1999
The on-again, off-again plans for demolishing old St. Francis Hospital appear on again; a $250,000 state grant will aid in tearing down the abandoned building at Good Hope and Pacific streets; the Missouri Department of Economic Development has awarded the grant to Cape Girardeau to remove asbestos and hazardous material; total cost of the razing is about $537,000, with the remaining cost of the actual demolition to be shared by the city and Phillips Co., owner of the property.
His arrival was delayed by more than an hour, but that didn’t diminish the rousing reception Tim Billings was afforded when he was introduced as Southeast Missouri State University’s new head football coach yesterday afternoon; as Billings, the Marshall defensive coordinator, walked into the Show Me Center meeting room at 3:35 p.m., after his plane was delayed in Lexington, Kentucky, most of the approximately 100 persons in attendance rose to their feet, clapping and cheering as if they were rooting the football Indians on to a big victory.
1974
Earl R. Schultz, 79, is retiring from the post of chief engineer of the Little River Drainage District, a position he has held 42 of the last 61 years he has been employed by the district; Schultz, a life-long resident of Cape Girardeau, began working for the district as a rodman of a survey crew July 4, 1913, during summer vacations from college; the only time he ever left its employment was for a two-year period when he served in the Army during World War I.
Cape Girardeau native James R. Reynolds has been named a partner in the Kennett law firm of Ford, Ford and Crow; effective Jan. 1, the name will change to Ford, Ford, Crow and Reynolds; Reynolds, 28, has been associated with the firm since July 5, 1971.
1949
Holiday traffic into and through Cape Girardeau reaches its peak, as travelers, seeking to be home Christmas Eve, or at least Christmas Day, throng buses; particularly noticeable at bus terminals are many service men, en route home on holiday furloughs; it appears that many, if not all military installations, are allowing half of their complement leave at Christmas and the other half leave on the New Year’s holiday.
A selection of Christmas carols and hymns are played on the carillonic tower bells at First Baptist Church at midnight by Dr. Dan B. Cotner; daily, the bells play at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. automatically, but this concert is played live through the organ.
1924
Two thousand Cape Girardeau children, eager for the first glimpse of Santa Claus this year, braved the cold weather last night to attend the community Christmas program given on Good Hope Street by the business men of that section; accompanying the tykes were 1,000 adults, who crowd about the towering Christmas tree and Santa; the rush for presents is preceded by a short program that feature remarks by the Rev. M.J. LeSage and local attorney Rush H. Limbaugh.
Appointment of two deputies to serve under Sheriff-elect William F. Schade is announced; Gale H. Miller, salesman for the Goddard Grocer Co., is appointed as a deputy in Cape Girardeau and will maintain his headquarters here; Cooper Lape, son-in-law of the present sheriff, William Browning, is named chief deputy and will have charge of the jail at Jackson; he will occupy the sheriff’s dwelling there with his family; Schade will retain his home in Jackson, from where he will direct activities of his office.
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.
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.