KRCU's Almost Yesterday

It seems like almost yesterday that a large weather front stalled over the Ohio Valley, covering much of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Heavy rain fell during the first three weeks of January, 1937, elevating the Ohio River to record levels from Pittsburgh to Cairo, and into the lower Mississippi.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team traded one of their most famous players, Enos Slaughter, to the New York Yankees for Mel Wright and four players to be named later. One of those four players, named later, was Bill Virdon, who became a successful major leaguer.

It seems like almost yesterday that The Lodge at Giant City State Park near Makanda, Illinois wad dedicated. The date was Sunday, August 30, 1936, and approximately 20,000 people attended the ceremonies featuring comments from Illinois Governor Henry Horner.

It seems like almost yesterday that a large weather front stalled over the Ohio Valley,covering much of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Heavy rain fell during thefirst three weeks of January, 1937, elevating the Ohio River to record levels from Pittsburgh to Cairo, and into the lower Mississippi.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team traded one of their most famous players, Enos Slaughter, to the New York Yankees for Mel Wright and four players to be named later. One of those four players, named later, was Bill Virdon, who became a successful major leaguer.

It seems like almost yesterday that a young man from Farmington high school in Farmington, Missouri joined the University of Missouri football team. Edward Homer Blaine moved quickly from his role as an outstanding “black knight” student and athlete to a stand out Missouri tiger student and athlete.

It seems like almost yesterday that The Lodge at Giant City State Park near Makanda, Illinois wad dedicated. The date was Sunday, August 30, 1936, and approximately 20,000 people attended the ceremonies featuring comments from Illinois Governor Henry Horner.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Bartholomew Cousin moved into the district of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Born on March 28, 1767 near Cherbourg, France, Cousin emigrated to North American in 1791 and within a few years settled in Cape Girardeau where he was soon one of the most prosperous and important residents of the region.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Holy Family Catholic Church was dedicated. The building, which still stands on South Sprigg Street was dedicated on Sunday October 6, 1940 as a mission of St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a traveling salesman drowned in a drainage ditch along Highway 60 west of Sikeston, Missouri. The accident occurred at approximately 11:00 P. M., Friday night, May 17, 1946.

It seems like almost yesterday that the Mississippi River was solidly frozen over. It was the winter of 1918 and 1919 when a cold December with extended low temperatures closed the river to all north - south river traffic.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that residents of southeast Missouri became keenly interested in the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12.

It seems like almost yesterday that a large weather front stalled over the Ohio Valley,covering much of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Heavy rain fell during thefirst three weeks of January, 1937, elevating the Ohio River to record levels from Pittsburgh to Cairo, and into the lower Mississippi.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that residents of Cape Girardeau gained access to important historical records of Louis Lorimier, the founder of Cape Girardeau.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Malden, Missouri School System introduced a new era in southeast Missouri education. With the beginning of the 1957-1958 school year, the Malden schools, for the very first time, provided special education classes for handicapped children.

It seems like almost yesterday that Fred Henry McGuire of Gordonville, Missouri received our nation's highest award for valor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. McGuire was born on November 7, 1890 and joined the Navy at age 19 in 1909.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that intercollegiate debate began on the campus of Southeast Missouri Normal School. A turning point in that process was the arrival on campus of Professor Arthur Winn Vaughn, who served as the motivation for the expansion of debate from an on-campus activity to competition with other colleges.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the first Cape Girardeau High School was dedicated. The date was December 17, 1915, and the event serves as a turning point in the educational history of Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Aetna Powder Company plant at Fayville, Illinois exploded.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a tragic fire swept through the Wayside Inn in Farmington, Missouri.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team traded one of their most famous players, Enos Slaughter, to the New York Yankees for Mel Wright and four players to be named later. One of those four players, named later, was Bill Virdon, who became a successful major leaguer.

It seems like almost yesterday that a young man from Farmington high school in Farmington, Missouri joined the University of Missouri football team. Edward Homer Blaine moved quickly from his role as an outstanding “black knight” student and athlete to a stand out Missouri tiger student and athlete.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the last graduates of Will Mayfield College received their diplomas. For over 50 years this institution of higher learning in Marble Hill, Missouri provided teachers and school administrators for regional and state schools.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that American, British, and Canadian military forces invaded Adolf Hitler's “Fortress Europa,” initiating the campaign that brought an end to World War II in Europe.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a growing national fad streaked through Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The craze was simply called "streaking."

It seems like almost yesterday that The Lodge at Giant City State Park near Makanda, Illinois wad dedicated. The date was Sunday, August 30, 1936, and approximately 20,000 people attended the ceremonies featuring comments from Illinois Governor Henry Horner.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that President Harry Truman awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, posthumously, to Private Billie Gene Kanell of Poplar Bluff, Mo.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Andrew Conway Ivy was one of the most well-known and celebrated physicians in the world. Born and raised in Farmington, Missouri, Dr. Ivy graduated from Southeast Missouri State Normal School in 1913, where his father, Henry Ivy, was a member of the science faculty.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the historic Halliday Hotel in Cairo, Ill., was destroyed by fire. The most famous structure in the history of Cairo was consumed by flames on the morning of Feb. 22, 1943. Within four hours, the majestic five-story, 155-room hotel was reduced to rubble.

It seems like almost yesterday that Denver Wright sought to bring a bit of Africa to the veldt of Southeast Missouri.

It seems like almost yesterday that a teacher told me when I was very young, that the Milky Way was the very end of our universe. Like many youngsters I was curious about the end of the universe and what was beyond the Milky Way.

In the fall of 1938 Mark Scully was named the principal of Jackson High School in Jackson, Missouri. Young Mark Scully said that his days as principal and teacher in Jackson were some of the most enjoyable of his 47 year career. Well…all but one.

World War I and the demand for air mail service created great demand for long distance flying early in the 20th century.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Puxico , Missouri basketball team achieved state and national recognition. Their story is told in Matt Chaney's 1994 publication, My Name is Mr. Ryan , and it is a remarkable story. The 1950s was a decade of significant change in high school basketball. This is the decade of small school triumphs that became the basis of legendary and magical stories still told by sports fans across the nation who remember the great teams from Milan, Indiana; Cuba, Kentucky; and Hebron, Illinois But no team in American high school sports history became such an attraction as did the Puxico, Missouri Indians between 1949 and 1953. In four years the Puxico team won 149 games while losing only 10, in the process winning two state championships and accelerating the changing nature of high school basketball. The Puxico story is closely connected to Arnold Ryan, who began his coaching career in 1945 at the small Stoddard County community – with virtually no basketball

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Warren Eastman Hearnes became governor of Missouri. Born in Moline, Illinois, on July 24, 1923, Hearnes grew up in Charleston, Missouri, the county seat of Mississippi County, a place he called home for the remainder of his life. While in high school he determined that he wanted to attend West Point in pursuit of a military career. The desired appointment was received and he graduated from the academy in the class of 1946. In 1947, Hearnes married his high school sweetheart, Betty Cooper, a minister's daughter. While in the military he broke his ankle in a softball game, and on the last day of 1949 retired from the military. On that occasion, he said, there was no doubt that he was going to obtain a law degree - and enter politics. In typical Hearnes fashion, he became a member of the House of Representatives, and then received his law degree. He was energetic - and ambitious. He was soon majority floor leader, Secretary of State, and in 1964

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the city of Ironton, Missouri installed a series of historical markers to identify Civil War sites in the community. Of all the important historic sites in the Arcadia Valley, one that has great significance is where Ulysses S. Grant, on August 8, 1861, received notice of his promotion to the rank of brigadier general. Colonel Grant had been ordered to Pilot Knob and Ironton to control the terminus of the Iron Mountain Railroad used to transport essential iron ore to smelters in St. Louis, seventy miles to the north. When the thirty-nine year old brigadier assumed his command, he found that he was in charge of three thousand untrained and disorganized troops. His first challenge was to impose military discipline – and he moved quickly. Many officers had limited command of their troops. Many men still wore the clothes they had on when they enlisted in May and June. By August they were an ill-equipped and ragged force. Grant sent hundreds of them home,

It seems like Almost Yesterday when Professor A. C. Magill stated on February 19, 1955, that colleges are not buildings, classrooms, nor even libraries. Colleges, in his view, consisted of people: teachers, students and staff. And, he stated, one of the greatest teachers to ever serve Southeast Missouri State University was Henry Stephen Moore, a member of the faculty from 1904 to 1955, approximately 52 years. At Professor Moore’s retirement, President Parker commended him as a master teacher. Dr. Magill asserted that no Southeast professor had influenced the thinking of the leaders of the region as had Henry Moore. Moore was born on October 8, 1872 in Oran , Missouri. He attended Southeast from 1891 to 1895, and went on to study at the University of Missouri and the University of Leipzig, returning to Southeast as a professor in 1904. On July 1, 1905 Moore purchased land from R. B. Oliver on North Street and built a family home at 828 North Street, where the family lived until 1959

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the lead mining area of Southeast Missouri was caught up in a tense situation known as the “Flat River Riot.” From the early decades of the 18th century the lead of St. Francois County was of national importance. This was especially true when America was at war. The greatest demand for lead came in the early 20th century and during World War I, when approximately 70% of the national lead supply came from the Missouri “Lead Belt.” Much of the labor for the new American industry came from large numbers of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. Many of these immigrants came to St. Louis, and into Missouri’s mining regions. Many of the immigrants were brought in by the mine companies, others lured by the promise of a new life in a new land.Many of these alien miners were from countries that America went to war with in April of 1917, thus increasing tension with miners who were U. S. citizens. The alien miners were also not subject to the draft and

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the University of Missouri football team achieved one of its greatest victories. The date was Saturday, November 18, 1978 and the Missouri Tigers were in Lincoln, Nebraska to play the second-ranked Cornhuskers. Nebraska had won nines in a row, upset number-one ranked Oklahoma, and had their sights set on a national championship. Missouri entered the game with a record of six and four, and had lost two of their previous three games. Nebraska led by three points at the half, 31 to 28 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and appeared on their way to victory. But with four minutes and forty-two seconds to go, running back James Wilder, “The Sikeston Train,” powered his way into the end zone, scoring his fourth touchdown of the day, and gave Missouri a thrilling 35 to 31 victory. It remains one of the greatest moments in Missouri sports history. Wilder was born on May 12, 1958 on a farm outside of Sikeston. Always with a love for football, Wilder led

It seems like almost yesterday that a young man from Chaffee, Missouri, joined the United States Marine Corps. The date was October 24, 1933. And, the young man, John H. Craven, went through boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, and volunteered for sea duty in order to qualify for admission to the Naval Academy, the only visible option to him for acquiring a college education during the Great Depression. Craven was assigned to the battleship New Mexico where he served for 18 months. In May 1935, while his ship was in port in Pearl Harbor, Craven said that, "God spoke to me, and it was a clear call - like a still small voice." He added that, "I then had a wonderful experience of God's grace in my heart." From that inspirational moment Craven redirected his life to become a "preacher and a military Chaplain." He attended college and seminary while serving as a pastor in a number of small churches, and when World War II began he re-entered military service as a Navy Chaplain. During

It seems like almost yesterday that one of the great legends of Southeast Missouri was born. On the afternoon of August 14, 1902, William Helms, a farmer near Hopewell, Missouri stopped to water his horse in a stream under a railroad trestle near Irondale. As he turned to leave he heard the muffled cry of a child. To his great surprise he found the sound coming from a suitcase that was on the river’s bank at the water’s edge. Inside the suitcase he found a baby boy with an extra set of clothes and a spool of black thread. The 72 year old Helms quickly took the baby home to his wife, Sarah, who tenderly cared for the infant who they concluded had he been stuffed into the suitcase and deliberately thrown from an Iron Mountain Train as it passed over the river. The suitcase had landed on the bank, its fall broken by some bushes, and was found by Mr. Helms. Sarah named the youngster William Moses Gould Helms: William for the man who found him, Moses due to his being found by the river,

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a young man from Farmington, Missouri, walked on to the pitcher’s mound in New York’s Yankee Stadium for the first game in his major league baseball career. It was Saturday, June 28, 1980, when twenty-four year old Tim Lollar pitched the seventh and eighth innings against the Cleveland Indians, a game the Yankees won, eleven to ten. This game began a seven year, one-hundred ninety-nine game career by Lollar, who was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri in 1956. Lollar was familiar with major league baseball, having watched his father, Sherm Lollar, seventeen years a major leaguer. Following the completion of the second grade, Tim Lollar’s youth was spent in Farmington, Missouri, where he emerged as a talented player in bantam, midget, and Babe Ruth competition. At the age of sixteen he began playing American Legion Baseball, and attracted the attention of major league scouts. Upon graduation from high school, Lollar played at Mineral Area Community College

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the first commercial airplane landed at Chicago's Municipal Airport, later Midway Airport. The plane came in from Omaha, Nebraska, with passengers and several bags of mail. The date was December 1, 1927, and it was an historic first for aviation in Chicago. The Boeing Aircraft was piloted by Ira Oris Biffle, from Patton, Missouri. Biffle was born on September 14, 1886, the son of Valentine and Matilda Berry Biffle. Biffle spent his first eighteen years on the family farm between Patton and Marble Hill, Missouri, and there in 1904 he learned about the Wright Brothers and man's first flight. From that time forward the Bollinger County farm could not hold him. Within a decade he was one of America's first skilled aviators, air mail pilots, and aviation instructors. In 1915 he joined three other pilots to initiate the United States Army Air Corps, operating out of San Diego, California. During World War I Biffle may have trained more daring young men to

It seems like Almost Yesterday that hundreds of comic books and magazines, judged as indecent and unfit for children, were ceremonially burned in Cape Girardeau . The date was February 24, 1949, and the location was St. Mary’s High School on the corner of Sprigg and William Streets. This large burning was one of many that emerged across the nation in 1948-49, seeking to eliminate the perceived dangers of the “new” graphic comic books. In the Depression years of the 1930’s, comic books gained widespread popularity, and began to attract criticism for the vivid use of violence. But, World War II brought even greater use of graphic violence, and by the end of the war more than 60 million comic books per month were being sold in the United States. In 1948 critics of this new and popular form of entertainment found an articulate voice in Dr. Fredric Wertham, a German-born medical doctor, who blamed comic books for the troubling new behavior in youngsters. In 1948 Dr. Wertham published a

It seems like almost yesterday that George Frederick Bollinger led a contingent of North Carolinians across the Mississippi River into Missouri. The young Mr. Bollinger had visited the small community of Cape Girardeau in 1797, established a friendship with Louis Lorimier who encouraged him to return to North Carolina and bring more settlers to the area. Bollinger did so and after the autumn harvest of 1799 a group of eager adventurers set out from their farmsteads in North Carolina for the Missouri frontier. With George Frederick were his four brothers, John, Daniel, Philip, and Mathias; two nephews William and Henry Bollinger, and such friends and neighbors as: Joseph Nyswonger, John and Isaac Miller, Leonard Welker, Frederick Slinkard, Peter and Conrad Statler, Peter Crytes, John and Jacob Cotner, George and Peter Grount, and Frederick Limbaugh and a large number of family members. Their belongings were pulled west in covered wagons and carts by a variety of horse, oxen and human

It seems like almost yesterday that a meeting in a Farmington, Missouri coffee shop yielded a story about the theft of a doughnut from a local grocery store that made national news! It was September of 2007 when a middle-aged man entered the Farmington country mart grocery, picked up a freshly baked doughnut, placed it inside his sweat shirt, and left the store without paying for the fifty-two cent item. His actions were observed by an alert cashier who notified a co-worker, who followed the subject into the parking lot, and demanded that he return to the store to pay for doughnut. The man turned to leave, and the clerk tried to take his arm and lead him back into the store. At that point the man pushed the clerk and took off running. The police were called and within minutes “the Farmington doughnut thief” was in the local jail. When the charges were filed, in this seemingly minor case, suddenly, the doughnut thief found himself in a tough situation. A repeat offender, with a dozen or

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the landscape of Cape Girardeau featured a number of special places where residents could relax and enjoy a pleasant change of scenery. In the middle of the nineteenth century Franck’s Gardens on the hill along Jackson Road, now Broadway, was such a place. A product of the German migration to the region in the 1850s, this park-like beer garden was one of the social centers and “beauty spots” of the community for approximately four decades. Named for John A. Franck, but anglicized to “Frank”, the grounds included a mansion, beautiful gardens and varied amusements. A visitor in May of 1864, during the Civil War, described the grounds as a beautiful, green, and shady park, with exotic plants, extensive flower beds, and pleasant walking paths, all surrounded by rows of silver poplar trees. Children loved the swing sets, the ten pin bowling alley, and the town’s only Flying Dutchman. A long arbor extended to the back of the property to a small summer

It seems like Almost Yesterday that residents in the northern area of Cape Girardeau County established a new school which would bring together the students from six one-room country schools in the area. The country schools were crowded and located in wood-frame buildings that dated back to the 1800’s. The new modern building was complete and ready for occupancy at the beginning of the 1960-61 school year. It contained modern classrooms, a hot lunch program, a gymnasium, and indoor rest rooms. These were all new and modern features for the youngsters of the R-IV School District which stretched from the Mississippi River on the east, six miles to the west, and from the city limits of Cape Girardeau on the south, to Highway 177 on the north. Advocates of the new school were motivated by the county’s improved roads, accessibility to automobiles, the nation-wide movement for school consolidation, and the desire to enhance the teaching of science and math in the face of the Soviet launching

It was more than 90 years ago but it seems like Almost Yesterday that KFVS Radio first went on the air. It was the evening of June 22, 1925. Hundreds of citizens of Cape Girardeau gathered in front of the house at 318 South Frederick Street. The street was closed to traffic and the crowd gathered on the sidewalks and the yard and the living room of the Oscar W. Hirsch home. The windows were open and individuals pushed forward to both see and hear this historic event. Peg Meyers' Melody Kings was encircled by a curious audience. At precisely seven o'clock, the orchestra came alive with the first sounds of music broadcast from Cape Girardeau. Just moments after the conclusion of the first number, the telephone rang and a Mr. Danenmueller in Kelso said, "Keep it up. She's comin' in fine." From that time on, advertising for the Melody Kings promoted themselves as KFVS artists. The historic broadcast lasted less than two hours. From this evening on, here in the Hirsch living room, KFVS

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Walter W. Parker retired as president of Southeast Missouri State College. The date was July 1, 1956, and his 23 year tenure as president of the institution is the longest in its history. President Parker assumed the presidency of the small teacher’s college in July of 1933. Born in rural Howard County, Arkansas on January 17, 1889, Parker graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas with a degree in English, and began his career in education at Central Missouri State College as a young professor of English. Graduate work at Columbia University in New York enabled Professor Parker to advance to chairperson of his department, dean of the college, and later president of Northwest Oklahoma State Teachers College. When Parker assumed the presidency at Southeast in 1933 there were 637 students and 46 faculty members on the campus of five buildings. As president between 1933 and 1956, Parker saw the college grow to 1,715 students and 80 faculty. Five

It seems like almost yesterday that “the Father of American Physical culture” was born. He was the predecessor of Charles Atlas and a number of individuals who emphasized body building and nutrition as the keys to long and healthy life. Bernarr Macfadden was born on August 16, 1868 in the small community of Mill Spring, in Wayne County, Missouri. A weak and sickly child, he was orphaned at age eleven and sent to live with another Wayne County farm family where he found that hard work and good food made him strong and healthy. At age 13 he moved to St. Louis, obtained an indoor office job, and found that his health again declined. At that point he dedicated himself to a new lifestyle that included fasting and strenuous exercise. He believed that this routine would enable him to live to be 150 years of age. For the rest of his life he did not eat meat or bread, which he called the “Staff of Death.” Macfadden began numerous vegetarian restaurants, published over 100 books about his