Stories from Sunday, November 1, 1992

Dear Editor: United We Stand. Pay attention to this name, America. This is the name of the grassroots organization begun by Ross Perot, and new supporters are joining the ranks by the hundreds every day. We are a gathering of concerned citizens coming together to demand major changes in our government and in our lives. We have a strong statewide network here in Illinois, and now we are putting together our country and community groups; and we need YOU...

Candidates from both parties rolled through Cape Girardeau this weekend, with some taking advantage of Homecoming parade crowds and others just passing through to offer credentials to voters on more time before election day Tuesday. On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond focused his attention on his "Agenda For The Future" during his final barnstorming tour in Cape Girardeau...

The Debate Team at Southeast Missouri State University has been ranked among the top 25 in the nation, according to Kimo Ah Yun, Southeast director of debate. "Being in the top 50 is quite an honor, since over 350 schools compete in the type of debate we do," Ah Yun said. ...

Dear Editor: Do we need county planning and zoning to protect us from landfills, junkyards, hazardous waste recycling centers, billboards or industry? No! We do not! 1. Landfills. What's in a landfill? There are no tires, no car batteries, no junk cars, no medical waste, no hazardous waste. ...

Everybody keeps asking how I think the election will turn out Tuesday. Hey, who knows. Everyone's been wrong for 12 months. We'll all know Tuesday p.m. No candidate is comfortable they know the outcome, even though they speak with confidence. I've never been a good politician .. as defined in the following quote by Churchill...

Dear Editor: Concerning appointed judges in Missouri, as a Democrat I am not pleased that all recent appointments seem to have been Republicans. However, I became well acquainted with Duane Benton in dealing with constituent problems and am convinced that his appointment to the Supreme Court was first class...

To Readers of the Southeast Missourian: Last Sunday in this newspaper was a printed article by Mr. Grebling entitled, "Bollinger County/Law Officials at Odds." I would like the readers of this newspaper to note the following errors in Mr. Grebling's article...

Cape Girardeau voters decide Tuesday whether they want city council members to continue to be elected at-large, or if the municipal charter should be amended to require zone representation. This is one of the most discussed and least understood local election issues in some time. Supporters say it is democratic. Opponents say it is of dubious legality. We contend it is unnecessary. We urge Cape Girardeans to vote down the attempt to change the charter and adopt zone representation...

With a U.S. Senate seat up for grabs along with all five Missouri statewide offices, three presidential candidates eying Missouri as a swing state, eight constitutional amendments and two referendums on the ballot, 1992 has been one of the most intense political years in the state's history...

Cape Girardeau's senior citizens are invited to acquaint themselves with the city's public schools at a rally Nov. 19. In addition to introducing the seniors to what's going on in schools and the services and programs available to them, organizers hope to develop a pool of potential older volunteers to work with students...

Spirits of the past descended on Southeast Missouri State University this weekend for annual Homecoming celebrations. As part of the Homecoming events, Delmar A. Cobble posthumously was named the 1992 "Friend of the University" by the Southeast Missouri University Foundation...

"You're guilty, Belle Starr. I can tell by looking," Judge Parker said without hesitation to Starr and a near capacity courtroom. Starr, a native-born Missourian, was sentenced to six months in jail at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse Saturday on charges of stealing from people on a train...

With the help of some people who, you might say, have been around, we went looking for some out-of-the-way places that may have escaped our readers' lists of afternoon drive destinations. As a group, they are wonderfully capable of filling your soul, your stomach and your afternoon...

At 17, Harry Spiller enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps with the dream of becoming a hero. Two years later, a disillusioned young man returned from a tour of Vietnam. His new assignment was recruiting: finding a few good men from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois for the Corps, and delivering death messages to the families of those he had recruited...

Bill W. Stacy, former president of Southeast Missouri State University, will be awarded the honorary degree of University Fellow from Anglia Polytechnic University, England. The ceremony will take place Nov. 4 in Chelmsford Cathedral in Essex. Stacy left Southeast in 1989 to become the founding president of California State University-San Marcos, the first state university to be built from the "ground up" in the United States in over 20 years. ...

Three local contested races are on ballots in the immediate Southern Illinois area and will share voter interest with several local issues when voters go to the polls Tuesday. All three individual races are in Pulaski County. Republican incumbent state's attorney Ward Walshon of Grand Chain, who has served in that position the past eight years, is being challenged by Democrat Patrick Duffey, of Cobden...

A week of activities is planned starting Monday to promote seat belt usage at Cape Girardeau Central High School. The week, Nov. 2-6, is called Trivia Week. Each day, students will be asked a trivia question about highway safety. Prizes will be awarded throughout the week. A grand prize of $100 cash and dinner for two will be awarded at the end of the week...

Preschoolers, too young to have tried their first cigarette, are being targeted by local organizers of the Great American Smoke-Out with their smoke-free message. The Smoke-Out, planned for Nov. 19, is an annual nationwide event encouraging smokers to give up tobacco for 24 hours in hopes smokers will then give up the habit for good...

PERRYVILLE -- James Joseph Lankford, 31, of Perryville died Friday, Oct. 30, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 23, 1961 at Perryville. He is survived by his mother, Nina Lankford, Perryville; his step-father, Gordon Nelson of Memphis Tenn.; one step-brother, Russell Nelson, Perryville; two step-sisters, Christal Keith and Elizabeth Nelson, both of Ste. Genevieve...

ADVANCE -- Lucille E. Miller, 71, of St. Louis, formerly of Advance, died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1992, at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur. She was born Dec. 14, 1920 in Advance, the daughter of Harrison Young and Zetta Davis Young. She married Eldo Miller, and he survives...

SIKESTON -- Edith Ayers Calhoun, 79, of Chesterfield, formerly of Sikeston, died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1992 at Delmar Garden Nursing Home in Chesterfield. She was born Dec. 11, 1912 in New Madrid County, daughter of T.W. and Susie Morrow Ayers. She was a member of Fellowship Baptist Church in Sikeston...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Wayne Powell, 52, of Route 1, Cairo, died Friday, Oct. 30, 1992, at John Cochran Veterans Administration Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born Feb. 24, 1940, at Portageville, son of Erpural and Lillian Threlkeld Powell. He was an operating engineer for the Guscave-Newberg Construction Co. He was a veteran of the Army, member of Cairo VFW Post 2649 and member of Operating Engineers Local 181...

UNIONTOWN -- Funeral service for Esther M. Telle of Uniontown will be held at 2 p.m. today at Grace Lutheran Church. The Rev. Paul Winningham will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. Friends may call at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville from 6:30 a.m. to noon...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Caleb Aaron Tatum died shortly after birth Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1992, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Survivors include his parents, Dale Eugene and Melissa Oliver Tatum of Wickliffe, Ky.; a twin brother, Jacob Kyle; paternal grandparents, Dale and Cherie Tatum Sr. ...

Helen Batjer of Abilene, Texas, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Oct. 26, 1992, in Abilene. She was born Sept. 6, 1899, in Abilene, daughter of W.F.D. and Lois Minter Batjer. Her father was a former secretary of the Chamber of Commerce here...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Velma Mae McKenzie, 70, of East Prairie, died Friday, Oct. 30, 1992 at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born April 10, 1922 in Decatur, Tenn., daughter of Pleasant L. and Hester Wyatt Carlyle. She had lived in East Prairie since 1937 and was of the Baptist faith...

WYATT -- Mary Jane Riley, 88, of Wyatt died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1992 at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Oct. 10, 1904 in Clarksville, Tenn., the daughter of Parker and Florence Black Nolen and had lived in Mississippi County most of her life...

ANNA, Ill. -- Lena Gibbs, 80, of Anna, died Friday, Oct. 30, 1992 at Union County Nursing Home in Anna. She was born Sept. 26, 1912, in Calhoun County, Miss., daughter of John and Marjorie Cost Bruner. On Dec. 28, 1928, she married Elmer Gibbs in Marked Tree, Ark. He preceded her in death March 23, 1992...

JACKSON - Raymond Huckstep, 93, of Jackson, died Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Jackson Manor Nursing Home. He was born Dec. 12, 1898, at Burfordville, to Joseph and Mary O'Neal Huckstep. He married Daisy Helderman on Jan. 29, 1918. She preceded him in death on Oct. 17, 1986...

Agnes Atchison, 98, of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Oct. 31, 1992, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Dec. 23, 1893, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Richard and Mary Vogt Kight. She married Clarence Atchison on June 14, 1912, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death on June 5, 1964...

Lowery B. Miller, 83, of Cape Girardeau, died at Southeast Missouri Hospital Saturday, Oct. 31, 1992. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Ford & Sons Funeral Home. Miller was a former owner of the Sides-Miller Men's Clothing Store.

WESTCHESTER, Ohio Edgar L. Griffith, 60, of Westchester, Ohio, died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1992 at his home. He is survived by his wife, Martha Stuber Griffith, of the home; a daughter, Sara Griffith Adducci, Chicago; son, Edward Lee Griffith III, Yardley, Pa.; a brother, Ronald S. Griffith, Salem, Oregon; and five grandchildren...

JACKSON -- George G. Gerler, 56, Jackson Route 1 died Saturday, Oct. 31, 1992 at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 18, 1936 in Shawneetown, the son of Bernhard and Lona Doberenz Gerler. On May 21, 1960, he married Anna Marie Biri. 1960 She survives...

Beulah C. Frissell, 85, of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1992, at the Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born Sept. 28, 1907, daughter of Lon and Osie Ragsdale Swanner. She married Charles B. Frissell on Nov. 17, 1933 in Bertrand. He preceded her in death on April 30, 1947...

SIKESTON -- Bryan Gregory Wisdom, 14, died Thursday at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis. He was born in Sikeston on June 27, 1978 to Greg and Tammy Wisdom. He was a student at Kelly High School were he was a member of the track team, band and Future Farmers of America...

CHAFFEE -- Leafy Virl Craven, 95, of Ironton, formerly of Chaffee, died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1992, at the Home for Aged Baptists in Ironton. She was born Dec. 20, 1896, in Norris City, Ill., daughter of Thomas and Janey Watson Bagby. She married John Craven, who preceded her in death...

MARBLE HILL -- Funeral service for Elsie Mae Douglas of Marble Hill will be held at 1 p.m. today at Liley Funeral Chapel here. The Revs. Frank Shanks and Steven Sander will officiate, with burial in Pulliam Cemetery near Marble Hill. Douglas, 52, died Friday, Oct. 30, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center...

MARBLE HILL -- Funeral service for Frances Jane Beel of Marble Hill was held Saturday at St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold. The Revs. Lewis Hejna and Michael Casteel officiated, with burial in the church cemetery. Liley Funeral Home at Marble Hill was in charge of arrangements...

SIKESTON -- Ermadean Flippo Hurley, 73, of Sikeston died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1992 at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born March 27, 1919 in Clifton, Tenn., daughter of James William and Delphia Riley Flippo. She worked for 25 years at International Shoe Company in Sikeston and was a member of Tanner Street Church of God...

Neva L. Moss, 77, of Rock Island, Ill., died Friday, Oct. 30, 1992, in a Rock Island nursing home. She was born Aug. 7, 1915, in Hickmann Co., daughter of James and Eugie Kinder Wiley. She married Charles W. Moss, who died in September 1974. Moss was a nurse's aide, and member of Red Star Baptist Church...

Cecilia E. Harris, 87, 718 North Street, died Friday, Oct. 30, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born June 30, 1905, in Stonewall, Tenn., daughter of William Stanislaus and Virginia Elizabeth Huckaby Elder. She married Leo Butler Harris May 25, 1926, in Marksville, La. He died Dec. 4, 1962...

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Ron Holdiness of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 10:42 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, 1992. Name, Haley Renae. Weight, 6 pounds 4 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Holdiness is the former Crista Beal, daughter of Melvin and Nancy Beal of Cape Girardeau. Holdiness is a machine operator at Gilster Mary-Lee, and is the son of Ron and Mary Holdiness Sr. of Jackson...

Nature hung out all her colored garlands this year. The Virginia Creeper hung red scallops along fence rows, back to which was the scarlet sumac and then the whole rainbow of multi-colored sweet and sour gums, red and yellow leaved maples, russet of oaks, gold of hickory and paw paws. Interspersed at proper intervals were pines and cedars lending just the right contrast...

Leaves are dancing from the trees in a choreograph of color, doing a fandango as they are caught in the breezes and winds of a show called "Autumn's Flaming Revue." Yes, the leaves of Autumn are upon us in the dazzling splendor of the year's most colorful season...

The annual Make, Bake and Take Auction, sponsored by the Scott City Women's Club, will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the Scott City School cafeteria. Proceeds from the auction go to purchase clothes for needy children in the Scott City community. The auction will feature craft items and baked goods made by the club members...

A discussion on the Americans With Disabilities Act and how the legislation affects survivors of brain injury will be held at the Head Injury Support Group at St. Francis Medical Center. The meeting will be held Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. in The Friends Lounge of the St. Francis Health & Education Centre...

JACKSON -- Warranty deeds issued at the office of Janet Robert, Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds: Fremont Estates Inc. to Emil Meyer et al; Southern Designs Inc. to Joseph L. and Donna J. Hale; Ronald D. and Donna S. Brown to Charles R. and Elmer E. Kamp...

The Democratic presidential ticket of Bill Clinton and Al Gore topped President George Bush and Dan Quayle in a poll of students at Southeast Missouri State University last week. However, Bill Webster, Republican candidate for Missouri governor was a winner over his Democratic challenger Mel Carnahan...

SCOTT CITY -- The River Ridge Christmas Tree Farm's Yule log cabin is now open. "We have also started taking reservations for Christmas trees," said Joannie Gunther, who has been selling Christmas trees since 1985 at her farm off Route N five miles south of Scott City...

CHAFFEE -- Charles Klughart Plumbing and Construction recently opened at 427 Helen here. The firm, which specializes in plumbing and electrical projects, employs four people who can be radio-dispatched. "We'll do large and small jobs," said Klughart, owner of the business. "We're available for 24-hour emergency services."...

When the president comes calling, it takes different kinds of arrangements for renting a room or 150 of them in the case of Drury Inn-Union Station. "We had a full house when we learned that President George Bush may want to stay at our facility at Union Station," said Charles L. Drury. "But it didn't take Charles Drury Jr. long to say yes."...

House of Brides has moved up the street, from 26 N. Pacific to 238 N. Pacific, just two blocks north. "We purchased the business last year, and we wanted to acquire our own building," said Sherry James, owner. "The move will give us more space and we felt the location is pretty good."...

Renee Mattingly has joined the Missouri state auditor's office as an audit assistant, announced state Auditor Margaret Kelly. Mattingly, formerly of Cape Girardeau, received her bachelor's degree in accounting from Southeast Missouri State University. She now resides in Jefferson City...

Jayson Jewelry, which opened at 33 N. Main in September 1984, has moved. "We moved around the corner," said Jayne Ervin, who operates the store with her mother, Joyce Blattner. "We're now located at 115 Themis." The jewelry store shares a 3,000-square-foot showroom with Ervin's Metalsmith...

The Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Southeast Missouri will hold a dedication service for its new quarters at 2911 Breckenridge Drive today. The Rev. Earl Weiss, first chairman of the Board of Directors for the group, will be dedication speaker for the event, which begins at 2 p.m...

Truck engines, the economic outlook and the key to operating at a profit were among items discussed recently during the Missouri Motor Carriers Association convention held at Lake of the Ozarks. New officers were elected and several awards were presented and during the three-day meeting...

Rainsoft Water Treatment has opened an office in Cape Girardeau. "Rainsoft, headquartered in Chicago, Ill., has more than 400 offices located throughout the world," said Donny Beasley, who has the franchise for Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Northwest Kentucky...

Jay and Kathleen Wolz will be guest speakers for the monthly meeting of the City of Roses Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association meeting Thursday. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Drury Lodge. Additional information concerning the City of Roses Chapter is available by contacting Sharon Dirnberger, 334-2420...

Schlitz has brought home the "Gold." Schlitz, a product of Stroh Brewery Co. headquartered in Detroit, has been selected as the gold medal winner in the American Lager category at the 1992 Great American Beer Festival held recently in Denver. Judging was conducted by a panel of professional brewers participating in a blind taste test...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter is under way at Route 13 and Giant City Road in Carbondale. Plans for the facility, a 202,469-square-foot structure, were announced recently by Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jane Arend. A smaller Wal-Mart store operates about a mile west of the site. Arend said officials will try to find a tenant for the 80,000-square-foot building that will be vacated...

Huck's Auto Sales, which specializes in locally-owned used cars, opened at 1803 N. Kingshighway recently. "We specialize in vehicles ranging in price from $500 to $3,500," said Jim Huck, owner. Huck has been in the auto sales business 15 years. "I previously worked with auto dealerships," he said. "I've been a sales representative, and I was a loan officer handling financing."...

As a write-in candidate for Congress Harold Reed has had an uphill battle getting people to take him seriously. But after filing as an official candidate with the secretary of state's office as a write-in on the independent ticket, visiting all 26 counties and nearly every city in the 8th district, and buying radio and newspaper ads, Reed is optimistic about his chances of winning Tuesday...

STE. GENEVIEVE Voters in Ste. Genevieve Tuesday will decide a school bond issue and whether to authorize city water system improvements and a riverboat gambling proposition. If approved, the school bond issue would authorize the issuance of $4 million in bonds to pay for school building construction and expansion...

For State Rep. Marilyn Williams, the redistricting process has left her with an opportunity to meet a lot of new people - about 12,000 in all - to regain her seat in the Missouri House of Representatives. Williams was elected in February of 1991 after Jerry Howard won a special election to the Senate. ...

The Cape Girardeau County coroner's race is a rematch from 1988, only this time the incumbent is different. The incumbent in 1992 is Republican John Carpenter, who nosed out Democrat Harold Cobb by 160 votes, ending a 10-year hold on the office. Carpenter is running for re-election because he enjoys the job; Cobb is wanting it back because he enjoyed the job...

Sen. John Dennis of Benton, who is retiring this year after 16 years in the Senate, and Capt. Bob Quigley, a former police officer in Bridgeton who was in law enforcement for 24 years, gave their support to State Senator Jay Nixon in his race for Missouri attorney general. The three appeared at a press conference in Cape Girardeau last week...

President George Bush edged out Bill Clinton in a mock election held last week at Cape Girardeau Central High School. In fact, the mock election showed nearly a Republican sweep in national and state races. Nearly 400 students and faculty members participated in the poll. However, only 21 percent indicated they were old enough to vote...

U.S. Senatorial candidate Geri Rothman-Serot took issue with several campaign ads aired by Sen. Christopher Bond during a visit to Cape Girardeau last week. The Democratic candidate said she is making progress in the race because she has been successful in exposing Bond's lack of a strong record for Missouri the last six years...