Out of the past 12/16/07

25 years ago: Dec. 16, 1982

M.G. Lorberg Jr., the chairman of the Speech, Communications and Theater Department at Southeast Missouri State University, died yesterday at a local hospital following a heart attack at Grauel Language Arts Building on the university campus; he was 61 years old.

Kerasotes Theatres, one of the nation's largest chains of movie houses which includes several theaters and a drive-in here, has announced plans to acquire Air Illinois, the only commercial airline serving Cape Girardeau; the theater group has also announced plans to add three more screens to its Town Plaza Twin Cinema.

50 years ago: Dec. 16, 1957

John L. Wescoat, chairman of the campaign to raise $100,000 to remodel the original Southeast Missouri Hospital, announces that the Lions Club became the first organization to contribute with a gift of $1,000.

An association of county residents, designed to oppose extension of the Cape Girardeau city limits, was formed yesterday; the Cape County Border Association will work to organize all county residents who wish to keep their farms and land in the county and to act in a body against the expansion of Cape Girardeau.

75 years ago: Dec. 16, 1932

Taking a more secure grip on the area, winter brings a temperature of 3 degrees above zero to Cape Girardeau for a new low mark on the season; the intense cold hampered firefighters last night, who were called to four structure fires; the frigid temperatures also bring additional suffering to the needy; about 10 transients slept at police headquarters last night.

The annual crop of Christmas trees -- mostly coming here from California, Washington and Oregon -- is now on the local market; prices range from 50 cents to $1.50.

100 years ago: Dec. 16, 1907

TILSIT, Mo. -- Christian Frisch, the second oldest resident of this community, died yesterday at the ripe old age of 84; his end came at the home of Fritz R. Meyer, with whom he had lived for some years; a native of Germany, Frisch was a mail carrier for Tilsit for 15 years.

August Ruesskamp has purchased the residence of D.A. Glenn at the corner of Fountain and Independence streets.

--- Sharon K. Sanders