Out of the past: May 21

1996

The elderly and disabled don't have to worry about cuts in Cape Girardeau's taxi coupon program; despite a rate increase by Kelley Transportation Co., elderly and disabled program participants still may buy 16 rides a month for $1 each; the cost is $2 each to the general public; the City Council resolved the issue, along with others, at its regular meeting last night.

Gary Kralemann believes in dressing appropriately for his job, and his 46 holiday costumes are legendary around Jefferson Elementary School; but after nine years as a principal, Kralemann is retiring his costumes and his leading role; Kralemann is one of two principals to retire this year in Cape Girardeau; Richard Giles, principal at Charles Clippard Elementary, also is retiring.

1971

A brilliant blue sky over Cape Girardeau early in the day is darkened by heavy black smoke billowing from burning tires in Illinois, and no one has been able to learn who set the blaze; a steady stream of smoke pours from the blaze near the Highway 3 and Route 146 junction, stretching a path across the bright sky before dispersing over Jackson, about 15 miles away; hundreds of tires stored behind a now-vacant building owned by Jerry Lipps of Cape Girardeau burst into flames between 6:30 and 7 a.m.

Campaign workers for three candidates seeking the Missouri Jaycees presidency waste no time in displaying posters and banners announcing their qualifications; posters are being installed all over Cape Girardeau, but mostly near Arena Park and Holiday Inn, headquarters for the Jaycees' state convention which runs through Sunday; seeking the presidency are Gerald Jones of Jackson, Darrell Stick of Kirksville and Denver M. Wright III of St. Louis.

1946

Thirty blocks on 12 Cape Girardeau streets will be hard surfaced this year at a cost of $12,000 under provisions of three ordinances give their first readings and placed on file by the City Council yesterday; streets that will be improved are Merriwether, Pacific, Hickory, Benton, Locust, Linden, Elm, Walnut, Park, Henderson, Good Hope and Ellis.

Making plans to open the swimming pool at Jackson, the City Council last night named Sally Johnston as life guard and set the price for season tickets at $3 for children under 10 years of age and $4 for others; in other action, the library board was reappointed, and August Peetz was named deputy night marshal to assist Henry Loos.

1921

As the school year winds down, new teachers are being hired for the coming year; the Cape Girardeau Board of Education has hired D.B. Cobb, a graduate of Central Wesleyan College at Fayette, Missouri, who has been teaching in a military school at Mexico, Missouri, to replace Richard N. Owens as history teacher at Central High School; Vila Harris of Hampton, Iowa, graduate of Missouri Valley College, will replace Hazel Farmer as Latin teacher; Professor O.O. Nance has been retained as principal of Lincoln School, as have the other teachers there: Mary Hicks, Mrs. O.O. Nance, Leona Williams, Bessie Burnette, Helen Oliver and Ruby King.

The "Ole Swimmin' Hole" is the most popular place in and around Cape Girardeau; early in the morning, as soon as the sun appears, kids and many grown-ups, too, head for the water, and every creek and pond within 10 miles that is deep enough for swimming is filled with boys, girls, men and women enjoying themselves in aquatic sports; the hole at Hely's rock crusher is the leading swimming hole.

-- Sharon K. Sanders