Valdez News
VOL. 1. NO. 31
VALDEZ. ALASKA, FRIDAY. OCTOBER 13. 1950
PRICE 10c
Valdez Artist Has Exhibition In N. Y. Gallery
Division Democrats
Swsep All Offices
In Tuesday Vote
There can be no more solidly
Democratic stronghold in Alaska
than there was in Valdez at last
Tuesday’s general election. No
Republican name stained the pre
cinct record that listed Valdez
top choices when votes were tal
lied last Tuesday evening.
There were 139 ballots cast in
Valdez.
Voters recorded their choices
for Democratic candidates in the
following manner:
Delegate to Congress — E. L.
Bartlett, 114.
Treasurer—Henry Roden, 105.
Commissioner of Labor—Ross
Kimball, 79.
Territorial Senator—Victor Riv
ers, 81; Z. J. Loussac, 65.
Territorial House of Representa
tives—William A. Egan, 128; Jack
Scavenius, 97; Stanley McCutch
eon, 81; Chester C. Carlson, 80;
Jack D. Conright, 72; Wendell P.
Kay, 68; C. A. Pollard, 65.
Tuesday’s election did show an
unusual pattern in party trends.
Anchorage and the Matanuska
Valley switched from strong
Democratic support to back Re
publican candidates. Other out
lying areas in the Third Division
apparently voted as solidly Dem
ocratic as the more populated
areas did Republican.
At press-time, with many of
the outlying areas still to be heard
from, the seats in the house still
were wide open. Although no one
had conceded the election yet, it
also was apparent that the Third
Division will send two Republi
can senators to the next session
of the territorial legislature.
VALDEZ ATHLETES
TURN TO VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball — and co - educa
tional volleyball, at that —
comes front and center on the
stage at Valdez Gymnasium on
Oct. 19.
On that date, the first game
of the 1950 season in Valdez
gets under way at eight o’clock.
A team of Reds, anonymities
as far as the Valdez News can
determine, will compete with
their White opponents, who
also are anonymous, for the
first victory of the new year.
All Valdez residents are in
vited to enjoy the game on Oct.
19, and the subsequent games
to follow. (The Valdez News
hopes to do a better job of re
porting who’s playing who, be
fore the next game-time rolls
around.)
Palmer Dentist Will Be
In Valdez Week of Oct. 23
Dr. F. R. Sims, Palmer dentist,
will be in Valdez on Monday,
Oct. 23, and will remain here for
a week, Dr. Kenneth Ham an
nounced today. Valdezans wish
ing dental appoitnments with Dr,
Sims are requested to get in
touch with Mrs. Ham at the Val
dez Community Hospital for their
booking.
NEW WAREHOUSE
GOING UP AT DOCK
Valdez’ recently completed dock
is to be further improved with
the erection of a new warehouse.
The warehouse arrived, in sec
tions, on the North Beacon. Some
times known as an “elephant
hut,” the structure actually is an
outsize Quonset hut. It can be
erected right at the dock site
where it will be located.
Rev. Segerquist
Succumbs
Rev. Arthur Segerquist, head
of El Nathan Children’s Home
here, died of a heart attack last
Tuesday afternoon. He was 57
years old.
Mr. Segerquist is survived by
his widow, and by two adopted
children. He has one brother liv
ing in Bremerton, Wash., and a
sister living near Seattle. An
other sister lives in Massachusetts.
The minister had lived in Val
dez for several years. He came
here from Waterman, Wash.
Funeral services were held
from the Valdez Gospel Chapel
at two o’clock this afternoon.
Four Snips Dock Here
During Post Week
Four boats, among them the S.S.
Alaska making her last voyage
into Valdez this winter, docked
here last week.
Other ships tieing up here dur
ing the week were the North
Beacon, an Alaska Freight Lines
barge, and the mailboat “Siren.”
captained by Pete Nickoloff.
Chief purser A. H. Banwell re
ported that the Alaska had an
extremely comfortable trip on
this sailing. Notables on her pas
senger list included A. H. Peter
son, general traffic manager and
G. S. Duryea, general manager
and passenger agent, of the Alas
ka Steamship Co. The two com
pany officials plan a tour of the
Territory.
There were 95 passengers north
bound to the Territory on this
final sailing of the Alaska. The
ship carried 59 passengers south
from Seward. She brought 1.400
tons of freight to the several
Alaskan towns on her calling list
on the journey north.
Passengers who disembarked at
Valdez from Seattle included:
Mrs. Grace Cole, Timmie and
Susan Cole, Everett Fox, Mrs. H.
Jorgensen and Lillian Thompson.
Valdez passengers southbound
to Seattle were:
Marius Albertson, Clinton Raw
ley, Mrs. Chris Anderson, Jonas
Erickson and Mrs. Jack Suttich
and John.
Valdez residents who boarded
the Alaska to go to Cordova are:
Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Matson and
Faith McKeon.
Bound from Valdez to Juneau
were:
Thelma Fleury, Victor Fleury
and Earl Bell.
VISITS FROM FAIRBANKS
Ollie Morris of Fairbanks was
a Valdez visitor on the weekend
of Oct. 7. He was the houseguest
| of the Faudskar’s while visiting
' here.
POLIO’S NOT IN VALDEZ YET, DR. HAM SAYS,
BUT HE NAMES PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES
“Don’t listen to rumors,” warns
Dr. Kenneth Ham of Valdez Com
munity Hospital. “Although it
was whispered here last week
that several cases of polio had
been reported in Valdez, there is
absolutely no truth in the rumor.”
Dr. Ham stated further, how
even that local residents are
aware of the incidence of polio
in other Alaskan communities,
and constant vigilance should be
maintained here to guard against
a local outbreak of the disease.
The physician advised all local
residents to avoid excessive fa
tigue and to maintain standards
of good nutrition in order to keep
in the peak of health.
Early symptoms of polio were
described by Dr. Ham. It is an
acute illness, he said .with vary
ing symptoms but usually with
headache and a characteristic
stiffness of the neck and spine.
Any suggestion of this latter
symptom justifies an examination
of spinal fluid, according to the
physician. , .
Continuing with listing of
symptoms, he added that about
half the cases develop a lower (
neuron paralysis in the first few
"We Want Men" Is
Cry of Choral Group
Men, preferably with ‘voices,’
| but not necessarily so, are the
i primary need of the newly or
i ganized choral society here. In
[ fact, the need is so pronounced
that almost any man will do,
a spokesman said, even if he
can’t do any more than “carry
a tune in a basket.”
The choral group met for the
first time at the home of Mrs.
Raymond Huddleston on Oct.
5. Those assembled practiced
first on the lovely and familiar
Christmas hymns, and then
began work on a Christmas
contata.
All who enjoy singing are
urged to attend future choral
meetings. Hereafter these
meetings will be held at the
home of Miss Helen Long. The
group expects to meet at 7:30
p.m. on Thursdays. ,
Thelma, Victor Fleury
Enroll at Edgecumbe
Thelma and Victor Fleury,
residents of El Nathan Children’s
Home here for the past eight
years, are getting first - hand
knowledge of southeastern Alaska
today. The children left recently
to enroll at the Mt. Edgecumbe
School near Sitka.
The trip south was the first
steamer ride the Fleury children
ever had made. It also was their
first visit to southeastern Alaska.
Their original home was at Cop
per Center.
Thelma had just enrolled as a
freshman in Valdez High School
this year. She has taken all of her
school work in Valdez.
Victor, who also has been a
pupil here for all of his school
years, will enroll in the seventh
grade at Mt. Edgecumbe.
days of illness. This paralysis
shows a marked tendency to
ward improvement after the dis
ease has reached its height.
There is a type of polio, in
which symptoms are vague and
without any accompanying par
alysis, which occurs frequently
during polio edidemics, it was
stated.
The disease is contracted
through body discharges of in
fected persons. Close association
with these infected persons, even
though they may not be suffer
ing from a clinically-recognized
attack of the disease, is the source
of infection, Dr. Ham explained.
The physician made no special
recommendations, other than
those for maintaining good nu
trition and getting sufficient rest,
for Valdez residents.
Territorial department of health
officials have stated that closing
schools and theatres and other
wise established quarantines is
ineffective and unjustifiable. They
feel it is better that children re
main in school, where first symp
toms may be easily recognized,
and treatment can be immediate.
Council Relaxes
At Final Session
Life’s little municipal problems
in Valdez were shelved for a
week or two at last Monday’s
regular city council meeting. Re
tiring councilmen, attending the
final meeting of their term, re
laxed and decided to “let George
(the incoming council) do it” at
the next meeting.
Therefore no business was
transacted at the Monday meet
ing, attended by some 20 visitors.
Mayor Guy Stith presided at
the meeting. Council members
present included:
George Gilson, Stuart Starbuck,
Barney Burch and city clerk Hal
ley Gates.
Women's Club Plans
Hallowe'en Pun
Hallowe’en was the principal
thought on the minds of mem
bers of the Women’s Civic Club,
when they met at the home of
Mrs. Katharyn Fawcett on Oct. 3.
The business at that meeting
was concerned chiefly with plans
for a Hallowe’en party. Further
arrangements for caring for skat
ing sessions at the Valdez Gym
nasium also were discussed. Mrs.
Janet Mcllroy presided at the
meeting.
Members who attended includ
ed:
Mrs. Ralph Matthews, Mrs. Earl
Moore, Mrs. Edith Moore, Mrs.
Betty O’Dell, Mrs. Katharyn
Fawcett, Miss Ruth Foy, Mrs.
Emily Taylor, Mrs. Jeanette Hud
dleston, Mrs. Jack Antritter, Mrs.
Lura Hayden and Mrs. Mcllroy.
GLACIER GIRLS MEET
The Glacier Club girls and
their sponsor, Miss Mable Ander
son, met on Thursday, Sept. 28,
at the home of Ruth O’Connor,
when they were to discuss a new
schedule for future meetings.
MRS. GATES ASKED
TO SEND PAINTINGS
FOR ‘ONE-MAN’ SHOW
New Yorkers will get a lovely
introduction to Valdez when the
new art show opens at Rundell
Art Gallery in Rochester, N. Y..
this month.
The show features the “one
man” exhibit of Mrs. Halley
Gates of Valdez, who paints under
the professional name of Ruth
Truesdell.
At first planned as a two-artist
exhibit of Alaskan paintings, di
rectors of the Rundell Gallery
last week wrote Mrs. Gates, re
questing that she send enough ad
ditional canvasses to fill both
walls of the gallery.
Mrs. Gates, who has travelled
extensively through Alaska, was
complimented by Rundell direct
ors for the skill with which she
has “captured the atmosphere of
Alaskan scenery with feeling and
depth.”
Many of the paintings to be ex
hibited were done in Valdez. The
exhibition includes several scenes
from the windows of the artist’s
home at 306 Keystone Ave.
Many of the other paintings
were done in-Anchorage. Others
were completed at the Gates’
home on Pippin Lake at Mile 84.
Subjects include mountain scen
ery, ski slopes, lakes, waterfalls,
native cabins and tents, and Alas
kan sourdoughs.
Valdez is not a new discovery
for Alaskan artists. The late Sid
ney Lawi-ence, best known foy his
Mt. McKinley canvasses, was a
Valdez resident at one time. His
dog-team trip to the base of that
peak was financed by Valdez
folk. , ,
Earl Ziegler was pastor of the
local Episcopal Church before he
left the ministry to paint.
Ted Lambert, although not a
local resident, has been in Valdez
to paint. The Goodales, Ellen
and Harvey, lived here during
the winter of ’48 and ’49, when
they painted and conducted art
classes for Valdezans.
Mrs. Gates is planning further
Valdez subjects for her brushes,
but these must wait until the ad
ditional paintings ordered by the
Rundell Gallery are completed.
She has been commissioned to do
a portrait and several large scen
ics for Valdez residents.
Students Learn Science
Has Enjoyable Side
Science is not only practical,
it’s fun. That’s the further sci
ence lesson fifth and sixth grade
students at Valdez School learned
on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Under the sponsorship of Miss
Ruth Foy, superintendent, the
students enjoyed a wiener roast
at the airfield during their morn
ing science period. John Faud
skar and Mark Wieler set the
scene, in advance, when they
went to the field ahead of the
class to build a fire and cut
wiener sticks.
Paul Johnson and Larry Sievers
were on the food committee.
Marva and Marsha Alexander
and Lorene Huddleston baked
cookies for the dessert which
followed the wieners. ,
Roberta Persinger and Eddie
Sievers had surprises for the
class.