Cape Girardeau History and Photos

September 11, 2013

Trinity School Then and Now

The wooden treads on these steps at Trinity Lutheran School had been hollowed out by generations of children, me included, going and down them. There was something special about those old dark steps, kept shiny by diligent janitors.

In case you were wondering, no, we didn’t have a super-strict dress code. These kids were probably on their way to or from Sunday School.

Wood replaced by steel

I’m glad to see the building is still there, but the wooden stairwells have been replaced by modern construction materials. I suppose they are easier to maintain and are a lot safer in case of a fire, but I bet they don’t have those creaks and squeaks I remember.

Playground was gravel

When I was in the lower grades, this playground was gravel. In fact, when I was in the lower grades, I don’t think the the two-story classroom building on the left had been built yet.

The tall building in the middle housed classrooms and administrative offices. The reddish brick building to the right was the gym / auditorium, with the cafeteria in the basement.

George Alt House being wrecked

I wrote about the history of the George Alt House, also known as Trinity Hall, last year. I could understand tearing the building down because of maintenance issues and a need for more space, but I was disappointed that the fine woodwork and windows weren’t salvaged.

Here are photos of the wrecking ball at work.

September 11, 2013

TWA before the TSA

I’m scratching my head trying to figure out where this airport was located. It was in a different era, for sure. (You can click on the photo to make it larger.)

There are no fancy jetways to protect you from the elements.
Most of the men are wearing ties, if not coats.
Passengers are wandering around the tarmac.
The observation deck is filled with spectators.

“Indian” something

When I blew up the tower (let’s rephrase that – When I enlarged the tower…), it looks like the word “Indian” is written on its side. It might be that part of the sign is cut off by the TWA terminal. I wonder if it says Indianapolis?

The photo was taken on March 27, 1967, but I can’t remember taking any trips involving flying around then. I made a trip out to see Jim Stone at Ohio University over spring break before transferring there in the fall, but I usually went to Athens by car or train.

I attended a National Press Photographers Association Flying Short Course in Peoria when I was still in Cape, but I distinctly remember taking the train to get there.

I didn’t start flying on a regular basis until the railroads killed off passenger service and the airlines started offering half-fare student standby tickets to hook a generation on air travel.

September 9, 2013

Colorful Fairs

The Southeast Missouri District Fair is in progress right now, so it is appropriate that I stumbled across these two color frames from a fair or carnival.

The only catch is that I don’t know for sure where they were taken. The slides were in the middle of some Cape negatives from the early 1960s, so I’m going to guess they were from the SEMO Fair.

They all run together

After you’ve shot midways for four decades in four states (more if you count bordering states in our circulation areas), they all start to blur together. Click on the photos to make them larger.

Here are some earlier stories and photos:

September 9, 2013

Roy Glass: 1931 – 2013

Roy Glass, 81, of Jackson, died Friday, September 6, 2013, at the Missouri Veterans Home. He served as principal of Alma Schrader School for 21 years.

I photographed him in 2010 when the school celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Missourian’s September 8 obituary read, in part, “He was born Oct. 3, 1931, in Biggers, Ark., son of Raymond H. and Nancy Hudgins Glass. Roy was a corporal in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Roy was an avid Cardinals fan, and enjoyed John Wayne movies and cattle farming.

Survivors include his wife, Iverne Glass of Jackson; a son, Kevin (Ann) Glass of Bowling Green, Mo.; a daughter, Marilyn (Kevin) Perego of Ballwin, Mo.; a brother, Douglas (Yvonne) Glass of Williamsville, N.Y.; seven grandchildren, Neil Glass, Kyle Glass, Kent Glass, Jeni Glass, Andy Glass, Paige Perego and Matt Perego; and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Ron Glass; and two brothers, Bill and Jim.

[Editor’s note: I don’t know when Missourian obits became so informal. We would never have referred to the deceased by a first name when I was writing them.]

Grandson used to play in gym

At the 50th anniversary, Roy’s grandson, Neil Glass, third from left, director of administrative services, said he used to ask his grandfather for the keys to the school so he could play in the gym when he was a kid.

“I hope you don’t get in trouble for that,” he joked. “I didn’t turn on the lights,” he added.