Out of the past: June 9

1998

Massman Construction Co. of Kansas City, Missouri, has anchored barges along the Illinois shore in preparation for starting work on the Illinois approach span to the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge; the barges bringing in equipment will be used as a dock to unload equipment; five cranes will be used to set the 10 piers 8 feet deep in bedrock.

Geoffrey Roth, director of Riverside Regional Library, says he may have a solution to the library's need for a bigger facility and Cape Girardeau County's need for archive and storage space; Roth and library board members are suggesting the two groups, along with some others, might want to join in a collaborative building project; Roth envisions a center that would offer archives and access to genealogical records in one spot, with a research assistant on staff; in addition, a center would offer teleconferencing, distance learning and a bank of online computers available to the public.

1973

Southeast Missouri State University will have a state appropriation budget of $8.1 million for the 1973-74 fiscal year, about $800,000 above the current year's allocation from taxes; both houses of the Missouri Legislature yesterday approved state appropriations for the next fiscal year for universities and correctional facilities.

A crushed storm sewer line caused a deep cave-in in the 300 block of William Street yesterday, forcing closure of the street between Lorimier and Middle streets; Tuesday will probably be the earliest the street reopens, unless damage to the sewer line is more extensive than believed.

1948

The official board of Grace Methodist Church visited Old McKendree Chapel last night and, after a covered-dish supper under the mighty oaks and rock maples, the monthly business session was held in the building; a gas lantern and a dozen candles furnished the light; the old chapel showed signs of vandalism, a hatchet apparently having been used on the pulpit and the ends of two benches; the building was constructed about 1806 as the first Methodist house and the second oldest Protestant church built west of the Mississippi; despite its age, it's in fairly good condition and is available for religious and similar meetings.

Donald "Diz" Anderson, football and track athlete of the State College Indians, has signed a contract to coach football, basketball and track at the high school at Fulton, Missouri; he will remain in Cape Girardeau this summer, where he is employed by the state government in the DDT-spraying work and will assume his new duties the latter part of August; during his college career, Anderson earned 11 letters and was on 10 out of 11 championship teams.

1923

Lewis Rosinsky, for 20 years a merchant at Aloka and Stillwater, Oklahoma, and for the past two years a resident of St. Louis, has bought the Sam Sherman store on Main Street and has taken charge; he expects to develop the establishment into a department store as soon as he can get the merchandise; he will carry large and complete stocks of men's and women's dry goods, furnishings, shoes, millinery, etc.

Dr. and Mrs. W.N. Howard, 422 Bellevue, have returned from an extended trip to the East; they visited Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston and in New York attended the commencement exercises of their daughter, Sarah, who graduated from Columbia University; the latter returned home with her parents and will teach at Cape Girardeau Central High School next year.

-- Sharon K. Sanders