Out of the Past: Aug. 29

1999

As area students — both public and parochial — head back to classes, 16 Lutheran congregations are already making plans for next year; the congregations, which cover an area from Sikeston to Perryville, hope to open Saxony Lutheran High School in the fall of 2000; it will be the first Lutheran high school in Southeast Missouri; a steering committee representing the congregations recently incorporated and has been working on a charter and selecting a site for the new school.

Hanover Lutheran Church inducts its second vicar; Mark Rabe is a third-year student at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis; while serving at Hanover, his duties will be similar to those of the pastor; he will help lead worship and make visits to hospitals and homes of the sick.

1974

Heavy rains ranging from 2 1/2 inches to more than 11 inches within a 24-hour period cause flooding in some Cape Girardeau County communities early in the morning; among the hardest hit areas are Burfordville, Old Appleton and Caney Fork northwest of Oak Ridge; at Burfordville, residents in homes along Whitewater Creek off Highway 34 are being evacuated as water rushing down from the flooded Friedheim-Biehle communities takes the creek over its banks.

Southeast Missouri State University officials report the overcrowded dormitory situation is steadily diminishing; B. Stephen Richards, director of housing at SEMO, estimates that approximately 40 to 50 students have transferred to off-campus rental housing, leaving only 100 students still being forced to triple-up in dorm rooms; normal dorm room capacity is two persons.

1949

Infantile paralysis in Southeast Missouri took a sudden upturn over the weekend, when 11 patients — the greatest number on a concentrated period since opening of the treatment center — entered Saint Francis Hospital; included in that number are three cases from Cape Girardeau County, the most reported in a two-day period from the immediate Cape Girardeau area; the increase in weekend patients advances the number who have been admitted to the hospital since the center began functioning to 95.

Veterans by the hundreds flock to the post office and Veterans Administration office to secure application forms for the special dividend due on their National Service Life Insurance; today is the first day of distribution of the forms.

1924

A.H. Hinchey of Cape Girardeau, president of the Cotton States Merchants’ Association, returns from Memphis, Tennessee, where the 1924 convention ended last evening; it was the largest convention in the long history of the association, the registration exceeding 2,000; Southeast Missouri was represented by more than 200 men and women; C.R. Smith of Mississippi was elected president and Julien N. Friant of Cape Girardeau vice president; although he appealed to be relieved from further work in the association, Hinchey was made chairman of the board of governors, which directs the association’s activities.

Eighty-nine teachers, under the supervision of superintendent J.A. Whiteford, are preparing for classes to begin Monday in Cape Girardeau’s public schools; of this number, 41 compose the faculty of Central High School; principals of the schools are Belmont Farley, Central High; Helen Mueller, Washington Elementary; May Greene, Lorimier; Alma Schrader, May Greene; Nellie Krueger, Broadway; Hilda Fisher, Jefferson, and O.O. Nance, Lincoln.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at www.semissourian.com/history.