Out of the past: March 1

1999

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Southeast Missouri State University’s bid for its first-ever NCAA Division I basketball tournament berth was thwarted yesterday by Murray State in a 62-61 loss in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game; for the second time this season, Murray State’s Aubrey Reese hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat the Indians; and also for the second time this year, Reese’s shot negated the heroics of Southeast’s Kahn Cotton, who swished a 27-foot 3-pointer with 5 seconds left that gave Southeast a temporary 61-60 lead.

John McElhaney Sr., a service station manager, is severely burned trying to save his teen-age son and a friend, who both die in an early morning house fire at Poplar Bluff; his son, John McElhaney Jr., 18, is killed in the blaze, along with his friend, Charles Mills, 19.

1974

The field of candidates for the two open Cape Girardeau City Council seats is reduced to five when one hopeful, Wilburn A. Lee, is disqualified after city attorney Thomas M. Utterback rules he wasn’t a qualified voter at the time of filing.

Fixtures are being installed in the big K-Mart building, located west of Kingshighway and south of Independence Street; the structure will provide slightly more than 40,000 square feet of retail floor space, plus extensive warehousing facilities and a garden center; opening of the store is about a month or so away.

1949

The county-wide Red Cross fund drive to raise the quota of $13,500 gets underway following a meeting yesterday called by the drive chairman, W. Art Clark; the advance gift and follow-up letters have been sent out, and thus far $3,657.50 has been received.

Mr. and Mrs. George Holder of Bell City have bought the building and equipment of the Jess Bailey cafe in Illmo; they’re making repairs and improvements and expect to open late this week; the Holders have four sons — John S., George W., J.T. and Franklin Delano — who will help their parents run the Illmo Cafe.

1924

Organization of a Southeast Missouri District Boy Scout Council to promote Scout work in Cape Girardeau, Scott and Mississippi counties, was definitely decided on at a supper meeting of 40 representatives of the leading towns in the three counties in the Elks Building last night.

The Rev. S.M. Robinson, formerly presiding elder of the Cape Girardeau district of the Methodist church and now a minister in St. Louis, has purchased the Majestic Theater at Oran, and his son, Holly Robinson, is in charge of the show house; programs will be given Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights.

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.