CAPE GIRARDEAU'S 10 MOST ELIGIBLE; BRINGING TRADITION INTO THE 1990S

Times, they are a-changin', and so is the Southeast Missourian newspaper.

Leap Years ago -- as late as 1972 -- the paper ran lists of all the eligible bachelors reporters could find, along with the bachelors' ages, occupations and addresses.

The tradition came all the way from medieval Scotland, when women were allowed to ask men to marry them during Leap Year. If a man was single and said no, he received a stiff fine.

In merry old England during the 1600s, men who rejected marriage proposals on Leap Year had to give their suitors silk gowns.

The idea of desperate women asking men to marry them and men running off in anguish carried over to the United States, thus, the bachelor list.

That sort of thing wouldn't work these days. Men and women can ask each other to marry anytime they want to, Leap Year or not. And there's no sense in representing men as wily catches trying to escape the marriage trap when plenty of women do the same thing.

However, Cape Girardeau boasts some very desirable bachelors and bachelorettes, so why throw out a good thing? The newsroom decided to update the list with purely arbitrary decisions about Cape Girardeau's 10 most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes.

Thanks to a lot of fun-loving, good-natured folks who swallowed their fear (and pride), we present Cape Girardeau's 10 Most Eligible.

Bachelor No. 1

Name: John Grimm

Age: 33

Occupation: Circuit judge

Hobbies: Golf, swimming, skiing

If lawyers are popular dates, Judge John Grimm doesn't know it. He has been seeing the same woman for 10 months after several years of looking.

"I usually found out a woman liked me after she was already married to someone else," Grimm said.

He comes from a family of legal professionals -- Grimm's twin brother, Mark, is a St. Louis attorney, another brother and sister-in-law are attorneys and his father is a Missouri Court of Appeals judge.

With his election to a serious position, Grimm cut back on skydiving and took up a serious hobby, golf.

Bachelor No. 2

Name: Jeff Banken

Age: 29

Occupation: Firefighter

Hobbies: horseback riding, softball, snorkeling, dancing

With his father and an uncle both involved in firefighting, Jeff Banken knew what his career would be early in life. Even as a small child, he listened for his father's pager to go off and sneaked out of bed to go to fires.

Now Banken, a Dexter native, works for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. In his spare time, he is remodeling his home near Lake Cape Girardeau. Banken will keep horses on nearby acreage when the house is finished.

When he isn't horseback riding, working out, playing softball or snorkeling, Banken likes to go "two-steppin'."

"I'm usually up for just about anything," he said.

Bachelor No. 3

Name: David Hutson

Age: 37

Occupation: Furniture store owner

Hobbies: motorcycle collecting/riding, snowboarding

David Hutson began at the bottom of the career ladder, sweeping floors and dusting televisions in the family furniture store. Now he's a part owner of Hutson Furniture Co. in downtown Cape.

The Southeast Missouri State University grad's true passion is motorcycles. He collects and rides all kinds, from BMWs to Harleys. As part owner of the local BMW dealership, Hutson can find a lot of rare motorcycles.

"It's kind of a sickness," he said. "Once you get one, it's hard to let go of it."

Thanks to years of selling Lay-Z-Boy furniture, Hutson acquired the nickname "Lazy Dave."

Bachelor No. 4

Name: Erik Lawrenz

Age: 24

Occupation: Police officer

Hobbies: Camping, hunting, fishing

A St. Louis native, Erik Lawrenz attended Southeast Missouri State University and was a cheerleader there for more than three years -- an odd fit for a budding police officer. He joined the Cape Girardeau Police Department in 1994.

"My dad was a chief United States probation officer in St. Louis," Lawrenz said. "Just hanging around him and his friends, I knew I wanted to be in law enforcement."

A member of Theta Xi fraternity, Lawrenz enjoys outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.

The last movie he saw was "The Birdcage." His nickname, given to him by some female friends in college, is "Schmedly." He doesn't know where it came from.

Bachelor No. 5

Name: Ellsworth D. Ware III

Age: 33

Occupation: Attorney

Hobbies: Reading, hiking, camping, writing

Ellsworth D. Ware III is up front about his qualities, both good and bad. On the upside, he's sensitive and introspective. On the downside, he's moody. Perhaps that's how Ware avoided marriage for so long.

"I can't say I haven't met the right girl because I have -- again and again," he said. "This time, it's sticking."

A graduate of University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, Ware practices at Siebert & Gowen in Scott City. When he isn't working, he's dating a steady girlfriend.

The last book Ware read was "Original Sin," a mystery by P.D. James.

Bachelorette No. 1

Name: Linda Minner

Age: Fortysomething

Occupation: Marketing and special projects director

Hobbies: Flower arranging, ceramics, bowling

Linda Minner doesn't always feel like a single woman -- she's married to her job at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce. Her career keeps her too busy to do a lot of the activities she enjoys.

When she can, Linda spends time with her twin sister, Jane, and other siblings, nieces and nephews. Don't expect to find her pining away for Mr. Right.

"I haven't actually looked," she said. "I'm content. I have lots of friends, both male and female. I like doing what I want to do when I want to do it."

The last movie she saw was "Up Close and Personal" and she enjoys reading books by Barbara Delinski.

Bachelorette No. 2

Name: Linda Job

Age: 32

Occupation: Commercial producer/videographer

Hobbies: Photography, writing, volunteering

Her volunteer work with the Jaycees and her job at KFVS-TV make Linda Job a common sight around Cape Girardeau. While producing the popular show "Steppin' Out Country," Job met music stars Billy Ray Cyrus, Travis Tritt and Clay Walker, but don't mistake her for a complete country-western fan.

"I like all kinds of music," she said. "I grew up on rock 'n' roll, but now I can listen to Van Halen one minute and Garth Brooks the next."

Job spends about 90 percent of her free time in Jaycee activities -- she is a former local president now serving as regional director.

The 10th of 10 children, Job graduated from Southeast Missouri State University and likes to throw darts.

Bachelorette No. 3

Name: Laura Johnston

Age: 23

Occupation: Reporter

Hobbies: Cooking, cross-stitching, church activities

A University of Missouri graduate, Laura Johnston went to work for the Southeast Missourian in 1995. It fulfilled a goal she set as a child watching black-and-white movies about journalists.

"The reporters were always busy, everyone knew them, they were well liked," Johnston said. "Of course, I'm not always finding that to be true now."

When she isn't tracking down hot stories, Johnston tries out new recipes, cross-stitches for friends or attends church functions. The last movie she saw was "12 Monkeys," and she wouldn't mind a new friend to watch movies with in the future.

"I know Mr. Wonderful is out there somewhere," she joked.

Bachelorette No. 4

Name: Pat Colon

Age: 32

Occupation: Deputy juvenile officer/probation officer

Hobbies: Basketball, cross-stitching

Pat Colon holds Southeast Missouri State University's rebounding record from when she played basketball in the 1980s. She still spends a lot of time on the courts, playing in the city league against a lot of other former Southeast players.

All the exercise helps Colon relax after two hard jobs -- raising an 11-year-old daughter and keeping track of juveniles in trouble with the law.

"You have to be patient and creative," she said. "You have to come up with new gimmicks to make these kids do what you want them to do, and you have to care."

The last movie she saw was "Waiting to Exhale."

Bachelorette No. 5

Name: Cynthia Wyatt

Age: 37

Occupation: Speech and drama teacher

Hobbies: bicycling, watching plays, watching sports

It isn't easy directing plays when all the actors are inexperienced teen-agers -- Cynthia Wyatt knows that after directing 22 such plays. But the Cape Central High School teacher loves the challenge.

She has diverse interests. A Rams game and a dance performance have the same appeal for Wyatt, who also loves riding her bicycle. In August, she pedaled 65 miles in one day through Wisconsin.

Wyatt feels waiting awhile before settling down is a good idea.

"It's better to wait until you are older because you know what you want," she said. "There's more time to be sure you know who you are."