A LOOK AT THE PAST

25 years ago, 1975

Construction of 4 1/2-acre fishing lake in city's newly-acquired parkland adjacent to existing city park is awaiting approval of Missouri Highway Department, which is concerned about effect lake would have on portion of roadbed of Route D; Glenn F. Boyels, retired soil conservation service engineer who is in charge of Jackson Rotary Club lake project, says surveys and plans for lake have been submitted for approval to department's District 10 headquarters at Sikeston.

Two more school burglaries -- one at Nell Holcomb and other at Gordonville -- have been added to increasing list of similar break-ins authorities believe are all related; thieves took typewriter, 12 cartons of milk and 24 servings of Chicken from Gordonville school Tuesday night, after prying open boiler room door on south side of building; over weekend, thieves pried open kitchen window at Nell Holcomb and fled with 15 pounds of ground beef, 10 pounds of bologna and roasting pan.

With completion of extension of Public Water Supply District No. 1 of Cape Girardeau and Perry counties, Board of Directors has ordered that new water system, which has been under construction since last fall, be put into service.

Senior member of Jackson R-2 Board of Education, Harlan Hager, has been elected president of board; Hager, appointed in 1969 to fill unexpired term, is in his second full three-year term on board; James Jones was reelected vice president of board at its Tuesday meeting.

Cape Girardeau County will have spent total of $92,451.48 in planning and site preparation for new county jail on abandoned County Farm property in Cape Girardeau, after all bills are paid next month; Architect Thomas E. Phillips Thursday presented County Court with final itemized statement of costs incurred since he was hired by court on Oct. 4, 1973, to prepare plans for what then had been proposed as law enforcement complex containing various judicial and law enforcement offices and magistrate court room.

Cape Girardeau County Sheltered Workshop officials met Thursday with County Court to begin discussions on appointment of nine-member board of directors to administer and manage proposed workshop and residential facilities for adult handicapped in county; overwhelming passage April 1 of proposal to enact special 10-cent tax per $100 assessed valuation to establish and maintain workshop facility and residences for its handicapped employees prompted meeting, first with court since issue was adopted.

Increased sightings of coyotes in Cape Girardeau and circumstances in killings of two hogs and injuries to nine others on Ernest Friese farm four miles west of Daisy have led authorities to believe that pigs likely were killed by coyotes; county sheriff's deputies say they have received numerous reports of coyotes in county in recent months, and that if incidents like that which occurred on Friese farm Friday continue, action will likely be taken.

50 years ago, 1950

During business meeting Friday night, St. Paul Lutheran Church considered call of W.T. Palisch, principal of church school, who had received his second call in eight months from Friestatt Church; after discussion, Palisch decided to remain at Jackson school; he came here in 1943.

Prof. A.C. Magill of Cape Girardeau resigned as president and as member of board, and J.C. Hoffmeister of Jackson was elected president at reorganization meeting of County Board of Education at Jackson Tuesday morning; meeting was attended by about 175 persons, all members of various school boards of county; elected to fill two vacancies on board were Payton Miller of Oak Ridge and Hobart Kight of Delta; Alfred Limbaugh of Jackson was elected to fill unexpired two-year term vacated by Magill.

Mrs. L.H. Statler moved her household goods into storage Monday, and workers will start immediately on construction of her new house on East Mary Street; Statler & Statler construction firm will do work; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bruening will move into house Mrs. Statler recently sold.

In recent weeks, through Edwin L. Kies real estate office, there has been continuous changing of property; Norman Ludwig farm near Fruitland of 65 acres, Ben A. Roberts farm west of Jackson of 100 acres, 200 acres in Southern Illinois formerly Kies & Crites bottom farm, and interest in 660 acres of Cape Girardeau County lands, and William Browning house and lot in Oak Ridge were all sold.

J.C. Hoffmeister has been named president of Jackson Board of Education, and Harry G. Cracraft was named vice president; two resignations of teachers were accepted: Lloyd Watkins in high school and Mrs. Donald Thomas; board plans to meet Monday to draw up plans for building program for schools; there are to be alterations, certain additions to high school and a gymnasium-auditorium unit is considered; also vocational agriculture-music structure is planned.

Large crowd gathered uptown Friday to see parade which opened all-school carnival; Parent-Teacher Unit offered $50 to best float, which was won by senior class, featuring showboat theme with queen candidate Dorothy Looney and Bradley Adams.

75 years ago, 1925

Marshal-elect Henry Voges is already wearing star and club and walking the beat; he has been appointed deputy by Marshal J.W. Macke until he can qualify and take over marshal's office.

Lester Wissman is at leisure right now, nursing broken right arm; he sustained injury when his car slid into ditch near Rock Hill Church.

Residents of Jackson aren't at all satisfied with report that state highway No. 9 is not to traverse the city; it is proposed that people of Jackson and Cape Girardeau launch monster demonstration and insist that highway commission make its plan conform with wishes of great majority.

It will soon be necessary to station traffic cop at intersection of Main and South High Streets on Sunday; traffic was such Easter Sunday as to become congested several times; this corner is crossing point for all state highways passing through Jackson, and it is also main thoroughfare for joyriders in and around city.

W.W. Blades, brakeman on Jackson Branch, was taken to Missouri Pacific hospital Sunday, suffering from badly mashed foot; while switching in yards at Jackson, Blades had his foot caught between coupler and "dead wood," and foot was mangled.

Prof. A.M. Koch is attending conference of Lutheran teachers at Frohna, while his family is visiting relatives in New Wells.

City Council, in adjourned session Tuesday night, made appropriation of $300 for purchase of additional right-of-way to widen North High Street, where State Highway No. 25, or Kingshighway, enters Jackson.