Stories from Wednesday, December 20, 1995

SIKESTON -- Ray Edwin Bridwell, 70, of Sikeston and formerly of Canalou died Tuesday, Dec. 19, 1995, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born April 26, 1995, at Hornersville, son of Elmer L. and Bertha Yount Bridwell. On March 3, 1978, he married Eleanor Williams Burden, who survives of the home...

Daughter to Eric and Lynn Goeckeler of St. Charles, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, 8:11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20, 1995. Name, Abigail Jane. Weight, 8 pounds 3 ounces. Mrs. Goeckeler is the former Lynn Underwood, daughter of Sonny and Cindy Underwood of Cape Girardeau. Goeckeler is employed at GTE in Wentzville. He is the son of Terry and Joanne Goeckeler of Ballwin...

When I was 15, I fell in love with my high school history teacher, Miss Naomi Pott, and we spoke of going to Europe together some day. Miss Naomi died before we could make it, and by then, circumstances indicated I would never get there either. Years later, my all-but-forgotten dream materialized and another teacher who had remained my friend decided she hadn't taught me enough and joined me. ...

To the editor: It's Chritmastime in Heaven. The redeemed are around God's great throne Giving him praise and thanksgiving For their eternal home. Angels with their golden harps Sing songs with the redeemed Giving thank for all mankind For their heavenly king...

While Democrats say they will abide by state campaign limits thrown out by a federal court, Republicans are praising the decision as providing political challengers with a better chance to unseat incumbents. A three-member federal appeals court Tuesday declared the campaign spending limits of Proposition A, a measure approved by 74 percent of Missouri voters in 1994, as an unconstitutional infringement of political speech. ...

K's Merchandise is coming to Cape Girardeau. The Decatur, Ill.-based retail company announced on Tuesday the purchase of the former Central Hardware Building in Cape Girardeau. It will house the company's 14th store. Don Ouellette, vice president of merchandising, said the new store here will be the largest store in the chain and the first K's Merchandise location in Missouri...

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents will be asked to approve the university's strategic plan in February. Provost Charles Kupchella outlined a preliminary draft of the plan, which has been in the works "seriously for a year and a few months" at Tuesday's regents meeting...

The committee collecting comments on Cape Girardeau's public schools wants to know what you think the top issues facing the school system are. A survey is included in today's Southeast Missourian. The survey is also being mailed to a random sample of registered voters in the district...

While planning vacation spots, does Jackson appear at the top of your choices? Maybe not. We may tend to overlook or take for granted our local attractions while others travel some distance to enjoy the area. Tourism is one of Missouri's top industries. The Cape Girardeau County area, with its rolling hills, beautiful countryside and many attractions, is the beneficiary of tourism dollars...

This Dresden Christmas ornament made between 1870-1880 features an elf hanging from a $5,000 sack of money. This ornament is valued at $500. This glass duck Christmas ornament was made in the 1940s. This Christmas tree made from goose feathers in the 1890s is decorated with glass ornaments and a beaded cross...

Most towns, whether small or large, want industry and population to increase. Perryville has benefited in the past few years from growing industry. Unfortunately, population growth hasn't kept pace. That means there is a higher demand for workers as their supply diminishes. As expanding industries create new jobs, Perryville's housing market has been unable to keep up. So even if enough workers wanted to move to Perryville, their prospects for finding adequate housing are poor...

While Perryville works to iron out a disparity between business and residential development, Cape Girardeau this year is seeing near-record business and residential construction. Through November, the city's Inspection Services Division issued more than $42 million in new building and expansion permits, an increase of more than $3 million over 1993...

By spending just a few minutes with a 31-question survey, every reader of the Southeast Missourian can have an important role in the direction of public education in Cape Girardeau. The survey is on Page 3B of today's newspaper, and responses will become part of the ongoing effort to determine some critical choices for the school district...

To the editor: (This letter was sent to Michael Miller, Cape Girardeau's city manager.) During the noon hour Dec. 11, we sustained a significant water-line break in the lobby of our headquarters building on Mount Auburn Road. Within a very few minutes, the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, led by Capt. ...

Lois Hunter, 91, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Dec. 18, 1995, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Jan. 15, 1904, in Mandan, N.D., daughter of Robert L. and Mathilda Swanson Larson. She and Isaac McMullin Hunter were married Nov. 25, 1926, in Chicago. He died May 12, 1961...

BLOOMFIELD -- Virginia Sue Swann, 56, of Bloomfield, died Tuesday, Dec. 19, 1995, in Amory, Miss. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel at Oran is in charge of arrangements.

MARBLE HILL -- Funeral service for Homer L. Garner will be held at 11 a.m. today at Liley Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill. The Revs. James Johns and Ethel Myers will officiate, with burial in Bollinger County Memorial Park Cemetery. Garner, 76, died Monday, Dec. 18, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

BERTRAND -- Funeral service for Ruth Virginia Lovett of the Bertrand Retirement Facility will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston. The Revs. Gerald Penn and Gerald Collier will officiate. Bob Thomason will give the eulogy. Burial will be in IOOF Cemetery...

Mary Louise Carlos, 78, of La Jolla, Calif., died Sunday, Dec. 17, 1995, in La Jolla, following a brief illness. She was born Nov. 25, 1917, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Charles A. and Louise Vasterling Himmelberger. She first married Lehman Finch and lived in Cape Girardeau until 1960. She later married Lloyd Pearson Carlos of Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1963. He died in 1986...

SIKESTON -- Funeral service for Emma Blanche Johnson will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston. The Rev. Tom Geers will officiate, with burial in Sikeston City Cemetery. Johnson, 102, died Monday, Dec. 18, 1995, at Sikeston Health Care...

FARMINGTON -- Eugene Novack, 63, of Farmington, died Monday, Dec. 18, 1995, at Regional Medical Center. He was born Nov. 12, 1932, in Philadelphia, Pa., son of Samuel Raymond and Anna Tomkins Novack. Novack was a wood hauler. Survivors include two sons, Dean and Sam Novack of Perryville; his mother of Flint, Mich.; a sister, Ruth Bernard of Flint; a grandchild, and three stepgrandchildren...

ADVANCE -- E. Elza Stephens, 82, of Advance, died Tuesday, Dec. 19, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Morgan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Russell, 78, died Saturday, Dec. 16, 1995, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield. She was born Feb. 24, 1917, in Fruitland. She married Wilson "Pete" Russell Sept. 10, 1938, at Fruitland. He preceded her in death May 6, 1986. Russell was a retired beautician, and a former member of Centenary United Methodist Church. She lived in Springfield the past 10 years...

PUXICO -- Eric Martin, 21, of St. Louis, died Sunday, Dec. 17, 1995, at St. Louis University Hospital. He was born Dec. 9, 1974, in Stuttgart, Germany, son of Duane and Ok Cha Kim Martin. Martin had lived in Korea, Puxico and Waynesville, moving to St. Louis a year ago. He was a 1993 graduate of Waynesville High School, was inducted in the National Honor Society in 1992, and was listed in Who's Who of American High School Students from 1989-93...

PERRYVILLE -- Funeral service for Clarence M. Reiss of Perryville will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Christ the Savior Catholic Church in Brewer. The Rev. Felipe Martinez will officiate, with burial in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Friends may call at Miller Family Funeral Home from 4-9 p.m. today, and Thursday from 6:30-9:30 a.m. A parish and KC wake service will be held at 6, and an American Legion service at 6:15...

Graveside service for Darrell W. Covault of St. Louis was held Tuesday at Fairmount Cemetery, with the Rev. Glynn Robison officiating. Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel was in charge of arrangements. Covault, 77, died Tuesday, Dec. 19, 1995, at Heartland Care Center...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Floyd A. Westbrooks, 76, of Cobden, died Monday, Dec. 18, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. He was born Aug. 24, 1919, in Anna, son of Francis Marion and Cora Ann Lowery Westbrooks. He and Vesta Lorene Campbell were married March 31, 1940, in Cape Girardeau, Mo...

FRUITLAND -- Leslie Robinson, 79, of Fruitland, died Tuesday, Dec. 19, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 11, 1916, at Leemon, son of Price and Ina Wills Robinson. He and Norma Leimer were married Feb. 2, 1962. Robinson had worked at the former Track Side Gas Station in Jackson, the former Al Shanty Cafe in Fruitland, and from 1969-83 he worked at Lenco. He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Pocahontas...

Opal Marie Amelunke, 90, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Dec. 18, 1995, at Deal Nursing Home in Jackson. She was born July 22, 1905, in Gordonville, daughter of Horace Edgar and Lulu Mae Klaproth Hitt. She and Henry Fritz Amelunke were married Feb. 28, 1926, in Gordonville. He died Aug. 23, 1946...

The city of Cape Girardeau and the Federal Aviation Administration have finalized a deal to allow the city to operate the tower at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. The city will assume operation of the air traffic control tower effective Jan. 1. The FAA announced in late November that it planned to eliminate funding to operate the Cape Girardeau tower and numerous others nationwide...

The countdown is on. Toy Box volunteers will be hard at work tonight organizing routes for Thursday night's deliveries. An estimated 1,000 to 1,200 underprivileged children in Cape Girardeau will benefit from the toy drive, which is sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian...

Wall Street started to climb back Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 34.68 points Tuesday, advancing to 5,109.89, earning back more than a third of its losses from Monday, when the Dow dropped more than 100 points. Monday's 101.52 drop was the biggest in point terms since a 120.31 plunge on Nov. 15, 1991...

This past year has been a rough one for Santa Claus. His troubles first began when the Federal Aviation Administration realized that he has never once filed a flight plan with the proper authorities upon entering U.S. air space. At first it seemed that considering Santa's contributions to the children of the world, the whole matter would be settled with a moderate fine. ...

IF CLINTON is sending a peacekeeping force to Bosnia, why is he sending armed soldiers instead of our Peace Corps? SINCE ALL these federal employees are getting laid off a while until the budget gets balanced, are the congressmen still going to get paid? Just wondering...

JACKSON -- The three Jackson Board of Education members whose terms end this spring offer only a definite maybe when asked if they will run again. Darrell Hanschen, Vicky McDowell and T. Wayne Lewis are up for re-election on April 2, 1996, if they decide to run again. All three candidates said they might, but they wanted to wait until filing opens to officially announce their decisions...

JACKSON -- Aldermen said goodbye to old Jackson City Hall Monday as they approved a budget, rejected a rezoning request and passed a drug testing ordinance. The board's Dec. 25 work session was cancelled for the Christmas holiday, making Monday's meeting the last in the old building. It will be sold for cash at a public auction on Jan. 5...

JACKSON -- While Friday, Dec. 29 will be moving day for employees of other city offices in Jackson, collector's office employees will be collecting bills and taxes as usual. The city is moving furniture and supplies to the new City Hall on Courthouse Square...

The Southeast Missourian asked children, "Why are you looking forward to Christmas?" Lacey Hayes: "My uncle just got married and I got some new cousins. This is the first time I'll get to go to my aunt's house for Christmas, and her dog is going to have babies. They are due on Christmas Day."...

Have you ever wondered why we hang up our stockings at Christmas time, burn a yule log, send Christmas letters, decorate with greenery, wrap packages in colorful paper, trim the Christmas tree, have creche miniature manger scenes, and what about Santa Claus?...