Out of the past 5/18/03

10 years ago: May 18, 1992

Proposed $34 million Cape Girardeau budget for 1993-94 fiscal year includes $2.4 million increase in capital improvements and another $1.2 million increase for equipment and changes in city services; city council yesterday gave initial approval to proposed budget, which shows $4.7 million increase over budget for current fiscal year.

Jackson Board of Aldermen and chamber of commerce have agreed in principle to create city tourism board as of July 4; final plans and guidelines are being drawn up by chamber and city; under agreement, chamber will appoint qualified members to tourism board.

25 years ago: May 18, 1978

Members of Operating Engineers Local 513 go on strike at dozens of highway and utility construction sites in Eastern Missouri in contract dispute which has been going on for more than year with Missouri Association of General Contractors of Missouri; about 20 projects in Southeast Missouri are affected.

Southeast Missouri State University economist has made public report he compiled which is critical of administrative growth and expenses over past three years at university; its merits are questioned by president Robert E. Leestamper; Dr. Gerald Giesler, chairman of Department of Economics who is leaving to take position at Louisiana State University, says administrative costs have more than doubled in three years.

50 years ago: May 18, 1952

Amid traditional pomp and solemnity, 205 degrees are conferred upon graduates of State College in 79th annual commencement by President W.W. Parker after presentation of candidates by dean Forrest H. Rose; ceremony begins with procession from Kent Library, across The Divide into Academic Hall and auditorium.

The 1953 Girardot yearbook is distributed to pupils and faculty at Central High School; featured as Girardot Queen is Carolyn Ochs; "A Dream Come True" is theme of volume, and it is dedicated to taxpayers of Cape Girardeau, who financed construction of new high school.

75 years ago: May 18, 1928

Severe wind and rain storm, riding on 55-mile-an-hour gale, sweeps over Cape Girardeau in morning, blowing down small trees and ripping off boughs, but doing little damage of serious nature; heavy rain, accompanying wind, floods streets throughout city, halting automobile and streetcar traffic for several minutes.

Repeated raiding of farm poultry houses and petty pilfering going on continuously in county has made some of victims almost desperate, and agitation for mutual protective association has been started; Farm Agent T.M. Keyser is working out plan and will have proposal ready to lay before executive committee of Cape Girardeau County Farm Bureau at its next meeting.

-- Sharon K. Sanders