Stories from Wednesday, January 8, 1992

A state legislator who led the fight in the General Assembly for tighter ethics laws said Tuesday he hopes to continue his efforts to improve public trust in government by serving as Missouri's attorney general. State Rep. Doug Harpool, D-Springfield, declared at a news conference in Cape Girardeau that "this public service opportunity presents itself as the next logical step of my longtime struggle for ethics in government."...

Students at Cape Girardeau Central High School say it's time the 14-year-old "new gym" had a real name. Athletic Director Terry Kitchen agrees. "We keep calling the new gym new, but it was built back in 1977. I think we need to give it a name," Kitchen said...

A cut in the capital gains tax could aid the nation's ailing economy, U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson maintains. The 8th District Republican said Tuesday that he would like to see such a tax cut included in any "economic growth package" that Congress might consider in the 1992 session...

Greyhound Bus Co. announced Tuesday it will open a full-service bus station in Cape Girardeau Jan. 15, nearly six months after the former station closed. The new station will be opened at Don's Store 24, a convenience store and gas station on the corner of Morgan Oak and Sprigg, Greyhound officials said...

As expected, boardings at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport in 1991 fell well below the 10,000 required to assure $300,000 in annual federal entitlements for airport improvements. Airport Manager Mark Seesing reported to the Airport Advisory Board Tuesday that total boardings through December were 8,704, down from 10,017 in 1990...

ALICE UHRHAN Occupation: Part-time secretary-receptionist, Missouri Department of Conservation Nature Center. Pet Peeve: "unfriendly people." The best part of my job is: "Greeting the public and realizing that the public is concerned about conserving wildlife."...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Cecil Taylor, 81, of 301 Miller Street in East Prairie died Tuesday, Jan. 7, 1992, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Funeral arrangements at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie are incomplete.

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Michael Black of Benton, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:26 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, 1991. Name, Sarah Elizabeth. Weight, 10 pounds. Third child, second daughter. Mrs. Black is the former Kimberly Eftink, daughter of Arthur and Adeline Eftink of Oran. She is a secretary at SEMO Security Guard Corp. Black is a truck driver with Schneider National Carriers, and is the son of Dorothy Black of Miami, Fla., and Mr. and Mrs. Darrell Black of Morley...

Doris Gaskill, 79, of Ullin, Ill. died Tuesday, Jan. 7, 1992 at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete, and will be announced later by Crain Funeral Home in Ullin.

An obituary for Emma L. Sander in Monday's paper incorrectly identified her parents. Sander is the daughter of the late Henry Karl and Martha Sophia Bohnsack Neumeyer.

Ella Johnson Ruesler, 86, of Cape Girardeau, died Tuesday, Jan. 7, 1992, at Cape LaCroix, where she had resided 11 years. She was born Feb. 6, 1905, in Alexander County, Ill., daughter of Samuel M. and Fannie Sivia Burns. She married James Y. Johnson in 1920. She later married Otto Ruesler, who died in 1971...

BENTON -- Funeral service for Cleta G. Pattengill, 76, of Benton, will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Funeral Chapel in Benton with the Rev. David Richbourg officiating. Burial will be in Forrest Hills Cemetery at Morley. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-9 p.m. today...

Ona A. Ervin, 64, Cape Girardeau Route 1, died Tuesday, Jan. 7, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Feb. 3, 1927, at Zalma, daughter of Archie Clyde and Stella Stephens Wilkinson. She married Wesley Ervin Dec. 20, 1950, in Osceola, Ark. He died May 21, 1982...

MATTHEWS -- Wanda Mae Hahn, 70, of Matthews, died Monday, Jan. 6, 1992, at her home. She was born March 19, 1921, at Matthews, daughter of Walter Albert and LaVernie Victoria Pue Higgs. She married Marvin Lee Hahn March 18, 1950, in Little Rock, Ark. He died Oct. 14, 1982...

GORDONVILLE -- Lorene Hood, 59, of West Memphis, Ark., died Monday, Jan. 6, 1992, in West Memphis. She was born Feb. 17, 1932, at Gordonville, daughter of Joseph and Mable Newborn Ulrich. Hood was a hostess/cashier at Ramada Inn, and was a member of Zion United Methodist Church here...

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Gertrude Hess of Jackson will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Jack Cathcart will officiate, with burial in Lightner Cemetery at Scott City. Friends may call at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until time of service...

Glendon E. McCulley, 72, 1220 Cousin, died Monday, Jan. 6, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Feb. 28, 1919, at Bell City, son of John and Lydia Masters McCulley. He and Anna Marie Gosnell were married June 14, 1974, in Flint, Mich. McCulley worked at General Motors in Flint a number of years. He was a member of First Assembly of God Church here...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Curtis Lee Dailey, 30, of Ullin, died Monday, Jan. 6, 1992, at his home. He was born Dec. 28, 1961, at Anna, son of Bill and Catherine Hancock Dailey. He and Julie A. Land were married March 30, 1980, at Anna. Dailey was employed by Continental Carriers of Cahokia...

CHAFFEE -- Adam Charles Keller, 88, of Chaffee, died Monday, Jan. 6, 1992, at Chaffee Nursing Center. He was born June 9, 1903, at Bell City, son of Charles and Celicia Keller. He and Flora Pruitt were married in August 1921. Keller was a self-employed paint contractor, retiring 26 years ago in Kokomo, Ind...

Leonard H. Weisbrod, 60, of Brazeau, died Tuesday, Jan. 7, 1992, at his home. He was born Jan. 29, 1931, in St. Louis, son of Oscar and Clara Triller Weisbrod. He and Verna M. Farrar were married Aug. 28, 1954. Weisbrod was a retired tow motor operator with Osco. He was a member of St. James Catholic Church at Crosstown, and American Legion Post 133. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War...

MARBLE HILL -- Henry L. Cook, 79, of Marble Hill, died Monday, Jan. 6, 1992, at his home. He was born April 18, 1912, near Hurricane, son of Adam Lee and Kizzie Caroline Langston Cook. He and Luddie I. Garland were married Dec. 4, 1932. She died Aug. 22, 1981...

BLOOMFIELD -- Winnie Troxell, 91, of Bloomfield, died Monday, Jan. 6, 1992, at Dexter Memorial Hospital. She was born May 13, 1900, at Bloomfield, daughter of Robert and Georgia Langston Skelton. She had been married to Curtis Gaines, Otis Weaver and F.C. Troxell, all of whom preceded her in death...

Proponents of a health care package that will be introduced in the Missouri General Assembly today claim it will deal with the problems of both access and affordability of health care by enhancing the present system. Charles Bowman, president of the Missouri Hospital Association, pointed out that 600,000 people in the state do not have health insurance. Because of that, 30 percent of the medical bill for people who have insurance is to pay for those who can't afford the costs...

Cape Girardeau Board of Education incumbents Lyle Davis and Ed Thompson filed for re-election to the board Tuesday, the first day candidates could file. Davis filed at 8 a.m. and Thompson filed just a few minutes later. Both candidates had announced last week their plans to seek re-election...

A native of Cairo, Ill., Karen Roberts lived several years in Clearwater, Fla. She now resides in Cape Girardeau. In Tennessee Williams' poignant play, "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," Maggie the cat tells her profusely unhappy husband, Brick, that " nobody's happy." Of course, that is not entirely true. There are some who are happy. They appear to comprise that minority who possess one important trait...

If everyone keeps all the New Year's resolutions that have been made, 1992 is going to be the dullest year in the history of mankind. --- When a politician says he'll let history remember his record, what he really means is he hopes history will lost its memory...

In the mixed-up world of health risks, common sense fights overwhelming odds to keep its head above water. If you stir into this soup the tangled workings of advertising where logic has traditionally been among the philosophical homeless you have no hope of reaching any sort of understanding...

Today marks the start of the second regular session of the 86th Missouri General Assembly. Hundreds of bills will be debated over the next four-and-a-half months, but money or lack of it will remain the dominant theme. There's little money to go around. The governor has already cut $270 million in planned spending to keep the current $8.7 billion state budget in balance. Revenue projections are not much better for 1992, so fiscal accountability will be the watchword...

The Cargill Foundation is sponsoring 250, $1,000 scholarships for high school seniors from U.S. farm families. The number of scholarships has been increased from 200 last year to 250 this year. "The program has been so favorably accepted throughout the rural community that we decided to expand it this year," said Barney Saunders, president of the Cargill Foundation...

Although 1991 was the fourth warmest year in Cape Girardeau in over four decades, the high temperature for the year did not reach 100 degrees. "Last year was warm and wet," said Al Robertson, professor of earth science and climatologist at Southeast Missouri State University. "The average annual temperature was 59.4 degrees. That's an increase of 2 degrees from the long-term average of 57.4 degrees."...

Anthony J. Keele of Cape Girardeau has been named to the Harding University Dean's List for the fall semester at the Searcy, Ark. school. Keele is a senior majoring in mathematics. To be eligible for the Dean's List, a student must be carrying 12 or more hours and have an average scholarship level of at least 3.5...

The Mississippi Valley Home Educators will meet Thursday at the Cape Bible Chapel, Mt. Auburn and Kage Roads in Cape Girardeau from 3-5 p.m. The theme for the meeting is "The Orient," and the project will be a lesson on Japan. The January field trip will be a tour of Show Biz Pizza Place in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 17...

As a teacher, Nancy McGrew likes working with children. "They are so honest about their feelings and are not afraid to show emotion," she said. McGrew teaches reading at Chaffee Elementary School to children in kindergarten through third grade. For the last 23 years, she has been a Chapter I reading teacher and coordinator at Chaffee...

JACKSON -- Jackson, the county seat of Cape Girardeau County, received its name because of Gen. Andrew Jackson's popularity after the Battle of New Orleans 177 years ago today. The story is almost unbelievable but very true. Missourians became very supportive of the white-haired general from Donaldson, Tenn., and instituted a Jackson Day of celebration...

Efforts to regularize English spelling began with the Anglo-Saxons in the sixth century, and we still have a long way to go. One historian has written that if William the Conqueror had been turned back at Hastings in 1066, "queen" would still be written as "cwene."...

SCOTT CITY -- An organizational meeting was held Dec. 10 in Scott City to forma Women of Today chapter. Officers are jeannine Schuenemeyer, president; Becky Tapley, vice president; Lynda Heiserer, secretary, and Cyndi Coomer, treasurer. Faye Worley and Valeria Klaproth explained the purpos of Women of Today: to provide leadership training and personal enrichment opportunities through community service...