Or JUUin
Thought of the Week:
Make friends whenever you
have the opportunity; your en
j emies will make themselves.
BOX 2051
JUNEAU ALASKA
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
Palmer High Band, Choru*
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Central School Auditorium
Dec. 19 8 PM.
VOLUME 15. NUMBER 12
PALMER, ALASKA THURSDAY. DEC. 13. 1962
EIGHT PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
I Reporters—
Notebook
Mr. and Mrs. Ralnh Moore
will leave Dec. 15 for an ex
tended trip throughout south
west United States. They will
be accompanied as far as Seat
tle by Paul Stringfield, who
will vacation in Montana, while
the Moores go on to Kansas
City, Missouri, where they
will take delivery on a new car.
They will visit relatives in Mis
souri, then will go on to Cali
fornia. Ralph plans stops at
electric cooperatives along
their route, where he will con
fer with power use advisors.
The Moores expect to be back
in Palmer by March 1.
* * *
Mr. and Mrs. Neal Wright re
turned home last weekend
after a vacation of several
weeks in San Francisco and in
Seattle, where they visited
daughter Bridgie.
* * *
Maurice L. Johnson, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Johan A. Johnson
of Palmer, and Chester L. Bur
den, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs.
Chester L. Burden, Sr. of Was
illa. are scheduled to complete
recruit training Dec. 14 at the
Training Center, San Diego*
California.
During the training, recruits
receive tests and interviews
which determine future train
ing and assignments.
Visiting the Matanuska Val
ley area last week was Gay L.
Bullis of Seattle. Mr. Bullis,
who has his own accounting
firm, made his yearly trip to
Palmer consulting with local
clients.
• * •
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cisco
(Dorothy Hoffman) and their
four children returned to Pal
mer yesterday after spending
the past year arid a half in
Arkansas. The Ciscos plan to
re-establish a home here.
• • •
Mr. and Mrs. Allan Linn and
sons Kevin and Kelly left this
morning for Christmas vaca
tion Outside. The Linns will
drive to Seattle where they
will visit Allan’s sister, Mrs.
Mary Ann Neagel, a former
Valley resident, then will go on
to Portland, where Bernice
and the boys will make an ex
tended stay with her parents.
Allan plans to return to Pal
mer on Jan. 1.
RAD Committee
nans Dairy Form
The dairy committee of the
Rural Areas Development
board plans to sponsor a Dairy
Forum the last week of Janu
ary to clarify some of the prob
lems of production and market
ing of milk in the Valley, ac
cording to Jim Wilson, chair
man of the committee.
It is expected that represen
tatives of the military, Greater
Anchorage Health District,
American Dairy Association
and other interested groups
will be invited to express their
policies and explain their pro
grams and procedures for fur
ther discussion of the group at
tending.
The forum idea grew out of
a request from the American
Dairy Association of Alaska
board of directors for the RAD
group to assist in smoothing
out the confusion concerning
some of the regulatory and
purchasing programs experien
ced last fall.
THEY'RE HERE
NORTHWEST EVERGREENS
MISTLETOE
HOLLY
PLEASE PLACE YOUR
POINSETTIA ORDER
EARLY
MAUD'S FLOWERS
PI 5-4056
Palmer Gets $120,000 Federal Grant
GRANGE HONORS PIONEER ALASKANS AT SPECIAL MEETING
MR. AND MRS. M. D. SNODGRASS were
among seven Northland Pioneer Grange
members presented with 25-year pins at
a special meeting Nov. 29. Johan Johnson,
Master of the local organization, pointed
out that Mrs. Snodgrass actually joined
the Grange in Kansas more than 50 years
ago.
Both Milton D. and Margaret J. Snod
grass are graduates of Kansas State Col
lege, she with an education major in 1905,
he in agriculture in 1906. Married in 1907,
they came to Kodiak in the same year to
establish a livestock experiment station.
After ten years, there, Mr. Snodgrass es
tablished the site of the Matanuska sta
tion.
In 1917, they went to Fairbanks where
they lived until 1923, then spent the 1923
29 years at the Matanuska experiment
farm. From 1929 to 1935, Mr. Snodgrass
was agricultural agent for the Alaska Rail
road, retiring in February of 1935.
Honored at a special meet
ing of the Northland Pioneer
Grange on Nov. 29 were seven
long-time Valley residents,
each of whom was presented
with a 25-year pin. They are
Mr. and Mrs. M. D. Snodgrass,
Mt\ and Mrs. L. P. Rorrison,
; Lila Newvflle, William Hos
kins, and Paul Stringfield.
The Grange, a rural frater
nity, was organized in the fall
of 1934 by a group meeting at
the Matanuska Experiment
Farm. Present were the Snod
grasses, Hoskins, and String
field. The coming of the colon
ists the next spring provided
many more potential members,
among whom were the Rorri
sons and Mrs. Newville.
The Grange can list among
its projects rural mail service,
cooperative telephone and elec
tric facilities, the Matanuska
Valley farm cooperative, t he
Palmer airport, and the Matan
uska Valley fair, according to
Grange Master Johan Johnson.
UP CHURCH PRESENTS
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
The United Protestant Church
School will present its annual
Christmas program on Sunday,
Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. in the church.
Children from kindergarten
through the upper grades will
participate in group singing,
which will accompany a series
of slides of the Christmas story,
prepared by the junior high
class of the church school.
BUDDY WOODS SHARES HOHORS WITH
WASHINGTON, LINCOLN, BETSY ROSS
“And lo, the name of Buddy
Woods led all the rest...”
At least, it does in a certain
sixth grade classroom in Elk
hart, Indiana.
Back in the summer of 1961,
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin McCavit,
Ski Bus Makts
Firs! Run Dac. 15
The first ski bus to the In
dependence mine area will run
this Saturday, according to the
Palmer PTA ski committee.
Through the generosity of the
City of Palmer, the Kiwanis
Club, the Sportsmen’s Club,
and the Moose Club, sufficient
funds have been raised to as
sure the operation of the bus
throughout the winter.
The bus, which will be op
erated by the Palmer Indepen
dent School District, will leave
Central school at 9:00 a.m., and
will return at about 4:00 p.m.
It is open to all students of the
Palmer schools. The round trip
fare is 50 cents, and a reduced
charge of 50 cents will be made
at the ski area for use of the
tow. Parents are invited to act
as supervisors on the trip, but
the number of adults that can
be carried will be limited by
the available space.
with their sons Kim and Tim,
visited their son and daughter
in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Keith. Mc
Cavit of Palmer; Ahilfihght of
their trip was a flight over the
Knik glacier area, with brand
new commercial pilot Buddy
Woods.
Twelve-year old Kim told a
number of his friends back in
Elkhart about his Alaskan ad
ventures, particularly the plane
flight.
Not long ago, Kim’s teacher
asked the class to write the
name of a famous person on a
slip of paper and drop it in a
hat, from which would be
drawn several names for a roll
of honor.
Names were drawn, read,
and recorded.
“Buddy Woods?” asked the
puzzled teacher. “Who is Bud
dy Woods?
Several hands went up, and
the chosen youngster answered,
“Buddy Woods is a famous
bush pilot in Palmer, Alaska,
who also flies for the Geologi
cal Survey. Kim McCavit told
me all about him.”
On a blackboard in Elkhart,
along with George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln, and Betsy
Ross, is the name of a famous
Alaskan bush pilot, Buddy
Woods.
CHORUS, BAND
PRESENT JOINT
HOLIDAY CONCERT
By Mary Boolhby
and Leonard Reid
The joint Christmas Concert
of the Palmer High School band
and chorus will be presented
Wednesday. Dec. 19, at 8 p.m.
in the Central school gymnasi
um. There will be no admis
sion charge.
Music traditional to the holi
day season will be featured in
selections by the chorus, un- i
der the direction of Mrs. Lois
Weldon. However, there will
be very little Christmas music
in the band program, which Lee
Plumbley will direct.
Some of the quite lengthy
i arrangements which the band
will play are “Prelude and Fu
gue in D Minor,” by Johann
Sabastian Bach; “Totem Pole
Concert March,” by Eric Oster
ling; “Celebrated Air,” by
ohann Sebastian Bach; “Trum
j pet Voluntary,” by Henry Pur
cell; and “Adoramus Te,” ar
| ranged by director Plumbley.
The massed chorus will sing
! “Carol of the Bells,” “Gesu
Bambino,” “Silver Bells," “An
gels Have Heard on High,” and
| “Rejoice and Be Merry."
> Student director David Mar
tin will direct the mass chorus
| in the song, “Wassail.”
Madrigal, a small group of
; round table singers, will sing
; “Dona Nobis Pacem,” “Shep
herds Hark the Song,” and “Lo
| How a Rose E’er Blooming.”
Beth Estelle, soprano, will
sing a solo, “A Christmas Lul
laby,” and Fred Dundas will
sing the traditional “White
Christmas.” “O Holy Night”
will be sung by David Martin,
and Nada Stinger, alto, will
sing “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.”
The final numbers, “While
Shepherds Watched their
Flocks," and “God Rest You
Merry Gentlemen," will be
sung by the girls’ glee club.
The directors and members
of the band and chorus have
extended a cordial invitation to
the public to attend.
LEMON CASE GETS
POSTPONEMENT
The preliminary hearing in
the assault charges brought
against John Lemon, Wasilla
businessman, by Lloyd J. Re
bischke of Anchorage has been
postponed to tomorrow, Dec.
14, at 9 a.m. The hearing had
previously been scheduled for
last Monday, but a postpone
ment was asked by Wendell
Kay, Lemon’s attorney, who
did not have an opportunity to
see a copy of the indictment
until court convened on Mon
day.
Although charges brought
last summer after a trespassing
incident on the Lemon proper
ty were thrown out of Court,
the plaintiff has since then ap
pealed the case.
Sum Is Third Of
Sewer Project Cost
A federal grant of $120,000 to !
the City of Palmer has been'
approved by the Department of
Health, Education, and Wel
fare. according to a wire from
the Alaskan delegation to Con
gress which was read to mem-,
bers of the City Council at the
Dec, 11 meeting. The grant
comprises the federal share of,
a project for sewage treatment
facilities, interceptors, and out
falls, the wire stated. The total
estimated cost of the Palmer1
sewage treatment and dispos
al project is about $410,000.
* * *
Ted Schmidtke, representing
the Palmer park committee.,
appeared before the council to
request that last year's $350,
unused appropriation for parkJ
improvements be reassigned to,
the park. It was pointed out
that unused appropriations go
back into the general fund at
the end of the fiscal year, and
that the money has already:
been budgeted for other pur-'
poses; also that this year’s
budgeted appropriations for
the park is approximately $400.
Schmidtke stated that the park'
committee plans to install lava
tories and plumbing fixtures at1
the park this year, also to im-'
prove camper facilities, and!
that both last year’s and this ]
year’s appropriations will be '
needed. A motion that the bud
get allowances to the park de
partment be increased by $350
was unanimously approved by
the council.
Another visitor, Mrs. Joyce
Luther, appeared as a repre
' sentative of the Palmer PTA'
ski program, asking for coun
cil approval of and a contribu
tion to the program. Under the
PTA plan, a regular schedule
of Saturday trips would be
made to the Independence;
mine ski area, with a nominal'
fee charged for the round trip,
by bus and for the use of the:
tow. The cost would be $350,
Mrs. Luther said, stating that
$150 in donations have already
been received from other or
ganizations. A motion to con-'
tribute $200 to the PTA ski
program was approved by the
council, with one dissenting
vote. i
A delegation of airmen,
Clyde King, Bill Kucera, and
Buddy Woods, requested that
the city act as a bookkeeping I
agent for them in dispensing
funds earned by the group at
the recent hangar party for1
maintenance of lights and pay-1
ment of electric bills at the air-; I
port. Clyde King also said that,
the airmen need the backing of
an organized group, since they !
are faced with the possibility of
the airport’s being taken over
by the state. Council agreed to
table the discussion, and to
ask that Eugene Roguszka, An- j
chorage, director of the Divi
sion of Aviation, be present at
Weekend Storm Sets Velocity Record
Gales which hit the Matanus
ka Valley last Saturday and
Sunday were the highest sus
tained winds recorded by the
wind velocity recording station
at the Alaska Agricultural Ex
periment Station since it was
set up in November, 1957, G.
Ivan Branton, agricultural en
gineer, said this week.
The winds, which reached
gale velocity about 4 a.m. Sat
urday, hit 75 miles per hour,
three times that day, with high
est recorded time 76 Vt MPH at
3:45 p.m., Branton said.
Gusts up to 74 MPH were re
corded on Sunday. The chart
averaged .about 40 MPH for the
two days.
Although the recording sta
tion has previously noted winds
up to 76 MPH during previous
storms, there has never been
a higher figure before last
weekend’s storm, and never
three times in one day, Bran
ton stated.
The Frank Crawford home in
Wasilla was destroyed when
the gale winds blew the roof
off, and numerous cases of less
serious damage to home, equip
ment, and aircraft were report
ed throughout the area.
MEA and MTA reported
numerous outages throughout
the emergency, and both or
ganizations had trouble crews
working throughout Saturday
night, and all day and into the
evening on Sunday.
There was a total of 29 elec
tric power outages, according
to Mason LaZelle, MEA mana
ger, with the Chickaloon-Saw
mill Site line out the longest,
23 hours. Jonesville power was
off 15 hours, Butte four hours,
Big Lake two hours, the Wasil
! la Road-Fairview Road-Matan
uska Road area between two
and seven hours, Meadow
Lakes four and a half hours,
and Swamp Lake two and
a half hours.
In all these areas there were
individual members who went
without power for longer peri
ods because of communication
problems, the manager said.
MEA supervisors worked
with the crews throughout the
night on Saturday and all day
Sunday. Average time worked
by personnel without a break
was 17 hours, some of whom
had a break for one or two
hours, then served another 11,
LaZelle said. Six crews of 17
men worked straight through
Saturday night.
About 200 calls were receiv
ed from members facing a var
iety of serious problems caused
by lack of power, the manager
noted, adding that he has been
through many protracted emer
gency periods under storm con
ditions, and has never before
witnessed such a degree of tol
erance and understanding on
the part of consumers.
He also praised the men for
their willingness to put in long
hours under hazardous condi
tions, increased when crews
become exhausted.
Cleanup work is still contin
uing, LaZelle said.
Max Clements, MTA man
ager, reported telephone out-1
ages in the Big Lake, Knik, |
Wasilla, Butte, and Sutton >
areas. MTA crews worked Sat
urday night and all day Sun
day, with most services restor
i ed by Monday.
a special meeting on Dec. 18.
fCity personnel contacted Rog
iiszka yesterday, who said that
he has a projected Juneau trip
this week, but that if he has
no trouble making connections
he will be here for the Dec.
18 rneeting.)
A letter was read from the
Pippel Insurance Agency, ask
ing if renewal of the compre- .
hensive general liability insur
ance policy is desired. A mo
tion to call for bids for com
prehensive general liability in
surance for the coming year
was unanimously approved.
A letter from the Palmer
Public Library Association was
read asking for its annual
grant of $400, and stating its
interest in using space in the
city hall when the expansion
program is completed. Council
approved a motion to pay the
$400 budget allotment to the
library.
A letter from Mason LaZelle
was read, referring to the city’s
agreement with the state to
dispense funds for maintenance
of the airport, and suggesting
that the snow cover needs to
rolled down immediately after
snowfall to insure a cover on
the runways and. to eliminate
the hazard of rocks to ski
equipped planes. The letter also
discussed the growing need for
the airport and called it a valu
able tool to the development of
the city.
Bids for the police car
were opened, with the council
| approving a motion to accept
the apparent low bid of Hartley
Motors in the amount of $2,
798.11 for the vehicle and $254.
50 for the siren. Councilman
Geiwitz cast a negative vote,
emphasizing that it was based,
not on opposition to the bid, but
on his previous stand that a
new police car is not necessary
at this time. The only other bid
was from Kirk's Sales and Ser
vice, in the amount of $2,993.98
for the car and $285 for the sir
en.
a motion was mane to return
unppened the only bid received
for the police department ra
dios, and to ask prospective
bidders to submit their own
specifications at the special
meeting on Dec. 18. also to
bring their radios for a demon
stration to the council. The mo
tion was passed unanimously.
Council approved a motion to
purchase a set of Alaska Sta
tutes and Rules of Court Proce
dure in the amount of $125.
A motion was approved to
pay city street department em
ployees overtime, at the regu
lar rate of pay, for work ex
ceeding 40 hours per week
when the extra time is employ
ed in clearing sections of the
state highways within the city
limits. It was pointed out that
when street department em
ployees work overtime on city
jobs, they take off compensa
tory time from work and are
not paid overtime.
(Editor’s note. The balance
of the City Council report will
be published next week.)
COMMITTEE ASKS
CHRISTMAS HELP
Valley residents who know
of needy families are asked to
submit their names to Dorothy
Saxton, Helen Maze, or to the
Frontiersman for reference to
local organizations who wish to
make up Christmas baskets for
distribution to those who would
otherwise have no real holiday.
The health nurse, the school
nurse, and the deputy district
magistrate act each year as a
central committee to insure
equitable distribution for indi
viduals and groups who would
like to share with others at
Christmastime.
Annual Fellowship Dinner
DECEMBER 15-7 P.M. - MOOSE MALI
SI.50 nr pertea - Fm to Feltows .
•mm to Falkv-Maaaa Neafcers « Wives