Out of the past: Nov. 1

1998

Grant Lund sits alone with his paints and brushes on the cold concrete of an isolated entryway to Southeast Missouri State University's Rhodes Hall of Science; Grant was commissioned to paint a mural as part of the university's 125th anniversary celebration, and it should be completed next spring; Lund's mural will depict images of black holes, the swirling mass of a brightly colored nebula and the origin of the universe.

Priests from throughout the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese gather in Cape Girardeau to help celebrate Cardinal Bernard Law's 25th anniversary as bishop of the Southern Missouri diocese; Law, now archbishop of Boston, celebrates Mass in the afternoon at the new Notre Dame High School.

1973

Vandalism reported throughout Cape Girardeau and Scott counties on Halloween night ended the festive atmosphere for many residents; one of the most serious incidents reported was destruction estimated to be as high as $700 to a new house under construction on Bertling Street in Cape Girardeau; about five persons were seen in the house breaking out all the windows, tearing out insulation and damaging walls.

Four years after acquiring the old Glenn House on South Spanish Street, the Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau is beginning to put the breath of life back into the once stately home; extensive restoration work has been completed on the exterior of the home; major work is still to be done inside before decoration can begin, including rebuilding two floors, stripping most of the woodwork and painting and wallpapering.

1948

Cape Girardeau school children decorated 109 business firm display windows Saturday in a Halloween window-painting contest sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, nearly 200 children participating for a chance at cash prizes; the contest greatly reduced the amount of window soaping that normally goes on here at Halloween.

The condition of Cape Girardeau's sidewalks -- crushed, cracked and upended by tree roots -- is considered by the City Council; city attorney Albert M. Spradling brings up the subject; while the council has the authority to order the repairs done and bill the owners of abutting property, Spradling suggests instead that an appeal for the support of property owners be made; he further suggests that the Chamber of Commerce, the Jaycees and various civic clubs get behind the move to urge individuals to look over their own sidewalks and see what repairs are necessary.

1923

ROCKVIEW, Mo. -- Funeral service is held for William J. Belk, 40, whose body was found underneath the timbers of a bridge that is believed to have collapsed when he drove a heavily loaded wagon over the structure Tuesday; the body of Belk, who was a widely known farmer living near here, was found late that afternoon by a party of searchers, who had been sent out when he failed to return to his home; the bridge had been condemned, authorities say, and Belk had been warned not to drive over it; he was married with two children and was the son of Thomas Belk.

An automobile owned by A.R. Zoelsmann was almost totally wrecked late yesterday, when the hook and ladder truck of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, answering a call, crashed into it on Broadway near Frederick Street; no one was in the car at the time, it being parked at the curb on the south side of the street; R.C. McCarthy, a fireman and driver of the truck, had swerved the huge machine to avoid colliding with a Ford car at the Broadway-Frederick intersection, when the wheels locked, and the truck crashed into the Zoelsmann auto.

-- Sharon K. Sanders