Out of the past 7/23/11

25 years ago: July 23, 1986

Republican senatorial candidate Kit Bond speaks at the first in a series of news conferences at the Cape Girardeau airport, declaring "voters of this state deserve an honest discussion of issues"; his likely Democratic opponent is Lt. Gov. Harriett Woods.

Pamela and Terry James are hoping to send four semi-trucks carrying 2,000 bales of hay to the drought-stricken Greenville, S.C., area, if area farmers lend their support; the James family owns T.J.'s Truck Exchange and P.J.'s Trucking.

50 years ago: July 23, 1961

A decision to establish headquarters of the new Cape Girardeau-Farmington District of the Methodist Church at Farmington, Mo., was made last week at a district meeting; the ministers, meeting under the direction of the new district superintendent, the Rev. George Heslar of Farmington, also voted to sell the former Cape Girardeau district parsonage at 907 W. Cape Rock Dr.

The Rev. L, Cravens, a Baptist minister from Santa Ana, Calif., and formerly of Cape Girardeau, opens a revival at General Baptist Church; he is the son of the pastor, the Rev. W.F. Cravens.

75 years ago: July 23, 1936

Members of the Jaycees are considering establishing a yacht club here; a club committee has discussed sponsoring boat races at the Cape Girardeau riverfront in September.

The Cape Cut Rate Store, 729 Broadway, has leased a building owned by Joseph Haas at the southeast corner of the South Sprigg-Good Hope intersection, and remodeling will begin within a month to place the structure in readiness for another drug store; the structure has been leased from Haas by M. Blitstein and Harry Coopersmith, partners in the business.

100 years ago: July 23, 1911

A.B. Perkins of Illmo has discovered a spring on his Illmo property which rivals the famous Arkansas resort for health-giving qualities; Perkins is said to be doing a big business in the sale of his natural medicine.

George Davidson, the night clerk at the post office for two years, resigns his position to take a job as chief clerk to the superintendent of bridges and terminals on the Frisco Railroad at Houston, Texas; he will leave in a day or so, and Mrs. Davidson will follow later.

-- Sharon K. Sanders