A LOOK BACK AT JACKSON

25 years ago: 1974

Campaign by Jackson Police Chief David M. Gellatly for new police-fire headquarters building has gathered mostly favorable reaction throughout community and City Council likely deal with issue within forthcoming year; primary concern is money; council will have to determine which of possible financing methods available is most feasible for construction of badly-needed facility.

Cape Girardeau County residents will get another change to express their views on Missouri Highway Department's proposal to relocate Highway 72 around Jackson; city officials have been notified that second hearing is set for June 20 in circuit courtroom of County Courthouse; hearing culminates effort last fall by Jackson and Cape Girardeau chambers of commerce and officials of both cities to reopen discussion on plan.

County's fifth federal revenue-sharing entitlement will be $257,587, total of $8,043 more than was received for fourth period; latest amount to be received brings total revenue-sharing gift to county to $848,677.

Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish recently celebrated silver anniversary of Sister Rose Francis, S.S.N.D.; she is principal and seventh and eight grade teacher at Immaculate Conception School; she is daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Brockmeyer of Cape Girardeau.

Eight-year effort to establish medical clinic moved closer to reality Monday night when Southeast Missouri Medical Center, Inc., gave go-ahead for initial development state of project; action, which allows St. Louis consulting firm of Bank Building Corp. to begin pre-costing, functional designs and elevations and project estimates, is first step of many that is expected to lead to actual preparation of drawings and construction of clinic and nursing home facility for minimum of 70 patients.

R-2 Board of Education has taken under advisement Community Teachers Association request that instructors be paid $10 for each unused sick leave day upon leaving school system.

50 years ago: 1949

Mrs. Oliver Ruppel of Cape Girardeau has moved to home of Mrs. Edwin A. Rasche in upstairs apartment; rooms were vacated last week when Marshall Brooks family moved to house in West Jackson; Brooks is principal of elementary school.

County Court on Monday agreed to send notice to contractors asking bids for construction of three county aid road projects; bids will be received May 31.

Mrs. A.C. Wilkening is engaged this week in talking enumeration of children between ages 6 and 21; enumerations of all school districts are underway, rural areas to file their reports with Supt. Edwin W. Sander, who will make a permanent record.

Rural school eighth grade graduation exercises will be held at grade school auditorium Saturday, with Oliver M. Skalbeck, professor of speech at State College in Cape Girardeau, as commencement speaker.

Jackson Board of Education has filled some vacancies of faculty and added certain services to school program for next year; Arthur Strobel has been named teacher of science in high school, Mrs. Pauline Brommer will be second grade teacher and elementary music teacher, and Mrs. Eleanor Vogel was hired as librarian; board decided not to operate school cannery during summer.

Lynn Wilkening, majoring in elementary school principalship, has been selected as principal of Fruitland Consolidated School; he is student at State College and son of Mrs. A.C. Wilkening.

Patsy Ann Hoffmeister, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Hoffmeister, was crowned queen at annual band concert Friday; Kenneth Blackman, selected Big Chief, crowned queen in presence of approximately 900 persons.

75 years ago: 1924

As time for closing of filing for county office approaches, things are warming up considerably; candidates on Republican ticket are springing up like mushrooms on all sides; largest number of candidates will aspire for offices of assessor and sheriff; for assessor's job, there will be about five candidates besides present incumbent, and like amount for sheriff's post.

Relatives of Christian Stein are preparing to celebrate 99th birthday anniversary of Stein on May 21; he is hale and hearty and walks erect and with steady step.

Friday court ordered all moonshine, mountain dew, bug juice, white mule, home brew, bust-head, squirrel whisky, snake medicine and other liquid that had accumulated in office of prosecuting attorney to be used as evidence in liquor cases be destroyed; order was carried out by sheriff and his deputies.

Committee, appointed by Mayor J.R. Bowman to investigate proposition of installing oil-consuming engines instead of coal-burning machinery at municipal power plant, left Sunday for St. Louis, Paris, Mo., and other points; committee consists of Aldermen A.M. Sander and Sherman Haupt, City Clerk Adolph Paar, and Superintendent C.F. Schnaare; another committee will visit plants at Fredericktown and Campbell in few days.

Baccalaureate sermon was preached Sunday morning in auditorium at high school by the Rev. H.B. Colter to large crowd which completely filled large room; many stood through service.

Funeral of Mathias Schattauer, who died suddenly May 12 while working in his potato field near his home, northeast of Pocahontas, was held following day at St. John Lutheran Church at Pocahontas; Schattauer was born in Goisern, in Upper Austria, on July 30, 1848, and came to United States with his parents when boy of 16; he married Mary Haberfellner, who survives him, along with three sons and three daughters.

Col. L.M. Bean has finished taken school enumeration for Jackson district; it appears from lists filed with county clerk that there are within confines of district 338 white boys, 354 white girls, 31 Negro boys and 37 Negro girls, for total of 760, between ages of 6 and 20 years.

Workers Thursday began tearing away front of Circle Theatre; radical changes in exterior and interior arrangements will be made; H.H. Mueller is owner of popular show house.