Out of the past 12/24/11

25 years ago: Dec. 24, 1986

The saga of Douglas Wayne Thompson -- covering more than a quarter century -- took another twist yesterday, when a federal appeals court ordered him released from the state penitentiary; Thompson, who was convicted three times for the 1961 slaying of a Cape Girardeau reserve police officer, was last convicted in December 1984 in Scott County Circuit Court for capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Atlas Plastics and all subsidiaries of Mississippi Cape Corp., which includes rigid sheet plastics manufacturing plants here, at Mankato, Minn., and at Mansfield, Texas, and Resin Exchange here, a distributor of plastic raw materials, have been sold to Spartech Corp. of St. Louis.

50 years ago: Dec. 24, 1961

About 200 children participate in the Christmas Eve service for junior, intermediate and senior Sunday School children of Trinity Lutheran Church in the evening; the program provides speaking parts for 34 children; portraying the nativity scene are Kathleen Mattes, Terry Robinson, Bobby Hilemann, Brad Verhines, Mike Ringwald, Gary Feuerhahn, Danny Birk and Gerald Ruesler.

Mrs. Claude Johnson of Cape Girardeau has been named to the board of directors at the Missouri Baptist Old Folks Home in Ironton; her husband is the Cape Girardeau Association missionary.

75 years ago: Dec. 24, 1936

Two federal nursery schools in Smelterville, closed yesterday due to lack of WPA funds to purchase food, will reopen soon after the first of the year, when repairs are made on one building and the other school is moved to a new location; under the plan, the white children's school will be repaired, while the black school will be moved to a brick building near the white school.

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Serena drove in late last night from Norman, Okla., where he is pastor of the large Christian Church that serves the State University; today they will drive to Memphis, Mrs. Serena going to visit relatives south of there, and Dr. Serena going to Cincinnati to visit his mother and sisters.

100 years ago: Dec. 24, 1911

A Christmas children's service is held in the evening at Trinity Lutheran Church; the children of the parochial and Sunday schools recite the Christmas story and sing holiday songs under the direction of Professor F.W. Nieman.

Mrs. Frank Mogler and son, Albert, of St. Louis, are spending a few days at Jackson, where they formerly resided.

-- Sharon K. Sanders