Thought of the Week:
Travel broadens everything
except the bankroll.
ALASKA "I 3 7;
BOX 2051
The Frontiersman
o alas:;
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
1 ^I CAL SOCIETY
March of Dimes
Campaign
January, 1963
VOLUME 15. NUMBER 15
PALMER. ALASKA THURSDAY. JAN. 3. 1963
EIGHT PAGES
PRICE IS CENTS
(Reporters—
Alot&booJi
Mr. and Mrs. James Wilsor
or Palmer have received word
of the birth of their first
grandchild, a son born to Mr,
and Mrs. Allyn Wilson of Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas, on New
Year’s Day.
* • *
Ensign James Vickarycus,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Vi
ckaryous of Wasilla, arrived
home on Christmas Day for a
20-day leave from the naval air
station in Corpus Christi, Tex.,
where he is enrolled in advan
ced flight training. After com
pletion of his course, he will
be assigned throughout the
Naval Air Squadron, flying
multi-engine aircraft. Young
Vickaryous is a graduate of
Wasilla high school and of the
University of Alaska.
* * *
Home from the University of
Alaska for the Christmas and
New Year holiday were a num
ber of local students, including
Bill Pippel, Dan Beal, Linda
Cope, Terry Niemann, Royal
Johnson, Pat Eppler, Mike Sti
eger, Roger and Bill McKinley,
Norman Johnson, Carolyn Wal
lace, Susie Wright, and Nancy
Wirtanen. Also home for the
holiday vacation were Bill
Combs, of Alaska Methodist
University, Bob Fowler, who is
attending Western State Col
lege in Gunnison, Colorado,
and James Barry, a student at
Gonzaga University. Maurice
Johnson and Lynn Puddicombe
were home on leave from the
U. S. Navy. All are graduates
of Palmer high school.
* * ♦
A New Year's celebration at
Island Lodge on Big Lake,
sponsored by Oscar Dahlberg
and the Carlsons of Wasilla
Cold Storage, was marked
with the serving of a flaming
Yule glogg, a Swedish holiday
punch, at midnight on N e w
Year’s Eve. On New Year’s
Day, about 200 guests enjoyed
a smorgasbord dinner of roast
turkey, baked ham, potato
salad, and a variety of hors
doeuvres, as well as a Swedish
dish, Loxloda, prepared by
Dahlberg.
* * *
Joe Lawton, missile techni
cian second class, USN, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Lawton of
Palmer, is serving aboard the
guided missile destroyer USS
Towers, part of the combined
First Fleet force involved in
Exercise Night Stick off the
coast of California. The exer
cise in anti-submarine and
anti-air warfare techniques,
which began Dec. 10 and lasted
five days, was aimed at main
taining the overall readiness of
the units involved and to de
velop their preparedness for
duty in the Western Pacific
with the Seventh Fleet.
1963 License Tags
To Be Ready Feb. 15
Auto license tags will not be
available until Feb. 15, Mrs.
Dorothy Saxton, deputy district
magistrate, announced this
week. Although present auto
mobile licenses expire Feb. 28,
1963, a law passed in the 1962
session of the state legislature
extends the deadline for pur
chase of new tags to May 31,
1963.
Mrs. Saxton pointed out that
tags, not plates, will be issued
this year. She also reminded
local drivers that those with
recent birthdays should check
the expiration date on their li
censes.
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, January 1963 marks the 25th anniversary
of the March of Dimes' successful fight against disease; and
WHEREAS, partnership of the American people and
science through the March of Dimes has produced the Salk
and Sabin polio vaccines; and
WHEREAS, the March of Dimes supports scientific
research devoted to the protection of human life through
the study of the causes and means of preventing disease;
and
WHEREAS, the March of Dimes is sponsoring the
building of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where
some of the world’s greatest scientists will conduct funda
mental research aimed at conquering all remaining major
diseases of mankind; and
WHEREAS, the March of Dimes supports medical care
for children and adults through a nationwide network of
treatment centers—more than 50 now in operation — for
victims of birth defects, arthritis and polio; and
WHEREAS, the March of Dimes supports public and
professional education to increase understanding of the
problems of chronic crippling diseases and makes available
the most advanced knowledge concerning care and treat
ment; and
WHEREAS, more than 250,000 American infants are
born each year with a significant birth defect; thousands
of our children are disabled by arthritis and rheumatic di
sease; millions of dollars must still be spent annually to aid
those stricken by polio:
NOW, THEREFOR, I. WILLIAM A. EGAN, as Gover
nor of the State of Alaska, do proclaim January 1963 as
25th ANNIVERSARY MARCH OF DIMES MONTH
and urge all Alaskans to support this campaign to “Give for
the Life of a Child.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand
and caused the Seal of Alaska to be affixed, this twenty
sixth day of December in the year of Our Lord, nineteen
hundred and sixty-two.
/s/ William A. Egan
Governor
ATTEST: /s/ Hugh J. Wade
Secretary of State
Aviation Director Says Leasing
Regulations To Be Rigidly Enforced
Notices have been served
I upon all known users of State
; airport lands and facilities
; that, beginning yesterday, re
j cently adopted uniform regula
tions on leasing of airport lands
and facilities would be rigidly
enforced, Eugene G. Roguszka,
of the Division of Aviation sta
ted.
The old regulations did not
provide for enforcement or
penalties for “squatters” on
state airport lands. The new
i regulations prohibit the reg
ular use of state airport lands
or facilities without written
permission of the State Divi
sion of Aviation and provide
penalties for violation of im
poundment of trespassing prop
erty and a fine up to $500 or
imprisonment up to six months,
or both. The Alaska Aeronau
tics Act gives the Court addi
tional authority to revoke fly
ing privileges for periods up
to one year.
The stricter regulations have
been occasioned for several
reasons, according to Rogusz
ka. The Legislature, in passing
legislation enabling the Di
vision of Aviation to lease
land and extend privileges on
airports, defined that leases,
privileges and fees were to be
applied on a uniform basis and
that costs of operation and
maintenance were to be ap
plied on a uniform basis and
that costs of operation and
maintenance were to be taken
into account when establishing
rates to be charged.
A public hearing was held
August 10, 1962, after notices
published in 17 newspapers
during the month of July. As
a result of the hearing the reg
ulations were amended slight
ly, were adopted and filed with
the Secretary of State, and be
came effective on November
11, 1962.
Roguszka disclosed that the
revenue from the aviation fuel
tax has been increasingly in
adequate to meet the needs of
! expanding maintenance and
operation requirements. All
users of state airport lands and
facilities combined, excluding
the International airports at
Anchorage and Fairbanks, have
been paying approximately
$10,000 per year in rents and
fees. The cost of maintenance
and operation of the same air
ports has been several hundred
thousand dollars per year. This
figure does not include the
amounts budgeted for construc
tion of new airports or im
provements to existing ones. A
leasing policy more realistical
ly correlated to costs is the
unescapable result, according
to Roguszka.
The intent of the Division of
Aviation, according to Rogusz
ka, is to arrive at a reasonable
division of responsibility of
costs which would reflect an
acceptable ratio of benefits to
various groups and advance
and promote the cause of civil
aviation in Alaska.
Tryouts For Now
Play Are Jan. 4
Tryouts for the next produc
tion of the Matanuska Valley
Theatre Guild, “Speaking of
Murder,” will be held Friday,
Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. at the Palmer
high school, according to Harry
Evans, director. Further try
outs are scheduled for Monday,
Tuesday, and Friday of next
week, Jan. 7, 8, and 11, also at
8 p.m. at the high school.
The three-act mystery-drama
offers eight roles, four for wo
men, two for men, and two for
a boy and a girl between the
ages of ten and 14.
Rehearsals will start Mon
day, Jan. 14, with the produc
tion date set for March 1 and 2.
The play, written by William
and Audrey Roos, will be pro
duced through special arrange
ments with the Samuel French
Company.
CO-OPS IN STATE
CONSIDER AID
TO NATIVE AREAS
The possibility of getting
electric power into native vill
ages in the state of Alaska
through the cooperation of
REA-financed cooperatives in
the state was discussed at a
meeting in Anchorage on Dec.
20, at which Ross Miller of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs met
with representatives of Chu
gach Electric Association, Gol
den Valley Electric Associa
tion, and Matanuska Electric
Association.
Since area development
planning has been extended to
include native villages and In
dian reservations in the state,
the BIA sees power plant op
erations such as those set up by
MEA at Unalakleet and Stony
River as one of the solutions
to the problem of getting eco
nomically stable industries
started in these areas, accord
ing to Mason LaZelle, MEA
manager.
Brought out at the meeting
was the opinion that, while the
three cooperatives represented
are the only ones in Alaska
which might be able to extend
aid to underdeveloped areas, it
must be on a reimbursable bas
is and must not reach the point
where it might impair the co
op's ability to provide service
within its own service area;
that help must remain within
the limits of feasibility.
It was indicated at the meet
ing that CEA could provide
technical assistance, but prob
ably not help of a financial na
ture, LaZelle said. GVEA is
now considering aid to several
small communities in interior
Alaska. MEA, which has al
ready extended considerable
help, is now studying the pos
sibility of further development
of the recipient areas through
help from federal agencies, he
stated.
The MEA manager pointed
out that this program of state
wide development was initia
ted by the local electric co
operative with the Unalakleet
project.
Fractures Collar Bone
Michelle Peterson, two-year
old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Oren Peterson, is wearing a
figure-eight cast while she re
covers from a fractured collar
, bone. “Chelle,” interested in
! what Mommy was doing at the
j bathroom mirror, clambered
| up on the edge of the tub to
get a better look, and tumbled
backwards into it.
March of Dimes Drive
Opens in Valley Area
MOTHER OF
LOCAL FLORIST
DIES SUDDENLY
Mrs. Edith Benson, 80, moth
er of Maud Hosier, local florist,
died at her daughter’s home on
Dec. 31 at 9:15 p.m. She had
made her home with her
daughter in the Palmer area
! since February, 1951.
j Mrs. Benson, the daughter of
Asa and Hattie Harvey, was
born Dec. 6. 1882, in Pennsyl
vania. Besides her daughter,
I she is survived by a grandson,
Lewis Rodobaugh, a great
granddaughter, Susan Rodo
baugh, and a sister, Mildred
Smith, all of Elmira, New
York; also a brother, Harry
Harvey, of Mansfield, Pennsyl
1 vania.
Burial in New York
Local arrangements have
been handled by the Evergreen
j Memorial Chapel, with burial
i to be in Van Etten, New York,
| where services w'ill be arrang
ed by the Arnold Funeral
j Home. The date for the funeral
• has not been set, pending Mrs.
Hosier’s arrival in Van Etten.
She will leave for New York
tomorrow.
Mrs. Benson had been a
member of the Rebekah Lodge
for over forty years. The Pal
mer chapter will conduct a pri
vate memorial service for her
at their regular meeting on Fri
day, Jan. 4.
ARMY FILES FOR
WITHDRAWAL OF
EKLUTNA TRACT
United States Army, Alaska,
has filed for withdrawal on a
small tract of land at the head
of Eklutna Glacier. Army offi
cials said the site is required
for training operations and will
be utilized by small unit opera
tional exercises during moun
tain and glacier training.
The area selected contains
68 acres which is the minimum
for this type training operation.
The withdrawal filed Decem
ber 12, 1962, is in accord with
the policy of the Commander
in-Chief, Alaska, to withdraw
only land actually required to
successfully perform the mili
tary mission in Alaska.
Postage Rales
Take Jump Jan. 7
About all the general pub
lic has to remember concerning
the hike in postage rates is
that, beginning Jan. 7, it will
c6st a penny more to mail a
letter or card, first class or air
mail. However, according to
Mrs. Bea John, Palmer post
mistress, if you are involved in
mailing second or third-class
material, keeping track of the
rate increases becomes a lit
tle more complicated.
First Class Up Penny
First class rate for letters is
up from four cents an ounce
to five cents an ounce; drop
letters, from three cents to
four cents an ounce; and cards,
from three cents to four cents
per card.
Airmail letters will cost
eight cents per ounce instead
of seven; airmail cards, six
cents instead of five. Air par
cel post will go up accordingly.
Second class rates will be
raised by fractions of a cent
per pound on a three-year
scale, with the exception of
classroom publications, for
which the rates will be dropped
to 60 per cent of the regular
rates. Application fees for mail
ing of publications will be rais
ed in amounts depending on
circulation.
Third Class Up, Too
Third class rates will also go
up, with the exception of non
profit circulars, which will
drop from 16 cents per pound
to nine cents per pound, and
nonprofit books, catalogs, etc.,
which will go from 10 cents to
six cents per pound. Library
materials will remain at pres
ent rates.
Jamieson Smvth First Babv of 1963
Jamieson Kraig Smyth, sor
of Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Smyth
of Big Lake Route, Wasilla
won the title of “First Baby oi
1963” to be born at Vallej
Presbyterian Hospital, with nc
close contenders for the honor
Jamieson Kraig arrived al
4:29 a.m. on Jan. 2, joininf
one two-year old sister.
He has been welcomed bj
Palmer and Wasilla merchants
M
and business people with a va
riety of gifts. They include a
$2.50 gift certificate from Vera
Hayes, Avon products repre
sentative, a $5 gift certificate
from the Trading Post Food
Center, a $5 gift certificate
from the Trading Post dry
goods department, a baby blan
ket from Koslosky’s Depart
ment Store, an eight-inch dec
orated cake from the Dutch
Mill Bakery, a case of baby
food from the D and A Gro
cery, a hair cut and set from
Bonita’s Beauty Shop for the
mother;
Also five gallons of gas from
Tost’s Service, a two and a half
gallon carton of ice cream from
the Matanuska Maid Creamery,
$5 worth of laundry service at
the Wasilla Launder Service, a
$25 savings bond from the
/
Matanuska Valley Bank, i
$9.95 training chair from Thrif
ty Variety, a diaper pail frorr
Reed’s Hardware, a $5 gift cer
tificate from the Palmer Phar
macy;
A $10 gift certificate frorr
Valley Peoples Store, a $5 gifl
certificate from Lea’s Dress
Shop, a $10 gift certificate frorr
Bert’s Drug, a $10 gift certifi
cate from Bettys’ Dress Shop,
a $5 gift certificate from Tee
land’s Country Store in Wasil
la, two dozen diapers from Pig
gly Wiggly, a year’s sub
scription to The Frontiersman,
dinner for two at Williwaw
Lodge on Wasilla Lake, and an
electric bottle warmer from
MEA.
Funds Will Finance
Birth Defects Clinic
The March of Dimes cam
paign in the Matanuska Valley
got under way this week, ac
cording to Charles Wilson, Pal
mer director. Coin boxes have
been distributed to business
places throughout the valley,,
and contribution envelopes
have been mailed to residents,
Wilson said, adding that coin
contribution cards will be pla
ced with school children by the
end of the week.
The drive for funds is head
ed by Mrs. Christine Smith in
the Wasilla area, and by Mrs.
Leaman Hazel at Willow.
The local units of the Beta
Sigma Phi sorority will again
conduct the Mothers’ March of
Dimes, scheduled for late this
month. For the past several
years the sorority group has
planned and carried out the
Mothers’ March in the Mata
nuska Valley. ..,
It has been pointed out byj
I Mrs. Bruce Kendall of Anch
| orage, campaign chairman for
' the outlying areas of the
iSouthcentral chapter of the
' National Foundation, March of
iDimes, that Alaskans should
have a special interest in see
ipg that this year’s campaign
is a success, since all Alaskan
chapters are helping to finance
the new congenital birth de
fects clinic at the University of
Washington hospital. She sta
ted that already a number of
Alaskan children have been
helped there.
The two effective polio vac
cines now in use were devel
oped entirely with March of
Dimes money, she said, while
at. the same time the National
Foundation was giving, as it
still is, assistance to those who
.have had polio.
New goals of the foundation
are medical help for congeni
tal birth defects and arthritis.
Talkeelna Snows
Foil Elks, Santa
Evan Santa has trouble withj
Alaskan weather and roads.
Annually, in cooperative eff-j
ort with the brothers of the
Palmer Elks Lodge, he carries?
gifts to needy families of the1
Talkeetna area, and this yeai*
had made arrangements with
local fly boys to airlift the
baskets to the railbelt commu-i
nity. i
But the weatherman turned
sulky, and after a delay of hall?
a day waiting for the fog and
rain to lift, three daring adn
venturers, Ben Hudgins, Harold
Dunn, and Bruce Murray, vol-,
unteered to push Santa’s sup
plies through by truck. ,'j
Since the intrepid trio is still
combing icicles out of their
hair, not much information was
revealed about the hazardous
auto venture into the Valley
of the Big Susitna.
It is known, however, that
they got within three miles of
Talkeetna before radiator trou
bles, deep snow, freezing cold,
and no available road or trail
turned them back.
Getting back wasn’t easy,
either. They recount, through
chattering teeth, having tp
winch their way for almost
miles. ;
The Elks reporter expressed
the opinion that if the whole
saga were known, it would be
comparable to Balto’s race with
the serum to Nome.
The Santa Claus mission was
completed on time, however,
with pilots Buddy Woods and
Clyde King making the deliv
eries on Monday, Dec. 24.
. Saint Nick had no trouble
reaching the Palmer Elks
'■home, where on Friday, Dec.
21', he presented nearly 300
children with stockings stuffed
-With goodies and showed them
an hour-long movie.
Airlines Representatives
Meet, Discuss Proposed
Improvements in State
i Representatives of 13 airlines
serving Alaska have been invi
ted to attend a meeting in Ju
neau January 15 to renew dis
cussions on contemplated im
provements at Anchorage and
Fairbanks International Air
ports.
Commissioner of Public
I Works Richard A. Downing
said the meeting has been call
ed to pursue the possibility of
wprking out long term user
agreements with the carriers
as the basis of financing the
improvements.
; The 1961 Alaska Legislature
approved issuance of $7,000,000
i in revenue bonds for enlarge
ment of terminal facilities and
other needed work at the two
international airports. The
I State postponed sale of the
1 bonds on the advice of fiscal
' consultants when it was unable
to reach agreement with cer
tain of the carriers on a long
term schedule of user fees.
In calling the January 15
meeting. Downing said some
carriers now are using the air
ports on a month-to-month ba
sis.
35 Military Construction Projects
Planned for First Six Months of
1963
Thirty five military con
struction projects are schedu
led to be let by competitive
sealed bidding in Alaska dur
ing the first six months of 1968.
The projects will be adver
tised for bids, and the bids wil)
be opened by the U. S. Armly
Engineer District, Alaska. Thir
ty three of the scheduled pro
jects are for the U. S. Afr
Force and two are for the Ah
my; all projects are in Alaska.
Thirty two projects are in.
the estimated value range pf
one half million dollars or less;
two projects are in the onje
half to one million dollars cat
egory and one project is in the
one to five million dollar cate
gory.
The largest of the new pro
jects ($l-$5 million) will pro
vide special storage facilities at
Elmendorf Air Force Base; the
two next largest projects are
for family housing at Eielson
Air Force Base and additional
tankage at Haines terminal of
the Alcango military pipeline.
Seven of the smaller projects
will be at Elmendorf; six are at
Eielson; four are at Galena Air
Force Station; two are at Cape
Romanzof Air Force Station.
The remaining projects are at
Annette Island, Barter Island,
Bear Creek, Campion, Cape
Lisburne, Cold Bay, King Sal
mon, Middleton Island, Point
Barrow, Tatalina, Tin City,
Shemya and Wildwood Station.
Most of the invitations for
bids will be announced by
April and most of the bid ope
nings will be completed by
I May, 1963.