HISTORICAL MUSEUM & LIBRARY
BOX 205
JUNEAU ALASKA
News
THIRD YEAR
JANUARY 4, 196.J
PRICE 10c
NUMBER 113
Royal Welcome for Master 1963
* * HIGHLIGHTS OF 1962 * *
AS COMPILED FROM CHEECHAKO NEWS FILES BY MABLE SMITH
1 he dawn of a new year is re
garded as a time for reminiscing
as well as a time for planning.
A resume of events that made
news on the Kenai Peninsula dur
ing 1962 is offered here.
Happenings and activities on
the Peninsula were many and var
ied during the past 12 months.
For many persons, the midnight
transition from the old year of
1962 to the beginning of the new,
and perhaps uncertain, 1963 was
marked with joyful reflection. For
others it sparked sad recollec
tions.
The year of 1962 dawned with
area residents relaxing in the re
latively warm 10 degrees below
zero weather after prior weeks of
record breaking lows in which the
mercury plummeted to as low as
62 degrees below in some portions
of the Peninsula while in others
people shivered in minus 45 tem
peratures.
Moose found travel difficult
on the deep ice-crusted now which
cut their legs and covered up the
winter browse. Many died of star
vation.
The 1962 Cook Inlet salmon
fishing season was one of the
best in years for commercial fish
ermen and lined the pockets of
many with enough cash to build
new homes, purchase bigger boats
and to enjoy life in general. Con
struction workers, on the other
hand, reported the year as not up
to expectations and are hoping
for a better one in 196.3.
Area development, oil and re
finery operations, the beginning
of offset drilling, politics—some
of it fringed with controversy, all
interested Peninsula residents.
There were airplane crashes, car
wrecks, fires, robberies and even
a few murders, all duly reported,
as well as the newsy chitchat.
The following are a few of the
year’s highlights as compiled
front the 1962 files of the Chee
chako News and recorded as to
months:
JANUARY
Star route mail delivery, an ex
tension of Route 2, began Jan. 6
to serve families along Kalifon
sky Beach and Kasilof Roads
with Alex Wilson as mail carrier.
Communities served were Kenai,
Soldotna, Sterling, Kasilof, Co
hoe and Clant Gulch.
The first baby bron In 1962 at
the Central Peninsula Clinic, Sol
dotna, was Nathan Gregory Crum,
son of James and Lois Crum of
Ciechanski Road near Soldotna.
The Clinic’s New Year’s report
listed 32 girls and 29 boys born
there during the preceding 1961.
An oil heater exploding on a
garage in Swanson River Field
resulted in damages of more than
$25,000 to buildings and equip
ment owned by James “Bud” Dye
of Kenai. A rental house owned
by Chell and Maxine Bear in Sol
dotna was damaged by smolder
Farmers Co-op
Meeting Called
A stockholder’s meeting of the
Farmers Feed Mill and Process
ing Co-op Association has been
called for 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan.
11 at the Soldotna Community
Hall. The meeting was called by
Homer Swires, acting chairman
of the temporary board of direc
tors.
Reports of the past year’s
work in connection with the
ground work for formation of the
cooperative farmers group will be
heard and plans for the coming
year discussed. Every stockholder
is requested to be in attendance.
HAVE HEAT WHEN IT COUNTS
UNIFLAME
Automatic Kf f P p||[|_ Service
and
Propane Delivery
Call
Soldotna Delivery Kenai Delivery
262-4418 283-7705
DON BAILEY
ITriA^
O
r
*~- -v
ing insulation resulting from froz
en water lines being thawed out.
The Soldotna office of the Em
ployment Security Division, open
ed on Jan. 2, being moved to the
area from Homer.
Two men were apprehended on
ly minutes after their alleged bur
glary of the Kenai Pharmacy.
Break-ins were also reported at
(Continued on Page 3)
Nominate
New HEA
Directors
Three candidates, each to be
elected for a three-year term,
will be selected by the member
ship of the Homer Electric As
sociation, Inc., at a meeting: to
be held on Feb. 5. The election
will take place at 1 p.m. in the
Family Theatre at Homer from a
slate of seven candidates.
Nomination of candidates for
election to the Board of Directors
was made Dec. 22 at a meeting
of the nominating committee held
at Ninilchik.
Three of the seven suggested
are incumbent board members,
whose terms are expiring. They
are Burton G. Carver, Soldotna,
currently serving as president of
the board; A. R. Cronin and Ed
ward Rehder, Jr., both of Homer.
Additional candidates nominat
ed are Jack C. Farnsworth, Sol
dotna; Mel Jackson, Clam Gulch,
Jess H. Nicholas, Jr., Kenai, and
James D. Saling and Robert B.
Turkington, both of Homer.
Chamber’s
Annual Dinner
Set Saturday
The Greater Soldotna Chamber
of Commerce will hold its annual
dinner and election of board mem
bers Saturday in a meeting be
ginning at 7 p.m. at Parkers in
Ridgeway. Annual reports of the
various committees will also be
heard at this time.
The Chamber at its Dec. 20
meeting voted to increase mem
bership on the board from five to
seven members. The nominating
committee has suggested the fol
lowing persons as new board
members: Lyle Johnston, Charlie
Griffin, Tom Hurd and Kerlie
Wright.
Members whose terms expire
are Dr. Paul Isaak and Clarence
Goodrich. Holdover members who
will continue to serve on the board
for another year are Jack Farns
worth, Joe Scarantino and Charles
Parker.
Nominations for board member
ship may also be made from the
floor at the annual meeting. Fol
lowing election of board members,
officers of the Chamber will be
chosen by the board itself from
within its own membership. The
current president is Dr. Isaak,
whose term as board member is
expiring.
Special entertainment is to be
provided at the dinner by repre
sentatives of the Redoubt Toast
mistress Club and the Kaknu
Toastmasters Club.
The meeting is open to the pub
lic and tickets to the event may
be purchased at the M-K Realty
of fir o it ^3.50 per plate.
Times Birth for ian. 1,
Will Receive Many Gifts
The “First Citizen’’ of 1963 is
Richard Kenai Pifferini, whose
arrival occurred at 9:32 a.m. Jan.
1 making him the first baby born
in the new year at the Central
Peninsula Clinic.
A warm welcome awaited this
6 lb. 14 oz. bit of prospective man
hood as he is destined to be the
recipient of many gifts from mer
chants in Kenai and Soldotna.
The New Year’s baby is the son
of Mr. and Mrs. A1 Pifferini.
Mrs. Pifferini has been making
her home with her parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Julius Wolf, since Au
gust and moved with them from
Homer to Kenai in October. She
has three other children, a four
year-old daughter and two sons,
ages 2 and 3 years, who at pre
sent are with their father. He is
employed in northern California.
Mrs. Pifferini was dismissed from
Kenai Chamber
Elects Officers
For Coming Year
Kenai Chamber of Commerce
officers for the year of MW3 were
elected by the Chamber’s Board
of Directors at a meeting held
Jan. 2, it was announced by the
newly elected president, James E.
Fisher, Kenai attorney.
New officers, in addition to
Fisher, who will take office im
mediately are Conrad Potter, su
perintendent of Kenai Schools,
vice president; Rita Waldron
Steele, owner of Kenai Business
Services, secretary, and J. R.
Lietzke, manager of the Kenai
branch of the Alaska State Bank,
treasurer. Lietzke is the outgoing
Chamber president.
“The new officers of the Kenai
Chamber are most grateful to
their predecessors in office and
feel that they have a firm foun
dation on which to build for the
coming year.
“The entire Kenai Peninsula is
of the immediate and vital inter
est to the Kenai Chamber of Com
merce and the Peninsula’s needs,
problems and desires will be giv
en the utmost consideration,”
stated Chamber President Fisher.
On Monday, Jan. 7, at 7:30 p.m.,
the Board of Directors will meet
at the home of Jess Nicholas to
plan the program for the entire
1903 year.
Being acutely aw’are of the
tremendous tourist potential, the
Chamber of Commerce in other
action taken Wednesday voted to
pay a portion of Allan L. Peter
sen’s expenses when he attends
the Governor’s Tourism Advisory
Committee at the meeting soon to
be held in Fairbanks, Fisher said.
Health Council
Election Tuesday
A meeting of the Kenai Area
Health Council has been called
for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at
the Kenai Health Center. There is
to be an election of officers for
the coming year at this time.
All groups and organizations in
the area served hy the Council
are urged to send representatives
to the meeting. All other interest
ed persons are invited to attend.
Mrs. Larry Lancashire current
ly is heading the Council as pres
ident. '
the Clinic on the evening of New
Year’s Day and she and her baby
are currently with her parents in
their Kenai home.
Gifts waiting collection for
young Richard Kenai or his pa
rents from merchants in Soldotna
include one quart of milk per day
for a month from the Crescent
Dairy, a receiving blanket from
Gibbs Apparel, selected baby no
tions from Lou’s Market, a free
service call from Ed’s Appliance,
a case of S.M.A. baby formula
from Soldotna Drug, a pair of
leather baby moccasins from Mar
vene’s Dress Shop, a $10 gift cer
tificate'from the Soldotna Supply,
a $5 certificate for cosmetics or
to apply on hair styling at Doro
thea’s Beauty Salon, a free hair
cut for Dad from Leo Neiden at
the Village Barber Shop, a free
shampoo for Pop from A1 Buon
assissi at Parker’s in Ridgeway,
a sportshirt and matching socks
from Woodford’s Men’s Shop, a
free lube job for Papa’s car at
Parker’s Union Service, and a
year’s subscription to the Chee
chako News to the person select
ed by the Pifferinis.
Kenai merchants are offering
the New Year’s baby a $5 gift
certificate in the baby department
at Seaman’s Furniture, a case of
baby food from Archers, a $5 sav
ings account to be started for the
new baby by Obert’s Insurance,
income tax return (with new ex
emption included) done free by
Kenai Business Services, a steak
dinner for the parents from the
Rig Cafe, another steak dinner
from Western Corral Cafe, a $5
savings account at the Kenai
branch of the First Federal Sav
ings and Loan of Anchorage, a
$5 gift certificate for flowers or
other items at Nu-State Nursery
and Flower Shop, and a free
tune-up for Papa’s car at Smoky’s
Garage.
Nurses Meeting
Set for Tuesday
George Denison, Civil Defense
director for the Soldotna area,
will be the speaker on Jan. 8
when the Kenai Area Nurses
Group meets at 8 p.m. in the Of
ficers’ Club at Wildwood Station.
Members of the group are asked
to check the date as this is not
the regular meeting schedule for
the organization. All nurses in
the area, whether or not actively
practicing their profession, are in
vited to be present.
The Weather
Dec. 27
Dec. 28
Dec. 29
Dec. 30
Dec. 31
Jan. 1
Jan. 2
Dec. 27
Dec. 28
Dec. 29
Dec. 30
Dec. 31
Jan. 1
Jan. 2
Jan. 3
Max. Min.
KENAI
15 0
14 -5
13 5
6 -10
7 -11
5 -14
17 1
(Melted
SOLDOTNA
40
12
-4
2
0
-2
8
16
-7
-8
-16
-17
-17
-20
-16
(Melted
-17
(Melted
Precip.
None
None
None
None
None
None
.17
Snow)
None
None
None
None
None
None
.25
Snow)
.21
Snow)