Out of the past 9/16/06

25 years ago: Sept. 16, 1981

Attendance at this year's SEMO District Fair is on its way to record-breaking levels; approximately 15,000 people jammed the fairgrounds last night; the main attraction for the day was the tractor pull.

The resignation of sports editor Bradley Kirtley and appointment of two new sports staff members are announced by The Southeast Missourian newspaper; succeeding Kirtley as sports editor is Richard Underwood.

50 years ago: Sept. 16, 1956

Bishop E.M. Frank preaches in the morning at Centenary Methodist Church; in the afternoon, the new head of the church in Missouri preaches at the annual service at Old McKendree Chapel.

During an electrical and rainstorm in the evening, lighting strikes a tree in the yard at the home of Richard H. Giles, on Hopper Road, and a chunk from it, thrown across the street, smashes a window in the living room at the home of Mr. and Mrs. M.E. Field.

75 years ago: Sept. 16, 1931

Meeting with a special citizens' committee, representatives of the Teachers College Board of Regents and the public school board of education reach an agreement for the use of Houck Field Stadium by the Central High School football team; under the terms of the agreement, the college will get one-third of the gross receipts of each game the high school team plays in the stadium, and will also receive an amount equivalent to 3 1/3 cents per game for each public school pupil attending and presenting a student activity ticket for admission.

Falling 40 feet when a scaffold weakens, two Cape Girardeau men working at Ironton, Mo., are injured and are taken to a hospital there; they are Jimmy Mudd and Arthur Corra; they were doing brick work on the Ironton consolidated school building L.A. Mudd of Cape Girardeau is erecting there.

100 years ago: Sept. 16, 1906

The Rev. J. Hennelly of St. Vincent's College has been transferred to St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Kansas City, Mo.; he left Cape Girardeau last week.

Cape Girardeau is to have another firm of lawyers that will lend much worth to the local bar; state Senator T.R. Ely and his partner, I.R. Kelso, of Kennett, Mo., have made arrangements to locate here for the practice of law and have secured a suite of rooms in the post office building; Kelso has rented the Vandiver home on Ellis Street and will move his family here at once.

-- Sharon K. Sanders