Out of the past: Jan. 18

1998

An ecumenical prayer service is held in the afternoon at the Cemetery of the Innocents to mark the 25th anniversary of legalized abortion in the United States; a reception follows at Drury Suites; the event is sponsored by the SEMO Lifesavers.

New Bethel Baptist Church, just east of Pocahontas, near the intersection of county roads 532 and 525, celebrates its 125th anniversary; a basket lunch follows the 10:30 a.m. worship service, and a special service featuring former pastors and music begins at 12:30 p.m.

1973

Top revenue-sharing priority was given construction of a new police headquarters and jail and a retirement plan for city employees finally became reality during last night's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting; the council unanimously adopted a resolution providing that the first expenditure from the city's federal revenue-sharing funds will be used to build a police-jail complex; and the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System was adopted under a plan that the city will "buy back" 100% of an employee's prior employment.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Howard C. Tooke, a member of the City Council since December 1968, files for re-election to a seat on the council; he becomes the first candidate for the three-year post, to be filled at the April 3 city election.

1948

One hundred years ago today, the first duly elected officers of St. Mark's Masonic Lodge, No. 93, of Cape Girardeau were installed; they were: Worshipful master, Jacob Ingram; senior warden, Hiram Platt; junior warden, Edgar Mason; treasurer, Thomas H. Horrell; secretary, J.W. Morris; senior deacon, Wilson Brown; junior deacon, A. Alton; tiler, John H. Stokes.

William C. Bahn, a member of a family in the hardware business in Cape Girardeau for almost a century and a prominent business leader, died last night at his home, 917 Bellevue St., at age 75; Bahn, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Bahn, purchased the family business, B. Bahn & Brother, from his father in 1900; the name changed to Bahn Bros. Hardware Co. when it was incorporated in 1916; William Bahn retired in 1941.

1923

Vachel Lindsay, poet of the Midwest and a writer and philosopher with an international reputation, is a guest of Cape Girardeau; Lindsay lectures in the Teachers College auditorium in the evening; he recites several of his own poems and talks on others written by other authors.

Professor C.B. Hudson, state inspector for teacher training, while in Cape Girardeau, says the standard of the teacher-training work, which has been established in the various first-class high schools in Missouri, should be raised; teachers employed in schools doing teacher-training work, he says, should have more State Teachers College training, and high school teachers that have this training course should have degrees from recognized colleges.

-- Sharon K. Sanders