Out of the past 5/17/09

25 years ago: May 17, 1984

The BioKyowa Inc. manufacturing facility opens with a day of special events, including tours of the feed additive production plant; Gov. Kit S. Bond participates in ribbon cutting and tree-planting ceremonies in the morning.

The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents and the Cape Girardeau City Council yesterday approved Hastings & Chivetta Architects and Ellerbe Associates Inc. of St. Louis as architects and engineers for the city's multipurpose building.

50 years ago: May 17, 1959

The Foursquare Church of Cape Girardeau recently welcomed the Rev. Elsworth T. Johnson of Colorado as its new pastor.

A field Mass is celebrated by Bishop Charles H. Helmsing outside on the grounds of St. Mary's Cathedral, marking the sacerdotal jubilees of four priests of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau: the Revs. Thomas J. Carney, Joseph H. Huels, Marion F. Forst and August A. Eckhoff.

75 years ago: May 17, 1934

Chicken thieves, extremely active in and near Cape Girardeau the past few nights, got a scare last night when Arthur J. Schrader, 133 S. Louisiana Ave., heard them attempting to enter his chicken house and fired at them twice with a shotgun; shortly before Easter, coop raiders lifted 10 of his hens.

CHAFFEE, Mo. --- Harmon Field, equipped through the cooperative efforts of residents and civic bodies, was rededicated yesterday as Chaffee's community playground; all of Chaffee and many visitors from other towns turned out for the ceremony.

100 years ago: May 17, 1909

Cape Girardeau now has two daily newspapers; a Mr. Ledbetter, city editor of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and Sam W. Davis, formerly editor of the Butler Democrat, have purchased the Cape Girardeau Democrat and will publish it every afternoon; the other daily is The Daily Republican, owned by the Naeter Brothers.

Disappointing Mrs. R.B. Oliver, who worked hard to design a Missouri state flag, the legislature fails to pass the bill that would have adopted it.

-- Sharon K. Sanders