Out of the past: Dec. 21

1997

Members of Second Baptist Church, 428 S. Frederick St., want to remain where they are, a part of the community for 130 years; but the church is structurally unsound; the congregation plans to tear down its former parsonage and current building to construct a new building on the same site; construction should begin in early spring.

Nominations are being sought for the seventh annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award, presented to a person active in the Cape Girardeau community who has demonstrated the ideal of justice, freedom and social betterment through nonviolence; the award will be presented Jan. 19, 1998, during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration at St. James AME Church.

1972

Petitions with nominations for appointment to the County Planning Commission are presented to the County Court and are taken under advisement; presenting the petitions are James Kelpe, Gene Nitsch and Norman H. Weiss.

A city sales tax for Jackson has at least one outspoken proponent -- Mayor Paul J. Leonard; the mayor proposed to the City Council on Monday night that it give serious consideration to holding a special election on the issue early in 1973; from Leonard's point of view, the sales tax would be a new source of revenue with which to initiate new programs.

1947

Most churches in Cape Girardeau observe Christmas with special services, as well as various programs and worship periods scheduled for the coming week; at a special Christmas worship service in the morning at First Christian Church, the Rev. Vernon A. Hammond speaks on the subject "Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh"; a men's trio performs "We Three Kings of Orient Are".

Having arrived in Cape Girardeau last week from Clarksdale, Mississippi, to accept the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church, the Rev. C.E. Mount preaches his first sermon as pastor here in the morning on the Christmas theme; the Rev. and Mrs. Mount and son, Eric Jr., 12, are residing in the manse at 1452 Luce St.

1922

Loans on farm land in Southeast Missouri, aggregating more than $100,000, have been approved by the board of directors of the Southeast Missouri Joint Stock Land Bank, and after an investigation of the titles to the land, will be sent to the Federal Farm Loan Board for final approval, says bank secretary and treasurer Clyde A. Vandivort; applications for other loans totaling another $100,000 are in the hands of the directors and will be considered at the next meeting.

Professor J. Will Pierce, superintendent of schools at West Plains, Missouri, and former school teacher of Cape Girardeau, has been appointed high school inspector for the Cape Girardeau Teachers College district; he was selected by Charles A. Lee, newly elected state superintendent of schools; Pierce will maintain headquarters at Cape Girardeau and will make regular visits to the high schools in this district.

-- Sharon K. Sanders