Out of the past: April 9

1999

Speaking at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center, James Gray, a member of the British Parliament, suggests “perhaps we should set up a ‘sister-city’ relationship” between Cape Girardeau and his home town in England, Chippenham in Wiltshire County; Gray, a Conservative Party member of Parliament, is guest of U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, who is also a speaker at the coffee; another guest at the event is Ronald C. Gladney, a St. Louis attorney, who is Emerson’s fiance.

Several persons appeared at last night’s Chaffee school board meeting to ask officials why high school baseball coach Bruce Qualls’ contract wasn’t renewed; his supporters didn’t receive any answers; board members refused to comment, saying personnel matters discussed during executive session aren’t to be made public; Qualls was one of four coaches who was not rehired in last month’s board meeting.

1974

A proposal to issue about $1.6 million in bonds for construction of 40 new bridges may be submitted to Cape Girardeau County voters at either the August primary or November general election; the County Court, upon receiving a comprehensive report on conditions of bridges in the county, discussed the possibility of submitting a bond proposal to finance replacement of the aging spans, some of which were built 85 years or more ago.

Of particular importance to Cape Girardeau and other Missouri cities along the Mississippi River is an amendment being offered in the state Senate this week by Sen. Albert M. Spradling Jr., D-Cape Girardeau, to a House bill authorizing the creation of a State Port Authority; Spradling’s amendment would broaden the scope of the bill by authorizing any Missouri city along the Mississippi to set up and operate a port authority.

1949

Monroe L. Rhodes, health educator for the DDT spraying program in Southeast Missouri, says two crews began the 1949 spray activity Tuesday in the Delta area; the crews will work their way through the county until every residence, rural and urban, has been offered the opportunity to have the premises covered with the insect-killing solution.

The Jackson Board of Education met last night to reorganize the board and to hire teachers; J.C. Hoffmeister was re-elected president of the board and Harry G. Cracraft vice president; R.O. Hawkins was re-named superintendent of schools, and all teachers were elected in their present positions with the exception of Norris Hammond, science teacher, and Mrs. F.S. McClanahan, librarian, who did not seek re-appointment.

1924

Earl Sams arrives in Cape Girardeau to succeed W.B. Douglass as manager of the local branch of the Automobile Club of Missouri; Douglass is scheduled to go to Springfield to take charge of the club’s branch there; Sams is well known in Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri, having organized Lions clubs in this city, Sikeston, Kennett and Caruthersville; he also served as secretary of the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce for a short while.

Frank Newton, division engineer for the State Highway Commission, and in charge of the work in Southeast Missouri, was beaten in the lobby of the Hotel Ducker at Poplar Bluff last night, following an argument over a road contract in Dunklin County; witnesses say the wife of a contractor, whose work had been rejected by the engineer, first attacked Newton when he entered the lobby; her husband then got into the fray, wielding some punishing blows upon Newton before he was restrained.

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.