Out of the past: Feb. 20

1999

Former Southeast Missouri State University basketball coach Ron Shumate has filed a lawsuit seeking nearly $300,000 in damages from the university’s Board of Regents, stemming from his 1997 firing; the suit claims Shumate was wrongfully fired and that the defendants ­— the regents and the school’s executive vice president of financial affairs, Kenneth Dobbins — concocted false charges of NCAA regulations violations and encouraged others to make false statements before the NCAA.

A mural Dr. Grant Lund is painting at Southeast Missouri State University’s Rhodes Hall will depict physicist Stephen Hawking, a contemporary scientist who has succeeded in capturing peoples’ imagination despite a severe disability; the mural is an attempt both to dress up a drab building and to make a statement about the creativity of science.

1974

Purchase of 22 acres of land west of East Rodney Drive across from Arena Park is announced by the SEMO District Fair Association; the tract will be used for vehicle parking during the fair, which runs for six days each September in Arena Park; after the initial development, it will be offered to the city for use during the remainder of the year; in return, the city would be asked to mow and maintain the area.

In an effort to curb the spread of influenza currently taking its toll in Southeast Missouri, administrators of Saint Francis Hospital and Southeast Hospital have both announced they are limiting visitors of patients to members of the immediate family; hospital administrators confirm personnel of the hospitals are also experiencing a high level of illness from influenza.

1949

After preaching the sermons in the morning at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, the Rev. Lindell O. Harrison and wife and son, David, 18 months, are preparing for a 3,900-mile return trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, where the Rev. and Mrs. Harris are assigned missionaries; they have been in the States the past four months visiting their parents; Mrs. Harris is the former Connie Mae McElyea, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G.W. McElyea of Cape Girardeau; Harris is the son of Mr. and Mrs. A.R. Harris of Campbell.

The Rev. Harley Statler is the new pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, coming here from the Iona Baptist Church at Oriole; residing at Sedgewickville, Statler had been pastor at Oriole for four years; he is married and has two daughters.

1924

For a second time in three months, Cape Girardeau School District voters turned down a proposal to bond the district to provide more room to care for the rapidly increasing enrollment in public schools; voters Tuesday, by a majority of 200, turned down a proposal to bond the district for $100,000 to build additions to Washington and Jefferson schools, as well as purchase future school sites.

The Cape Girardeau City Council accepts the plan for improving Courthouse Park submitted by St. Louis landscape architect C.C. Combs; beautification of the park grounds will begin shortly; the improvements will cost approximately $1,000; acceptance of Combs’ plan comes after a heated debate between council members and C.F. Mullen, local landscape gardener, who urges the adoption of a plan he submitted to the council.

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.