Cordova Fire Victims
To Get Peninsula Aid
Via Ship from Seward
Kenai Peninsula residents wish
ing to send clothing, bedding and
other supplies to the hundreds of
persons made homeless Thursday
in Cordova’s devastating fire are
advised to deliver them to Seward
before Sunday night.
Mac McGahan, Civil Defense
director in the Kenai area, has
been notified that the “Iliamna,”
an Alaska Steamship Co. vessel,
will leave the Seward dock early
Monday morning and will trans
port all contributions to the
stricken city that are on hand at
time of sailing. Such supplies
should be channeled directly to
the Civil Defense director at Sew
ard, McGahan said, ,
The blaze, which broke out at
about 3 a.m. Thursday, was still
raging when McGahan issued his
plea for aid from Peninsula resi
dents and was threatening to wipe
out the entire town of Cordova.
At that time, 4 p.m. Thursday,
,*12 businesses had been wiped out.
14 buildings had been reduced to
ashes and four others damaged
in one block and 13 buildings in
the adjoining block were damag
ed. Approximately 200 persons
were homeless and damage at
that time already was estimated
at $1 million and the fire still
raged.
Fire fighting equipment, both
civilian and military, had been
flown to the historic fishing port
and Civil Defense units through
out the state had rushed to give
assistance. Federal Aviation Ag
ency, Coast Guard and various
other federal and civilian agencies
were dispatching aid to the area.
The fire, which had already
leveled much of Cordova’s busi
ness district and was threatening
the town with extinction, is the
ninth in a series of major blazes
for Cordova since 1911.
Congressional Medal of Honor
Winner Now Enroute to Soldotna
M/Sgt. Hubert L. Lee and Mrs.
Lee, who is the Dorothy Lee of
Dorothea’s Beauty Salon in Sol
dotna, were recipients of a special
invitation to attend a White
House reception in Washington,
D. C., on May 2, to honor all liv
ing holders of the Congressional
Medal of Honor.
The invitation, however, was
declined with regrets. The all
expense-paid trip would have in
cluded their transportation by
Army plane to Washington and
return.
M/Sgt. Lee. holder of the na
tion’s highest award and many
other medals, has been in and out
of military hospitals since his
heroic action in Korea in which
he was nearly fatally wounded
on Feb. 1, 1951. Serving with the
infantry, he spent 20 years and 2
months in the Army before re
ceiving his honorable discharge.
More recently, Lee has been re
ceiving treatment at Walter Reed
Hospital in the Washington, D. C.
area. He was discharged from the
hospital t week or two ago and
went to Rockford, 111. to the home
of his brother prior to beginning
the trip back to Alaska. He and
the brother planned to leave on
May 1 and to stop in Arkansas for
a visit with their father before
making the trip to Alaska via the
Alaska Highway. Mrs. Lee is al
ready pi-king up current infor
mation <’oncerning good fishing
spots in anticipation of his arriv
SEEK BIDS ON WELL
COOPER LANDING— Bids for
construct on of a water well at
Cooper T rnding School are being
sought ' v the Department of Pub
lic Wor . The work will include
drilling ' the well, casing, devel
oping and furnishing and install
ing well screen. Bids may be sub
mitted p to 10 a.m. May 23 at
the Office of the Commissioner,
Department of Public Works, 109
West Third Street, Juneau. In
formation concerning plans and
specifications may be obtained
from the same office.
GASOLINE ALLEY
Frank King
al and camping weekends ahead.
The Lees were living in Anch
orage when he was sent to Korea
and had been married not much
more than a year at that tipie.
After his return, they lived in
Whittier about two years when he
was stationed there. He is an elec
tronics technician.
In addition to the Congressional
Medal of Honor, Lee’s other me
dals include the Purple Heart, the
Silver Star medal with one silver
star, the Korean Service medal
with five bronze stars, and medals
for National Defense Service,
United Nations Service and two
Presidential Unit Citations.
MOKE FOOD — FEWER ACRES
American agriculture is pro
ducing an abundance of food for
our own people and for the many
hungry people abroad, according
to the Cooperative Extension Ser
vice of the University of Alaska.
American farmers are doing it
with crops from 300 million acres
10 million less than in 1961, the
fewest acres in production since
records were started in 1929.
ALASKANS LIKE EDUCATION
In 1962, Alaska spent more per
capita for education ($135.02)
than any other state, according to
a new report of the Department
of Commerce on state government
finances. The 50-state average
for education was only $57.99.
SMOKEY STOVER
Bill Holman
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Dancers to Appear
On P-TA Program
NORTH KENAI — A special
feature of the program to he pre
sented at the Nikiski Parent
Teacher Assoc, meeting at North
Kenai School next Friday, May
10, will be ballet and tap dancing
numbers by students from Jean
Haller’s Master Dance Studio in
Kenai. The meeting opens at 7:30
p.m.
A similar program will be pre
sented at the Kenai P-TA meeting
on Monday, May 13, when Mrs.
Haller’s dance students will pro
vide entertainment features.
ARA Approves
Seldovia Loan
SELDOVIA — A $272,000 pub
lic facility loan and grant to help
rebuild and expand water facili
ties at Seldovia was approved re
cently by the Area Redevelop
ment Administration.
ARA’s loan of $164,000, which
will run for 30 years at an annual
interest rate of 3.5 per cent, and
:he $108,000 grant will permit
Seldovia to enlarge its water sup
ply reservoir, replace supply
lines, pressure station, gas chlor
inator house and distribution
mains and to add new distribution
mains.
POSTMASTERS SOUGHT
Examinations have been an
nounced by the Civil Service Com
mission for postmasters at one
second class and at two third
class post offices in Alaska. The
salary at Valdez is $5,805; at Pel
ican $5,365, and at Talkeetna
$4,065, all plus 25 per cent cost
of-living allowance. Applications
must be filed by May 21.
Public hearing on changes in
oil and gas regulations for Al
ka has been postponed from May
9 to June 4.
John Bugli—Farmers Home Administration supervisor—inspects
new Kenai-Kasilof Soil Conservation Subdistrict land plane This
40’ land plane is one piece of a line of machinery offered to local
farmers. Ed Meyer (Kenai) is in charge of scheduling subdistrict
Ed Meyer’s Ridgeway Feed Co.
KENAI SPUR ROAD
Complete Line of
Feeds and Hay
BOX 21 PHONE
SOLDOTNA 283-7665
Two Winners in Last Week
Of Kenai Treasure Hunt
R. L. Schmidt of Kalfonsky Beach Road won a staple hammer at
Superior Building Supply and Mildred Green of Kenai won a radio at
McGrady’s Radio and TV to wind up the first Kenai City Treasure
Hunt.
In a news release from John Hulien of the Kenai Pharmacy, who
is Kenai C of C Board Member and Chairman of the Treasurer Hunt
it was noted that the Kenai C of C Board considered the Treasure Hunt
a tremendous success, and plan a second treasure hunt program to
begin sometime in June to culminate with a Grand Prize that will be
given away during the annual Kenai Days celebration.
Details of this new Treasure Hunt will appear in future issues of
the Cheechako News.
These Treasure Hunt programs are sponsored by the Kenai Cham
ber of Commerce in connection with their Know Your Merchants cam
paign.
WE SPECIALIZE
In Materials for Farm Buildings
at
KENAI KORNERS
Where you will find the most complete stock of materials on the
Peninsula. For instance, we stock 28 different grades and thick
nesses of plywood, plus marine plywood to 16*.
KENAI PHONE 283-7833
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Alaska Investor Owned
Utility
rower for Kei ai Power Corp.
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