Out of the past 7/17/08

25 years ago: July 17, 1983

Degrees were conferred upon 231 undergraduates and 79 graduate students at Southeast Missouri State University in summer commencement exercises Friday; keynote speaker was Dr. Mark Hopkins, a native of Bloomfield, Mo., and president of Anderson College in Anderson, S.C.

About 2,500 people turned out for the open house at the KFVS12 television building on Broadway honoring veteran Don McNeely for 40 years in broadcasting.

50 years ago: July 17, 1958

In a revised forecast, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau should crest tomorrow at 28.4 feet; the crest had been predicted to reach 33 feet.

A community committee is being set up to delve into the possibility of doing something about flooding along Cape LaCroix Creek, which traverses the west edge of Cape Girardeau; L.R. Roper and others are busy setting up a committee which will consider the recent flooding along U.S. 61 and see what can be done about flood-control measures in the future.

75 years ago: July 17, 1933

The new schedule of wages put into effect at the Marquette Cement Mfg. Co. plant in Cape Girardeau today is 25 percent higher than ever paid before; while wages have been increased, work hours have been reduced from eight hours to six a day.

The Frisco Railroad is to spend about $1,000 in an improvement on Water Street; E.L. Markham has a contract for surfacing with amiesite the portions of street between the rails and on either side of them in a two-block area between Broadway and Independence Street; the planks now covering the area will be removed and the surfacing substituted.

100 years ago: July 17, 1908

M.Y. Snyder has purchased the livery stable on North Spanish Street, which had been operated by Louis Tobler for years; Snyder took charge the first part of this week and has already got plans underway to improve the quality of service.

S.G. Magden and Dr. J.T. Robbins of Des Moines, Iowa, are in Cape Girardeau and today conclude the purchase of 750 acres of the Alt land, which they expect to develop.

-- Sharon K. Sanders