1987

About a half dozen individuals from Cape Girardeau left Thursday night from Sikeston, Mo., on a trip to see Pope John Paul II at New Orleans; about 200 members of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese took chartered buses to New Orleans for the papal visit.

Students and teachers at three Cape Girardeau schools have new principals this year: Dan Milligan at Central High, Ron Haggard at Franklin and Gary Kralemann at Jefferson.

1962

Horse racing, harness-style, is the big attraction in the afternoon at the SEMO District Fair at Arena Park; in the evening, Orville Brooks' Ink Spots perform in front of the grandstand, as does the gymnastics act Franklin and Astrid.

A fine wooden flour barrel, made in Cape Girardeau near the Civil War period, is included in a woodwork-hobby exhibit by C.C. Kinder at the District Fair; a Mr. Woelte made the barrel at his cooperage on Broadway; it is intricately constructed of carefully shaped staves, half of walnut and half of white oak; the barrel has split hickory hoops.

1937

John A. Whiteford, for 10 years superintendent of Cape Girardeau's public schools, a prominent school executive and worker in the Presbyterian church, dies of pneumonia at a St. Louis hospital; he was 72 years old.

With hymns of praise ringing to the rafters, the Missouri State Singing Convention holds an all-day session in the Teachers College auditorium; representatives attend from all Southeast Missouri counties, as well as Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Illinois.

1912

The Ringling Bros. Circus has been to Cape Girardeau again, the first time in 14 years, but its coming didn't give the promised satisfaction; because of mismanagement on the part of an Illinois railroad, the Frisco received the circus equipment too late to get the show here in time for the much-anticipated street parade; it was a close call to get things ready for the afternoon performance.

Coach Henry F. Schulte, for three years athletic director for the Cape Girardeau Normal School, departs for Michigan University, where he will be an assistant to coach Fielding Yost.

-- Sharon K. Sanders