t Valley Frontiersman
New Palmer Hospital To Be Named
The Valley Presbyterian Hospital
It was pubhrlv announced for
the first time Thursday. Decem
ber 20 at open meeting sponsored
by the Valley Hospital Associa
tion that the name of the pro
jected new Valley hospital will b*
the Valley Presbyterian Hospital.
The name, it was brought out.
is not intended to infer that the
hospital is a Presbyterian hos
pital. Rather, it is an expression
of gratitude on the part of those
who attended the last meeting of
the Valley Hospital Assn, in Feb
ruary, 1951. According to their
mandate of approval, the associa
tion board of directors adopted
the name and has since used it on
all plans and applications for fed
eral and Territorial funds.
All the members of the Valley
Hospital Association were at the
meeting except Max Sherrod,
who was excused because of ill
ness. Master of Ceremonies Jim
Hurley introduced them: Rev.
George Geiwitz, president: Mrs.
Earl Graves, secretary: Rev. Har
ry Gayley, treasurer; Rev. Hol
land Armstrong, field representa
tive for the National Board of
Presbyterian Missions; Mrs. John
DeVries; and Virgil Eckert. Also
sitting with the board was the
Rev. Frank Walkup, Presbyterian
minister of Anchorage who had
taken Rev. Victor Alfsen’s place
on the board until his successor,
Rev. Gayley, had been appointed
and completely oriented regard
ing the hospital plans.
The Hospital Story Outlined
Rev. Geiwitz outlined the his
tory of the hospital since the
tragic fire in the spring of 1946
destroyed the Valley’s first one.
He told about local attempts ‘o
raise money for a new hospital,
about the discouragements which
followed in the face of ever rais
ing construction costs.
In the spring of 1948, $11,500
had been raised through Hospital
bonds, and with the consent of
the bondholders, the association
board decided to purchase the
present site on the theory that
any hospital was better than none
at all. The sum of $7,500 was paid
IOl me Site cillU llic icuiamuu Vi
the money was used for equip
ment.
As time went on- plagued by
deficits rather than profits to ap
ply toward a new hospital, the
board of directors decided that
the hospital needed a sponsor.
Letters were sent out to various
church groups to learn whether
or not any would be interested.
Early in 1950, after Rev. Victor
Alfsen revealed that the National
Board of Presbyterian Missions
might be interested in such a pro
ject. an agreement was reached
by which the hospital would ne
sponsored jointly by the NP3M
and the local hospital associa
tion. The NPBM offered a $3,000
subsidy that year, and repeated
the subsidy in 1951.
Out of this subsidy, the present
nospital board has been able to
set aside enough to retire 12 $100
bonds this year, even though the
bonds were not due for several
years.
Rev. Armstrong described the
role of the National Board >f
Presbyterian Missions in the local
hospital. At first, he said, merely
help was offered: First, help in
recruiting nursing personnel. Sec
ond. help in the form of a sub
sidy. The only control that the
NPBM had, however, was thru
the Presbyterian representatives
on the board, who were there
merely to insure good steward
ship. It was understood that the
agreement between the local as
sociation and the NPBM could be
terminated at any time by either
side.
NPBM Offers Funds
Last year, Rev. Armstrong con
tinued, it was learned that there
were Territorial and federal mon
ies available for a new hospital in
Palmer if local monies could be
raised for matching. Katherine
Gladfelter, secretary of NPBM,
suggested the raisin^ of funds by
the women of the Presbyterian
church across the nation for the
Valley Hospital. Rev. Armstrong
stressed the fact that this project
_a community hospital merely
helped by the NPBM—is the only
one of its type either in Alaska
•r the continental U S It was a !
aajor triumph, therefore, when I
‘he women of the Presbyterian ■
’huroh enthusiastically adopted1
'he hospital as its 1952 project. On
the strength of this, the NPBM
pledged $107000 and advanced
$50 000 of this for planning money 1
to get the hospital started imme* j
diately.
Rev. Armstrong emphasized !
that the new hospital is not a
I Presbyterian hospital, but is a
community hospital.
"We do not own the hospital",
' he said. “We do not operate the
hospital. All hiring and termina
tion of personnel is done on the
local level and the final decision
lies with the board.
"Our part in it,” he added, “is
pure, crystal clear charity.”
Local Funds
Ed Smith, chairman of the lo
cal Valley Hospital Fund Raising
Committee, reported. "We’ve just
started on this thing. We’ve just
reached about one-eighth of our
final goal of $50-$60.000.” The
committee treasurer, Hugh John
son, announced that $7,856 had
been raised up to the evening of
December 20, and broke down
that amount according to
amounts received from the sev
eral sources. ,
New Valley Hospital Assn.
The reasons for incorporating
a new Valley Hospital Associa
tion -were given by Paul Robison,
Anchorage attorney who is the
present association’s legal coun
sel. The present association, he
said, was incorporated for a life
term of five years, expiring in
May. 1952. The fact that there,
are several hundred stockhold-1
ers whose one dollar membership j
entitled them to a “life” member
ship makes it virtually impossible
to get a quorum for the annual
meeting. The present association
has a debt limit of $100,000. Un
der these circumstances, Robison
said, it is necessary to form a new •
corporation, with the new asso
ciation taking over the assets and
liabilities of the old one.
In a discussion of the new cor
poration and its membership, it
was suggested that the member
ships be renewed annually at $5
per member per year. The board
of directors would be increased
to 11, according to the mandate
of the sixty people present at the
Thursday meeting. Two of these
members would be the minister
of the United Protestant Churhc
in Palmer and the Alaskan field
representative of the NPBM. Nine
members would be elected locally
with the suggestion that the fol
lowing areas be represented ac
cording to the discretion of the
nominating committee: Jones
ville, Eklutna, Wasilla, and Pal
mer.
Financing Explained
Edwin Crittenden, architect of
the hospital, explained the financ
ing of the new hospital as follows:
From the National Board of Pres
byterian Missions, $107,000; from
the Territorial Department of
Health, $107,000; from Palmer,
the originally pledged sum of
$6,500; from Federal Hill Burton
fund, matching funds for the pre
ceding $220,500, for a total of
he explained. Of that total, $90,
$441,000. But this is not enough,
000 must go for fees and equip
ment, thus leaving only $351,000
for actual hospital construction.
The hospital itself will cost in ex
cess of $400,000. In view of in
creasing labor costs for 1952, the
“excess” might be considerable.
The community must raise the!
balance, and whatever is raised j
will be matched by Hill Burton j
funds. I
Rev. Armstrong told the group
that the Hill-Burton committee |
had already approved the appli
cation for matching funds, and
the Territorial Board of Health
has approved the hospital plans
and the release of the $107,000.
The NPBM field representative
further stated that the NPBM had
pledged $107,000 but that as much!
as $150,000 might be raised when
the women of the Presbyterian
Church get started at raising the
money.
Name Raises Questions
The announcement of the name
of the new hospital followed a
direct question by Joseph Hu
dock He wondered whether or
not federal funds would be avail
able to a Pi'esbyterian hospital
It was explained that the hospital
was Presbyterian in name only,
that the name was derided on out
of gratitude for a generous con
tribution. Kurt her. it was pointed
out that the application for Hill
Burton funds had gone in under
the name of the Valley Presbv
terian Hospital and had already
been approved.
The late announcement of the
name brought out protests that
money raised locally might have
been raised under somewhat false
pretenses. Some members of the
Valley Fund Raising Committee
who had been charged with pub
licity for the campaign made it
clear that the name had not been
made known and that the cam
paign for funds in the Palmer
and Anchorage areas had been
made for the Valley Hospital of
Palmer. To offset these objec
tions, the hospital attorney, Paul
Robison, made the following sug
gestion: If anyone gave money to
the Valley Hospital who would
not have contributed to the Val
ley Presbyterian Hospital, the
money should be returned if ne
asks for it. It was agreed by the
chairman and treasurer of the
Valley Hospital Fund Raising
Committee that this would be
done.
B & G. ELECTRIC
Tel. 55 Box 648
AL HUEBNER
Shop in Shamrock Basement
The Paradox
By BOB KLEM
I am resolved, 1 am. I am'
No New Year's resolution'
To improve my lot.
I'll give some thought
To a tnore fruitful solution
I am resolved. I am. I am!
To waste no precious moments.
To build with every stroke of pen
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Those precious few
Of useful years
Thri still remain for me
To build a better wine of life
And teach philosophy.
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To be with me. all honesty.
And put my fragile conscience
In no useless jeopardy.
No vow of mine, on New Year's
Day
Will cause me pain or guilt.
For I shall only do my best
For that’s the way I’m built.
Aw! Would that we
All knew our strength
To gauge an honest try.
Could measure off
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On tasks now passing by.
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Every Friday 7:30 p.m.
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John J. O'Shea. Representative
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KIWANIANS ACT
TO HELP P-TA WITH
SKATING RINK UPKEEP
In their final meeting of the
year. Monday noon, the Kiwam
am voted to offer their assistance
1 to the l*TA in helping to keep tlv*
lire skating rink cleared nntj
! flooded.
Follow ing the meeting, nine j
Kiwamans repaired to the skat- !
I ing rink, shovels in hand Even
with the help of the ARRC jeep1
and blade, it was a tough two- |
hour stint. Those who were ten
derly touching sore muscles Tues- j
; day were Jim Hurley, O. K Kin- j
'raid. Ed Smith. Emt! Gansehow.
Charles Wilson. H J Hodgson.
Hugh Johnson. Marvin Slaughter
and Bill Zahradnicek. Everett
I Johnson, v.ho shovelled right
along with the best of them, did
not mention his sore muscles.
Installation of the 1952 Kiwanis
officers will take place at the
Kiwanis Ladies Night, January 7.
A GUY AND A DOLL toam up
ia a rollicking now TV show
whon blond Virion Blaino }oina
madcap comodian Pinky Loo la
“Tboao Two.” NBC* no wool
rogularly-achodulod TV program
(7:30 PM EST—Mon. Wod-. Fri.).
It'a aasy to too what makot Vlrtaa
to popular. Hor loroly voico. ol
courto.
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