Out of the past: Feb. 20

2000

As word spread of the death of former Southeast Missouri State University president Dr. Bill Atchley through Cape Girardeau yesterday, friends and colleagues recalled an honest man, a funny man, a man who did a lot for the university in his one year as president; Atchley, 68, died Friday night of an apparent heart attack while attending a John McCain rally in South Carolina; he was named interim president at Southeast in July 1995 while the university searched for a permanent replacement for Dr. Kala Stroup; regents were so impressed with the momentum Atchley created on campus, he was officially named the 15th university president.

Two companies — Massman Construction Co. of Kansas City and Traylor Brothers Construction of Evansville, Indiana — submitted qualifying bids to complete the remaining work on the Missouri side of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge under construction in Cape Girardeau; the companies submitted bids of $35,950,054 and $53,766,177, respectively; the bids will be evaluated before being presented to the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission for consideration.

1975

​A 13-year veteran of the Cape Girardeau Police Department and a shift commander for eight of those years, Lt. Robert Gass, has been appointed the new director of city parks and recreation; he will assume his new duties March 1.

The winning sketch of the bicentennial medallion design contest has a bit of everything, just as the finance committee of the bicentennial organization wanted in the way of a design representing Cape Girardeau; the design, created by David Haas of Cape Girardeau, pictures Common Pleas Courthouse as the focal point, with American and Missouri state flags extending from the courthouse; two roses, recalling Cape Girardeau as the “City of Roses”, flank the courthouse.

1950

​Occupancy of the half million dollar Student Center building at State College may be delayed indefinitely as a result of the controversy as to who shall pay for correcting alleged construction faults in Myers Hall, the men’s dormitory, now in its second year of occupancy; the controversy, between the contractor on one hand and the architect and the college Board of Regents, has blossomed into a lawsuit; filed by the contractor, an injunction has been asked to restrain the college from making the corrections in the dormitory out of funds the contractor claims are due him.

There is no break in the gloomy coal situation in Cape Girardeau, and some alarm is being expressed over the situation; the two hospitals report yawning coal bins; but public schools are in comparatively good shape; the high school has enough fuel to last this week, while the elementary schools are better supplied; the college has enough coal for several days.

1925

​It has been confirmed: Evangelist Billy Sunday has agreed to hold a six-week revival meeting in Cape Girardeau beginning in January 1926; to live up to the terms of the agreement between Sunday and the community, Cape Girardeau must construct a tabernacle on a downtown site and assist in the general campaign; between $10,000 and $15,000 will be needed to finance the meeting.

Plans are being made for a census of Cape Girardeau to be taken under the supervision of the federal government, so it will be accorded official recognition; the government has offered to take the census if the city complies with certain terms, these being that the city pay the expenses of a supervisor and his assistant from Washington, their maintenance while here and the expense of census blanks printed by the government; the city must also pay enumerators for taking the census at a certain sum per name.

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.