Thought of the Week:
A bigamist is a fallow who
makes a terrible mistake and
then makes another without
correcting the first.
ALASKA I 3 7
BOX 2051
JU.M1 A’J AI '•
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLET
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Are You Interested in
AHEA DEVELOPMENT
PLAN?
See Story on Page 7
VOLUME 14. NUMBER 42
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. JULY 12. 1962
TEN PAGES
PRICE 15 CENT*
(Reporters—
Notebook
The Schrock road area home
steaders got together for a
Fourth of July picnic. About
85 of the 148 people living in
the area near the Little Susit
na gathered at the Edwin Hart
ner home on Memory Lake for
a potluck dinner. Swimming,
boating and water skiing made
a big day for all. The Schrock
road community is meeting
every fourth Saturday evening
at Hartner’s to further plans
for social and community inter
ests.
* * *
Ben Dansie. the new office
manager at MEA, Mrs. Dansie
and their four children have
moved into the Wineck place
in the Butte area. Dansie who
was office manager of the Bur
ley, Idaho, electrical distribu
tion system, started Monday
with his duties at MEA.
* * *
The Rev. Mr. Paul Moyer,
pastor of United Protestant
church, with most of the other
Presbyterian pastors of Alaska,
will attend the First Alaska
Institute on Alcohol on the
Sheldon Jackson junior college
campus at Sitka July 16-20.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe M. Bryant
of Albuquerque are visiting
Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Knoblack at
their homestead near Sutton.
The Kenneth Killian family
will leave by car July 15 for
a visit with relatives and
friends in the Lower States.
* * *
Mrs. Ted Schmidtke and
Kathy, Linda and Mark, and
Mrs. Byron Johnson left this
week for Seattle via the Alas
ka highway.
Dr. Donald Dinkel and Dr.
Robert Nylund of the Alaska
Agricultural Experiment sta
tion plan a trip to Fairbanks
and College about July 17 for
about four days to review plots
and horticultural plans with
Arvo Kallio. While there they
have been invited to judge a
flower show.
Two other members of the
Experiment station staff, Dr.
John Koranda and Dr. Leslie
Klebesadel are going to Barrow
to collect grasses and legumes
in Arctic Alaska. This trip is
in connection with the Rocke
feller Foundation program.
They hope to collect useful
species. A native brome col
lected last year 60 miles south
of Point Barrow is now grow
ing in the Matanuska Station
nurseries.
* * *
Roger LaZelle, machinist
mate third class, USN, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Mason LaZelle,
is serving aboard the destroyer
USS Uhlmann with the Sev
enth Fleet in the Western Pac
ific. He expects to return to
the San Diego home base the
latter part of this month, and
his wife, Ruth Ann, and dau
ghter Cindy, left Palmer this
week to join him in California.
* * *
Richard D. Neff, seaman ap
prentice, USN, son of Mrs. H.
G. Hanson of Big Lake lodge,
Wasilla, visited Hong Kong
June 12 while serving aboard
the attack aircraft carrier USS
Midway. The ship is currently
operating in the Far East as a
unit of the Seventh Fleet.
* * *
The Rev. James Snead, pas
tor of St. Michael’s church, will
be on vacation from July 11
until Aug. 17. He will be re
placed during his absence by
the Rev. Donald Herderner,
C.SS.R., from Coeur D’Alene,
Idaho.
* * •
Friends of Nettie Smith, who
taught school here several
years ago, were in Palmer this
week looking up old friends of
Miss Smith. Misses Jane Guin
nana and Betty Lithicum drove
from Newark State College in
Union, N. J., and will continue
trailering and camping through
Alaska and Canada during
their vacations.
City Council Allots $400 For Park
Development, Studies Zoning Needs
FIRST STATEWIDE
POMONA GRANGE
MEETING HELD
The first statewide Pomona
Grange meeting was held at
Fairbanks last weekend with
20 valley residents attending.
Initiation in the Pomona degree
was given followed by a busi
ness meeting.
A significant step was taken
in the creation of a state Gran
ge council which would coor
dinate state Grange activities.
The council will be composed
of the master or elected alter
nate from each of the seven
Granges in the state together
with the national deputy, Jim
Wilson.
Wilson was elected chair
man of the council and in
structed to draft rules of pro
cedure for the state council’s
consideration.
In attendance at the open
portion of the meeting were
Mike Stepovich, candidate for
governor, and George Sund
burg, aide to Senator Gruen
ing. Congratulatory messages
were received from Senator
Bob Bartlett and Representa
tive Ralph Rivers.
State Realizes
$15.7 Million
In Oil, Gas Sale
Bonus bids totaling $15,731,
090 from oil industry repre
sentatives were entered in Al
aska’s largest competitive oil
and gas lease sale Wednesday.
The unofficial bonus total was
about a million dollars more
than taken in by the state in its
sale last December, with about
317,000 acres on the block to
day compared with 255,000 in
December.
Surprised gasps from the
crowd assembled in the Z. J.
Loussac library for the bid
opening greeted announce
ments by Lands Division Direc
tor Roscoe Bell of bids of over
$3 million. Two choice tracts
drew bids totaling $5.5 million.
One tract went to Shell group
for more than $7.25 million.
Miss Malanuska Valley of 1962
Will Try For Miss Alaska Title
ERIKA KALWIES, CONTESTANT FOR THE MISS ALASKA TITLE
will participate in the Miss Alaska Pageant at the Anchor
age Elks hall tonight at 8 o'clock. Over 40 reserved seat
tickets were sold in the Palmer area, and tickets may be
available at the hall for others who wish to see Miss Mata
nuska Valley of 1962 compete for the state title. A spe
cial Palmer section has been arranaed at the hall. Mrs.
Keith Johnson will accompany Miss Kalwies for her musi
cal numbers.
GO-KART RACERS ANNOUNCE MEET
The Palmer Go-Kart Club is
holding a trophy race Sunday,
1 p.m., at the Palmer fair
grounds. Eight members of the
local club and 15 from Anch
orage will compete.
Orin Peterson, secretary of
the club, said the race is open
to the public with free grand- -
stand seats available,
There will be a petticoat
derby for the girls, and a jun
ior division may also be par
ticipating.
The Go-Kart club held races
at the fairgrounds on the
4th of July and last Sun. with j
jut of town racers competing !
Two Local f»irls Sign
For Queen Louies!
Two young women have re
turned their completed appli
cation blanks to the Alaska
State Fair office in Palmer,
thus announcing their inten
tion of entering the 1962 queen
contest, Billy R. Miller, fair
manager, said this week.
Both Linda Jane Cope, 18, of
Palmer ,and Joyce Anne Pat
terson, 17, of Wasilla, have
light brown hair, blue eyes,
and fair complexions. Vital sta
tistics are similar, too—Linda’s
measurements are 36-24-38,
while Joyce’s are 37-25-37. Lin
da, weighing 140 pounds, is five
feet, eight inches tall, and
Joyce, who is five feet, seven
inches tall, weighs 135 pounds.
Born in Palmr on May 14,
1944, Linda is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Cope.
She is a 1962 graduate of Pal
mer high school, where she was
a member of the student coun
cil, student director of the
senior class play, drum corps
eaptain, and a member of the
Pioneer band for four years.
Linda was recently appoint
ed Grand Love, Grand Assem
bly of Alaska, Order of Rain- |
bow for Girls. She has also ■
served as Worthy Advisor of i
the Palmer Rainbow Assembly, j
Her hobbies are sewing and
swimming. She plans to enroll
at the University of Alaska this
fall, where she will major in
business administration in pre
paration for a career as a cer
tified public accountant.
Joyce, who was born in Al- j
toona, Penn., on Jan. 22, 1945, !
came to Anchorage with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. G.
Patterson, in 1951. The family
has lived in Wasilla for the
past three years. She will gra
duate from Wasilla high school
in 1963.
Joyce plans to attend Brig
ham Young University in Pro
vo, Utah, where she will major
in physical education and home
economics.
Not a stranger to beauty con
tests, this young woman was
the 1961 Wasilla high school
queen. An active girl who likes
to swim and skate, she also
enjoys homemaking activities, '
for her hobbies are sewing and
cooking. She has done some
4-H club work.
Other interested young
women are urged to come to
the fair office, located at the
entrance to the grounds in Pal
mer, to pick up their applica
tion blanks. Miller said. As
soon as the entrants have com
pleted the preliminary applica
tion procedure, they may ob
tain their raffle tickets, 350 of
which they must sell in order
to qualify as a contestant.
This year's winner, judged
according to the rules of the
Miss America Pageant, may
choose as her prize either a
European tour or a $1,000 schol- •
arship to the college of her
choice. Although total number
of tickets sold will not be con
sidered in the final judging, the
girl who sells the greatest num
ber will receive a very worth
while gift.
The drawing will be held on
■he last day of the fair, Sept.
1. The holder of the lucky tic
ket will win a boat, motor, and
ooat trailer outfit. He has the
option of accepting $500 in cash ;
n lieu of the prize.
Palmer Park To Be
Publicized As Area
Tourist Attraction
“By the end of this summer
we hope to have the main fea
tures of Palmer Park outlined
and some of the roads, tent
sites and assembly area clear
ed.” Mark Davis told the Ma
tanuska Valley Chamber of
Commerce Wednesday.
The five committee members
are working three or four eve
nings a week, and badly need
more help, to get a good show
ing at the park that will put
this area on the tourists’ maps
as a good place to stop and
spend a few days. A prospectus
of the new park will be sent
to the American Automobile
Assn., The Milepost and other
guidebooks, and travel agen
cies, Davis said.
Stating that the Citizens
Park Committee is now aiming 1
for completion of the park by !
1964 or ’65, Davis enumerated i
donations already made to the |
project: Cheechako Homemak-j
ers Club, $50; Tropical Gardens.
$5; Evan Jones Coal Co., one
ady's work of men and equip
ment; UMW Local 7901 (Evan
Jones men), another day's work j
with the mine equipment; \
Craig-Taylor Equipment Co.,
equipment and men; Leo Lucas,
; cat work on the road; Matan
; uska Electric Assn., power
.poles and assistance in running
i lines; A1 Brooks, equipment:
Palmer Volunteer Fire Dept.,
labor; City of Palmer, water j
line and $400 allotment; Edwin
Crittenden, architectural de
sign work, Weekly Frontiers
man, publicity. i
Members of the Citizens
committee, headed by Davis,
are Hugh Matheson. Dean
Bronson, Harold Hughes, and
Dick Demming. “We need
more manpower — about six
people every night of the
week.” Davis said. “And the
park will require from $5,000 to |
$10,000 before it is properly
completed. There are about j
8,000 people in all this recrea
tion area from Palmer to Big
Lake; $1 each would have the
park well financed.”
A bronze placque with nam-1
es of donors of both time and
work will be placed at the en
trance to the park.
In the absence of Barney
Fish, Ted Schmidtke conduct- ,
ed the Chamber of Commerce
meeting. He announced that
the State Fair Queen Candida- j j
tes will be present at the next (
meeting of the Chamber Aug- <
ust 1. ; ;
A1 Brooks reported the Alas-1 <
ka booth at the World's Fair (
in Seattle is lacking in exhibits j
from this area. Pictures of | s
points of interest here are
needed. Evan Jones Co. will I j
send chunks of the local coal. [
BESSIE’S
BEAUTY BAR
WILL BE CLOSED
July 15th thru
August 5
Barbara Lacher Will
Attend a Clairol Tech
nical Training Course
in New York City to
serve you better.
Full Agenda Requires
Two Special Meetings
Highlights of the Palmer
City Council meetings of July
3 and 10 were allotting of S400
for use of the Palmer City
Park development, appoint
ment of another city policeman,
swearing in of newly-appoint
ed councilman Jack E. Maze,
and reading of the proposed
zoning ordinance.
The special meeting of July
3 was called especially to ac
complish the reading of the
complete zoning ordinance.
Mrs. Laura Barnes, head of To
tem Land Realty Co., and Dex
ter Bacon, of Totem Land, at
tended to present suggestions
on zoning regulations. The
council requested Mrs. Barnes
to review the proposed ordin
ance and submit comments for
the Council at a future meeting
when the ordinance will be
read by title
As Police Chief Louis Ben- *
cardino was to leave July 5
for the month's Police School
in Anchorage, there was a dis
cussion of hours for the re
maining city police during his
absence and $100 was advanced
to Bencardino for his extra ex
penses while at the school.
At the regular meeting of
the Council last Tuesday even
ing, the Kiwanis Club Park
committee, originators of the
Palmer City Park development
plant, was notified that the
City Council will underwrite
expenses up to S400 as needed
for expenses on the park work.
Joe Griffin, of Anchorage.1
who has been working as an in
vestigator with the Alaska Pa
trol, was hired by the Council
on a probationary appointment
as a city patrolman. In addition
to Chief Bencardino, the city
police department now includ-f
es Griffin, George Reed and;
Joe Loyer.
Need for a more adequate 1
emergency call system than the '
present red signal light on top
:>f the hotel was again discus
sed when Max Clements, man
ager of Matanuska Valley Tele
ahone Assn., presented Rex
Rogers, representative of a
company installing dial mobile
elephone equipment. The mo-'
aile telephone equipment, f
vhich will be possible under I
he present expansion program '
if MTA. would cover gener-1
illy the area from Anchorage I
o King Mountain to Willow.
Hosts were estimated at $40-j
150 per month per unit. Cle- j
nents also said from three to .
ix' months should be allowed i
or the city to obtain FCC ap- i ,
iroval of use of the telephone j 1
ystem. .
Possible use Of radios for the, i
olice and fire departments | '
ad been discussed at the last j <
regular council meeting As
the preferred radio sets were
similar to those recently pur
chased by Mrs. Laura Barnes
for use in her real estate work,
the councilmen had Mrs.
Barnes demonstrate the use of
the radio equipment in her car.
Five applications for the po
sition of city manager have
been received by City Clerk
Emilie St. Pierre, plus t w o
other requests for application
forms. The clerk was instruct
ed to write for references on
two of the applications of spe
cial interest to the council.
Bids on a new rubber-tired,
front-end loader for city street
maintenance work were open
ed. Five bids were received
and will be studied for a deci
sion at a special meeting called
for next Tuesday, July 17, at.
7 p.m.
A bid from Ben Hudgins for
the wiring of the city storage
and garage building was re
ceived and will be studied fur
ther at the special meeting
next Tuesday. The council also
asked for bids for pouring of a
concrete slab in the metal
building. Only one bid was re
ceived for a gas storage tank,
and the council is holding *»e
(Continued on Page 10)
Graveside Services
For A. A. “Tex” Cobb
Ends Full Career
A A ‘Tex'' Cobb, one of
this area's oldest pioneers, wa.<*
buried with simple graveside
services Sunday afternoon at
the Palmer cemetery.
Born in Texas June 13. 1872,
Mr. Cobb came to Old Knik in
1909. He homesteaded near
Matanuska in 1911. After an
active life of farming, fishing,
prospecting, trapping, and gui
ding big game hunters, Tex
Cobb apparently died quietly
in his sleep at his Kalgin
Island fishing site Wednesday
af last week. Jerry LaWalter,
who has fished with Mr. Cobb
many years, discovered the
death about noon July 4.
Mr. Cobb has spent the last
:hree winters at Tenakee Hot
Springs, but he returned to
Matanuska and Kalgin Island
'or the summers.
Pallbearers were his long
ime friends George Hermon,
rim Hermon. Jack Hermon,
3ete Joines, Jerry LaWalter
ind Emil LaWalter. Rev. Paul
Moyer conducted the funeral
;ervices. Survivors are a sis
er, Mrs. Mary Allen, Houston,
rex.; and a brother. Drew
2obb, Long Beach, Calif.
NOTICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee
PALMER COUNTY ASCS OFFICE
PALMER, ALASKA
JULY 11, 1962
TO: Eligible Voters, Palmer County
FROM: JOHN D. NASH, OFFICE MANAGER.
Palmer, Alaska
The Palmer ASCS Committee election will be held in
the near future. Slates of nominees will be established by
petition. Petitions signed by ten or more eligible voters
will be received in the Palmer ASCS Office, Box 1736,
Palmer, Alaska, until July 31, 1962.
An eligible voter is any person who has an interest
in a farm as owner, tenant or sharecropper. The person
so nominated by petition will be included on the slate of
nominees if found willing to serve and are eligible.
Incumbent committeemen are: Roland Snodgrass,
Chairman— A. R. Carson, Vice Chairman — and Raymond
DePriest, Member.
JOHN D. NASH, Office Manager
Palmer County
Inoose bodge Dance
Moose Members and Guests
Tom Moffitt and His Boys
TORTILLA & BEAN FEED
$1.50
Sal., July 14-9 P.M. - ?