Out of the past: April 13

1999

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education remains much the same after being reorganized last night; new board officers were elected and appointed; Dr. Ferrell Ervin, in his third term as board member, was re-elected board president for a third year; Mark Carver, who is serving the second year of his three-year term, was elected vice president of the board; incumbents Bob Blank and the Rev. William Bird returned for repeat terms on the board after decisive victories during last week’s elections; joining them was newcomer Sharon Mueller, who is serving her first term in public office.

Southeast Missouri State University’s satellite center of the St. Louis World Trade Center was re-dedicated yesterday as part of the university’s 125th anniversary celebration for International Week; participating in the event, held in Glenn Auditorium of Robert A. Dempster Hall, was Robert Frueh, director of the World Trade Center in St. Louis.

1974

Lengthy arguments by counsel on the testimony of County Clerk Rusby C. Crites concerning County Court records pertaining to plans of constructing a county law complex marks the opening of a Circuit Court hearing into a suit brought against the County Court by a group of county residents and the City of Jackson; issues in the case, as pointed out by the plaintiffs’ lawyers, are location of the jail outside the county seat of Jackson, financial arrangements and what is to the best interest of the county; one of plaintiffs’ lawyers, Albert C. Lowes, refers to the proposed building as a “grossly expensive palace of $750,000.”

Cape Girardeau receives its first grant for the planned $6 million secondary sewer treatment plant to be built adjacent to the existing primary plant in the south part of the city; the Environmental Protection Agency approved $225,000 for preparation of plans and specifications for the plant, two lift stations with force mains, improvements to the Henderson Street diversion structure and one lift station there.

1949

One of the largest single awards in condemnation ever made in Federal Court in Cape Girardeau was made to Wayne County, which is the recipient of $147,500 for the taking of land and public roadways inundated by Lake Wappapello; the award of commissioners, made last February, was approved by the court after exceptions to the report had been withdrawn.

Girardeans peered skyward last night for a once-in-a-century glimpse of a “black eclipse,” in which, through astronomical phenomenon, the moon was obliterated from view; the earth’s shadow touched the moon at 8:28 p.m., Cape Girardeau time; at 9:28 p.m., the shadow was directly on the moon, completely covering it.

1924

Members of St. James AME Church are jubilant over their efforts within the last few weeks to raise enough money to free the church of debt; the official report, made Monday night, shows that $121 to free the church of its indebtedness has been raised in the following manner: Holly Girls’ recital, $40.42; chicken dinner, $26.60; Young Men’s Club, $15; general collection, $38.98.

The vacant lot back of Centenary Methodist Church is to be converted into a playground, equipped with swings and sand boxes for the small children of the church, according to plans made at a meeting of the Wimodausis Club; the original idea was to lay out a tennis court on the lot, but since then J.H. Himmelberger has loaned the club for the season a tennis court at the corner of Sprigg and Bellevue streets; this court will be for the use of the young people of the church.

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Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at semissourian.com/history.