SEWARD’S
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mm WkRSSP^ Territorial Library^
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VI, No. 49
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, DEC. 20, 1949
Price 10 Cents
94th Birthday Celebrated By
.* i
Peninsula Pioneer
“King For a Day” is the dis
tinctive title for John Steiffel,
on this, his 94th birthday. Mr.
Steiffel is a resident at Ocean
View Home in Seward, operated
by Mrs. Helen Moder Park.
Stieffel, born in Pennsylvania
of Dutch parents, is the oldest
pioneer on the Kenai Peninsula.
He came to Alaska in 1896. mak
ing the trip over the Dyea Trail
to Dawson, thence to Whitehorse
and down the Yukon Tliver. He
later prospected the entire Rich
ardson Highway area before the
road was put through. John says
the only reason he didn't go to
Fishwheel to make a stake is
because Mrs. Park wouldn't let
him go.
Since coming to the Territory
in ’96, John has not been Out
side and, he says, “I have no de
sire to go Outside.”
At 94 years of age, John keeps
the snow shoveled from the
walks at Ocean View and, being
a good gardener; raises many
beautiful flowers each year.
When the present Ocean View
Home was opened as a hospital
in 1918, it was John Stieffel who
carried the influenza patients in
to the building. He was the first
to take up residence there when
Mrs. Park opened the place in
its present capacity late in 1945.
Today, Dec. 20, 1949, John
Stieffel will sit down to a birth
day dinner wtih a two-tiered
birthday cake, baked and dec
orated and given to him by the
Seward Bakery. He will be
wearing a birthday gift sweater,
given to him by his “pin-up girl”
Dorothy Joan Savetilik, also a
resident at Ocean View.
Many happy returns of the
day, John Stieffel, Pioneer!
*Round '
*Bout Town . . .
—The Roving Reporter—
Mr. and Mrs. Cawthorn and
Mrs. Hurst were in town Mon
day. They are building a new
lodge at Moose Pass. 6 cabins
and restaurant. Expect to have
it open by early spring.
We're glad to hear some ac
commodations are being made
for tourists and wish them lots
of luck in their new venture.
Glenn Miller, mayor of Moose
Pass, was in town and also
Bunny Henton from Kenai
Lodge.
Big luscious, juicy steaks
were consumed by two of the
bowling teams, the Alley Aces
and Alley Acettes, Sunday nite
at Gabe s. The teams were spon
sored by Dreamland Bowling.
It was also a Christmas party
for the teams and the husbands
were asked to join in.
Dick Myers, Henry Olson and
John Smith have birthdays
round about the same time so
each year they celebrate to
gether. They and their wives
and Miss Lulu Shelia had steak
dinners at Gabo’s Saturday nite.
They later went to the Legion
Club and had Happy Birthday
sung to them. Miss Sheila is
leaving today by plane for a
trip to Minneapolis.
Mr. and Mrs. Frances Hall
from Homer visited the Pat
Friedes. The Friedes had a party
for them and took them to the
Nobby Club to dance.
Mr. Friede said he made the
trip to Homer last week in 5
hours. He checked the mileage
to be 183 miles. Said people
over there were still talking
about the reception they got
in Seward and are looking for
ward to a visit from us.
Mrs. Jones, who has a grocery
store in Homer, was also in
town.
The folks at the VFW dance
Saturday night were having a
good time. Saw some lovely
formals there. Emma Hammerly
looked especially lovely in her
yellow one.
Fred Lequier won the doll
and gave it to his “girl friend”,
baby Carlene Gage. He said the
doll is bigger than she is.
Del Robbins won a turkey as
a door prize.
Bea Davis, Helen Waialiale,
Paul Rudolph, Phil Sanders,
and Hubert Vanberg made up
the orchestra and gave forth
with some peppy music.
%
The Elks Club are having a
Christmas party Dec. 20, fea
turing Smorgasbord and music.
The exchange of gifts will take
place at 9 p.m.
Bonnie Harris has a secret
she won't tell us. Just said we'd
be seeing her around more after
the 20th of next month. Won
der who it is that’s coming
back about then? Give! Bonnie.
&
Jimmy Webb was dismissed
from the hospital Wednesday,
the 14th, and is reported doing
nicely.
, Uf
Bev Renwald, daughter of
Mrs. Emma Renwald, and Lila
Thorsen, daughter of Mrs. Andy
Novak^ students of the college
at Fairbanks, flew in this morn
ing for Christmas vacation. Ed
Renwald came in last Wednes
day after being Outside.
Mr. and Mrs. Heinie Werner
also came in on today's plane
after a vacation in the states.
The W. S. C. S. Christmas
party is being held Thursday
nite at the Methodist Church.
H?
Rev. A. O. Odegaard will
hold services in the Lutheran
Church on Christmas. They will
have their Christmas party Mon
day evening.
5i?
Sid says he expects his mistle
toe in any day now and has had
many inquiries about it from
the girls. Are they getting anx
ious? Seems as tho' they want
to jump the gun on usage of
the little white berries. Can
you blame them? Who wants
to hear the song “Let her go,
Joe—let her go.”
It used to be that when a
girl bought the sweet parasite
she took only one or two twigs,
suspended one from a chande
lier, the other from an archway
bearing most male traffic. Now
she wants it in the kitchen, too.
When a man buys the stuff,
one sprig satisfies him. He
wants his white berries to be
portable, ready for quick action.
He carries it in his pocket or
sticks it in his coat lapel. His
theory is, all that is necessary
to make the smooch legal is
to hold the berries over -the
shiny locks and then put on the
pucker quickly. At Yuletide
there are more bugs than gifts
exchanged — but such nice
bugs!
Mrs. Tom Howell is enter
taining her pinochle club this
evening. She* was telling about
an unusual game of pinochle
she had a few weeks ago at
Barbara Bedford’s party. During
four hands she held double pi
nochle and double trump twice.
S&
Heard Sourdough Bill is tak
ing another trip—left on the
Baranof last week.
H. E. Falkenhainer, 47,!
BPR Employee,
Dies Suddenly Here
Harold E. Falkenhainer, 41,
an employe of the Bureau of
Public Roads in the Seward
office, died suddenly on Sat
urday morning, Dec. 17. He suf
fered a heart attack shortly
after engaging in target shoot-1
ing practice’ at the old rifle j
range near th£ Sanatorium.
The body was returned to
Seward by Baird French, who
was with him at the time of
his death.
Mr. Falkenhainer, or “Hal”
as he was known by his friends,
only recently arrived in Seward
from Washington, D. C., but
during his short stay here he
had made many friends and
on several occassions expressed
how much he liked Seward.
Mr. Falkenhainer had been
employed by the Bureau of
Public Roads for some years
past and had worked on the
construction of the Alaska High
way and also on roads in
Turkey.
It is expected that his body
will be shipped to the States for
burial at his home there as
soon as word is received from
his surviving! relatives.
Thanks For Tree For
Treeless Island
The following note of thanks
was received at the Record Of
j fice this week with the request
| that it be published:
"The people of Chignik. Alas
ka, wish to express their sincere
thanks for the Christmas trees
which were sent them by the
people of Seward. They help
make Christmas for us.
“Sincerely,
“Hilda J. Hughes,
A.N.S. Teacher"
Girl Scouts To Sing
Christmas Carols
The Seward Troop of Girl
Scouts will meet at the Bank
corner at 6:30 Thursday eve
ning, then sing Christmas carols
at various points in town end
! ing at the hospital at 7:30.
They will be accompanied by
I the Scoutmistress, '‘Miss Alice
Hussey, and assistant Scoutmis
tress. Miss Elizabeth Trout.
After their carols the girls will
stop at the Rectory of St. Peter's
Church where Mrs. Clapp has
| invited them to hot chocolate
i and cookies. Mrs. Clapp will be
| assisted as hostess by assistant
Scountmistress, Mrs. Bate Bond,
j The Girl Scouts, 25 in number
will have their own Christmas
party on Wednesday afternoon
in the high school gymnasium.
IN APPRECIATION
Our thanks and appreciation
to all business houses and per
sons who so generously helped
us pul on our Christmas dance, i
VETERANS OF FOREIGN
WARS. Seward Post 3886.
LADIES V.F.W. AUXILIARY J
ASSEMBLY OF GOD
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
A selection of recitations,
songs and a Christmas film,
“When the Littlest Camel
Knelt,” a Cathedral Film, will
be on the program which will
be presented Thursday evening,
December 22, at 7:30 p.m. Each
child present will receive a
treat.
A large group gathered at
the home of Rev. Malcoms last
week for a Christmas party I
which was a great success, j
Games were played and carols j
sung. The refreshments consist
ed of sandwiches, cake, cookies,
fruit jello, coffee and punch.
The party concluded with an
exchange of gifts. The party
was given by the losing team
in the Sunday School contest.
Rev. Irwin Reports On Trip
To New York Conference
No Word On Denali
Dispute In Seattle
No word has been received
here as of noon today concern
ing the jurisdictional dispute
between the AF of L and CIO
groups of ship stewards, accord
ing to W. W. Sipprell, agent for
Alaska Steamship Company.
The dispute seems to have
arisen over the alleged beating
of a member of the Pacific Ma
rine Stewards’ Union, AF of L,
by a member of the Marine
Cooks and Stewards' Union,
CIO, when he went aboard the
SS Denali in the port of Seattle
on Dec. 16th.
The most recent flareup is
a continuation of an older dis
pute which is being heard by
the National Labor Relations
Board, but which has been re
cessed until Jan. 4, 1950.
It is not known here whether
local shipping will be effected
by the latest dispute, but offi
cials of Alaska Steamship Com
pany feel that at least Christ
mas shipping will continue as
scheduled.
Get Your 1950 Drivers
License By Jan. 15
The following communication
from the Highway Patrol warns
all Alaskans that their 1949 ve
hicle license plates become void
the 31st of December and that
each operator must have cur
rent and valid Territorial oper
ator's license in his car or on
his person at all times whne
driving.
The new plates are now
available at the City Clerk's
office and people are urged to
get them at their earliest con
venience as January 15th is
the dead line. Anyone found
operating a vehicle after Jan.
15th without having two 1950
license plates properly posted
or without a current and valid
operator's license will be given
Court summons.
Kids' Christmas Tree
Friday Night
Santa Claus will be at the
school on Friday night at the
Community Christmas Tree
when he will have a treat for
every child in town.
To help him in his activities,
the school children from the
first % to eighth grades will pre
sent a Christmas Pageant, under
the direction of Miss Shirley
Calnan, music director, and
teachers.
All organizations in Seward
have contributed toward the
treat for the children, which
has been handled for several
years by Parent-Teachers Asso
ciation. This year will be the
biggest celebration ever held as
there are not only 50 more chil
dren in school than in previous
years, but many more pre-school
children to be remembered.
HOMER PLAYERS POSTPONE
SEWARD APPEARANCE
Word was received Tuesday
from Mr. A. Christensen, of
Homer, that because of illness
in the cast, rehearsals for the
play have been delayed. This
will make it impossible to pre
sent their play in Seward at the
January get-together as planned.
Mr. Christensen asked for ma
terial and plans for the gather
ing so as to promote the pro
gram over there. Plans are go
ing forward here with enthusi
asm and gaining momentum
every day. After the holidays
the public will be asked to
enter into full participation.
Rev. Paul Irwin reported on
his recent trip as delegate from
Seward to the rneetihg of the
Board of Education of the Meth
odist Church, Buck Hill Falls,
New York on Dec. 5, at a dinner
held in the Methodist Church
dining room last Friday evening.
Seward’s delegate gave a step
by-step account of his trip and
told of the people he had con
tacted and their reactions to
ward Seward as the possible
location of a liberal arts col
lege planned for establishment
somewhere in Alaska by the
Methodist Church Board of Ed
ucation. A committee was set up
at the meeting in Buck Hill
Falls to act in behalf of the
project.
Of great importance is the
fact that, although some terri
torial newspapers have reported
otherwise, a location for the
college has not been chosen as
yet, and Seward, it is felt, has
as good a chance as any to be
chosen.
Since Rev. Irwin’s return, in
formation has been received
that tiie next meeting of the
committee will be held on April
17, 1950, at Cleveland, Ohio,
: at which time the committee ex
1 pects to deal definitely with the
I selection of a location for the
: college.
It has been pointed out that
! Seward must not slacken efforts
j in its attempt to have this be
I the chosen city,
j It is also desirable that let
i ters be sent by Sewardites to
| the committee members, thank
ing them for the consideration
: shown the delegate. Write to
Bishop A. Frank Smith, Hous
j ton, Texas; Bishop Gerald Ken
I nedy, Journal Bldg., Portland,
i Oregon; Dr. Earl R. Brown,
I 150 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y..
i Dr. Gordon Gould, 1701 Arch
j Street, Philadelphia, Pa.; and
j Dr. John Gross, Board of Edu
I cation. Medical Arts Bldg.,
J Nashville, Tenn.
j At Friday's meeting decision
. was made that a citizen's com
I mittee be organized to continue
work on the project until the
final decision is made. Organi
zation of the committee will be
' promoted by the Lions Club and
; it is expected the committee will
j be in operation soon after Jan. 1.
The committee will be composed
of delegates from interested
Seward organizations.
OsboVGets School
Lighting Contract
Osbo's Supply was awarded
the contract for relighting the
old school building by the City
Council Monday night in regu
lar session.
Of the three bids submitted
Osbo’s was the lowest on speci
fications which will bring the
old building to the same degree
of correct lighting as that in
the recently completed addition.
As soon as a contract can be
drawn up work wil begin on
the correction of inadequate
lighting in the building.
4
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