Thought of the Week
The meek-looking man is
usually the one who signs the
checks for the more important
looking member of the family.
THE FRONTIERSMAN
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PROSPECTOR'S COURSE
WASILLA HTGH SCHOOL
Registration
Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.
VOLUME IS. NUMBER 22
PALMER. ALASKA THURSDAY. FEB. 21. 1963
TEN PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
$230,000 Loan to Hardwoods Mill Approved
Reporters—
NoteJtoak
Born in Providence Hospital
in Anchorage on Jan. 28 was
Janet Lee Hamann, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Ham
ann, weighing eight pounds
and thirteen ounces.
* * t.
Colin Mick, the son of Dr.
and Mrs. Allan Mick of Pal
mer, spent yesterday and this
morning here on business for
the University Relations Ser
vice of the University of Alas
ka, where the young man has
been employed since the begin
ning of the year. Mick, a for
mer staff member on Jessen’s
Weekly, recently completed
his studies at the University.
* * *
Lew Hanks, district exten
sion agent, will leave tonight
for Denver, where he will par
ticipate in an Extension Ser
vice civil defense conference on
Wednesday and Thursday of
next week.
* * *
John P. (Pat) Eppler, 18, son
of Mr. and Mrs. John O. Eppler
of Palmer, was enlisted in the
U. S. Navy at Kodiak on Feb.
15. A 1962 graduate of Palmer
high school, he will undergo
recruit training at the U. S.
Naval Training Center, San
Diego, Calif.
* * *
Kathleen Mahoney, new dau
ghter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ma
honey, was born Feb. 12 at her
parents’ homestead on the Lit
tie Susitna River. Kathleen
weighed six pounds and eight
ounces at birth.
James Wilson of the staff of
the Matanuska Valley Bank is
resting at home after being
taken ill early this week, and is
making a good recovery.
Airman Third Class Gary W.
Campbell of Palmer is being
reassigned to Kulis Air Nation
al Guard Base in Anchorage
following his graduation from
the U. S. Air Force technical
training course for supply
specialists at Amarillo AFB in
Texas.
The airman, a graduate of
Anchorage High school, is the
son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R.
Campbell of Star Route, Pal
mer.
* * *
DelRoi’s popular eating place
on the Palmer-Anchorage
highway, will be closed from
Feb. 21 to April 1 while pro
prietors Mr. and Mrs. Roy
Rainwater take a vacation trip
Outside.
AIRMEN ACCEPT
BY-LAWS, NAME
SEVEN DIRECTORS
By-law swere accepted and a
seven-member board of direc
tors was approved at the in
corporation meeting of the Ma
tanuska Valley Airmen on
Monday, Feb. 18, with 19 air
men present.
Named as directors were Bill
Kucera, Dick Benson, Dick
Geiwitz, Dick Hamilton, War
ren Woods, Clyde King, and
Floyd Spickerman. The new
board held its first meeting on
Feb. 19.
Membership in the airmen's
organization is now about 40.
with the total expected to reach
100 before long, a spokesman
said.
Incorporation as a non-profit
organization is one of the first
steps the airmen have taken in
their plan to maintain and op
erate the Palmer airport.
The Palmer city council on
Jan. 29 approved a resolution
to take over ownership of the
airport from the state of Alas
ka, with the proviso that the
local airmen will assume the
responsibilities of maintenance
and operation. Under the terms
of a contract between the fed
eral and state governments,
ownership of the airport can be
transferred only to a munici
pality until the termination of
the contract in 1970.
Speech, Hearing
Clinics Planned
For Wasilla Area
A series of speech and hear
ing clinics for the Wasilla area
will be sponsored by the Was
illa Post and Auxiliary No.
9365, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
in the VFW Post home, it was
announced this week.
Miss Margaret Hamiliton,
itinerant therapist for the Mat
anuska Valley Crippled Child
ren’s Association, will make
her first visit to Wasilla on
Wednesday. March 20. Parents
wishing further information
may contact members of the
VFW.
There will be a special meet
ing of MVCCA on Thursday,
Feb. 28, in the American Leg
ion hall in Palmer. The pur
pose of the meeting will be to
stuff the Easter Seal envelopes.
Anyone wishing to contribute
time is urged to attend.
Miss Colleen Sharon Ken
dall, chosen “Miss Alaska State
Fair of 1963” at the annual fair
queen pageant in Palmer last
fall, will compete in the Miss
Alaska Pageant in Anchorage
on Saturday, Feb. 23. The pag- j
eant will be held in Romig Hill j
Auditorium at 8 p.m
i
Miss Kendall, the brown- '
eyed, blonde daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. S. H. Kendall of An
chorage, captivated fair crowds
here last September with her
interpretation of “I'm Just a
Girl Who Can’t Say No." the
popular comedy number from
“Oklahoma.” She will sing the
the same selection in the tal
ent portion of the Miss Alaska
contest Saturday evening.
Colleen, who chose a $1,000
scholarship to Alaska Metho
dist University in preference to
an all-expense-paid trip to
Europe as her prize in the Al
aska State Fair contest, achie
ved an all-A average in her
work at AMU last semester.
Colleen is a sophomore.
Miss Kendall has been re
hearsing and training for her
part in the pageant for some
time, the local fajr committee
reported recently. Both the
gown she will wear in the eve
ning gown portion of the pag
eant and the outfit for her
musical number were made by
her mother.
Frontiersman
Subscription
Rates Go Up
Due to the increased cost of
postal rates. The Frontiersman
has been forced to raise its
subscription rates, effective
March 15.
New rates will be $6.50 for
the Matanuska Valley and
S7.50 for outlying and State
side areas.
Costs of all classes of mail
ing for newspapers was raised
last month and the main addi
tional cost to The Frontiers
man is local mailing, which un
til the present law was enact
ed, were mailed free.
The price per copy of 15 cents
will remain the same.
Manager Says Spenard Plant
Would Save $100,000 a Year
By building a new creamery
in Anchorage, operating costs
will be cut 20 per cent, which
will amount to a saving of
$100,000 a year to Matanuska
Maid, Inc., Stewart A. Dur
rant, general manager, said at
a Matanuska Valley Chamber
of Commerce luncheon meet
ing yesterday.
Costs of building here as
compared to costs of building
in Anchorage were weighed
carefully before making the
decision, according to the farm
co-op manager. “If the differ
ence had been slight, Palmer
would have been favored,” he
said.
Building the plant here
would result in the duplica
tion of some expenses, Durrant
stated, since certain services
would have to be retained in
Anchorage in addition to those
here.
The Spenard plant would
save $50,000 in duplicate costs,
and a $20,000 to $25,000 saving
would be effected in transpor
tation costs, the manager said.
It costs 30c per hundred
pounds to transport raw milk,
and 50c per hundred for car
ton milk, he stated.
Keeping control of product
inventory will be simplified
with a Spenard plant, he poin
ted out, saying that when a
certain item runs low at pres
ent in the distributing plant,
it takes from 12 to 24 hours to
get a new supply in, whereas
this time could be cut to only
two or three hours if the pro
cessing plant were located
there.
Transporting labor needed
in building the new plant from
Anchorage to this area and
other additional construction
costs would add 10 per cent,
or $100,000 to the cost of a
$1,000,000 plant, Durrant said.
In order to meet the regula
tions of the state board of
health, the new plant must be
built within the next two
years, he stated. He pointed
out that the present creamery
is an inefficient operation, not
able to compete with the in
creasing competition from au
tomated West Coast plants.
Ray DePriest, Matanuska
Valley dairyman and member
of the Matanuska Maid board
of directors, discussed the
move from a dairyman’s point
of view, noting that the price
paid to the farmer for 100
pounds of milk have dropped
from $11.30 to $10.30 in the
past year, while the cost of
permanent farm help has risen
from $100-$150 a month, and
hourly wages for temporary
help has gone up from $1.25
to $1.75 an hour. Farm mach
inery costs have also risen 10
per cent in the past few years,
and interest rates on short
term loans and chattel mort
gages have increased.
Summing up, the two men
pointed out that the creamery
move will result in more
money to the dairyman for his
milk, and expressed the opin
ion that while the tax base of
Palmer will be affected by
taking out a plant of this size,
the increase in net income to
the farmers of the area will
increase their standard of liv
ing and favorably affect the
economic community.
The reorganizational plan,
which will do away with gro
cery, dry goods, garage, and
real estate services now hand
led by the co-op, has been un
der discussion f or several
years, Durrant said. Some of
these services may be trans
ferred to private ownership,
he stated.
The warehouse operation
will be expanded, according to
the manager. Asked about the
produce department, he said
plans are to continue it, but
stated that farmers are an in
dependent group and when
growers become strong enough
to go on their own, they pre
fer to operate without con
trols, and have a tendency to
cut their prices to discourage
new producers.
“We have good facilities, but
at present have about half as
much volume as we need to
break even,” he said.
The possibility of a process
ing plant for vegetables was
discussed, with the manager
pointing out that much more
is needed in the way of facts
and figures on production
capabilities and consumer
markets before such a plant
can be considered. It was sug
gested that the state depart
ment of agriculture is set up to
gather statistics and that it
might be well to press for as
sistance on the state level.
RICE SERVICES
HELD YESTERDAY
Funeral services were held
yesterday at 2 p.m. in the Pal
mer Elks home for Harry L.
Rice, proprietor of the Dutch
Mill bakery here. Rice, 47, died
in the Valley Hospital Satur
day, Feb. 16.
Born at Longmont, Colora
do, on April 15. 1915, he had
lived in the Palmer area since
1936 with the exception of sev
eral years spent in Anchorage
where he also operated a bak
ery.
Rice was a member of the
Willow Creek Mining Corpor
ation which operates the Inde
pendence Mine ski resort, and
had mining interests in the
area.
He is survived by his wife,!
Norma; a son, Gary, with the
U. S. Navy; three daughters, ;
Barbara, of Portland, Oregon,
and Patricia and Norma of Pal
mer; two stepsons, Errol Mc
Elroy of the U. S. Marine Corps
and Jerry McElroy, a senior at
Copper Valley School; and two j
sisters, Mrs. Irma Thomas of
Denver and Mrs. Olive Swift of
Seattle.
Members of the Palmer Elks
Lodge No. 1842 officiated at the
funeral services and graveside
rites were conducted by the
Palmer Moose Lodge No. 793
Services were under the di
rection of the Palmer Funeral
Chapel, with arrangements
made in Anchorage by the An
chorage Funeral Chapel.
Active pallbearers were Her
bert Kopperud. Everett Peder
son. Byron Johnson, Clinton
Adcock, W. C. Betts, and Harry
Evans.
Honorary pallbearers were
Phil Coleman, Ferber Bailey.
Oscar Johnson. Max Sherrod,
Jack Cope, and Heinie Snider.
Burial was in the Palmer
Cemetary.
ARA CONFERENCE
MONDAY, TUESDAY
The Area Redevelopment Ad
■ ministration Conference will he
held at the Anchorage West
ward Hotel on Feb. 25 and 26,
it was announced this week.
The public is invited to the
conference, which will feature
speakers and experts from the
state and federal agencies as
well as from private industry.
Monday’s schedule includes
three panel discussions, the
first from 9:15 a.m. to 11:50
a m., with afternoon sessions
set for 1:40 p.m. to 3:10 p m.,
and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Each
group which attends the morn
ing panels will go to the other
two panels in the afternoon.
The same procedure will be
followed on Tuesday, which
will offer three more panels.
These discussions will end at
5 p.m. on Tuesday.
A no-host luncheon will be
held at 12 noon on Monday
with the Greater Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce in the
Westward Hotel. There will
also be a no-host cocktail re
ception at the hotel from 6 to
7:30 p.m.
Robert Baker, chairman of
the Alaska State Development
Corporation, will he guest
speaker at a second no-host
luncheon in the main dining
room at the hotel on Tuesday.
Pioneer Since 1908
Dies Here Tuesday
George “Scotty” McFeeley,
who came to Alaska from Ire
land in 1908, died Tuesday at
the Valley Presbyterian Hos
pital in Palmer.
The 69-year old pioneer was
born Oct. 7, 1893, in County
Dary, Ireland. An early-day
miner, he later became a con
struction worker.
Two brothers, William and
Michael, both of Trenton, New
Jersey, survive.
Funeral arrangements are
pending at the Evergreen Me
morial Chapel in Anchorage.
McFeeley had been hospit
alized here for some time.
Wasilla Plant To
Reopen This Spring
Approval of the Alaska
Hardwoods Company’s $230.
000 industrial loan application
by the Area Redevelopment
Administration was announced
yesterday in a wire from the
Alaskan Congressional delega
tion.
Funds supplied through the
loan will be used to reopen the
hardwoods mill located at Was
illa and to expand its facilit
ies. Supporting the federal fin
ancing of the project will be a
$31,000 loan from the Matan
uska Valley Bank, an invest
ment of $35,000 by the Valley
Development Company, and '
an equity of $38,500 by the Al
aska Hardwoods Company. The 1
money will be used to cover
the cost of land, buildings, ma- ,
chinery, and equipment.
According to the Congres
sional delegation wire. 26 di
rect jobs will be created as a
result of the loan, and a local
logging operation which will
supply white birch and plan
ing at the new plant is expect
ed to create an additional 12
jobs. However, Jim Hurley, act
ing manager of the hardwoods
plant, said that probably no
more than 15 people will be
employed during the first year
of operation.
Hurley estimated that the
plant will not reopen until the
1 middle of May, and at that
1 time only if loan funds are
1 forthcoming immediately, since
; additional buildings are to be
constructed and some addition
1 al machinery will be purchas
i ed.
The chief product of the mill
will be kiln-dried Alaska birch,
Hurley said. However, the
plant may handle other spec
ies as demand indicates, par
ticularly spruce and cotton
wood.
As the mill develops, some
birch paneling may also be cut.
The company anticipates that
50 per cent of the cut will be
exported to the West Coast, the
PANCAKE SUPPER IS
TUESDAY, FEB. 26
Sourdough pancakes and
ham will be served by the wo
men of St. Bartholomew's Ep
iscopal Church at their annual
Shrove Tuesday pancake sup
per on Feb. 26 at the Elks hall
in Palmer. Serving will be
from 5 to 7 p.m.
The charge will be $1.50 for
adults and 75c for children
aged 5 to 12. Children under
five will be served free.
A variety of homemade items
will be available at a special
baked goods table.
manager said, with the rest to
be absorbed by Alaskan mar
kets. Later development of re
finement in cutting may result
in an export of as much as 75
per cent of the output, he ad
ded.
"We hope that the operation
will encourage the develop
ment of adjunct industries,
such as furniture factories.'’
Hurley stated.
The manager said that it will
be at least a year before the
plant reaches full operating ca
pacity.
CORDOVA PLAYERS
CHALLENGE MOOSE
Palmer Moose, in position
number 7 in a field of eight in
the Western Alaska basketball
tournament to be played Feb,
8, March 1 and 2. have been
challenged by the Cordova
high school team, and will play
the challengers here tonight,
tomorrow, and Saturday.
Under conference rules, any
team not chosen for the tour
nament may challenge a tour
nament team, and if they win
two games out of three, gain
the privilege of playing in the
tournament in place of the
challenged team.
Games will be played in Cen
j tral school gymnasium, with
the main events starting at 8
1 p.m. on each night.
SKI CLUB PUNS
SMALL FRY RACES
Ski slopes at the Indepen
dance Mine Resort Area will
be taken over by the small fry
on Saturday, Feb. 23. for races
in the Mighty Mites class, ski
ers up to and including ten
year olds. The races, sponsor
ed by the Matanuska Valley
Ski Club, will start at 12 noon.
Skiers in the junior novice
class will race on Saturday,
March 2. with some stiff com
petition expected among the
boys.
The club will sponsor races
for adult members later in
March.
At the Tuesday meeting of
the Susitna Ski Patrol. Dr.
Boyd Skille. medical advisor,
led a discussion on medical as
pects of patrol work.
Th« ski slopes at Independ
ence will be open Friday,
Washington’s Birthday. Skiing
is reported excellent, with Id
inches of new powder over a
good base last weekend. Both
road and tow are in good con
dition.
SEVEN FROM VALLEY AREA COMPLETE
PALMER-ANCHORAGE MARATHON HIKE
Seven persons from the Mat
anuska Valley completed 50
miles of footsore hiking last
Monday, representing about 10
persent of the total number of
72 persons who went all the
way in the walk from Palmer
to Anchorage.
The hike, inspired by Presi
dent Kennedy's physical fit
ness campaign and disc jockey
Bob Fleming of Radio Station
KENI. attracted 481 persons,
who left Palmer about 6:30
a.m. with an enthusiasm that
carried all but one past the,
Knik River Bridge and gained
for Dick Kopsack of Big Lake
Road the unofficial world
championship.
Kopsack, 33, who jogged the
50 miles in nine hours, eight
minutes and 20 seconds, is a
member of the Aurora Mush
ers. An Alaska Railroad em
ployee, he is married and has
two small children. He has
been one of the top winners in
the Seward Marathon, and has
recently been gaining atten
tion with his dog mushing ac
tivities.
Others from the area who fin
ished the hike were Sidney
Lindeke of Palmer a member
of the Lazy Mountain Child
ren’s Home i ‘aff, 36 years old
and father of four children who
has also run in the Seward
Marathon; Richard Lewis of
Pittman, son of Mr. and Mrs.
L. M. Lewis and student at
AMU; Arthur Theodore, Knik,
Wasilla eighth grader and son
of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey Theo
dore; Dw’ane Fowler of Wil
low, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lee
Fowler and sophomore at Was
illa high school; Pat Mahoney
of Big Lake Road, 25, married
and father of three small chil
dren; and Doyle Renfroe, 26,
Wasilla homesteader who came
to Alaska from Amarillo, Tex
as, in 1957.
Renfroe, who limped into the
Frontiersman office this morn
ing, commented on the remark
able performance of Carrie
Asharuk of Palmer, 69, who
walked about 20 miles, final
ly giving up in the Eklutna
Flats area.
Hikers were served coffee
and doughnuts by the Matan
uska Valley Chamber of Com
merce before leaving Palmer
Monday morning. Coffee was
donated by the Matanuska Ho
tel Coffee Shop and the dough
nuts by Eva Campbell of the
Frontier Cafe.