Valdez News
VOL. I, NO. 38
VALDEZ. ALASKA. FRIDAY- DECEMBER 1. 1950
PRICE 10c
$7,000 In Equipment Destrnyed by Fire
New City Council
Names Committees at
First Meeting Monday
The new City Council of Valdez
met for its first time on Monday,
November 20. In preparation for
a busy year ahead the entire
meeting was devoted to the nam
ing of new Council committees.
Appointed to serve for the 1950
51 year were Gilson, Starbuck
and Johnson, on the streets and
sewers committee; Long, Beals
and Wafford, finance and pur
chasing; Beals, Long and Star
buck, schools;
Beals, Wafford and Johnson,
election and printing; Johnson,
Gilson, Wafford, fire protection
and water supply; Starbuck, Long,
Johnson, assessment and collec
tion of taxes; Wafford, Beals,
Long, public health and police
protection; Long, Wafford, Gilson,
aviation, parks, cemeteries; Gil
son, Starbuck, Beals, street light
ing; Beals, Johnson, Wafford, law
and ordinances; Starbuck, Waf
iord and Long, projects and plan
ning.
The Council also appointed a
*new city clerk, who is Mrs. E.
Alexander.
Electricity Fails
As Housewives Cook
Thanksgiving Dinners
Near-tragedy in the northwest
section of Valdez was averted!
Thanksgiving when it looked as j
though the entire community
would be plunged in gloom. Just
as tantalizing odors started whet
ting hearty appetites and house
wives were peering in ovens to
see if turkeys were not just about
done, the electric power went off.
Linemen went to work at once to
locate the trouble, which was a
short. In no time at all pots were
bubbling again, turkeys contin
ued to brown, and dinners were
served on time.
MOTHERS OF FIRST.
SECOND GRADERS MEET
Plans for an activity program
for the children were completed
at a meeting of first grade moth
_ ers recently. The mothers held
* the meeting at 2:30 p.m. last Fri
day in the Home Economics room
of the high school.
On Wednesday afternoon sec
ond grade mothers met to discuss
plans for the future and mutual
ideas. They also met in the Home
Economics room.
23 Valdez Students on Honor Roll
For Past Six Weeks Grading Period
The honor roll of 23 students at
Valdez school for the past six
week period was anounced this
week. To gain a place on the
honor roll, students must have all
A and B grades for the period.
The student’s good conduct is also
a requirement for the honor roll.
In the first grade the honor stu
dents were Diana Soward, Sue
Carol Brown; second grade, Doug
las Stewart, Raymond Stephen,
Alice Huddleston, Kathleen Mc
Gill, Josephine Jacobs;
Third and fourth grades, Nicoli
AMMUNITION BARGE
IS TO BE UNLOADED
AT DAYVILLE DOCK
To avert any danger or tragedy
such as the east coast suffered
not too long ago, plans have been
made to unload ammunition due
here this week at Dayville in
stead of at the city dock. Seven
hundred tons of the ammunition
are aboard a barge which was
towed here by the tug Shinn.
From Dayville the ammunition
will be trucked over the beach
road to the main highway. The
Alaska Freight Lines company is
improving the beach road from
Dayville, which will be used only
when the tide is out. On arrival
at the main road the ammunition
will be transferred from small
trucks to larger ones.
WINTER IS WINDY
Winter weather this year at
Valdez has been wind and
more wind. For four weeks
now the wind has blown con
stantly, was the report from
the seaport city. Considerable
damage has also been caused
in the city from the wind, in
cluding several windows which
have been blown out. Several
garages have also been blown
down while others tip precari
ously as the high winds sweep
through the city.
5 Escape Injury in
Aufo Accident Here
Five persons escaped injuries
and no damages to the car were
reported when a 1941 Studebaker
went off the road Tuesday. No
vember 21, in a highway accident.
The car skidded on the icy road
as it was being driven out to the
powder house. The accident oc
currred about 5.30 p.m. when it
skidded for approximately ten
feet before going over on its side.
The five passengers succeeded in
tipping the car back on its wheels.
KENNETH DUMAS TO
VISIT MOTHER IN VERMONT
Kenneth Dumas is looking for
ward to spending Christmas in
the New England states with his
mother, Mrs. Dora Dumas, of
Montpelier, Vermont. Mr. Dumas
has been employed here as the
school janitor.
Stephan, Sh'aron Anderson, Carol
Matthews, Idetta Vietti, Anna
Peterson :fifth and sixth grades,
Ellen St. Riegel; and High School
student Loretta Hibner.
Students appearing on the
Honor Roll who had three or more
straight. A grades are: in the sec
ond grade, Paul Stephan, Kathy
Ferrier; third and fourth grade,
Katherine Burk, Shirley White,
Frances Burk, Annie Stephan,
Arvid Dulok; fifth and sixth,
Duane White; seventh and eighth,
Helen Manthy.
Children Plan Christmas Program
At School as Holidays Approach
Did You-Know?
Did you know that the building
now known as the Valdez drug
store was the Pacific Whaling
Company’s original trading post
and the first building on the pres
ent townsite. Copper City was
the name of the town in those
days when the trading post was
built. It was completed on De
cember 10, 1887. The building is
now owned by Mrs. Clara Wheel
ing.
Did you know that the city
dock has been standing since 1901
when it was built by King Horn?
And that Bill McFee built what is
now called the cannery dock,
which was later turned over to
the city.
Did wou know that Valdez re
ceived its name from Lieutenant
Fidalgo, Spanish explorer who
came to the New World after
Captain Cook had been here. The
Spaniard called his discovery
Puerta de Valdez, which trans
lated means Door to the Valley.
Did you know that the popula
tion of Valdez in 1914 was 2500?
At Ft. Liscum, which is now Day
ville, there were from 70 to 100
soldiers stationed.
ARE HOSTESSES
AT THANKSGIVING
LUNCHEON PARTY
Young ladies of Valdez High
School were hostesses at a
Thanksgiving luncheon November
22 when they entertained for
teachers at the school. The lunch
eon was held at the noon hour at
the school with all of the teach
ers in attendance except one who
was unable to be present.
The young ladies, students of
the High School Home Economics
class, planned and prepared the
menu. It consisted of salad, muf
fins, tea, coffee and baked apple
rings for dessert.
Mrs. George Here
After Extended Trip
Mrs. Gladys George returned
from a six months’ visit in the
states, arrived here on the S.S.
Denali last week. While Outside
she visited friends and relatives
at Washington, Montana and
Wyoming. Mr. George, who was
with her on the trip for two
months, returned to Valdez the
first part of September. He is
employed by the Alaska Hoad
Commission.
On Mrs. George’s return she
brought a new 1951 Kaiser car,
which she shipped from Seattle
on the Denali. Mrs. George and
Mrs. Larry Parker, also of Valdez,
are sisters.
PURCHASE NEW CAR
Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Johnson of
Valdez recently purchased a new
car. It is a 1951 Mercury.
With the Holidays all but here
Valdez school children are busy
learning carols, rehearsing lines
and making plans for the big
Christmas program they are to
put on.
The students at the school had
no more than finished one pro
gram when plans for Christmas
were started. The preceding pro
gram on Tuesday, November 21,
presented at the school gymnasi
um was enthusiastically received
by a packed house.
Appearing on the program were
third and fourth grade children,
who presented two very enter
tainly playlets. High school stu
dents also appearing on the pro
gram offered special music. A
quartet comprised of Shirley
Campbell, Frieda Gregorieff, Lee
Ann Thatcher and Darlene Baker
sang “Steal Away.” Marlene
Baker, soloist, sang “I Am a Pil
grim,” accompanied by Earl
George. Duane White and Lorene
Huddleston also presented a piano
duet.
TWINS FROM PALMER
ENROLL AT SCHOOL
Valdez school believes it has
some kind of a record for twin
students. There are now four
sets of twins attending the school
with the recent arrival here from
Palmer of Lorna Jean and Donna
Smith. The nine-year-old twin
sisters started school Monday, No
vember 27. Lorna Jean is in the
third grade and her twin, Donna
Joan, is a fourth grade pupil. They
are the daughters of Mr. and Mrs.
Edward Smith, who came here
from Palmer to make their home.
Mr. Smith is with McLaughlin
Construction Co.
The other three sets of twins
attending Valdez school are Mar
lene and Darlene Baker, Diane
and Douglas Soward and Marsha
and Marva Alexander. There is
also another set of twins in Val
dez but they are of pre-school age.
Mrs. Kenneth Ham
Leaves on Denali
On her first trip Outside in four
years, Mrs. Kenneth Ham was
aboard the S.S. Denali when it
sailed from Valdez November 17
on its way to Seattle.
Mrs. Ham plans an extended
visit in the states. While in Se
attle she will be the house guest
of Miss Lillian Thompson, sister
of Mrs. Harold Jorgenson of Val
dez. From there she plans to go
on to Vancouver, B. C., and East
ern Canada. Her itinerary also
includes a visit to Los Angeles,
Calif., before returning to her
home at Valdez some time in Jan
uary.
RETURN TO VALDEZ
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Sweeney
and son, Mike, returned home
from Anchorage Tuesday evening,
November 14. They brought with
them their new son, John Jr.,
who arrived as a new' member of
their family on Nov. 7 at the
Providence Hospital in Anchor
age.
Flames Destroy Tool
Shed at West End of
Tunnel Construction
An estimated damage of $7,000
was caused by fire when flames
swept through a tool shed of the
Fox and Gates Company at Mile
16 on the morning of November
25, destroying equipment used in
construction of the tunnel. It is
believed the fire was caused by
a device used to keep a generator
warm, according to Kirk Fox,
head of the subcontracting com
pany which is working on the
tunnel.
The tool shed v.as located at
the west end of the tunnel. Mr.
Fox said that if the wind had
been from the west instead of the
east, all of the company’s expen
sive drills and compressors might
have been destroyed.
LARRY GREGORIEFF.
POLIO VICTIM, IS
BACK HOME AGAIN
Valdez friends extended a
hearty welcome home on the re
turn here of Larry Gregorieff, a
victim of polio, who has been re
ceiving treatment at Mt. Edge
cumbe for the past two months.
Accompanied by his mother,
Larry arrived here by plane last
week on Thursday. While re
ceiving treatment he also attend
ed school at Mt. Edgecumbe, he
told his friends here. Larry left
Valdez in August for the hos
pital. His mother went with him,
expecting to return to Valdez
within a week. When she learned
at the hospital that her son would
be there tor two months, she re
mained with him.
Valdez Folk Brave
Icy Winds to Attend
Thanksgiving Service
On Thanksgiving morning Val
dez folk braved icy gales to wend
their way to a 10 o’clock com
munity service held at the Church
of the Epiphany. The Rev. Mar
vin Wanner led in the service of
Thanksgiving and the Rev. Rich
ard Teeter delivered the morn
ing message.
Special music was also offered
at the service. Mrs. Raymond
Huddleston at the organ accom
panied a vocal trio comprised of
Mrs. Jack Thatcher, Mrs. John
Baker, and Miss Ruth Foy.
GUESTS FIND NO
‘HARD TIMES' HERE
A “hard times” dance held by
the Eagle Lodge at the Eagles’
hall on Wednesday, November 22,
was very well attended and every
one had a “wonderful” time. But,
according to guests attending the
dance, there apparently are no
“hard times” in Valdez as most
everyone who came was dressed
in his very best.
Music for dancing was provid
ed by Mel Hanson at the piano
and Glen Aldrich playing the
drums. Bill Bayou assisted Mr.
Aldrich with the drums later in
the evening. Everyone seemed tc
enjoy most of all the many schot
tisches featured at the dance,
which continued until the wee
hours of the morning.