> *
Valdez News
VOL. 1, NO. 11
VALDEZ. ALASKA. MAY 26. 1950
PRICE 10c
New Floor, Roof, Desks Budgeted For School
Plane Cracks Up
At Mile 29, All
Are Uninjured
An Aeronca sedan plane from
Fairbanks, piloted by Bruce Niel
sen, cracked up on a highway
takeoff at Mile Twenty-Nine on
the Richardson last Sunday. The
plane, en route from Fairbanks
to Valdez, landed to refuel in a
strong cross-wind.
Pilot Nielsen negotiated the
landing perfectly, gassed his ship,
and then ran into trouble on the
take-off. A gust of wind threw
4he plane off balance and it
smashed into a telephone pole
beside the highway.
The ship tipped forward on its
nose in a soft marshy spot be
side the highway. The pilot and
his passengers, Mrs. Roger Harris
and young son of Fairbanks, were
uninjured. The plane also was
carrying two dogs.
Damage to the aircraft was
minor. The fuselage was ripped
and dented in several spots, the
propellor was smashed and the
plexi-glass was shattered. Motor
and wings were intact.
Mrs. Harris and her son were
en route to Valdez to join their
husband and father. Mr. Harris
^ is a driver for Alaska Freight
lines.
LANCASTER RESIGNS
FROM CITY JOB
Mr. Ralph Lancaster, who has
been city man for Valdez for the
past two years submitted his res
ignation to the city council to be
effective June 1. He expects to go
to work for A.R.C.
There were several applica
tions for Mr. Lancaster’s job and
Lloyd Johnson’s was accepted.
Johnson will work with Lancaster
for the remainder of the month to
acquaint himself with the duties
of his new job and also to do
some much needed grading of
the city streets which have been
badly in need of repair.
EAGLES SPONSOR
CLEAN-UP DAY, PICNIC
AT VALDEZ CEMETERY
The Eagles Lodge sponsored the
annual cleanup of the local cem
etery on Sunday May 21. A large
crowd turned out and hot dogs,
coffee, pop and marshmallows
were served. Everyone worked
from 10 in the morning ’till about
4:30 in the afternoon and turned
out a very thorough cleaning job.
INSURANCE MAN VISITS
Manley Sweazey, Seattle in
surance salesman, was a brief vis
itor in Valdez this week. He went
to Fairbanks but will return to
Valdez later.
RETURN FROM SEWARD
WASILLA —Mr. and Mrs. R.
Borden returned from Seward
this week. Mrs. Borden has been
teaching in the Gateway City this
term. The Bordens make their
home in Wasilla.
Mother, Daughter Fly Outside
WASILLA — Mrs. A1 Hjellan
and daughter, Alice, left for the
states recently. They flew to Se
attle. where Alice will receive
medical attention.
GARBAGE DISPOSAL
WILL BE CHARGED TO
RESIDENTS. BUSINESSES
The subject of a garbage dis
posal service by the city was
discussed at the meeting of the
city council Monday evening.
The law on that had been
looked into by one member of
the council. It states that where
the city maintains a garbage dis
posal service it must be used by
| every home occupant. It was de
cided to charge two dollars a
| month for private homes; busi
ness places, hotels and apartment
houses to pay according to the
amount of service required. A
notice to this effect was posted
on the ARC bulletin board by
the city clerk.
This being clean-up month for
; Valdez, the city man was in
I structed by the council to haul
i away any reasonable amount of
refuse and garbage which resi
dents have gathered up, at on ex
tra cost, to help clean up streets
and lawns.
Native Service
Vessel Visits
The Alaska Native Service M.S.
: North Star visited Valdez on
i May 17. The boat is owned and
operated by the Department of
the Interior and carried a crew of
44, freight and passengers. Pas
sengers included 38 students from
Mt. Edgecumb School journeying
home for summer vacations.
Also on board were three crip
pled children released from Or
thopedic Hospitals in Seattle and
Tacoma; D. C. Foster, general
superintendent of the Alaska Na
tive Service and family; E. Intol
| lube, educational supervisor of
the Alaska Native Service; Mr.
and Mrs. Leonty Saranoff of Nek
olski: Joe Mickey, ANS Construc
tion Department en route to
Mumtrok- Mrs. Santsell and three
months old son, to join her hus
band in Chenega; Capt. C. H.
Salenjus, in charge of the ship.
Canteen Bar Gets
New Refrigeration Unit
A new beer cooler and carbona
tion unit was installed in the
Canteen Bar by Fountaine En
terprises of Anchorage and Fair
banks last week. Craig Fountaine
is in town to check all their
equipment and installations.
They have equipment in four
different places in town—Gilson’s.
Pinzon, Valdez Supply and Can
teen. Sam Morris has been doing
the installing.
Fairbanks Businessman Here
Byron Gillam of Fairbanks was
in Valdez last week to take de
livery of a new truck and trailer.
Mr. Gillam plans to haul his own
freight to his Fairbanks business
in the future
RETURN TO VALDEZ
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Thomas
returned to Valdez this week.
They arrived on the Siren, and
were en route to their mine on
Culross Island. They plan to
work the mine this summer.
PRIMARY GRADERS
ENTERTAIN MOTHERS
AT SCHOOL ON MAY 15
The first, second and third
grades, under the direction of
Miss Mabel Anderson and Mrs.
Jim Dolan, gave a special Moth
er’s Day program and tea on the
i afternoon of Monday, May 15. A
very lovely and entertaining pro
gram of songs, recitations, and a
] Mother Goose character play was
I given in the Little Theatre in the
i school basement by the pupils of
all three grades. The performance
! was well attended and the the
i atre was crowded.
Parents were then escorted to
classrooms for tea and cakes. The
first grade room was decorated in
the spirit of the month of May
with a Maypole on a center table
with flying gala colored stream
! ers.
Little hostesses for the second
grade were Kathy Ferrier, Alice
Huddleston and Beulah Dieringer.
For the third grade hostesses
! were Bonnette Harrison, Mary
Schmidt and Katherine Burke.
CIVIC CLUB ENDS
YEAR OF WORK
WITH A BANQUET
The Valdez Women’s Civic Club
held a banquet at the Club Val
; dez on May 16 at 7 p.m. A deli
! cious dinner of baked chicken and
| all the good things that go along
! with it was prepared by Ray
I Hines. Miss Rita Dingman made
i the arrangements.
Those present were Mrs. Harry
Marlowe, Mrs. Holter, Mrs. Basil
Ferrier, Mrs. Bill Blakesley, Mrs.
Bob Jeris, Mrs. Jess O’Dell, Mrs.
! David Johnson, Mrs. Dale Mc
' Clintic, Mrs. Sid Moore, Mrs.
i Lydia Searles, Mrs. Kenneth
' Ham, Miss Rita Dingman, Mrs.
Bill Mcllray, Mrs. Earl Moore,
Mrs. Fawcett, Mrs. Florence In
graham, Miss Helen Long. Mrs.
| Deanne Jennings and Mrs. David
Vietti.
—
FIX GILSON TRUCK
Don Stewart and Earl Winters,
local carpenters, are building a
bigger van box for the new truck
of Gilson Mercantile Co. This
truck is to be the grocery service
truck which makes deliveries out
the Trail.
HONORED AT STORK SHOWER
Mrs. Paul Kuth was honored at
a stork shower, given at hte home
of Mrs. Alex Binek last week.
The city council will engage
Felix Toner of Juneau, Alaska, to
make a survey of the city of Val
dez, map it out for water and
sewage plans and present the
plans to the Public Works Admin
istration.
Dr. Ham Accepts Position
As Health Officer
Word was received from Dr.
Kenneth Ham that he will accept
the Valdez Health Officer’s post.
Visits in Ketchikan
John Steer went to Ketchikan
for a short visit.
<
VALDEZ HOSPITAL
OPEN HOUSE
TO OE JUNE 4
Open house at the local hospital
will be on Sunday, June 4, Dr.
Kenneth Ham announced. The
hours will be from 6 to 9 in the
evening. Mrs. A. D. Thompson is
chairman in charge of arrange
ments.
The following ladies will be
present to take the guests through
the different rooms and explain
the use of the different equip
ment: Mrs. John Gilson, Mrs. A1
| Carlin, Mrs. Dove Johnson, Mrs.
! Stewart Starbuck, Mrs. Bob
! Jones, Mrs. Dale McClintic and
Miss Helen Long. Mrs. Deanne
Jennings is in charge of publicity
and making posters.
Refreshments will be served
and everyone is invited to come.
Watch for announcement of a
meeting for the election of a new
hospital board soon.
Mrs. McDonald
Succumbs
Mrs. Angus McDonald, long
time Alaskan and pioneer resi
dent, was taken by death last
Monday morning. Mrs. McDon
ald was stricken with a heart at
tack. She died at Valdez Hos
pital, where she had been con
fined for medical attention for
the past week.
Mrs. McDonald was a veteran
Alaskan school teacher. She had
been an Alaska Native Service
teacher in schools in many areas
of Alaska.
Funeral arrangements still were
pending, at press-time. The de
ceased is survived by her hus- i
band, Angus McDonald.
Pair Plan Motoring
Holiday Outside
Mr. and Mrs. Lev,- Striegel of
Valdez are planning a motoring
trip to the states soon. Mr. Strie
gel is employed by the Alaska
Road Commission at Valdez.
The couple plan to be gone at
least two months. They will visit
with relatives and friends in Mon
tana during most of their stay
Outside.
Mrs. Jennings and Son Visit
Mrs. Deane Jennings and son.
Dennis, are spending a week at
Meirs Roadhouse with Maude and
Adlor Tatro.
Bishop Gleeson Her*
In the absence of Father Mel
bourne, priest in St. Francis
Xavier Catholic Church here in
Valdez. Bishop Gleeson has been
saying mass.
NEW BUILDING IN TOWN
New homes are being built by
the following families: Mr. and
Mrs. Bill Blakesley, Mr. and Mrs.
Harry Page, Mr. and Mrs. Angus
Whyte, Mr. and Mrs. Stone.
Goes to California
Mrs. Jim Dolan left for Cali
fornia on Tuesday morning, May
22, for her son’s high school grad
uation.
CITY CLERK SWORN,
TOBACCO TAX SPENT
AT COUNCIL MEETING
The Valdez city council met in
regular council chambers on Mon
day evening, May 15. Hal Gates
was sv.orn in as city clerk and
magistrate.
Mr. Gates announced that his
office hours in the council cham
bers will be from 7 to 9 p.m. on
week days. Anyone having a bill
to pay to the city or a complaint
to make or who wishes to look
at and locate property on the city
map may do so at that time.
At Monday’s Council meeting
Guy Stith read correspondence
from George Gilson, who is on a
trip Outside, concerning the to
bacco tax money for the school
board and also about the prob
lem of water and sewage for Val
dez. The $7,000 tobacco tax mon
ey is nov. available and the school
board budget for the school term
of 1950-’51 can be built around
that. Mrs. Bill Egan and Mrs.
Deanne Jennings were present to
represent the school board and
present the budget.
This year’s budget will include
the new gym floor, a new roof
for the school, furnace repairs,
new desks for pupils, and also for
teachers.
It was announced that one ad
ditional teacher has been added
to last year’s staff.
Mr. Bob Newland of Northern
Roofing and Sheet Metal Co of
Anchorage talked to members of
the city council at Monday’s
meeting on the need for a new
roof on the school house. The
council approved the expenditure
of $1456 for the roof and the
school board was in agreement.
The roof is composed of two lay
ers of 15-pound felt paper and
tar.
GENIAL HOSTS BURN
COUNTRY HOME FOR
GUESTS' AMUSEMENT
Mr. and Mrs. B. William F
Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Saws .L.,
Donald J. “Willie the Welder”
Williams,, Howard “Howie” Bor
den, Mrs. William LaFreniere and
Hugh Tatro were entertained at
the ne\V country home of B. Wini
fred Louden and Harry Rivelle
with a game supper cooked at the
outdoor barbecue pit.
Numerous people dropped in
during the course of the evening
to pay their regards and wish the
boys the best of luck.
Unfortunately the barbecue pit
was such a success that it burned
the establishment to the ground.
It was not covered by insurance.
However they plan to re-build as
soon as materials are available.
Gilson's Mercanlle Re-Roofed
Gilson’s Mercantile Co. and
Bank were roofed this week by
the Northern Roofing and Sheet
Metal Co. Also the Hospital was
re-roofed by the same company.
Mrs. Jorgenson Recovers
Isobel Jorgenson is feeling so
well again that she plans a trip
to Minnesota for this summer to
be gone about five or six weeks.
She plans to come back to Valdez
this fall.