Out of the past: Sept. 22

1996

The ringing of cathedral bells announces the beginning of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau; the event begins at 2:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Cathedral; around 300 people join together outside on the south side of the church to await the invitation of Bishop John J. Leibrecht to enter the building; the decree announcing the formation of the diocese July 2, 1956, is read, and those attending follow the bishop into the cathedral to celebrate Mass; guest speaker is retired Bishop Marion Forst of Dodge City, Kansas, who was pastor at St. Mary's when the diocese was formed.

Bishop John J. Leibrecht of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau blesses the site of the new Notre Dame Regional High School on Route K and County Road 206, two miles west of Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

1971

A grant of $35,000 in federal funds is approved for construction of a juvenile detention home in Cape Girardeau County; approval comes through the Regional Law Enforcement Council and will be available during the 1972 calendar year; total cost of a proposed juvenile detention home is estimated at $100,000; the grant will allow the County Court to make a number of decisions regarding the facility.

The City of Cape Girardeau takes steps to protect the trees in its parks from caterpillars, which have already stripped foliage from a number of trees at various locations in the city; hardest hit have been pin oak trees, with willow oaks, beach and linden (basswood) also being damaged; the city is having small trees sprayed for protection against caterpillars, because the young trees need the late leaves to provide them with food the remainder of the year.

1946

Jeanie Snider of Cape Girardeau Central High School was crowned queen of the annual Cotton Carnival at Sikeston, Missouri, yesterday by Gov. Phil M. Donnelly; other contestants and the Southeast Missouri high schools they represented were Cloeta McArthur, Morley; Agnes Phillips, Vanduser; Barbara Campbell, Lilbourn; Agnes Swartz, Benton; Becky Brown, Charleston; Paula Thornbrough, Gideon; Ruby Graham, Blodgett, and Margie Sanders, Chaffee.

BENTON, Mo. -- C.E. Felker has donated a three-acre tract on Highway 61 north of Benton, and improvements have been started; the plot will be known as Clarence E. Felker Memorial Park, in memory of his son who lost his life in the recent war; the State Highway Department plans to build a road through the tract; Felker will erect a pavilion in the park, as well as a memorial fountain; his daughter, Ruth Inez Sharp, will provide a tennis court and other recreational equipment.

1921

A contract for the digging of approximately 40 miles of drainage ditches in Cape Girardeau, Stoddard and Bollinger counties, to drain an estimated 40,000 acres, was awarded Walb Construction Co. of La Grande, Indiana, yesterday by a committee representing the board of directors of the Little River Drainage District; the bid on the contract was $208,000.

Although the skies are cloudy, large crowds pour into the fairgrounds for Big Thursday at the Cape Fair; many comments are being heard among visitors at the fair over the exhibit of the Southeast Missouri Teachers College at floral hall; the striking exhibit contains work from every department at the college, the science departments being represented by notebooks with elaborate drawings and the manual arts department with exhibits of students' handiwork.

-- Sharon K. Sanders