Out of the past: July 1

1999

Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus would blend the old brick seminary with an addition and a separate horseshoe-shaped museum; the university’s Board of Regents yesterday reviewed the preliminary design with representatives of Sverdrup, the St. Louis architectural and engineering firm hired to draw up plans for the $35.6 million project; the regents voiced enthusiasm over the proposed design, which was displayed in a drawing and in a model layout.

Southeast Missouri State University’s Board of Regents expressed interest yesterday in a plan to turn the school’s Wildwood presidential home into an alumni center; in addition, regents also expressed support for a plan to renovate Houck Stadium; they agreed to ask the University Foundation to include the $5 million Houck project in its capital campaign.

1974

Cape Girardeau and Jackson area customers of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. would pay an additional 90 cents per month on their telephone bills under a rate increase being sought by the company through the Missouri Public Service Commission; the rate increases over the system amount to 15%, but it may take a year or more before legal action is completed to allow them to become effective.

The Missouri Department of Revenue opened a special district office in Cape Girardeau without fanfare March 1; the Bureau of Compliance office on the third floor of the H.-H. Building, is in charge of handling state taxes — sales, income, use, cigarette, gasoline, etc. — in a 27-county district; however, office manager Tom A. Pride and the 23 field men are only handling sales tax matters at the moment, and the office is unable to assist the general public.

1949

JEFFERSON CITY — A Senate committee has decided to delay acting on funds for a proposed building program at the state’s schools and hospitals until fall; among buildings that will not see funding is a new science building at Cape Girardeau at a price of $750,000; Rep. J.S.N. Farquhar of Cape Girardeau, finds fault with the conference report; he says it was unfair and unjust and that it will cripple the University of Missouri, the School of Mines and every state college.

Everybody’s happy over Cape Girardeau’s parking meters, but no one is more pleased than city officials, who, just a year ago, saw them installed and today look back on a 52-week collection of $30,189.60; that amount has been the major difference in keeping the city running in black ink in the current fiscal year, despite heavy expenses related to the tornado; the meters, a source of controversy before installation, have served to allay ruffled tempers of motorists who can now find parking space without a merry-go-round ride in the business sectors.

1924

Work begins on the Southeast Missourian’s new home; the Naeter Brothers, owners of the newspaper, have purchased from Roberta O’Brien of Kansas City the property at the corner of Broadway and Lorimier streets, known for many years as the “Doyle property”; the brick house on the 125.6-foot-by-173-foot lot is being removed by local contractor Frank Hamar; in its place will be erected a two-story, fireproof building designed by Thomas P. Barnett, St. Louis architect.

A telegram advising that a flood stage of about 30 feet on the Mississippi River may be expected here tomorrow night or Thursday is received from the government station at Cairo, Illinois, by port warden Lee Albert; if the river reaches the 30-foot stage here, it will come nearly to the top of the “sea wall” and, according to river men, will overflow into the farm lands south of Cape Girardeau between the river and Kinshighway; the crops in that section are well advanced, and an overflow at this time would be disastrous.

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.