Out of the past 2/1/06

25 years ago: Feb. 1, 1981

A Lutheran minister who is director of Lutheran Family and Children's Services has become the fourth individual to file for one of two seats on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education; Dr. Erwin Brese has been director of Lutheran Family and Children's Services since 1975.

There's a new telephone system at Southeast Missouri Hospital, and it went into effect at midnight Saturday; the new PBX Dimension 2000 system allows the public to directly dial a department rather than go through the switchboard.

50 years ago: Feb. 1, 1956

Pupils of the Illmo-Fornfelt-Ancell schools, now Reorganized District R-1, go to school in a jubilant manner as a result of the voter approval yesterday of the $373,000 bond issue; boys and girls, including the band of more than 45 members, staged a banner-carrying parade yesterday in each of the three towns reminding the voters of the need of a new school plant.

The two Main Street levee improvement districts, in separate petitions filed in Common Pleas Court yesterday, asked for appointment of three independent commissioners to assess benefits and damages accruing to property in the building of the levee.

75 years ago: Feb. 1, 1931

The Rev. August Bueltemann of Chicago, Ill., former pastor of Grace Methodist Church, preaches at the morning service at the church.

Fire originating from the explosion of a coal stove at 9:30 p.m. destroys the one-story frame dwelling at 1500 N. Spanish St. belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Cunningham; Lloyd Cunningham suffers burns to his arms and his face; Mrs. Cunningham isn't at home at the time of the fire.

100 years ago: Feb. 1, 1906

Sadie Kent, a member of the Normal School faculty, receives guests in the women's parlor of the new Academic Hall; all the women of the Normal attend, both those of the faculty and of the student body; it is the first affair of the kind held in the new building.

Capt. William "Buck" Leyhe goes to St. Louis in the afternoon; he is making arrangements to bring out the steamer Grey Eagle; he says it should come down river about Feb. 17; the crew is in all parts of the county and will have to be called in, and the boat made ready for the first trip of the season.

-- Sharon K. Sanders