Out of the past: Feb. 20

1994

Carol Roth of Cape Girardeau presents a slide program of mission work being done in Ghana, West Africa, in the evening at Hanover Lutheran Church; her son-in-law, the Rev. Carl Rockrohr, is serving as missionary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to the Konkumba people.

Thanks to hard work and initiative on the part of Delta firefighters, residents of this southwest Cape Girardeau County community now have a $75,000 fire station that actually cost only $38,000 to build; the five-bay, one-story, 3,864-square-foot building is near the Delta Post Office; it replaces a tiny building what was beneath the town's elevated water tower.

1969

Bowling on Sundays will become legal in Cape Girardeau under a new city ordinance to repeal an older one that had prohibited the activity on this day, the City Council ruled last night; Edward L. Downs, attorney and part owner of the Cape Bowling Lanes Inc., appeared before the council to request the change, which he said has been on the books for more than 50 years but has never been enforced.

Mary Kempe, reference librarian at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, is cited by for 25 years of service to the city and the library; recognition is accorded Kempe at a meeting of the Library Board of Trustees.

1944

A patriotic service is held in the evening at Maple Avenue Methodist Church in commemoration of Washington's birthday, which falls on Tuesday; the pastor, the Rev. O.D. Niswonger, speaks on "Washington, His Life and Work."

KELSO, Mo. -- The five-room frame dwelling of Anna Halter was destroyed by fire at noon yesterday; origin of the blaze isn't known; Halter wasn't home at the time of the fire, and only a few household articles could be saved.

1919

C.O. Free, representing the Vincennes Bridge Co. of Vincennes, Indiana, is here to meet with the Cape County Special Road District commissioners regarding construction of a temporary bridge over the diversion channel where it cuts the Rock Levee Road; Free has plans for a suspension bridge, supported by two 2-inch cables, on piling piers; the span between the piers would be more than 200 feet.

C.L. Bess and two assistants of Sikeston, Missouri, arrive here in the morning with two Hudson and one Essex cars, having driven through from St. Louis; because of the rains, the cars will be left here until the roads dry up; Bess plans to open an automobile dealership in Sikeston and is considering doing the same at Cape Girardeau.

-- Sharon K. Sanders