f
HISTORICAL MUSEUM & LI BnAni
BOX 203
JUMEAU ALASKA
THIRD YEAR
JUNE 7, 1963
PRICE TEN CENTS
XUMBER 135
Russian Orthodox Church
Checks Peninsula Sites
For Seminarv in Alaska
ll
Robert Star, chairman of the
Alaska Projects Committee for
the Federated Russian Orthodox
Clubs, was a Kenai and Ninilchik
visitor last week while touring
several state sites looking into
the possible feasibility of estab
lishing a seminary in Alaska.
Star’s trip to the Kenai Penin
sula followed stops in Sitka, Jun
eau, and Eklutna. He also spent
two days in Kodiak and Saturday
in Anchorage before returning to
New York on Sunday.
Star is a cvto technologist at
the U.S. Public Health Hospital
at Statton Island, specializing in
research for the early detection
of cancer. He also will be the
chairman for the 1964 convention
of the Federated Russian Ortho
dox Clubs to be held in New York
City on Labor Day weekend next
year.
Funds are available for the es
tablishment of a seminary in Al
aska, he said. Approval as to site
and construction must be obtained
from the national convention of
the church and the hierarchy at
Pittsburg. Training of Alaskans
for priesthood jn the church is
contemplated.
Star was accompanied on his
tour of area Russian Orthodox
Churches by Alexander P. Sha
dura of Sea Shore, near Kasilof.
Shadura is president of Chapter
101 of the Greater Anchorage and
Eklutna Area Orthodox Club.
His father, the late very Rev.
Paul A. Shadura, came to Alaska
in 1809 and was in charge of the
church deanery which included
chapels at Eklutna, Ninilchik, Sel
dovia, E iglish Bay, Port Graham,
Tyonek, Susitna and the now dis
mantled chapel at Kalifonsky. He
also headed the Russian Orthodox
Church at Kenai from 1007 to
1052.
RETURN TO HOMESTEAD
COHOE — Chuck Payton and
his family are moving back to
their Cohoe homestead. Chuck has
been working in Anchorage but is
now employed on the construction
of the new high school building at
Kenai.
Newly Formed Car Club
Seeking Civic Support
Stressing the fact that drag
races and speeding should be done
on an authorized drag strip or
track — and never on the high
ways — a newly formed sports
organization, the Soldotna Tim
ing Assoc., is seeking support
from civic groups.
The Soldotna Timing Assoc,
was organised within the past
three weeks and hopes to hold
show car and drag races jn SoJ
Petition Requests
Renaming Area
North of Kenai
A petition is being circulated to
rename the area north of the city
limits of Kenai and extending
north to include Daniels Lake.
Names currently in use for this
region are too numerous and are
inadequate, those drawing up the
petition state. They feel the mat
ter needs urgent attention as the
various designations by which the
region currently is known are re
garded as a hindrance and a
drawback to the entire area.
The petition suggests that a
meeting be called at the North
Kenai Community Club on or be
fore June 10 for the purpose of
selecting said name. The name se
lected by residents of the area is
expected to used by the future
post office, site of which is not as
yet selected.
The State Board of Education
also is to be requested to use the
name chosen for the elementary
school building constructed this
past year. The school is now
known as the North Kenai Ele
mentary School.
Selection of a group to detcM1
mine the best possible site for the
Future post office is also expected
to take place at the suggested
meeting.
dotna and is considering the pos
sibility of stock car races next
year. Application for affiliation
has been filed with the National
Hot Rod Assoc.
Representatives of the group
will meet with the Soldotna City
Council seeking permission to hold
races on the Soldotna Airport af
ter paving is completed. The Sol
dotna Chamber of Commerce is to
he approached this Saturday as to
the possibility of using the race
track at the Chamber’s new re
creation area now under construc
tion on Kalifonsky Beach Road.
NHRA (National Hot Rod As
sociation) rules will be followed
(Continued on Page 2)
Cemetery Beautification Project
At Kasilof Profits by Work Day
Members of the Kasilof-Cohoe
Cemetery Assoc. gathered at the
cemetery last Wednesday to work
on the chapel and clear the ground
prior to Memorial Day.
The building', donated to the
community by Mandy (Mrs. D. C.)
Walker, was moved to the ceme
tery from the Kenai area last No
vember by John Martin, Sr., Ray
Burton, Wayne Fellers and Arch
ie Ramsell. On May 29, the men
moved the building- to its perman
ent foundation and put the new
siding on. The women and chil
dren cut and pulled brush to be
binned at a later date since the
weather is too dry at present.
Each person brought his lunch
and ate at the Kasilof Library
where coffee and “koolade” were
served.
The graves of those interred
there were cleaned and flowers
arranged on them. Flags were
placed upon the graves of two war
veterans for Memorial Day. They
were First Lieut. Clayton Pollard,
veteran of World War I, and
Ninilchik Church
Plans Dedication
NINILCHIK — Dedication of
pews, candlelighter, offer ing
plates and communion set at the
Methodist Church of St. Peter
the Fisherman at Ninilchik will
take place Sunday during the wor
ship service at 7:45 a.m., accord
ing to Rev. John J. Shaffer, pas
tor of the Kenai Methodist Parish.
The early morning service was in
augurated last Sunday and will
remain in effect for the duration
of the summer.
The communion set was a gift
to the church from Mrs. Ed Jack
insky. Tne Methodist Youth Fel
lowship contributed the offering
plates and the candlelighter. The
pews were a gift of Mr. and Mrs.
John Huey.
Opportunity
For Charter
In Local Area
R. E. McFarland of Anchorage,
consultant and concilitator for the
International Hod Carriers, Build
ing and Common Laborers Union,
has requested that a meeting he
called for all men who are inter
ested in securing an independent
local charter for the Soldotna-Ke
nai area.
The meeting has been set for
7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, in
the Soldotna Community Hall in
Soldotna. McFarland will be pre
sent.
Barron Butler, who has been
serving as intermediary for men
in the Kenai-Soldotna area, has
been doing the contact work that
is bringing about this meeting.
Butler says he personally feels
that the meeting is vitally impor
tant to local workers. Currently
all hiring is done out of the An
chorage office, which is a tremen
dous disadvantage to local men.
This will be an opportunity to get
a hiring office in the immediate
area.
Lieut. Webster Griffing of World
War II. A flag also was placed in
memory of .James Petersen who
lost his life in a boat mishap sev
eral years ago at Skilak Lake.
Members reporting for work
were Wayne Webb, Lyle Comer,
John Martin, Jr., George Colvin,
Walter Pollard, who is cemetery
caretaker, Harlie Fellers, Rev.
Ray Mainwaring, Archie McLane,
Mike Mcljflne, Tom Schultz, Char
lotte Simon, Trudy Webb and
daughters, Enid McLane, Lucy
Pollard, Mandy Walker, Millie
Martin and daughters, Rudy Me
gargle and Martha Schultz.
The carpenters were Wayne
Webb, John Martin, Jr., and Lyle
Comer, who were ably assisted by
Mrs. McLane and Mrs. Megargle.
A large sign is being made by
Larry Fleckstein for the ceme
tery and is to be painted by Joan
Lahndt. Fleckinstein is to make
the cross for the building also.
Next on the agenda for this pro
ject is the interior and exterior
painting of the building-.
Sterling Man Dies,
Daughter and Family
Killed in Plane Crash
Death claimed six members of
a Sterling family within two days
this week. Five of them, a Civil
Service couple ami their three
sons, were killed in a plane crash
while enroute home to attend fun
eral services of their father and
grandfather, Otto B. Mertz, Ster
ling- businessman.
William Gordon Partington and
his wife, Myrtle, and their sons,
Robert, Donald and Edward, were
among the 101 persons killed Mon
day in the crash of the ill-fated
Northwest Orient Airlines mili
tary-chartered DC7 four-engined
propeller plane.
The plane, hound for Anchorage
from MeChord Air Force Base
near Tacoma, Wash., went down
into northern Pacific waters about
00 miles off the northern tip of
Canada’s Queen Charlotte Islands
and about 175 miles northwest of
Ketchikan. The crash is regarded
as one of the worst tragedies in
military aviation history.
Partington was a civilian em
ploye at Elmendorf Air Force
Base and he and his family had
been on a vacation trip Outside.
His mother, Mrs. W. Partington
of Lake City, Minn., was listed on
the airline’s roster of passengers
as his next of kin.
Myrtle Partington’s father, Ot
to FJ. Mertz. 76. died Sunday at
Providence Hospital. Anchorage.
He had been an Alaska resident
15 years. He and his wife, Bertha,
had operated a gas pump and the
Mertz Cafe at Sterling since 1951.
The business was established the
year before the road was built
through that portion of the Kenai
Peninsula.
Mertz was horn in Nebraska on
Feh. 17. 1887. He is survived by
his widow of the home in Ster
ling; one son, Carl "Billy" Mertz,
who recently completed the Stand
awl Oil Co. of Calif, course for
refinery workers at Kenai, and a
sister, Mrs. Dora Peterson of Pu
eblo, Colo.
Funeral services were held at
11 a.m. Thursday at the Ever
green Memorial Chapel in Anch
orage. Interment was in the Ever
green Memorial Park, also at An
chorage.
Vacation Bible
School Planned
Registration for the Vacation
Rible School to be conducted by
the Southern Baptist Church will
take place this Saturday, June 8,
from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Sli
kok Valley Community Club build
ing on Route 2. Kalifonsky Beach
Road.
The vacation school will be for
youngsters of 4-lfi years. It be
gins on June 10 and continues
through June 14. Hours will be
from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It
also will lie held in the Slikok Val
ley Community Club building.
CHAMBER TO MEET
SOLDOTNA—The Greater Sol
dotna Chamber of Commerce will
hold its regular luncheon meeting
at noon Saturday at the Four
Royle Parkers in Ridgeway.
HEATING OILS
Soldotna Delivery
Kenai Delivery
262-4418 283-7705
DON BAILEY
• UNION OIL CONSIGNEE