Valdez News
VOL. 1, NO. 40
VALDEZ. ALASKA. FRIDAY. DECEMBER 15. 1950
PRICE 10c
City Council Asked To Make Air Raid Plans
City Council Issues
Permits for Several
New Buildings Here
Construction of many new
homes at Valdez that brought on
a small building boom at the sea
port last year will carry over into
1951 with the issuance here last
week of several permits by the
City Council. At the regular Coun
cil meeting held Monday, Decem
ber 4, with 18 present, permits
rwere issued to Miss Ruth N. Foy
for the construction of a 14 by 18
foot cottage on Sherman Street
and a 13 by 30 foot house to be
located on McKinley avenue and
to be built by L. H. Buckland.
The Rev. Richard Teeter was also
issued a permit to build an 18 by
20 foot addition to the Valdez
Gospel chapel which will be used
for a church social room.
The School board also presented
a plan to the Council for rehabili
tating the old Alaska Native
School building for use as class
rooms to relieve the over-crowded
condition in the school at Valdez.
Bids were welcomed for the work
on the ANS school but no definite
decision was made by the Council.
At a meeting of the Valdez
Public School board Decem
ber 8, it was decided to employ
another teacher for Valdez
school when extra classrooms
can be made available. Further
discussion on using the ANS
school for classrooms was also
held, including the science
room which could be made
useable if it were repaired to
keep water out, members
pointed out.
The meeting was led by Mrs.
Mabel Johnson, president, with
Mrs. Nelda Carlin, Miss Ruth
Foy, school superintendent, and
Mrs. Emily Taylor, clerk in at
tendance. William Hunt, also a
school board member, was not
present as he has gone Outside
on a vacation.
The meeting was called to order
by Clinton Eagen, president of the
Council with Mrs. E.' A. Alex
ander, the new city clerk reading
the minutes of the November 24
meeting. Other Council members
in attendance were George Gil
son, Stuart Starbuck, Owen John
son, George Wafford, Marvin
Beals and Miss Helen Long.
Mrs. Alexander also announced
that office hours as city clerk will
be kept at her home from 10 a.m.
to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. daily.
Basketball Schedules
To Be Changed in 1951
A change in the schedule for
basketball games after the first
of the year was announced here
this week. The games will be
played on Friday nights so that
Thursdays may be devoted to
skating, according to the an
nouncement.
Miss Rita Dingman, skating
committee chairman, announced
the 1951 skating schedule which
will be one session from 7:30 p.m.
*o 9:30 p.m., on each Tuesday and
Thursday evening. Saturday af
ternoon skating schedule will be
from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
TOWN TEAMS TO PLAY
OPENING BASKETBALL
GAMES JANUARY 5
Basketball enthusiasm at Val
dez has reached a “fever pitch”
here with managers of teams go
ing into huddles and practice pe
riods being observed rigidly in
preparations of opening games by
town teams here on January 5.
Don Binek is manager of the
Canteen Pirates, Don Johnson of
the American Legion and Dale
Erickson of the Valdez Indepen
dents.
Practice periods at the high
school gym set aside by the Val
dez school board are on Mondays
from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and 8:30
p.m. to 10 p.m. Also on Sunday
from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 3
p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
School games last week on
Thursday gave the Blues a win of
13 to 0 over the Whites, fifth and
sixth grade teams and the high
school teams of the Reds and
Whites playing with the Reds
winning 34 to 25.
The fifth and sixth grade teams
are comprised of players on the
Whites of Duane White, Nancy
McClintic, Lorene Huddleston,
Marsha Alexander, Charlene
Baker and Nancy Beals. Players
on the Blues are Lora Segerquist,
Ellen Striegel, Agrafina Andrew
vitch, Marva Alexander, Chris
tine George, and Roberta Per
singer.
Roberta Persinger made 5
points and despite several fouls
was kept in the game as there
was no substitute. Lora Seger
quist had high score with 8 points.
Players on the Reds high school
team are Frieda Gregorieff, John
Striegel, John Shultz, Walter
Schultz, Jimmy Segerquist and
Lee Ann Thatcher. Whites play
ers are Roger Beals, Darlene
Baker, Lloyd Weeks, Dean That
cher, Earl George, Frank Thatcher
and Jerry Zook.
At the half the score was 15 to
12 in favor of the Whites. Frank
Thatcher was put out of the game
with four fouls with Jerry Zook
going in as his substitute. "For
the Reds, Jimmy Segerquist
scored 19 points, with John Shultz
second with 11 points and Frieda
Gregorieff with four points. On
the Whites, Dean Thatcher was
high man, scoring 14 points, with
Roger Beals second with 9 and
Jerry Zook with 2.
Mrs. Alexander Is
Thursday Club Hostess
Mrs. E. R. Alexander was host
ess at her home for the regular
meeting of the Thursday Club
held December 7. Following the
club’s games of canasta and pi
nochle, delicious refreshments
were served.
-In attendance were the Mes
dames August George, Billie Dol
man, Lyle Johnston, Lew Taylor,
Raymond Huddleston, B. D. Stew
art, Jack Antritter, Louie Clark,
David Johnson, Jim McGary, and
B. Stewart.
Mrs. Louie Clark will be host
ess at the next meeting of the
club which will be held at the
home of Mrs. Lew Taylor.
Community
Calendar
December 15
ROLLER SKATING, school gym,
7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
December 18
TEEN-AGE DANCE, Eagle’s hall,
8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
December 19
CHRISTMAS Play, school gym.
ROLLER SKATING, school gym,
7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
December 21
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM, school
gym.
December 22
ROLLER SKATING, 7:30 p.m. to
9:30 p.m.
MRS. BROWN PLANS
ORGANIZATION OF
CERAMICS CLUB
Mrs. W. T. Brown, sculptress
who recently moved to Valdez,
plans to offer instructions in
ceramics and pottery craft for
Alaskan women in their homes,
she announced at Valdez this
week.
.Mrs. Brown says that since
coming to Alaska she has found
many women interested in art
who are unable to attend meet
ings but would like to try their
hand at the popular crafts. She is
therefore giving considerable
thought to organizing a club for
anyone interested in creative art,
she said.
“Modern life has robbed many
of us of our right to make many
of the household things our
grandmothers used to find much
pleasure in,” Mrs. Brown said.
\“We find everything made for
us and our own desires to create
smothered in manufactured ar
ticles. Although we appreciate
all the many wonderful things we
have in our lives, we miss the
pride and satisfaction we would
get from things made with our
own hands,” Mrs. Brown added.
“Even though we can’t, at first,
achieve the perfection of .manu
factured things, we are doing
something useful by making
many of the little household
dishes, bowls, vases and statues
to enrich our homes,” she stated
further.
Mrs. Brown’s plans include
making up a kit with complete
instructions and clay that can be
used at home by families who
would like to create ceramics of
their own individual design and
use. Anyone interested in Mrs.
Brown’s club, may contact her by
addressing a letter to her at Pal
mer, Alaska, Star Route.
William Hunt to Spend
Christmas in Oklahoma
Among Valdezans who have
gone Outside to spend the Christ
mas holidays is William Hunt,
employed here by the Standard
Oil plant. Mr. Hunt left Valdez
for Anchorage on December 6.
He took the plane there for the
trip on to Seattle. Before going
on to his home at Oklahoma City,
Okla., where he is to spend
Christmas, he plans to pick up a
new Mercury at Detroit for the
cross-country drive.
I
NO CHRISTMAS BOAT
IS DISAPPOINTMENT
FOR ALL OF VALDEZ
Both young and old alike were
unashamed in their disappoint
ment that swept the entire city
this week following the announce
ment that there would be no
Christmas boat for Valdez this
year.
Everyone at the port has al
ways looked forward to the
Christmas boat in previous years
with the children dreaming of
the arrival of the beautiful ship
for weeks before it docked and
old folks getting excited about it
too. The boats were always load
ed with goodies such as candy,
apples and oranges.
As the “glad tidings” ship glid
ed into port the whole town
would race to meet her and to be
the first to shout happy holiday
greetings.
“What a sight the ship was
with its gay decorations, its beau
tifully decorated Christmas tree
and jolly old Santa Claus at
hand,” the children said this week
in fond reminiscence. Oldtimers
added their comments that “the
sound of the Christmas carols on
the crisp winter air as the ship
came to port was something nev
er to be forgotten.”
2 Escape Injury in
Automobile Accident
Slim Pendleton and Darlene
Baker escaped serious injury, suf
fering minor cuts and bruises in
an automobile accident when they
were on their way moose hunt
ing last Friday. The accident oc
curred at 2:30 a.m. December 9,
23 miles south of Copper Center
and one mile south of the Tonsina
Road Commission camp.
The couple on their way to Tok
Junction to hunt caribou and
moose were driving along at 23
miles per hour when the car
started to swerve. Before Mr.
Pendleton could get the car
stopped, he said, the front right
wheel came loose and broke off
when it hit the bank, the tie rod
broke and also one of the win
dows.
Following the accident Mr.
Pendleton and Miss Baker waited
two hours before they got a ride
on to the Road Commission camp
on a truck from Valdez. He went
on to Copper Center Lodge and
Miss Baker returned *to Valdez
with Armus Jarvis. Ed Alexander
and Jim Baker went from Valdez
to get Mr. Pendleton. They tried
to fix the car to bring it along but
were unable to do so and had to
leave it on the highway.
LONGSHOREMEN KEEP
BUSY AS SHIPS DOCK
Longshoreman after longshore
man has been called to work as
one boat after another docks at
the busy port of Valdez. Two
boats were in last week with the
North Beacon and the Nadina
both docking on December 5. The
Alaska Freight Lines barge the
Maclawfay both came in at the
very end of November. The pas
senger ship, the S.S. Denali, is
due to arrive at the port Decem
ber 15.
Mothers Prefer to Be
In Homes With Children
In Case of Attack Here
‘‘What plans have been made
for the exacuation of children
from school in case of an air raid
during school hours?” was the
question put to the Valdez City
Council at its regular meeting
last week by Mrs. William Zook
and Mrs. Jean Matthews, acting
as spokeswomen for the Second
Grade Mothers Group of the Val
dez School.
“Our group thinks it is high
time that serious thought is given
this most important problem,” the
women went on to say in asking
the Council for an expression on
what would be done in case of
emergency.
A plan suggested by Miss Ruth
Foy, school superintendent, was
outlined. Miss Foy has already
started conducting frequent fire
drills to promote speed and or
derliness when leaving the school
building in case of emergency, the
spokeswomen said.
Dividing the town into sections,
was also discussed as suggested
by teachers of the school, with
each teacher to take the children
assigned to her to the section ap
pointed in case of emergency.
Upon arrival of the child at his
home, responsibility would then
go to the parent. A signal should
be arranged, using the siren, so
that in an emergency, all mothers
would also go to their homes at
once so as to receive the children
from the teacher.
Strenuous objections to the plan
of moving civilians by truck sev
eral miles outside of town was
raised by several mothers attend
ing the meeting. They stated that
they preferred to take their
chances for survival in their own
homes with plenty of food, heat
and first aid equipment at hand.
Also, they pointed out, most
truckers’ schedules are not abso
lutely certain at this time of the
year.
The geographic location of Val
dez poses many more problems
for evacuation of civilians than
any plans yet presented for other
Alaskan communities, the spokes
women pointed out. The mothers
went on record that they thought
it better to be in their own homes
in case of emergency than pos
sibly stalled in crowded, unheatr
ed trucks miles from anywhere,
or huddled together in crowded
barracks lacking proper cooking,
heating, water and sanitary fa
cilities.
2 More Trucks Arrive
Here for Freighters
Several new Kenworth trucks
have arrived here from the states
for the Freight Lines. On the last
Freight Lines barge, two of the
trucks arrived to be added to
four of the same type that also
recently arrived here.
Freight Lines barge 1598 was
due some time Wednesday of this
week. It was loaded with new
furniture for the Freight Lines
office, although no definite date
has been set for the company to
move into its new quarters. There
were also two new Fruehauf flat
bed trailers on barge 1598, mak
ing a total of six new trailers ar
riving here within the month.