Out of the past: June 8

1995

Southeast Missouri State University president Dr. Kala Stroup, is one of five finalists for the job of Missouri's higher education commissioner; the hiring decision could come June 15, when the nine-member Coordinating Board for Higher Education meets in Jefferson City; Stroup has served as Southeast's president since July 1, 1990.

If the Mississippi River cooperates, highways 74 and 177 could be opened later today; the river dropped half a foot to 43.2 feet yesterday at the Cape Girardeau gauge; Highway 74 is open to County Road 214, but remains closed at Dutchtown; Highway 177 is still closed near the Cape Girardeau city limits and near the Procter & Gamble railroad tracks.

1970

Brig. Gen. Narvol A. Randol, assistant adjutant general of Missouri, Saturday received the state's highest military recognition, the Meritorious Service Award, at a retreat review at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; the Cape Girardeau man received the award from Maj. Gen. L.B. Adams Jr., the adjutant general, on direction from Gov. Warren E. Hearnes.

Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. announces the appointment of Carl Benbrook as manager of the utilities' Cape Girardeau district, succeeding Leonard J. Rehg, district manager for 20 years; Rehg will officially retire Aug. 1, but will actually leave the post at the end of this month and will take a vacation in July.

1945

At a special session last night of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, the industrial committee reported on a proposal for the construction of a pottery manufacturing plant there; two students at the Rolla (Missouri) School of Mines, Vernon Kasten, son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis W. Kasten of Jackson, and Raymond Jones of Florida, and their professor of ceramics, Paul G. Herald, have proposed establishing the plant, using clay on the Walter Knox tract, just west of the intersection of highways 61 and 25; the acreage is adjacent to the Kasten Brick Co. yards.

The county military service board at Fairground Park now has the names of 4,030 service men and women; 453 names were added to the list during the last 12 months; there are 88 gold star service names.

1920

About 50 representative business men of Cape Girardeau decided at a meeting last night to establish a country club, and the board of directors of the Cape Rock Park Association was instructed to devise ways and means to make this happen and to report back to the membership.

An ordinance opening, widening and improving Broadway from the west side of Henderson Avenue to West End Boulevard has been passed by the Cape Girardeau City Council; this street, which is narrow and rough and leads past Fairground Park, has been an eyesore for many years.

-- Sharon K. Sanders