Stories from Sunday, December 25, 1994

Olliadean Molis, 73, of Arbor died Saturday, Dec. 24, 1994, at his home. She was born March 20, 1921 at High Ridge, Mo., son of John W. Wondel and Clara A. Henricks Wondel. She worked as an archivist in the Chief Archive Section of InterAmerica Bank in Washington, D.C...

Capt. Elmer Trapp is confident that the Salvation Army's Tree of Lights will meet its goal of $125,000. "We have always made our goal," said Trapp, who was taking a turn at manning the familiar Salvation Army kettles Saturday. "We had $114,000 when we checked our totals Friday."...

Given a choice between recapping last year's news or speculating about what next year might bring, I would choose to look into the future. Rehashing old news won't change what happened. In newspaper circles, much is being made of the changing technology and the impact the so-called information highway will have on how news is delivered and presented. This is the same soul-searching that occurred when radio took to the airwaves and when television finally found sponsors for news broadcasts...

A former Cape Girardeau resident was included among the guests invited to the White House recently for the Pageant of Peace Reception, where Christmas decorations for 1994 were unveiled. Jack Komis, who now lives in Washington, D.C., helped design some of this year's White House decorations. He attended the reception along with other executives from the Ralph Lauren Corp. who were involved in the decorating...

In a large-scale effort to rid the county of illegal drugs, officers from the Jackson and Cape Girardeau police departments, Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department and SEMO Drug Task Force have collaborated to form the Cape Girardeau County Tactical Narcotics Team, or TNT...

JACKSON -- Allen Moss spent $66,390 in his unsuccessful attempt to win an associate circuit judgeship in Cape Girardeau County this year. The expenditures, outlined in the campaign finance disclosure report on file with the county clerk's office for 30 days after the election, also includes money Moss spent to narrowly defeat Jeff Dix for the Republican nomination in August...

Three local organizations recently benefited from the Area Wide United Way's Youth, Education, Literacy and Learning (YELL) program. Jackson Public Library, St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson and the Southeast Missourian newspaper were each awarded grants which will go for programs aimed at promoting reading and general literacy for young and old alike...

The kitchen in Vickie Rhodes' home doubles as a workshop for aspiring artists. Rhodes teaches painting classes there. From the left are Fran Mayberry, Ruby Deckard and Rhodes. Surrounded by examples of her art, to include hand-painted saw blades, Vickie Rhodes holds a painting that is "alive" with color. She uses lots of paint to achieve rich textures...

Once most of us get off work, we're ready to blow off a little steam but for Lee Strickland, blowing off steam is a major part of his job. In addition to maintaining the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway's 18 1/2 miles of track, its depot at Jackson as well as a diesel locomotive and three passenger cars, Strickland has the privilege of maintaining the railroad's steam engine, known as "No. 5."...

Reinagel and her daughter, flutist Sara Fluegge, have been joined in their performances by violinist Jennifer Horst, who took up the violin at the age of 5. What began as a passing whim for a Jackson woman has become a consuming hobby that sees her traveling to St. Louis each week to learn to play an age-old and unique musical instrument...

It is a simple story, but the birth in a stable some 2,000 years ago changed the world. On this Christmas Day, the story is presented again from the Holy Bible (the gospel according to St. Luke, chapter 2): And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one unto his own city...

Generosity is such a wonderful thing. Thanks to hundreds of generous supporters, children in some 400 needy families in Cape Girardeau received an early visit from Santa Claus. The jolly gent received considerable help with the annual Christmas Toybox project, which is sponsored by the Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian...

If the struggle for power is viewed only as a battle between Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, the rich and the poor, whites and races of color, then Americans may be in the right stadium but they're watching the wrong game. The power centers of modern-day America are not in either political party or even the philosophical camps that separate us on other issues. No, indeed...

We approach year's end. What's hot? What's going to get hotter? We used to worry about the nuclear clock when it was "us versus them," the "good guys versus the bad guys," freedom loving people versus treacherous communists. We were up to our ears in nuclear warheads and missiles. Once in a while, the clock edged towards midnight and the potential incineration of the world. Wiser heads would always prevail and the minute hand would slip back...

Left: the formal dining room at the Oliver House seemed to welcome visitors to a Christmas feast. Right: a piano from the early 20th century was decorated in Victorian Christmas finery for the Oliver House tour. Below: Visitors prepare to enter the festively decorated home...

The following editorial appeared in the New York Sun in 1897 in response to a letter from Virginia O'Hanlon, the 8 years old. She wrote the editor of the Sun to ask about the existence of Santa Claus. She wrote: "Dear Editor: Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in the Sun, it's so.' Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?"...

MARBLE HILL -- William Forrester, 55, of Marble Hill, died Friday Dec. 23, 1994 at Southeast Hospital. He was born Nov. 12, 1939 in St. Louis, the son of Arthur and Lucille Wells Forrester. On Aug. 25, 1990 he married Sue Ann Braun, who survives of Marble Hill...

MARBLE HILL -- Ora Lee Dockins, 79, of Marble Hill, died Saturday Dec. 24, 1994 at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born near Marble Hill on Nov. 27, 1915, the son of Sikeston and Rilla Bollinger Dockins. On Aug. 6, 1938 he married Nancy Nanney, who survives. ...

ALTENBURG -- A memorial service for Kenneth Paul "Push" Hormann, 63, of Altenburg, will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Hormann died Tuesday Dec. 20, 1994 at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Feb. 3, 1931 in Jackson, the son of Wilbur and Frieda (Crites) Hormann...

MARBLE HILL -- Funeral services for Lily M. Slinkard of Marquand, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Liley Fruneral Home in Patton.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Frances L. Axley, 86, of Mounds, died Friday, Dec. 23, 1994 at her home. She was born Aug. 11, 1908, at Cobden, Ill., daughter of Hosea Hicks and Della Hipps Hicks. She married Will S. Axley. He preceded her in death in 1966. She is survived by three sons, William Axley, Wickliffe, Ky., Raymond Axley and Charles Axley, both of Mounds; two daughters, Barbara Axley and Joan Axley, both of Mounds; and a sister, Katherine Marcha of Gilbertsville, Ky...

HERMITAGE, Tenn. -- Donnie Underwood, 46, of Nashville, Tenn., formerly of Bloomfield, Mo., died Friday, Dec. 23, 1994. He was born in Bloomfield, Mo., May 28, 1948, son of Elmer land Anna Lois Cook Underwood. He married Vickie M. Sappington at Little Rock, Ark. on April 30, 1978. She survives...

SIKESTON -- Thomas Allen Smitten, 41, of Sikeston, died at his home Friday Dec. 23, 1994. He was born March 17, 1953 in St. Louis, the son of the late Kenneth H. Smitten and Mary Emma "Mimi" Allen Smitten, who survives of Sikeston. He was a 1970 graduate of Sikeston High School, attended Southwestern College in Memphis, and for many years was employed by the Allen-Davis Gin Co. in Matthews. He is a past member of the Sikeston Jaycees...

OAK RIDGE -- The Oak Ridge R-6 School District Board of Education announced that filing for two board positions will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, and close at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. The two seats that will come open are currently held by Dan Sebaugh and Bob Eisenhauer...

MORLEY -- Rev. Bill Keefer, 59, of Johnson City, Ill. and formerly of Morley, died Saturday Dec. 24, 1994 at Southeast Hospital. He was born March 1, 1935 in Morley, the son of Fred and Carrie Griffith Keefer. He was a member of the Morley Church of God and a graduate of Morley High School. He had been an officer with the Sikeston Police Department and a trooper with the Missouri State Highway patrol. In addition he had worked for several loan companies in Sikeston...

Vida Loberg Stanard and Tina Loberg Druckenmiller say they have honored their father many times during the past 50 years, but Saturday was something special. "It was great," said Druckenmiller, who traveled from Marietta, Ga., with her family to attend the "A Grateful Nation Remembers" program Saturday at Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau to honor Sgt. Denver Clyde Loberg, a Sedgewickville serviceman who was killed 50 years ago during World War II...

JACKSON -- The computer screen looks like a bunch of squiggles and boxes with no recognizable pattern. Then Mike Niemeier uses the machine's zoom feature. Each squiggle represents a county road, and each box a home. The address, phone number and name of the resident is inside the box. Niemeier's job is to be sure emergency responders can find the homes easily, even though many are miles apart and far from any town...

The Southeast Missourian will not publish a Monday edition in observance of the Christmas holiday. The newsroom will be closed today and reopen Monday afternoon. The newspaper's business offices will be closed Monday. The Monday business section will be moved to Tuesday for the next two weeks. The Learning Page will resume Jan. 10...

Cape Girardeau police communicator Rob Watson has handled plenty of suicidal callers in his years on the force, but two stand out in his mind. The first was before the county's 911-E system was in place. A man called threatening suicide, and it took Watson about 15 minutes to find out where the call came from. Fortunately, the officer's calm voice was enough to prevent tragedy...

If angels had a public relations agent, it would be Nancy Bray. Her Cape Girardeau apartment is filled with about 50 angels, both large and small. There are wooden ones, porcelain ones, cloth ones, humorous ones and majestic ones, most of them given to her by friends...

WANTED: Messenger, neither male nor female, ageless, with the ability to express human functions and appear as a human (without becoming human) while remaining a spiritual, invisible being. Should possess intelligence and free will, but omniscience not required...

Angels aren't the sole province of Christianity. Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus believe in angels. Over the centuries, angels have been a part of many religions. Muslims believe angels are present in mosques to record the prayers of the faithful and testify on judgment day...

Have you had an encounter with an angel or guardian angel? The Southeast Missourian is interested in publishing a story about angel encounters. Please send your story to us, along with your name and phone number. Send stories to: Angels, Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699...

I walk a trail through the bottomland woods to the swamp at LaRue/Pine Hills Ecological Area in Union County. High water covers the trail and shortens my hike. Birds move about in the shrubs growing in the shallow water. I "spish" (repeated calls like the word sounds) to bring the birds out so I can identify them. ...

Yes, Courtney, there are game laws, and for each a reason. In a recent letter, young Courtney Stanley questioned some existing hunting regulations. The eighth-grader expressed concerns that some of the "same old rules" that stand year after year are too liberal and are allowing the depletion of wildlife...

Merry Christmas! I hope your day has started with good fragrances and good food, good health, good company and good cheer. For fragrance and good food I'd have cedar, oranges, fresh brewed coffee, cinnamon rolls baking, or maybe a stollen. Country ham frying or sage-laced pork sausage would enhance the epicurean anticipation...

The Cape Girardeau Public Library will conduct a program on quilts Saturday, Jan. 21. The talk will begin at 10 a.m. For the first half hour, professional home economist Judy Robinson will present a program on new tools and techniques in quilting. Audience members will then be invited to participate in a show-and-tell time with their own quilts...

SCOTT CITY -- High school seniors and their parents may attend a college financial aid presentation Jan. 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the Scott City High School library. Barb Ulrich, coordinator of Capital Bank's student loan program, will discuss student loans, and Bob Zellers, Southeast Missouri State University's director of financial aid, will review how the aid process works at various schools...

The Cape Girardeau County Genealogical Society will conduct its bimonthly meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The meeting is open to the public and will focus on how to use the resources available at the library. Society members will tell beginners how to start their searches, and library staff will explain how to find books...