Stories from Sunday, April 18, 1999

To the editor: I could not let Peter Kinder's comments in the April 11 Missourian pass without comment. First of all, I find it curious that a possible contender for the attorney general's office would engage in a slippery slope on the issue of concealed weapons and compare it to prohibition, where he said, "It is an unhealthy thing for a republic such as ours to have laws on the books that are widely disobeyed."...

A photo of the old Millersville store and a newspaper clipping about Dona Fellows are just a sampling of the many items Fellows has collected. War ration books are included in Fellows' collection. If you'd like to see a picture of one of the Millersville store fires, newspaper clippings about the rocking polio bed purchased in 1952 for St. ...

25 years ago: 1974 Inventory report of county's 264 bridges, culverts and stream crossings and preliminary sketch and design for proposed Cape Girardeau County Law Enforcement Complex were received Thursday by County Court; bridge report lists every bridge, culvert, box culvert and gravel crossing within boundaries of Cape Girardeau County Road District and was promised by County Engineer Robert J. ...

In January 1949, Clarence Saupe purchased the R.C. Landgraf Lumber Co. in Pocahontas and changed the name to Pocahontas Lumber and Hardxware. The business moved to Jackson in 1958. This photo was taken at Pocahontas Lumber and Hardware in 1972. From the left are Orville Fluegge, Charles Saupe and his son, Earl Saupe...

I JUST read an article where Roy Blunt wants to block the money to our soldiers even if they're deployed to Yugoslavia. I cannot imagine anyone who wants to block money to those who are servicemen, especially those going into harm's way. These boys volunteered. ...

A half century ago, life seemed simpler, or at least less complex than the one we lead today. Good citizenship was relatively easy to practice at the end of World War II, when the world seemed to take on the appearance of America's oyster and the requirements included such now-inchoate duties as voting at every election and replenishing the nation's emotional level with peace and prosperity...

This past week saw an interesting spectacle in Washington. Independent counsel Kenneth Starr went before a Senate committee to testify to his long-held belief that the independent counsel law under which he was appointed is unconstitutional. An Associated Press report on the hearing is misleading, leaving the impression that Starr is an inconsistent latecomer to this view, now widely shared among elite Washington circles. ...

The stage is set in the Missouri Senate for another showdown over a bill banning the gruesome form of infanticide known as partial-birth abortion. Heading into the final four weeks of the legislative session, senators will have before them a couple of bills purporting to ban this unrecognized medical procedure. ...

May Greene Garden Association members and volunteers braved the chilly temperatures to clear winter debris and plant new flowers Saturday as part of Friends of the Parks Day. May Greene Gardens, at Fountain and Themis, was adopted by the association to preserve the history surrounding Miss May Greene, a former Cape Girardeau schoolteacher, and the garden she always maintained...

As a horticulture student, Michelle Thomas learned about weeds and grasses. Now she's going to put her lessons to the test as a nuisance abatement officer with the city. Thomas, who just finished her first week on the job, will handle weed complaint calls during the spring and summer months...

The Embracing Diversity Symposium that begins Tuesday at Southeast Missouri State University is an idea that almost created itself. Different people and organizations separately had planned events and performances involving people with disabilities. ...

It wasn't a typical day at Clippard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau. The principal wore overalls and drove a tractor. Parents came to school wielding hammers and hoes. Children used rakes and shovels. The fire department stood by all to make a difference at the school's playground and outdoor classroom...

Gun manufacturers and tobacco companies aren't the only targets of lawsuits these days. Even toothbrushes are being brushed back by litigation. A suburban Chicago man recently filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the daily ritual of brushing teeth left him with toothbrush abrasion, a condition that his lawyer says leads to receding gums and sensitive teeth...

Southeast Missouri State University's softball team, taking aim on a fifth straight Ohio Valley Conference championship, picked up a pair of shutout victories at home Saturday. The first-place Otahkians knocked off Morehead State 1-0 and 3-0 as they improved to 23-14 overall and 13-1 in OVC play...

When I was in college, the only way I could have put together a 4.0 grade-point average -- or even a 3.0 for that matter -- would have been to add up the totals of a few years. Suffice to say, hitting the books was not exactly my bag. But you certainly can't say that about the collective athletes at Southeast Missouri State University, who continue to break new ground when it comes to success in the classroom...

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- With stout pitching, strong defense and timely hitting, Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team claimed two important Ohio Valley Conference victories Saturday. The Indians swept a doubleheader from host Middle Tennessee, winning 10-2 behind Ryan Spille and 4-0 behind the brilliant pitching of Dan Huesgen...

Maybe Notre Dame High's baseball team is the best in Missouri Class 2A. And maybe it isn't. But when the next state coaches poll is released, the Bulldogs likely will stand on the top rung. Senath-Hornersville, currently ranked No. 1, fell Friday to Shawnee (Ill.) in the Chaffee Tournament. So when No. 2 Notre Dame hosted No. 3 South Pemiscot in the Tiger Showcase Saturday, a bit more was at stake than the Bulldogs' unblemished mark...

Go ahead E.T., keep them. These Tigers play better anyway. Cape Girardeau Central High's team performance Saturday was so superior to its prior play that an imaginative follower might believe that the whole team had been abducted by aliens and was replaced with the spirits from the Field of Dreams...

Despite unseasonably cold weather, Southeast Missouri State University's track and field program had a successful home meet Saturday. Southeast's men and women both prevailed during action at the Abe Stuber Track & Field Complex. The Indians scored 143 points to best Murray State (114) and Tennessee-Martin (31). The Otahkians had 145 points to down Tennessee-Martin (141), Austin Peay (94) and Murray State (90)...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Fralish Cup Tournament held here over the weekend turned into a Southeast Missouri party. Cape Girardeau Central knocked off Jackson 2-0 in Saturday's championship match as the Lady Tigers concluded a dominating tourney performance...

The Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a trip to Busch Stadium to watch Mark McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals. The trip will be June 12 when the Cardinals play the Detroit Tigers at 7:05 p.m. The cost is $21, which includes a ticket to the game and transportation...

The 12th annual Area Wide United Way Charity Golf Tournament will be held June 14 at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. The event will be a four-person scramble, with morning and afternoon tee times. The entry fee is $65 per player, which includes lunch and a cart. There will be three flights with three places per flight...

Scott City High School will hold a women's alumni volleyball tournament May 8. For entry forms or more information, call coach Barbara Ice at 264-2138.

The 1999 Day in May Biathlon, consisting of biking and running, will be held May 22 in Jackson beginning at 9 a.m.. The course will run over rolling hills to Jackson Junior High School and back. There will be individual male and female age divisions from 16 through 60-over. There will also be a team division where one member runs and the other bikes. Team divisions will include spring chicken (team members' age equals 65 or less) and big wheel (team members' age equals 66 or more)...

DELTA -- Zona Agnes King, 96, of Delta died Saturday, April 17, 1999, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee. King was born Sept. 20, 1902, at Neely's Landing, daughter of John William and Emma Nora Garner Hodge. She and Floy Ellis King were married April 4, 1921. He died Aug. 5, 1966...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Wayne T. Vines, 80, of Mound City died Saturday, April 17, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 22, 1918, at Dongola, son of Henry Vines and Bertha Beggs Vines. Vines was a U.S. Army World War II veteran. He retired as a yard master for the Illinois Central Railroad...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Elizabeth Jane "Betty" Rumfelt, 61, of Grand Tower died Saturday, April 17, 1999, at her home. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, in the chapel of Hileman & Parr Funeral Services. Friends may call from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday at the funeral home...

MARBLE HILL -- Duel Burton of Marble Hill died Saturday, April 17, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill.

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Clifford Johnson, 68, of Jonesboro died Saturday, April 17, 1999, at his home. Arrangements are pending at Hileman & Parr Funeral Services in Jonesboro.

DIXON, Ill. -- Fred W. Miller, 89, of Dixon died Wednesday, April 14, 1999. He was born Feb. 23, 1910, at Newton, son of Lewis Miller and Laura Sims Miller. He married Fanny Tucker July 8, 1949, at Dixon. Miller was a barber for the Dixon State School prior to his retirement. He was a member of the Dixon Masonic Lodge and was a 32nd degree Mason. He was also a member of the Eastern Star, the Scottish Rite and the First Methodist Church of Dixon...

FROHNA -- Mildred L. Gerharter, 80, of Frohna died Friday, April 16, 1999, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville. She was born March 9, 1919, in Frohna, daughter of Rudolf and Bertha Kaufmann Popp. She and Delmar Carl Gerharter were married Oct. 12, 1941. He died Oct. 3, 1984...

Earl Wayne Miller, 67, 1203 College St., died Friday, April 16, 1999, at his home. He was born Aug. 30, 1931, at St. Louis, son of Luther Miller and Zona Davis Miller. He and Paula Yvonne Henson were married Feb. 26, 1955, at Cape Girardeau. Miller was an employee of the Cape Girardeau water treatment facility for 20 years. He was a Navy veteran and member of VFW Post 3838. Miller was awarded the National Defense, and Korean and U.N. service medals...

GORDONVILLE -- Paul Howard Seabaugh, 77, 398 state Highway Z, died Friday, April 16, 1999, at Southeast Memorial Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 6, 1922, at Cape Girardeau, son of Garrett Albert Seabaugh and Emma Mae Bollinger Seabaugh. He and Jewel Eloide Caraker were married June 17, 1948, at Cape Girardeau...

SIKESTON -- Syble I. Moore, 78, of Sikeston died Friday, April 16, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Nov. 12, 1920, daughter of William Thomas Holland and Vanda Harris Holland. She and John Wayne Moore were married Aug. 7, 1949, at Piggott, Ark. He died Feb. 25, 1978...

MARBLE HILL -- Gladys Mae Lincoln, 76, of Marble Hill died Saturday, April 17, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Lincoln was born May 26, 1922, at Marble Hill, daughter of Charley Welker and Eva Caroline Causey Welker. She was married to Paul Martin who preceded her in death. She later married Paul Lincoln, who also preceded her in death...

The annual Area Wide United Way fund-raising drive is over. The $625,000 goal was met. Now what? The United Way was established to conduct a coordinated fund-raising campaign. Donors could make one donation that is shared by many service agencies. The local United Way has raised more than $9 million in the community since 1954. Originally established in the Cape Girardeau area, the United Way has expanded to include Jackson and Scott city in its fund-raising efforts...

All you gardeners who put out dozens of tomato plants, yea, even one dozen or half a dozen, don't laugh. I am going to put out one tomato plant. I've been dreaming about it and planning it all winter long, particularly after I have eaten one of those tasteless, shiny, red globes at the grocery stores labeled tomatoes. The only thing they have that remotely resembles a garden grown tomato is that they are red...

The Friday morning TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly, organization has recently elected new officers. Leader is Carol Halbert. Co-leaders is Dorothy Jones. Treasurer is Vada Smart. Secretary is Marjorie Clubb. Weight recorder is Dee Niswonger and assistant weight recorder is Laverne VanWeelden...