnes had raised $40,999...

One day after a joint appearance at a Missouri State Teachers Association candidates forum, Republican state senatorial candidate Peter Kinder re-issued a challenge to his Democratic opponent to participate in a series of debates. In a letter Tuesday to Betty Hearnes of Charleston, Kinder reminded Hearnes that he had sent a letter to the three Democratic candidates the day before the primary challenging the winner to a debate in each of the six counties of the 27th district...

Wal-Mart Supercenter is observing a special safety week at its store, 3439 William. "We started our observance Monday," said Judi Henson, coordinator of the firm's safety week here. "Activities will continue through Saturday." Henson said the safety week observance is companywide...

Viking Engineering and Development Inc. will demonstrate the latest technology in the manufacture of pallets this weekend at the parking lot of the Show Me Center. "We'll be making some stringer pallets and some block pallets," said Gene Sherburne, area representative for the firm headquartered in Fridley, Minn...

JACKSON -- A Cape Girardeau woman and a Jackson man were injured Tuesday afternoon when their vehicles collided about one mile north of Jackson on U.S. 61. Judith Voetel, 46, of Cape Girardeau and Owen Crites, 78, of Jackson both sustained moderate injuries in the 3:30 p.m. accident. Voetel was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital and Crites to St. Francis Hospital...

Funeral service for Evelyn Sparks, 1117 S. Ranney, her daughter, Bridgette Denise Harris, and grandson, Dontay Harris, both of 220 S. Lorimier, will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Rev. Johnny Thomas will officiate, with burial in Fairmount Cemetery...

Funeral service for Raymond C. Bendel, 1408 Perry, will be held at 11 a.m. today at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. The Rev. Don Berkbigler will officiate, with burial in Stroderville Cemetery at Whitewater. Friends may call at the funeral home from 9-11 a.m...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Russia Bennett, 86, of Mobile, Ala., formerly of East Prairie, died Monday, Sept. 21, 1992, in Mobile. Shelby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ORAN -- Dick Black, 76, of Oran, died Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1992, at his home. He was born Feb. 8, 1916, at Oran, son of William and Ada Taylor Black. He and Mattie Elizabeth Williams were married Sept. 19, 1936. She died Sept. 13, 1990. Black was a retired service manager with Cooney Equipment Co. in Sikeston...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Katherine Elizabeth Murphy, 87, of Cairo, died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 1992, at Daystar Care Center. She was born July 25, 1905, in McKenzie, Tenn., daughter of Lafayette and Allie Looney Mitchell. Survivors include a niece, Sharon McGinness of Cairo, and a nephew, Warren "Buddy" Mitchell of Tamms...

CHARLESTON -- Funeral service for Walter Holman Spence of St. Louis will be held at 2 p.m. today at Sparks Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Wiley Reed will officiate, with burial in Oak Grove Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until service time...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Willard Emro Hockersmith, 59, of Slidell, La., died Monday, Sept. 21, 1992, at Northshore Regional Medical Center in Slidell, following an extended illness. He was born June 2, 1933, at Charleston, son of Willard T. and Effie M. Mansfield Hockersmith. He was reared by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. P.E. Mansfield...

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Terry W. Lewis of Yuma, Ariz., Yuma Regional Medical Center, 2:38 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1992. Name, Natasha Ariel. Weight, 8 pounds 11 ounces. First child. Mrs. Lewis is the former Miriam Root, daughter of Vern and Anne Root of Pendleton, Ind. Lewis is an accident investigator with the U.S. Marine Corps, and is the son of John and Jean Lewis, 1302 Bloomfield...

On Thursday Notre Dame High School students will set out to raise $19,500 in one week. The traditional Activity Week gets under way with a kick-off assembly at 2:30 p.m. in the gym. Activity Week consists of students selling candy, fruit and magazine subscriptions to raise money for the school. Students compete and each class competes for recognition and prizes...

PERRYVILLE -- Nancy Dougherty of Perryville is a busy community volunteer who gets things done. Her commitment to volunteerism and community spirit garnered her the Lincoln University Administrator's Award Sept. 16 in Columbia. The award is given annually to a volunteer who has made an extraordinary contribution to University Extension...

The Cape Girardeau Evening Toastmasters Club 3804 will meet Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 235 Broadway. The Evening Toastmasters will be starting a Speechcraft training program. Persons interested in learning how to speak confidently before a group and improve in leadership skills are welcome to join. For more information, call 334-4700...

Susan Hutteger likes teaching children because of the way they see the world. "Second-graders are wonderful to work with," Hutteger said, "because they are very enthusiastic and really like to please their teachers. "I like teaching at Cape Christian School because of all the support I get from everyone. The classes are small enough that I have more time to work with each child."...

Cape Girardeau County has approximately 23,800 households with 61,633 people. 49,386 are 15 years and over. Of those, 27% (13,330) have never been married (most 15 to 24 years of age). 27,936 (56.6%) are now married. 614 (1.2%) are married but separated. 3,765 people are widowed (7.6%). Of these 560 are males and 3,205 are females. This is the major gender difference reflected in the total county population of 29,598 males (48%) and 32,035 females (52%)...

Here we go again. H. Ross Perot has resurfaced courting the talk shows and national media saying he made a mistake in dropping his independent presidential challenge in July. The billionaire Texan has broadly hinted he may re-enter the race in the final weeks...

Democratic Senatorial Candidate Geri Rothman-Serot charged Monday that Republican U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond has been using "half truths and lies" to distort her record and misrepresent his own. "I just wish Kit Bond would start telling the truth," complained Rothman-Serot in remarks at the official opening of the Southeast Missouri office for the Clinton-Gore/coordinated Democratic campaign...

Annual veto sessions of the Missouri General Assembly are normally routine affairs with a lot of talk and little action. Most members have difficulty paying attention during the proceedings, which normally take parts of two days to complete. But last week, when freshman Republican Rep. Mark Richardson of Poplar Bluff was recognized by House Speaker Bob Griffin, things got quiet quickly...

A straw poll conducted by area supporters of Ross Perot from their tent at the Southeast Missouri District Fair last week showed Democratic candidate Bill Clinton as the favorite of many fairgoers. Clinton, who led at the end of each day in the poll, got 40 percent of the votes of the 3,203 people who registered their opinion...

Autumn arrived Tuesday, bringing an end to the fifth coolest summer here in 47 years and the prospects of a colorful fall. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the autumnal equinox occurred at 2:43 p.m. That's when the sun crossed Earth's equator, from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. It also marked the first day of spring in the southern hemisphere...

Broadway is a busy east-west street that extends from the Mississippi River west to Kingshighway. It is crowded with a steady stream of traffic from early morning until late at night. At one time it was a narrow path that eventually was widened into a road that permitted horse-drawn wagons and buggies to pass each other. In those days it was known as Harmony, or the Jackson Pike, because it connected Cape Girardeau to Jackson, the Cape Girardeau County seat...