Stories from Thursday, October 8, 1992

More than 5,000 people die every year in American fires. This grim statistic doesn't set well with the nation's fire departments, whose dedication to saving lives and preserving property is absolute in most communities. What all firefighters know, however, is that the best work they do has nothing to courage or stamina in the face of a blaze, but with educating the public on how fires are best prevented. ...

The Cape Duplicate Bridge Club recently held its fall club championship games. Winning pairs were: first, Frances Burnett and Shirley Gelsheimer; and tied for second, Peggy and Milton Sadler, and Norma Blattner and Melva Rose Lewis. The winners will have their names inscribed on the club's traveling trophy...

Five seniors at Cape Girardeau Central High School have been named Commended Students in the 1993 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, will be presented to Robert Barringer, James Haycraft, Chad Reimann, Gregory Robinson and Scott Seabaugh...

Cape Rebekah Lodge 508 will host the District 15 meeting of Rebekahs on Saturday at the Odd Fellows Lodge, 825 S. Ellis. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the meeting is at 10 under the supervision of Missouri Assembly President Betty Ingram. District President Opal Perkins will preside...

The Cape Girardeau Central High School class of 1942 will hold its 50th reunion this weekend. A mixer is planned Friday at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Room of the Drury Lodge. On Saturday, a dinner and dancing will be held at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. The cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. and the dinner at 7...

Theresa Burke's students get into reading in a big way. They make big books. "I feel that making poster board size books is an excellent way to enrich children's language abilities and reading habits," Burke said. "It also exposes them to the making of a real book. They write and illustrate these books and are motivated to read them. One of my goals in reading is to promote reading for enjoyment...

The Cape Girardeau chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People recently was cited as the "most active" reactivated NAACP branch in Missouri. Michael Sterling, president of the local branch, accepted the award. Sterling said the chapter here was reactivated in July 1991...

The villages of New Hanover and Arnsberg in the Black Forest will be the sight of an Oktoberfest this weekend, complete with German food and working crafts. It's the second annual festival at Black Forest, situated three miles north of Cape Girardeau on County Road 638...

The Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau will sponsor a ballroom dance Nov. 7 at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau. "The band for the dance will be the Bill French Orchestra," said Richard J. Daume, who announced the November event this week. French and his orchestra play primarily in St. Louis, Memphis and Southern Illinois. French once played for the Jack Staulcup Band which played throughout the Midwest, including appearances at the Purple Crackle Club at East Cape Girardeau, Ill...

The World Wrestling Federation returns to the Show Me Center Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. The card will feature two championship bouts. The WWF heavyweight championship belt will be up for grabs at the reigning champ, Ric Flair (6'1", 240 lbs.) takes on former champion, the Undertaker (6'9", 300 lbs.). This is Flair's second defense of the title that he won by defeating Macho Man Randy Savage this past summer...

Dance Through Time, the San Francisco-based theatrical dance company which showcases dances of the past 500 years, will perform at Academic Auditorium Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Dance Through Time will perform the company's signature piece "Dancetime," a sort of time travel of dance...

MARBLE HILL -- It's Harvest Festival time in Marble Hill this weekend with carnival rides, a parade and the crowning of a Little Miss Fall Festival. The event will be celebrated Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Lutesville Ball Park. Carnival rides begin on Friday night and a parade is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. Other events include a kiddie tractor pull, tricycle contest, baling contest and square dancing...

After-school children's classes will be offered beginning Oct. 12 at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School. Each week, a different craft class will be taught. The one-session classes continue through Dec. 14. The classes are designed for children in grades kindergarten through seven. Decorating T-shirts, sponge painting, decorating tennis shoes, making pierced earrings and making hair bows are among classes offered...

FREDERICKTOWN -- The Stuttgart Youth Chorus will appear at the Madison County Senior Citizens Community Center in Fredericktown on Saturday at 7 p.m. This 16-member ensemble, ranging in age from 19 to 27, will perform German songs dressed in their native costumes. All proceeds from the concert will benefit the senior center...

Governor Ashcroft reports that 88 percent of our children entering kindergarten are ready to learn, a condition that seems to disappear by the 5th grade. --- Four years ago President Bush promised 30 million new jobs, an estimate that must have included Democrats moving to Washington if Governor Clinton wins...

ORAN -- Amy Eftink, a senior at Notre Dame High School, has been named a commended student in the 1993 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of commendation from the National Merit corporation will be presented to her. About 35,000 commended students throughout the nation are being honored for their performance on the 1991 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which was the entry for the 1993 Merit Program...

The Cape Girardeau Christian Women's Club will meet at noon Monday in the Jackson Room at Holiday Inn. Cost of the apple fest luncheon and meeting is $6.50. This is the group's annual County Fair and Country Store. Speaker will be Karen Etheridge of St. Charles. Music will be provided by Bud and Jenny Schott...

St. Mark's Masonic Lodge in Cape Girardeau will celebrate its 145th birthday with a picnic on Saturday, Oct. 10. It will be held at the Arena Park from noon to 4 p.m. All masons and their families are invited to attend. Those attending are asked to R.S.V.P. by Oct. 7 by calling Dr. Charles Ernst at 335-7700...

Sarah Froemsdorf of Perryville will talk about victim abuse and the constitutional amendment tonight prior to the meetings of the American Legion and Auxiliary Post 63. The program is at 6:30 p.m., and the public is invited. The meetings will follow at 7. All events are at the post home, 811A Broadway...

The Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau has been the site of 224 reported accidents over the past decade, but drivers say the number doesn't reflect minor collisions, especially those in which rearview mirrors hit. George Hathhorn of Ryder Student Transportation said driving on the bridge requires caution. He is also chairman of a Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce transportation committee whose priority is construction of a new river bridge here...

New westward expansion of the city and continued development in north Cape Girardeau has prompted a review of the city's long-range master streets plan. The Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday will conduct a special study session to review the plan comprised of major street projects for the next 20 years and possibly recommend changes...

CHAFFEE - Only when he finally was liberated from a prisoner-of-war camp in western Japan in August 1945, did Ralph Lape find out how close he and other American POWs came to becoming victims of the atomic bomb. Lape, 70, of Chaffee returned recently from Salt Lake City after attending a reunion of his Army Air Force unit, the 5th Air Base Group, stationed at Fort Douglas, Utah...

Southeast Missouri State University has narrowed its search for a provost to six candidates. The finalists, chosen by President Kala Stroup, were announced Wednesday by university officials. Over the next three weeks, each of the six candidates will visit the Southeast campus...

Some people are sincere about getting back into the tax system. This is the message from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) one week after initiating a program targeted toward non-filing Americans. "This has been an unusual week," said Nova L. Felton, public affairs officer at the IRS St. Louis District Office. "Telephone lines have been tied up in some areas with responses to the program designed to help people who have not filed tax returns."...

Charlene Rose Saul, 61, of 524 Albert St., passed away Oct. 7, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born August 22, 1931, in Fort Wayne, Ind., the daughter of Raymond P. Saul and Nelda H. Schack Saul. Her mother survives. She had lived in Cape Girardeau for 42 years, moving here from Fort Wayne. She graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, and was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne...

CHAFFEE -- Millard J. "Cotton" Moit, 80, of Chaffee, died Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 31, 1911, at Rockview, son of William and Arry Goins Moit. Moit had been self-employed. Survivors include five brothers, A.A. and Bill Moit of Chaffee, George Moit of Scott city, A.J. Moit of Wentzville, Tola Moit of St. Louis; a sister, Hettie Moit, Chaffee Route 1, and a nephew whom he reared, Charles Moit, Chaffee Route 1...

SIKESTON -- Gertrude Crawford, 74, of Chicago, Ill., formerly of Sikeston, died Monday, Oct. 5, 1992, at St. Mary's of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago. She was born March 26, 1918, in Selmar, Tenn., daughter of Ed and Annie Jones White. She and Joe Surratt were married in 1939 in Selmar. He preceded her in death...

SIKESTON -- Benny Franklin Leist, 72, of Sikeston, died Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1992, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Aug. 21, 1920, at Scott City, son of Ambrose and Edna May Gibson Leist. He and Betty Wills were married April 25, 1960. Leist was a retired maintenance worker at Green Meadow Nursing Home in Dexter...

OAK RIDGE -- Reinhold O. Stueve, 72, of Oak Ridge, died Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1992, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Jan. 13, 1920, at Wittenberg, son of Claus and Sarah Leine Stueve. He and Doris Hemmann were married Aug. 6, 1950. Stueve was a retired farmer, member of Grace Lutheran Church at Uniontown and its Voters Assembly and Men's Club...

ADVANCE -- Pearl Camren, 89, of Advance, died Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Morgan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Son to Mr. and Mrs. William Stearns of Walnut Shade, St. John's Regional Health Center in Springfield, 2:58 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, 1992. Name, Phillip Aron. Weight, 9 pounds 8 ounces. Mrs. Stearns is the daughter of Cliff and Billie Shaffer of Blue Eye. Stearns is the son of Larry and Pat Stearns of Jackson...

FARMINGTON -- A 16-year-old Ste. Genevieve youth sustained moderate injuries Wednesday afternoon when the car he was driving overturned on Highway EE. Shane M. Basler was taken to Farmington Community Hospital after the 3:55 p.m. accident near the St. Francois County line...

SCOTT CITY -- Charles Franklin Simmons, 55, of Scott City died Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the family home in Scott City. He was born in Delta Nov. 2, 1936, to Leo and Beulah Surface Simmons. They both survive of Chaffee. On Jan. 21, 1960, he married Mary June Harrell. She survives of the home...