Out of the past: April 20

1997

Southeast Missouri State University has joined with other public universities in Missouri to offer a doctorate in education administration; representatives from the University of Missouri, Central Missouri State, Northwest Missouri State, the University of Missouri-Rolla and Southwest Missouri State University officially signed the agreement with Southeast in a ceremony that followed the inauguration of Dr. Dale Nitzschke as Southeast's 16th president last week.

With around 500 persons participating, the largest group of "Friends of the Park" volunteers in the program's 12-year history turned out yesterday at Cape Girardeau's city parks; Capaha Park saw the largest group, with more than 400 volunteers.

1972

Southeast Hospital Association members heard a prediction last night at their annual meeting that Cape Girardeau in the next 10 years will need double the number of hospital beds now in existence; Dr. Jean A. Chapman, president of the hospital's medical staff, made the forecast in the course of a panel discussion in which challenges to hospital administration and to financing were projected.

Leming Hall, a fixture on the State College campus for 67 years, will be razed and a $3 million student union building erected on the site; State College regents took the action yesterday and directed that a 12-member committee -- six students and six faculty members -- be appointed to work with the architects to determine facilities of the new student center; in other action, the regents gave their okay to restore the dome atop Academic Hall; the dome, the base of which was repaired last year, will be recovered with copper, which will gradually turn green with age.

1947

Commemorating the 75th year of the existence of Salem Evangelical Church, in the Umbeck community west of Cape Girardeau, many persons attend special services at the church; the church, a landmark in Southeast Missouri, has been taken over by the Evangelical congregation in Cape Girardeau, but the plant is being carefully preserved; the congregation was organized Jan. 1, 1872, with seven families; each family head agreed to furnish a quantity of choice logs for construction of an edifice.

Coach Wayne Goddard of Hannibal (Missouri) High School, who was recently elected football coach at State College, spends the weekend at his home in Anna, Illinois, and is in Cape Girardeau for a short time today; Goddard said he has been given his release by the Hannibal school board, and he will be here the first part of next week.

1922

A fisherman shows off his catch in the lower part of this flood picture made at Main and Independence. Photo was likely taken between 1921 (when the Frisco depot was finished) and 1927 (when construction began on the traffic bridge). (Southeast Missourian archive)

With a rise of only three inches within the last 48 hours, the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau is believed to be nearing its crest; the stage at 8 a.m. is 37.9 feet; water is deep enough to float a boat at the corner of Main and Independence streets; fish are being sold there from a boat; floodwater extends up North Main Street nearly half way to the Themis Street corner.

C.E. Stiver has completed the engineering work on the new tennis courts for the Southeast Missouri State College, and work will begin on the grounds May 1 with a large force engaged in construction; there will be three groups of four courts; the surface will be a hard finish, and each court will be enclosed with a wire fence.

-- Sharon K. Sanders