George W. Gasser, long-imw* t^rilorial resident, '▼as honored for
his many year's work in agriculture experiments, by an announce
ment made at the recent Farm Forum that a new variety of wheat
which he perfected has been named Gasser. Pictured in the above
photo are, left to right, Don L. Irwin, director Alaska Agriculture
Experiment Station, Mr. Gasser, James Wilson, Territorial Commis
sioner of Agriculture and NL D. Snodgrass, long-time valley resident
and agriculturist.
Anchorage Times Photo
SMUTS W UJUKM MSBBITUK
ay uea i*. uwui
Two men sat together at the
February 4 session of the farm
Forum in the new high school
'cafeteria at Palmer. Both men. had
lived in Alaska during their adult
manhood. Each had contributed
♦t years off his intellect, his
strength and his energy to the
development off agriculture in
Alaska. Those two men, ML D.
Snodgrass who lives in Palmer
and George W. Gasser whose
home is at Fairbanks, each came
to Alaska in 1907.
Mr. Snodgrass was stationed
first as superintendent of the Ko
diak Agricultural Experiment
'Station. Later he was superin
tendent of the experiment sta
tion at Fairbanks and then at the
Matanuska Staion. When the De
partment of Agriculture closed
the Matanuska Station Mr. Snod
grass was appointed agricultural
■colonization agent for the Alas
ka Railroad and was responsible
for . persuading a considerable
number of families to settle on,
. farms in Alaska.
'‘Sfc^ce his retirement he has liv-<
red in And near Palmer, engag
ing In real estate business,
and farming part time. He is nev
er happier than when he has his
hands full of good Alaska soil
and can tell someone of the pos
sibilities of farming in this far
} northern frontier.
T£wo years ago he was elected
rto 'the Alaska Legislature as a
' Representative. He introduced a
which was passed, providing
for the appropriation of $200,00®'
for farm development loans in Al
aska. This is constructive legisla
tion which will have far reaching
results in every farm area in Al
aska.
Mr. Gasser as a young man
came to Alaska and took charge
of the Agricultural Experiment
Station at Rampart on the Yukon
river. For 14 years he was super
intendent of that station, literally
clearing the land by hand for ex
perimental work. Much of the
clearing work as well as planting ;
of plots, care of livestock, and ^
other station work, he did him- j
self. ]
His testing work with varieties j
of legumes, cross breeding of vari- |
ous cereal crops was especially J
valuable in that area of short j
summers, low annual precipita- *
tion and long winters with ex- j
tremely low temperatures. Thro- ;
ugh cross breeding of barley var
ieties he produced a hulless,
awnless variety of barley which
was named (Trapmar) or more
commonly known as 19-B. His
cross of two varieties of wheat
has been selected by the cereal
crop breeders of the Experiment
Station for leasing. The announce
ment of this new variety, which
-as been n amed Gasser, was made
by Dr. A. H. Mick, dean of agri
culture of the University of Al
aska, at the recent Farm Forum
held in Palmer.
Mr. Gasser for many years was
head of the agricultural depart
ment of the University of ALuika.
He was also director of the Alas
ka Agricultural Experiment. Sta
tion and dean of men at the Uni
versity.
In 1945 he was appointed
first commiss;oner of the newly
created Alaska Department of
Agriculture. He served in that ca
pacity until January 1, 1950 when
because of the age limit, he re
tired. He was elected to the
House, from the Fourth Division,
in the 1953 session of the Alaska
Legislature. He introduced a Bill
to appropriate $100,000 of terri
torial funds as a revolving fund
lor farm development loans. His
has been a full, a useful life.
Coming back to the Farm For
um—these two giants of the
Northland, seasoned in the en
vironment of hardship and adver
sity, sat together and talked.
Their combined years of service
.to Alaska closely approaches a
century. They have asked no
quarter in a new rough country
and they have been given none.
If the extra time) beyond eight
hours per day, which they have
worked could be added to their
combined years of service it pro
bably would far exceed a century
of service. Alaska is richer be
cause they have lived in it. It,is
much, much richer because of the
two wonderful women, their wiv
es, who stood with them and often
.bore the burden of work with
them. May the lives of these four
giants of the Northland be bounti
ously lengthened that they may
enjoy a full measure of the fruits
of their labor for Alaska.
Bouquets, they say, are for fes
tive occasions. Let’s give them a
bouquet now while their hands
are able to hold them and they
can enjoy them. Our sincere
thanks to them for having lived
and worked in Alaska.
March of Dimes Fund
Now Over $3,000
The 1955 March or Dimes in the
Matanuska Valley area went over
the $3,000 mark this week, when
additional donations were receiv*
3d and money in the collection
tubes was counted. To date a to
tal of $3,140.46 has been collected,
with additional sums expected,
Ed Smith, March of Dimes chair
man stated.
Members of Palmer B. P. O.
Elks turned in almost one thou
sand dollars this week. Their to
tal was $983.58, realized from the
March of Dimes dance, March of
Dimes placards which members
filled with dimes, and other
lodge-sponsored events. Theta
Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi’s check
tor $620.30 was the result of their
one-day street sales of miniature
crutches. Half of the amount was
given by the sorority as a match
ing fund to the amount they col
lected in their sales of the crut
ches.
Other donations received this
week were from: Palmer Moose
Lodge and Women of the Moose,
$109.35; Women of the Moose,
$20; Suttonette Homemakers’,
$20; Butte Homemakers’, $25;
American Legion, $34.47; Marin
er’s Club, of the U. P. Church, $6;
and donations from Mr. and Mrs.
Everett Peterson, Ella Henry,
Mrs. Frank Rush, and Mr. and
Mrs. Vince Doherty.
A total of $451.17 was collected
in the March of Dimes collection
tubes which were distributed to
merchants in the entire valley.
Through the cooperation of these
merchants, the sum exceeded ex
pectations, March of Dimes offi
cials stated this week in voicing
MARIE’S STYLE SHOP
SALE! SALE!
• DRESSES • JEWELRY
• BLOUSES • SKIRTS
• GRAB BAGS
Sale starts Feb. I Oth - Ends Feb. 26th
ANCHORAGE FUNERAL CHAPEL
Our Funeral Chapel is not a place of mystery; it is an average
American home, so arranged to lend itself to Funeral Service
operations, yet retaining its homelikeness, which indicates
nothing other than ordinary life and everyday living; rendering
reliable and dependable service to this community for over
twenty years.
Modern equipment, and a price range to meet every budget,
plus our plan to arrange monthly payments. Licensed Funeral
Directors and Embalmers.
Write for free booklet, “Funeral Facts Every Family Should
Know.”
Date Franke — Gordon Green — '‘Associates”
AUBREY & ROSE HAINES (Owners)
819—7th Avenue Phone 30505 or 39061
Withev Plumbing & Heating
; «/ w :
; CRANE FIXTURES - DELCO HOME HEAT
OIL BURNER SERVICE
BOX 751 PHONE 47J4
! their appreciation to the mer- J
i chants who each year not only
give counter space to the dis
plays, but urged contributions j
from their customers,
Merchants ard organizations1
cooperating in this phase of the
March of Dimes were: Valley
Presbyterian Hospital, Matanuska
Valley Chamber of Commerce,
Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Cor
poration, Co-Op Trading Post,
Co-Op Warehouse, Tost’s Service,
Togs ’n Seams, Clara’s Variety
Bert’s Drug Store, Bert’s Foun-1
tain, Neal Wright’s Barber Shop, j
Matanuska Valley Bar.k, Bettys’, |
Crasser Hardware, Frontier Bar,
Frontier Restaurant, A1 King’s j
Garage, Shamrock Bar, Piggly j
Wiggly Store, Marie’s Dress Shop
and The Frontiersman.
Also, Palmer Fountain & Cafe,
Palmer Bar, Moose Lodge, Pal
mer Elks Lodge, North Palmer
Store, Motor-In Service, Hartley
Motors, Inc., Dorothy Saxton,
Butte Roadhouse, V-Bar, Hide
COMMERCIAL* PERSONAL
PALMER GIRL WED
IN PRETTY CEREMONY
In a pretty candlelight cere
mony performed in the United
Protestant Church on February 5
Miss Verna Louise Adams, daugh
ter of Mrs. Ray Adams, became
the bride of PFC Robert Lee Ay
res of the 42nd Engineers of Fort
Richardson. The single ring cere
mony was performed by Rev.
Earl C. Chandler. The church was
attractively decorated with
greens, white ribbons and white
tapers.
The bride, who was given in
marriage by Mrs. Frances Henry,
friend of the family, wore a tra
ditional white slipper-satin dress.
The gown was fashioned with a
sweetheart neckline and empire
collar, long sleeves and a full
skirt of ballerina length. Her
flowers consisted of a single large
royal purple orchid which she
carried on her Bible.
Carol Olsen, maid of honor,
wore a ballerina length dress of
light blue, with matching stole
and a white tulip corsage. Jen
netta Lindsey, Barbara Hudgins,
and Sandra Sollers wTere brides
maids.
Mrs. Earl Chandler, soloist, was
accompanied by Mrs. Max Sher
rod, organist. Mrs. Chandler wore
a royal blue lace dress with a
corsage of white tulips. Mrs. Sher
rod’s corsage was also fashioned
of tulips. Young Mark Adams,
brother of the bride, was ring
bearer.
For her daughter’s wedding the
bride’s mother chose a grey two
piece suit with which she wore
white accessories and a white tul
ip corsage.
Mr. Roy Ayres, father of the
bridegroom, flew to Palmer from
his home in Washington, D. C. for
his son’s wedding.
Following the weeding cere
mony the couple were honored at
a reception held in the Matanuska
Hotel.
The couple will be at home in
Parker’s Trailer Court in Palmer.
Away Bar, Kirk’s Sales and Ser
vice, Alaska Railroad, Koslos*
ky’s Department Store, Koslos
ky’s Liquor Store, Palmer Drug,
Ketchikan Spruce Mills, and Mid
Way Market.
Some of the collection tubes
have not yet been turned in or
collected. Those having the tub
es may leave them at the Valley
Bank, with Richard Jones, co
chairman of the March of Dimes.
Dr. R. R. Armstrong
To Make Valley Visit
Dr R. Rolland Armstrong, as
sistant secretary of the Presby
terian Church work in Alaska,
yyjjl a Valley visitor, beginning
February 10.
Dr. Armstrong will come here
from Juneau and will attend a
supper-meeting at the First Pres
byterian Church in Wasilla on
Thursday evening. Friday night
he will attend the Valley Hos
pital board of directors meeting
and Sunday evening will speak
during the fellowship program
which follows, a pot-luck sup
per at 6 p.m. at the United Pro
testant Church. On Monday he
will attend the Palmer Kiwanis
club meeting and as well as a
board of directors meeting of
King’s Lake Camp. Rounding out
his itinerary will be his attend
ance at the Valley Hospital Asso
ciation annual membership meet
ing on Tuesday night.
Rev. Imme
(Continued from page 1)
been a real privilege to be asso
ciated”, he added. Through The
Frontiersman Rev. Imme bids
good-bye and “God bless you all”
to all valley acquaintances.
The Board of Directors of the
Northwest District of the Luth
eran' Church—Mo. Synod will
call a successor to Rev. Imme.
The post of Civil Defense Di
rector for the Greater Palmer CD
District which Rev. Imme has so
capably filled the past two years,
will be taken over by A1 Hagen.
A group of adults, having com
pleted their course of instruction,
will be received into communi
cant membership in the Sunday
service, by confirmation and will
receive their first Communion
with the congregation. They are:
L. M. DePriest, Bernhard Jade,
Marty Sherman, Lee Plumbley,
Eleanor Hartner, and Clara Kop
perud.
Following the service a pot
luck dinner will be held, with a
reception for new members and
as a farewell for the Immes.
The staff of The Frontiersman
joins the Immes’ many Valley
friends in offering best wishes in
their new venture.
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
ALWAYS BRING RESULTS
.,77r-~ .* ~... —
BIG 9 SALE
Real Gold Orange Base 5 I 89c
Fircrest Margarine 2 I 49c
Libby's Corned Beef
12 ei.
tin
S & W Tomato Juice
46 oz.
S&W (ulGreen Beans T 3
Delicious Apples
2
lbs. R
MEAT DEPARTMENT
Rib Steaks
COMMERCIAL GRADED
lb.
B AND R — R.T.E.
Spare Ribs
U. S. SELECT
2! 89c
21 89c
79c
39c
1
79c
Sliced Smoked Ham: 19c
lb
49c
Koslosky's Dept Store
Your One Stop Shopping Center
STORE HOURS
SUNDAYS WEEKDAYS
10 til 6 10 til 8