Out of the past: May 8

1995

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, with a membership of 1,150, ranks fourth among the chambers in the state; by 4 p.m. tomorrow, after it holds its membership blitz, chamber officials are hoping to be No. 3.

Blimpie International Inc., the nation's second-largest submarine-sandwich chain, is scheduled to open in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday; the restaurant, at the intersection of Broadway and Harmony, is located in the structure that previously housed Pete's Pumps.

1970

About 60 State College students and a few faculty members gather on the lawn of the campus in the morning for a memorial service for the four students killed at Kent University on Tuesday during anti-war demonstrations on the Ohio campus; the Rev. Arthur England of Christ Episcopal Church and the Rev. Tom Kozeny of the Newman Center at the college voice prayers for the deceased.

A site on the northwest corner of the County Farm was tentatively selected yesterday for the proposed new juvenile detention home; four possible sites on the farm were considered, the one gaining favor lying between Bates Trailer Court and Memorial Park.

1945

The allied military victory over Germany, officially announced today, unleashes no tumultuous celebration in Cape Girardeau such as many recall at the end of World War I; by prearranged plans, business generally suspends and churches open for prayer services; viewed by all as "a war only half won" with Japan yet to be defeated, there is a realization there will be hard days ahead.

Presumably on the American hospital ship Comfort when it was attacked off Okinawa on April 28, Willard B. McClard, 22, lost his life, the Navy Department advises his father, Albert D. McClard of Cape Girardeau Route 1; McClard was a ship's cook second class, serving on the Comfort.

1920

At a morning meeting of the committee handling the Schumann-Heink concert, it is found possible to place 162 chairs in front of the stage, and tickets for this number are allotted to those who called The Missourian office after all other tickets had been sold; the concert, scheduled for May 17 at the State College auditorium, is being sponsored by the newspaper.

The death of William F. Wallace yesterday removed from this county one of its pioneers; Wallace was born at Shawneetown on June 13, 1833, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Wallace, who came to this county from South Carolina in the early part of the 19th century.

-- Sharon K. Sanders