Stories from Saturday, September 30, 1995

Incidents of hazing and other problems have tarnished the image of some fraternities and sororities across the nation. Following the 1993 hazing death of a Southeast Missouri State University student, membership in Greek organizations declined on campus. In 1989, Southeast's Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter charter was revoked by both the university and national fraternity following a videotaped date rape involving members...

What do you think of Cape Girardeau's public schools? Is the district where it ought to be? Are facilities adequate? What changes should the district undertake to become even better? It is not the first time the Cape Girardeau School District has solicited public opinion on the direction of the school district. Now a series of community meetings during October offer a convenient opportunity to help shape district goals for the next five years...

As lawlessness increases in our nation's cities, it's good to know that at New York's Central Park the lawbreakers don't always get away with their crimes. Central Park hosts its share of murders, muggings, rapes and assaults. It is a denizen for drug-peddling gangs and the dirtbags they attract. It's a good bet that all kinds of illicit behavior continues to flourish in the park...

Wearing a large straw hat with silk flowers, Jo Nelle Lingo said goodbye to her friends at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center during a reception Friday. Friends and colleagues offered hugs and good wishes for her retirement after 15 years as administrator of the program, which offers hot meals and activities to the elderly...

The region's AmeriCorps program operates from a basement office at Southeast Missouri State University. But it might as well be a bunker. The Republican-led House and Senate have voted to eliminate future funding for President Clinton's $470 million national service program...

Let's get some business out of the way for those of you with attention deficits. I'm doing a Halloween story on haunted houses, avoiding the usual Rose Theater, Lorimier Cemetery thing. I'm looking for people with not-so-famous houses in the quad-county area who have seen or heard weird things that they can't figure out...

IN REGARDS to the new federal building. What is wrong with building on to the present building? There is lots of space behind it and the building that they have now is in good shape. REPLY: There is a parking lot behind the existing federal building. But one of the goals of the new building is additional parking. Adding on to the existing building would eliminate all of the off-street parking...

Thomas Joseph Roddy, 42, of Ballwin, died Thursday, Sept. 28, 1995, at the home of his parents in Ballwin. He was born Dec. 22, 1952, in Overland, son of Joseph and Gloria Roddy. Roddy was a repairman and groundskeeper of an apartment complex. He was a member of Ballwin Baptist Church...

CHARLESTON -- Funeral service for Cleveland "Cleve" Farrell of Charleston will be held at 11 a.m. today at McMikle Funeral Home. The Rev. Bill Summers will officiate, with burial in Oak Grove Cemetery. Farrell, 67, died Thursday, Sept. 28, 1995, at his home...

MARBLE HILL -- Esther Cross, 83, of St. Louis died Thursday, Sept. 28, 1995, at St. Louis. She was born Jan. 26, 1912, at Marble Hill, the daughter of Grover and Lillie Lambert. Survivors include a daughter, Laverne Wesbecher of Chicago, Ill.; a sister, Cleta Wilferth of Cape Girardeau; and two grandchildren...

CHAFFEE -- Paul Albert Uhrhan, 75, of Chaffee, died Friday, Sept. 29, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 30, 1920, in Cape Girardeau, son of Ulrich and Alma Amanda Pobst Uhrhan. He and Coena Eichhorn were married May 30, 1944...

GIDEON -- Carl Franklin Cecil, 74, of Gideon, died Thursday, Sept. 28, 1995, at Gideon Care Center. He was born June 8, 1921, in Blytheville, Ark., son of Dennis John and Nora Glasscock Cecil. He and Mildred Kathryn Meadows were married Oct. 9, 1936, in Caruthersville. She died April 18, 1975...

The chairman of the St. Charles County Council was in Cape Girardeau Friday to announce his candidacy for state treasurer. The chairman, Carl Bearden, made a pitch for a "Republican revolution" at the University Center on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. He said Missouri was "stuck in the past" because of the state's 40-year, one-party rule in the Missouri General Assembly...

People from Southeast Missouri will walk together to raise money for the Kenny Rogers Cerebral Palsy Center on Saturday, Oct. 28. The 22nd annual walk will begin with registration at the Kmart store in Sikeston at 9:00 a.m. The walk will start at 10 and end at the Eagles Lodge on Trotter Street where members of the Eagles will provide lunch for participants...

The Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association of Southeast Missouri will sponsor National Depression Screening Day Thursday in conjunction with Mental Illness Awareness Week Oct. 1 through 7. The local screening will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Francis Medical Center in Conference Room A in the education department. The screening is free and confidential...

Parkinson's disease affects only 2 percent of the nation's population, but most victims are between the ages of 50 and 70. And with a growing elderly population in Southeast Missouri, there was a need for a Parkinson's disease support group. Desma Reno, a nurse who specializes in gerontology, started the group about a year ago. It meets the last Monday of the month at St. Francis Medical Center...

What started with a slight hand tremor progressed into a disease without a known cure for Sandi Gordon. Gordon, 37, of Kirkwood was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease shortly before giving birth to her fourth child in 1986. She spoke to about 20 members of the Parkinson's Disease Community Support Group Monday night. The group meets at St. Francis Medical Center on the last Monday of the month...

What began as a 12-bed clinic in a rented frame house more than 120 years ago has grown to become one of the largest and most comprehensive hospitals in the region. Today, as the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau approaches its 125th anniversary, the hospital is working to preserve its history...