Library & Museum
Juneau, Alaska
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VOL. 23, NO. 12 KODIAK, ALASKA, MARCH 22, 1963 PRICE TEN CENTS
Benny Says Thanks To Everyone
During a man’s lifetime he meets many people and makes many
friends. The friends that he makes are seldom realized until such a
time as sickness or financial difficulties or a combination of both
takes place.
In my particular case. I was faced with surgery—the results of
which were questionable. Along with the extensive surgery I was
faced with medical bills which seemed to me to be impossible to
take care of for years to come.
A group of people in Kodiak started the Benny Benson Fund.
I must admit that when I first heard of it, I felt a certain amount
of resentment, but as time went on this resentment changed into the
deepest gratitude that I have ever known.
If it was possible to thank each and everyone of you personally
I would gladly do it, but a number of people remained anonymous.
Even the youngsters that stopped at the Mirror office to those who
held high offices in our State and Federal Government—all through
our State of Alaska and to those in the Lower 48, I would like to
say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Your Friend,
Benny Benson
Elks To Install
Newly Elected
Officers, April 5
Russ Panchot
New officers will be installed on
Friday, April 5, by Elks Lodge 1772
of Kodiak.
Taking over the post of Exalted
Ruler will be Russ Panchot.
Other officers and the positions
they will hold are as follows: Ed
Ogborn, Esteemed Leading Knight;
(Continued On Page 4)
Along
The
Waterfront
By Karl Armstrong
Elsewhere in this issue you will
find Rep. Gil Jarvela’s reply on the
halibut mess. We are NOT in agree
ment with him as we feel he should
back up to the hilt the stand of our
Kodiak fishermen. And this goes
for our good friend, Sen. Bob Bart
lett also, whom we are loathe to
criticize but whom we feel is not
taking a strong enough position on
this halibut issue. We wonder if
the popular senator’s political
skirts are gonna be expansive
enough for all those scooting be
hind them???
(Continued on Page 9)
Festival Parade
One Of Highlights
King Crab Fiesta
A highlight of this year’s King
Crab Festival, May 3-5, will be the
annual Festival Parade.
Ray Martin, chairman of the
(Continued on Page 4)
— Kodiak Kapsules —
(By Bill Mason)
This past Sunday Island Lake
as well as many of the other
small lakes around here were
completely free of ice.
As Ole Johnson pointed out
there are few residents in Kodiak
who can remember such a condi
tion existing on St. Patrick’s Day
* * * •
LETTER FROM SEATTLE
Dear Mr. Mason:
J very much appreciated your
letter of March 4, 1963, along with
the check for $500. We had uo
idea that a drive was being initi
ated to pay off the indebtedness
occurred by Ben Benson.
We certainly appreciate this, and
in order to help the drive and to
help Ben, WE ARE CERTAINLY
WILLING TO CANCEL HALF of
the remaining b'.da'ice of the Ma
son Clinic bill.
The hospital, as you know, is a
(Continued on Page 11)
Fairbanks Captain
New Police Chief
NEW POLICE CHIEF
City Manager Bill M. Poland
has announced the appointment
of Jack L. Rhines, 39, of Fair
banks, Alaska, to the position of
Chief of Police in Kodiak.
Mr. Rhines is presently serv
ing as Captain of Police on the
Fairbanks Police Department.
He will take over his duties April
1, 1963.
Capt. Rhines has been a long
time member of the Fairbanks
Police Department, according to
Phil Anderson of Kodiak who
served on the force with him.
Coming to Kodiak with him
will be his wife, Jean, and their
three girls and one boy.
Knudsen’s Stores
In Kodiak Sold
Effective April 1
Mr. and Mrs. Emil Knudsen
announced today the sale of
Knudsen’s and Knudsen Outfit
ters to Neil Sutherland, present
ly employed as manager of the
Caribou Department store,
Mountain View branch, near An
chorage.
The sale becomes effective on
April 1, the Knudsens said.
The new name for the two
stores will be Kodiak Commer
cial, and a majority of the pres
ent employes will remain.
The Knudsen’s will retain an
interest in the organization.
Knudsen’s established their
store March 1, 1943.
Both Emil and his wife, Mar
jorie, along with sou, Skipper,
plan to remain in Kodiak.
Sutherland is not new to Ko
diak, having operated a store
here in 1952.
Vocation School
Site Bill Passed
Sen. A1 Owen informed friends
in Kodiak, Thursday, that the bill
to appropriate money to investi
gate a site for the $2,200,000 voca
tional school in the Kodiak-Aleu
tian area had passed both houses
of the Alaska legislature and is
now awaiting the signature of Gov
ernor Bill Egan.
The Kodiak Chamber is making a
determined bid to have the school
built in the City of Kodiak.
Suggests Kodiak
As C.G. Hdqtrs.
Kodiak has been suggested as
the location for headquarters of a
proposed new Coast Guard District
by Senator Ernest Gruening.
Senator Gruening this week re
newed a request he made initially
last November that a second Coast
Guard District be established in
Alaska.
Writing to Assistant Secretary
James A. Reed of the Treasury De
partment, the Alaska senator cited
the great length of Alaska’s coast
line, the need to maintain surveil
lance of Japanese and Russian off
shore fishermen and the fact that
California has two Coast Guard dis
tricts.
Gruening suggested either Ko
diak or Seward as possible head
quarters for the second district.
TO SAN FRANCISCO
Art Broods, Kodiak businessman
and president of the Chamber of
Commerce, is in San Francisco this
week attending an insurance meet
ing.
Wisconsin Firm
Is Low Bidder
On Kodiak Ferry
Kodiak’s dream of a ferry boat
to the Mainland of Alaska moved
one step closer to reality, Thurs
day morning as bids were opened
for the 248-foot vessel which will
sail from Seward to Homer to
Kodiak with the low bid being
that of the Christy Corporation
of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with
a bid of $2,494,500.
A total of five bids were sub
mitted with the next lowest bid
being that of Todds for $2,796,
000.
Another bid was submitted by
Seattle Puget Sound for $3,595,-'
000.
When the bids were originally
railed for in 1962 they were all
rejected as being too high and
the architect was told to reduce
the size of the ferry which has
held up the bid opening for sev
eral months.
Specifications call for the
completion of the vessel on or
before July 1, 1964, and it is ex
pected to be in operation in the
summer of that year.
The Kodiak Ferry bill was au
thored by former Rep. Pete De
veau and has had strong support
from Rep. Gil Jarvela and Sen.
A1 Owen of Uganik Bay.
Deveau said Thursday that ap
proximately $400,000 was still
available for refinements on the
vessel which could mean sleep
erettes.
However, if it burns heavy oil,
the bid will be up an additional
$40,000.
Dentist Starts Practice In Kodiak
Dr. Larrv McKinley started dental practice in Kodiak earlier this
month in his office at the Aleutian Homes on Mill Bay Road. Dr.
McKinley attended high school in Anchorage and did his under
graduate and graduate work in dentistry at Kansas City University.
His father, Dr. Lee McKinley made trips to Kodiak in the 1950’s to
care for patients here and his son accompanied him on a number of
them. Emil Knudsen, Kodiak businessman was instrumental in get
ting Dr. McKinley to start his practice here.
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