Almost Yesterday

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

It seems like Almost Yesterday that I first heard the song “On the Wings of a Dove.” This haunting melody was written by Robert Ferguson of Willow Springs, Missouri. In 1958 Ferguson was the manager of another Missourian , country singer Ferlin Husky. Husky was born and raised on a farm near Flat River, Missouri. Every Saturday night in the 1930s, the Husky family radio was tuned to the Grand Old Opry. Young Ferlin loved to sing and a family story is that his father traded a hen to a neighbor

It seems like almost yesterday that the state of Missouri acquired a state flag. The date was March 22, 1913, and this was part of a movement motivated by the development of aluminum flag poles, the 1893 Columbian exposition in Chicago, and the admission of three new states: Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona, all occurring in the early twentieth century. Only a few states had an official flag prior to 1900, but with the availability of sturdy aluminum flag poles states could hoist their banners

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Dr. Lee Turley was delivering babies and providing medical care to the residents of St. Francois County Missouri. For over 45 years, from 1890 to 1935, Dr. Turley became one of those legendary family doctors who became both physician and friend to three generations – and hundreds of families. Dr. Turley was born in 1862 and raised on a farm north and west of Bonne Terre. His grandfather, Aaron Turley, was one of the early settlers of St. Francois County, and

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.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that strangers entered the bank of Campbell, Missouri and made off with some of the community’s money. It was just a few moments after 3:00pm on November 11, 1933 when two men in fancy dark suits walked into the lobby of the small bank on Campbell’s Main Street. One of the men walked across the lobby, turned, displayed an automatic pistol, and announced “ This is a holdup!” John Ponder and Lulu Davis, cashier and bookkeeper, were attending the windows, taking care

It seems like almost yesterday that 15 students from Southeast Missouri State University set out to dribble a basketball from Cape Girardeau, Missouri to Evansville, Indiana. The Southeast basketball team of 1960-61 had a great record and qualified to play in the NCAA college division national tournament. To call attention to the team’s success and to rally support for their participation in the tournament, Southeast students Rudy Gardner and Jim Piatchek organized a 15-man dribbling team that

It seems like almost yesterday that the most devastating tornado in American history passed through Southeast Missouri. The F-5 tornado first touched down in Reynolds County , west of Ellington and stayed on the ground for approximately 220 miles, for three and one-half hours, crossing southern Missouri and Illinois, finally dissipating in southern Indiana. The severe storm, called the tri-state tornado, killed 695 people, injured 2,027 more, and resulted in over a billion dollars in property

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

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Elam Vangilder was playing baseball in the major leagues. “Big Elam,” was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on April 23, 1896, and began playing baseball at an early age. Following service in World War I, Vangilder returned home, picked up his bat and glove and tried out with the St. Louis Browns. He was assigned to Tulsa of the Class A Western League and there on August 20, 1919, the 23 year old pitcher earned recognition by stopping the 69 game hitting streak