Out of the past: April 5

1999

Jayne Ervin is the newest member of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce board of directors; Ervin, a jeweler at Jason Jewelers Ltd. and Ervin’s Metalsmiths Inc., was named to fill the vacancy left by Jim Sexton, former Saint Francis Medical Center president and chief executive officer, who left Cape Girardeau in January to become president and CEO of North Iowa Mercy Health Center and Network in Mason City, Iowa.

Local educators are honored by chambers of commerce in Cape Girardeau and Jackson as part of annual recognition programs; the Jackson Chamber recognizes Ellen Lukens, Brenda Cain and Cathy Boyd as Educators of the Year; honored at Cape Girardeau are David Giles, Pam Dumey, Bonnie Matzat and Dr. Ann Puryear Scheer.

1974

Reorganizing at a special meeting last night, the Cape Girardeau Board of Education elected J. Kent Cargle president and Dr. C. John Ritter vice president for the ensuing year; the election came after Hal B. Lehman, board secretary, administered the oath of office to Ritter and Mary Kasten, a former member who also won a three-year seat at this week’s school election; Jerry W. Ford, who will occupy a one-year unexpired post on the board as an unopposed candidate, is away from town.

Representatives of Cape Girardeau County’s two special road districts — Cape and Byrd — appeared before the County Court on Thursday to request that the county once again share with them some of its County Aid Road Trust (CART) funds; the court reached no decision, but said it would consider re-enacting the sharing program after a report on the condition of bridges on roads under the county’s jurisdiction is submitted by county engineer Robert J. Hahn; until 1969, Cape Special Road District received $6,000 in CART funds, while Byrd received $3,900.

1949

The timeworn grandstand at Capaha Park, scene of many civic events and erected 38 years ago to accommodate those attending the Cape Fair, is being razed by city workers to pave the way for a new, modern structure that will serve as a pavilion for a lighted baseball field to be erected in the next few weeks; a sealed box containing records and papers was placed in the cornerstone at July 15, 1911, ceremony attended by David A. Glenn, president of the fair board; Joel T. Nunn, secretary; John L. Miller; Charles Blattner and August Vogelsang, contractor.

Before a crowd of 2,076 paying fans, the Harlem Globetrotters defeated the House of David team, 51-43, last night at the Arena Building; so great was the crowd, that several hundred had to be turned away at the door; along with the basketball play, the crowd was entertained during the game by Ed Hamman, the clown of sports, and at the half by Jacques Cordon, the French unicyclist, who drew applause by his juggling act.

1924

John N. Crocker was reelected superintendent of the Cape Girardeau public schools for the 12th consecutive year at a meeting of the school board last night; every member of the board voted for Crocker, and his salary remains the same; Crocker came to Cape Girardeau 13 years ago, serving as principal one year and being elected to the superintendency the following year; since his coming here, the enrollment in the school district has increased 100%.

Workers under the direction of Jack Gilmore, representative of the Dunnegan Construction Co., are continuing the excavation of the 21-inch sewer line of the West End sewer system, 1 1/2 miles south of Bloomfield Street, near the Houck Hill; they’re trying to determine what became of two lengths of sewer pipe that mysteriously disappeared since being placed there by the contractor less than six months ago; the two sections of concrete pipe, each nearly three feet in length and 21 inches in diameter, have absolutely disappeared and can’t be found.

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 www.semissourian.com/history.