Stories from Monday, April 8, 1996

"Grow Rich Slowly." Whether you're reading the book by that name, or talking with one of its authors, you realize that you're not getting any younger and that it's almost never too late to think about retirement planning. "We don't get any younger," said Don Underwood during a recent visit to Cape Girardeau to address a seminar conducted by Merrill Lynch investment company. ...

Gerald Vandiver weighed oranges to fill an order at the warehouse on South Middle Street. A picture on the office desk showed one of the early delivery drivers Red Garner with a Cauble and Field truck. Richard and Doris Hagedorn stood in the Corner Produce Market that opened last June on Morgan Oak Street...

As president of the University of New Hampshire at Durham, Dale F. Nitzschke expanded the school's educational, research and service roles. But after four years as president of the state university in New Hampshire, Nitzschke resigned in August 1994 over funding differences with the board of trustees...

The new half-cent transportation sales tax, barely noticeable at city cash registers, is attracting much attention from some Cape Girardeau residents. Voters overwhelmingly passed the tax in August after months of planning and community meetings. City officials promised much of the burden would be paid by out-of-town shoppers, but that Cape residents would reap the benefits in improved streets...

Construction is on an upward swing in Cape Girardeau. Commercial and residential contracts for future construction were up during the first quarter of 1996. Permits for residential housing, totaling almost $3 million ($2,986,600) -- 14 single-family homes, a dozen two-family duplexes and one 18-unit apartment building -- are up 22 percent over January, February and March totals of $2.4 million in 1995...

The University of New Hampshire was characterized as a school with "a bunch of ignorant eggheads" before Dale F. Nitzschke became its president. "The governor and senators and congressmen were vocally critical of the university," recalled Nitzschke...

What are the IRS's views on paper clips? I know how they feel about people earning large sums of money -- mostly in cash -- and not giving the government its share, but that's not an issue in my case. I don't earn large sums of money, for one thing...

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "What do you think of the new Missouri license plates?" Lee Anderson, Scott City "I think they're good looking. I think they'll be a nice-looking plate." Brenda Lufcy, Cape Girardeau "We probably were ready for something different now. I think they look nice."...

Clinton Welch will discuss "The Election of 1968 in Cape Girardeau," including the campaign visit of U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy, at 7 tonight at Chateau Girardeau. Welch is a graduate student at Southeast Missouri State University. The talk is sponsored by the Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau...

Nursing wildlife back to health so that the animals can be returned to the wild isn't the type of service you find many people engaged in. But an area husband-and-wife team been doing a good job of it for a number of years. John and Carolyn Watkins sometimes are nursing as many as 100 wild animals back to health on their farm in Bollinger County. It takes countless hours of work and a love for wildlife...

It was one of those news releases from Jefferson City that hits press desks every day, and this one had such a familiar appearance that it barely made an impression. But, then, the mundane release caused the mind to do a second take. It read: "February employment up, unemployment down."...

Beginning in January, Missouri will change the color of its passenger-car license plate from white-on-maroon to a three-color plate of white, light blue and green with blue letters. "Missouri" will be printed across the top in green, underscored by a blue, squiggly line to represent all of the water in the state. "Show Me State" will be in blue at the bottom...

JACKSON -- Dorothy Morton Estes, 88, of Jackson died Sunday, April 7, 1996, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. She was born Feb. 22, 1908, in Mammoth Springs, Ark., the daughter of James William and Ida Crider Webb. She married Clarence P. Morton on March 14, 1929, in Doniphan, and he died May 16, 1966. She then married Jesse R. Estes Sr. on Jan. 5, 1971, in Jackson, and he died Feb. 14, 1974...

CANALOU -- Offie Ola Hunter, 80, of Canalou, died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born May 17, 1915, in Parma, to Mr. and Mrs. James Basinger. She married Lee Maloy "Nog" Hunter on Feb. 25, 1940, in Holly Springs, Miss. He preceded her in death April 23, 1988...

MARBLE HILL -- Webster Slinkard, 88, of Marble Hill died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at his home. He was born Oct. 15, 1907, near Marquand, the son of John S. and Mary Davault Slinkard. He married Lola Eaker on Oct. 24, 1942. She died Aug. 16, 1987. Slinkard worked as a farmer and was a member of the Point Pleasant General Baptist Church...

FREDERICKTOWN -- J. Don Weiland, 58, of Fredericktown died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at Madison Medical Center in Fredericktown. Friends may call from 5-8 p.m. today at Follis-Sonderman Funeral Home in Fredericktown. The funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home...

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Johnson Rushing, 79, died Friday, April 5, 1996, at Westchester House in St. Louis. He was born Dec. 26, 1916, in Bertrand, to Albert Joseph and Maude Gaty Rushing. He married Leslie Allen on Aug. 23, 1941, in Washington, D.C. Rushing attended Southeast Missouri State University and was an FBI agent for 25 years. He was a member of the Ellisville Methodist Church...

DOGWOOD -- Dewey Heath, 90, of Dogwood died Sunday, April 7, 1996, in the East Prairie Nursing Center. He was born July 22, 1905, in Dogwood, the son of James Edward and Alice Neal Heath. He married Edna Maxwell on April 22, 1932. Heath was a farmer and businessman, serving several years on the First Bank of East Prairie Board of Directors. He was a member of the Dogwood Methodist Church...

JACKSON -- Irene S. Crain, 95, of Jackson died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Feb. 13, 1901, in Millersville, daughter of Joel T. and Sarah Barks Hopkins. She married Ellis O. Crain on Oct. 11, 1922, and he died Sept. 30, 1995...

The Rent Emporium, a rent-to-own operation, opened last week at 2136 William in Town Plaza Shopping Center. The new store offers a line of entertainment appliances, including big-screen television, household appliances and furniture. Tom Thompson and Ben Martinez are partners in the business...

"Footprince," a retail outlet offering women's shoes, provides a new concept in the selling of women's shoes. "Our prices on all shoes start at $26.99 each Monday," said Mark Parsons, owner/operator of the new shoe store at 2007 Independence. "The prices drop a dollar a pair each day to $19.99 on Saturday." The cycle starts over on Monday...

Sunshine Window Cleaning, a new service business, has opened at Jackson. The company provides service for residential and commercial customers. cleaning the inside and outside of the windows. Julie Fuller is owner of the new business. Service is available Monday through Saturday...

A new Drury Inn hotel opened recently in Woodlands Town Center north of Houston. The new hotel, fourth Drury Inn in the Houston area, is a seven-story structure with 153 rooms. It provides 20 to 25 new jobs to the area. Drury Inns Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, owns and operates the hotel...

The Roosevelt Financial Group Inc. of Chesterfield, holding company for Roosevelt Bank, and the Sentinel Financial Corp., holding company for Sentinel Federal Savings and Loan Association, Kansas City, have agreed to merge Sentinel with Roosevelt Bank...

Bath & Body Works, which opened at West Park Mall in November, held an open house Friday. The company, which offers body lotions, toiletries and home fragrances, has more than 400 stores nationwide, including Cape Girardeau and Carbondale, Ill.

Using advertising dollar theme of business conference "Effective Use of Your Advertising Dollar" is the theme of the 1996 Business Conference, to be held April 17 at the Show Me Center on Southeast Missouri State University campus. John Gorby, president of Douglas Britt Co., a Chicago-area management consulting firm headquartered in St. Charles, Ill., will present the three-hour conference, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m...

Trinity Lutheran Day Care Center of Cape Girardeau has received a $500 grant from Aid Associations for Lutherans (AAL). The grant was provided through the AAL Lutheran Early Childhood Education Grant Program, which was offered to more than 4,000 Lutheran early childhood centers throughout the country...

A. G. Edwards Inc., has announced record earnings for its fiscal year, ended Feb. 29. Net earnings were reported at $170.6 million, up 37 percent from the $124.1 million for 1994. Earnings per share were $2.65, up from $2 a year ago. Revenues were up 23 percent, from $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion...

The Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Banquets Beyond the Bay, 901 S. Kingshighway in Sikeston. Jeff Batts, a stand-up comedian, will be guest speaker. A number of community awards will be represented...

February construction activity in Missouri was down 26 percent from February 1995, the second straight month overall construction was down by more than 20 percent. In January, construction was down 22 percent from the previous year. Totals for the month were reported at $341,035,000, compared to the $461,975,000 during the same month a year ago, according to the F.W. ...

The Southeast Missouri Chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association will sponsor its annual Las Vegas Night Tuesday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. Cost of the event, which starts at 6 p.m., is $10 a person. Games, prizes, silent auction and raffles are among events for the evening. The top raffle prize will be a trip for two, including air fare, to Las Vegas...

Mark McHale of Fleishman-Hillard will be guest speaker during the meeting of Advertising and Marketing Professionals Thursday at Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau, starting at 6 p.m. Also on the schedule are nomination committee reports and a report on the recent ADDY Awards Banquet...

Thomas & King of Lexington, Ky., has purchased six Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants, including the one in Cape Girardeau. The restaurants, purchased from Dennis Stockard of Cape Girardeau, included locations here, Paducah and Owensboro, Ky., Carbondale, Ill., and Evansville and Terre Haute in Indiana...

Phil R. Ivers has been named president of First National Bank at Cape Girardeau. The appointment was announced by Troy L. Wilson, chief executive officer of First National Bank, headquartered at Sikeston. Ivers, a native of Ponca City, Okla., is a graduate of Oklahoma State University...