Out of the past: Jan. 19

1997

Ford Groves Motor Co. at Jackson is operating out of a new $350,000, 5,000-square-foot facility at 825 Highway 61 East; the building has a two-car showroom, two bays in the back, six salesmen's offices and two manager's offices; Ford Groves Motor of Cape Girardeau first opened a Jackson branch in 1986.

A new Amerimart service station-convenience store opened recently near Fruitland; the 3,000-square-foot, "ground-up" facility on Highway 61 North replaced a smaller Amerimart store; Laura Heine is manager of the facility.

1972

KELSO, Mo. -- In an overwhelmingly high turnout, Kelso voters Tuesday approved the town's first bond issue, a $130,000 revenue bond for a municipal water system, by just a little over 1% of the majority needed; there were 139 votes cast in favor of the issue and 97 against it for 58.9% voter approval; the issue needed four-sevenths of the votes cast or 57.8% approval to pass.

Voters in the Cape County Public Water Supply District No. 1 will go to the polls Friday to vote on a measure that could make expansion of the water system possible, but which carries with it no provision for expansion; at issue is whether or not the district should annex the area to the east of Fruitland, toward Neelys Landing; a two-thirds majority is needed for passage.

1947

A nursery school for 3-year-old children will be started Jan. 27 in the nursery department of Maple Avenue Methodist Church; the school will help youngsters discover their natural talents and help them to learn to get along with other children; the school will accommodate from 12 to 15 children of this age during both the morning and afternoon sessions.

The Rev. John D. Freeman, director of rural church work of the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, preaches in the evening at First Baptist Church; he will remain in Cape Girardeau through the coming week for a pastors' retreat.

1922

The body of the man who was found Wednesday frozen in the ice of the diversion channel a short distance south of Ranney's Switch has been identified as that of Presley Gibson, 47, a resident of Cape Girardeau; it is believed that Gibson, starting to walk to Oran, Missouri, following the Frisco tracks, must have wandered off the tracks and fallen into the channel; he was going to Oran for work and was to reside with a sister there.

Hugh Graham Dempsey, 54, prominent retired business man of Cape Girardeau, died yesterday at St. John's Hospital in St. Louis of uremia; the body is returned here in the morning and taken to the home of his mother, Ella Dempsey, 406 Themis St.; until a few years ago, Dempsey was part owner and manager of Dempsey Grocer Co. here; he sold his interest to A.R. Zoelsmann in 1913 and retired.

-- Sharon K. Sanders