ALASKA HOME DEMONSTRATION WORK
HELPS KEEP HOMEMAKERS INFORMED
Home demonstration work in
Alaska is planned to keep home
makers informed of the advan
ces in knowledge for better home
and family life, Mrs. Lydia Fohn
Hansen, home demonstration
leader of the University of Al
aska said this week.
National home demonstration
week May 2 to. 8 is one way
homemakers learn about the
services and educational help
available from the University of
Alaska Extension Service. The
program is tax supported and
available to all women and their
families.
During the past year district
home demonstration agents in
Palmer, Anchorage, Fairbanks,
Homer, and Juneau distributed
16.000 bulletins and answered
13.000 office and telephone calls
-for information. Questions rang
ed from how to bake shee fish
to when was the proper time to
■•plant a vegetable garden.
At the fourth annual home
makers short course held on the
University campus last fall, club
delegates organized the Alaska
Homemakers Council, with Mrs.
Anna Hansen of Anchorage pres- ;
ident, and Mrs. Phil O’Neill of
Sutton, vice-president.
Alaskan homemakers have put
the home demonstration week
theme, “today’s home builds to
■morrow’s world”, into practice.
Evidence is found in the $2,000
that Palmer homemakers’ clubs
■raised for the new Valley Hos
pital.
Junior-Senior Prom
Set for Saturday
The Palmer High School juni
or-senior prom and banquet will
<be held this Saturday evening,
Haeginning at 6:00 p.m. at Moose;
4fall for all seniors, juniors, and j
invited guests, the latter to in
clude parents, the school faculty,
employees, and school board
—members.
The dinner will begin at 6:00
-p.m., with Fred Cook as master
of-ceremonies. The junior wel
come will be given by Larry
.Bentti, class president. Benny
Ross, president of the senior class
will give the response. Vocal en
tertainment will be presented by
Janice Barry, Dorothy Adams,
Deloris Foster, Ken Hughes, and
Leo Plumley.
Following the dinner, dancing
to Swanson’s orchestra from An
chorage will be enjoyed in the
^school gymnasium, with the cli
max of the dance to be the
crowning of the King and Queen,
chosen from the senior class.
ADMIRAL ZEUSLER RESIGNS
ALASKA LINE POSITION
♦RADM F. A. Zeusler, has re
signed as executive to the presi
dent of Alaska Steamship Com- 1
pany, D. E. Skinner, president
-of the line, announced this week. 1
‘‘Admiral Zeusler’s resignation, ]
submitted in November, 1953,
was reluctantly accepted to take ' '
-effect May 20, his 64th birthday,”
Skinner said. Zeusler began his I 1
•service with the Alaska Line in |
1947 after a 39-year career in the j
U. S. Coast Guard.
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
ALWAYS BRING RESULTS
Homemakers to Give
Histories of Clubs
In observance of Home Dem
onstration Week, which is being
held from May 3 to May 8 in the
local area, The Frontiersman will
carry articles of interest, contrib
uted by members of the various
homemakers’ clubs. These news
articles will tell of club’s com
munity projects, their club work,
or household hints and favorite
recipes. This week we are print
ing the first of these, submitted
by the Sourdough and Butte
Homemakers’ clubs.
HISTORY OF THE
HOMEMAKERS’ CLUB
In the summer of 1934 social
activities in the Valley are at
a low ebb. About the only ‘‘get
together” was a weekly country
dance in the hall at Matanuska,
or in the one at Wasilla. People
gathered there from all over the
valley, to visit and get acquaint
ed, or trip the light fantastic.
Many of them walked in for
miles, others caught rides on
wagons or carts, or with anyone
who was lucky enough to have
a car of sojne description (there
were possibly a half dozen of
them in the valley at that tme.)
In the winter the school at
Matanuska held the usual enter
tainments. There were a few
card parties held at the homes of
Mrs. Gill at the depot, or at Mrs.
Krag’s, the store keeper’s wife.
There were also some doings at
the Experiment Station, on oc
The Grange was organized
during the winter of 1934-35 and
met in the mess hall of the Ex
periment Station. But the women
of the valley were not having the
opportunity to chat over a cup
of tea, and enjoy the little things
which women enjoy-—such as
donning their best dress or
"britches and packs”, putting
a curl or two in their hair and
‘‘getting away” for a few hours.
So a few of the gabby ones got
together and said, “Lets form a
•lub”.
To begin with there were four
of them (and they were nick
named the four roses.) Most of
the homes were small—too small
Lo get a handful of women to
gether at one time. So the first
question was, where will we
neet?
The new family at the Experi
nent Station had a large living
room, and a woman and two
daughters who liked to gab, so
in invitation was extended to
:he neighbors to come in and see
f we could organize a club.
The first meetings were held
here twice a month during the
vinter of 1934-35, until other
vomen decided they might make
•oom for the group by throwing
iut a few pieces of furniture or
joxes. The idea spread and sev
;ral homes were invaded by the
ncreasing number of gabbers.
The husbands of some of the
vomen thought they were being
eft out and said, “Let’s have a
dub. too.” They talked of calling
themselves the roving roosters.
However, they never really suc
;eeded in getting a start—never
got to roving.
The club had quite a time trv
ng to find a name. Finally they
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'ecided to call themselves the
‘G G’s”, and to ths day never
divulged what the name signi
fied.
After the Colony came, and
other homemaker clubs were or
ganized by Mrs. Fohn-Hansen of
the Extension Service, the club
decided to call themselves the
Sourdough Homemakers’ club,
since they were the oldest or
ganized group in the valley.
There was some opposition to
such affiliation, since it would
mean there would have to be
some direction of activities which
would entail work, for they all
loved to gab. In fact they never
got over that characteristic.
Thus the Sourdough Home
maekrs’ club was formed.
Written by one of the Four
Roses.
Butte Club
“Home Demonstration” to me
dates way back—perhaps about
1918. At any rate, I didn’t know
a County Agent personally until
then. Prior to that time I had
known Potato Improvement,
Dairy Stock Improvement, and a
bit about poultry culling but the
4-H work was just being born as
well as the women’s projects that
offered a trained leader from the
Department of Agriculture of the
University of Minnesota. It seems
when a man and woman work
together at building a home and
farm the County Agent and
Home Demonstration Agent’s
work went hand in hand. Thus
we were familiar with the Coun
iy ngem him.
Then came the different sew
ing projects, nutrition, child de
velopment (later known as the
family relations projects) room
furnishing, garden and poultry
projects as well as many 4-H
projects which were sponsored
by the home—mostly the hom?
maker-the mother.
Each was a thrill in itself for
we meet the women who were
i interested in progress. Better
homes, better education, better
■ nourished families and a better
way to earn a bit of money which
is so necessary even though you
raise most of what you eat. And
when the depression of the early
’30’s hit it became more and
more necessary to stretch the
dollar. It did buy a lot but dol
lars were scarec. However, with
luck and pluck, we carried on.
Then in 1935 came the write
ups about an Alaskan project and
we became a part of it. Upon
reaching Seward we paid a visit j
to the school. There was Mrs. |
Lydia Fohn Hansen, Alaska’s
Home Demonstration Agent,
teaching—of all things— glove
making! I thought I had all the
projects offered but here was a
new one. And I made my first i
pair of gloves. Then shortly after, j
life started in the Matanuska !
Valley. The Extension office also
started. A tent like those occu- i
pied by the colony families. But
it held our able and dear leader
we had met at Seward. The pro
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jects commenced pertaining to
pioneering in Alaska as well as
homemaking here. The special
and new projects for us “land
lubbers” was canning salmon.
The usual help in ordinary can
ning, sewing, etc. of course, was
always available.
Children’s 4-H clubs were or
ganized in crafts, sewing, can
ning, garden and the calf, poul
try and sheep clubs. Our 4-H
clubs are a credit to any com
munity.
Always there are lonely souls
and many a young girl-wife has
expressed her appreciation when
invited to a homemaker’s meet
ing. So even if they don’t ac
complish anything outstanding
at fairs, teas, etc., let’s take the
lonliness out of their hearts and
help in that way.
May the Home Demonstration
or Homemakers Clubs go on and
on as long as time lasts.
By Agnes Sandvik
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
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Palmer
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY
738 Boosters Given ,
In Typhoid Program
During First Week
During the first week in the
present typhoid immunization
program, 738 boosters were giv
en by the two local public health
nurses, Dolores Mattila and
Jeanne Shaver. Of the total, 538
boosters were given in the Pal
mer area; 101 in the Chugiak
area, and 99 in at Wasilla. In
addition to the boosters, were
many who began their series of
three, which will be tabulated
upon completion.
Friday April 30, will be the
second opportunity for Palmer
adults and pre-school children
when the clinic will be held in
the Health Center during the
is being conducted in the Health
Center, located over the Palmer
Fountain, as the council has not
yet been moved into their new
quarters in the hospital. Anyone
desiring a booster, and those con
tinuing their series are invited to
avail themselves of this oppor*
tunity for immunization.
Next Tuesday will be the third
in the series of three for Palmer
school children. Those who did
not begin their series April 20
will be able to complete their
series just the same, Miss Mattila
said.
afternoon and evening. The clinic
Jack Flint returned to Palmer
this past week end, following
a stateside trip where he visit
ed with his parents in the Seat
tle area. Jack reported the
cherry trees are in bloom.
Skirts
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