Vol. 1, No. 22
Palmer, Alaska, December 3, 1947
Ten Cents
1 Valley Man
Aboard Alaska
Airlines Plane
One Palmer resident was listed
among the 28 passengers and
crew of the ill-fated Alaska Air
1 nes plane which crashed Sun
day at the Seattle-Tacoma air
port, reports from the airline’s
Anchorage office indicated.
The Valley man is Richard
Jones. He was not listed among
tnose badly injured and appar
ently received treatment for
burns and has been released, of
ficials stated.
Queried as lo the possibility
that other Valley residents
may have been aboard the
plane when it crashed the of
ficials said there was no Ralph
Moore, Mrs. Charles Matich or
a man named Jensen aboard
ihe ship according to their re
cords.
Two Glenallen residents Jonas
E. Johnson and his 21-month
oid son Gordon, were among
the eight crash victims. Mrs.
Johnson received only burns
and has been released from the
hospital. Mr. Johnson was a
long-time employe of the Alaska
Road Commission and was head
ing Outside with his family for
a three-months visit.
Other crash victims included
Mrs. Robert Stitsworth, known
to Anchorage night club audi
ences as Virginia Grafton; Leslie
Howe, B-J-L employe who was
headed for his St. Paul home af
ter being terminated; Ole Ring,
employe of the Archie Cupples
Construction Co. of Anchorage,
who was headed Outside to be
married; Reba Monk, 23-year
old stewardess, who succumbed
to injuries after leading many
passengers from the flaming
wreck; Fred Smith, a B-J-L
worker from Tacoma; and Mrs.
Stella Pearl Jones, blind woman
of Seattle, who was a passenger
in a car passing the airport when
th*e DC-4 leaped a 60-foot em
bankment and hit the vehicle
she was riding in.
Monday Civil Aeronautics
Board officials stated in Wash
ington, D. C. that it had ordered
the airline to show cause why
it should not be required to dis
continue non-scheduled opera
tions between Seattle and An
chorage.
WASILLA—The next regular
meeting of the Wasilla Parent
Teacher’s Association chapter
will be held at the school on Dec.
4, it was announced today by
Mrs. Vannie Courtney, chapter
chairman.
Virgil Widens Lead
Monday's standings in the
Valley Frontiersman subscrip
tion contest lists entrants this
way:
Virgil .1.300
Richard . 430
Leola . 390
Barbara . 240
Joan . 70
All contestants are refund
ed of the rule requiring that
subscriptions be checked in
daily. Hi reafter this rule will
be rigidly enforced, and points
will not be allowed for sub
scriptions turned in more
than two days late.
Phone Rates
Are Boosted
There will be an increase
in the rales of the Valley Tele
phone Exchange, eff e c 1 i v e
Dec. 1, it was announced to
day by owner Maynard Sands.
The new rates, in every
case, are still no more than
the Anchorage telephone
charges, and in many cases
are slightly less, Mr. Sands
said. The average over-all in
crease will amount to approx
imately 80 cents for each tele
phone.
Hardest hit by the new
rates, will be users of a one
party business phone.
Mr. Sands explained that
the increase was made man
datory because of plans for
increased service at the Ex
change. A full-time night op
erator will be employed soon,
to speed up service on night
calls, and added revenue is
needed to take care of the
costs of such service.
P-TA Show
Plans Complete
The best in stage and screen
entertainment is promised to
Valley residents this Thursday,
when artists from the Aleutian
Conservatory of Music will pre
sent six numbers of musical en
tertainment in combination with
the movie “Black Beauty’ ’at the
Valley Theatre. The show is
sponsored by the Parent-Teach
er’s Association and will be pre
sented once Thursday morning
and three times throughout the
afternoon and evening.
The morning show, beginning
at 11:30, is planned especially
for children, although adults
may attend. It includes the stage
show, which begins at 1:05 p.m.
All afternoon and evening
shows will be reserved for
adults. The afternoon matinee
begins at 2 o'clock with the
movie. Musicians appear again
at 3:30 p.m. for the final stage
show of the day. “Black
Beauty" will be shown again
at 4:05 p.m. and will be re
peated at 8 o'clock Thursday
evening.
Adults who wish to see the
complete program of stage and
movie entertainment must be in
the theatre by 3:30 p.m. Thurs
day.
William Lofflin, manager of
the Aleutian Conservatory of
Music, has announced the stage
show will include these num
bers:
(Continued on Page 8)
Drive Slowed
To Await More
Information
A number of problems, most of
them stemming from lack of ade
quate information on how to
stage a Community Chest drive,
were faced by members of the
Valley committee at its schedul
ed meeting last Monday.
Harold Gribble, Boy Scout ex
ecutive for this area, was present
at the meeting and advised the
committee on procedure for con
ducting the planned drive.
Mr. Gribble told the group
that the name Community Chest,
under which the committee has
been organized, must be cleared
with the national organization
before further local use of the
name can be publicized. The
committee secretary, Mrs. F. R.
Sims, was instructed to write
national headquarters immed
iately for clearance on the name.
Until the necessary permission
arrives, work will proceed under
the name of Community Fund.
It was also explained that cer
tain organizations will require
a written contract in order to
participate in the Valley fund
campaign. Mr. Gribble said the
Boy Scouts already had conduct
ed a preliminary campaign poll
in this area. He stated that they
would be willing, however, to
abandon plans for a separate
drive and join with the commun
ity, when organizational proced
ure is clearly outlined.
A disappointingly small num
ber of community service clubs
were represented at the meeting
last Monday, at which it had
been planned to fix figures for
this year’s goal.
Organizations which were sug
gested as drive beneficiaries in
cluded the Alaska Crippled Chil
dren’s Association, Boy Scouts,
Health Council, Lazy Mountain
Children’s Home, Four-H work,
community Christmas fund and
a community disaster fund.
Only the ACCA, the Boy
Scouts and the Girl Scouts sent
representatives to the meeting.
Mrs. Victor Johnson was ACCA
spokesman, Mr. Gribble present
ed Boy Scout needs and Mietzi
Bleck represented the Girl
Scouts. Miss Bleck said the Girl
Scouts would require no help
from the drive fund.
Plans for coducting the drive
needs for campaign promotion
were listed. No group action was
taken at the meeting, pending
arrival of word from national
headquarters in regard to the
proposed union with Community
Chest.
Bert’s Fountain,
New Store Wing
Opened Last Week
The long-awaited opening of
the soda fountain in Bert’s Drug
Store became an actuality last
Wednesday. Fountain attend
ants Mrs. Marie Wright and Mrs.
Barbara Meiers first began
spooning syrups and fruits over
ice cream sundaes early that
morning.
They serve, in addition to all
fountain specialties, homemade
cake and coffee and sandwiches.
They have no definite plans for
the future, but it is possible they
may add a soup kitchen to their
fountain freezers, if there are
enough soup eaters in the Val
ley to warrant it.
Hours at the new fountain,
which is gleamingly modernistic
in chrome, red leather, glass and
colored fluorescent lights, are
from mid-morning until the last
movie customers go home.
Although still not entirely
complete, merchandise from the
crowded quarters in the front
section of Bert’s Drug Store also
was moved into the new addition
last week. Prescriptions now
are being mixed in the new drug
section, and refrigerators, stoves
and Christmas gift articles have
been moved to the new floor
space.
Neil Wright, owner of the
drug store, said planned im
provements in the building were
almost complete, but it was im
possible to say when all new con
struction would be finished.
The front extrance of the old
wing of the store is to be re
modelled. Space there will be
converted into a jewelry section
for Harold Morton, jeweller and
watch repairman. Mr. Morton
said Saturday that he expected
to be working in his new sec
tion very soon now.
Frontier Bar To Open
In New Location
The opening of the Frontier
Bar in new quarters to the Steve
Ward building is now scheduled
for this weekend, it was an
nounced today by Mr. Ward.
Originally scheduled to open
there almost 10 days ago, the
mis-shipment of a part of the
bar has delayed the event until
this week. The bar had been
shunted onto a siding at Seward
and was not delivered here un
til late last week.
C OF C ELECTION PLANNED
There will be a Chamber of
Commerce luncheon meeting in
the Lutheran church basement
at noon Wednesday. Officers for
the coming year will be elected
at this meeting. All Chamber
members are urged to be pres
ent.
24 Mining Certificates Awarded
There were 24 Valley residents
who received certificates for the
completion of the mining course
which ended here last week. The
course, taught by H. G. Wilcox
of Fairbanks, was presented here
as part of the extension program
of the University of Alaska.
Mr. Wilcox said the 24 stu
dents who completed the course
represented a ‘ good percentage”
in comparison of graduates to
enrollees.
The mining instructor left
Palmer for Anchorage Wednes
day morning. He caught an
early plane tc Fairbanks, where
he planned to spend the Thanks
giving holiday at home before
leaving for Pt. Barrow to begin
instruction in a similar course
there.
Valley folks who completed
the four-weeks course here were:
A. M. Allyn, H. G. Bryan, Wil
liam Barnhart, W. B. Barnhart,
John and Nan Curtis, Richard
Demining, Clayton Esslinger, Al
bert and James Frey, Shirley
Johnson A. A. Krise, Thomas
Lepak, W. C. Mau, A. W. Pier
son, George Sears, Barbara and
Lonzo Smart, L. C. Stock, Paul
White, Guy Warnica, H. Wine
garner and Noel and Glen
Woods.
Mr. Wilcox stated that the
mining course would be repeat
ed here in future years. It is pos
sible, however, that interest will
not be great enough to offer the
class annually. Present plans are
to present the course on alter
nate years, the instructor said.
ARR, Firemen
Meet To Plan
New Program
It’s official now. The keys of
the Valley’s new firetruck are in
the hands of Palmer’s voluntei r
firemen, the contract which re
quires that the Valley provide
adequate storage, maintenance
and manpower for the truck is
signed and delivered and insur
ance has been written which ful
ly covers the vehicle.
The stipulations were a pait
of a gentleman’s agreement be
tween The Alaska Railroad and
the Valley Volunteer Fireman's
Association, whereby the Rail
road loaned an equipped truck
for firefighting, and the Valley
promised fire protection for all
local homes and businesses, and
all Railroad property.
The agreement was confirmed
at a Sunday luncheon, when
Railroad representatives met
with members of the Valley File
Association. L. A. Moore, pub
lic relations official, Paul Shc!
merdine, labor relations repre
sentative, William Richards,
safety engineer, and Robert
Hartwell, assistant to Mr. Rich
ards, represented the Railroad
at the luncheon.
Mr. Moore told Association
members that The Alaska Rail
road was greatly pleased to be
able to assist the Valley in
meeting its fire protection
problems. He praised the co
operative attitude of local res
idents in their willingness to
undertake obligations for the
proper storage, maintenance
and manning of the new ve
hicle which he said he hoped
"you will never have occasion
to use."
The Railroad officials asked
A1 Hagen, board chairman of
the Volunteer Fire Association,
what steps had been taken to
organize the association as an
effective firefighting unit.
Mr. Hagen reported that a fire
chief, O. R Mitchell, had been
named at last week’s Association
meeting. He pointed out that Mr.
Mitchell was well qualified for
the position, for he has seven
years of fire department expe
rience in the states.
Two assistant chiefs, Vic Niel
sen and Everett Yohn, also were
appointed. Willard Cook and
Bob Peterson were selected as
truck drivers and a full crew
was assigned to specific duties
on the truck.
Mr. Hagen said that garage
employes had agreed lo have
the truck motor running and
doors of the garage opened,
whenever a fire alarm is
sounded, so that the equip
ment will be ready for use as
soon as volunteer firemen
reach the garage where it is
stored.
It was agreed that firemen
would be paid $1 for firefight
ing duties occurring between the
hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p in., and
$2 for each fire they attend
after 3 0 p.m. The new fire chief
will serve on a volunteer basis
untii Jan. 1.
Group insurance will be writ
ten to cover firefighters, and the
fire truck will be fully covered
by adequate insurance.
Mr. Moore asked about a cen
tral alarm system and he was
told that the fire department is
(Continued on page 8,1