Out of the past 4/17/10

25 years ago: April 17, 1985

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The guard rails along the railroad overpass just north of here don't offer much protection for motorists; in fact, for much of the half-mile overpass along Highway 77, there either are no guard rails or they hang suspended above the ground which has eroded from the highway shoulder.

Churches in widely separate areas of Cape Girardeau have been plagued by a wave of vandalism and burglaries over the past month and a half; hardest hit have been Bethel Assembly of God, 1855 Perryville Rd., and St. Mary's Cathedral, 629 William St.

50 years ago: April 17, 1960

Easter Sunday. Easter sunrise services are conducted at both the Star-Vue and Parkview drive-in theaters as a community service by the Lutheran churches of Southeast Missouri.

Four years of service as assistant at St. Mary's Cathedral are completed by the Rev. Ralph J. Duffner; after a short visit to relatives in Chicago, Duffner will take up his new duties at Mount Vernon, Mo., serving as pastor of St. Susanne Parish and Catholic chaplain at the State Tuberculosis Sanitarium.

75 years ago: April 17, 1935

Construction of a section of the Cape Girardeau riverfront drive over South Main Street from William to College, a distance of four blocks, and the construction of block-long connections with Morgan Oak and Good Hope streets, is proposed as an initial step in the ultimate improvement of traffic facilities along the Mississippi River.

J. Henry Caruthers, Cape Girardeau attorney, is sworn in as U.S. Commissioner for this district, succeeding John A. Ferguson, whose second 4-year term expired last weekend.

100 years ago: April 17, 1910

Bern. Furgeson, well known in Jackson and Cape Girardeau County, who has had charge of a prison in the Philippine Islands for a number of years, is reported to be on his way home.

The Athletics baseball team of Cape Girardeau travels to Advance for a game, where they clip the home team 8-6; manager of the team is G.H. Buchanan.

-- Sharon K. Sanders