Out of the past: March 21

1991

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education has unanimously approved Neyland Clark as the new superintendent; Clark works as a consultant to the board of education in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, near Louisville.

A 320-foot-long, 14-foot-tall mural, stretching between Mississippi River floodgates at Broadway and Themis Street, is the latest project planned by the River Heritage Mural Association; the mural will be on the river side of the wall.

1966

The new, 32,000-square-foot Biederman Furniture Co. store opens on William Street, across from the Town Plaza Shopping Center; the facility nearly doubles the size of its outlet at 119 N. Main St.

Three Cape Girardeans -- Narvol A. Randol, vice president of Farmers and Merchants Bank; Monsignor Leo P. Kampmann, pastor of St. Mary's Cathedral; and Leonard Rehg, district manager of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. -- hear U. Alexis Johnson, deputy undersecretary of state, speak at a National Security Seminar at Carbondale, Illinois; Kampmann pronounces the benediction at the opening program.

1941

Dr. and Mrs. J.A. Rapp of Cape Girardeau have received word from their son, Jerry, that he has been assigned to Ensign Milton Swan for instruction in the Naval Air Corps Reserve at Lambert Field in St. Louis; Swan is a graduate of Cape Teachers College and a former star center on its football team.

Jake Pollack says the defense boom isn't causing a similar boom in the scrap-iron industry; the government has put a top price on scrap metals -- iron, aluminum, copper, zinc, etc. -- and there's no way for scrap-metal dealers to blow off the lid to secure a bigger profit selling to defense industries.

1916

The Cape Girardeau City Council last night heard an ordinance providing for a special election on a bond issue to raise money for better fire-fighting equipment; Mayor F.A. Kage and perhaps one or two councilmen plan to go to St. Louis and other places to investigate modern automobile fire-fighting apparatus.

Bernhard and Gustave Walther of the Walther Furniture and Undertaking Co., have purchased the Brunkhorst property adjoining the furniture store at the corner of Broadway and Middle Street and will erect on it an addition to their building; at the same time, they will remodel the present structure and will make it one of the most modern furniture stores to be found anywhere.

-- Sharon K. Sanders