Out of the past 5/10/12

25 years ago: May 10, 1987

Tomorrow morning, Cape Girardeau will join with many other cities around the country as it moves into the modern technology of computerized central dispatching; that's when the new central dispatch office -- in the police headquarters -- takes over the responsibility for dispatching emergency calls for police and fire assistance in the city; currently, each department has its own dispatchers.

Linda's Place in downtown Cape Girardeau, owned by Linda Cartner, has been selected by the Small Business Administration as Missouri winner of the "Business Startup Award" for 1987.

50 years ago: May 10, 1962

Anticipating a record enrollment of close to 3,700 students, the student dean's office at State College requests house owners in Cape Girardeau by May 25 to turn in their names, addresses and the number of rooms available for rent to college students this fall.

Several thousand dollars damage is done to grocery goods when fire breaks out at about 10:55 p.m. in a storeroom at Werner's CGA Market, 1192 Broadway; the store is owned and operated by Clarence Werner.

75 years ago: May 10, 1937

Getting underway with a business session in the morning and a scientific session in the afternoon, the Missouri State Medical Association convenes here for its 80th annual gathering; the convention will last three days.

A fire department truck took the place of the conventional hearse yesterday, bearing the body of Bernard "Barney" G. Kraft to its last resting place in Lorimier Cemetery; Kraft was Cape Girardeau's fire chief for many years.

100 years ago: May 10, 1912

Freda Haupt, daughter of Martin Haupt of Jackson, will represent Cape Girardeau County tomorrow at Jefferson City, Mo., in the state spelling contest; she will be accompanied to the competition by her father, J.T. McDonald and Ora Taylor.

Louis Houck is home from St. Louis and the East, where he had been on railroad business; he says he had been in conference with railroad magnates in St. Louis, but no sale of his roads has yet been effected.

-- Sharon K. Sanders