I
\ Thought of the Week:
Let's everybody agree now
> that in the future no scrap ur
> anium is to be sold to shady
$ customers abroad.
TH
i < :, 51
‘ L J ' : I £ T Y 9
*j ;: ’j M
EASTER SEAL CLOSEOFF
DANCE
WASILLA COMMUNITY
CLUB
APRIL 20 9 P.M.
8 PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
VOLUME 15. NUMBER 30
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE AAATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. APRIL 18. 1963
Strong Vote Re-Elects O'Neill to MEA Board
Reporters—
Notebook.
Dr. Vincent Hume left Pal
mer on April 13 for a visit with
his father in Vernon, British
Columbia. His office here will
be closed until May 1. How
ever, Dr. Robert Miller, optom
etrist, will continue his Wed
nesday visits to Palmer as us
ual.
* * *
Kenneth L. Hughes, the son
of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hugh
es of Big Lake, will be graduat
ed this month from the Prairie
Bible Institute in Three Hills,
Alberta, completing four years
of study.
Mr. and Mrs. Hughes (Janet
ta Lindsay) will spend the
summer in the Palmer area.
Hughes plans to return Outside
next fall for further training
in aviation,
* * *
Pat Rice, son of Mrs. Betty
R.ce of Palmer, arrived home
on leave from the U. S. Navy
on April 6, and will be in Pal
mer until May 1. Rice is sta
tioned aboard the U. S. S. Con
stellation, now in West Coast
waters, but scheduled soon for
a world cruise.
* * *
Four Matanuska Valley stu
dents are listed on the Univer
sity of Alaska’s fall semester
honor roll, Dr. Howard Cutler,
academic vice-president, an
nounced this week. One, Klaus
B. Jade of Palmer, a sophomore
n ajoring in biology, earned a
4 point or straight A average.
Other honor students are
Cary Gislason, Wasilla, fresh
n an in mechanical engineer
ing; Walter T. Phillips, Palmer,
senior in geology; and Carolyn
Wallace, sophomore in biology.
RYAN’S LYNES
By Jack Ryan
My home sure needs a spring
cleaning. I think the windows
need washing, but I can’s tell
for sure until I cut the grass.
For spring cleaning, you
need a vacuum cleaner, a
scoop shovel, and a broom.
But if your house is real
dirty, a can of gasoline and a
match will work better.
I found out how to get snow
out of my yard early. Scatter
coal dust all around. This caus
es the sun’s heat to penetrate,
and the snow vanishes. Now
I’m trying to find out how to
get coal dust out of my yard.
I wish my wife wouldn't
clean everything so spic and
span. I hate to be the only
sloppy thing around the
house.
All Kinds of
CORSAGES
For Prom
VERY SPECIAL
KODIAK ORCHIDS
MAUD’S
PI 5-4056
LErS HAVE A PARTY
Free Smorgasbord
FRIDAY, APRIL 19
Palmer Bar
Anchorage Day for
Valley Proposed
An Anchorage Day in th<
Matanuska Valley was propos
ed by Stewart A. Durrant, gen
eral manager of Matanusk;
Maid, Inc., and ARC agricul
ture committee chairman, a
the Wednesday meeting of th<
Matanuska Valley Chamber o:
Commerce.
Durrant mentioned that i
similar project has already
been carried out by coal indus
try people, but said he felt ai
Anchorage Chamber of Com
merce tour of the valley coulc
be extended to include the
hardwoods plant at Wasilla and
the agricultural operations ol
the Valley.
Such a tour would build bet
ter relations between the twc
communities, he stated.
"Good things happening in
Anchorage help us. and our
trading dollars go there,” he
said, indicating that a healthy
valley economy is good for An
chorage as well as our own
community.
Jack Flint, manager of the
Spenard branch of Matanuska
Maid and former creamery
manager here, spoke of the at
titude of Anchorage business
men toward the Matauska Val
ley community. He said he is
the only representative of agri
culture at the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce meet
ings, and urged local business
men and farmers to come tc
the Anchorage chamber meet
ings on Monday at the West
ward Hotel.
“Anchorage businessmen feel
we lack aggressiveness,” he
said. “We need to get acquaint
ed with our customers, and we
need to keep our name before
the public all the time. The day
of shifting population in An
chorage is not over. The aver
age life of a real estate mort
gage there is five years.”
This is expected to be the
best construction year the area
has had for some time, Flint
said, and local businesses
should capitalize on it.
Asked what the big selling
items are in Anchorage, Flint
mentioned concentrated milk,
and said the field of frozen
vegetables and processed pota
toes of all kinds is wide open.
License Tags
May Be Purchased
Until May 31
Although the deadline for
mailing license renewals to the
Anchorage office was April 15,
new tags need not be affixed
until May 31, and may be pur
chased in the deputy district
magistrate’s office until that
time without penalties, Mrs.
Dorothy Saxton said this week.
Last year’s registration form
must be shown to purchase the
new license, but no other pap
ers are necessay, Mrs. Saxton
stated. The charge for automo
bile licensing is $30 per car.
The deputy magistrate re
minded drivers who have re
cently had birthdays or who
have one in the offing to check
their driver’s license for renew
al dates.
Most Anchorage women work,
and are interested in labor-sav
foods, he said.
Durrant stated that a study
is being made of the feasibility
of a frozen foods processing
plant here, and that it appears
that it would be difficult to
"nmnete with the outside mar
ket. However, he suggested that
the area capitalize on the spec
ial features of its vegetables—
for an Outside market — the
extra high quality and the size,
also the fact that the Matanus
ka Valley is almost insect-free
and that very few chemical
sprays are needed.
Food faddists are conscious
; of sprays, he said, and added
i that the novelty of vegetables
j from Alaska would be a selling
! point, even though prices
I would have to be somewhat
higher,
A suggestion made at the
ARA conference in Anchorage
was brought up from the floor
—that of a combination pro
cessing plant that would handle
meats, fish and vegetables, M.
D. Snodgrass discussed the!
great potential to grow beef
cattle on Kodiak Island, saying !
j that there is early feed and lots |
| of grass, and that an experi- i
I mental herd he placed there in j
1907 had developed hard tallow '
by early August.
Emphasized by Durrant at
the meeting was that although
the ARA committees and the
Chamber often have the same
objectives, there is no reason
why the two groups cannot
work together to achieve them.
STUDENTS HEAR CAREER EXPERTS
“Career Day” at the Pal
mer high school last Wednes
day gave students an opportun
ity to talk with members of
various professional fields. The
second annual event was spon
sored by the Palmer PTA.
PTA planning committee
members were Mrs. James
Hurley, Mrs. James Hulbert,
and Mrs. Henry Corbin. Stu
dent planners were Ron Sulli
van, Carol Wilson, Alicia Dras
hner, Steve Cook, Jo Lynn
Schroeder, and Alvin Okeson,
advisor.
Professional persons who took
part in “Career Day” were Dr.
D. H. Hodgson, agriculture;
Charles Tryck, engineering;
Dwight C. Jenkins, and Curt
Maxwell, electronics; Dale
Tubbs and Cliff Judkins, for
est, first, and game manage
ment; Lyn Rew Saunders an<
Lester Miller, home economics
Howard Pollock, law; Mrs. Mai
Rene Bordwall, Mrs. Rita Hunt
Mrs. Ann Kridler, and Marj
DeMartini, secretarial; Fran!
Brink, theatre arts; Bert Duff
Dan McKechnie, and Cal Cen
ter, airplane mechanics, autc
mechanics, and heavy dutj
equipment; Captain Ross, arm
ed services for women; Mastei
Sergeant Joseph Prunier, arm
ed services for men; Mrs. Bray
beautician; Dr. Boyd Skille
Mrs. John DeVries, and Dr
Keith McCavit, medical; Mrs
Catherine Palmer, social work
er; Miss Robert Reeve, air his
tess; and Wendell Crouch, edu
cation.
Approval for sports car rac
ing on designated downtowi
streets of Palmer was grante<
by the Palmer city council a
a special meting held Tuesday
April 16.
A request to hold the races ii
Palmer on Colony Days, Ma;
25 and 26, was made by a dele
gation from the Anchoragi
Sports Car Association at th<
April 9 meeting of the council
at which tentative approva
was given pending approval o
local merchants who would b<
affected by street closures fo:
several hours on each day.
Approval for the races wa:
given after Virgil Gillespie, ;
member of the Anchorage club
presented petitions signed b;
local merchants endorsing thi
race proposal.
Also appearing before the
council was Bill Carpenter o
the Arctic Sports Car Club ii
Anchorage, who asked recon
sideration of the May 25 and 21
dates, saying that the Tana
-cross races are scheduled fo
• Memorial Day weekend, and
i this would give race cars driv
I ers only five days to get the
t cars in shape for the eastern
, Alaska event.
He was told that council
i members are merely giving
r permission to hold races, and
• that the setting of the day is a
: decision of the Anchorage
; Sports Car Association.
• Police Chief Louis Bencardi
| no reported that he has receiv
; ed a telephone call from the
! Anchorage office of the FAA
as a result of a letter from
Washington, DC. instructing
; the Anchorage office to assist
i in every way possible to make
, airport property available for
r the proposed drag strip. The
t letter followed a visit from Sen.
“Bob” Bartlett to the FAA of
t fice, urging that the drag strip
i request be given consideration,
i The Rev. Floyd Haddenham,
• pastor of the Church of Christ,
1 appeared to request that steps
■ be taken to drain the parking
• lot area at the church. City
manager Gilchrist said it would
be taken care of by the end of
the week.
A request from Don Irwin
that the city hire a school girl
to work from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
during the summer months in
the Historical Society office
was discussed. It was suggest
ed that the Chamber of Com
merce. rumored to be looking
for office space, be contacted,
and that Mr. Irwin get in touch
with other organizations to
find out what might be done to
get volunteer help.
Betty Mears appeared to state
her position on the parking
area behind her business es
tablishment. She said that she
would have no objection to the
lot, being graded but would
like to keep jurisdiction over
parking there, since she can
see that improperly parked ve
hicles are removed if neces
sary.
A motion was passed to fill
the hole in the parking area be
(Continued on page 8)
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, communities of our Nation will observe
"National Library Week" from April 21 through Apjril 27
this year; and
WHEREAS, National Library Week is both the climax
and the starting point of many year-round activities to spur
Americans to read more and to make reading opportunities
more easily available to others; and
WHEREAS, reading and the facilities of the public library
open the door to many Americans to explore, through the
written word, the worlds of science, art, history and literature,
thereby making them better qualified to understand and
fuifill their role in this age of unprecedented growth—spirit
ually, scientifically and politically:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM A. EGAN, Governor of
Alaska, hereby designate the week of April 21-27, 1963
NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK IN ALASKA
and call upon Alaskans to join with their fellow Americans
everywhere to participate in those programs which emphasize
the importance of the printed word in this age of progress.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand
and caused the Seal of Alaska to be affixed, this third day of
April in the year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-three.
s/ WILLIAM A. EGAN, Governor
Attest s/ HUGH J. WADE, Secretary of State
PALMER BAND, CHORUS TO TAKE PART
IN MUSIC FESTIVAL IN ANCHORAGE
Palmer high school musii
students will again take par
in the Southwestern Alask;
Music Festival in Anchorage 01
April 25, 26, and 27, band di
rector Lee Plumbley said thi
week. He and Mrs. Lois Wei
don, chorus director, make ui
the music teaching staff at th<
high school.
Students will be transportei
to Anchorage by bus on Thurs
day and will be brought bad
to Palmer Saturday night a
the close of the final concer
Housing this year is being ar
ranged by the individual sch
’ ools, with a record kept of
t where each student is staying
i in case of emergency.
1 On Friday morning at 8 a.m..
solos and small ensembles will
’ be judged at the Civic Center.
and the massed band, choir, and
’ orchestra will rehearse.
Judging of large groups will
1 take place at 7:30 p.m. on Fri
. day, bands and orchestras at
c the old Central school and
t choirs and choruses at Sidney
Laurence Auditorium.
I
On Saturday irtomtng. the
bands entered in the festival
will parade through the down
town Anchorage area. At 1 p.m.
rehearsals will be called in the
West high school gymnasium
for the massed band, choir, and
orchestra. The festival will con
clude with the massed concert
in the West high school gym
nasium at 8 p.m. Saturday.
I
RESERVED SEAT
TICKETS ON SALE
Reserved seat tickets for the
1063 Kiwanis Minstrel Show
are now available at Betty's,
the Koslosky’s Department
Store office, and Ketchikan
Spruce Mills for $2 each, ac
cording to Ed Smith, ticket sal
es chairman.
General admission tickets are
priced at 75c and $1. The show
will begin at 8:30 p.m. on Fri
day and Saturday, May 3 and 4
Annual Meet Draws
Capacity Crowd
Phil O'Neill. Sutton incum
bent, was re-elected to thi
Matanuska Electric Associatior
! board of directors at the annua
meeting of the association or
Friday. April 12. polling 35
votes Eligible voters at th<
| meeting totalled 451. Also el
i ected were James Ekstedt o
Eagle River and Clair John
I son of Big Lake, who garner
! ed 251 and 230 votes respect
| ively.
The capacity crowd which
thronged into the Centra
! school gymnasium and waitec
1 in line to be registered also list
| ened to an address by Phi
Holdsworth, commissioner o
natural resources, and hearc
i the annual reports of boarc
! president O'Neill and associa
tion manager Mason LaZelle.
Of paramount interest to Ma
j tanuska Valley dairymen wa:
; the passage of a motion by the
1 membership to underwrite i
i block of financing for the pro
posed Matanuska Maid cream
I cry if funds are not available
j from other sources. It was em
I phasized that such a loar
would have to have REA ap
proval before it could be made
Commissioner Holdsworth
honor guest of the association
expressed Gov. Egan’s regret:
in not being able to attend the
meeting due to the press o
business in the last hours of the
legislative session.
In discussing state legisla
tion of interest to the Matan
uska- Valle.v. the comrwhsiniw
also mentioned the bill now be
fore Congress which woulc
give the coal and oil industry
an equal opportunity to bic
with gas on a ten-year basis.
"Our department has alway;
tried to push along mine-mouth
power." he said. “Coal usually
turns out to be the cheapesi
EASTER SEAL
DRIVE CLOSES
WITH DANCE
Closing off the MVCCA Eas
ter Seal campaign in the Mat
anuska Valley, a dance will be
held at the Wasilla Commun
ity Club on Saturday, April 20.
beginning at 9 p.m.
Patrons will dance to live
music and will have a chance
at several door prizes. Refresh
ments will be served. Both ad
ults and teen-agers are wel
come to attend the affair, for
which an admission of $1 50
per couple. $1 stag, and 75c for
teen-agers will be charged.
An added feature of the
dance will be the raffle of the
"Barbie" doll with wardrobe,
sponsored by the Palmer Em
blem Club.
Sponsors for the dance are
the Ladies' Auxiliary, VFW
Post No. 9365, and the Wasilla
Grange No. 2.
■ source of power if strippable
; and if it has an equal chance
i to bid with other fuels.”
The land grant phase of the
i borough bill, which gives the
privilege of selecting 10 per
■ cent of the vacant unappropri
ated land within its boundar
ies, may create a land manage
ment problem, Holdsworth
said, adding that It would be
; possible to contract with the
i division of lands for manage
I ment services, thus utilizing
! the experienced personnel of
I the department.
He noted that the agricultur
al revolving loan fund has re
■ turned a good rate of interest
on the investment, about one
percent more than other in
vestments.
Holdsworth said he had been
a member of MEA in 1947 and
was well acquainted in the
Wasilla-Palmer area, a fact
i which became obvious in the
social hour following the meet
ing, when the honor guest was
surrounded by former acquain
tances.
A concise review of MEA ac
tivities during the past year
was given by manager LaZel
;e. members following the fig
! ures presented with a fact
; sheet supplied to them at the
: door. He pointed out that in
' 1 more thickly populated areas
• | such as Eagle River more cus
• tomers are served by fewer
miles of line at lower cost, and
the cooperative REA principle
is that urban areas support ex
- imnsinn into more sparsely set
' tied communities.
' An estimated $1,343,500 con
i struction program is planm i
for 1963 and 1964, the manage r
said, with a total of 145.5 miles
of line to be built. Approval of
i the loan for the Talkeetna ac
I quisition and additional line
construction is expected short
ly, he added.
Board president O'Neill, re
porting on the progress of the
proposed minemouth steam
plant at Sutton, said that every
effort is being made to push
the project to a successful con
clusion. An application for loan
funds to construct the plant
1 will be ready to go to Wash
j ington, D. C. by the first week
; in May, he stated. He reported
that MEA manager Mason La
! elle was called to Washington
in March and was taken to REA
administrator Norman Clapp’s
office by Sen. Ernest Gruening.
i The administrator said he had
no preconceived opinions and
would judge the steam plant on
its merits, including wheeling
j arrangements and available
1 market.
Two members of the MEA
staff, Alonzo Smart and Paul
Stringfield, were given special
recognition, Stringfield (who
retired early this year) for 17
years of service with MEA, and
Smart for outstanding work as
safety director for MEA.
MOOSE
Breakfast & Enrollment
Sunday, April 21st
CANDIDATES
MOOSE MEMBERS & FAMILIES
WELCOME
9:00 A.M.
SABIN ORAL SUNDAY Z
April 21 Noon to 6 pjn.
Control School Gymnastnm