Photos around Cape Archives

March 7, 2011March 7, 2011

Miss Cape Girardeau 1967

Miss Judy Mullins, a State College senior won the 1967 Miss Cape Girardeau title, The Missourian reported May 6, 1967.

Shoving modesty aside, I’ll have to mention the headline that ran directly beneath the Miss Cape piece: “Missourian Named Best Daily Newspaper in State.” Some kid named Kenneth L. Steinhoff won first places in News and Feature Photography, a second place in Sports Photography and two honorable mentions to help the paper score the points needed to capture the overall award.

Judy led from the very start

She was selected over 10 other contestants.

“Judges said Miss Mullins began gaining points at the very beginning during evening gown competition. They said her poise and posture came through strongly. Next, in swimsuit competition, Miss Mullins appearance again won her even more points, judges said. They judged her first in that.” [Where was I for the swimsuit competition?]

Did pantomime dance

“Following swimsuits, Miss Mullins did a pantomime [The Missourian spelled it “pantomine] dance in talent competition. And after becoming a finalist, she was questioned on her role in a recent College Theater production “Anything Goes.”

“‘Give us some idea of the work that went into that production,’ said Master of Ceremonies Jim Walling.

“Miss Mullins, whose measurements are 35-23-34, is the daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Russell M. Mullins, Jr., Farmington.”

I like the sidelines

Very seldom did my favorite photos make the newspaper, which, for some silly idea, wanted “news” photos. I liked stuff like the folks watching from the curtains. If you were in tight with the contest officials, you might get tipped off who the winner was going to be so you could be in the right position.

I put coronations and weddings in the same class: these are things you do NOT want to screw up. Brides and queens aren’t forgiving if you botch their big day.

Official newspaper photo

Here’s the photo that ran in the paper.

Miss Judy Mullins of Farmington, the first Miss Cape Girardeau, accepts a bouquet of roses from John Heskett at her coronation Friday night in Academic Hall Auditorium at State College. Jim Walling, master of ceremonies, is at right. Miss Cape Girardeau candidates pictured are, from left, Miss Jean Siemers of Cape Girardeau, Miss Mary Ann Rice of Fredericktown, Miss Vickie Boren and Miss Tana Austin of Cape Girardeau.

The court

“First runner-up Miss Mary Ann Rice, a state college freshman, won the talent competition. The Fredericktown co-ed sang “One Kiss.” Miss Rice recently was selected Miss Beautiful in the 1967 Miss Beautiful-Ugly Man contest as State College. She is the daughter of B.G. Rice.

“Miss Vicki Boren, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Boren, 1747 Oakley, is a senior at Central High School. She sang a number from Central High’s recent production of ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’

“Miss Kathryn Slinkard is a freshman at State College. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Slinkard, she sang a French medley.”

Tana Austin was Miss Congeniality

“Miss Tana Austin not only was chosen for the queen court but was also selected as Miss Congeniality. The daughter of Mrs. Opal Austin is a sophomore at State college and sang in talent competition.

“Other contestants were Miss Linda Young, State College sophomore from Little Rock, Ark.; Miss Rosemary Young, Central High School senior; Miss Jean Siemers, State College freshman.

“The 5-foot, four-inch blonde from Farmington will now represent Cape Girardeau in the Miss Missouri Pageant at Springfield this summer.

“Miss Mullins won a $250 scholarship, $100 in cash, a complete wardrobe and an expense-paid trip to Springfield.”

How much longer do we have to stick around?

I can identify with the guys on the right side of the stage checking their watches.

Photo Gallery of Miss Cape Girardeau contest

Click on any picture to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery.

March 6, 2011January 15, 2012

Old Trinity Lutheran Church Bell

I mentioned that my brother Mark, and I did the best we could to document the old Trinity Lutheran Church before it was torn down. I decided to run the photos over a period of time rather than dumping them all at once. These photos were taken of the bell in the bell tower in August of 1978. (I’ll deal with the clock later.) As always, click on any image to make it larger.

How’d the bell-ringer know when to ring?

He’d listen to the service on the radio shown here on the left.

Black and white was better

This is one of those cases where the photo worked better in black and white. Note how wavy the glass in the mirror is.

Bell striker looked like sledge hammer

The bell had a clapper hanging inside it like you normally see, but it also had something that looked like a sledge hammer that could serve as a striker. I’m sure someone will be able to explain when it was used.

Bell bought in 1866?

You never know who to believe. The bell has a date of 1867 on it. A Sept. 1, 1937, Missourian story quotes Theodore Bock, 84, 214 North Lorimier street, as saying that the bell was bought in 1866.

“Mr. Bock was a lad of 12, and was a pupil at the church’s school when the bell arrived. The church, then known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church, was on William Street, east of Frederick street. The first day the 5-foot bell was up, he recalls, it was rung all day by children and adults. Rev. Riedel was pastor at that time.

“The bell, when moved to the present Trinity Lutheran Church, Mr. Bock says, was placed above the clock. He states he does not know who did the work high in the air when the steeple was built, but said it might have been Mr. Fisher or Mr. Hoer, who were two of the No, 1 carpenters in Cape Girardeau in those days.”

Bell set by Bernard Bremermann

A Sept. 3, 1937 Missourian story said, “…it has been revealed that the late Bernard Bremermann, father of Mrs. Alvine Owens and Mrs. Rose B. Gordon, 324 North Ellis street, Herman Bremermann, 315 Broadway, and John H. Bremermann, 19 North Fountain St., placed the heavy bell high in the steeple where it is now.

Bremermann was a spectator, while those working at the steeple were wondering how to get the heavy bell up so high. Having been a sailor, Mr. Bremermann was schooled in climbing and volunteered to do the job. Mrs. Owens recalled that she was a child in grade school when her father came home telling of the incident. Mr. Bremermann was a merchant on Broadway. He had left home when he was 16 years old to go on a sailing vessel and had been a pilot on the Gulf of Mexico for years before coming here.”

Moved to new church

I wasn’t there to capture the setting of the bell at the new Trinity Lutheran Church like I was when the First Presbyterian Church bell was hung in 1965, but another Missourian photographer was.

The caption said “Lee Underwood and Ed Meinz of the Walter Brockmiller Construction Co., carefully lower a girder that will be attached to the crown of the Trinity Lutheran Church bell, which was hoisted Thursday into the tower of the church under construction at Themis and Frederick. Underwood and Meinz are standing in the tower shortly after the bell, part of the original Trinity Lutheran Church, was lowered into the tower by a crane.”

(Actually, The Missourian said it was lowered by a “crain” in the June 19, 1981, cutline. I guess that reporter hadn’t been around many construction jobs.)

Gallery of bell photos

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery.

March 3, 2011April 1, 2021

Trinity Lutheran Church Pledge Drive

While looking for a Trinity Lutheran School yearbook for a video I’m putting together, I found this Trinity Lutheran Church publication promoting a 1954 pledge drive with a goal of $225,000. This photo of the congregation caught my eye. It was put in the booklet so the left half was in the front and the back half was the next-to-last page. I joined the two halves together as best I could here.

I saved it at a higher resolution than usual, so you might be able to find yourself or someone you know if you click on it to make it larger.

This church no longer there

This church was razed just shy of its centennial, supposedly because of structural problems. Brother Mark and I crawled all over the building just before it was torn down documenting the attic, bell tower, organ pipes and other areas most folks have never seen. Those photos will run in the future.

Learned about fund-raising in Gastonia

One night when I was working in Gastonia, N.C., a couple of rowdy strangers on motorcycles started playing like they were something out of Marlon Brando’s The Wild One at a local drive-in restaurant. Just before things got ugly, a tall, lean Johhny Cash lookalike came into the picture and cowed the bikers and made them see the error of their ways. He also let it be known he’d be preaching at a tent revival on the edge of town. (You won’t be surprised to learn that the bikers traveled with the revival.)

I showed up and did a whole picture page on the old-time, sawdust-floor revival. There was much singing and writhing on the ground, speaking in tongues and passing of collection plates filled with loot. A photo of the latter was featured prominently on the page.

The next day, I’m sitting at my desk when I see the preacher striding down the hall toward me with his black coat trailing like Superman’s cape. I figured he wasn’t happy with the way I portrayed his revival.

On the contrary, he loved it

“Those were great pictures,” he gushed. “I’d like to hire to to come out tonight and take pictures of the crowd from all four corners. Show up about X o’clock and I’ll have ’em worked up real good by then. Shoot your pictures, then signal me when you’re done.” I think he promised me a hundred bucks, which was more than half a week’s pay in those days.

I showed up at the appointed time. True to his word, he had the crowd really rolling. I gave him a nod, then worked all four corners of the tent. When I had taken the last photo, I gave him the high sign.

“The Holy Ghost has spoken!”

“The Holy Ghost has spoken!” he shouted. “The Holy Ghost has spoken! We have to move on! We have to move on! Everyone back in your seat, please. The Holy Ghost has spoken.”

That was the biggest promotion I had ever gotten in my short career as a photographer. By the way, I got my cash up front for the pictures.

[Editor’s note: I draw no parallels between The Man in Black and Trinity’s pledge drive.]

“We must sacrifice to improve…”

I recognize several of these photos as having been taken in Trinity Hall at Trinity Lutheran School, an interesting old house that was torn down in 1967.

“…these crowded conditions”

I don’t recall being all that cramped, but I guess first or second graders don’t take up all that much room.

The whole fund-raising publication

I scanned the whole document into an Adobe pdf format. Click on the link below to download the whole fund-raising booklet with some church history and other things in it. Trinity Lutheran Church Pledge Drive Booklet

March 2, 2011

Mystery Men, Mystery Meat

Here’s another mystery photo. It looks like the meeting is being held in some kind of sporting location because this shot has a door marked Locker Room in it. On the other hand, I can’t think of any schools that allowed the serving of beer. (Take a look at the old-style carbon tetrachloride fire extinguisher on the wall.

Falstaff cups

I see some soft drink bottles in some photos, but this beverage is being dispensed into Falstaff cups. I can’t see the pictures on the wall clearly enough to identify them. They aren’t athletes. I wonder if these might have been taken at the Knights of Columbus building?

Mystery meat

Looks like the server is dishing out a Sloppy Joe. They were one of my favorite cafeteria foods in elementary school until one day when I ate one too many and got spun around on the playground. I haven’t been able to face another one to this day.

OK, folks, it’s up to you to fill in the blanks on this one.