Out of the past: May 23

1996

An end to state-funded desegregation in the Kansas City public schools system would be three years and $314 million away under a plan unveiled yesterday by state and school district officials; State Rep. Mary Kasten, R-Cape Girardeau, was cautiously optimistic about the announcement; although the General Assembly set aside $110.3 million this year for the Kansas City desegregation program so the school district could be weaned from state funding, Kasten said three years of payments totaling $314 million isn't what she had in mind.

If the City of Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri State University have their way, the road to progress will go through a corner of Dr. L. Taylor Bahn's back yard; that doesn't sit well with Bahn, whose 1000 N. Henderson home is on the north side of the Henderson-New Madrid intersection; the city and university want to improve the intersection where Henderson, Greek Drive and New Madrid come together, creating a traffic bottleneck; Bahn agrees some improvements are needed, but he says the intersection could be improved without taking any of his yard bordering New Madrid.

1971

Yesterday was ordination day to the priesthood for eight members of the Congregatin of the Mission, Vincentian Fathers, and Michael Rigdon, son of Anna Mae Rigdon of Cape Girardeau, was among them at the DeAndres Seminary Chapel in Lemont, Illinois; for the men, most of whom attended St. Vincent's College in Cape Girardeau, this ordination is the culmination of nine years of intensive study in philosophy and theology.

The first service in the new St. Andrew Lutheran Church building is held with a procession to the building in the morning, and dedication service in the afternoon; the congregation assembles in the old church and then proceeds to the new; speaking at the afternoon dedication is the Rev. Leroy Biesenthal, executive secretary of evangelism and stewardship for the Missouri District Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

1946

The Cape County Selective Service Board, "tired, weary and dizzy" as it faced unprecedented problems in meeting quotas under last week's draft extension legislation, submitted a blanket resignation to Missouri Gov. Phil M. Donnelly yesterday; members of the board were G.L. Heyde, F.E. Williams and Otto Kiehne; at the same time, Harry G. Cracraft, the chief clerk, tendered his resignation to the state director of Selective Service effective May 31.

Dean Forrest H. Rose of State College is the guest speaker when the 1946 Cape Girardeau Central High School commencement is conducted at the school auditorium in the evening; the 93 seniors, with the exception of five who are serving in the military, finished their final exams in the morning.

1921

Delegates to the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias Lodge of Missouri swarm to Cape Girardeau for their Grand Lodge which convenes here tomorrow morning, coming in numbers that indicate the estimated attendance will exceed the forecast of 700; hotels are full, and residents are being asked to house visitors; tents will be erected to care for those with no quarters.

With the opening of the May 23 term at Southeast Missouri College here comes 120 more teachers from the schools of the district to take summer training; new students will be coming in all this week, as the teachers arrive after closing their schools; enrollment is about 100 more than on the corresponding day last year, the total at noon being 590; it may reach 650 by the end of the week.

-- Sharon K. Sanders