Out of the past 12/20/01

10 years ago: Dec. 20, 1991

More than two years after Lenco Inc. was sold in bankruptcy court, onetime chief executive officer of Jackson company has filed lawsuit against firm's former creditors; Jerry Ford purchase manufacturing firm's stock in 1984 for about $2 million and invested total of about $10 million in leveraged buyout.

Santa Claus visited about 1,500 children last night as part of Toybox program, which supplies toys and clothing to needy children in Cape Girardeau; about 70 volunteers with Cape Girardeau Jaycees and Southeast Missourian donned Santa suits and helped deliver gifts.

25 years ago: Dec. 20, 1976

Season's greetings in form of some of highest heating bills ever for many residents can primarily be blamed on unusually cold weather experienced this year; those bills, arriving for November-December billing period, reflect what Missouri Utilities reports were colder temperatures that were 161 percent chillier than same period last year.

Cairo, Ill. -- New high school building is in store for pupils in public schools here as residents Saturday overwhelmingly voted to pass $900,000 bond issue in referendum; better than 74.3 percent of 1,109 people voting said "yes" to proposal which would combine $900,000 in local monies with $1,732,410 Capital Development Board grant to improve schools.

50 years ago: Dec. 20, 1951

Irvin J. Richmond, partner in Sunny Hill Dairy Co. and newcomer to politics, will be Republican candidate in race for State Senate seat vacated recently by D.W. Gilmore of Benton; he was nominated last night by Republican county committees of 27th Senatorial District.

Civil service ordinance establishing commission, inaugurating system of examinations for future employees and safeguarding jobs of present municipal personnel lacks only single reading before becoming city law; it is expected that City Council will give third reading to measure next week.

75 years ago: Dec. 20, 1926

Construction work on new $30,000, eight-family efficiency apartment building being erected by E.B. Foster at 20 N. Fountain is under way, with excavation of basement nearly complete; contractor for building is L.F. Sarff; if weather conditions permit, work will continue with plan of completing it in early spring.

To expedite movement of express and mail during holiday period, Frisco Railroad on River Division, from St. Louis to Memphis, has arranged for additional help and has placed officials of road on trains to assist in maintaining schedule.

-- Compiled by Sharon K. Sanders