Thought of the Week
Law suits are decided by the
judge who has the last guess.
THE FRONTIERSMAN
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
Cerebral Palsy
Dinner Dance
Elks Lodge
Sept. 28
6:30 p.m.
VOLUME 16. NUMBER 1
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. SEPT. 26. 1963
TWELVE PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
Eight File For Vacancies on Palmer City Council
Reporters—
NoieLoak
Mrs. Rod (Helen) Cottrell
v.ar honored on Sept. 19 at a
reception given by Mrs. Rich
ard Jones at the Jones home
on Valley Street. The Cottrell,
family recently moved here
from Anchorage and are mak
ing their home at the former
Hugh Adams farm on Scott I
Road. Mr. Cottrell is cashier at
the Matanuska Valley Bank.
* * *
The Lloyd Watts from Shel
bvville. Tenn., write they are
getting settled in their former
home and that their bowling!
alley is keeping them busy.
They report that Mary Lou I
and Bob Johns visited them
last winter and that they en
joyed a visit with the Puddi
combes this summer. “We hope
more of our friends from Pal- \
mer can drop in on us,” Mrs.
Watts said.
* * *
Mrs. A. B. (Edith) Compton,
former linotype operator at the i
Frontiersman, writes that they j
are now living in Anderson, j
Indiana, where their son The-;
ron is attending high school, j
Anderson is also the home of j
the Comptons’ elder son Bythel 1
and his family.
1963 graduates of Palmer;
high school now attending the |
University of Alaska are Janie 1
Hanks, Jack Snodgrass, David 1
Schreiber, and Wayne Eckert.1
Attending Alaska Methodist.
University are David Martin
and Chuck Felzien.
Don Ingalls Is
Only Candidate
Don Ingalls, incumbent, is
running unopposed for the
five-year post on the Palmer
Independent School District
board of directors.
Actual length of the term is
uncertain, since mandatory
borough incorporation may cut
short the terms of the existing
school board.
Ingalls, who is an equipment
operator for the State Depart
ment of Highways, makes h i s
home in North Palmer with
wife Haleen and a son who is
a student in the Palmer high
school. The Ingalls have two
older sons, both married.
The school board candidate
taught school for 20 years be
fore engaging in h i s present
occupation, 14 of them in Al
aska.
Bond Election Voters Must
Register Tomorrow, Saturday
SERVICES HELD
THIS AFTERNOON
FOR TY ROWSEY
Funeral services were held
at the First Baptist Church in
Palmer today at 2 p.m. for Ty
Darnell Rowsey, three-year-old
son of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert
Rowsey of Wasilla.
The child died Monday at
Providence Hospital in Anch
orage following an attack of
pneumonia.
The Rev. John T. Dickerson
officiated at the services, which
were followed by interment in
Aurora Cemetery at Wasilla.
The Rowsey child was born
May 14, 1960, in Shelton, Wash.
Besides his parents, survivors
are three brothers, Rodney.
Timmie and Lyle, and a sister,
Cherlin, all of Wasilla. Other
survivors are his grandparents.
Mr. and Mrs. John Chapman
of Mt. Sterling, 111., and Mr.
and Mrs. William Rowsey of
Sunnymead, Calif.
Arrangements were handled
by the Anchorage Funeral1
Chapel.
Polling Places
Remain Unchanged
Polling places for the Oct. 1
school election will be the
same as for the recent borough
election.
Palmer voters will vote in
the city council chambers at
the Palmer city hall. Matanus
ka precinct voters will mark
their ballots at B & H Supply,
just beyond Ketchikan Spruce
on Matanuska Road. Butte
precinct residents will vote at
the Butte fire hall, and Eska
Sutton voters will go to the
Sutton community hall.
Polling places will be open
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To vote in the bond election,
voters must have previously
registered, they must be at
least 19 years of age, they
must have lived in Alaska for
a year preceding the election,
and in the school district for 30
days preceding the election.
Propositions Are For
School Construction
Palmer Independent School j
District taxpayers have only
two days remaining in which to
register for the school bond el
ection on Oct. 1. John Marshall,
tax assessor, emphasized today.
The office will be open this af
teroon until 5 p.m., tomorrow
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until
9 p.m. By Wednesday after
noon 322 persons had register
ed. In the bond election a year
ago, 884 registered.
In the Oct. 1 school election,
voters will elect one director to 1
a five-year term and will ac
cept or reject four separate
bonding propositions for school
construction.
Proposition No. 1 would pro
vide six classrooms, library and
auxiliary rooms, bookroom,
storage room, lavatories, and
janitor's supply room at Swan
son school. The six rooms
would house 150 children. Es
timated cost is $195,000, and the
estimated tax increase (based
on 100 per cent of assessed val
uation) is 34 mill.
Proposition No. 2 is for six
classrooms and a storeroom at
the high school. Estimated cost
of the addition, which w'ould
house 150 students, is $195,000.
Two of the six rooms will be
larger in size and will have
plumbing and electrical con
j duits roughed in so that they
may be converted from regu
i lar classroom use to science and
i language laboratories later.
The millage estimate is the
same as for Proposition 1.
Proposition 3 is for a high
school gymnasium, estimated
cost of which is $380,000. Plans
call for a regulation-sized court
and a seating capacity of 1500.
Space can be divided into four
teacher-stations, which school
directors estimate will allow
for an adequate physical edu
cation program for a number of
years.
Proposition 4 is for an audi
torium designed to seat 500
people. The estimated cost is
$430,000. This plan also calls
for a large classroom for med
ium-sized groups such as chor
us. A folding partition will di
vide this classroom into t \v o
smaller areas for such curric
ular activities as speech.
The millage estimate (100
per cent evaluation) for Prop- .
osition 3 is 13h mills, and for
Proposition 4. lr>/8 mills.
School officials list advant- ,
ages of the new construction
program, pointing out that it I
will take children out of poor- <
ly ventilated and inadequately j
lighted basement classrooms in
Central school which are con- j
sidered to be a fire hazard.
They add that the program |
will enable high school stu- ,
dents to take full advantage of j
the laboratories and home eco
nomics rooms now doubling as
classrooms, and it will provide
regular classrooms for high
school classes now being con
ducted in the cafeteria, a stor
age room, and half of the
J nurse’s office.
t The program would provide
adequate library space for the
1 elementary children at Swan
i son school, and would provide
facilities for a full physical ed
ucation program for the Cen
I tral elementary children, who
! are now restricted to one per
1 iod per week, as well as save
time and costs of transporting
high school students to and
from Central school.
At the present rate of
growth, schoolmen say, class
room space will have to be
rented beginning with the fall
term of 1964, or classes will be
d r a s t i cally overcrowded. A
double shift may be necessary
in the fall of 1965.
Council Hires Don Irwin
As Temporary Manager
Palmer city council mem
, bers at the Sept. 24 meeting
passed a motion to hire Don
4 Irwin as city manager on a
temporary basis for 45 days,
and to recommend that the
.Mew council (to take office in
the week following the Oct. 1
election) extend Mr. Irwin’s
employment for an additional
90 days. Irwin outlined several
reasons why he cannot consid
er the post on a permanent
basis.
Sewer Ssystem
The city manager reported
that sewer project engineers
Ralph Stefano and Paul Stutz
man. now in Seattle, are nego
tiating with Housing and Home
Finance Administration offi
cials and that a 66 per cent
APW grant for collector sewers
looks hopeful. The Public
Health Service has assured
Palmer of a 50 per cent grant
for interceptors and lagoons. If
the grants are made, Palmer
will need to sell bonds in the
amount of $421,000. The engi
neers said that Meyers of the
Marshall and Meyers bonding
agency stated that his com
pany will purchase that
amount.
Council members passed a
motion to make Mr. Irwin the
authorized representative of
the city to sign all documents
with HHFA, and to give Ste
fano and Stutzman authoriza
tion to amend a previous appli
cation from the city to HHFA.
Emergency Hospital
Irwin outlined to the coun
cil a proposal from Loren Grif
fin, public health advisor from
the U.S. Public Health Service,
which would install in Palmer
sufficient equipment and med
icines for a 200-bed hospital to
be set up in case of emergency.
Needed would be 1,165 square
feet of usable floor space, 450
feet of which would have to be
heated, and 30 cubic feet of
which would be used for re
frigeration. The city manager
suggested as possible space the
basement under the building
ccupied by Betty’s Dress Shop.
Councilman Maze suggested
that the city manager discuss
the problem of storage space
with civil defense director Ed
Smith and report back to the
council.
Heat for Metal Building
Manager Irwin quoted bids
from Mac’s Plumbing ($820)
and A B & J ($768) for a hot
air coal furnace with stoker
(not in place) to supply heat
for the city’s equipment stor
age and shop building. He also
reported that Matanuska Maid,
Inc. has decided to keep its
central heating steam plant and
would be willing to sell heat
to the city for the building
Total installation costs were
quoted as $1,638, and the cost
per month to buy steam at peak
load as $114.48. It was pointed
out that generally the need
would be about half of peak
load, and that during some
months of the year heat would
not be needed at all. The
amount of steam heat used
would be metered. Council
moved to accept the Co-op bid
with the proviso that a contract
be negotiated for not less than
a five-year period, and that if
service should be discontinued
during this time that the city
be refunded on a pro - rated
basis for initial costs of instal
lation. The council also speci
fied that the doors of the build
ing are to be insulated. The mo
tion was passed with one nega
tive vote, that of Councilman
Long.
Health Exam for Employees
A motion that any new em
ployee going to work for the
city be required to have a phy
sical examination at his own
expense, and that present em
ployees who cannot produce a
medical report made up with
in the last six months also be
required to have physical ex
ams (at city expense) was ap
proved unanimously.
Street Cleaning
The city manager reported
that Lee Budd has been em
ployed to clean the city streets,
but has run into the problem
of cars parked on downtown
streets at night, making it im
pissible to clean some areas in
the early morning hours before
traffic becomes heavy. The city
clerk said that an order has
been placed for signs designat
ing “No Parking” between the
Continued on Page 7
DINNER, DANCE
TO BENEFIT
CEREBRAL PALSY
Proceeds from the Elks i
Lodge barbecued spare rib din
ner and dance on Saturday.
Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. will go to i
the cerebral palsy program, \
lodge members announced this !
week.
The public has been invited
to share in this social event, 1
the charge for which will be i
$2.50 per person. The dinner f
will be followed by dancing to :
live music, and a floor show
is also being planned.
Aside from youth activities, I
Christmas fund, and memorial,
services, each state organiza- ;
tion of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks has a
major project known as the
Most Worthy Project. The Al
aska state association's cerebral ;
palsy program is its Most
Worthy Project, chosen be
cause of concern for handicap
ped children living in areas
where they could not receive
the benefits of physical ther
apy
Cerebral palsy is not a single
disease, but a group of condi
tions resulting from damage to
the areas of the brain that con
trol the motor or voluntary
muscles of the body.
Paralysis resulting from this
damage makes it difficult or
> impossible for the individual
to properly utilize the muscles
and control their activity. Cere
bral palsy is one of the major
cripplers of children today.
However, it is a treatable con
dition, and with the aid of
medical resources the child can
learn to adjust to his handicap.
Beta Sigma Phi,
Women Voters
To Hear Garter
R. C. Carter, Palmer Inde
pendent School District super- j
intendent of schools, will ad
dress a joint meeting of both
local chapters of Beta Sigma
Phi and the League of Women
Voters on Monday, Sept. 30, at j
8 p.m. in the Palmer high
school library.
Carter will discuss the school 1
bond issues which will appear j
on the ballot in the school elec
tion on Tuesday. Oct. 1.
All interested persons are
urged to attend, including hus
bands of members of the two
women’s groups.
City Election Is
Tuesday, Oct. 1
Eight candidates have filed
for the four vacancies on the
Palmer city council, to be filled
by election on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
To be elected are the mayor,
two councilmen for three-year
terms, and one councilman for
a one-vear term.
Polling place will be the Pal
mer city council chambers,
with the polls to be open from ;
8 a m. to 8 p.m. To vote in '
the election you must be a citi
zen of the United States, 19
years of age or older, a resident
of the state of Alaska for me
year and of the city of Palmer
for 30 days, and you must be
able to read and write the Eng
lish language. Pre-registration
is not necessary for this elec-1
tion.
Seeking the office of mayor
are Ralph Moore, power use
advisor at MEA. and Ted
Schmidtke. Frontiersman pub
lisher.
Moore came to the Matanuska
Valley m 1935 and has lived
here since then. He and his
wife Kathleen live in North
Palmer. They have two mar
ried daughters and four grand
children.
Moore has been a member of
the city planning commission
and the platting board for sev
eral years, and was chairman
of the committee which drafted
1 the city charter. In late 1961 he
was appointed to fill a vacancy
on the city council, and in Oc
tober, 1961. was elected to the
‘city covncii for a three-year
I term, iie seived in that capa
city until November, 1962,
j when he was appointed by the
l 1 city council to fill the unex
; | pired term of Mayor Billy R
. i Miller.
• j “During the months that I
! have been councilman and
mayor, I have seen the begin
ning of several new develop
ments for the city of Palmer,
1 one of which is the new sewer
! system. At this time it is my
wish to have the privilege of
having a part in bringing some
of these new ventures to their 1
completion," Moore said.
Ted Schmidtke. a resident of
Palmer for the past three years, j
makes his home with wife
Billie and three school-age chil
dren on Matanuska Street. He
is a member of the city plan
ning commission and platting
board, is vice-president of the
Matanuska Valley Chamber of
Commerce, and serves on the |
Power Development Commit-!
tee.
Darrell Frank, proprietor of |,
the D & A Grocery, Earl Good- i
rich, owner of a plumbing
and heating shop. Merritt Long, i
owner-manager of the Matan
uska Valley Credit Bureau and
insurance agent for Mutual- i
Annual Meeting of
MVCCA Is Monday
Four persons will be elected
to the board of directors of the
Matanuska Valley unit of the
Alaska Crippled Children’s As
sociation at the annual meeting
of the local group on Monday,
Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m. The
meeting will be held in the
ACCA clinic in Palmer.
The president and treasurer
of the association will make
their annual reports.
The nominating committee
has presented a slate of nom
inees, and further nominations
may be made from the floor
for the three three-year terms
and one one-year term (crea
ted by the resignation of Ma
rie Hulke. the balance of whose
term was one year).
On the nominating commit
tee's slate are L. J. Smith, Lib
by Martin, and Ann Stow,
three-year terms; and Wayne
Bouwens, one-year term.
The terms of Agnes Zaborac,
Ethel Colberg. and Wayne
Bouwens are expiring. Board
members with two years left
to serve are Izola Sims, Verne
Stout, and Eloy Garcia. Marion
Duff and Doris Simpson have
one year remaining to serve of
their three-year terms.
Anyone interested in the ac
tivities of the local chapter of
ACCA is urged to come to the
meeting and to volunteer h i s
help, Mrs. Simpson, president
of MVCCA, said.
Mrs. Simpson pointed out
that active membership in the
unit is very small, and that
more members are needed to
keep the clinic open for the
coming year. The membership
fee is $2 per year.
United of Omaha, and Jack
Maze, manager of Hartley Mo
tors, are seeking the two three
year posts on the city council.
Frank, who lives tvith his
wife Ann on Matanuska Street,
made the following statement:
“Now we have the sewer proj
ect well under way, I feel it is
time to upgrade our streets.
While many improvements
have been made, we still have
a long way to go. Your present
city council plans on a street
improvement program in the
coming year, and this will be
accomplished with no increase
in taxes.
“I stated last year that I was
i opposed to any increase in
, taxes. 1 am of the same opinion
today. With honest, efficient
' city government, we can live
within our budget.”
Goodrich and hi? wife La
Vonne live on Matanuska
l Street with their teen - aged
daughter. A son. 19. is in the
navy. Goodrich said that al
I though he has made his home
in Palmer for the past eight
years, his work has taken him
away from .he city a good deal
Since establishment of his shop
on Bailey Hill Street, however,
Continued on Page 12
YOUNG SITTER
AVERTS TRAGEDY
Two small children were
: ushered to safety by a quick
1 thinking ten-year-old baby sit
ter last Friday afternoon when
fire broke out in the Hinkel
; i home in North Palmer.
•' The sitter. Letha Luster, was
• . tending her tw’o nieces. Kathy
Lou and Roxanne Hinkel. when
• she smelled smoke and took
the two children to the nearby
I home of Richard Miller, where
the Palmer volunteer fire de
partment was called.
Firemen reported that one
; wall of the home had ignited
| and burned as a result of an
; over-heated oil stove. They es
timated damage at about $100.
Local firemen were called to
the A1 Withey home at Mile
2Mt, Wasilla Highway, on Mon
day, Sept. 23, about 8 p. m.
when Phil Withey’s car caught
fire. The youth was making
repairs on the automobile with
the aid of an extension cord
and spilled gasoline on the
bulb. The car was reported a
total loss.
Possible fire was averted in
the early morning hours of
Sept. 16 when Palmer police
officer Larry Connolly smelled
smoke while making a routine
check at Pioneer Texaco. In
vestigation located a plugged
up stoker. The trouble was cor
rected without a fire call.
DR. ALBRECHT
SPEAKS HERE
Dr. Earl Albrecht, first phys
ician for the Matanuska valley
colonists and first commission
er of health for the territory of
Alaska, was honor guest and
featured speaker at the joint
city-school district banquet on
Saturday, Sept. 21.
Dr. Albrecht, in the Valley
on business, said he was in
formed that he was to speak
at the dinner when he arrived
at the Don Irwin home an hour
or two earlier that evening.
However, lack of notice did
not deter him from entertain
ing long - time residents and
brand-new teachers alike with
a spritely account of eariy-day
problems in medicine, includ
ing delivering babies in a tent
hospital. He told the new
teachers of the immense strides
made in the past 28 years to
bring the area from a frontier
community to a modern one.
and cited the local museum as
a record of the growth of the
Valley.
YOUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
URGES YOU 73
VOTE YES
PROPOSITIONS
1,2 and 3
School Bond Issue