25 years ago: March 16, 1986

The 20th birthday of St. Mark Lutheran Church is observed at morning services; a reception follows in the fellowship room.

Complete renovation and some expansion of facilities are underway at the Cape Girardeau Country Club, involving both the clubhouse and grounds; the clubhouse kitchen will be redone, with new equipment added; a new dining room will be installed; a new room will be added for the "19th Hole."

50 years ago: March 16, 1961

More than 3,000 teachers are in town for the 85th annual spring meeting of the Southeast Missouri Teachers Association at Houck Field House; speaking on the communist threat is Robert Kazmayer, who lived and worked in Russia.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Southeast Missouri State's Indians ambush Chicago University's Maroons 67-41 in the first round of the NCAA College Division basketball national tournament; the Girardeau team will next play tomorrow night against South Dakota State.

75 years ago: March 16, 1936

Mr. and Mrs. A.S. Duckworth of Cape Girardeau have received word from their son, Herbert, that he has been promoted to lieutenant commander in the Navy; Duckworth is with the USS Langley of the Pacific fleet; he has been in the Navy 14 years, having graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1922.

A crew starts work in the north end of the new West End sanitary sewer; 20 men are excavating a trench by hand for an 8-inch lateral line on Rose Street running west from West End Boulevard to Missouri Avenue.

100 years ago: March 16, 1911

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Senate yesterday passed the Oliver bill providing for the formation of drainage and levee districts based upon the acreage of land instead of upon its value; the chief opposition to the measure in Southeast Missouri came from Louis Houck of Cape Girardeau.

A third ticket has been announced for the coming election; on the Progressive ticket are A.C. Vasterling for mayor, who is also a candidate of the Industrial ticket; W.W. Summers, marshal; J.H. Caruthers, city attorney; Orren Wilson, police judge; Denver Bollinger, assessor; Edward Willer, collector; Louis Stein, treasurer; Willer and Stein are on all three tickets.

-- Sharon K. Sanders