valley Frontiersman
VOL. II.
PALMER, ALASKA MAY 12, 1949
No. 23
Community Building Being Planned
Palmer Is
Eligible For
Housing Units
If the $15,000,000 housing ap
propriation now being consider
ed for Alaska is looked upon
with favor by Congress, Palmer
may apply for a portion of that
sum for Federal housing, it was
learned here this week. The
statement was made by E. Glenn
Wilder, executive director of the
Alaska Housing Authority, in
conversation and later in a con
firming letter to Betty Mears,
secretary of the Valley Chamber
of Commerce.
It had been thought, hereto
fore, that Palmer must be an in
corporated city in order to apply
for housing aid. However, Mr.
Wilder said that the AHA could
deal with a Chamber of Com
merce committee, as a represen
tative community body, in en
tering into negotiations for the
housing.
The housing head forwarded a
copy of a resolution adopted by
the Fairbanks City Council, the
planning commission and the
Chamber of Commerce, acting
jointly. He suggested that the
Valley Chamber draft a similar
type of resolution.
Before the resolution can be
framed, it will be necessary for
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Eighth Grade
Will Graduate
On May 17
Students of Palmer School’s
eighth grade will be graduated
into high school at ceremonies
planned for the afternoon of
May 17, it was announced this
week by Joseph Dickson, grade
school principal and eighth
grade teacher. The ceremony
will be held in Palmer Gym at
2:30 p. m.
Speaker for the Tuesday com
mencement exercises w’as unan
nounced at press-time.
Mr. Dickson reported that this
group of students, who have just
completed achievement tests,
had attained surprising scholas
tic heights. Graded on the basis
of a test given nationally, on
which the average student is ex
pected to make a score of 69, 21
of Palmer’s 27 eighth graders
scored 69 or better.
In the higher brackets, 10 of
the graduating class scored 80
or better.
Three Accidents
Are Reported
On Palmer Roads
Three highway accidents, two
of them occurring within 75
yards of one another at a spot
near Mile 51, were reported late
last week by E. R. Alexander,
territorial highway patrolman
for this area.
Victim of the first accident,
and most seriously injured, was
Harold Wald, a contractor’s em
ployee working on road con
struction in the Valley. Mr.
Wald, driving a company truck,
ran off the highway and over
turned. Cause of the accident
was not determined.
Another car had been closely
following the truck, and its oc
cupants rushed Mr. Wald to the
Valley Hospital. His injuries
were diagnosed as four broken
ribs.
Again at about 6:15 Sunday
evening, a second vehicle ran off
the highway at Mile 51. The car.
a new 1949 model which had
been driven less than a month,
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Loussac Fndtn.
Contributes Jeep
To King's Lake
Spring work at King’s Lake
Camp, which begins its summer
season soon, was spurred this
week by the arrival of the new
jeep pickup given to the camp
by the Loussac Foundation of
Anchorage. The vehicle was pre
sented to Clyde King, Sr., repre
senting the King’s Lake board
of directors, by ex-mayor Fran
cis Bowden of Anchorage, acting
for the Foundation.
The presentation ceremony
took place before the Anchor
age City Hall last week.
The jeep will be stationed at
the camp, for use as an emer
gency ambulance during the
summer season. It also will help
to cut down camp costs, for it
will be utilized as a truck to haul
in camp supplies.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard McAl
lister again are to be managers
at the camp this year. A com
plete schedule of summer ac
tivities is to be announced in
the near future.
Meanwhile, members of the
camp’s board of directors and of
the Association, are planning a
work-party at the Lake soon, to
clean up for the season’s occu
pancy. Mr. King said further an
nouncement of this' workday
would be forthcoming soon.
Girls Lead
PHS In '49
A pair of girl students, Gayle
Eckert as valedictorian and Es
ther Kerttula as salutatorian,
will head the graduating class
of 1949, it was announced this
week by Francis Malcolm, super
intendent of Palmer school. A
very close third in the honors
contest was Don Hutchinson.
Students will graduate on
Wednesday, May 18. The service
will take place at 8 o’clock in the
Palmer Gym. Speaker for the
occasion was still undetermined
at press-time. Mr. Malcolm said
the announcement of that
speaker was being delayed pend
ing notice of acceptance from a
man to whom the invitation has
gone.
There are 19 seniors in the
graduating class of 1949, but
only 18 will be present to receive
their diplomas next Wednesday
evening. The nineteenth, who
will be absent from the platform,
is Lucille Marie Buswell iMolly
Klemi. Molly has finished her
high school -work Outside, but
has written to request that her
diploma be awarded here, with
i-he friends who were her class
mates for so long.
Next Wednesday’s graduates
will include:
Wayne Bouwens, Lucille Bus
well, Gayle Eckert, Lewis Gei
witz, James Gleason, George
Hermon, Don Hutchinson, Esth
er Kerttula, Henry Kircher, Nor
ma Jean Loyer, Richard McAi
iister, Vivian Meir, Mary Ann
Michalek, Margery Mielke, Dor
othey Plumley, Dick Rempel.
Lynn Sandvik, Gloria Smith and
Leeann Wade.
HURLEY NAMED
ARRC MANAGER
James J. Hurley, now district
conservationist with the Soil
Conservation Service, last Fri
day was named general man
ager of the Alaska Rural Reha
bilitation Corporation. He fills
the vacancy created by resigna
tion of C. W. Peters, who leaves
tomorrow to take up an assign
ment in Washington, D. C., late
in June.
Mr. Hurley, who is not expect
ed to assume his new duties be
fore mid-June, came to the Val
ley just 11 months ago from
Weiser, Idaho, where he had
been engaged in Soil Conserva
tion Service work. He has since
purchased a Valley farm, where
he and his family make their
home.
PCRA FORMED
TO PUSH PLANS
FOR HALL
The Palmer Community Rec
reation Association, with its
first objective the sponsorship of
construction of a community
building for wholesome planned
recreation for Palmer’s young
people, came into being last
Monday evening. It sprang from
the nucleus citizen’s committee,
which has been meeting for the
past several weeks.
Officers in the infant organi
zation include Jack Maze, presi
dent, and Charles Dillon, secre
tary. Association membership is
open to a representative from
every civic, fraternal, church
and women’s organization of the
Valley.
At Monday’s meeting, when
the group, after thorough dis
cussion, finally decided to form
a new organization, rather than
to attempt to work through
some existing organization, in
which membership is limited,
skeleton plans were discussed.
It was emphasized that each
member of the Association thor
oughly understood that the con
struction of a building was no
light undertaking—that it was a
long-term project which might
take a year or more to material
ize. However it was the group
opinion, as expressed by its pres
ident, “That , the sooner we get
going on something, that much
nearer we’ll be to the day we
finish our building.
Incorporation of the body was
discussed, and James Hurley
was appointed to investigate
costs and advantages. At the
same time a need for by-laws
was recognized, and Mr. Hurley,
Mr. Dillon and Ralph Moore
were appointed to draft such
laws.
A building planning commit
tee composed of Bob Johns, Mr.
Hurley, Mr. Dillon and Clyde
King, Jr., also was appointed, as
was a finance committee made
up of Mr. Moore, Harry Rice and
Everett Yohn.
Ways and means of financing
the Association’s building proj
ect were discussed. Members
agreed that the plan for such a
building could succeed only with
the wholehearted support of
every organization in the com
munity. Each committee mem
ber personally pledged that he
would make every effort to push
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