valley Frontiersman
VOL. II.
PALMER, ALASKA MAY 5, 1949
No. 22
C. W. Peters Named To Flakne’s Staff
Teachers Make
Group Protest
To Board Move
A group of Palmer school
teachers this week made united
protest to recent school board
action which dismissed five of
their number for failing to meet
standards of loyalty, coopera
tion, classroom performance and
efficiency.
The teachers, who called in a
body at the Frontiersman office
on Monday, said they felt they
had been given no opportunity
to present their opinions with
regard to the dismissal. They
further deplored the school
board action as one which jeo
pardizes their future standing in
their profession.
The teachers listed these
points of discrepancy, in discus
sion of the board’s dismissal ac
tion:
(1) Total disregard of
opinions of immediate supe
riors. The teachers said they
knew of no instance when
either high school or grade
school principal was con
sulted.
(2) Refuting the criticism
that some of the staff ex
pressed themselves too free
ly on school matters, the
teachers said they felt it
their right, as Americans, to
be able to express an opinion
openly.
(3) A board criticism di
rected toward the casual at
tire of a teacher was attack
ed; it was stated that teach
ers should have been warned
of the board’s feeling in this
respect, and thus given an
opportunity to correct the
fault.
Again and again, the teach
ers repeated that they felt it un
fair of the board to have issuec
no warnings or reproofs during
the school term. They insist thej
were given no instruction as tc
what the board expected of then
as Palmer teachers.
“I was issued two directives
during the year,” one teacher
asserted. “One told me to keep
the window shades straight and
the other to keep my desk top
clear. Why wasn’t I told that 1
was falling short on some oi
these points?”
Another questioned heat
edly, “What I want to know,
are we to be told how we
dress, where we go, what we
(Continued on Page 8)
ROADS ARE NOT BAD,
WILL IMPROVE, KING REPORTS
Clyde King, Sr., foreman for
the Alaska Road Commission
here, this week published the
glad news that Valley roads “are
beginning to get better.” Mr.
King said all main-travelled
roads have been kept open dur
ing this breakup period, despite
the adverse weather conditions
which bring daytime thaws and
nightly freezes.
He added, however, that some
side roads had been closed.
“Knik road is passable only to
those equipped with rubber boots
and stilts,” he said. The Wasilla
road is in fair condition, and is
getting better.
And the highway between here
and Anchorage? “It’s excellent
for this time of year,” Mr. King
stoutly asserts. The road fore
man expects nothing but im
provement from now on. He said
there had been several small
slides down the steep slopes of
Pioneer Peak, but none had
reached the road. He does not
expect any slide or major pro
portions in that area at this late
date.
The roads to the north are
open to Fairbanks, by way of the
Tok-Slana cutoff, but it is ex
pected to be some time before
the Richardson route to Fair
banks can be travelled. How
ever the southern end of the
Richardson Highway, leading to
Valdez, was opened to automo
bile traffic last week.
The highway leading to Little
Susitna is passable as far as the
Lodge. Beyond that point, it’s
still skis or snowshoes for the
traveller. Mr. King said he ques
tioned a resident of the area last
week concerning snow depth,
and he was told the eight-foot
road markers above Little Susit
na Lodge still were buried be
neath the snow.
Summing up the Valley’s trav
elling conditions, Mr. King was
optimistic for a quick return to
normal. However he voiced the
request that all but essential
travel be curtailed for a time, so
that roadbeds would not be cut
up more than necessary.
Health Council
To Show Film
In Gym Tonight
The educational film, “Human
Growth,” is to be shown in the
Gymnasium at 8 o’clock this
evening, it was announced this
week by Mrs. Matt Perkins, the
spokesman for the Matanuska
Valley Health Council. The sex
education film is being shown
under the sponsorship of the
Health Council.
The film was first shown to
parents in the school lunchroom
two weeks ago. Then planned to
be shown in Palmer classrooms,
the idea was later abandoned.
However because a number of
parents have requested that the
film be shown again, the Health
Council, in cooperation with
Miss Elizabeth Moxley, health
education consultant, is spon
soring tonight’s repeat showing.
“Human Growth” is an edu
cational film which creates an
instructional atmosphere that
permits the facts of human sex
to be discussed without embar
rassment, according to Miss
Moxley.
“The film achieves three car
dinal objectives,” the health
consultant stated. “These ob
jectives are: (a) It demonstrates
(Continued on Page 8)
Committee Urges
Incorporation
The citizen’s committee, which
met with the school board on
April 25, to protest the dismissal
of Palmer’s school-teachers, met
again last Monday to consider a
further course of action. No def
inite policy was formulated, with
regard to dismissed teachers, but
it was decided to push school in
corporation with all possible
speed, in order to gain greater
community voice in school af
fairs.
The group also agreed to
place a concise and unbiased
statement before the new super
intendent, when he arrives in
Palmer. The statement would be
formulated with the hope that
the incoming superintendent
might be induced to reconsider
some of the dismissals.
James Hurley, summing up
the opinion of the group, said it
would be a committee recom
mendation to future school
boards that a “better job of su
pervision and of employe rela
tions” be attempted. “We do
feel,” he continued, "that this
school board has made a mis
take, has done a poor job of su
pervision and as a result some
(Continued on Page 8)
ARRC MANAGER
TO TRANSFER
ON MAY 13
C. W. Peters, who has been
general manager of the Alaska
Rural Rehabilitation Corpora
tion for the past 18 months, this
week announced his resignation
of that position. Mr. Peters has
resigned in order to accept new
duties with the Division of Ter
ritories, Department of the In
terior, in Washington, D. C.
The Valley man will become
technical assistant to Joseph T.
Flakne of the Alaska branch of
the division, which is headed by
James P. Davis. His new duties
will be concerned with all terri
torial problems. Mr. Peters feels
that he may be of future help to
the Matanuska Valley in mak
ing the needs and problems
known to Washington officials.
The Peters family expects to
leave Palmer on May 13. They
will fly to Seattle and there pick
up a new car to make their jour
ney east. They will visit relatives
in the Pacific Northwest and in
the mid-west, before Mr. Peters
reports for duty in Washington
on June 27.
The family plans to establish a
home in Virginia, across the Po
tomac River from Washington,
D. C.
The new head of the ARRC
office still was not known at
presstime. An announcement is
expected sometime late this
week.
Mr. Peters already has begun
to drop the civic responsibilities
he has assumed during his 18
months stay in the Valley. He
resigned as secretary-treasurer
of the Valley Hospital Associa
tion last week. He has been re
placed by Howard Esslinger. The
ARRC manager will relinquish
his duties as a member of the
school board at the May 10th
meeting of that group.
SOPHIE GOES
OUTSIDE TO LIVE
Miss Sophie Vanderpool, grad
uate of last year’s class at Pal
mer High School, left the Valley
early this week to fly Outside,
where she will make her home.
Miss Vanderpool went to Seattle,
and from there will go to Pasco.
Wash., where she will live with
an aunt.
Miss Vanderpool, who has been
working in the Pioneer Insur
ance office, has been replaced by
Gloria Crousore.