Out of the past 5/7/05

25 years ago: May 7, 1980

President Jimmy Carter swept all 10 Cape Girardeau County Democratic delegates to the party's district and state convention as the county group held its convention at Jackson last night; of 61 county delegates in attendance, all but one listed Carter as their presidential preference.

The future of the Cape Girardeau Public Library building at Lorimier and Themis streets could be decided at tonight's city council meeting; County Court Presiding Judge Gene Huckstep has notified city manager W.G. Lawley that the county is interested in acquiring the building for use by county offices.

50 years ago: May 7, 1955

Pupils from 44 schools gather at State College for the last in the series of district high school competitions -- the annual scholastic and track and field meets; the morning is devoted to literature contests, while the afternoon is taken up with track and field competitions.

Progress made by a Citizens State Park Committee, a group of county residents, in obtaining options for a tract of land in northeastern Cape Girardeau County for a Missouri state park was outlined at a conference last night; the group has tentative commitments on 1,430 acres of land; 3,117 acres of land along the Mississippi River are being sought for the park.

75 years ago: May 7, 1930

Approximately 92 seniors of Central High School will receive diplomas at the commencement exercises to be held May 29; this, with the 52 who were graduated in January, makes the largest graduating class in the history of the school.

Members of the faculty of the State Teachers College were elected by the board of regents yesterday; several new faculty members were hired, including Dr. W.J. Hamilton of Madison, Wis., who will teach history during the leave of absence of professor W.T. Doherty, and Professor Forrest H. Rose, a member of Park College, Parkville, Mo., who will succeed professor Bower Aly in the English and public-speaking department.

100 years ago: May 7, 1905

Hundreds of youngsters, not to mention as many adults, are on hand to see the coming of the circus by rail; the show unloads from the side track near the Planters' mill, and then parades to the show grounds on South Frederick Street.

Frisco endures a hard day; no less than a half-dozen mishaps of more or less importance keep the officials and trainmen on the alert all day.

-- Sharon K. Sanders