Thought of the Week:
Intelligence does not always
accompany the degrees that
some people acquire.
VOLUME 16, NUMBER Vi
)X 2351
THE FRONTIERSMAN
:u ALAS \
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER, ALASKA, THURSDAY, DEC. 12, 1963
TWELVE PAGES
m 11 o r
1/ j j _
Farm Program
Grange Hall Palmer
Dec. 18-19 9 a.m.
PRICE 15 CENTS
Absentee Ballots Give Vroman Borough Seat
: Reporters—
Alo-tabaak.
Edward A. Uceck. citizen of
the Matanuska Valley for many
years, left Palmer Monday
morning for Texas for an in
definite stay.
“I’m going Outside with all
bridges burned,” he said. ‘T
came to Alaska in 1928 to stay
for the winter . . . it’s been a
long one.”
Ed, a familiar figure around
town with the beard which
periodically won him the title
of “Mr. Fur Face” at the An
chorage Fur Rendezvous, h i s
striped railroading cap and
his red bandana, indicated that
Alaska may call him back, pos
sibly by next June.
* * *
Mrs. Eugene Jacobson was
the honored guest at a layette
shower hc=id Tuesday evening
at the home of Mrs. Bob Hav
emeister.
Games were played and Mrs.;
Jacobson received many lovely
gifts. An appropriately decora
ted cake made by Mrs. Paul
Riley and ice cream were ser
ved.
* * *
Eddie Wilkerson and Noel
Kopperud left Dec. 11, with
Eddie’s destination Nevada
where he will join brother Don.
Noel plans to spend several
months touring the United
States. The young men are dri
ving out over the Alaska High
way. All three are 1962 grad
uates of Palmer high school.
* * *
Mrs. James Hitchcock of
Caribou Creek and her t w o
children are visiting at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde
King of Palmer.
* * *
Friends of Mr. and Mrsl Jer
ry Hoskinson have received the
good news of the birth of their
second child in North Holly
wood, Calif. Born Nov. 18, she
weighed seven pounds and four
ounces, and has been named
Cassie Marie. Mrs. Hoskinson
is the former Cathy Jacobson.
» » »
Greetings from sunny Ari
zona, say Henning and Alma
Blunck.
“What with oranges on the1
trees and roses in full bloom, it
doesn’t seem like Christmas,”
they write. "We are enjoying
our stay in Tucson, but we miss
the snow and chill (?) of Alas
ka^ and we miss old friends, so
are sending our Christmas
greetings to you.”
Alma is busy with her work
in special education at the Uni
versity of Arizona,
The Bluncks will return to
Palmer in June. Their present
address is 114 East 3rd St., Apt.
B, Tucson, Arizona.
LIAISON COMMITTEE
ACCEPTS RESIGNATION
The liaison committee of the
Wasilla youth camp accepted
the resignations of Mrs. Claude
Klaver, chairman, and M r s.
Wenter Harvey at a meeting
held last Friday at the camp.
Lew Hanks was named chair
man of the group to replace
Mrs. Klaver.
Open
House
Monday, Dec. 16
M A U D’ S
FLOWERS
In the Sims Building
COFFEE and COOKIES
Will be Served
CORSAGES for the Ladies
Palmer
745-3913
Health Officials Urge Prompt
Whooping (ough Immunization
Local physicians and the -o
cal Health Center this week
warned parents of the danger
of a growing outbreak of
whooping cough in this area.
All parents of children one
month to eight years oi age
are advised to take immediate
steps to insure a safe level of
LOCAL COMMITTEE
URGED SALMON
FISHING CLOSURE
George Crowther, chairman
of the Matanuska Valley advis
ory committee to the s t a * e
board of fish and game, said
this week that the locai com
mittee has pushed for closure
of Cook Inlet waters to king
salmon fishing for the past
three years.
The state board voted Satur
day to close the inlet and its
drainages to both commercial
and sport fishing for an indef
inite period.
Spawning streams will be
understudy constantly n e x t
season to determine the effect
the closure has on the king
salmon run. Reopening will de
pend on future board action
and on recommendations by
the Alaska department of fish
and game. The Matanuska
Valley committee has recom
mended a five-year closure, the
Anchorage advisory committee
a three to five-year closure.
The closure is a conservation
move to preserve the king sal
mon run. It was" contested by
commercial fishing interests,
representatives of which con
tend that the small catches of
previous years do not represent
a decline in the number of fish,
but are a result of cutbacks in
time for opening the commer
cial season.
Christmas Edition
To Be Dec. 19
The annual Christmas edi
tion of The Frontiersman will
go to press on Thursday, Dec.
19, publisher Ted Schmidtke
said this week.
Persons who wish Christ
mas greeting advertisements
who have not been contact
ed may visit the Frontiers
man office or call in. Final
deadline for items of a non
emergency nature will be
Tuesday. _
immunity for their childrer
Mrs. Priscilla Bacon, publi
health nurse for the Mata.nus
ka Valley, said.
In addition to the regula
services of physicians and th<
Division of public health,
special immunization c 1 i ni
will be held in the Health Cen
ter on Friday, Dec. 13 (tomor
row) from 9 a m. to 5 p.m.
Children who should attem
include those one month of agi
and older who have not ha<
the basic DPT series: all pre
schoolers who have not h a <
ONE booster following thi
. i DPT series; and ali four a n d
five-year olds who have a o t
- had MORE than one booster
following the DPT series.
Palmer, Chugiak and Eagle
! , River school children will re
1 | ceive their boosters in the
: | school, Mrs. Bacon said.
School children from other
area schools will be given
boosters if arrangements c;m
1 be made, she added. Parents
1 are urged to bring the children
1 to the scheduled and special
! clinics or to cal! their family
1 physician for the earliest pes
> sible protection.
Funeral Services Held December 10
In Renton, Wash, for Peter Gallagher
Funeral services were hold
Tuesday, Dec. 10, in Renton.
Washington, for Peter J. Gall
agher. 52, a resident of Alaska
for many years and of the
Palmer area for about 13.
Gallagher died Thursday.
Dec. 5, in Swedish Hospital in
Seattle. He is survived by his
widow. Esther: three sons.
Jeremiah. Minneapolis. Minn.:
Michael of Palmer and Peter,
a student at the University of
Fair Board
Seeks Manager
Applications for the position
of manager of the 1964 Alaska
State Fair are now being nc
! cepted, Dr. Curtis Dearborn.
! president ot the board of direc
; tors, announced this week.
Although this is a year-round
position, it is on a part-time
basis, the president emphasiz
ed. Persons wishing further in
formation about the job m a y
see or cal! Mrs. Marne Hanks,
fair board secretary, at the
MTA office.
The directors asked that ap
plications be presented to the
board before Jan. 13. The mail
ing address of Alaska State
Fair. Inc. is P. O. Box 1731,
Palmer.
The Painter Emblem Club
will contract for advertising
for the 1964 fair premium
book. Dr. Dearborn said. Spon
sorship of the queen contest,
however, is still open.
Fair board officers for the
coming year were elected at
the Dec. 9 meeting. They are
Dr. Dearborn, president; Har
old Newcomb, vice-president;
Marne Hanks, secretary; a n d
Joe Martin, treasurer.
Alaska: two brothers. Joe of
Fairbanks and John of Seattle;
and a sister, Jane, of Seattle.
Other survivors are a grand
daughter and a sister-in-law.
Mrs. Mary Gallagher of Seattle.
Born Oct. 31. 1911 in Black
Diamond. Wash., Gallagher
was a miner for son e y.r-■<
in the area north of Fairbanks
before coming to the Matanus
ka Valley. He was an employee
of the Evan Jones mini for a
j *ime. then established his own
I janitorial service in Palmer.
Following a 9 a.m. Rosary
i on Tuesday, burial was in the
family plot at Black Diamond
Gallagher was a member of
St. Michael’s Catholic Church
in Palmer and the Palmer
Moose Lodge.
The family requested t h a 1
contributions be given to the
American Cancer Society in
lieu of flowers.
Mrs. Gallagher, who was
with her husband at the time
of his death, returned to Pal
mer this week.
CHAMBER ELECTS
FOUR DIRECTORS
Incumbents Betty Mears and
Barney Fish were returned to
the Matanuska Valley Cham
ber of Commerce board of di
rectors in an election held
Wednesday, Dec. 4.
New members elected to
the board are Bill Butler,
manager of the Palmer office
of Alaska Title Guaranty Co.,
and George Ed Smith, general
manager of Matanuska Maid.
Inc.
Mrs. Mears owns Betty’s
Dress Shop and Fish is own
er of Thrifty Variety in Pal
mer.
FORMER SOVIET
PRISONER SPEAKS
HERE TONIGHT
Nine and a half years’ im
prisonment in a Soviet prison
and slave labor camp can seem
like a lifetime, according to
John Noble, one of the f e w
American citizens ever to re
turn from a Russian prison
camp.
He will relate his experience
when he speaks at the Palmer
Church of God tonight at 7:30
p.m.
Noble regained his freedom
from Soviet imprisonment in
1955. only after personal inter
vention by President Eisen
hower. Since then he has spent
much of his time traveling
about the country, speaking to
church, civic and other groups
in an effort to awaken the
American people to the dangers
cf Communism.
At a Thanksgiving Day cere
mony Noble received the 1959
Freedom Book Award for h i s
book. "I Found God in Soviet
Russia.” He is also author of
'T Was a Slave in Russia,"
[which was condensed in Read
er’s Digest in February, 195*1,
; and televised on Armstrong
1 Circle Theatre in April, !953
j The service at which Noble
will speak has been arr inged
by the Artists Extension Serv
ice of Audio Bible Society of
America, Wiliamsport, Pa. The
Rev. Alhert S. Taylor, presi
dent of the society, will ac
romnany Noble and introduce
: him.
Two-Day Farm
Session Planned
Of considerable interest t
local farmers will be a two
i day farm program to be heli
at the Grange hall in Palme
on Wednesday a n d Thursday
Dec. 18 and 19. Sigmund H Re
stad, director of agriculture
said this week.
Topic of the Dec. 18 session
will be the impact of changing
freight rates on local agricul
tural production and market
; ing. At 9 a.m., members from
transportation organ izations
will conduct a panel discussion,
and a second panel is scheduled
for 1 p.m. Participants will be
retailers, wholesalers, and pro
duce handlers.
On Dec. 19. a discussion of
state and federal milk market
ing orders will open at 9 a m.
This will be followed by an
open discussion of farm prob
lems needing agricultural legis
lation at 1 p.m.
The meetings have been
planned with a minimum of
speaking, to allow as m u c h
group discussion as possible,
Restad said.
Korean Waifs Blossom
In Adoptive Home Here
A world of warmth and love
and enough to eat is opening
up for two Korean waifs, the
newly adopted children of Mr.
and Mrs. Ralph DeVilbiss of
Wolverine Road.
Brian Lee, 4, and Billy Park,
2, were with the group of Kor
ean orphans who arrived at In
national Airport in Anchorage
Nov. 30 aboard a chartered
Flying Tiger.
Ralph DeVilbiss went to
Seoul last March and chose
the two little boys from among
800 homeless children in an
orphanage there. Of mixed
parentage, most are the chil
dren of Korean girls and mili
tary personnel stationed in
Korea.
The family has waited until
now for the completion of the
Korean adoption papers, and
: now must re-adopt the children
, under United States regula
tions.
Both youngsters were vic
tims of severe malnutrition
when they arrived here, but
have improved immensely,
Mrs. DeVilbiss said. Little Bil
ly, so weak that he could not
lift his head when he was
delivered to the local family,
can now stand alone. He has
never learned to walk because
of lack of strength.
With plenty of food to eat
for the first time in their lives,
both children suffered diges
tive upsets at first, but are get
ting along fine now.
“We can see them filling
out,” Mrs. DeVilbiss said.
Brian, the four-year old, is
perfectly content in his new
home, chattering and singing
in Korean all day long. ' He'.
! beginning to understand what
; we say to him, and has picked
up a few words of English,"
i Ins adoptive mother said,
i His only problem has been
| adjusting to sleeping in a bed!
His preference for the fiour
has been discouraged by his
new parents, who feel that
their concrete, tile - covered
floors are not satisfactory as a
bed.
“It’s fascinating to watch
their personalities develop,”
Mrs. DeVilbiss stated. “And
they’re getting along beautiful
ly with their older sister and
brother.”
Susie, 16, is a sophomore in
Palmer high school, and Ray,
18, is a senior. An older broth
er, Larry, is in his second year
at Prairie Bible Institute in
Canada, He plans to he a med
ical missionary, and may take
his pre-med training at the
University of Alaska next <. nr.
The local couple stressed
the need for adoptive parents
for mixed-race children like
Billy and Brian (names g:ven
them by the DeVilbiss family),
who are social outcasts in
Korea.
Brian lived with his mother
for the firs't year of his life.
When she was driven from her
village and her baby stoned,
she brought him to the orphan
age. Billy was abandoned on
the steps of the city hall in
Seoul shortly after birth.
When asked what the com
munity can do to help, M r s.
DeVilbiss said simply, “Accept
them.”
City Assemblymen
To Be Named Soon
Robert Vroman, polling six
voles from 20 absentee ballots,
this week tallied a total of 310
votes in the race for District 7
borough assemblyman, leading
his nearest opponent, Noel
Woods, by 13 votes. Woods re
ceived one vote in the absentee
! count.
The absentee ballot count
i unofficially places Vroman in
the third borough assembly
! seat. Since he led Woods by
only eight votes in the Dec. 3
election, the holder of the seat
could not be determined con
clusively until the absentee
ballots were counted.
The office of the election su
pervisor in Anchorage said to
day that the ballots were coun
ted in Mrs. Ruth Dodds’ office
on Monday, Dec. 9 by the of
ficial canvassing board.
The absentee count did not
affect election results other
wise, except that K. R. Gillow
and Harlow Hodgson, defeated
school board candidates, chan
ged places in the number of
votes received. Hodgson, w h o
, led Gillow by one vote in the
1 December 3 election, picked up
I only four absentee votes, while
■! Gillow received 12.
, i The election results are ?x
. | pected to be certified withir
_ j the next few days.
In District 7. Jan Kosloski,
was elected chairman and Ec
Smith, Lew Hanks, May Car
ter. Joyce Kerttula. and Emiih
St. Pierre were named to th
borough school board. Bor
ouch assemblymen elected fo
1 the area outside the mcorpora
0 | ted limits of the city of Palme
i- i arc V. Louise Kellogg, Ilarol
dj Newcomb, and Vroman.
r Borough assemblymen fror
the city of Palmer, to be elect
- ed from among city counci
, members by the councilmen
have not yet been named. Th(
1 regular meeting of the council
; i scheduled for last Tuesday
■ ' was postponed because of ill
ness of both the city manager
and the city clerk. A meeting
has tentatively been set for
' for tomorrow night, at which
action is expected to be taken
ion assemblymen to represent
the city.
Burton Biss, Palmer city at
I torney, said he did not antici
pate the legal difficulties t h e
Bid Opening
Date Extended
Opening dute for bids to
lease post office quarters at
Palmer has been extended
from Dec. 23 to Dec. 30. the
Seattle regional office of the
Post Office Department an
nounced late last week.
Bids may be made in o n e
of three ways: the building
may be erected on a 100 by 121
foot lot on which the U. S.
government has an option, lo
cated on the east side of Mata
nuska St. between Eklutna >.nd
Susitna; it may be provided in
an existing building; or it may
be built on a lot provided by
the successful bidder if the
lot is in a suitable downtown
Palmer location.
Further information is avail
able from E. Charles Ennett,
Assistant Chief, Real Estate
Branch, Post Office Depart
ment, Box 3900, Seattle, Wash.
i
city of Anchorage is experien
cing in naming their assembly
representatives He said he be
lieved an election would < >
sufficient, and that an oi h
nance will not be necessary.
Jan Koslosky said today that
Ron Cease, director of the Lo
cal Affairs Agency, will be in
Palmer next Wednesday, Dec
18, for an informal meeting
with members of the borough
assembly and school board. H>
emphasized that this is not a
public meeting and does n o T
constitute an official borough
meeting. It will be held in th
Palmer high school cafeteria at
8 p.m.
The group will lay plans an'1
discuss the s’eps which mu ‘
be taken to establish the new
borough government.
The date for the first official
meeting of the new borough
■ assembly has not yet been so!.
■ pending official certification of
! the election.
LeLAND P. CADE
i NEW EXTENSION
{AGENT ARRIVES
r Leland P. Cade, Extension
’ agent for 13 years in Montana.
arrived in Palmer Dec. 2 to fill
1 the position of district agricul
tural Extension agent whicn
has been open since the form
er agent, Lew Hanks, became
rural civil defense specialist
with the State Extension Ser
staff. Hanks will remain in the
Matanuska Valley.
Dr. Athur S. Buswell, direc
tor of the cooperative Exten
sion Service and dean to the
division of statewide services,
said that the addition of Mr.
Cade to the Palmer Extension
staff would provide the com
munities within the Palmer
district with an experienced
and capable agricultural agent.
Cade’s experience include.,
10 years as county extension
agent in Chouteau County,
Montana. He received his un
dergraduate degree in agricul
ture at Montana State College
in 1950 and his master’s degree
in agricultural and extension
education from the University
of Wisconsin in 1961, Dean
Buswell said.
Cade helped h;.» father i
velop a homestead into a cat
tle and horse ranch. He is
veteran of World War II, a mi
has two children, Randall. 3,
and Valine. 7. His wife a n d
children, accompanied him to
Palmer.
!
Reopening Friday
BOB end ROSINA HARDISTY'S
Tosf's Service
• Service As Usual
We wish to thank our customers for their patience
Phone 745-3050 Palmer
nun's mini, imismts party1
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
Yon Are Unlucky If You Miss It! ? *