Stories from Sunday, May 9, 1999

Re-elected aldermen and Mayor Paul Sander expressed pleasure in continuing to work together after being sworn in for new terms during last week's Board of Aldermen meeting. "I'm looking forward to next year," said Alderman Larry Hall. "The mayor does a good job. He's keeping us busy."...

Don Norman feels he has been lucky during his 27 years in the education field and even before. "I was in the Signal Corps and was told I was definitely headed for Vietnam," said Norman, who began his career as an engineer with Union Carbide. "I finally called to get my assignment and they said 'You're going to Hawaii.'"...

To the editor: Since this is Mother's Day, I am submitting a poem I have written voicing concerns of mothers everywhere:Our Treasure Who will help the children? Who will go the extra mile. Who will make the extra effort for just a little while...

Jackson High School musicians who received a "1" rating in ensemble competition at state band competition last weekend are (front row, from left) Jon Reno, saxophone; Jennfier Hurst, percussion; Amy Vrbosky, percussion; Scott Lane, percussion; Julie Litzelfelner, percussion; Ryan Vangilder, percussion; (back row) Chad Schuessler, bassoon; John Klenhample, saxophone; Ben Hinchey, saxophone; Tony Baker, bassoon; Brad Mirly, bassoon; Abby Burlbaugh, flute; Amanda Crouch, flute; and Jennifer Stiegemeyer, flute.. ...

The Jackson Community Teachers' Association will welcome Dr. Ron Anderson, incoming Jackson R-2 superintendent of schools, Tuesday. The reception will be held 4-6 p.m. in the Jackson Middle School cafeteria. The public is invited to meet Dr. Anderson...

Andrew Jackson gained true national fame after routing the British at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. This battle was a huge one in establishing the prestige of the young United States. What, however, was ironic about Jackson's big victory at New Orleans?...

Jane Boren's teaching roots may go back into the 1950s, but her approach doesn't. Even in her final month of teaching, the third grade teacher at Jackson R-2's Fruitland Attendance Center tries to keep up with her students' world. "You teach to your children's experience," she said. "You have to know what's going on in the world. You have to learn computers. You have to stay up with the world they're growing up in."...

Dr. Howard Jones recently remarked that he sometimes feels he has been in education all his life. In a way he has. Jones' father was superintendent of schools in Nevada and Jones quickly followed in his footsteps, entering the education field in 1964. Beginning as an elementary art teacher in Raytown, Jones entered administration four years later as an elementary principal in Kansas City...

From hauling water from a cistern to a one-room school house, to dealing with computers and the Internet, Shirley Reimann has experienced a full gauntlet of classroom experiences. Reimann is one of four Jackson R-2 employees to retire this year. Her career has spanned 41 years, including the last 32 with the R-2 district. During that time, she has seen many education theories come and go -- and often come back again...

25 years ago: 1974 County Court Thursday agreed to be sponsoring agent for two peach-grower firms in county which are requesting assistance through Farmers Home Administration for damages received during early April freeze; court instructed County Clerk Rusby C. Crites to write letter to FHA requesting emergency funds amounting to $115,741 for Pioneer Orchard here and in Cape Girardeau and Kelley Peach Orchard at Cape Girardeau...

A public hearing was recently held concerning proposed improvements to our wastewater system. These projects are proposed under our passed sewer and water bond issue. The hearing was one of the requirements which is mandated as a result of our participation in the state of Missouri revolving Fund. ...

A new documentary film about the Missouri sharecropper protest of 1939 will be presented May 16 at the Jean Provance Children's Theatre of the Bootheel Youth Museum at Malden. The Harry L. Crisp Bootheel Education Center Advisory Council will host a reception prior to the showing of the film at 2:30 p.m. The documentary will be presented from 3-4:15 p.m...

Josh Pfefferkorn got a lesson in campaign politics at the Future Business Leaders of America state leadership conference April 20. The lesson was well-learned. Pfefferkorn, a Jackson High School junior, was elected state FBLA president for the 1999-2000 school year. Pfefferkorn indicated that the campaign at the conference was much like a real-life political rally...

Conflict, how it affects youngsters and how to help them effectively handle it, will be the topic for a program May 12 at Southeast Missouri Hospital. "Youth in Conflict: Responding to the Threat" will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the hospital's Harrison Room...

In certain political quarters, it's known as the "Whatcha Got?" constituency. Public servants, grown cynical with age and citizens' unrealistic expectations, quickly identify demanding constituents, labeling them "Whatcha Gotters." Every segment of society has its own brand of this slice of humanity, which has its origin, many are convinced, in indolence, acquisitiveness or avarice. Take your pick, or choose all three...

To the editor: Here is a poem from a mother's point of view for Mother's Day: The Great Five! They stand for happiness and little sorrow. They stand for hope, for a brighter tomorrow. They stand for good in every way. I know this by listening to what they say...

There is a big difference between Mother's Day and its companion holiday next month, Father's Day. There's even a big difference between today's special celebration for mothers and the relatively new card-giving occasion, Grandparents' Day. Why? Mother's are, without a doubt, the strongest of the sexes when it comes to feelings for their offspring. ...

It is no accident, of course, that the Southeast Missourian starts Random Acts of Kindness Week on Mother's Day. For eight days, individuals, families, groups, clubs, schools, churches, cities and counties will be finding ways to do good things for one another...

Sometimes it's hard to tell who is the mother and who is the daughter at mother-daughter look-a-like contests. At the 5th annual contest at West Park Mall it wasn't such a problem this year. For the first time mothers and sons could be entered in the contest. The mother/son duo of Judy Parrett and Sid Miller of Jackson walked off with third place honors in the mother/adult child division...

Brian May, serving in his third full term as a state representative, was keynote speaker a the Byrd Township Democrats Truman Day Barbecue Saturday, held at Heartland Hall in Jackson. A number of Cape County Democrats were on hand for the barbecue, including Cape County Democrats Central Committee chairman Rick Althaus; Byrd Township Democrat president Alex Harris and Cape Girardeau County Democratic Women's Club president, Faye Schreiner...

Law enforcement officers in Cape Girardeau and Jackson will be committing Random Acts of Kindness this week. Police officers and sheriff's deputies will join thousands of other people throughout the region participating in kindness week. More than 220 participants, which range from individuals to large corporations, have signed up. Nearly 40,000 smiley faced stickers have been distributed. Stickers and bookmarks are available at no cost...

Sheryl Williamson of the Golden Needle in Cape Girardeau had the honor of selecting this year's Best of Show at the 2nd annual Show-Me Quilts show held Saturday at the Plaza Way Community Center in Cape Girardeau. Best of Show honors went to Bernice Blattel of Oran...

Grandma. Granny. Gram. No matter what the pet name, grandchildren from throughout the area will be taking cards and gifts and lots of love to grandmothers around the region to celebrate Mother's Day today. Just as there is no standard for how children refer to their parents, there are a myriad of names that grandmothers can be called. Some names are selected for the grandparent based on social or ethnic culture...

Thaddeus J. Bullock, retired businessman, farmer, entertainer, politician and owner of the Hotel Marquette in downtown Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, May 8, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Bullock, a former piano store operator, was a fixture in in Cape Girardeau and a perennial candidate for Congress. He ran for the ninth time in 1998. He ran for the first time in 1968, and in every 8th District primary election since 1984...

Moms are a special breed. Even after seven years of being a dad, I'm continually amazed how Joni can find matching socks for the kids. It's truly an art, equally as noteworthy as watching a woman shop for shoes. When I walk into the children's room, I'm overwhelmed by the pile of clothes on the floor, as well as the clothes in the basket, stuffed in drawers and hanging in the closet...

Henry Sessoms wanted to be a "top gun" Navy pilot in the 1950s. But an ear infection kept him grounded. "I had a bad ear infection that kept me from flying so I got a medical discharge," recalled Sessoms. He ended up an English professor, flying high on literature instead of fighter wings...

Southeast Missouri State University may send its president packing, but only a short distance to a home off campus. If the Board of Regents agree, the Southeast Missouri University Foundation would buy a brick home at 1626 Whitener to serve as the new home for the school's president...

Burn survivors and their families and friends are invited to a meeting of a support group from 6:39-7:30 p.m. Thursday. The meeting will be held in the SADI Community Room, 121 S. Broadview Plaza, Suite 10. Leading the meeting will be Linda and Gary Hanson of the St. Louis Burns Recovered Support Group. The local meeting is sponsored by the SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence...

As Brandon Simmons watched his "mousetrap" cover the length of the basketball court in the Jefferson Elementary School gymnasium Saturday morning, his mother, Kathy, smiled, saying her 12-year-old son's flare for building the sports car-like device comes natural...

Sunlight streamed through the skylights and came to rest on the 145 entries at the annual SEMO Iris Society's flower show. Irises of the purest white, vibrant yellow, light and dark purple, pinks and a host of hybrids could be found on display. Nikki Tanksley, a senior at Notre Dame, has had an interest in irises since she was about eight. ...

It wasn't for a lack of success that Southeast Missouri State University's softball team had previously failed to gain a spot in the NCAA Division I Tournament. Since making the move up to the Division I level eight years ago, the Otahkians have dominated the Ohio Valley Conference and that is generally enough to make the NCAA tourney...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Seldom does a bases-empty, two-out strikeout spark a rally, but on Saturday Southeast Missouri used the strange catalyst to salvage a doubleheader split with Murray State. Southeast, whose hopes to win the OVC regular season championship were dealt a blow with a 9-3 loss in the opener, used a six-run, two-out rally in the fifth inning of the nightcap for an 8-4 victory...

Most couples go on vacations to relax. Doug and Trina Graham are taking a week "off" to compete in one of the world's most demanding duathlons in the Alps of Switzerland. The couple from Cape Girardeau will join an elite group of 800 runners from around the world in what Doug described as "The Iron Man of the duathlon."...

CRYSTAL CITY -- St. Vincent rebounded from being no-hit the day before by winning two games in the Jefferson County Conference Tournament Saturday. The Indians, no-hit by Herculaneum in tournament play on Friday, defeated Crystal City 8-6 and St. Pius 6-5 in Saturday's tournament play...

One of the key players for Cape Girardeau Central High School's highly successful girls basketball team will be taking her game to the junior-college level. Central senior Kim Aslinger, a 5-foot-8 point guard, recently signed a letter of intent with Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill...

Jeremy Enderle, a 1997 graduate of Scott City High School has signed to play baseball for Harris-Stowe State College, an NAIA school in St. Louis. Enderle, a third baseman/first baseman, played baseball his freshman year of college at Dyersburg Community College. He hit .361 during his freshman campaign, then sat out a year before signing at Harris-Stowe...

Justin Suedemeyer, a 6-foot-1 guard from Jackson High School, has signed to play basketball at Hannibal LaGrange College in Hannibal, Mo. Suedemeyer, known for his clutch shooting in the fourth quarter, scored 13 points per game and dished out 6.7 assists per contest...

JACKSON -- Jackson built a 6-0 lead in the first two innings and held off Farmington 8-5 in a makeup game played Saturday. Jackson, which had dropped games earlier in the week to Cape Central and Dexter, improved to 8-13 on the season. "It was a big game for us because we've been struggling," said Jackson coach Sam Sides...

The Cape Girardeau Association of Life Underwriters will hold its sixth annual charity golf tournament and barbecue June 4 at the Jaycee Municipal Golf Course. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the American Red Cross...

The 9th annual Ed Nunnelee Memorial Tennis Tournament will be held June 4-5-6 in Sikeston. There will be singles and doubles play in junior and adult divisions. Junior divisions for boys and girls are 12-under, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18. Adult divisions are men's open, men's A, Men's B, women's open and mixed doubles open...

Notre Dame High School's new basketball coach, Chris Neff, will be holding a camp for boys June 21-25 and July 12-16 at the high school. The cost is $60 per participant. Contact Neff at 335-1448 or 334-3738 for more information.

Notre Dame High School assistant coach Jeff Graviett will be conducting a baseball camp at the high school from June 14-18 from 8 a.m.-noon for students in grades 3-8. The cost is $60 per camper. For more information or to sign up call Graviett at 887-3591 or at 335-1448...

The ninth annual Budweiser Benefit Softball Tournament for Class C and D slow-pitch teams will be held June 5-6 in the Jackson City Park. The entry fee is $100 and teams will hit their own 47 core ball. There will be a three home run limit. The entry deadline is June 1...

The 1999 Tournament of Champions Classic slow-pitch softball tournament will be held May 15 at the Dexter Sports Complex. The entry fee is $110 per team and teams will provide their own ball. The first-place prize is $300. To enter or for more information, call Jimmy Smith at 624-8630...

The Chaffee Senior American Legion baseball team will hold a tryout May 16 at Harmon Field from 1:30-3 p.m. The Junior Legion squad will hold a tryout the same day from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Jackson Sr. Babe Ruth baseball will hold a tryout May 15 at Legion Field in Jackson City Park. The tryout is for ages 16 to 18.

The eighth annual Youth Catch and Release Fishing Derby will be held Saturday, May 15 at Capaha Park. Children ages 1 to 15 are invited to test their fishing skills. There will be many door prizes, including several Zebco rods and reels, tackle boxes and other fishing equipment...

DEXTER -- Minnie Ramsey, 89, of Malden died Saturday, May 8, 1999, at the Ridgeview Nursing Center in Malden. She was born July 12, 1909, at Harviell, daughter of Henry and Gertrude Biggs Scheneman. She married Arvil Lee Ramsey at Risco on Oct. 28, 1939. He died Aug. 29, 1981...

JACKSON -- Vera G. Nothdurft, 90, of Jackson died at the Lutheran Home Saturday, May 8, 1999. She was born Nov. 26, 1908, in Marissa, Ill., daughter of Elmer and Della McManus McDonald. She married Russell Nothdurft Sept. 2, 1929. He died Feb. 8, 1990...

CHARLESTON -- J.C. "Bo" Tatum, 70, of Wyatt died Friday, May 7, 1999, at the Bertrand Nursing Facility. He was born June 15, 1928, in Deventer, son of James Morgan and Mae Sams Tatum. He married Loretta Nunn in 1952. She died Oct. 3, 1969. He was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army...

Eppie Jennings Allison, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 8, 1999, at Chateau Girardeau Health Care Center. She was born March 31, 1906, at Troy, daughter of E.M. and Willie Archer Jennings. She and Raymond D. Allison were married May 16, 1929, at Troy...

Thaddeus J. Bullock, 82, of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, May 8, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

CHAFFEE -- Nettie M. Schultz, 88, of Jackson died Friday, May 7, 1999, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 30, 1910, at Parma, daughter of Thomas Grant Tippin and Kansas Jane Virgin Tippen. She was a retired licensed practical nurse...

ANNA, Ill. -- Norman Owen Snell, 64, of Anna died Friday, May 7, 1999, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Marion. He was born May 26, 1934, in Union County in Illinois, son of Owen and Inez Dale Snell. He was a construction engineer and a veteran of the Korean War...

SIKESTON -- J.W. Fulkerson, 67, of Bloomfield, died Friday, May 7, 1999, at Dexter Memorial Hospital. He was born June 29, 1931 at Sikeston, son of James H. Fulkerson Sr. and Beulah Robertson Fulkerson. He married Kathryn "Kay" Koster at San Antonio, Texas. She died March 13, 1997...

PUXICO -- Flora Helen Hastings, 71, of Puxico died Saturday, May 8, 1999, at Lucy Lee Hospital in Poplar Bluff. She was born Aug. 30, 1927, daughter of Lonnie and Lily Creach Wells. She was a retired employee of the Elders Manufacturing Co. in Bloomfield where she was a presser. She was a member of the Eagles Club of Wappapello and was affiliated with the Assembly of God Church...

DEXTER -- Claude W. Hubbard, 67, of Bloomfield died Saturday, May 8, 1999, at Dexter Memorial Hospital. He was born Aug. 25, 1931, at Chaffee, son of William Carl and Annie Brown Hubbard. He lived in St. Louis a number of years where he worked at a corrugated box factory. He later lived at Scott City and moved to Bloomfield 18 years ago...

GOREVILLE, Ill. -- Walter B. Martin, 75, of Goreville died Friday, May 7, 1999, at his son's home in Herrin. He was born July 31, 1923, at Mounds, son of James G. and Amanda A. Walters Martin. He and Emma Kaye Meredith were married on March 15, 1941...

Eula M. Hawn, 84, of St. Louis, formerly of Marble Hill, died Friday, May 7, 1999, at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Jan. 5, 1915, in Marble Hill, daughter of Epps and Nellie M. Lutes Hawn. She was a former secretary at Malcolm Bliss State Hospital in St. Louis. She was a member of the Centenary United Methodist Church in St. Louis...

Every Thursday morning, 80-year-old Jerlene Mills called a cab for a trip to the beauty shop. Neighbor Marilyn Hutteger noticed, and offered to give her a ride each week. It's just one of the kindnesses that Hutteger affords her neighbors and friends...

Lana Goodin describes Agnes Bendel as an angel with an edge. "She's a ball of fire," said Goodin, a nurse at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. "She's an angel to us, but she's got a little edge. That's what gives her and us so much energy." Bendel has volunteered at the veterans home every day for the past nine years. Her husband, Fred, is a resident in the Alzheimer's wing...

1. Deliver fresh-baked cookies to city workers. 2. Collect goods for a local food bank. 3. Brings some fragrant flowers to work and share them with the office. 4. Garden clubs can make floral arrangements for senior centers, nursing homes, hospitals, police station or shut-ins...

Dichotomy. When did you first come in contact with that word? Not yet? Well, you haven't listened to many speeches or commentaries. I must say the word didn't come into my working vocabulary until the age of the Talking Heads. When I began to hear it consistently, without going to the dictionary, I tried to figure out its meaning by its position in a sentence or speech...