Out of the past: June 21

1996

Although they recently asked the city of Cape Girardeau for $250,000, people hoping to buy St. Vincent's College now say the loan may not be necessary; for more than a year, the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation has been looking for a way to pay off a lease-purchase agreement with the Vincentian Fathers of St. Louis; foundation members approached the Convention & Visitors Bureau, the city's tourism arm, about borrowing $250,000 from its building fund; but they now say the money may not be needed; the group has eight supporters who are willing to co-sign on a $400,000 loan, and hopefully another two people will agree to co-sign.

Saint Francis Medical Center finalized the purchase of a Cape Girardeau health and fitness club Thursday; effective July 1, Universal Physique Fitness and Racquet Center will become Universal Health and Fitness Center; Doug Friese, owner and founder of the health club, will remain as general manager under the hospital's ownership; current health club staff will also remain.

1971

Six "early bird" merchants, wishing to be in on the opening day of fireworks Sunday, purchased the necessary licenses Friday at the office of the city collector; they were Explorer Post 10, Stephen Larson, Cape Flea Market, Donna Criddle, Dorothy Lutes and Jack Conklin; buying licenses this morning are Grover Brasher, Rick Lamb and Jane Trantham.

First Union Inc., a St. Louis-based multi-bank holding company, announces transactions have been completed to purchase substantially all of the outstanding capital stock of First National Bank here; the bank here is the fifth bank outside the immediate St. Louis area to be acquired by First Union.

1946

Anna Hoffman, wife of Louis Hoffman, North Clark Avenue, is fatally injured at noon when a farm tractor goes out of control and overturns on her; Mrs. Hoffman, 39, was seated on the tractor at the time, and her husband was walking immediately in back of it; pinned beneath the machine when it rolled over the plow it was pulling, she was killed almost instantly; a wrecker had to be called in to lift the tractor off her body.

Seeking to comply with a new state law, effective July 1, doctors, dentists and others using the prefix "Dr." are making a mild run on sign painters and printers to have their scholastic degrees printed after their names; the law provides that anyone engaged in "healing, curing or remedying" who uses the prefix "Dr." with his name must add either the letters or words indicating his degree or the type of practice in which he is engaged.

1921

Mausoleum in New Lorimier Cemetery.(Southeast Missourian archive)

At a meeting of the mausoleum crypt owners at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce rooms last night, a permanent organization was perfected for the management and control of the building in the future; for a year or more it has been noticed the mausoleum needs repairs and, as no permanent management had ever been decided upon, W.H. Harrison took up the matter and had a contractor inspect the building; his report shows the mausoleum repairs will cost between $400 and $500.

Fred Groves' service station, Ford Quick Service Station, at the corner of Sprigg and Themis streets, opposite the Standard Oil Station, is proving popular; it is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, and a mechanic is there to make any kind of light repairs.

-- Sharon K. Sanders