valley Frontiersman
VOL. II.
PALMER, ALASKA JULY 21, 1949
No. 33
Dillon Is Rehired By School Board
Methodists Inspect
Matanuska Valley
For College Site
Bishop Edgar Kennedy of the
Methodist Church visited the
Valley last week, in one stop on
his survey of this area in search
of a suitable location for a pro
posed liberal arts college. Bishop
Kennedy said the Methodist
Church had half a million dol
lars pledged with which to build
a four-year non-sectarian col
lege in Alaska.
Methodist churchmen, who
gathered in Anchorage for a ter
ritorial conference last week,
studied the Anchorage area
thoroughly for site possibilities.
They also received a brief from
the Homer Chamber of Com
merce setting forth advantages
of a site located in that area.
Accessibility will be one of the
major considerations in the final
selection of a site, it was pointed
out. The churchmen are looking
for 50 to 100 acres of land on
which to locate their institution.
They are hoping to be granted a
site in some Alaskan city.
Rev. P. Gordon Gould, director
of Methodist work in Alaska, and
Dr. John O. Gross, executive sec
retary of the board of education
in charge of divisional institu
tions, also participated in the
survey.
No decision was reached last
week. Reverend Gould left An
chorage for Nome last Monday
afternoon, but expects to return
tomorrow. Valley Chamber heads
are attempting to schedule a
meeting with him here, if ar
rangements can be completed.
The Chamber of Commerce
also is making plans to submit a
brief setting forth the Valley’s
advantages as a site. Other
Chambers of Commerce are pre
paring similar documents to be
sent to Methodist headquarters
in Seattle.
Conservationist Named
Lew E. Hanks has been ap
pointed to the post of district
conservationist with the Soil
Conservation Service, it was
learned this week. The position
has been vacant since early
June, when James Hurley re
signed to accept the general
managership of the Alaska Ru
ral Rehabilitation Corporation.
Mr. Hanks has been stationed
at Watsonville, Calif., for the
past several years. He is not ex
pected to arrive in the Valley
until early September.
GRANGE SPONSORS GATEWAY
BEAUTY CONTEST FOR FARMS
Because of the late date of its
planning, the 1949 home beau
tification contest of Northland
Pioneer Grange will stress only
one phase of farm improvement
this year. That phase will be
farm identification, according to
E. V. Kirsh, head of the Grange’s
planning committee.
Contestants this year are ask
ed to identify their homes by
hanging their names, or a farm
name, at the farm’s entry way.
Other general improvements at
the entrance to the farm also
will be considered by the judges.
These improvements may in
clude clearing of unnecessary
trees and brush, grading, grav
elling, painting of fence posts,
and constructing a decorative
gate or a flag stone walk.
“Just any improvement that
will give your main entrance a
•face lifting’ is what we’re after,”
Mr. Kirsh said.
Prizes of $15, $10 and $5 will
be awarded at fair time to the
three farms whose entrances
show the greatest improvement.
However in order to qualify for
these awards, contestants must
register before July 28.
Committee members Kirsh, A.
D. Saxton or Mrs. Chek Sandvik
will accept registrations. The
Extension Office also will reg
ister those who wish to enter the
contest. Mr. Saxton will explain
the contest in further detail, if
there are those who seek added
information.
Although committee members
plan to visit each farm for a
“before and after” view of en
trances, Mr. Kirsh said it would
be practical for all contestants
to take pictures showing en
trances before and following
improvement.
Hospital Board
Divides Its
Problems
The easing of management
problems of the Valley Hospital
was the chief concern of the
board of directors at last week’s
scheduled meeting. The board
discussed and enacted a plan,
whereby each member was as
signed a specific responsibility in
hospital management. These
assignments were handed out as
follows:
Personnel—Janies Wilson;
Purchasing—Jack Maze;
Accounting and collection
—Clayton Esslinger;
Maintenance and opera
tion — Chek Sandvik and
Victor Johnson;
Promotion of a building
fund—Clyde King, Sr.;
Publicity—Mrs. Neal Miller.
The board also passed a reso
lution which requires all doctors
establishing a practice in the
Valley to file their credentials of
qualification and training with
the hospital board.
The financial report revealed
that the Valley Hospital has op
erated on a paying basis for the
first half of the current year. A
substantial surplus was reported
at the end of June. This surplus
has been poured back into the
purchase of up-to-date equip
ment and into building im
provement.
Correspondence from the Sev
enth Day Adventist Church
(Continued on Page 8)
New SCS Employe
Comes Next Week
Emmett A. Ellington has been
appointed territorial adminis
trative assistant for the Soil
Conservation Service, it was an
nounced this week by Charles
Wilson, territorial conservation
ist. Mr. Ellington will assume the
duties of office manager at the
Palmer headquarters office.
The new office manager is
coming north by boat, and is ex
pected to arrive in Palmer some
time during the last week in
July. He is accompanied by his
wife, an eight-year-old daughter
and a six-year-old son.
Mr. Ellington has been with
the Soil Conservation Service
for a number of years, Mr. Wil
son said. He spent several years
in Utah, but originally came
from Texas. His most recent as
signment has been that of ad
ministrative assistant in the re
gional headquarters office of
SCS at Portland, Ore.
Moose Legion Meets Saturday
Next Saturday’s meeting of
the Legion of the Moose is to be
preceded by a dinner served by
the Women of the Moose at the
Moose Hut. Initiation and a busi
ness meeting will follow the din
ner. A delegation from Anchor
age. including officers, is ex
pected to participate in the
meeting.
On Saturday, July 30, the
Moose Hut will be the scene of a
stag party for all members of
the Palmer Lodge.
THREE OTHER
LOCAL RESIDENTS
ARE APPROVED
Charles Dillon has been ap
proved for a teaching position in
the upper grades of Palmer
School next fall, it was announc
ed this week by Lucius Ross,
chairman of the newly-elected
school board. Mr. Dillon was one
of several Palmer teachers who
was not rehired at the close of
last year’s term.
Mr. Dillon said Monday eve
ning, when he learned of the
board’s action, that he would re
turn to Palmer in the fall.
Three other local residents
have been approved for positions
by the new board. Miss Alice
Jean Sweetman will be offered
a contract for the intermediate
department. Mrs. Barbara Smart
was approved for the primary
department, and Mrs. W. H.
Puckett was approved for pri
mary teaching.
The board still is sitting ap
plications to fill other vacan
cies, which occur in every de
partment in the school. High
school vacancies remain in the
English, science, home econom
ics and physical education fields.
A number of applicants have
been contacted by letter, with a
request that added information
be given, but no contracts have
been offered. In every case, the
board members said they had
asked for a definite answer by
August 1, if the candidate is in
terested in teaching in the Pal
mer school this fall.
Mr. Ross said the board was
interested in obtaining still oth
er applications for review. Ap
plications for substitute teach
ing are desired by board mem
bers. as well as for regular class
room vacancies.
Six vacancies still must be
filled in the grade school, in ad
dition to the gaps in the high
school professorial ranks.
Mielkes Have Girl
A baby daughter was born to
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Mielke of Pal
mer on July 12. The little girl,
first child for the couple, ar
rived at the Valley Hospital. She
weighed six pounds, nine ounces
at birth.
Lester’s In Anchorage
Parker Lester, local Extension
agent, is spending this week in
the Anchorage office of the Ex
tension Service.