Thought of the Week:
? Sign in a travel bureau: Pay
i Now! Travel Later! We need
j di* money.
VOLUME 15, NUMBER 36
20 ;> i
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER. ALASKA. WEDNESDAY. MAY 29. 1963 EIGHT PAGES
FLY-IN BREAKFAST
PALMER AIRPORT
JUNE 2—6 A.M. to 12 NOON
PRICE 15 CENTS
i Reporters—
Notebook
- wo local businesswomer
Lt a Ehrhart of Lea’s Dres
Sr.op and Irene Benson of Ben
son’s Department Store, attend
ed Market Week in Seattle Ma
2b-29.
* * •
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. (Os
Huntley, who have lived in thi
Matanuska Valley for the pas
25 years, left Saturday ti
make a new home in thi
S jth 48. They plan to drive t<
Saline, Mich., where they wil
spend the summer, then will g(
on to Ft. Worth, Texas, and t<
Whittier, Calif. Mrs. Huntle:
is the former Kathreen Hecker
Col. and Mrs. William B
Sr. :>dgrass, son and daughter
in-law of Mr. and Mrs. M. D
Snodgrass of Palmer, are now
at Scott Air Force Base in II
linois after a two-year tour o
duty in Europe. Col. Snodgras:
plans to retire soon, and thi
c uple will build a home in thi
PI gue Kiver area in Oregon
Their son, Lt. William B. Snod
grass Jr., is now stationed or
Okinawa.
Mrs. Doyle Ross (Betty J(
Wilson) will receive her bache
lor of science degree in nurs
i:.. from the University of Ore
gc n on June 6. Her parents, Mr
and Mrs. Charles Wilson o
Palmer, will attend the com
ir.encement exercises.
Doyle, the son of Mrs. Opa
R ss of Palmer, has done grad
uate w'ork at Oregon State Uni
vt rsity for the past year.
The young couple will returr
to Palmer later in the month.
Of the 41 Alaskans selectee
to attend a special electrons
technician training course a
the University of Alaska begin
rung June 3, three are fron
Palmer. They are James Fogg
G iylen Hilke, and Lawrenci
Wade. Edward D. Fitzgibboi
of Wasilla will also attend.
The training course is part o
a national program designed ti
increase job opportunities
Subsequent courses will be of
tr red for electronic techniciat
trainees following completioi
o: the initial program.
« * *
David Frank, son of Darrel
M. Frank of Palmer and Mrs
Mary J. Frank of Covington
Ohio, ranked first in the Cov
ington schools eighth gradi
state scholarship tests, accord
ing to a clipping from the “Pi
qua Daily Call’ mailed to thi
Frontiersman by Mrs. Frank.
David’s score of 721 placet
him in the upper one per cen
of the 53,000 students of thi
state who took the tests.
* • *
Four Palmerites receivei
their diplomas during the 41s
annual Commencement at thi
University of Alaska.
Receiving degrees were Ju
d:th Lorraine Bagley (McKin
ley), B.S., home economics
Colin Mick, B.A.. anthropology
Jil: Eileen Cope Winsor. B.S.
home economics; and Gordot
L Ganschow, B.B.A., account
ing, management and market
June 23 at the Heinie Snide
ing. _
M1ELKE DUMP
TO BE CLOSED
The garbage dump on thi
Mielke property will be close*
on June 1, Robert Mielke an
nounced today.
Mielke has sold his garbagi
pickup business to Barney An
derson, who will open a nev
dump on his property threi
miles south of Palmer on th
Matanuska Road.
FLOWERS
for
MEMORIAL DAY
Maud’s Flowers
PI 5-4056
Commission Eyes Districts
7-8 Merger
Written Testimony
Will Still Be Taken
If the boundary commission
decides, as a result of testi
mony heard in this area at four
meetings last weekend, to ex
tend the boundaries of the
Captain Cook borough to in
clude District 7, no hearings
will be held on the Matanuska
Susitna borough petition, com
mission chairman Paul Cho
guette of Homer said in Wasil
la Saturday evening.
Commission members, who
gave listeners here the impres
sion that they were predisposed
toward a combination of the
two boroughs, said that ex
panding the boundaries is the
anly way an expression of fee'
ing can be gained from those
who favor the large borough,
since residents of the two areas
would vote in a general elec
tion. If the Captain Cook bor
ough with boundaries expand
ed to include District 7 were
defeated, then separate incor
poration of the two election
districts would become manda
tory under House Bill 90.
A number of residents who
testified voiced the fear that
if this course were followed,
the District 7 vote would be
outweighed by that of the
thickly populated District 8.
In addition to the testimony
recorded here over the week
end, written testimony will b«
accepted within a week to ter
days from last Saturday, Cho
quette stated. Members of th<
commission w h o appearei
I here, besides the chairmar
were Mrs. Gara Lyons of An
chorage, and Ben Fleenor c
Ketchikan. Also appearin
with the commission was Ron
aid Cease, chairman of t h <
Local Affairs Agency.
Testifying as a proponent o
the Captain Cook boundaries
as they now exist in the Cap
tain Cook petition. Robert Vro
man, chairman of the Mata
nuska-Susitna borough com
mittee, said that the presen!
boundaries of the two boroughs
were set after many meetings
of a large number of resident.
of both areas, and that they
represent the maximum local
government which can be
achieved with a minimum
number of units. He pointed
out that this area, by joining
with Anchorage, will take on
the added burden of Anchor
age taxation with oniy minor
representation on the borough
council.
Sewer System Fiscal Agent
To Attend Meeting Here
Don Meyers, fiscal agen
with the firm of Marshall anc
Myers of Seattle, has been ask
ed to come to Palmer on Fri
day, June 7, to attend a public
meeting to inform the taxpay
ers of the city of monetary as
pects of the general obligatior
bond issue for constructing j
sewer system in Palmer. Plan;
for the meeting were made a
last night’s session of the Pal
mer city council.
The meeting has been set foi
7:30 p.m. in the council cham
bers, with arrangements to be
made for a larger hall if the
number of people attending
warrants it. Ralph Stefano
consulting engineer will alsc
be asked to be present.
The bond election will be held
Wednesday, June 12, in the
council chambers at the Pal
mer city hall, with polls to be
open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Onlj
. taxpayers whose names appeal
on the last assessment roll are
eligible to vote in the election,
and they are required to reg
: ister in the city clerk’s office.
Registration books will be open
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays
through Fridays (except holi
i days) through June 6. The city
; clerk’s office will remain open
until 10 p.m. on June 6 if nec
essary.
It was pointed out at last
night’s meeting by city attor
ney Burton Biss that after fed
eral grants are deducted from
the cost of the sewers, -two
thirds of the total remaining
cost including interest on the
bonds and administrative costs)
will be paid by the establish
ment of improvement districts
for residents specially benefit
ted by the sewers, and one
third by sewerage charges and
other means of raising revenue.
if necessary.
It may be necessary to estab
lish two improvement districts
he said, pointing out that al
residents of the city will bene
fit from the outfall and the la
goons.
Length of time necessary tc
pay off the asessments were
discussed, wih 20 years a sug
gested figure.
Borough Resolution
A resolution was passed by
the council stating that, con
trary to certain reports, the city
council favors and supports the
Matanuska-Susitna borough
petition and its proposed boun
daries, and does not. and never
has, favored or supported any
joinder with the so-called Cap
tain Cook borough or any bor
ough including Election Dis
trict 8.
Visitors
Mrs. Laura Barnes and Hugh
Adams presented the revised
plat of the T. A. Smith subdi
vision. saying that it must be
adopted by the council in order
for Adams to get FHA appro
val for houses he plans to con
i struct this summer. A motion
was passed accepting the rec
! ommendations of the planning
comission for conations on
j the map.
Don McKechnie appeared be
fore the council to bring to
their attention street conditions
which he said need to be cor
! rected. The city manager said
: that he is now able to spend
: more time in the field, and he
! will see that the street depart
ment makes the necessary re
! pairs.
Planning Commission
Resignation
j Mrs. Lucy Mick presented
(Continued on page 5)
Others expressing the same
views, at both the Palmer
meeting and the Wasilla hear
ing, were L. F. Martin. Fritz
Kalmbach, Louise Kellogg.
Willard Johnson (speaking for
the Palmer City Council), Lib
by Martin, Claude Kiaver, Ed
Martin (Mile 200, Alaska Rail
road), James Sullivan, Fred
Kimbrell, Ira Bryant, Harold
Newcomb, Walter Spurlin, of
Montana, Margaret Betts. Pat
Carter, May Carter, George
Fowler, Jim Austin, Ray C.
White. Ken Gillow, and Lemuel
Smith.
Mrs. Lucy Mick, testifying in
Palmer as an opponent of the
Captain Cook boundaries as
presented in the petition, said
i she felt that the residents of
the area have the right to ex
plore the idea of combining the
two petitions, and presented an
. eight-page statement outlining
why she and her group feel
j that tne boundaries of District
, do not meet borough stand
ards. She listed numerous ec
onomic, social, cultural and
geographic tie-ins between the
two areas. She said that Anch
orage is the farm market for
District 7 and that if commer
cial agriculture falters, there
i is no basis for a District 7 bor
ough; that this area needs the
assistance of Anchorage to ach
1 ieve a stable government.
Others testifying in the same
■ vein were Don Dinkei, repre
“ senting the Wasilla Grange;
1 Larry Carmichael, who said he
• lives eight miles out of Anch
‘ orage; Mrs. Rose Palmquist,
f and Mr. and Mrs. Gene Coch
1 lan. A written statement from
■ Mrs. Washburn of Palmer was
■ added to Mrs. Mick’s testimony,
favoring the stand taken in it.
Miss V. Louise Kellogg, tes
tifying lor herself, said she
favors a District 7 borough, and
said that the statements in Mrs.
Mick s report concerning agri
culture in the Matanuska Val
ley are not true; that sne feels
that the economic basis of the
area is sufficient to undertake
borough government.
(Continued on page 8)
WASILLA EVENTS
DRAW CROWDS
OVER WEEKEND
The first annual Pioneer Days
in Wasilla honored the Alaska
pioneers by naming Frenchy
Bellfontaine and Mrs. Grace El
lexson as king and queen. Mrs
Ellexson came to Alaska in
1905 and Frenchy in 1907. Both
are 80 years old, and both still
lead vigorous lives.
Donna France, chairman of
the Pioneer's Banquet, was as
sisted by Eleanor Hartman.
Guest speakers were John Al
e-antra, Jack Anderson, and
Ralph Moore. Co-masters of
I ceremonies were John Shaw
1 and Bob Clark, and guests were
entertained by Jayson the Ma
| gician.
The $500 prize in the air
treasure hunt was won by Wal
ter Keith of Anchorage, and
another Anchorage man, Tom
Temple of the Anchorage Fire
Department, was winner of the
I $4500 Dorsett Runabout and
trailer outfit
Activities drawing large au
diences were the drag races and
: the outboard motorboat races.
Described as very colorful
events were the square dance
festival at Williwaw Lodge on
Saturday evening and the kid
die parade Saturday morning.
Spokesman for the Wasilla
Businessmen’s Association said
I that all events worked out well
; and that plans are already be
| ing made for next year’s Pion
! eer Days.
V# va a
DRIVERS, SPECTATORS ENJOY PALMER GRAND PRIX
SPORTS CARS speed around a turn in an exciting contest
during the races held on Palmer streets last
weekend. A Palmer man, Fred Everett, won first place
in Class F during Sunday's Small Car Main, driving a TR3.
Everett was sponsored by Keith Melendy of Keith's Body
and Fender Repair, Palmer, and Day and Night Fuel,
Anchorage.
Fhoto Courtesy of Anchorage Times
: EDUCATION IS
CONTINUOUS,
DEAN RAY SAYS
“Education ?s continuous.
[ What you have learned today
may be outdated ten years
from now,” Dr. Charles K. Ray,
dean of the college of behavior
al sciences and education, told
the graduating seniors of the
class of 1963 at commencement
exercises held May 24 in Cen
tral school auditorium.
1 Within only the past ten
; years, scientific knowledge has
, been doubled, the educator told
the graduates in urging them
to continue their studies, not
1 only through their college car
l eers but throughout their life
» time.
Awards were presented to a
. number of the students by R. C.
. Carter, Palmer Independent
; School District superintendent
• of schools.
To Glee Casler, valedictorian,
[ went the MEA scholarship of
$500, also a room and acade
. mic scholarship from the West
. ern Washington College of Ed
ucation in Bellingham, Wash
ington.
David Martin, salutatorian,
was awarded the Alaska Rural
, Rehabilitation Co rp oration
[ scholarship of $500, also the
$300 Beethoven Award scholar
ship to Alaska Methodist Uni
, versity. David was also recip
(Continued on page 5)
: Reseeding Funds
May Be Available
There is a slight chance that
a limited amount of funds for
reseeding of winterkilled grass
will be available in the Matan
uska Valley, John D. Nash,
Palmer Agricultural Stabiliza
tion and Conservation Service
office manager, stated today.
Any farmers who have lost
permanent grass are asked to
come to the ASCS office and
make application as this must
be done prior to reseeding to
allow the farmer to receive
cost-share payments.
Perfect weather and an idea
track combined to make the
Palmer Grand Prix, run during
Colony Days last Saturday
and Sunday, a tremendous sue
j cess for drivers and spectator:
■ alike. Thousands lined the race
course on both days.
A sour note in the two-daj
| event was the dificulty in con
trolling the crowds, many o:
whom watched the races with
out paying the entry fee. Manj
also crowded into vantage
points in the outfield, creatinj
a constant problem for police
and their assistants.
Only one accident occurred
however. During the Sundaj
motorcycle event, a driver wa:
thrown from his cycle, which
went into the crowd, strikinf
a woman, Mrs. Marianne Her
mon of Palmer, and a six-yeai
Old boy, Robert S. Powell, Jr.
of Spenard. Both were taken
to Valley Presbyterian Hospit
al, where Mrs. Hermon was
treated for bruises and releas
ed. The Powell boy’s right leg
; was broken. After medical care
here, he was transferred to an
Anchorage hospital. Both spec
tators were in the outfield
when the accident occurred.
Alaska Sports Car Club offi- |
cials, although disappointed
with the financial success of
the venture, were enthusiastic
about the racing conditions
here and have shown interest
in more road races, perhaps
later this year.
Sunday winners were Bill
Woodward, in the Small Car
Main, driving a TR4, and Bob
Donald in the Large Car Main,
driving a Sting Ray.
Memorial Services
Planned at Wasilla
The annual Memorial Day
parade and graveside services
at Wasilla Aurora Cemetery,
sponsored by Susitna Post No.
9365 and the Auxiliary, Veter
ans of Foreign Wars, will he
held May 30, according to
Henry Katkus, post command
er.
The parade will form on
Main Street in Wasilla at 10
a.m. Thursday. Memorial Day,
and will proceed to the ceme
tery, Katkus said. The Home
steaders’ Band, under the di
rection of Ray Holtz, will lead
the parade.
Members of all organizations
are invited to participate in
the march and the ceremonies
which will follow
mvnum mKvuun rmuHi
5. Register tor Sewer Bond Election
UNTIL JUNE 6
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE