Valdez News
VOL. 1. NO. 27
VALDEZ. ALASKA. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 15. 1950
PRICE 10c
Carpenter Is Rescued From Bay by Workman
Textile Painting
ktM te Curriculum
Of Busy Iglee
Textile painting classes begin
at the Busy Igloo this week—only
they won’t begin at. the Busy
Igloo at all. The Igloo is so very
busy, the classes in textile paint
ing have been’ transferred to the
home of the Rev. Bichard Teeter.
Mrs. Ralph Matthews will con
duct the classses. Reverend
Teeter has announced that Igloo
ites are fortunate, indeed, to se
cure the services of so competent
an instructor. Mrs. Matthews
taught textile painting classes for
fwo years in the states, and has
offered similar courses in other
Alaskan towns.
The class instructor has an
nounced that Alaskan motifs ex
clusively will be used in the Igloo
course. She plans to offer in
struction in the textile decora
tion of pillowcases, T - shirts,
luncheon cloths and other house
hold articles that will lend them
selves to this media.
Date and time of the painting
classses was unknown at press
time this week. Reverend Teeter
has promised a complete sched
ule of Igloo classes for publica
tion, as soon as the many activi
ties can be reduced to terms of
clock minutes and calendar dates.
Margaret Follansbee
Married on Aug. 26
Mrs. Charles Follansbee, Valdez
resident of a couple of years ago,
this week announced the marriage
of her daughter, Margaret Kath
erine, to Keith W. Goldsmith. The
wedding took place on Saturday,
Aug. 26, in the Chapel of Flowers
at‘ Bellevue, Wash.
The Follansbees moved from
Valdez about a year ago.
VALDEZ WATERCOLORS
INCLUDED IN SHOW
Scenes of Valdez, Seldovia and
other Alaskan cities, are included
in the watercolor exhibition of
Arnold Kirschbaum, shown this
week at the Jade Room in An
chorage. Mr. and Mrs. Kirsch
baum came to Alaska from Cali
fornia over two years ago, and
the artist, has been painting
Alaska scenes and subjects from
the date of his arrival in the Ter
ritory.
Commissioner Harrais Sentences
11 Lawbreakers in Week's Time
“Valdez is traditionally a town
of homes and home-keeping peo
ple,” stated U. S. Commissioner
Margaret Harrais this week. “We
olan to keep it so. Women and
children are safe at all hours. We
plan to keep them so,” she con
cluded as she slapped fines and
imposed jail sentences on 11 new
lawbreakers.
“A practical lesson in citizen
ship.” Mrs. Harrais termed it, as
she handed out penalties for il
legal fishing, drunken driving' and
drunk and disorderly charges.
Illegal fishing in the waters of
Prince William Sound drew heav
iest penalties of the week, as the
commissioner tried and found
guilty six fishermen. Steve
Totemoff was fined $750: John
Trctemoff was fined $500 and
He Needs Your Help
The boys and girls of Valdez become reporters,
with this issue of the Valdez News. They hope, through
this work, to make Valdez a better place in which to
live. Will*you help them?
There are so many ways in which you can. For
instance, if an over-enthusiastic student invades your
home or office, so eager for news that he may forget
some of the small courtesies, you con help him by your
co-operation and patience. Or he may forget to ask
the all-important question that will give him some
pertinent details for the story he wants to write. You
can help him by offering all of the information you
have on he subject in which he's interested.
We're growing our own reporters in Valdez. Your
kindness will be appreciated during the incubation
period.
Valdez End of Richardson
To Be Paved Next Year
Paving on the 40-mile stretch
of Richardson Highway leading
out of Valdez will begin in the
1951 construction season, it was
announced from the Anchorage
headquarters office of the Alaska
Road Commission last week. The
iob is not scheduled for comple
tion until 1952.
In addition to the paving proj
ect, next year’s contracts call for
the construction of a new bridge
to replace one wiped out by a
snowslide two years ago, and for
the enlarging and concrete-lining
of the Keystone Canyon tunnel.
Next year’s program, subject
to the availability of funds, also
calls for completion of paving on
the Glenn Highway, rebuilding
and paving of the Richardson be
tween Big Delta and Rapids and
improvement of that highway
north of Big Timber. Paving of
the first 40 miles on the Tok Cut
Off also is scheduled for next
year.
VISITS IN VALDEZ
Sanford Peterson, manager of
the CAA communications station
at Cordova, was a Valdez visitor
for several days last week. Mr.
Peterson was en route from An
chorage with a car, and he was
here for several days while
awaiting transportation to Cor
dova.
jailed for 30 days. Basil rerrier
drew a three months’ suspended
jail sentence; George Wafford
was fined $750 and given a 30
day jail sentence: Harry Hender
son was fined $100 and given a
suspended sentence of three
months in jail.
“It is not safe to exceed the
privileges allowed by law,” the
commissioner warned. And Mrs.
Harrais means just that. For in
the past week of reporting, in
addition to the fishermen tried,
Mrs. Harrais fined a drunken
driver $200, suspended his license
for nine months and sentenced
him to 60 days in jail. She also
handed down varying penalties
in drunk and disorderly cases,
ranging from a $50 fine to a $200
fine and a 60-day jail sentence.
Valdez Weather Is
Checked Nine Times
Every Day
Valdez gets as thorough a
weather-checking as any city any
where in Alaska, it was reported
this week by Mrs. Katharyn A.
Fawcett, official weather observer
for the U. S. Department of Com
merce. Not once, not twice, but
nine times daily Mrs. Fawcett re
ports the weather in the Valdez
area.
Pilots flying in this area are
particularly thankful for her
hourly observations of sky condi
tions, visibility, temperature and
wind direction and velocity. The
reports are scheduled to Cordova
through the North Dutch Island
station.
Once daily, at 3:15 p.m., a sum
mary is recorded of maximum and
minimum temperatures and
amount of precipitation. In the
winter, this summary also in
cludes a report of the depth of
snowfall in the past 24 hours, as
well as a report of the measure
ment of snow already on the
ground.
Summary repoi’ts are mailed to
the Weather Bureau at Anchor
age, whefe they are compiled.
From them the U. S. Department
of Commerce publishes a monthly
climatological data sheet cover
ing the seven districts of Alaska.
Districts covered in the report
include the Southeastern, Pacific
Coast, Southwestern Islands,
Southern Valleys, Bering Sea,
Yukon Valley and Arctic Drain
age.
Valdez is in the Pacific Coast
district. It is one of the 16 sta
tions that make up the group
withi*n that district.
Fairbanks Pair Weds Here
A marriage license was issued
in Valdez this week to John M.
Murphy and Miss Nadine Wilkey,
both of Fairbanks. Mr. Murphy is
a member of the Fairbanks police
force. His bride-to-be is g hotel
owner there.
HUNT MOOSE HERE
Ted Baker of the Civil Aero
nautics Administration and Nor
man Graham of the Weather Bu
reau, both stationed at Cordova,
came to Valdez last Monday to
join Rev. R. J. Teeter for a four
day moose-hunting trip.
Kindergarten Possible
Here in Valdez
Some interest has been dem
i onstrated in the establishment
of a kindergarten in Valdez,
Miss Ruth Foy, school superin
tendent, stated this week. In
i order to get an accurate census
of all Valdez small fry who are
kindergarten age, Miss Foy ;
asks that all parents of chil
dren who are now five years
old, or who will be five by
Nov. 1, register the child at her
office.
The kindergarten informa
tion should be in the superin
tendent’s office no later than
Sept. 23.
Expansion Wails Needed
To Care for Overflow
Pupils in Valdez School
The growing pains at Valdez
High School have mostly gone to
feet, if the high school home room
of Mrs. Ruth Dolan is any ex
ample. The casual passerby who
peeps in the door there is faced
with a view of nothing but feet,
i feet, feet. But after the eye be
comes accustomed to the sight, it
soon is plain that there’s a stu
dent above every pair of them.
In fact there are students in
every nook and cranny of that
high school room. Mrs. Dolan
must hold her breath to inch be
hind her teacher’s desk, and pupils
are jammed as closely to win
dows and walls. And for all that
there’s a desk occupying every
allowable inch of space, there
still aren’t enough. Some pupils
must get by with straightback
chairs, until the new desks on or
der arrive here.
And that’s only one room at
Valdez School. There are others
about which tales could be told,
too. Miss Ruth Foy. superintend
ent, can see a silver lining, though.
“It’s certain,” she said, “that if
Valdez keeps growing as it has in
the past year, we’re sure to get a
new and modern school building
in our community.”
BIGGOS SUPS, FALLS
WHILE WORKING
ON VALDEZ DOCK
Stanley Biggos, local carpenter,
nearly lost his life Last Fridav
night when he plunged into tht
chill waters of the bay from the
deck of City Dock. Mr. Biggos
was setting up floodlights at about
10:30 in the evening, when the
accident occurred. He was saved
from drowning by Ray Look, an.
employe of Valdez Dock Co.
The carpenter, who is unable
to swim, was further encumbered
by heavy work clothing and by
the two floodlights he still
clutched in his hands after the
fall into the bay. Mr. Look heard
Mr. Biggos call for help, saw the
man floundering in the water, and
jumjed to his rescue, after strip
ping off heavy hip boots.
The rescuer kept Biggos afloat
until other dock workers lowered
a life preserver and ropes.
The carpenter was uninjured,
but suffered from shock. He was
admitted to Valdez Community
Hospital, where Dr. Kenneth
Ham prescribed a brisk rubdown
and a hot bath. After a night at
the hospital, Mr. Biggos returned
to his work on the dock on Sat
urday morning.
QUARTERS GOING UP
AT SNOW CREW CAMP
Work on the camp of the snow
crew, located at Thompson Pass,
is getting under way, Ben Stew
art of the Alaska Road Commis
sion reported this week. Mr.
Stewart, district supervisor, said
foundations of the bunkhouses
and cookhouse already have been
laid.
Construction materials for the
camp buildings are expected to
arrive on the Nadina, scheduled
to dock here on Sept. 17. Work
will be rushed with all possible
speed in order that summit crews
may be more comfortably housed
this year for their winter’s work
of keeping the Pass open.
No Shortages, No Hoarding Exist
In Valdez, Shopkeepers Say
LIBRARY HOURS
LISTED AGAIN
The Valdez Library is open
each Monday night from seven
until nine o’clock, Mrs. Kath
ryn Fawcett of the library
board reminded Valdez read
ers this week. Books are
checked out on a weekly basis,
but may be renewed. All
books not renewed on the Mon
day following their first check
out are subject to a 15-cent
fine.
Adults must take out a li
brary membership, which costs
$3. Membership is free to chil
dren.
Books are being added to
library shelves monthly, Mrs.
Fawcett said. She invites all
Valdez residents to make more
use of their library.
Board Members who serve
with Mrs. Fawcett include
Miss Helen Long, Mrs. Lura
Hayden and Mrs. R. A. Sulli
van.
There may be goods shortages
somewhere, but there aren’t any
in Valdez, store owners George
Gilson, William Egan and F. A.
Shumaker all agreed this week.
The storekeepers admitted that
some items were getting “harder
to get,” but aside from a slower
delivery date on these few items,
they feel the present tense Ko
ran situation has had little effect
on the quantity delivery of goods
here.
The three businessmen also
agreed that they’d found no evi
dence of hoarding in Valdez.
“There’s no reason for it,” a
spokesman said. “There’s lots of
food Outside. If. we all stick to
our normal buying, there’ll be no
shortages and if there are no
shortages there’ll be no hoarding.
People don’t hoard when they
can get everything they want.”
Moves to New Home
Mrs. Larry Berger, formerly
Martha Kuth, recently moved to
a new home in the house former
ly occupied by Helen Long.