Out of the past: Dec. 10

1999

​Southeast Missouri State University President Dr. Ken Dobbins, who has been on the job for five months, is officially invested as the school’s 17th president in a ceremony at Academic Hall Auditorium; about 700 faculty, staff, students, alumni and and area residents attend the ceremony; Secretary of State Bekki Cook is the only statewide officeholder in attendance.

BENTON – Scott County, already suffering from low sales tax revenue, recently received notice from the Missouri Department of Revenue that it will have to repay nearly $400,000 to New Madrid County for taxes collected at War-Mart and remitted to the wrong county.

1974

​Hundreds of persons lined downtown streets last night to view the 10th and largest Jackson Christmas Parade; Seabaugh Christmas Tree Farm of Oak Ridge captured first place in the adult float division; its float consisted of Christmas Trees and garlands of greenery, with persons singing “O Christmas Tree”; winning first place in the youth float division was Girl Scout Brownie Troop 139; about 20 floats appeared in the parade, along with other marching units and four high school bands.

C.W. Rushing was elected chairman of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, during an organizational meeting yesterday; other officers chosen were vice chairman, C.B. Taylor of Morley; secretary, A.J. Seier of Cape Girardeau; and treasurer, Raymond Roth of Illmo.

1949

​A survey among those who served as judges or clerks of the special election Tuesday shows that only 21 Cape Girardeau Black citizens cast their ballots on the three bond election proposal; the largest number of votes cast by Blacks was in Ward 10, Smelterville precinct; there are strong indications that Cape Girardeau is losing much of its Black population; it is estimated there are now 950 to 1,000 Blacks living in Cape Girardeau, 250 less than just a few years ago.

SIKESTON — A spectacular gasoline fire yesterday afternoon sent up huge columns of flame and black billows of smoke and destroyed two bulk tanks, a railroad tank car and a warehouse; the fire disrupted electrical and telephone circuits in Sikeston; two men were burned, one seriously, in the first explosion.

1924

​The Cape Girardeau City Council accepts paving work on three streets and orders tax bills issued to the contractors; Ellis Street, from Locust to Hickory, was paved at a cost of $7,344, the engineer’s final report shows; Ellis from College to Locust, was paved at a cost of $15,588.79, and the paving of Themis Street, from Spanish to Main, cost $1,998.38.

On order of Cape Girardeau Mayor James A. Barks, Police Chief Arthur S. Whitener and Police Judge Gust Schultz begin the necessary legal steps to collect all outstanding fines in police court before Jan. 1, so that the books at the first of the new year may be closed; 30 persons, fined in police court for violations of city ordinances, have failed to pay fines aggregating $850.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a weekend column called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper.