Thought of the Week:
Ninety per cent of the people
who say they talk too much
are accurate.
TH
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
Willow Winter Carnival
Woodchoppers' Ball
Willow Civic Hall
VOLUME 15. NUMBER 19
PALMER. ALASKA THURSDAY. JAN. 31. 1963
TEN PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
Reporters—
Notebook
Rose A. Goodman of Palmer
made the fall term scholastic
honor roll at Oregon State Uni
vertiy. She is a senior this year
ir. the school of home econom
cis. To be eligible for honor roll
listing, students must make at
least a B-plus average for the
term.
John M. Wansor, 17. son of
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Wan
sor, Sutton, and Samuel G. La
zenby, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Phillip Lazenby, Palmer, were j
enlisted in the U. S. Navy dur- i
ing brief ceremonies at Kodiak
Jan. 22. The young men, both
of whom attended Palmer high
school, will undergo recruit
training at the U. S. Naval
Training Center, San Diego,
Calif.
Airman third class Ted J.
Draze, assigned to 1515 Organi
zational Maintenance Squad
ron, Edwards Air Force Base,
Calif., has distinguished him
self by having been selected as
Squadron Airman of the Month
for the month of January. The
son of Mr. and Mrs. David
Draze of Eklutna, he is a 1961
graduate of Palmer high school.
Airman third class Bernard
L. Beckles of New York City is
being reassigned to Plattsburgh
AFB, New. York, following his
graduation from the United
States Air Force technical
training course for electricians
at Sheppard Air Force Base in
Texas. Airman Beckles studied
electricity and its applications ;
to air force utility powrer dis- j
tnbution systems. A graduate,
os Machine and Metal Trades
high school in New York City,
the airman entered the Air:
Force in August, 1962. His fath- j
er Christian A. Beckles, resides
ir Wasilla.
*
Patrick W. Rice, airman ap
prentice, USN, son of Mrs.
Betty M. Rice of Palmer, was
graduated Dec. 7 from aviation
familiarization school at the
Naval Air Technical Training
Center, Memphis, Tenn. The
two-week course covers air
craft types and designations,
safety, survival procedures and
fire-fighting.
* • •
John Koranda has accepted
a position with the U. S. naval
radiological defense laboratory
at San Francisco, and will
leave here in early February.
Mrs. Koranda and the children
left Palmer Jan. 16.
• • •
Mrs. Lee Allen is vacationing
in southern Idaho.
• * *
Rev. and Mrs. Clifford Mc
Connell returned to Palmer
Jan. 24 after a two-months’
visit with relatives and friends
in Kentucky, where daughter
Paulette and son Clifford are
students at Murray State Col
lege. The McConnells, who flew
Outside, returned over the
highway in a new car.
Henderson Riles
Held Jsniary 27
Funeral services for Carroll
Clarence “Happy” Henderson
were held Sunday, January 27,
at the Palmer Moose Lodge,
with members of the lodge of
ficiating. Burial followed in the
Palmer cemetery. Military
graveside rites were conducted
by Veterans of World War I,
Matanuska Valley Post 1500.
Active pallbearers were Ben
Hudgins, L. W. Campbell, B. P.
Johnson, John Reed, John
Somerville, and Phil McCrea.
Honorary pallbearers were An
gus McDonald, Tony Stipich,
Danny McDevitt, Tony Covich,
Ed Ueeck, and Ed McGinley.
Henderson, who died at his
home near Palmer on Jan. 23,
had lived in Alaska since 1919
and in the Palmer area for the
past 15 years.
Funeral arrangements were
made through the Palmer fun
eral chapel.
Palmer to Assume Ownership of Airport
SUCCESSFUL
DIMES MARCH
DRAWS TO CLOSE
With a very successful Moth
ers’ March yesterday and last
evening climaxing the March
of Dimes campaign, over $ 1
000 have been collected in the
Matanuska Valley area, Char
les Wilson, Palmer director,
said this morning.
The Mothers' March, under
the direction of the Beta j
Sigma Phi sorority, collected
$395.94, according to an un
official account reported this
morning. Mrs. Helen Mae Wie
derkehr was chairman of the
march, and Mrs. Judy Busby
outlined the routes which the |
marchers followed. Several wo
men who are not members of
the sorority group also contri
buted time. Free coffee was
served to the marchers by the
Frontier Cafe.
Wilson praised the efforts of
school children of the area,
saying that the response from
them has been excellent this
year.
He said that the overall fig
ure is expected to run a little
higher than last year, noting
that although individual con
tributions via the “mailers-’
have been a little lower, more
persons have participated this
year.
Mrs. Christine Smith has
been in charge of the March
of Dims campaign in the Was
illa area.
PARK PUSHERS
PLAN PRANCE
Palmer’s Park Prance is
scheduled for Feb. 16. park
committee chairman Gerri
Knettles has announced. While I
the party location has not yet
been chosen, the committee
hopes to find a large building j
in town so that there will be
plenty of room for all Valley
square dancers.
Live music is promised. A do
nation of $2.50 per couple gives
access to the dance, decora
tions, and concessions, accord
ing to Mrs. Knettles, but does
not entitle the holder to free
refreshments. A variety of
thirst-quenchers will be avail
able after an exchange of addi
tional donations.
The Palmer park committee
decided at a meeting last Mon
day to begin advertising the
park’s camping facilities, which
will be ready in June. This will
be done through letter notices
mailed to AAA and other tour
ist services, both nationally and
within the state.
3000 TAKE
SABIN VACCINE
Over 3000 persons in the Ma
tanuska Valley area availed
themselves of the Sabin oral
polio vaccine offered at clinics
in the three Palmer schools last
Sunday, according to local
health officials.
Anyone who did not receive
the vaccine last Sunday is urg
ed to contact local physicians
j this week to make arrange
ments to take the vaccine.
Since its life is only seven days,
it will not be available after
this week. Those persons who
have already received the Salk
vaccine are also urged to take
the Sabin immunizations, since
they not only offer long-lasting
immunity against the disease,
but immunize the individual
against becoming a carrier.
Dates for administration of
Types II and III of the vaccine
are March 10 and April 21.
ATTENTION MASONS
A Masonic funeral communi
cation will be held Saturday
morning, Reb. 2, at 9 a.m. at
Carpenters hall. Officers and
members are urged to be pres
ent.
Willow Carnival
Features Alaska Sports
Midwinter doldrums will
vanish next weekend at the
annual Willow Winter Carni
val, is the promise of the spon
soring Willow Civic Group.
Three days (Feb. 1, 2, and 3)
of rapidly moving events will
begin Friday afternoon and will
be highlighted by the Queen
Coronation and the Woodchop
pers’ Ball, to be held Saturday,
Feb. 2, beginning at 8 p.m.
Music will be supplied by the
‘‘Combo Gladiators” of Anch
orage.
Seven pretty girls, Kelly
Palmquist, Jane Linnebur,
Sharon Ruff, Sharon Butler.
Marcella Barton, Nancy Butler,
and Donna Towne. are trying
for the title of queen, and will 1
be much in evidence through
out the three days of festivities
at Willow.
Ice skating and skiing com-!
petition will get the carnival
under way at 3:30 p.m. Friday
afternoon. Events will move in
side to the Willow Civic build
ing at 7 p.m., when a movie
about Alaska will be shown, i
The VFW Susitna Post of Was- j
ilia will sponsor bingo at 8:30
p.m. Various exhibits and
booths will also be housed at
the community hall.
The colorful and typically
1 Alaskan sport of mushing will
fill the Saturday morning
schedule, with junior mushers
registering and drawing for
positions at 10 and racing at
10:30. Senior mushers are to
register and draw at 12 noon,
with the race beginning at 1
p.m.
Loggers, both male and fe
male, will have their innings
Saturday afternoon, with lad
ies’ Swede saw. chain saw, and
wood chopping races schedul
ed. Snowshoers will also vie on
Saturday afternoon.
The coronation of the queen
Saturday evening at the Wood
choppers’ Ball will be far from
an anti-climax, for Sunday
; morning will see the always- ;
thrilling sports car races, made
even more exciting by the loca-1
tion of the track, which is on
the ice at Willow Lake (if the
i track is not suitable an alter
nate track will be used). This
will be a European-tvpe en
durance race, the winner being
the driver who can complete
j the most laps in three hours'
! time.
Bog mushers will again race
| Sunday afternoon, with the tro
i phy going to the musher with
the best total time for the two
races.
The whole thing sounds like
| a cure for cabin fever.
FRESHMAN REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS
ON FIRST DAYS OF LEGISLATURE
By Gene Reid
We've just ended another
j day of stalemate. It looks like j
' it could continue tomorrow,
though I certainly hope not.
The Republicans have been
holding fast. The Democrats
feel that since the Governor
and the Senate majority are
theirs they are also entitled to
organize the House. We feel
! that the people intended the
20-20 split in the House to be a j
means of checking and balanc- j
ing. After two caucuses Sun
day there has been no de
viation from Republican policy.
Whatever it’s costing to thrash
this out will be small compar
ed to what it would cost the
state if the Democrats are turn
ed loose in the House.
VPH Memberships
Are Now on Sale
Memberships in the Valley
Hospital Association may now
be purchased from members of
the board of directors, Kiwan
is Club members, or at the hos
pital.
Membership in the associa
tion entitles the holder to a
vote at the annual meeting,
which will be held Friday, Feb.
15, at 7:30 p.m. in the high
school cafeteria. Members will
also be eligible for the draw
ings for door prizes, which will
include several coffee pots con
tributed by Matanuska Electric
Association, and two tons of
coal donated by the Evan Jones
Coal Company.
Members of the association
are also eligible for a reduction
in the premium on certain
types of hospitalization insur
ance. Anyone over 19 years of
age may become a member of
the association.
KIWANIS PLAN
LADIES' NIGHT
Palmer Kiwanians will hold
their annual Ladies’ Night at
the Elks hall Saturday evening,
Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. Installation
of new officers will follow the
dinner.
! The Governor was to have
| presented his budget tomor
row (Wednesday), but if the
Republican offer to compro
I mise is not accepted, this will
! be postponed. The Republican
j proposal is that a committee of j
four democrats and four repub
licans meet to open lines of
; communications and get the
! show on the road. So far every
j ballot, with the exception of
two. has been a 20-20 deadlock, i
Warren Taylor (D) moved this
afternoon to accept the Repub
lican proposal but it was voted
down, so there appears to be a
split within the democrat ranks.
I hope that tomorrow will
bring progress toward coopera
tion and we can get down to
the work we were sent here to
do. If not, I suggest it is time
the people back home let the
Governor know how they feel
about their tax dollars going
down the drain on fruitless and
uncompromising negotiations..
So far we haven’t found an
apartment and are enjoying the
Gazaways’ hospitality. Ema
gene has rented a typewriter
and is busy organizing her
work. Leonard is enrolled in
Juneau high school and says
the girls down here look just
the same as those in Palmer.
I’ll keep the news notes com
ing and you all do the same for
me!
Stevens Attended
High School Here
Walter Stevens, drowned in
Hidden Lake last Saturday i
when a four-wheel vehicle in
which he was riding went
through the ice, lived in
Palmer during the late 1940’s
and is a graduate of Palmer
high school.
Stevens, born in Eagle, made
his home with the Hermon
family while attending school
here, and is thought to have
graduated in 1946 or 47.
He is survived by his wife.
Elizabeth, and four children of
Anchorage.
DAIRYMEN FROM
KENAI, FAIRBANKS
AnEND SESSIONS
With numbers of dairymen
: and other interested persons j
i from Fairbanks and the Kenai
peninsula as well as from the
: Matanuska Valley area in at
tendance, the Dairy Clinic be- i
1 ing conducted at the Grange '
hall in Palmer rounded out its <
second day today, and will ;
again be in session tomorrow
from 10 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m.
Also with the visiting team :
and federal agency officials
1 and members of the vocational
agriculture classes at the Pal
mer high school.
The purpose of the clinic is
to review dairy inspection re
quirements and to discuss ideas
for worthwhile improvements
in the Alaska milkshed.
Wesley Eckert, manager of |
the Darigold plant at Ellens
1 burg. Washington, spoke yes- ;
^erday on the similarity of j
marketing and producing be
tween that area and the Valley.
He described the comprehen
sive program of quality con
trol which is being used in
i the Ellensburg association.
Eckert and Ralph Geisy, who
I is field man for the Central
Washington cooperative des
! cribed in some detail the prac
tical measures their producers '
are using to insure a top qual- i
ity product.
Also with the visiting team
from Washington state is Rog
er Brown of the Washington
Farmers’ Association in Seat
jtle.
Mr. Sanchez, inspector for
the Alaska Department of
Health, told in yesterday's ses
sion of the progress being made
by Alaska dairymen in meet
ing sanitary specifications.
Dr. David Duncan of the
Greater Anchorage Health Dis- I
j trict described the reporting
I system used by the Depart
; ment of Health, Education, and
Welfare in reporting the radio
active iodine content of milk.
He stated that at this time the
Matanuska Valley milk ranks
with the lowest in the nation
i in radioactive content, al
though the cumulative count is
•Still high because of the Sep
tember and October readings.
The clinic is being sponsored
by the vocational agriculture
department of the Palmer
schools, the Matanuska Valley
Bank, the Alaska Fresh Milk
Association, the University of
Alaska Cooperative Extension
Service, Matanuska Maid, Inc.,
Craig Taylor Equipment, and
other interested persons.
CARL MIELKE
OF WOLF LAKE
DIES MONDAY
;
Funeral services for Carl F.
| Mielke, who died at his home
at Wolf Lake Monday, Jan. 28,
will be held at the Elks home i
Saturday, Feb. 2, at 11 a m.
under the auspices of the local i
Masonic Lodge.
Mielke, 65, was born Jan. 20.
1898, in Ironwood, Michigan,
and for the past 18 years lived
in the Matanuska Valley area.
He was a retired farmer.
He is survived by his wife,
! Thekla one son, Robert C„ of
Palmer; two daughters, Mrs. j
Marion Duff and Mrs. Margr
| ye M. Bouwens, both of Pal
mer; a brother. Max Mielke of
Juneau; and an aunt. Zelma
Roesler, of Windham, Montana.
Mielke was a life member of
Masonic Lodge No. 389, Iron
wood, Michigan. He was also
a veteran of World War I.
Funeral arrangements are
being handled by Evergreen
Memorial Chapel in Anchor
! age.
Airmen Will Maintain,
Operate Facilities
With the Matanuska Valley
Airmen agreeing to take o ve.r
the management and mainte
nance of the Palmer airport,
including cost of operation, and 1
the Palmer city council agree
ing to turn over to the airmen
the 60 per cent refund' frorrH
the State on fuel tax collec
tions at the airport, the council
Tuesday approved a resolution
to purchase from the State, at
a cost of one dollar, the Pal:
mer airport.
The decision was reached at
a special meeting called as a
public hearing to acquaint the
residents of Palmer with the
suggested plan, brought before
the council by the local airmen
and state division of aviation
officials.
However, the only persons
attending the hearing, besides
council members and Glen,
Clarke and Paul Dixon of thei
Division of Aviation, w'e r e;
ten members of the airmen's
association.
The request from the airmen
for the city to take over the
airport came as a result of npw
leasing fees imposed by the
State on airport users. The
fees, which also apply to space
used for commercial purposes
adjacent to the airport if. the
| airport is used in connection
i with the business, were consid
| ered by the airmen to be high
i enough to be detrimental to
i airport operation, with mast
i tiedown users moving their
planes to other strips.
1 Clarke and Dixon emphasiz
, ed that the city will reserve
the right to return the airport
to State control at any time.
Some discussion arose over
the question of whether the air
men are now an incorporated
body, and city attorney Biss
recommended that a check be
made immediately with the off
ice of the secretary of state. If
such an organization is not at
present on the state books,
steps should be taken immed
iately to incorporate, he said.
Discuss ion on annexation
met an early death when Flqyd
Spickerman, spokesman for the
airmen, said he could see no
particular advantage to the
city on such a move, in spite
of the added taxable prop
erty. "Of course, we would
tike to have city water and
'sewers—”
Councilman Bill Hermann:
"Let's forget the whole thing."
Spickerman said that farm
ers in the area have shown
considerable interest in leasing
the 55 acres of tillable land
available on airport property:
that these farmers would as
sume the expense of clearing if
the expense could be amortized
over a ten-year period: and
that they would be willing to
pay $300 to $400 yearly for use
of the land Clearance of the
land could also be achieved
through a cost-sharing basis
with the federal government,
he said, following which the
acreage could be converted to
farm land.
If gas return is not sufficient
for maintenance of the airport,
the airmen have several other
means of raising funds, such
as charges for tiedowns, a small
flowage fee, or money-making
events sponsored by the air
men, members of the group
said. Division of aviation offi
■cials pointed out that under
state law the division may as
sist municipalities financially
for capital improvements, tech
nical assistance, or whatever
else may be needed to main
I tain the airport.
These points were brought
(Continued on page 10)
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
OPENS NEW SEMESTER
Second semester classes op
ened at the Palmer Commun
ity College this week, with
courses being offered in be
ginning and intermediate typ
ing. audio-visual education,
social psychology, physical
education, fencing and survey
ing.
Late registrations are still
being accepted this week, col
leg director Alvin Okeson said.
What Iodine-131
Means to Area
(Third in a Series)
By A. H. Mick. Alaska Experiment Station
Data compiled in HEW's milk radioactivity report is in
; terms of mms, which means a micro-micro-curie—a millionth
of a millionth of the radioactivity produced by one gram of
radiation. Another way of expressing one mmc is to write
it out in fugures, 0.000,000,000,000, 1 currie. This expression
points up the fact that in dealing with radioactivity, only small
quantities are involved.lt also points up the fact that radio
! activity is an extremely potent force. In thinking about this
subject we must stretch our range of understanding at both
ends because the power involved in instruments releasing
radioactivity—chiefly nuclear bombs in this modern day of
mechanical wonders— is expressed in googools. A 50-mega
ton bomb, for example, such as is believed to have caused
the fallout settling over the Matanuska Valley last summer,
is the equivalent of 100,000,000,000 pounds or 45,300,000,
000,000 grams of TNT.
Regardless of how fancy the language involved in talk
ing about these sophisticated products of civilization, no
amount of confusion can cover up the fact that man-made
radionuclides in quantities never before known fell on Mat
anuska Valley's forage last fall, and on forage in many other
parts of the world.
This unprecedented event was not unexpected. Many
scientists have been thinking about this possibility ever since
the Curies discovered radioactivity early in the century. Until
the H-bomb came along their work was commonly considered
a purely academic affair. But there emerged from these studies
not only the way to make terrifying destruction but also some
ideas about how much radioactivity the human body can with
stand, providing the body isn't first burned to a crisp or
fragmented into its primary atoms, protons, neutrons, etc.
(Continued on Page 10)
BINGO MOOSE HALL
WEDNESDAY
FEDRUARY 6-8 P.M.
CASH PRIZES
PUBLIC INVITED