Stories from Sunday, December 6, 1992

WHITEWATER - Harold Sticht, 66, of Whitewater, died Dec. 4, 1992, at the Cape Girardeau Nursing Center. He was born June 18, 1926, in Farrar, Mo., son of Henry and Bertha Fornkohl Sticht. He married Urma Pender on April 14, 1990. Sticht was a welder for the Missouri Dry Docks; he retired in 1988...

Ann Porter Gifford reads a book in a matter of minutes. Then she reads it again and again, entertaining elementary school students with the fanciful tales in children's books. Gifford's life has revolved around reading for nearly three decades as a public school teacher, a mother and school volunteer, a substitute teacher and now as a member of the faculty of the elementary and special education department at Southeast Missouri State University...

Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce President Bob Hendrix will hang up his hat in late 1993. For the past two decades, he has served Cape Girardeau well in the pursuit of economic stability. He announced his retirement at last week's First Friday Coffee...

Asbestos will be removed from 12 buildings along Route 74 as part of the relocation of the road and new Mississippi River Bridge project. The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department has awarded a contract for removal of the asbestos. Removal is required by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources prior to the demolition and removal of the buildings...

Like the piercing beam of light from a lighthouse reaching out across a stormy sea to mariners in distress, Oxford House offers refuge and security to recovering alcoholics and drug abusers. Robert Lawless knows about Oxford House because he once experienced the devastating impact of alcohol and drug abuse. He knows what it's like for a recovering alcoholic and drug abuser to face the temptations of the world after completing rehabilitation and half-way house programs...

SIKESTON -- Southeast Missouri State University will administer the English Placement Examination at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Sikeston Area Vocational School. Persons planning to enroll in English Composition (EN 100), the introductory English course for undergraduates, must take the exam...

For years, Mrs. G cared for the children of friends and neighbors, but she and her husband never had any children of their own. As she and her husband got older and retired, Mrs. G switched gears, taking care of her ailing husband until he died. After a lifetime of taking care of someone else, Mrs. G has faced the reality that she now needs a little help herself...

ADVANCE -- Harry Hedricks Vogel, 86, of Advance, died Friday, Dec. 4, 1992 at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 23, 1905 in Towanencin, Penn., son of Elmer Vogel and Clara Hedricks. He worked as custodian at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Penn...

CHARLESTON -- Doris Johnson, 57, of Charleston, died Friday, Dec. 4, 1992, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. today at First Baptist Church. The Rev. Gerald Collier will officiate, with burial in IOOF Cemetery...

ADVANCE -- Joshua Alan Strickland, 7, of Advance, died Friday, Dec. 4, 1992 at St. Louis Childrens Hospital. He was the son of Jackie and Charlotte Cato Strickland. He was a member of the Christian Life Church in Advance. He is survived by maternal grandparents Jim and Helen Cato Strickland, Zalma; paternal grandparents Marlin and Nora Strickland of Gipsy; and one sister, April Strickland of Advance...

SIKESTON - John R. Bartlett, 80, of Sikeston, died Thursday, Dec. 3, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 31, 1911, in Wyatt, Mo., son of John Henry and Nettie Vowels Bartlett. He married Mildred Noyes on May 17, 1941...

Skating pair Matt Buttrey and Sarah Booth beamed Saturday as they skated a few turns on The Ice in Cape Girardeau. They tried to contain their enthusiasm as they talked about their most recent victory and the upcoming national competition. Their sparkle is well deserved. The pair last week won first place at Midwestern Sectional Championships and now advance to national competition. They will compete in the 1993 United States Figure Skating Championships Jan. 17-24 in Phoenix, Ariz...

A 40-foot by 22-foot living room with a 26-foot ceiling would seem ideal for a Christmas tree. But that's not the case for Wilma Stratton of Cape Girardeau. Even a large Christmas tree would be lilliputian next to some of the 100 or so house plants she cultivates in her home...

Do you believe in Santa Claus or perhaps the spirit of Christmas? Toybox organizers do. That giving spirit explains the success of a community-based project to provide Christmas toys and holiday cheer to needy children in Cape Girardeau. This year marks the 18th annual Toybox drive, coordinated by the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian newspaper...

The town of New Madrid is quite unassuming. Its western boundary is skirted by a cemetery that covets as much history as the ground it stands on. Because it is the cotton harvesting season, there are white pieces of fluff scattered along the side of the road, dropped by the huge wagons pulled by equally monstrous tractors hauling their bounty to be processed...

New Madrid is a town rich with history. It was founded by Princeton-educated George Morgan in 1789 - one of the first American settlements West of the Mississippi - as a fur trading post between the Spanish and the Mississippian Native Americans. The town was named after Madrid, Spain by her first inhabitants, when the majority of the land west of the Mississippi belonged to Spain...

The total eclipse of the moon Wednesday will offer local resident a view one of nature's spectacle at a convenient time. Craig Joseph, assistant professor of physics at Southeast Missouri State University, said this lunar eclipse is a bit unusual because it takes place in the early evening...

New officers have been named for the Southeast Missouri District Fair's 1993 season. President will be Bob Nitsch. Sam Below was elected vice president. Marilyn Schott will serve as secretary, Jim Sander as treasurer, and Ed Kaiser as custodian. In addition to the officers, members of the 1993 fair board include Leeman Gerecke, Bob James, Gary Kight, Charles Mangles, Patty Reisenbichler, Chris Weiss and Steven Engles...

ADVANCE -- The Advance Future Homemakers of America Chapter is sponsoring a Toys for Tots drive. Clean toys in good condition are accepted. The donations may be dropped off at Advance High School, Advance Town & Country and Advance Variety Store. Pick ups are also available by calling 722-3584. Donations are needed before Dec. 15...

Gwendolyn W. Stephenson, chancellor of St. Louis Community College, will present the winter commencement address next Saturday at Southeast Missouri State University. Stephenson has served as the chief academic and executive officer of the comprehensive community college in St. Louis since 1991. She served as president of St. Louis Community College at Meramec in Kirkwood from 1988 to 1991...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- All-terrain vehicles and motorcycles, will be prohibited on Shawnee National Forest dirt and grass-surfaced roads Monday for the remainder of the winter. "Grass and dirt roads will be closed for the winter season," said Rodney K. Sallee, forest supervisor. "This annual regulation prevents natural resource damage when `two-track' roads are wet or soft due to freezing, thawing and spring rains."...

As far as the general excitement of Christmas is concerned, i.e., the extraordinary good cookies, popcorn balls, peanut brittle, the tinsel and baubles, Santa's visit, and presents, especially the presents, it is said that Christmas is for the children. ...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Members of Tamms Little Egypt Chapter 3927 AARP will have their Christmas party and gift exchange Thursday at Smiles II Senior Citizens Nutrition Center in Ullin. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. Members may bring a friend. Reservations for lunch must be made by Tuesday by calling the center at 845-3832...

The Cape Girardeau Evening Toastmasters Club will meet Dec. 17. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at the First Presbyterian church, 235 Broadway. Persons interested in learning how to speak confidently before a group and improving leadership skill may attend...

The membership of Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts elected four new members to serve on the board of directors when it gathered last month. That increased the current board to 15 members. New members elected were Bettye Black, Lyle Davis, and Jackie Morgan for three-year terms, and Cord Polen for a two-year term...

A Cape Girardeau charity will receive a $1,000 donation later this month. Those in need will stay warm this winter thanks donations of 800 to 1,000 winter coats last week. Children, adults and the elderly will receive toys, clothing and food for the holidays...

Capital Bancorporation Inc. announced it has received approval by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the acquisition of Magna Bank of Southern Missouri from Magna Group Inc. of St. Louis. Magna Bank of Southern Missouri is headquartered in Ozark, a suburb of Springfield, and has nine facilities, including banks at Springfield and Branson. ...

The job prospects climate in Southeast Missouri has a pleasant atmosphere heading toward the first quarter of 1993. Barbara Larkins, spokesperson for Manpower Inc., said 27 percent of area firms interviewed for the latest Employment Outlook Survey expect to increase hiring levels next year...

Gayla Hovis, Susan Wohlschlaeger and Stephanie Hicks were winners during the fourth annual Stage One, The Hair School competition and hair style show. Judges were Margaret Johnson, Jeff Green and Phyliss Thomure, area cosmetologists. The winners: Clinic-senior hairstyling 1, Gayla Hovis; 2, Anita Neeley; 3, Vinita Arnold...

Tax season is almost here. "With the election behind us, many tax and legal professionals are wondering about tax changes in the near future," said Robert N. Etherton, a Cape Girardeau representative for the financial-services firm Edward D. Jones & Co. "They're wondering about the tax and fiscal priorities of the Clinton administration, and which recent tax proposals may be dusted off and moved to the top of the tax agenda."...

Cape Girardeau native Patrick Sommers has joined Ceridian Corp. as president of Ceridian Employer Services. Sommers, who has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University, succeeds Patrick Delaney, who is retiring from Ceridian after 27 years...

Frank and Geraldine Croxton were on the road a lot before getting into the antique and collectible business full time. They owned a tractor-trailer rig for a number of years and later drove as a husband-wife team for Tankersley Truck Co. For the past eight years their interests have been in antiques. That interest has led to an expansion of Croxton Antiques & Collectibles, which recently moved to a 3,500-square-foot building at 612 Broadway...

Hansel and Gretel Shoppe, 2116 Town Plaza, has opened a second store temporarily in West Park Mall. A smaller version of the store by the same name in Town Plaza, the boutique will offer specialty Christmas items including clothing, watches, earrings and button covers, with many of the items "custom done," including appliqued knit pant sets for ladies and hand-painted tuxedo shirts...

The Small Business Development Center will conduct counseling sessions in three areas this month. The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office. Appointments may be made by calling (314)-335-3312. The counseling sessions approximately one hour are free...

FREDERICKTOWN -- Cap America, which started operations here in 1985 in an old grocery store building with 35 employees, has expanded its operations over the years. "We're in a 100,000 square foot building and employ more than 225 people now," said Larry Pratt, secretary-treasurer of the firm...