PUBLIC INVITED
ft UNUSUAL LECTURE
BY DR. MILO FRITZ
The public is invited by the
Matanuska Valley Health Coun
oil to attend a special meeting
next Wednesday. September 26,
at 7 p.m. in the Co-Op club room
to hear Dr. Milo A. Fritz, Terri
torial Department of Health con
sultant, lecture on the subject of
corneal ulcers.
According to Dr. Fritz, who is
a recognized authority on the
subject, the second most serious
public health problem among Al
askan Eskimos and Indians, next
to pulmonary tuberculosis, is
corneal scarring. Although this
scarring of the cornea is frequent
ly mistaken by laymen and many
qualified medical men for “cata
racts”, it is actually caused by—
take a deep breath, folks—phylyc
tenular keratoconjunctivitis.
Public Health Nurse Marjorie
Myren states that there are a
large number of these cases in the
Valley among Native children
and adults alike. Some of them
are nearly blind because treat
ment has been too long delayed.
Infection in most cases is an al
lergic manifestation of tubercu
losis.
In an article appearing in the
American Journal of Ophthal
mology for February, 1951, Dr.
Fritz reported on a clinical study
of more than 400 Natives in the
Bering Sea-Arctic Slope region
cvf Alaska. In 127 cases, corneal
opacities were observed.
Treatment of this condition,
notably with cortisone, will be
the subject of Dr. Fritz’ talk,
which will be illustrated with
slides. It is also expected that he
will devote part of his lecture to
the very interesting subject of
corneal transplants. Several local
persons have provided already
for future transplants by willing
their good corneas so that some
person in need may see.
The Health Council is hoping
for a big turnout to hear Dr.
Fritz, who is making a special
trip to Palmer to give the lecture.
For those interested in the re
markable work being done under
the public health program in Al
aska, this lecture promises to be
most enlightening.
SPECIAL MEETING CALLED
A special meeting of Carpen
ter’s Local No. 2251 will be held
at Carpenter’s Hall September 26
for the purpose of amending local
by-laws, Ray Lancaster, business
agent, announced this week.
»->»->->-» »■>■»-»»■>■»■»■>»->» > » >
DUCK DECOYS DUCK STRAPS
ITHACA FEATHERWEIGHT SHOTGUHS
HIP ROOTS ALL SIZES OF AMMUNITION
HEATERS
Variety of Sizes in Coleman Heaters
and Air-Tight Stoves
GRASSER'S
HARDWARE &
SPORTING GOODS
OPEN THURSDAY TO 8 P. M.—CLOSED SATURDAY NITES
»>>>>>>>>>>>>■>>■>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
FRED AND SARAH MACHETANZ LEAVE FOR ANNUAL TOUR
1
TALL MEN NEEDED
FOR FINAL PAINT JOB
ON PALMER LIBRARY
If anyone knows of a couple of
tall men who might be pursuaded :
' to give the Palmer Library its
I second coat of paint, Library
| Board President Mrs. J u d y J
Graves will be relieved to know
that the board's last property ;
management problem (for the
time being, anyway) is solved.
The Library Board itself has
done most of the work in getting
the building ready for the win
ter. Last week-end Izola Sims,
Louise Kellogg, Helene Ingalls
and Mrs. Graves rolled up their
sleeves and dug into the accumu
lated dirt of the summer.
Previous week they set in the
second set of window panes to
give the library the full protec
tion planned against the winter
cold. They also shellaced the
woodwork and varnished the
front door. This week-end they
hope to clean and wax the lino
leum.
The reason tall men are needed
on the paint job is that deep roof
overhead across the front of the
building. It is conceivable that
shorter men, with a proper lad
der, might do the job just as
easily.
The Board is casting about for
ways and means of raising $600
to pay off the bills outstanding on
the library building. There have
been offers of gifts, but most or
ganizations prefer giving some
object needed by the library. Pay
ing on an old bill isn’t very glam- ,
orous or uplifting.
At the Library Board meeting
Monday night, Beta Sigma Phi’s i
gift of a much-needed card file
cabinet was happily accepted.
The board has a new member
who is filling out the remainder ,
of Rev. Victor Alfsen’s term. He
is Ed. Smith of Ketchikan Spruce, j
To Lnre in Alaska
They Make Their Living
Outside by ‘Selling' II
In their familiar maroon Chevy
suburban, Fred and Sara Mache
tanz are driving down the Alas
kan Highway this week for their
annual tour of lectures in the
States and for business sessions
with their publishers in New
York.
This trip on the highway is the
eighth such trip for the couple.
They plan to return to the Valley
this time shortly after the first
of March—so they won’t have to
miss all of the winter. Fred ex
plained that they don't like to be
away from their home here any
longer than possible.
"We have to make our living in
the States”, he pointed out, ‘‘so
we can live in Alaska”.
To most people, the Machetanz’
methods of making a living— in
cluding the annual trip Outside—
seem little short of sheer glamor,
but there’s a business side to it
too. Fred’s paintings and photog
raphy and Sara’s stories are all
products of life in Alaska. That
part of the job is fun for both of
them. In order to earn a living by
them, the products have to be
marketed. That’s where business
md the trip to the States comes
n.
This year, Fred will go on tour
with a lecture movie entitled
‘Shangri-la Alaska”, a composite
af travel along the Alaskan High
way, life in the Matanuska Val
ey, and the Lake George break
ip. The highway sequence is
made up of movid shots taken on
;heir previous trips.
The lecture movie will be as
sembled during a brief visit with
Fred’s parents in Ohio. A secre
i
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1
ary mere in Ohio doe* all the
)ookmR for the Machetanz tout
A trip to New York and a sea
son with Sara's publisher, Scrib
ners. will precede the lecture
our. The necessary revisions and
•"red’s illustrations for the b»»ok
vill be sandwiched in with the
rips from city to city covered in
his year’s tour through the mid
vestem states.
The book on which Sara has
>een working on and off for the
>ast spring and summer is an
ither one of her excellent juve
liles. It’s about a boy from the
states who comes to the Mata
iuska Valley with his parents to
lomestead.
The tour is scheduled to finish
ip in Milwaukee the last day of
l’ebruary. From there. Fred and
>ara Machetanz will hurry back
o their attractive cabin in the
voods, high above a pretty little
ake just west of Palmer. There
•'red v.ill settle down contentedly
vith the work which is rapidly
iringing him acclaim as the out
tanding artist in Alaska. This
s the estimate of Governor Ern
st Gruening, acknowledged in a
ireface to the series of paintings
ecently completed by Machetanz
or the Ford Times, a magazine
>ublished by the Ford Motor Co.
Vhen Gruening was in Palmer
(
vith Governor Dewey, he went
>ut to visit the Machetanr cabin
vhere the inside walls are lined
eith the artist's oils, water colors,
*n and ink drawings, pastels and
ithographs. Later at the Mata*
luska Hotel, Gruening compared
flachetanz' work with that of the
ate Sidney Lawrence, giving his
ipinion that some of his paint*
ngs surpass those of the dead
irtist, whose name is almost sy
lonymous with Alaskan art.
In Palmer, the Treasure Chest
las been chosen as the outlet for
flachetanz art and books. Before
ic left tov.n last week-end, Fred
irought a batch of prints to Mrs.
lose Kirsch for sale. Some of the
>aintings were taken to another
utlet in Anchorage.
?RAND JURY LIST
NCLUDES SIX
■ROM THIS AREA
Only six of the 76 residents of
he Third Division whose names
.ere drawn for grand jury duty,
icginning October 15, are from
his area.
Palmer and Wasilla names were
isted as follows: Myron S. Bak
r, Thomas H. Day, Gertrude Fel
ien, Florence Fleckenstein, Ber
iice Johnson and L. C. Stock.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember?
....
Don't wait for the cold weather-—Get ready
NOW. Estimates gladly given. Call us soon.
MACS PLUMBING & HEATING
*
FINED $40 ON TWO COUNTS
Failure to keep to the right of
the road and driving without an
operator’s license, cost Leonard
E. Burkett $40 in U. S. Commis
sioner’s court here Monday.
After pleading guilty to both
counts, he was fined $30 on the
first and $10 on the second. He
was tried on complaint of the
Highway Patrol following an ac
cident September 13 near Fish
Hook Hoad, involving property
damage.
BE IT A MIDGET—be it a whale,
put it in classifieds, under FOR
SALE.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<«<*T
WHY, OF COURSE
You Read It in an Ad in the
VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
Only do your merchant (and us) a favor, won't you. and tell him where you saw
the bargain advertised that caught your eye.
Your merchant wants to know if he is getting value received for his advertising
dollar. He has no way of knowing if his advertising is attracting readers, if you
don't tell him so.
And we want him to know it, too. We don't feel that advertising is a graft we
honestly expect, when we sell an ad, that the merchant is going to benefit by that
ad. Sure, it's our business to sell him an ad, but it's also our business to sell him
the kind of ad that's going to bring him more business so we can sell him a bigger
ad next month. It 's only as our advertisers prosper that we can grow, too.
So. remember, the next time you shop, tell your merchant:
'I saw your ad in the Valley Frontiersman'