f
I
j
t
{/fyjHedimf Hu of, &Ua&k(fo @46x1 &tdotiic ($UatuL
VOL. 23, NO. 51 KODIAK, ALASKA — DECEMBER 20, 1963 PRICE TEN CENTS
No Appropriations Yet for Kodiak
Naval Station’s 250 Housing Units
No funds were included for the
Kodiak Naval Station in the $20,
436,0000 military construction au
thorization bill agreed upon by the
Senate and House conference com
mittee this past week.
In the breakdown the figure for
Adak naval station is $4,765,000.
The conferees agreed not to spell
•out how the appropriations for mil
itary family housing units are to
be spent but left this to the de
termination of the Department of
Defense.
The president’s budget had in
Kodiak Red Cross
Aiding Burned Out
Sand Point Family
Plans have been completed to
ship needed clothing and house
hold goods to the Edward Gilbert
family at Sand Point, according to
the Kodiak Chapter of the Amer
ican Red Cross.
Already enough clothing has
been received and a table and four
chairs have been donated. Addi
tional furniture is needed, partic
ularly high chairs, bunk beds and
mattresses.
The Gilberts lost everything in
a fire which swept through their
home, severely burning the three
older girls. They are under treat
ment in the ANS hospital at An
chorage.
Mrs. Gilbert and the three
younger children escaped harm
when the fire struck Nov. 30. The
father was out crab fishing at the
time.
The clothing and furniture will
be placed aboard the vessel, the
Iceland, operated by the Aleutian
Mail Transportation company.
Capt. Nels P. Thomsen offered to
carry the items on the outbound
trip, leaving here Monday.
Anyone having furniture for the
Gilberts may telephone Father Don
Bullock, chapter chairman at 6
5626.
eluded 721 units for Alaska of
which 250 units were slated for
Kodiak Naval Station.
New Manager
Gib Monro? . . . See Story Page 8
No Compromise in
Trdeland Dispute
Attempts at seeking a compro
mise under which tidelands would
be made available for both the Ko
diak Land Co. Inc., and the city
flew apart at last Friday’s council
meeting. As tempers frayed aome
what the city councilmen finally
backed away from proposals de
jigned to allow the company to
have some of the tidelands. They
decided the city should go after
all the tidelands between the city
limits and the navy station bound
ary.
According to latest reports the
city will have to bid upoa the dis
puted tidelands along with others
seeking the area.
The city has maintained that it
would be willing to turn over the
tidelands to any group of private
investors who can show financial
ability to build a dock prior to the
scheduled arrival of the ferryboat
Tustumena on July 1.
New Tenderfeet
Four boys were added to local Boy Scout Troop 625 at Tenderfoot
investiture ceremonies held at the Elks Hall Tuesday evening. The
four new scouts are Monte Booth, Robert Burch, Alan Pepptrs
and Richard Boucher. Vern Draper, Western Alaska Scout com
missioner, was on hand to witness the ceremony which was pre
sided over by Scoutmaster Tom Love. In picture above the troop
is engaged in a knot tieing contest.
Kodiak to Get
Over $1 Million
Matching Funds
The public appropriations bill
which went to President Johnson
this past week included $30 mil
lion for use in the accelerated pub
lic works program.
Kodiak has applied for matching
funds totaling $1,050,000 under the
program for construction of city
projects including $450,000 water
and sewer in the East Addition,
$500,000 street improvements and
$100,000 dock facilities, according
to City Manager Bill Poland.
Kodiak Decorates
For Two Holidays
Kodiak blossomed forth with
Christmas lights and decorations
this past week with more business
houses and homes participating
than in previous years.
Many people have expressed
hopes that Kodiak may yet have
a “White Christmas” which would
greatly aid in emphasizing the
decorated homes and business es
tablishments.
Although there have been sev
eral cold snaps during past weeks,
Kodiak is generally experiencing
another mild winter with the us
ual snows taking the form of slush
or rain.
Kodiak is probably the only
community of any size which cel
ebrates two Christmases and two
New Years. This is due to the in
fluence of the early settlement of
this area by Russians whose Gre
gorian church calendar places the
holidays on later dates. This year
Russian Christmas falls on Jan. 7
and Russian New Years Jan. 14.
May Rehabilitate
Kodiak Navy Dock
The Navy department considers
the present docking facilities at the
Kodiak Naval station as “less than
adequate” and has advised the
Alaska congressional delegation of
plans to sponsor a project to re
habilitate the south end of the
marginal pier.
“While it would be our present
thinking that this could be includ
ed in the fiscal year 1967 program”
the delegation was advised, “chang
ing requirements and decisions by
higher authority could make us
change our plans.”
John F. Verheek
Dies from Fall
John Verheek, a former resident
of Kodiak, died at the age of 57,
in a Tacoma, Wash, hospital early
Tuesday morning Dec. 3.
Verheek worked in the shipyards
at Bremerton, Wash, during World
War II as an electrician. Follow
ing the war he worked in Rich
mond, Wash, for a time, and then
moved to Kodiak. He was employ
ed in radar work here.
The deceased was state building
inspector in Washington and died
as a result of injuries received
when he fell through an opening
in the floor of a house he was in
specting, and struck the basement
floor.
Christmas, 1963
A Touch of Christmas in the Heart
Speeds Toys to Alaskan Village
By Fred W. Rich, JOC
It took the combined forces of
the Army, Navy, Air Force, Alas
ka Air National Guard and North
ern Consolidated Airlines, not to
forget the Bureau of Indian Af
fairs, to help Santa Claus deliver
some 60 toys to children in the
remote area of Scammon Bay —
a distance of approximately 450
miles northwest of the U.S. Naval
Station, Kodiak.
In Scammon Bay, James H. Dear
holt has been assigned to the “one
man” school by the Bureau of In
dian Affairs for several years. In
addition, he is the doctor, dentist
and jack of all trades for the more
than 200 Eskimo residents and 300
dogs in the area. He lives there
with his wife and four children.
But the toy story actually start
ed last summer when Lieut. Com.
James H. Dearholt, U.S. Naval Re
serve, was called to two weeks ac
tive duty to serve at the Naval
Communications Station at Kodiak.
When Lt. Cmdr. Dearholt arriv
ed in Kodiak, he met several mem
bers of the Navy Officers’ Wives
club including Mrs. Lois Miller,
wife of Commander W. M. Miller,
commanding officer of the com
munications station. After his two
weeks active duty was up, he went
back to Scammon Bay, but cor
responded intermittently with the
Millers.
When the annual Christmas
lunchean was called for the Ob
ficers Wives Club it was standard
operating procedure for members
to exchange gifts. Mrs. Miller, how
ever proposed instead that presents
of toys be brought to the lunch
eon to be sent to Scammon Bay.
for the children. The idea having
readily been accepted — the next
problem was transportation.
Cmdr. Miller then was called
into the spotlight. He made the
following intricate arrangements:
The toys were picked tip by Air.
Force Captain Donald P. Coyle
and flown to Elmendorf Air Force
Base in Anchorage where Army.
Lieutenant Colonel Marvin A. i
Walker of the Alaskan Com-,
mand Staff, and the Bureau of;
Indian Affairs, arranged through;
the Alaska Air National Guard for
Lieutenant Colonel William S. i
Elmore and Major T. E. Norris to i
fly the toys to Bethel, Alaska. From j
there, the toys will be picked up j
by Northern Consolidated Airlines
and taken to Scammon Bay at no
cost.
So step by step, the toys will be
delivered to this remote village in
Alaska through the teamwork of :
the armed forces, Bureau of In
dian Affairs and Northern Consol
idated Airlines — armed forces
teamwork and Santa go hand in
hand.
Becoming Naval Aviator
Expected home for Christmas is Lothar Biermanski, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Alfred Biermanski, who has been undergoing Primary Flight
Training in Training Squadron One at the U. S. Naval Auxiliary
Air Station, Saufley Field, Pensacola, Fla. Cadet Biermanski en
tered flight training two' months ago and has already flown his
first solo flight in the T-34 “Mentor” training plane, thereby com
pleting his first step in becoming a Naval Aviator.