Out of the past: Sept. 8

1993

Following a two-hour, closed-door meeting of the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation's board of directors yesterday, it was announced the foundation will move ahead with plans to operate the Cape Girardeau and Jackson license fee offices; some directors had expressed concern about their executive committee's decision to accept the offer from Gov. Mel Carnahan.

Al Stoverink, Cape Girardeau's assistant city manager since 1988, has been hired as the director of the physical plant at Southeast Missouri State University, effective Oct. 1.

1968

Bishop Homer A. Tomlinson of New York, 75, the general overseer of the Church of God, is again running for the U.S. presidency, this time on a platform pledging restoration of the Garden of Eden; W. Buford McKenzie of Chaffee, Missouri, was nominated as the vice presidential candidate at the 63rd annual general assembly of the church held Aug. 20-23 at the Bend Road Church of God in Cape Girardeau.

The annual Big Missouri State Singing Convention began yesterday and will continue through today in the auditorium of Central High School; approximately 14 groups are participating in the convention.

1943

Jerald W. Thomas, 20, a son of Mrs. Herman Kistner of Cape Girardeau, is killed in a fall in the shipyards at Richmond, California, where he had been employed; he falls about 20 feet from a scaffolding, landing on his head, and dies two hours later at a hospital.

Italy's unconditional surrender is received with considerable enthusiasm by members of the armed forces station in Cape Girardeau; as soon as the announcement is made over the loud-speaker at Harris Field, all activity stops for a minute, until the news sinks; then, one aviation cadet, quickest to recover from his surprise, yells, "On to Berlin!"; vigorous cheers emanate from the three dormitories at State College, where 335 sailors are eating lunch, when the news is delivered by courier.

1918

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- So far as Poplar Bluff Methodists are concerned, the points of the compass have been eradicated, and it is now neither North nor South, but just Methodism; the question of uniting the two bodies has long been discussed and culminated Friday night when the M.E. Church became the property of the M.E. Church South.

Hundreds of people go out too see the wreck on the Cape Girardeau Northern and are amazed at the peculiarity of it; the train of six big loads of coal had run onto the Williams Creek trestle and, just about the time the caboose had left the earth embankment, the trestle began to sink under it; the weight of the train then pulled the long trestle toward the engine, and the 19 bents gave way; the train settled with the structure and not a car turned over.

-- Sharon K. Sanders