Out of the past: June 23

1996

Bill Emerson, 1995.Southeast Missourian archive

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, 58, died of lung cancer last night at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland; Emerson, a Cape Girardeau Republican who represented Missouri's 8th Congressional District, was diagnosed with lung cancer in October 1995; he had undergone a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the inoperable disease and had continued to carry out his congressional duties.

Armed with plastic bags and gloves, more than 20 volunteers took to the streets Saturday to clean up the Good Hope neighborhood; the cleanup was the first of what Citizens with Concerned Hearts, a coalition of families, churches and merchants, hope will be a continuing series of events to bring residents of the area together.

1971

Elated by yesterday's smashing victory Girardeans gave a one-cent city sales tax, the City Council begins steps toward making the tax effective as it plans to set the new city property tax levy with the promised rate reduction; of the 3,363 votes cast, 2,443 were for the tax.

Central High School Stage Band members depart for Kansas City, Missouri, where they will leave tomorrow morning for London, England, on their European tour; shortly after the bus pulls way from the Central High School parking lot, it stops, interior lights blink on and out comes band director Bill Ewing; he had forgotten the group's airplane tickets; that rectified, they set off on for their 32-day coeducational music tour.

1946

The opening service at the Church of the Nazarene's new gospel tabernacle, located at the northwest corner of William Street and South Park Avenue, is held in the evening, with the Rev. C.C. Rinebarger, a St. Louis evangelist, delivering he sermon; construction on the frame building has been completed; later it is planned to close in the sides and make the building suitable for a young people's recreation center during the winter; for now, the open-sided structure will house an evangelical service every Sunday night, with morning services to be held at the church.

Kenneth Johnston of Cape Girardeau, ministerial student at State College, speaks at the morning worship service at Centenary Methodist Church in the absence of the pastor, the Rev. John L. Taylor.

1921

Dr. Joseph A. Serena, recently chosen president of the Teachers College here, leaves in the afternoon for his home in Fulton, Missouri, after spending a day here getting acquainted with the faculty members, attending to some business matters at the college and seeking a house; Serena will begin his duties here Aug. 15, while the current president, Dr. W.S. Dearmont, has stated he will remain at the school until Aug. 12, when the summer term ends.

Noah Young and W.A. McCullough of Cape Girardeau have purchased from E.F.W. Vogel and A.M. Vogel the machinery and fixtures of the Pocahontas Creamery and will move them to Cape Girardeau; the Vogels began operating the creamery only a few months ago.

-- Sharon K. Sanders