Out of the past: March 22

1998

Charles W. and Janet Bass Smith perform a flute and piano recital at St. Andrew Lutheran Church; the Smiths were formerly music directors at the church, and their Cape Girardeau performance is part of an international tour.

It's hard to picture the Cape Girardeau landscape without Southeast Missouri State University in its midst; but 125 years ago, Cape Girardeau nearly lost out to Arcadia, Missouri, in its bid to land what was then called the Third District Normal School; Gov. Silas Woodson signed a bill establishing the college for Southeast Missouri 125 years ago today, March 22, 1873.

1973

In somewhat unusual proceedings last night, the City Council handled three items of business pertaining to the city itself; the council unanimously approved its own request for a special-use permit to construct a fire station on the southwest corner of Kingsway Drive and Kurre Lane, approved plans and specifications for the fire station and set April 4 as the date to receive bids for construction of the building, and passed an ordinance declaring a city primary election unnecessary this year since there only three candidates for the two council seats to be filled at the April 3 general election.

Fire in a room of Dearmont Quadrangle on Southeast Missouri State University campus last night was brought under control by the fast-acting dormitory head resident, who grabbed a fire extinguisher and quenched the flames before firefighters arrived; approximately 200 university students evacuated the four wings of the women's dormitory on North Street when the fire alarm sounded, and no one was injured; Cherie A. Schneider extinguished the blaze in Room A-210.

1948

Five candidates for mayor and three times as many for commissioner wind up their campaigns and are poised for a get-out-the-vote effort tomorrow when Cape Girardeau voters, at the primary election, select two contestants for the mayor's chair and six nominees for commissioners' post; mayoral candidates are R.E. Beckman, D.F. Clay, Walter F. Ford, Henry Haman Jr. and Marshall F. Morton; commissioner hopefuls are W.E. Baker, Frank Batchelor, Louis Brune, Grover Goza, Cloe E. Johns, T.J. Juden, T.B. Lane, Charles A. Schweer, Roy Smith, Philip H. Steck, J. Henry Strain, Vincent Unnerstall, Benjamin Willa, Robert Wilson and W.A. Yount.

Bodies of five Southeast Missouri war dead, including one from Cape Girardeau and one from Jackson, are among those aboard the U.S. Army transport Walter W. Schwenk, due to dock at San Francisco today; those from this are Willard B. McClard of Cape Girardeau, Billy R. Deck of Jackson, Leo H. Dannenmueller of Oran, Thomas F. Hunter Jr. of New Madrid and Loyd L. Aarant of Dexter.

1923

Peck Cruse, Illmo left hander, probably will again twirl for the Monroe, Louisiana, baseball club this season; Cruse had been dickering with the management of the Blytheville, Arkansas, club, but it is said Monroe has made the pitcher a better offer; last season, Cruse won 13 and lost four games for Monroe, including 11 consecutive wins.

Cape Girardeau police are ordered by Mayor James A. Barks to check up on the new buildings which are being built in Cape Girardeau; they will take the name and location of each new structure, reporting the information to the city clerk; he, in turn, will check for building permits; last year, according to Barks, less than half of the buildings which were constructed here had permits from the city, as provided by municipal ordinances.

-- Sharon K. Sanders