Stories from Friday, May 21, 1999

To the Editor: I was shocked and so disappointed in the front page picture and article of the senior in high school holding her five-month old baby. I can not see how the paper can glorify this kind of behavior by putting the story on the front page with a large picture...

St. Francis Universal Health and Fitness will hold its 2nd Annual St. Francis Universal National Senior Health and Fitness Day Thursday, May 27. Festivities begin at 10 a.m. with a PACE demonstration. PACE is an exercise program designed for people with arthritis. The day continues with activities that continue throughout the afternoon...

The Elks Mobile Dental Unit will visit Cape Girardeau May 24 through July 1, at the Cape Girardeau Elks Lodge, 639 Limbaugh Lane. The unit has been operated by the Dental Department of Truman Medical Center-East of Kansas City since 1962 in partnership with the State of Missouri and the Missouri Elks Benevolent Association...

May is nationally designated as Mental Health Month. The years marks the 50th anniversary of the national observance of this event. The Community Counseling Center will host a seminar entitled "Living with Severe Mental Illness: What Families and Friends Must Know," on 12:30-4 p.m. Saturday Centenary United Methodist Church Family Life Center...

Eating disorders and how they affect not only the lives of those afflicted with them but their families as well will be the topic for a special presentation by Christine Heckenkamp, the reigning Miss Jackson from the Miss Jackson Scholarship Pageant, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Southeast Missouri Hospital. It will be held in the Harrison Room...

I WOULD just like to make a comment regarding Monday's edition of the Southeast Missourian. The front page basically glamorized the fact that a high school senior had a 5-month-old child. I'm sorry, I'm a professional in this community but I am very much opposed to and resent the fact that the Missourian would put on the front page a high school senior with a child...

It was an announcement that caught many by surprise: Dr. Dale Nitzschke will be stepping aside as president of Southeast Missouri State University to a position as chancellor. The new president will be Dr. Ken Dobbins, who has served as executive vice president. The transition takes effect immediately...

As a neurosurgeon, I take care of patients who have had head trauma. Most of the time this is the result of a motor vehicle accident or a fall. Sometimes it is a result of a violent act of one against another. One of the most disturbing types of head injuries, and unfortunately a fact of life for many children, is a result of child abuse called "shaken baby syndrome". ...

Shock and surprise were common expressions Thursday as news of Dr. Dale Nitzschke's resignation as president sped around the Southeast Missouri State University campus. Many students already had left school for the semester break, but word of Nitzschke's resignation and the promotion to president of Dr. Kenneth Dobbins raced through Kent Library and Academic Hall minutes after the 2:30 p.m. announcement...

CHARLESTON -- Southeast Missouri Weed Inc. named an interim executive director Thursday and appointed another person to fill a vacancy on the board. Ron Skaggs was named interim executive director. He participated in the meeting Thursday afternoon via a conference call from his St. Louis office...

CHARLESTON -- Awards of more than $35,000 in grants were made to programs that help keep children and youths away from drugs and gangs Thursday by Southeast Missouri Weed and Seed Inc. The board met Thursday afternoon at the Charleston City Hall to discuss grant awards and to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of former board president Dr. Paul Keys...

The way the Board of Regents sees it, Kenneth W. Dobbins has been in training for the job of Southeast Missouri State University president for several years. He and soon-to-be-departing Provost Dr. Charles Kupchella were candidates for the job of president four years ago...

Dr. Dale Nitzschke is stepping down as president of Southeast Missouri State University. The Board of Regents has promoted the school's executive vice president, Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins, to the top spot. The 49-year-old Dobbins will serve as Southeast's 17th president beginning July 1...

Although his home had been without electricity for 72 hours and counting Thursday afternoon, L.R. Burgfeld looked on the bright side. With no electrical distractions, Burgfeld had time to cut the downed maple trees from his lawn at 1730 Georgia. Cut and neatly stacked at the edge of the street, Burgfeld was giving it away for firewood...

Yes, I'm going to see the new installment, but it will pale next to the excitement of the first trilogy. I guess if you haven't seen "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" by now, you're really an old fogy. Like me. Yes, I intend to see it, once the hoopla dies down a bit. After the excitement of seeing all three of the first "Star Wars" movies with two young sons, how could I not see this latest offering?...

The Southeast Missourian is asking for an act of kindness from the community. A white banner similar to the one above was blown away by high winds during the storm Monday afternoon. the vinyl banner is 3 feet tall and 16 feet long and had been displayed near Houck Stadium across Broadway. The newspaper planned to reuse the banner each year...

More airplanes will be taking off and landing at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport Saturday than ever before, but they won't need clearance from the air tower. The radio-controlled airplanes are part of a model airshow sponsored by the Southeast Missouri Modelers Association. The group is sponsoring the show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m...

Sewer construction work will cause detours on Broadway between Fountain and Pacific streets, beginning next week. Most of the work will be on the north side of Broadway. The work will be done a block at a time, said Mark Lester, Cape Girardeau city engineer...

KENNETT -- Area residents will be able to shop for an education as early as next year in a former grocery store that is being renovated to serve as a higher education center. Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents gave a green light to the project at a closed-door meeting Tuesday in Cape Girardeau...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education awarded several bids for remodeling projects during a special meeting held at noon Thursday. The district is in the early stages of several projects as part of its long-range facilities improvement plans. During the meeting, board members approved bids to install technology wiring at Clippard, Blanchard and Alma Schrader schools and for construction and remodeling work at Alma Schrader...

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament Thursday night, Southeast Missouri's softball team squandered early scoring opportunities and dropped a 5-1 decision to Kansas. Kansas, the No. 2 seed, banged out nine hits off two Southeast pitchers in the first round of the double-elimination Region 2 Tournament at Hillenbrand Stadium...

ADVANCE -- Oran rolled while Advance rallied, both winning their semifinal games yesterday to advance onto the championship finals of the Missouri Class 1A District 2 Tournament. The Class 1A second-ranked Oran Eagles eliminated the Ste. Genevieve Valle Warriors 17-3 in five innings to move on...

CHAFFEE -- Bo knows clutch pitching. And, finally, Bo knows district championships. After throwing five innings on Wednesday in a 10-0 win over Chaffee in the Class 2A, District 2 tournament semifinals, Brian Obermann -- a.k.a. Bo -- stranded the tying run at second and the go-ahead run at first as the No. 2 Bulldogs (23-3) staved off the top-seeded and two-time defending district champion Kelly Hawks 5-4...

SIKESTON - Farmington's Greg Collins throws hard for a freshman. On Thursday it was hard enough to break a glass slipper as the Jackson Indians' Cinderella run through the Class 4A, District 1 baseball tournament came to an end. The second-seeded Farmington Knights won their second district championship in three years, beating Jackson 6-1 at Sikeston's V.F.W. Stadium...

JACKSON -- Cape Central's girls soccer team continued its best season in school history with its third straight Class 4A, District 1 title Thursday. The Lady Tigers posted their third victory of the season over rival Jackson with a 2-0 shutout in the championship game...

Most people expected a wild and exciting Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament. And during Thursday's opening games in the three-day event being held at Capaha Field, the action lived up to the pre-tourney hype. The two early elimination games each saw the lead switch hands before both wound up being decided by three runs, with fourth-seeded Middle Tennessee beating fifth-seeded Austin Peay 12-9 and third-seeded Eastern Kentucky downing fifth-seeded Murray State 8-5...

ANNA, Ill. -- Onna E. Yerkes, 95, of Anna died Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at City Care Center in Anna. She was born Oct. 5, 1903, at Eddyville, Mo., daughter of John Prince and Melissa Jane Yates Goot. She and Joe Yerkes were married. He died Sept. 23, 1965...

ANNA, Ill. -- Guy Smithey, 100, of Anna died Thursday, May 20, 1999, at Union County Hospital in Anna. Arrangements are incomplete at Hileman and Parr Funeral Services.

ANNA, Ill. -- Edith Eva Rendleman, 100, of Anna, formerly of Wolf Lake, died Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at City Care Center in Anna. She was born Aug. 2, 1898, at Wolf Lake, daughter of William Elijah and Sarah Penrod Bradley. She married William Jacob Rendleman Aug. 19, 1917, at Wolf Lake...

PERRYVILLE -- Mary A. Erzfeld, 87, of Perryville died Thursday, May 20, 1999, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 24, 1911, at Silver Lake, daughter of William and Anna Mary Emmendorfer Baudendistel. She and Elliott Henry Erzfeld were married Oct. 16, 1945...

CHARLESTON -- Jurlene Leda Cecile Burcks, 59, of Charleston died Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Sept. 14, 1939, at Marble Hill, daughter of Woodie and Lucy Bell Estes Brown. Burcks lived in Charleston most of her life. She was a member of the Church of God of Prophecy...

PERRYVILLE -- J. Paul Simpson Sr., 81, of Perryville died Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at St. Louis University Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born Dec. 31, 1917, at Chaffee, son of John L. and Eva Mae Lasley Simpson. He and Helen B. Leher were married Aug. 19, 1939...

ANNA, Ill. -- Delmar Lee Massey, 65, of Anna died Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 6, 1934, at Alto Pass, son of Charley and Lucy Fite Massey. He and Myrtle Imogene Baity were married Dec. 4, 1958, in Anna. She died Aug. 6, 1996...

BERNIE -- John Fred Fears, 65, of Branson died Tuesday, May 18, 1999, at his home. He was born Dec. 15, 1933, at Sikeston, son of Fred and Myrl Crawford Fears. He and Mary Neal were married Jan. 26, 1952, in Paragould, Ark. Fears was formerly of Bernie. He owned and operated motels in Branson. He was a member of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints at Bernie...

Cynthia Ann Banks, 39, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 18, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Dec. 22, 1959, in Advance, daughter of Rogers and Virgie Lee Banks Sr. Banks attended Scott County Central High School. She was employed at Thorngate Ltd. in Cape Girardeau, and was a member of the New Morning Star Baptist Church in Haywood City...

Son to Kurt A. and Julie R. Prindle of Oran, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 6:02 p.m. Sunday, April 11, 1999. Name, Devon Patrick. Weight, 7 pounds 10 ounces. Mrs. Prindle is the former Julie Spies, daughter of Ruth Paxton of Oran and Mike Spies of Scott City. She is employed at Kids Korner Daycare in Cape Girardeau. Prindle is the son of Rhonda Tidwell of Morley and Greg Prindle of Sikeston. He is employed at H&T Siding and Windows in Chaffee...

MCCLURE, Ill. -- Ocean Marie Dillow, 4 months, daughter of Otis Gene Dillow Sr. and Lillian Faye Edwards Dillow, died Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 31, 1998, at Murphysboro, Ill. Survivors include her parents of McClure; maternal grandparents Calvin and Wanda Edwards of McClure; paternal grandparents, Allen and Betty Dillow of McClure; maternal great-grandfather, William Martin of Moses Lake, Wash.; paternal great-grandmother, Gladys Houseman of Jonesboro; a brother, Otis Dillow Jr. ...