Out of the past: May 16

1999

The Rev. Carl Miller of Olmsted, Illinois, speaks about his work as a prison chaplain at the Super Max Prison in Tamms, Illinois, during morning worship services at Hanover Lutheran Church; Miller is also pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Olmsted and is a licensed professional counselor.

Speaking yesterday to Southeast Missouri State University graduates at the spring commencement at the Show Me Center, former senator Paul Simon of Illinois told them they shouldn’t let their diplomas be “intellectual death sentences”; he urged them to grow intellectually all their lives; degrees were conferred on 900 undergraduates and nearly 100 graduate students before a standing-room-only crowd.

1974

Eight new tennis courts will be built in Cape Girardeau through action taken by the City Council last night; four will be constructed in Capaha Park and two each in Indian and Missouri parks; those in Capaha will be located west of the existing ball diamond and south of the Little League diamond at the base of what is known as Cherry Hill; locations in Indian and Missouri parks are yet to be determined.

After devoting three hours of a four-hour meeting to public hearings on three zoning issues, the Cape Girardeau City Council last night gave tentative approval to the rezoning of approximately 70 acres west of South Kingshighway for proposed construction of the $13.6 million Westborough Mall; by a vote of four to one, the request of C.W. Bauerle Co. to construct a parking lot at 309 N. Middle St., was approved, as was a request of First Christian Church to construct a church fellowship building and parking area at North West End Boulevard and Dunklin.

1949

Philip J. Hickey, superintendent of the St. Louis public schools, tells 206 graduating seniors at State College, “Our democracy will survive only if we maintain a sound school system, for democracy is not endangered from the forces from without”; he goes on to say that teachers are expected to lead young citizens and thus build up a defense against the forces within that are continually threatening the American way of life.

The mobile x-ray unit of the state Division of Health moves to Millersville and will be in Pocahontas Wednesday, after making 831 free chest plates of residents in Delta and Gordonville and surrounding areas last week in its first appearance in the county.

1924

Henrietta, the young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Schlosser of Kelso, is recovering from a shock from lightning which killed a cow she was milking and seriously injured another animal only a few feet away; the girl was rendered unconscious, but recovered within a short time; she was in the barn alone milking the cow, when lightning struck.

Cape Girardeau will graduate 116 students from accredited high-school courses at commencement exercises to be held here during the next two weeks; approximately 85 of these will receive diplomas from Central High School and 31 from College High; at Jackson, commencement is held in the evening for the 1924 high school graduates, 43 young people receiving their diplomas from C.H. Grant, president of the board of education.

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 semissourian.com/history.