Out of the past 12/19/05

25 years ago: Dec. 19, 1980

The fate of the old fire station at Independence and Frederick streets is in question, as the fire department prepares to move to its new headquarters at Sprigg and Independence streets in the coming weeks; a review of the property's abstract notes the deed was transferred at a cost of $1 to "the inhabitants of the town of Cape Girardeau, collectively, for their use, benefit and behoof forever."

Dr. Linda Godwin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Godwin of Oak Ridge Route 1, recently received her Ph.D. in solid state physics from the University of Missouri-Columbia; Godwin is employed with the Space Shuttle Program in the Payload Operations Division, Flight Operations Directorate, at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

50 years ago: Dec. 19, 1955

The genial Homer Rodeheaver, who endeared himself to Cape Girardeans as song leader for the Billy Sunday evangelistic campaign back in 1926, died yesterday at his home in Winona Lake, Ind., at age 75.

A thief with a questionable sense of humor made off with a score of Christmas trees from the Child's IGA store lot last night and then distributed them helter-skelter about the city.

75 years ago: Dec. 19, 1930

Thirty people will be employed at the Cape Girardeau post office during the coming week to handle the Christmas mail; at present, 22 regular employees and substitutes are working, and two more will be added Saturday; about six more employees will be added Monday and continue as long as they are needed.

A mystery surrounds the predicament of a Ford automobile, which for a time this morning perched in a rather precarious position halfway down the river side of a cliff of the old fort at the east end of Bellevue Street.

100 years ago: Dec. 19, 1905

W.M. Harley, vice president and general manager of Harley Shoe Co., and Mr. Zak, manager of the Crescent Shoe Co., both of St. Louis, will meet with the Commercial Club this evening; the club will present a proposal to locate a shoe factory in Cape Girardeau.

After reviewing bids from large finance houses throughout the country, the county court has awarded the sale of bonds to finance construction of the new courthouse in Jackson to the St. Louis firm of Little & Hays; next the court will consider plans and specifications of architects who desire to design the new courthouse.

-- Sharon K. Sanders