Out of the past: Dec. 3

1992

Cape Girardeau businessman James Drury was the major contributor to the Elect a Neighbor Committee, which supported a general-election ballot proposal that Cape Girardeau City Council members be elected by zones instead of at-large; a campaign report filed Monday with the county clerk’s office shows Drury contributed $2,100 to the committee Oct. 30.

During yesterday’s Missouri Bar Association meeting, the question was raised concerning computer automation within the court system; “We’re living in the Dark Ages here,” said Circuit Judge A.J. Seier. “We’re woefully lacking in technology items uniquely suited for the court system.”

1967

George T. Alt, who has served on the Cape County Selective Service Board for 20 years, received a citation for his service to the county at the annual dinner-dance of the 135th Engineer Group last night; an award recognizing his action in saving the life of a drowning person at Clearwater Lake last summer was presented to Maj. Ronald Fee.

A.C. Brase, a member of the Arena Improvement Committee, calls attention to the condition the building was left in after a Friday night sorority-fraternity dance; it took five 50-gallon drums to hold the litter, including one nearly full of liquor bottles; also, one of the American flags that lines the walls is missing; the drapes in a dressing room were torn down, and a layer of muddy water was found in the men’s restroom.

1942

Four hundred Cape Girardeau County married men without children have been called for draft examinations, according to Allen Reed, chief clerk of the Selective Service Board; some of these may be called for active Army duty this month.

With one of the large wooden hangars virtually completed, work is being rushed on the other three at the Army airfield being built on U.S. 61 to have the port in readiness for beginning flight training of Army Air Forces cadets on or about Christmas; all other buildings at the field also are under construction, despite heavy rains the past two weeks.

1917

The first Service Flag to appear in Cape Girardeau floats from the flag pole in the yard of Mrs. H.P. Gaines, 43 S. Lorimier St.; she has two sons, Norman and Harry, who are serving in the national army; Service Flags are being used by mothers and others to denote the number of men they have given to Uncle Sam; it has a red boarder enclosing a white background and in the white space appears as many red starts as there are members in service.

W.E. Jaeger, for many years a director in the Cape Girardeau Building and Loan Association, has refused to stand for re-election, and the name of W.E. Yount will take the place of Jaeger’s.

­— Sharon K. Sanders