Stories from Wednesday, November 1, 1995

MOUNT PLEASANT, Ill. -- Vern Carter, 79, of Mount Pleasant died Tuesday, Oct. 31, 1995, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna, Ill.

ANNA, Ill. -- William Paul Murphy, 87, of Anna, died Monday, Oct. 30, 1995, at his home. He was born Nov. 22, 1907, at Mt. Pleasant, son of Sylvester S. and Minnie Susan Moak Murphy. He married Vivian Robinson Murphy, who died May 28, 1992. Murphy was a member of Lacon Baptist Church in Lacon, and a veteran of World War II...

Twin daughters to Charles and Angela Strop, 1910 Grandview, Southeast Missouri Hospital, Saturday, Oct. 21, 1995. Ashley Marie was born at 9:37 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds. Brook Lynn was born at 10:09 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds 3 ounces. The couple also has a son. Mrs. Strop is the former Angela Myers, daughter of Robert and Mary Myers of Cape Girardeau. Strop is a welder at Mid-South Steel. He is the son of Jim Strop of Cape Girardeau and Vicki Strop of Millersville...

To the editor: I am writing in response to Marc Powers' Oct. 25 column, "Karaoke is dead and other observations." Mr. Powers' comments about the condition of karaoke in the Cape Girardeau area were unwarranted and untrue. Anyone who would "cheerfully" report that karaoke "appears to be in its death throes" hasn't adequately researched Cape Girardeau night life, and I was surprised to find such an inaccurate statement in your newspaper...

The Heartland Stonecraft Couple's Club will hold a Fall Patriotic Dinner Party Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Southeast Missouri State University Center. The speaker will be George Roberts of Galesburg, Ill. Patriotic music will be provided by Bruce and Susie Nall...

While athletes from around the world prepare for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games by building their physical endurance, those who want to be local torchbearers should practice writing. Local residents can enter the torchbearer competition by completing an application and writing a 100-word essay...

Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Earthquake Studies has received national recognition and endorsement in the form of research funds for work in earthquake preparedness. The Structural Engineers' Association of Northern California has listed it as one of only two organizations for earthquake preparedness nationwide. The center also has received a $25,000 grant from the State Emergency Management Agency for public education programs...

BENTON -- Jean Bartlett wanted to make people in Southeast Missouri aware of the negative effects of pornography. She first told members of the Christian awareness and moral concerns committees at her church about the pornography awareness campaign...

Parents, grandparents or caregivers looking for ideas on how to combat children's boredom blues can take heart. There's a new, easy-to-read handbook available with an imaginative activity for every day of the year. Each idea appears in its entirety on one horizontally printed page, complete with illustrations by children...

In just over two weeks, the General Services Administration will hold a public hearing in Cape Girardeau on a new federal courthouse site. The proposed site is directly south of the current courthouse. It is bounded by Themis Street on the north, Independence Street on the south, Lorimier Street on the east and Middle Street on the west. ...

Southeast Missouri State University has drastically reduced the amount of students' bad debt that it writes off each year. The turnaround should earn kudos for university budget crunchers. In the past four years, student debt has fallen to just $58,000 from $360,000...

To the editor: Two items in the news seem to have a continuing life. A third party is mentioned in some context every several days, while Colin Powell's possible presidential candidacy remains alive and well. Two recent circumstances suggest an interesting possible third-party scenario...

E. Charles Geittmann, 71, 1333 Copper Drive, died Tuesday, Oct. 31, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born May 6, 1924, in Beaver Dam, Wis., son of Elmer Theodore and Leona Allen Geittmann. He had lived in Cairo, Ill., and then moved to Metropolis, Ill. He married the former Carolyn Lutton Crain...

GRAND CHAIN, Ill. -- George Inman, 66, of Grand Chain, died Monday, Oct. 30, 1995, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Ky. He was the son of Harry and Mary Bassi Inman. Inman served on the board of directors of Southern Illinois Electric Co-Op in Dongola, and was chairman of Southern Illinois Power Co-Op in Marion. ...

Funeral service for Otto D. Bess of South Kansas City was held Saturday at Muehlebach Funeral Chapel in Kansas City. Pastor Robert L. Cox officiated, with burial in Forest Hill Cemetery in Kansas City. Bess, 76, died Monday, Oct. 23, 1995, in Kansas City...

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Irene S. Kasten of Jackson will be held at 11 a.m. today at First Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Grant Gillard officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery. Friends may call at the church from 9:30 a.m. to service time...

James Robert Edwards, 50, of Welborn, Fla., died Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1995, at Hollywood Memorial Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. He was born Feb. 2, 1945, in Cape Girardeau, son of Robert and Gracie L. Flentge Edwards. He married the former Tracy Miller. Edwards worked for Kelly Fleet 30 years, where he took passengers deep sea fishing. He was a member and elder at First Presbyterian Church in Miramar, Fla...

MARBLE HILL -- Owen A. Snyder, 65, of Marble Hill, died Sunday, Oct. 29, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 6, 1930, in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., son of John and Bessie Church Snyder. He and Betty Coons were married Aug. 5, 1984, in California...

Funeral service for Terry Lee Exler, 5335 County Road 635, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Scriptural Lutheran Church. The Rev. Richard Tragasz will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. Friends may call at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel from 4-8 p.m. today...

Funeral service for Angela "Angie" Lange of Cape Girardeau will be held at 11 a.m. today at McCombs Funeral Chapel in Jackson. The Rev. Louis Launhardt will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park. Friends may call at the funeral home from 8:30 a.m. to service time...

CAIRO, Ill. -- W.D. "Dub" Williams Jr., 48, died Friday, Oct. 27, 1995, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born July 23, 1947, at Wyatt, son of W.D. and Annie Bell Anderson Williams. He was employed as an auto mechanic and was a member of the First Central Baptist Church in Cairo...

HOWARDVILLE -- T.B. Forrest, 85, died Monday, Oct. 30, 1995, at the New Madrid Nursing Center. He was born Nov. 15, 1909, at Brownsville, Tenn., son of Nat and Virginia Forrest. He was a retired farm laborer and a member of the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Lilbourn...

Virginia Karmann, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Oct. 31, 1995, at Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray, Ky. She was born Aug. 5, 1917, at Vanduser to Charles and Nora Chumbley Jordan. She was married to Robert Karmann, who preceded her in death...

JACKSON -- Bernice Caroline Schaper, 78, of Jackson, died Monday, Oct. 30, 1995, at Jackson Manor. She was born Feb. 25, 1917, at Tilsit, daughter of Louis and Hulda Werner Aufdenberg. She and Carl H. Schaper were married Jan. 14, 1939. He died May 22, 1976...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Beulah M. McAlister, 81, of Cairo, died Monday, Oct. 30, 1995, at her home. She was born May 3, 1914, in Prescott, Ark., daughter of James and Eliza Wingfield Blevins. McAlister was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Survivors include four sons, J.R. Elmore of Cheyenne, Wyo., Burrel Elmore of Joliet, Ill., Bill Elmore of Metropolis, Ill., Joseph McAlister of Fort Lewis, Wash.; a sister, Lorene McLelland of Laurel, Mont.; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren...

William J. Tinsley, 84, 1749 Anna, died Tuesday, Oct. 31, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Jan. 2, 1911, in Cape Girardeau, son of Charles and Daisy Stevenson Tinsley. He and Ruth Watkins were married Dec. 21, 1946, in Piggott, Ark...

While Linus waited in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to appear, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy collected candy at the West Park Mall Halloween night. More than 2,500 children dressed in costumes and an equal number of adults tagged along for the 5th annual trick or treating event sponsored by mall merchants and radio station KYRX Mix 104.7 FM...

Waterfowlers can expect the best season in years, say conservation officials. The last time waterfowl habitat conditions were this good in the Canadian Northlands, Jimmy Carter was president, Billy Beer was in vogue and gasoline prices were nearing $2 a gallon...

Pledge drives are important events for public broadcasting outlets. Without financial support of listeners and viewers, programming choices for many stations would be limited. Yes, pledge breaks sometime get a little annoying. KETC-9 in St. Louis, for example, has a nasty (but wise) habit of dropping extended pledge breaks right in the middle of particularly good episodes of "Doctor Who." Hundreds call in just so the Channel 9 people will shut up and get back to the exploits of the good Doctor. ...

FINALLY, I was wondering if I was the only person, besides Cal Thomas of course, was concerned about the platform adopted by the NEA at their annual meeting this summer. In my opinion, the NEA has lost it's way. It's become a liberal organization that promote special interests at the expense of the majority. ...

Kiefner Brothers Inc. has been named as the general contractor for the new Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce headquarters building to be constructed at 1267 N. Mount Auburn Road. Jim Rust, chairman of the chamber board of directors, announced the selection following a board meeting Tuesday...

Southeast Missouri State University needs to get bigger and better. That is the view of some of the approximately 30 faculty and staff members who attended an open forum Tuesday afternoon with two consultants who are aiding the school in its search for a new president. The forum was held at Academic Auditorium...

Puxico native Roy Temple first took an interest in government when his third-grade teacher forced him to read biographies about American politicians. That interest blossomed into an active involvement in politics and government that eventually landed him the position of Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan's chief of staff...

Secretary of State Rebecca McDowell Cook, a Jackson native, was our guest speaker at the annual Jackson Industrial Development banquet. The largest crowd ever attended the event. Many positive events took place in October, but none was larger than the announcement that the Missouri Highway Commission has added the proposed future Main Street Jackson interchange to its 15-year plan. The hard work of many paid off in making this happen...

The Southeast Missourian asked people what they thought about the Missouri Highway Commission putting a new interchange at East Main Street and Interstate 55 on its 15-year plan. Charles Ireland: "I think it's a terrific idea. When East Main is completed, it will be a very convenient way to get onto the interstate. It will probably decrease the traffic coming over to Highway 61 off of Ridge Road."...

Those of you who have been reading my column over the years know my very favorite flower is the daffodil, and if I could have only one flower that would be my choice. There is nothing quite as exciting as those little bright yellow February Gold peeping out in late February, sometimes through snow, or Tete-a-Tete blooming only six inches from the ground in early March...