Out of the past: Dec. 23

1995

Officials at Southeast Missouri State University hope to be able to award honorary doctoral and professional degrees as early as next spring; Dr. Bill Atchley, university interim president, proposed the addition, which was approved this week by the Board of Regents.

J. Ronald Fischer was a member of the Cape Girardeau County Court when the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority was formed; now he's a member of the port authority's board of commissioners; Fischer, who recently retired as Cape Girardeau city manager, was appointed to the board by the Cape Girardeau County Commission, formerly called the county court; also newly-appointed by the Cape County Commission is Carl Talley, formerly Jackson city administrator.

1970

Getting out the December payroll is the main item of business in Cape Girardeau County Court, with checks for four officials being their last; three officials were defeated in elections this year: Associate County Court Judge Herbert F. Brune, Common Pleas Court Clerk Ervin Hobbs and Circuit Clerk W.W. Seabaugh; also receiving a final check is Treasurer Clinton M. Wunderlich, who served a four-year term, but was unable to seek reelection due to a change in the status of Cape County while he was in office.

George Pendergrass has been named the Illmo-Scott City Kiwanis Club's man of the year; Pendergrass, the audio-visual director at State College, has been active in the Boy Scouts, Young Men's Christian Association, Parent-Teachers unit and the Optimist Club.

1945

A Carol Caravan, composed of singers from 17 churches with the Ministerial Alliance, sing in the evening to shut-ins; each of the pastors from the alliance furnishes the names of two homes of shut-ins from his congregation for the carolers to visit; they also visit the two local hospitals.

All returned veterans are guests at worship services at Red Star Baptist Church; in the morning the Rev. J.B. Ragsdale preaches on "The First Christmas Service"; his evening sermon is titled "God's First Christmas Gift to Man."

1920

The decline in the use of cement during winter months has enabled the Cape Girardeau plant to shut down for the purpose of making extensions and changes to the machinery; new equipment has been on hand for nearly a year, but the strike and the great demand for cement made it impossible for the company to install it; more than 50 men are at work installing new boilers, generators and other machinery at a cost of a quarter of a million dollars.

Six of the leading dairymen serving Cape Girardeau patrons with milk have decided to do away with their separate deliveries; beginning Jan. 1 deliveries will be made by one person; the six have organized the Corporation Dairy Co., under the management of Wilson E. Haman; Haman will make all deliveries for the dairies.

-- Sharon K. Sanders