Out of the past 3/28/10

25 years ago: March 28, 1985

Always one to avoid fanfare, Verna Lee Landis, who served in Cape Girardeau city government for more than half a century, quietly retired within the last two weeks; for the last 37 years, Landis served as city clerk.

A $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to be used toward construction of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority port on the Mississippi River has been approved by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

50 years ago: March 28, 1960

The Cape Girardeau City Council takes steps to protest the removal by the Frisco Railroad of its last passenger trains operating through the city; the council orders city attorney Raymond H. Vogel to take appropriate action to bring the city's protest to the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Springtime is festival time for hundreds of band students in the region; today finds uniformed musicians practicing at the Arena Building for their annual Spring Band Festival, which will include a special performance for the public this evening.

75 years ago: March 28, 1935

J. Rollie Erwin sells the Green Tree Tavern, a billiard hall at 600 Good Hope St., to Fred Jones; the latter is the proprietor of the Midway station on U.S. 61 south of Kelso, Mo., having operated it 15 months.

Four teams and men, secured by County Garden Chairman A.H. Beardsley, are plowing the 38-acre community relief garden on South West End Boulevard; the plots for families, each to be 100 feet long and 50 feet wide, will be marked off and assigned to those whose applications for gardens have been approved.

100 years ago: March 28, 1910

This being "Hospital Monday," the committee raising the $20,000 asked by the sisters for building an addition to Saint Francis Hospital is calling on Cape Girardeau residents; the Sixth Regiment Band plays on the streets in hopes the music will inspire listeners to loosen their purse strings.

The injunction sworn out by R. Walther against Cape Girardeau to restrain the drainage of the swamp near Frederick Street, which was made returnable today, came too late, as the work was continued through Easter Sunday and the connection to the sewer was made last evening.

-- Sharon K. Sanders