Out of the past 1/29/11

25 years ago: Jan. 29, 1986

James M. Godwin of rural Jackson, whose daughter is an astronaut candidate, says Tuesday's explosion of the space shuttle Challenger won't change her career plans; Dr. Linda Godwin is in the midst of a year of astronaut training through Aug. 1, which will qualify her as a candidate for space flight.

Second District Commissioner J. Ronald Fischer will seek a tenth consecutive term on the Cape Girardeau County Commission in the Nov. 4 general election; Fischer filed Monday.

50 years ago: Jan. 29, 1961

The State College Indians have compiled the longest winning streak in college basketball history; this year, the Braves have won 13 straight, 14 of 15; their latest victory came last night, when they edged the Springfield Bears, 82-81.

Fire yesterday morning leveled the Oak Ledge tavern building, two miles south of Jackson on Highway 25, shortly before dawn; the blaze apparently started around the furnace flue in the basement and quickly spread through the one-story frame building.

75 years ago: Jan. 29, 1936

The start of a new semester for the public schools has re-emphasized the overcrowded conditions of the schools, particularly at Central High, May Greene and Washington; already, 3,055 pupils have enrolled in the six schools for white children and John S. Cobb School.

Engineers arrive from Chicago to spend a month in Cape Girardeau drafting final plans before construction work begins on improvements at the local plant of the Marquette Cement Mfg. Co.; the program will include installation of coal pulverizing units at each of three kilns, construction of a huge chimney to carry away the gases and dust from the waste heat boilers and kilns, and installation of machinery to take cement dust out of the air.

100 years ago: Jan. 29, 1911

The Rev. H.N. McKee having departed for California, the Christian Church is without a pastor; members of the congregation meet to consider some of the applications it has received from ministers for the pastorate.

Capt. Buck Leyhe was in Cape Girardeau yesterday to start the ball rolling for a fine concrete freight depot and landing pier for the boats of the Eagle Packet Co., which he wants to locate at the foot of Broadway.

-- Sharon K. Sanders