Out of the past: Oct. 19

1999

Yesterday, Olivia Glueck of Cape Girardeau took her first airplane ride; the 101-year-old thought it was great fun, “the highlight of my life,” she said; Shamela Limbaugh, administrator of Cape Girardeau Residential Care Center, where Glueck lives, arranged for Glueck’s inaugural flight with Bruce Loy, manager of Cape Girardeau Regional Airport; he, in turn, called on John Ellis to give Glueck her first flight.

The Brad Pitt film “Fight Club”, for which Jim Uhls wrote the script, was No. 3 at the box office in its opening weekend; Uhls, a Cape Girardeau native, is now pitching a script to Mel Gibson and is developing a television series with Steven Spielberg; Uhls seems to be on a roll in the entertainment industry of California, where he moved 16 years ago.

1974

The crowning of Beverly Lloyd of Tilden, Illinois, as the 1974 Homecoming Queen was the highlight of the Southeast Missouri State University Homecoming week’s many activities; she was crowned last night at the annual Homecoming Dance held at the Arena Building.

Thomas B. Curtis, former Missouri congressman who wants to be a U.S. senator, spoke to about 80 persons in front of Academic Hall on the Southeast Missouri State University campus Friday afternoon; Curtis was to have appeared with his Democratic opponent, Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton, in a debate arranged by the SEMO Political Science Club, but the incumbent rejected the invitation.

1949

A bountiful return on their crop investment is being harvested these bright October days by Southeast Missouri farmers, whose cotton, soybeans and corn are rolling in to buyers at an accelerated pace; two weeks ago the outlook was bleak; a rain, lasting four days and flooded lowlands fields, threatened prospects; but since then the weather has been good, the sun has stayed out, and warm days have done much to dry out the soil and return conditions to normal.

Robert Renfrow, president of the Kelso Development Corp., says its first manufactured house has been received and is being constructed at Shady Brook, on North Sprigg Road; a four-room structure with bath and utility room, the house is to be completed late this afternoon; the firm is the local dealer for Gunnison Homes, Inc.

1924

The Rev. J. Pendleton Scruggs, pastor of First Baptist Church, was elected president of the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance at Monday’s organizational meeting; the Rev. H.E. Roos, pastor of Grace Methodist Church, was named vice president and the Rev. R. Lehman, Evangelical Church pastor, secretary and treasurer; the alliance will follow its plan of last year, holding one business and one social meeting each month.

A large crowd greeted the Rev. G.H. Hursh, pastor of the newly organized St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, at the meeting last Sunday at Security Hall in Cape Girardeau; the mission will continue to meet at the hall each Sunday, with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m., followed by morning worship at 10:30; evening services are at 7.

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.