Valley FRONTERSMAN
♦ Published each Wednesday and Saturday
Palmer, Alaska
Viola Daniels .Editor
Marilyn Rhodes.advertising manager Anchorage area.
No printed material in the Valley Frontiersman may be re
produced except by permission of the editor.
Subscription rates .75c month
Delivered by carrier in Palmer. Mailed to all points in
Alaska and the United States.
Printed in Anchorage plant of Anchorage Daily Times
Writin’ To Teens
By DICK DRABBLE
Hi Ya!
The other day I was asked by a few of my pals, why I didn’t
try writing to other kids in the manner that I’ve been writing to
them. Seems they thought the things we talked about were of
common interest and amusement to most all teenagers.
Well, their letters were interesting too, so I thought of starting
a*column in this paper. But let’s do it this way: Every guy and
gal reading the column consider it a personal letter. If you feel
you want to answer, or write to me on some other topic—go to it.
News items of teen interest as well as editorials, kinks etc., will
be good.
You realize, of course, we may not be able to print all the
things you send in, due to space limitation and common interests.
Anyway, let’s be pen pals. Girls, too!
If You Have a Skeleton in Your Closet,
Don't Slam the Door!
“Glory be!” my Aunt Polly always used to say when things
were unusually nerve-wracking. Aunt Polly had a nose that looked
like a tomato, and Pop used to say he’d like to can both of them.
Aunt Polly was our spinster relative, always wanted to man
age other people, and other people’s people. I never had the
slightest doubt that she couldn’t. But no one seemed interested
in 4etting her try.
Always, when a big event was about to take place in our
neighborhood, Polly would be right on hand rolling up her sleeves
ready to start rooting for the team that wasn’t playing. Nothing
was ever opportune for poor Poll’; she never could come in out
of the rain, but seldom minded getting wet.
I heard Ma once say that if ever a young man should leave
Aunty waiting at the church, she would have progressed a long
way toward getting married.
Can you say quickly: “Peter Pringle postponed Patter’s par
ty?” What does it mean? I don’t know, but dear Polly used to
rattle it off every time she dropped a stitch, or was disappointed
aBout something. Another thing about Aunt Polly, she could
cook. Whenever she boiled water, it came out boiled water.
The closest to dire disaster Polly ever came to in her whole
life, was when she told it around that our next door neighbor, Mrs.
Murphy, fried the baked potato skins from Sunday dinner, for
Monday supper. Pop broke the knob off the screen door as he
hastened through it to tell Ma that Mr. Murphy was going to kick
his teeth in.
Personally, I held no grudge against Aunt Polly. I was small
fry and I guess she was my official baby-sitter. On Saturdays she
took in the matinee at the neighborhood theater. Poll’ was worse
than the kiddies; craning her neck and running up and down the
aisles jabbering with everybody. Typically, she would choose
the suspense part of the picture to tell her neighbor about the
crick in her neck the night before, or how much butter she used in
applepan dowdy.
From my description of this hilarious relative you have prob
ably concluded that she was a misfit. She wasn’t, she fitted in
perfectly in our lives. I’d hate to think that any of us regretted
Polly as a member of our family circle. What a dull childhood
I’d have had without Poll’s escapades.
Pop surely would have wasted away a quiet, contented old
man, instead of dying of high blood pressure. While he wasn’t
against her, he considered her a living skeleton in our closet.
Several times Ma had a heck of a time keeping him from slamming
the door, and throwing the key away.
The world is full of Aunt Pollys. Some are of the family
type, others are of a wider planex. Lots have had the door
slammed, and have wasted away in the darkness. One thing
dear Polly taught me, whether she realized it or not, was toler
ance. Pop too had tolerance, but his was restrained. I enjoyed
Polly, while Pop broke off the door knobs. Now I’m glad I did;
a\ least I won’t die of high blood pressure.
How is your blood pressure? Next time you see an awkward
soul knocking himself out trying to be something he probably
never could be, don’t laugh, let him try. That’s what makes life
worth living. Polly lived her whole life a nobody; yet I never
knew her to be blue or shed a tear. Many folks tried to help Aunt
Polly, some succeeded in a way. To have ridiculed her seriously
would have been a mistake.
“Some folk jus’ niver git tha breaks!” old Mr. Dan used to
say. He was the only boy-friend Polly ever had; he was 86.
' So if you have a skeleton in your closet, don’t slam the door.
PLAN A WEDDING
Miss Adalgesia de Lopes of
Recife, Brazil, and Bernard
Swoboda of Palmer filed appli
cation for a marriage license at
the’■©ffice of Mrs. Walter Hunt
ley, U. S. commissioner, last
Saturday. They revealed no
plans for their coming wedding.
Miss de Lopes is now a guest
at the Lodge in Palmer.
No Newsletters
To Be Published
At Palmer School
Newsletters, which have been
issued from the office of the
superintendent of Palmer school
in past years, will not be printed
this year, it was announced by
school superintendent Carl Snell
ing last week.
Mr. Snelling said he regretted
the change in policy, particular
ly when he had announced his
plan of continuing the school
newsletters. However it is im
possible to use the school’s
dwindling supplies of paper for
this purpose, he said. Since it
has become necessary to count
the cost of all materials so care
fully it has been the school pol
icy to conserve paper by utiliz
ing the present supply for class
room work only.
It was announced that the
school office is open for parent
conferences at any time, should
parents wish to discuss matters
of school policy.
Mr. Snelling also invited all
interested community residents
to join the Parent-Teacher’s As
sociation. “Any problems facing
the school will be discussed regu
larly at the P-TA,” he said. “Also
any member may bring up any
subject of interest and hear it
discussed from both teacher and
parent standpoints.”
Dues in the Palmer chapter of
the P-TA, now a member of the
national organization, are only
50 cents annually.
12:30 CLUB MEETS
The Twelve-Thirty Homemak
! ers club will meet at the home
of Mrs. Roy Brock on Dec. 17
for the club Christmas party, it
was announced this week by
Mrs. Mildred Moebius, club sec
retary. The group meets at 12:30
p.m. The Christmas party will
replace the regular December
meeting. Each member attend
ing is asked to bring a Christmas
gift to exchange.
Henke Sells Insurance
Lou Henke this week an
nounced that he has been li
censed to handle insurance sales
in this area. Mr. Henke at pres
ent has a hospitalization insur
ance plan and a health and acci
| dent policy. He later will carry
full lines of insurance, he said.
The Henke office is located
next door to Variety Vogues in
the space shared by the Valley
Frontiersman.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember? —Adv.
BUY CHRISTMAS SEALS
See Tucker & Peterson, Anchor
age, for Used Cars and Trucks.
UNION BANK
of ANCHORAGE
NEW BANKING HOURS
2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
SATURDAY
10 a.m. to 12 noon
"ALASKA'S FASTEST
GROWING BANK"
408 Fourth Avenu*
School Alters
Lunch Plan
Because of the involved book
keeping system necessary under
the school ticket lunch plan, the
school cafeteria switched to a
cash operation recently, it was
announced at the school office
this week.
Bookkeeping was claiming a
full seven hours of office work
daily. Although changes in the
1 operational program are not
made during the course of a
term unless absolutely neces
sary, superintendent Carl Snel
ling said the need for abandon
ing the ticket plan was impera
tive, unless another office work
er was to be hired.
Under the old plan, when stu
dents purchased lunches several
months in advance through the
lunch tickets, much classroom
time was lost daily in checking
tickets.
If added office help were ob
tained, the school lunch cost
would have risen ta 40 cents
for students, the superintendent
explained. It was felt this was
too heavy a burden for families
with several children in school,
so the plan of daily payment for
lunches was substituted.
The new plan saves many
hours of both teacher and office
labor at Palmer school, and it
brings the school cafeteria into
conformity with the plan of op
eration m schools everywhere.
Yuletide Program
Of Music Club
Is Announced
The program of Christmas
music planned for the Music Ap
preciation Club, which meets at
the rectory of St. Michael’s
church at 8 o’clock Thursday
evening, has been announced by
Father James Snead as follows:
“Song of Christmas” by Roy
Ringwald, featuring Fred War
ing and his Pennsylvanians with
soloists and narrator; “The Old
est Christmas Story,” reading
narrated by Charles Laughton;
Bach Cantata No. 140 with Rob
ert Shaw conducting the RCA
Victor choral group; “On the
Night Before Christmas,” fea
turing Fibber McGee and Molly
with the King’s Men and the
Billy Mills orchestra; “Christ
mas Carol” by Charles Dickens,
adapted, produced and narrated
by Ernest Chappell and support
ing cast. »
Father Snead asks that all be
present on time for Thursday’s
program, for this concert will
start promptly at the scheduled
hour of 8 o’clock.
Mrs. Paul Martin will serve re
freshments during the mid-eve
ning intermission.
Call 8 lo get meeting notices
printed in the Frontiersman.
1
PINOCHLE PARTY
There will be another in
the public series of pinochle
parties at the Grange Hall on
Wednesday evening, it was
announced this week by Mrs.
Roy Brock, Grange secretary.
Play begins at 8 o'clock Wed
nesday evening. These pin
ochle parties are monthly
events on the Grange calen
dar. All community residents
are invited to attend.
Bus Drivers Say
Valley Vehicles
Break Traffic Laws
Careless driving is daily en
dangering the life of Valley
school children. Drivers of
school buses have registered
complaints at the office of the
school superintendent several
times within the past few weeks.
The drivers say motorists are •
failing to observe the law which
requires all vehicles, either ap
proaching or driving in the same
direction, to come to a full halt
when school buses are stopped
to load or unload children.
It has been reported that on
one or two occasions children
have narrowly missed being
run down when crossing the
road after alighting from a
school bus.
Valley drivers were warned
by highway patrolman Wesley
Gilman to observe this regula
tion earlier this year. Hereafter
drivers who fail to obey this law
will be prosecuted, according to
Carl Snelling, school superin
tendent.
Mr. Snelling declared that in
asmuch as the school is respon
sible for the safety of a child
until he reaches his home, the
present administration of Palmer
school will do everything pos
sible to guarantee the safety of
that child while under school
supervision.
Leona DeLand
Wins $25 Prize
Leona DeLand, winner of the
Frontiersman’s subscription con
test, today is wondering which
Christmas present she should
buy first with the $25 first prize
money that was awarded her
last night. Virgil Neehan finish
ed second and received $15.
Leona wasn’t certain which
gifts she was going to buy with
the prize money but she “was
certain it would go for Christmas
gifts.” Virgil is going to put his
winnings into camera equipment.
The final standings of the five
contestants follow:
Leona DeLand 1830 points;
Virgil Neehan, 1600; Richard
Geiwitz, 550; Barbara Hecker,
360; and Joan Bragseth, 110.
Coffey insures Everything—
Remember? —Adv.
Does your heart skip a beat when you
hear the fire whistle blow?
Is it because you’ve neglected that all-important
matter—COMPLETE fire protection for your
| home?
I Then ACT Today
FOR FIRE INSURANCE THAT’S JUST RIGHT
FOR YOU
See
JACK NAZE
MATANUSKA VALLEY BANK
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