Stories from Tuesday, November 24, 1998

In Ellen Seyer's classroom, students constantly receive "hands-on" training. Seyer teaches music at Notre Dame High School and "hands-on" is the key to a successful program, she said. "I believe that a music program must be performance-oriented for the students to truly understand the music experience," Seyer said...

Herb Jones and Dr. Jennie Cooper have received the annual Faculty-Staff Recognition Awards at Southeast Missouri State University. Jones, area coordinator in the office of residence life, received the Outstanding Staff Recognition Award. Cooper, a professor of English, has been named the Faculty Recognition Award recipient...

Kerry Robinson, a 34th-round draft choice of the St. Louis Cardinals, made it to the major leagues with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays late last season. Kerry Robinson is living out his dream as a professional baseball player and some day hopes to become a major-league star...

Corey Fowler spent his summer, like much of America, watching two baseball superstars battle their way into the record books. The Cape Girardeau first grader hopes to follow Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa into baseball history. Fowler is hooked on America's game and wants to be a professional baseball player...

Movie makers, like retail merchants, look forward to the holidays as one of the peak seasons of the year. As a result, a number of blockbuster, or wannabe-blockbusters are released around Thanksgiving and in the coming weeks. Joni: Not that we would know. We are always eagerly awaiting video releases. It's tough for families with kids, especially because a growing number of supposed kid movies with PG-13 ratings. But this is a big time of year for kid movies...

Elves and reindeer, angels and mangers and even some cartoon characters will light up Cape Girardeau County North Park this week as the 11th annual Holiday of Lights festival begins. A ceremony to officially begin the lights festival will be held Wednesday. Activities start at 5 p.m. The light switch will be thrown at about 6:20 p.m...

Linda Tansil's Central High School physics classes had three weeks and 60,000 toothpicks donated by Wal-Mart. Randy Hitt has a few years and many tons of concrete and steel. But their goal is the same: to build a better bridge. Hitt, area engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, was at the school Monday to evaluate the model bridges built by the classes. Hitt is in charge of supervising the contracts for the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge under construction at Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau will usher in the holiday season with the annual Parade of Lights through the city's downtown Sunday. The parade begins at Capaha Park at 5 p.m. "It will certainly be a fabulous parade," said Dennis "Doc" Cain, chairman of the event. "Entries are still coming in, but we will have well over 100 entries. There will be a lot of floats. It seems like each year the floats get more elaborate."...

Southeast Missouri State University might ask a state authority to issue revenue bonds for the River Campus project. Such a move would eliminate the need to resubmit a bond issue to Cape Girardeau voters in April. It could allow the university to move ahead with its efforts to lobby for state funding to pay half the cost of the $35.6 million project, said Don Dickerson, president of the university's Board of Regents...

Some Stoddard County nursing home patients will get to go "Home for the Holidays" Thursday for Thanksgiving. The Stoddard County Ambulance District will provide transportation for immobile patients to be with their relatives and friends for the holiday...

Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays in recent years. As a child, of course, Christmas ranked at the top of the list of favorite holidays, but as I've grown up and reached that wonderful plateau called adulthood, Thanksgiving has taken on new meaning...

Southeast Missouri State University music professor Dr. Gary Miller will be awarded the 1998 Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching next month. Miller is among a group of selected faculty members, representing all Missouri colleges and universities, who will receive the awards Dec. 10 in Kansas City. The award recognizes faculty commitment to excellent education...

To the editor: Alan Journet's letter to the editor regarding global warming is valid only if you assume that his premise is true. He presciently predicts that global warming will disrupt "all those natural systems on the planet which are the source of our food, fiber, health and wealth" to "catastrophic dimensions the likes of which we have yet to witness on the planet." He states this as if it is a foregone conclusion. ...

Surprise, surprise. Missouri's State Board of Education has approved a new exit test for all graduating seniors. The board unanimously approved a 27-page report called, "Meeting the Challenge: Providing Superior Public Education for All Missouri Students."...

State education experts should take their cue from the Cape Girardeau Board of Education. The board looked at its policy for naming new schools, saw that it was too arbitrary and changed the policy. That's an example of real leadership in action. Astute leaders can admit when something isn't working and change it...

To the editor: I was very relieved to hear the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis affirmed the death sentence of Jerome Mallett, who has been convicted for the 1985 murder of Trooper James Froemsdorf of the Missouri State Highway Patrol...

Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Board of Education office, 614 E. Adams St. Action Items -- Consider expansion of architect study of Junior High to include Comprehensive High School Campus Plan. Information items -- Presentation of multi-grade program at Millersville...

Special meeting 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 City Hall Public hearing -- Held hearing to consider the voluntary annexation of property owned by SEMO University Foundation, Warren Place L.C., Donald L. Heuer and Rebecca A. Heuer Trust, Cape Girardeau County and Cape Special Road District...

Cape Girardeau educators will be honored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce through its sixth annual awards program. Nominations are being accepted through Dec. 15. Recipients will be honored in May. Awards will be given in four categories: elementary, secondary, administration and post-secondary vocational...

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Southeast Missouri State University senior Janelle Quigley closed out her cross country career in impressive fashion Monday by finishing 45th out of 254 runners at the NCAA National Championships. Quigley covered the 5,000-meter course at Rim Rock Farm in 17 minutes 48 seconds...

Although he had another big season, Kelvin Anderson missed out on winning the Canadian Football League's Outstanding Player Award last week. But Southeast Missouri State University's all-time leading rusher more than made up for that Sunday, when he helped lead the Calgary Stampeders past the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 86th Grey Cup, the CFL's championship game...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team has never beaten the University of Missouri, losing all 11 games against the Tigers. Tonight, the Otahkians will get another crack to break the streak when the squads square off in a 7 o'clock tipoff at the Show Me Center...

Southeast Missouri State University's basketball Indians finally got their offense going in the second half Monday night. But by then, it was too late. The talented Louisiana Tech Bulldogs were also on a roll by that time and their sizzling shooting controlled the final 20 minutes as they posted an 84-72 victory...

PERRYVILLE -- Notre Dame girls basketball team opened its season with a nail-biter Monday, but saw Perryville escape with a 41-10 victory in the round-robin Perryville Tournament. Tiffany Perkins paced Perryville (1-0) with 12 points while Amy Verseman added 11...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Mary H. Allen, 83, of Jonesboro, died Monday, Nov. 23, 1998, in Mount Vernon at the home of a son. She was born April 21, 1915, in Anna, daughter of J.S. and Laura Hooker Clardy. She married Frank Everett Allen April 22, 1936, in Jonesboro. He preceded her in death...

JACKSON -- Betty Lou Heise, 65, of Jackson died Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998, at Heartland Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 25, 1933, in Jackson, daughter of Lawrence C. and Mildred Davis Reitzel. She had been employed for several years at Lenco...

Vivian DeVincke, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Nov. 23, 1998, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Dec. 5, 1915, in Willifred, Ark., daughter of Riley and Mary Cunningham. She had been an adult sitter. She was a member of Gospel Assembly Church. Survivors include a son, Franklin Ray of Fayetteville, Ark...

Mary Lou King, 64, of 3125 Mimosa, Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Nov. 23, 1998 at her home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Chapel.

CARBONDALE -- Mina Huelson, 83, of Anna, died Saturday, Nov. 21, 1998, at Memorial Hospital. She was born Nov. 4, 1915, in Anna, daughter of Franklin Jefferson and Mary Ann Fann West. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Anna. Survivors include a son, Billy Huelson of Jonesboro; a brother, Leon West of Cleveland, Tenn.; and a sister, Alice Kelley of Muskogee, Okla...

Philomena Holman, 71, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Gideon, died Saturday, Nov. 21, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born Oct. 2, 1927, in Detroit, Mich., daughter of Archie and Mary Beatrice McCullum Bown. She married Roy Leonard Holman Dec. 23, 1947, in Piggott, Ark. He preceded her in death...

PARMA -- Helen Stewart, 68, of Parma, died Monday, Nov. 22, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born July 20, 1930, daughter of Floyd and Georgia Creecy Littleton in Lawrence County, Tenn. She married James T. Stewart on Nov. 27, 1949, in Keiser, Ark...

Robert Fred Steinborn, 91, of 779 Perry Ave., Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 17, 1907, in Cape Girardeau, son of Fred and Sadie Deevers Steinborn. He married Helen V. Wildes. She survives...

EAST PRAIRIE -- James Wade Riggins, 81, of East Prairie, died Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 9, 1917, in Gurley, Ala., son of Pet and Bunea White Riggins. He married Mary Sue Melton on Oct. 8, 1938. She survives...

LEEDES, Ala. -- Fern Lucille Neeley, 87, of Leedes died Saturday, Nov. 21, 1998, at Medical Center East in Birmingham, Ala. She was born May 10, 1911, daughter of Joseph Mark and Freda Slinkard Seiler in Whitewater. She married Mason Allen, who preceded her in death. She then married Bernice Neeley on Nov. 21, 1965. He also preceded her in death...

PERRYVILLE -- Oliver Wayne Pease, 1 month, 8 days, died Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998, at Perryville. He was born Oct. 14, 1998, son of Corey and Betsy Payne Pease of Perryville. Survivors include his parents; a brother, "C.J." Corey Gene Jiggs Pease Jr. of the home; maternal grandparents, Oliver and JoAnn Payne of Perryville; paternal grandparents, Dennis and Rita Pease of Perryville; maternal great-grandmother, LaVern Riehn of Perryville; paternal great-grandparents, Imogene Pease and Goldie Hagan, both of Perryville, and Ralph Jennings of St. ...

WYATT -- Harry Webb, 49, of Wyatt died Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998, at his home. He was born Nov. 26, 1948, at Charleston to James H. and Ruby L. Brown Webb. On April 18, 1966, he married Barbara Payne, who survives. He lived in Mississippi County all of his life and was employed by Luhr Brothers Marine in Cape Girardeau...

Son to John Gregory Young and Tabitha Ann Rainey of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:23 a.m., Monday, Nov. 16, 1998. Name, Bruester Gregory. Weight, 8 pounds. Second son. Miss Rainey is employed at Drury Suites in Cape Girardeau and is the daughter of James and Regina Rainey of Glen Allen. Young is the son of Jim and Joyce Young of Marble Hill. He is employed at Ceramo in Jackson...

Peggy Mae Stone, 90, 901 W. Rodney, Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Nov. 23, 1998, at home. She was born Jan. 24, 1908, in Cana, Ky., daughter of John L. and Sarah Hounshell Taylor. She married James H. Stone Oct. 27, 1929. He died in 1977. She moved to Cape Girardeau from Parma in 1927. ...