Valdez News
VOL. 1. NO. 41
VALDEZ, ALASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22. 1950
PRICE 10c
Col. Noyes Calls Meeting On Housing Problem
2 Drivers Escape
Injury as Trucks Go
Off Road at Mile 24
Both drivers escaped serious in
jury when two trucks went over
the 400-foot pitch at Mile 24 re
cently on the Richardson high
way. Although neither vehicle
was seriously damaged in the
highway accidents, the truck be
longing to Milton Dickerson still
has its load in the gully over the
edge of the hill. The tractor of
rthe “semi” was the second ve
hicle to go over, was back on the
road within 48 hours. It be
longed to Bob Growden.
Patrolman E. R. Alexander, on
commenting on road conditions
said that he has been well sat
isfied with the cooperation of the
Valdez drivers. He was especially
pleased by automobile drivers of
Valdez who took immediate ac
tion in securing tail lights and
clearance lights on their trucks
and cars.
^Highway operations have been
going very smoothly, Mr. Alex
ander pointed out, because driv
ers have been letting the trucks
going out of Valdez have the
right-of-way instead of the load
ed vehicle having to pull over to
a possible soft shoulder.
ALASKA'S BLUE FLAG
ON FIELD OF YELLOW
IS NEW LICENSE PLATE
Alaska’s blue flag with match
ing numbers on a background of
fellow is the attractive combina
tion for the new 1951 territorial
license plates for automobiles,
Mrs. E. R. Alexander said here
this week.
The 1951 drivers’ licenses are
now- available but 1951 passenger
car licenses have not yet been
received at Valdez, Mrs. Alex
ander, city clerk, said. Mrs. Alex
ander said that she has license
Nos. 1 and 2 for motorcycles and
dealer licenses No. 1 and No. 2.
The licenses should have arirved
here December 15 but they have
nt»t yet been delivered to Valdez
for passenger vehicles, she ex
plained.
BASKETBALL TEAM TO
PRACTICE NEXT WEEK
Basketball practice will con
tinue during school vacations,
Buck Stout, high school team
coach, announced this week. The
practice sessions will be on the
afternoons of December 26 and
28 at 2 p.m., Coach Stout remind
ed the players.
Community
Calendar
Christmas Day
TEEN-AGE dance 8 p.m., Eagles’
hall.
December 26
ROLLER SKATING 7:30 p.m. to
9:30 p.m.
December 28
THURSDAY CLUB 8 p.m.
December 30
NEW YEAR’S DANCE 10:30 p.m.,
Eagles hall.
19S1
NEW YEAR
greetings
When the old
year departs,
may all your
) cares go
with it. K
Eddie Overboy Loses
Personal Property
In Fire at His Home
Fire caused by a faulty stove
destroyed all the personal prop
erty of Eddie Overbay but “did
not do much serious damage to
his home,” Mr. Overbay reported
here this week. The conflagra
tion started at 12:^3 a.m. in the
bedroom of his three-room home.
Mr. Overbay, at Suttiches Cafe
when he heard the fire siren
blowing, rushed out to see where
the fire was. He followed the fire
engine to find that it was his
own home that was on fire.
John E. Souers Falls
180 Feet From Cliff
John E. Souers, who suffered
broken ribs when he accidentally
fell 180 feet from a cliff recently,
has now been released from the
Valdez Community hospital and
will spend Christmas with his
family at Seattle. Mr. Souers, em
ployed by the Alaska Road Com
mission, fell from the cliff while
at his work.
TO SPEND CHRISTMAS
AT SAN FRANCISCO
Among Valdez folk who plan to
spend the Christmas holidays
Outside are Mr. and Mrs. Don
Johnson. The couple left by air
December 16 for San Francisco,
Calif., where they will visit with
Mr. Johnson’s parents during the
holiday season.
SCHOOL STUDENTS TO END
VACATION ON JANUARY 2
In addition to all the other
Christmas festivities and gaiety
at Valdez, school children will
enjoy a ten days’ vacation.
Classes will be resumed at 9 a.m.
on January 2, 1951, Miss Ruth N.
Foy, school superintendent an
nounced this week.
Did you know that at one time
there were three companies
building railroads out of Valdez?
Pilings can still be seen on the
beach where one of the companies
was building a dock.
Glacier Girls Make
Christmas Cookies for
Patients at Hospital
Making cookies and gift wrap
ping them for patients at the Val
dez hospital was one of the
many Christmas preparations
here this week. Girls of the Gla
cier Club met at the home of Mrs.
Winona Stout on Wednesday, De
cember 20 at 8 p.m. to make the
Christmas cookies.
Members of the club present
were Misses Charlene Baker, Ber
nice Teeter, Marilyn Simpson,
Lorene Huddleston, Robert Per
singer, Duane White, Marva and
Marsha Alexander and Ellen
Striegel.
The next meeting of the club
will be held on Jenuary 8 at 8
p.m. The regular date which falls
on January 1, has been advanced
a week so as not to conflict with
New Year’s Day.
Alaska Steamship Co.
Tells Plans for 1951
Tourist Business Here
With extensive plans under way
throughout the territory for the
development of the Alaska tour
ist business, which has been
called a potential No. 1 business
for the territory, the Alaska
Steamship Lines* recently an
nounced that has already begun
work on its 1951 schedule.
Although the steamship com
pany’s 1951 summer schedule has
not been announced yet, officials
of the company said that it will
offer bigger and better trip pos
sibilities and should attract more
Alaska tourists.
Sailings will ge 5 p.m. (daylight
saving time) each Wednesday and
Friday. Extra ports of call are
also being added to improve the
itineraries of the steamers in
cluding the S.S. Alaska, S.S. Den
ali and the S.S. Baranof. Instead
of one vessel calling at Sitka as
the schedule has called for be
fore, there will be two ships stop
ping at that port of call.
Mrs. Clark Is Hostess
At Thursday Club Meet
At Mrs. Taylor's Home
Mrs. Lewis Clark was hostess
at the regular meeting of the
Thursday club last week. Mrs.
Clark entertained the club at the
home of Mrs. Lew Taylor. Follow
ing tallying of canasta and pi
nochle scores, refreshments were
served.
Attending the meeting also
were the Mesdames Ben Stewart,
Louis Huddleston, Harold Jor
gensen, Larry Parker, Edwin
Alexander, David Johnson, Wil
liam Mclllroy, August George,
Jack Antritter, Bee Stewart, Jim
McGary, Jim Moore and Elmer
White.
The next meeting of the club
will be held on Friday of this
week at the home of Mrs. Ben
Stewart.
LIBRARY TO BE CLOSED
ON CHRISTMAS DAY
The Valdez Public library will
not be open on Christmas Day,
Mrs. Russell Sullivan announced
this week. Regular hours will be
resumed on Tuesday, December
26, Mrs. Sullivan said.
Annual Christmas Program at School
Is Well Received by Capacity Crowd
The annual Christmas program
at Valdez public school was one
of the happy Yuletide occasions
here this week. A capacity
crowd of parents and friends
gathered at the school on Thurs
day evening, December 21, at
7:30 o’clock to enjoy the yearly
event. Practically every child in
Valdez of school age took part in
the program which consisted of
plays and songs.
“The Toys That Came to Life,”
a play presented on the program,
was enthusiastically received by
the audience. The play was giv
en by primary grades with teach
ers Miss Mabel Anderson, Mrs.
Phoebe Johnson and Mrs. Lura
Hayden acting as sponsors. Walk
ing dolls, rag dolls, Indian dolls,
clowns, bunny rabbits and other
“animated” toys took part in the
delightful play with a robed
choir’s accompaniment to lend
charm to the presentation.
“Keeping Christmas,” a play
centered around Colonial times,
was presented by the fifth and
sixth grades. Buck Stout, teacher
of the grades, acted as sponsor.
“The Shoemaker’s Guest” was
presented by Junior High stu
dents under the sponsorship of
their teacher, Wilson Stein.
“The Little Shepherd Who Was
Left Behind,” impressive presen
tation by Mrs. Ruth Dolan’s high
school group, climaxed the eve
ning’s program.
The entire program was well
presented and most enjoyable,
admiring parents and neighbors
said.
Leading Citizens Give
Pledge of Cooperation
To Alleviate Shortage
Leading citizens of Valdez
pledged their whole-hearted sup
port last week to do all they pos
sibly could to alleviate the hous
ing shortage at the seaport city.
The citizens of Valdez met with
Colonel Noyes to discuss the over
crowded condition in the rapidly
expanding city. Colonel Noyes,
chief engineer of the Alaska Road
Commission, called the meeting
at Valdez December 16 to discuss
the problem with leading citizens
of the city. Several plans were
discussed but no definite decision
was made on the feasibility of
suggestions made. Colonel Noyes
also said that he had found Rich
j ardson highway in splendid con
dition, according to the report
given of the meeting.
FREIGHT LINES ADD
6 NEW DIESELS TO
EQUIPMENT AT VALDEZ
* The Alaska Freight Lines at
Valdez continues to add equip
ment for its operation with the
recent arrival here of six new
Diesel tractors, making a total of
seven for the company. New per
sonnel for the company also in
cludes Mrs. Bill Crawford. Her
husband is also a freight line man
at Valdez.
The Freight Lines is also now
in the process of reinforcing the
dock at Dayville so that a big
walking crane can be moved
onto the dock to unload their
loaded trailers from the barge.
The company plans to drive a
of 15 pilings in all.
While unloading ammunition
at Dayville recently, Bill O’Leary
backed a forklift over the end of
the dock and onto the flats. The
vehicle was reported not dam
aged and Mr. O’Leary said that
“he was not hurt.”
Last Saturday, a company truck
driven by Bob Growden went off
the road onto a soft shoulder
while going through the Canyon.
The tractor, which was one of
the new diesels was not damaged
but the trailer was slightly dam
aged, according to the report.
The accident happened at Mile
16 when the trailer, which was
loaded with cold storage for the
Government, hit the soft, shoul
der.
4 Boats Due to Dock
At Valdez This Week
Christmas supplies and freight 4
should be arriving here this week
with the busy schedule of boats
due with the Chena to come in
Tuesday, the Sea Fare and Stand
ard Oil ship on Thursday and the
Square Knot to dock Saturday.
Dudley Vanderpool
Enrolls at School
Dudley Vanderpool from Sul
ton, Washington, was welcomed
by tenth grade students on his
enrollment here December 18.
Dudley and his father arrived
here December 14 to make their
home here. The senior Mr. Van
derpool is employed by the Alas
ka Freight Lines.