TOP WELFARE OFFICIAL VISTS—Mrs. Corinne Wolfe, center,
of the Bureau of Family Services, Department of Health, Educa
tion and Welfare, visited Alaska last week and urged that under
graduate social work courses be added at the Unlvrsity of Alaska
and Sheldon Jackson Junior College at Sitka. At left is Joseph R.
Morrell, associate regional representative for the Bureau of Family
Services, San Francisco, and at right is Ray Pagenhoph, public
assistance supervisor from the Juneau office of the Department of
Welfare.—Staff Photo
Colleges Urged to Add
Social Welfare Courses
In a program to prevent depen
dency and cope with the problems
of social and economic problems, a
top welfare official has visited Al
aska urging social welfare courses
be added to the curricula of Alaska
colleges.
Mrs. Corrine Wolfe, of the De
partment of Health, Education, and
Welfare, urged the courses be add
ed at Sheldon Jackson Junior Col
lege and the University of Alaska.
“We are chiefly concerned about
recruiting native Alaskans to go
into welfare work as a career,” Mrs.
Wolfe said.
She said the State Welfare De
partment was also contemplating
instituting a summer work program
where interested students could be
come employed to see how they
were suited for welfare work.
Because of major changes in the
Social Security Act which provides
money on a matching basis to the
states, many welfare services will
have to be strengthened.
Many social workers will have to
be employed and caseloads reduced.
As it is now. she said social workers
in Alaska's regional welfare offices
were merely furnishing emergency
assistance and some welfare work
in the immediate vicinity of the
office.
While the Secretary of Health.
I Education and Welfare has set the
i minimum number of cases a social
| worker may carry as 60, she pointed
out that the social worker at Nome
at 585.
Mrs. Wolfe said under this kind i
of program, one could scarcely ex
pect effectively to accomplish much
in rehabilitation and assisting in- !
dividuals to become self-supporting
and self-producing.
Under the new law. Mrs. Wolfe
said it would be necessary for Al
aska as well as the other states to
make a study of each family with
serious problems in order that the
state received federal matching
money.
This task will be gigantic, she
said, require a great number of |
The Holiday Season's here!
We're hoping it brings you '
Good, luck and good cheer!
GRADELLE LEIGH.
Realtor
Old Grow Develops
Skier to Qualify
For Olympics
By Nat Goodhue
Located 75 miles north of the
Arctic Circle in Yukon Territory
is the village which has initiated
competitive skiing in the northern
Bush.
Old Crow village’s Athabascan
people have been developing com
petitive skiing in their community
for seven years. They have been
winning ski races in Fairbanks, An
chorage, Juneau and Whitehorse
for the past four years.
Ben Charlie, one of the village's
most advanced skiers, has been
training with the University of Alas
ka ski team recently. He is on his
way back to Old Crow after a
month of training with the United
States Biathlon skiing and shoot
ing team at Fort Richardson in An
chorage.
The Alaska-based Biathlon Train
ing Center is preparing American
skiers for the Olympics.
Ben placed seventh in a field of
12 racers in running time. His
achievements is an indication of
what may be accomplished on cros
country skiis by an individual from
a remote snow-bound community of
the Alaska-Yukon region.
social workers but is a task the i
state cannot afford to do.
The aim of the program is to
make a “plan for each child" to '
make sure each child has good
health, education, and opportunity
for employment.
“We cannot afford to continue
welfare financial assistance to the
second and third generations.” Mrs.
Wolfe said. “And we already have
some second generation families re
ceiving aid now.”
The federal government has al
located $2 million for distribution
to states to set up experimental me
thods in traing social workers.
"We are hoping that Alaska will
be the first to apply for this aid,” l
Mrs. Wolfe said.
Regarding Alaska's many fee
agents in the bush. Mrs. Wolfe said
they were extremely important in
providing information and making
reviews but stressed the need for
seminars through which these
agents might receive instruction on
handling cases.
World Owns Santa’s Name ... i
(Continued from Page 1)
in his petition to the court said he
had discussed the matter of chang
ing his name with his family, that
they didn't mind, and that the rea
son hr wanted the change of name
was for business reasons.
‘Not Foolish'
i He said his request was “not a
foolish or improbable idea" that
leading advertisers in Seattle and
Portland, Oregon believed with the
name Santa Claus he would do a
thriving business.
He said his business would pro
vide a large payroll and his adver
tising would bring many tourists to
Alaska.
A local merchant, Byron Gillam,
then testified, protesting the name
change. He said Fairbanks was the
closest large city to the North Pole
and felt that the city should change
its name to “Santa Claus."
He said he felt eventually Fair
banks’ economy could be built upon
a toy-manufacturing industry But
he violently protested as sacrileg
ious the taking of the name by an
individual.
Chamber Opposes
James Messer, a businessman, then
was sworn and testified he repre- .
sented the Fairbanks Junior Cham- l
ber of Commerce which unani- '
mously opposed any individual tak
ing the name of Santa Claus.
C. B. Miller, a member of the
North Pole City Council and Cham
ber of Commerce, strongly protested
the name change. He said he under
stood Chesser had given his resi
dence as North Polo but that he did
! not live there.
North Pole Objects
Miller said there were thousands
of Santa Clauses throughout the
world and that he himself was
"Santa Claus” to many children.
Local attorney Warren Taylor, ap.
pearing for many individuals, cited
a New York court decision that
"pecuniary gain" was not the pro*
per basis for a change of name.
He said if the change were np.
proved it would result in disalius*
ionment of small children.
A hushed silence fell over the
courtroom as Judge Pratt cleared
his throat and announced his de*
cision:
To The World
"It is the judgement of the court
that there is no sufficient reason
for a change of name in this case
and that it would be inconsistent
with public interest and unsatis
factory tot he court if it were allow
ed. It is therefore disallowed.
Christmas Art Show
At Alaska Gallery
The Christmas art exhibit opened
December 14. at Alaska Art Gallery
and will be on display until the new
year. *
People have been invited to view
the show from 10:00 a.m. to 9 p m.
each day until Christmas. There is
no admission charge.
Also on display are excellent E*f*
kimo prints from Baffin Land, Can*
ada. Northwest Indian prints, pen
and ink work on sealskin by Georgs
Ahgupuk. of Shismaref and An*
chorage. Also shown are lithographs
| by Fred Machetanz of Palmer.
Coffee and refreshments are being
served each afternoon,
j Prior to the Christmas show Clai a
Fejes. Fairbanks artist, had a one.
; man show at the Gallery. She dis*
. played portraits of people front
3 Stevens Village. Point Hope, as well
! as local native people.
" i
Warm Holiday Greetings
%/ *
to Our Many Friends Everywhere
From
TOMMY'S ELBOW ROOM
Fairbanks, Alaska
ft "N
CHRISTMAS
PRAYER^
, M ay the Giristmas message shine
r * I
brightly in the hearts of people every,
where, bringing to all new hope and new
courage, inspiring all with a deep sense of
renewed dedication and devotion to the
fulfillment of the glorious promise of
“Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.”
NORDALE HOTEL
FAIRBANKS