Stories from Sunday, November 13, 1994

The Republicans won big -- bigger than the normal gains of the party out of the White House. The GOP increase of at least 49 House seats (with 8 races still undecided) and 8 Senate seats (followed by Alabama Senator Shelby's switch to the Republicans) exceeds the landslide of 1974 when the Democrats increased their margin by 48 in the House and 5 in the Senate. Spin doctors for the Democrats will have to labor long and hard to put a pretty face on Tuesday's election...

The University Choir of Southeast Missouri State University will present its annual Fall-Christmas concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 17 in Academic Auditorium. The Cape Central High School Chamber Choir also will perform. The first portion of the concert will feature the University Choir. ...

The Cape Girardeau County Division of Family Services will begin taking applications for energy assistance grants Tuesday. Appointments for making applications can be made by calling the Division of Family Services. Households that have accepted a termination notice from an energy supplier, or who already have had heat shut off may immediately contact the Cape County office for emergency assistance. Applicants do not need a disconnect notice in order to apply for assistance...

Maria Grindstaff, the 5-year-old daughter of Don and Pam Grindstaff of the Sedgewickville area, will represent Southeast Missouri at the Lion's Club Telethon in Paducah, Ky., Saturday and today. She is scheduled to appear at 10:37 a.m. today on WPSD-TV...

College Day for Kids, Nov. 19 at the compause of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau will give a group of elementary school students from the Missouri Bootheel a chance to learn the value of a college education. Students in a "Service and Community" course at Southeast organized the program as a community service project. The course is is taught by Jack Stokes, assistant professor of social work...

Festivals, Families & the Arts will be at Trinity Lutheran School at 1 p.m. Nov. 19, for a program about a Swedish holiday called Marten Gras. Children and their adult companions will learn about the holiday through music, library materials and an art project...

The Opera Workshop at Southeast Missouri State University will present its annual dinner theater Dec. 3. The theme of this year's event will be "Make Your Own Kind of Music." It is organized by students in the Opera Workshop, faculty members and members of the community...

The Parents As Teachers program in the Cape Girardeau School District, which now serves about 200 families, could accommodate another 50 to 60. With the hiring of a third parent educator, the staff can serve more families, Parents As Teachers Coordinator Susan Bartlett said...

Julee Williams holds a stuffed cow, one of many unusual items that are available at The Country Hodgepodge. Old-fashioned ladies hats evoke a by-gone era in the new store on Jackson Boulevard. Subtle Victorian fragrances waft through the air inside The Country Hodgepodge, a new store that opened in Jackson on Nov. 1...

The Jackson Heritage Association is now offering something that both looks to the future and remembers the past. For the third year, the association is offering its photo calendar. Trisha Wischmann, a member of the heritage association which compiled and published the calendar, said the project got its start three years ago as a way of showcasing the numerous historic Jackson photographs which the association and board member Bernard Schaper had managed to compile over the years...

Birk salvaged this horse-drawn cornstalk cutter after it had sat in the woods for 40 to 50 years. It belonged to his grandfather. This antique sheep shear, is hand-powered and made flexible by an ingenious collection of shafts and universal joints. Glen Birk's introduction to antique machinery came a long time ago -- when the machinery was not a remnant of a bygone era but a state-of-the-art piece of machinery used in the day to day operation of most farms...

Terry employs a variety of patterns when making her quilts. What girl or woman at one time or another has not had the urge to try her hand at making a quilt and then, because it seemed too difficult, just let the idea go? Whether you are a confirmed "quilter" with a chest full of beautiful quilts and eager for one more attractive pattern or on the verge of making your first quilt, you will find that the art of quilt making is not as it has been in the past...

Gerecke works to replace a damaged wooden portion of his plywood-hulled boat. The boat's cast-iron, eight-cylinder industrial motor should make for dependable trips, says Gerecke. While Alan Gerecke's feet are firmly planted in the area, his mind is often wandering elsewhere...

Four Southeast music students earned honors at the Missouri Music Teachers Association State Competition held at the University of Missouri-Kansas City last month. Among the winners were David Bohnert, a senior trumpet player from Perryville, who took first place in the Undergraduate Honors Division; and sophomore Bryan Hardester, a trombonist from Arnold, who finished second in the Undergraduate Honors Division...

At least one reader of the Southeast Missourian wants to know why we didn't have more stories about the young mother who captured the sympathy of the nation with her pleas for the safe return of her carjacked sons and then later confessed she drowned them in the family car...

The political earthquake that rumbled across America last Tuesday, savaging the New Deal Democratic coalition, was remarkable in many aspects. The election's awe-inspiring returns will be pored over by analysts and historians for years to come. In one respect the Republican landslide was unique: the role played by the much-heralded -- and much-maligned -- "Contract With America" of Speaker-elect Newt Gingrich and his swollen band of House Republicans. ...

The Contract With America is rooted in three core principles: Accountability - The government is too big and spends too much, and Congress and unelected bureaucrats have become so entrenched to be unresponsive to the public they are supposed to serve. The GOP contract restores accountability to government...

JACKSON -- John Jordan, who was elected to an unexpired term as Cape Girardeau County Sheriff on Tuesday, will be sworn into office at 9 a.m. Monday. Jordan, 33, will serve the remainder of Norman Copeland's term, which expires Dec. 31, 1996. Copeland resigned Aug. 1 and the county commission appointed his chief deputy, Leonard Hines, to serve until a new sheriff was elected...

Patrick Allen May, 27, of Thebes, Ill., died Saturday, Nov. 12, 1994, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau following a car accident. He was born May 24, 1967, in Cape Girardeau, the son of Alguquine "Jack" and Ruby Ilene Bridges May. He was a deck hand for 10 years and worked for Fitzgerald Marine and Waterfront in Cairo, Ill. His most recent job was as a painter. He was an avid hunter and fisherman...

Daughter to Ron and Brandy Massey of Anna, Ill., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:01 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1994. Name, Morgan Allison. Weight, 6 pounds 6 ounces. First child. Mrs. Massey is the former Brandy Dallas, daughter of Lonnie and Kathy Rion of Anna. Massey is owner of Massey Oil Co., and is the son of Carl and Betty Massey of Anna...

He was born May 11, 1925, at Patton, the son of Roy and Grace Henson Smith. On Aug. 4, 1951, he married Betty E. Miller Smith, who survives of Patton. He was a member of the Patton United Methodist Church. Other survivors include his mother of Patton, three daughters, Dixie Burkley of Ballwin, Mo., Deborah Beneke of Gordonville and Deanna Carter of Piedmont; a sister, Clara McCutcheon of Florissant; and three grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father and a sister...

Ersie Irene "Granny" Nichols, 86, of 914 Jefferson, died Saturday Nov. 12, 1994, at her home. She was born June 14, 1908, in Chaffee, the daughter of John Joseph Schumer and Alice Mae Kinder. On Dec. 20, 1923, she married R.W. Nichols in Jackson, who preceded her in death on Aug. 20, 1974...

JACKSON -- Winifred L. Dalton, 77, of Chesterfield died Friday Nov. 11, 1994, at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield. She was born Sept. 22, 1917, in Switzer County, Texas, the daughter of Lee and Mabel White Slagle. On May 16, 1939, she married John Dalton, who survives...

CHAFFEE -- Harley Atchison, 91, of Chaffee died Saturday Nov. 12, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 11, 1903, at Paragould, the son of Samuel and Emma Walker Atchison. On June 5, 1926, he married Louella Morton, who preceded him in death on Oct. 13, 1982...

CHARLESTON -- Betty Barnbrook Ransom, 71, died Saturday evening, Nov. 12, 1994, at her home in Charleston. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

Due to the pressures of family members, I have consented and am now shopping for a personal computer. The consensus of opinion is that I am the most technologically illiterate female in the history of womankind. For 20 years I have stuck my head in the proverbial sand and have refused to progress with the rest of the world...

GORDONVILLE -- Ella Leonore Mueller, 85, of Prescott, Ariz., died Nov. 7, 1994. She was born Oct. 18, 1909, in Gordonville. On Sept. 3, 1939, she married Edgar Mueller at Gordonville. He preceded her in death. She is survived by a brother, Marvin Wessell of Gordonville...

With the holiday season quickly approaching the American Red Cross is asking the community for assistance in helping provide a touch of home for our Armed Forces personnel serving in Haiti. The Red Cross is accepting seasonal decorations and other items for Thanksgiving and the December and January holidays. ...

BLOOMFIELD -- Myrtle Rickman, 90, of Bloomfield died Friday, Nov. 11, 1994, at the Dexter Memorial Hospital. She spent most of her life in St. Louis, but had lived in Bloomfield since 1991. She was affiliated with the Church of Christ. She was born in Martin, Tenn., on Oct. 24, 1904. On March 6, 1921, she married Fred Rickman, who preceded her in death on March 10, 1968...

The Lublin University School of Medicine Eye Hospital has 70 beds, and three operating rooms. But viewing its medical technology and equipment is like taking a step back in time. "The technology that eye surgeons are using there is comparable with what we were using during World War II," said Dr. Charles H. Cozean, a Cape Girardeau ophthalmologist. "The equipment, with few exceptions, reminded us of American hospitals in the 1950s."...

Boy Scouts and bags of canned goods poured out of a brown van inside the 4-H Pavilion at Arena Park Saturday, a sight that elicited smiles from Assistant Scoutmaster Bob Hoppmann. "How much do you guys have for us?" asked Hoppmann, who is the Scouting For Food campaign chairman. "We've got a bunch," shouted one of the Boy Scouts in the van. "We're loaded down in here."...

Like many Americans, Bill Emerson was glued to a television set Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning as election returns gave the Republican party control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years. He himself easily won an eighth term with nearly 70 percent of the vote and celebrated with an election-night party at the Holiday Inn. ...

When Bill Emerson drew straws with six other freshman Republicans for seniority ranking on the House Agriculture Committee in 1981, he felt he had done well by drawing the second-highest ranking. But 14 years later, that second -place pick will keep him from becoming chairman of the committee when Republicans assume majority control in the new Congress...

SIKESTON -- Tom Nunnelee is looking forward to showing Kenny Rogers the Cerebral Palsy Center he helped build. "He can only take an hour from his busy schedule to come to Sikeston, but it will be good to show him what he has done for a lot of kids in the Bootheel," said Nunnelee, who is helping to organize Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. "This will be the first time Kenny has seen the center."...

Even though he considered the race for more than a year and campaigned for the spot since May, Mark Richardson said he was a little dazed and frightened by the position Missouri House Republicans gave him Thursday. But Richardson's dazed condition probably won't last long. As the leader of the largest contingent of House Republicans in four decades, there is plenty of work to be done with new challenges and opportunities to face...

The anti-incumbent sentiment that has swept the country this year wasn't reflected in retention votes for appeals and supreme court judges in Missouri. That suited Cape Girardeau native Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. just fine. His retention vote enabled him to claim a 12-year term on the Missouri Supreme Court with a comfortable margin...

In a society and time in which spare dollars and loose change seem headed for the endangered species list, who is responsible for paying wildlife's way? Long years ago when mankind was a minor interloper in the total ecological puzzle, wildlife took care of itself. Centuries and hundreds of millions of people later, civilization holds the upper hand...

Upcoming Deer (archery) Nov. 21-Dec. 31 Turkey (archery) Nov. 21-Oct. 30 Ducks & Coots (South Zone) Nov. 25-Jan. 3 Blue, Snow & Ross Geese (South Zone) Nov. 25-Feb. 14 White-fronted Geese & Brant (South Zone) Nov. 25-Jan. 31 Canada Geese (Middle & South Zones) Nov. 25-Dec. 4...

The Missouri Department of Conservation has good news for hunters in the woods this weekend for the start of the state's 50th deer season: A bountiful harvest is anticipated. With 180,000 expected to be taken -- just a bit of an increase over the 784 taken in 1944 -- conservation officials issued 339,350 total deer permits. In mangement area No. 44 which consists of Cape Girardeau County and parts of Bollinger and Perry counties, 4,500 permits have been issued...

Bag an impressive beast and want to show it off? The Southeast Missourian outdoors section is accepting photos of area hunters with their prizes. Photos must be clear and of good quality and should be submitted within a couple of weeks of when the animal was taken...

The Cape Central Tigers Marching Band had a roaring season in 1994. In his 16th year as the band director, Ron Nall said this year has been one of the more successful for the Central Marching Band. "One thing we've worked hard on this year is discipline," he said. "Discipline on and off the field has been important for us."...

I speed read through the classified ads unless there is some particular thing or service I'm looking for. There being none, at the present, I recently went through the pages in about three seconds and returned to the editorial page to re-read opinions on lots of stuff. Well into the first paragraph of such re-reading, my mind caught up with what my eyes had seen in the classifieds, or thought they had seen: "Rent-to-own-shoes."...

The Telephone Pioneers of America will sponsor a chicken and dumplings dinner Tuesday at Mt. Auburn Christian Church, 930 Mt. Auburn Road. Serving will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cost is $3.50 per serving and includes drink and dessert. Delivery is available if order is placed before 5 p.m. Monday by calling 243-3586...

JACKSON -- Vicki McDowell, a board member in the Jackson R-II School District, has achieved the advanced certification designation in the Missouri School Boards Association's Certified Board Member Program. The program is designed to equip school board members with the knowledge and skills they need to function as effective education leaders in their communities. ...

Southeast professor Dr. Linda Burns and high school math teacher Karen Atwood will travel to Europe this summer, along with a group of educators and students, for an international seminar on education and culture. The two are planning the 14-day seminar trip and the graduate workshop course entitled "Comparative Education and Culture," which will be available for three credit hours at Southeast Missouri State University...