Out of the past 5/17/11

25 years ago: May 17, 1986

Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft yesterday declared both Cape Girardeau and Scott counties disaster areas after touring the flooded and tornado-devastated region where four people were killed and dozens injured.

Sands Motel and the Pancake House, owned by Louis Bahn Inc. since they were built 32 years ago, have been sold to Mr. and Mrs. Sharad Kadakia of the Atlanta area.

The steeple of St. Paul Lutheran Church was pulled down in 1961. (Missourian archival photo by G.D. "Frony" Fronabarger)

50 years ago: May 17, 1961

Making way for a new church structure, workers topple the 53-year-old steeple of the old St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson; the 70-foot structure falls under the stress of steel cables attached to a tractor and truck; a new $360,000 church edifice will replace the older one.

The first actual construction work in Cape Girardeau County on the new Interstate 55 is underway just west of Wedekind Park; a Potashnick-Harrison workforce is using a huge pile driver to place steel pilings to form the bases for the big traffic interchange at this point.

75 years ago: May 17, 1936

A number of Cape Girardeau churches either dismiss their morning services or hold them earlier than normal in order that members may attend the baccalaureate exercises at Academic Hall; Dr. Ivan Lee Holt of St. Louis, president of the Federated Council of Churches of Christ in America and a former Cape Girardeau pastor, delivers the address.

The Cape Girardeau Country Club golf team wins its second straight match in the northern division of the Southeast Missouri League, defeating the Hillcrest Club 38-16 on the Hillcrest course; George Helton is medalist for Hillcrest, while Bud Bartels is medalist for the winners.

100 years ago: May 17, 1911

There are 2,580 public schoolchildren in Cape Girardeau, a gain of 165 over last year; in that part of the city lying north of Broadway there are: white males, 306; white females, 309; black males, 46; black females, 58; south of Broadway there are: white males, 857; white females, 873; black males, 59; black females, 72.

Among those recently named by Missouri Gov. H.S. Hadley to the National Good Roads Congress meeting next week in Birmingham, Ala., are Dennis M. Scivally and Otto Kochtitzky of Cape Girardeau.

-- Sharon K. Sanders