Thought of the Week
Life would be more sensible
if people would be.
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
BUILD
SUTTON ELECTRICAL
CENTER
WRITE YOUR
CONGRESSMAN
VOLUME 15, NUMBER 46
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. AUGUST 8. 1983
EIGHT PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
Reporters—
Notebook
Molly and Art Pierson write
from Grasston, Minn, that they
are settled in an apartment in
Art's home town, with mem
bers of his family nearby.
Have had some nice summer
weather—a few days a little
too warm for comfort,” Molly
said. Their address is Route
1, Grasston.
* * *
Gordon R. Yerbich, machin
ist's mate first class, USN, son
of Mrs. Juanita Melendy of
Palmer, is serving aboard the
nuclear-powered attack air
craft carrier USS Enterprise,
currently operating with the
Sixth Fleet in the Mediterran
- an and slated to return to the
f nited States late this sum
mer. Recent ports of call for
the carrier include Genoa. Ita
ly. and Rhodes, Greece.
The Enterprise, an Atlantic
Fleet unit, normally operates
out of Norfolk, Va.
* * *
Mr and Mrs. George Wor
• edge of Fairbanks and Mrs.
Lottie Quam of Seattle are con
cluding a week's visit with the
Worledge's son and daughter
in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wor
iedge of Palmer. George and
Amy Worledge are former Pal
mer residents. Mrs. Quam is
Amy’s mother and Jack’s
grandmother.
* * *
Cadet Fred W. Barnes, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Glen W. Barnes
of Palmer, is engaged in field
training at Camp Buckner,
N. Y. Cadet Barnes is a mem
ber of the class of 1966 at the
U. S. Military academy at West
Point.
During the summer training
session, the cadets receive first
hand knowledge of infantry
skills needed for future mil
itary leadership.
Barnes is a 1962 graduate of
Palmer high school.
Carol Hartung. daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Hartung
of Palmer, is at home for a
visit of several weeks. Carol is
a dental assistant in pedatonics,
working with student dentists
at the University of Washing
ton in Seattle.
* * •
Mrs. Robert Johns of Detroit
is now in Palmer making ar
rangements for the sale of
their home here. She plans to
stay for the hunting season.
Her son, Vic, graduated from
high school in Detroit this year
and has recently joined the
U. S. Navy.
* * *
Mrs. John Robert Reed re
turned to Palmer last night af
ter a six-months’ stay with her
parents in Arkansas. She and
their two children, Susie and
Philip, will join “Johnny Bob”
in Anchorage.
Joyce Kerttula,
id Smith to Run
George Ed Smith and Joyce
’‘"-Kerttula, both of Palmer, are
circulating petitions for school
board posts in the proposed
Sept. 17 Captain Cook borough
election. Seven other petitions
have been picked up, but with
no definite affirmation as to
who will circulate them, ac
Searcb Goes On
For Fisherman
Private parties are continu
ing the search for Billy G.
Bailey, 32, Wasilla fisherman
who was washed overboard
early Saturday from a barge
anchored in Cook Inlet.
After high winds swamped
the barge at about 4 a.m., his
wife, the former Maria Garcia
of Wasilla, was washed ashore
two hours later. Her husband
was last seen clinging to a red
buoy keg in the water.
A Point McKenzie ham radio
operator radioed the news of
the disaster to Anchorage, and
the Rescue Coordination Cen
ter at Elmendorf launched the
search and rescue of Mrs. Bail
ey.
Mrs. Bailey, 20, was a 1960
candidate in the Miss Matan
uska Valley contest during the
fair of that year.
cording to Emily St. Pierre.
Palmer city clerk, and Dorothy
Saxton, deputy magistrate.
Of the seven, three are for
the school board, three are for
borough assemblyman, and one
is for borough chairman.
The petitions, which must be
signed by fifty qualified vot
ers outside the incorporated
limits of Palmer and Anchor
age, are due back in secretary
of state Hugh Wade’s office
on Aug. 17, which is a week
from Saturday.
Residents of Section 1, which
includes Talkeetna, Big Lake,
Matanuska, Wasilla, Willow
and Tyonek voting precincts,
have taken out the petitions
for borough assemblyman and
borough chairman, the two of
fices reported.
As yet, no petitions have
gone to the Section 2 area
from the two Palmer offices.
Section 2 includes Butte, Eska
Sutton, Eklutna, Chugiak and
Eagle River precincts.
TAKES NEW POST
Cole McFarland has been
transferred by Joint Ventures,
Inc., to California, and Hugh
Matheson has been appointed
general manager of the Evan
Jones Coal Mine in Cole’s
place.
Petitioners' Injunction
Suit Filed Yesterday
FAIR FOOD HAS
EXOTIC SOUND
Nobody will go hungry at
the Alaska State Fair this year.
Although the dining hall will
be converted this year to
youth organization displays,
just about any kind of food a
fairgoer might desire will be
available on the grounds.
Foods of an exotic nature—
pizzas, barbecues, tacos, home
made chili, fried pies, and fud
ge from a famous West Coast
candy maker will al be vend
ed by various organizations.
And there will be a soft ice
cream booth—also homemade
doughnuts and coffee—and of
course the usual hot dogs,
hamburgers, pronto pups, soft
drinks and sno-cones.
Of all the times to write this
story—just before lunch.
CONTEST TO BE
JUDGED SUNDAY
Judges will evaluate home
surroundings in the city of Pal
mer on Sunday, Aug. 11, then
will make their decision on
winners of the home beautifi
cation contest being sponsored
by the Matanuska Valley Gar
den Club.
Scoring will be based on a
numerical value of 100 and di
vided into five ratings: excel
lent, 100-81; good, 81-61; fair,
60-41; poor, 40-21; and very
poor, 20-1.
The judges will apply one of
these five ratings to each of
10 categories—general overall
appearance (first impression);
house condition (upkeep and
finish); front yard, general
(clutter or neatness); front
yard, general (indications of
planned landscaping); front
yard, specific (presence of
lawn); front yard, specific
(presence of permanent trees
and shrubs); front yard, speci
fic (presence and condition of
flower gardens); front yard,
specific (walk, drives, parking
areas and their maintenance);
living areas, private outside
(neatness, pleasantness, useful
ness); and service areas (pro
vision for home garden, burn
ing trash, hanging clothes,
etc.).
First prize will be $75; sec
ond, $50; and third, fourth,
and fifth, $25 each.
Would Slop Sept. 17
Captain Cook Vote
Filed yesterday in Third Dis
trict Superior Court Anchor
age) was the Matanuska-Susit
na petitioners' injunction suit
against the State of Alaska, at
torneys Burton Biss and Wen
dell Kay of Anchorage said to
day.
The suit, if successful, will
hop the proposed Sept 17
Captain Cook borough election
and will require Ronald Cease
of the Local Affairs Agency to
process the Matanuska- Susit
na petition.
An appeal from the Local
Boundary Commission’s deter
mination in extending the
boundaries of the proposed
Captain Cook borough to in
clude the Election District 7
urea was filed by the two at
torneys last week.
No date has yet been set to
hear the case, Biss said this
morning.
The suit is being financed by
i voluntary contributions. Those
' who wish to assist may leave
| their contributions at D & A
Grocery, Hartley Motors. Auto
i motive Parts and Equipment
j Co., Betty’s Dress Shop, and
i Thrifty Variety. The western
' area of District 7 has already
| fulfilled its share of the fin
i ancial obligation for the suit.
| Definite arrangements appear
! not to have been made for col
Anchorage Group
To Tour Farms
Valley farmers and mem
| bers of the Matanuska Valley
Chamber of Commerce will be
hosts to members of the Anch
j orage Chamber of Commerce
on Friday, Aug. 16, when the
guests will tour Matanunska
Valley farms.
I The tour will begin at 11 [
a.m., with the visitors to be
I transported in several buses.
| Local people will serve as hosts
| aboard each of the buses.
After the farm tour, the An
chorage chamber members will
| be taken to the Eugene Reid
farm, where a barbecue lunch
eon will be served, out of doors
if the weather permits.
Cooperation of the local
farmers in making the tour a
success was asked this week by
Stewart A. Durrant, general
manager of Matanuska Maid.
Inc. and local chamber mem
ber. “Our guests are the peo
ple who buy our produce,” ho
pointed out.
lection of funds in the Palmer
Indepi ndent School District
area, hut persons living there
may It-; ve their contributions
at anv of the above-name;
busine. . -places.
The Willow Civic Organize
tion 1 promised “unqualified
supo:' of the legal suit, and
has notified Robert Vroman,
chairman of the Mati.nuska
Susitr.a oetitioners, that 'u
group now in the proci - of
raising funds to help defra;.
court costs.
“We were appalled to learn
that the petition . . . that most
of the Willow residents signed
was ignored by the borough
commission. We wish to re
affirm our desire to he in
cluded in a borough with Pal
mer instead of Anchorage,” a
letter from Mrs. Lois Fowler,
secretary of the Willow group,
stated.
RITES HERE FOR
RIVER VICTIM
Graveside services were
held at the Palmer Cemetery
on Tuesday, Aug. 6, for Lloyd
H. Stebbins of Cheshire, Conn.
| The young man. who is the
nephew of Mrs. Ruth Schaefer
of Palmer, died Friday as the
result of a heart attack brought
on by shock and exposure
when a boat in which he was
riding on the Kuskokwim Riv
er near Bethel overturned.
Stebbins, 22, was a tempor-1
ary employee of the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game,
and was well known in this
vicinity, having spent several
summers here.
In Palmer for the services!
were his parents, Mr. and Mrs.;
Arthur Stebbins of Cheshire,
and a brother, Arthur, of Hous
ton, Texas. He is also survived
by another brother, Lucius, of
Edmonton, Alberta, who is
married to the former Joan
Hurley.
Stebbins, born March 15, !
1941, in New Haven, Conn., is i
a recent graduate of Oregon '
State University in wild life
management.
At the time of his death he
was assisting in the manage
ment of the commercial and
subsistence fisheries of the
Kuskokwim River in Bethel.
The Rev. Paul Moyer of the
United Protestant Church in
Palmer officiated at the grave
side rites and at a brief ser
vice which followed at the
church.
MISS ALASKA
HERE MONDAY
Colleen Kendall, Miss Alaska
of 1963 and Miss Alaska State
Fair of 1962, will be an honor
guest at the Palmer Kiwanis
luncheon meeting on Monday,
Aug. 12. Also honored will bo
the ten Miss Alaska State Fail
of 1963 candidates.
The ten are Carol Wilson,
jnsored by MTA: Suzi Mot
1 tt. Kirk's Sales and Service
.1 Walt Brie. Fuel: Cara lee
ammermeyer. Fb-rt's Drug in
1 aimer: Lt-ia Whitt. John
n's Fuel Serv ce: Terri Gran
ger, B iS.- H Supnly: Melody
Toomey. Teelani s Country
Store and Cottle's Trucking &
Fuel Service; Mary Boothbv.
Mrak Coal Co. and Evan Jones
Coal Co.: Linda Boainoff, Ben
son's Department Store and
Matanuska Maid. Inc.: Bonnie
Bernath, Bert's Drug, Inc., of
Anchorage; and Lorraine Dun
ne. Rexall Drug Stores.
Colleen, who will represent
Alaska in the Miss America
pageant in Atlantic City this
September, has already adver
tised her home state at several
state beauty pageants—Minne
sota. Vermont, Oregon, and
Washington.
Besides the Kiwanis lunch
eon. Miss Kendall will attend
an informal meeting of the
Palmer Emblem Club on Mon
day evening. The local Emblem
Club'is in charge of the Alaska
State Fair queen contest this
year.
Leslie Whitt is the first of
this year's contestants to qual
ify by selling 350 tickets. The
girls will continue their ticket
sales after qualification, and
a cash award of $75 will go to
the one who sells the largest
number.
Every Day Is
Special at Fair
Every day is special at the
1963 Alaska State Fair, accord
ing to Curly Sutton, manager.
Friday. Aug. 30. will be Kids’
Day. Governor Egan’s presence
on the grounds will be honor
ed on Saturday. Aug. 31 (Gov
ernor’s Day). Sunday. Sept. 1,
is All Saints Day. and Monday
will be devoted to fairtime
fun. It’s Carnival Day.
People who want to enjoy
every day of the four-day show
will be pleased with the sea
son ticket prices. $3.50 for
adults and $2 for children un
der 12. Single admissions for
adults, day or evening, are
M-50, and single admissions
for children under 12 are 75c.
Pre-schoolers will be admitted
’ree.
Mh Camp Comes of Age; Mors
Invited to Tonr Camp, Facilities
wnn me goal ot giving a boy
in trouble a chance to straight
en himself out and try again,
the Alaska Youth and Adult
Authority began several years
ago to build a unique kind of
rehabilitation institution, which
has come to be known as the
Wasilla Youth Camp.
Assessing the achievements
of the camp in its three years
of operation, the citizen’s liai
son committee which was set
up back in 1960 to make the
necessary contacts between the
camp and the community not
ed a number of improvements
when the group met last week
with camp director L. F. Mar
tin and Charles Pfieffer, Youth
and Adult Authority director.
Residents of the community
are invited to stop by the
camp, visit the, permanent
quarters of the boys, and view
the landscaping job, much of,
which the boys have done
themselves, which has made
the camp one of the most at
tractive spots in the area. Po
tential visitors are asked to
call before coming to the camp.
Sidewalks have been put in,
and the boys have constructed
a rock garden fence for the
parking lot. A new log office
has been built by the youths
at the camp, with the supervi
sion of the counselors and with
the assistance of the Adult
Camp, which is located at Mile
58 on the Glenn Highway.
Now under construction is
a basement under the kitchen,
for which the cement block
walls are partially in.
This year the boys have as
sisted with the Wasilla Ceme
tery cleanup and helped to
build the Little League ball
park in Palmer. They have
also taken on the joh of main
taining five roadside campl
ing areas for the state highway
department in the Big Lake
Willow area.
As the camp has built up and
improved, the community of
fers of assistance have leveled
off. Much was done to assist
the project during the early
days by group and individual
efforts.
At present, 23 boys are hous
ed at the camp, a minimum se
curity type of institution. In
cidence of runaways have
been minor, as most of the
youths recognize the camp as
a far more preferable means of
rehabilitation than the state
jails, the only other correction
al institutions in Alaska in
which juvenile offenders can
be housed.
MEA Members Join
In Letter Campaign
The mine-mouth power
plant will he built at Sutton if
2300 members of MEA have
anything to say about it, said
Jim Wilson, chairman of the
Power Development Commit
tee.
“We have written to all
members of MEA urging them
to write a note to the Alaska
Congressional Delegation, in
care of the Power Develop
ment Committee. Box 52. Pal
mer. telling our senators and
representative why the Sutton
Electrical Center should be
come a reality.
“Over 50 letters were re
ceive cl in the first two days and
they clear.> state that building
the in ; e electrical generation
plant at Sutton will put an ec
- foundation under the
RAGE TICKETS
85 OH SALE
Tickets for the Aug. 24-25
Matanuska Road Races may
now be purchased from any
member of the Road Runners,
Skip Schroeder of the Palmer
car club said this week. The $2
purchase price covers both
days of racing, with members
of the armed services to be ad
mitted for SI.50. Tickets may
also be obtained by writing
Box 847. Palmer, and they will
be made available in several
business places.
The outstanding bill to Val
i ley Sand and Gravel will be
i paid first from the net profits
: of the race, then the remaining
I bills incurred for the May rac
es, Schroeder said. Purses will
be made up for the winning
race car drivers after outstand
ing bills are paid.
Plans are being made to han
dle crowd control, the sour note
in the May races. Vehicles
parked on side streets adjacent
to the race track will be im
| pounded. Schroeder said. Traf
fic will be kept moving to the
official parking area.
The August race will employ
the section of track construct
ed last spring, and will not be
run over any portion of the
Glenn highway. Through traf
fic to the Wasilla area will
leave the Glenn Highway at
Bailey Hill street and will pro
ceed directly to Wasilla Road.
The Alaska Sports Car Club,
the participating organization
in the race, estimates about 40
entries in nine classes. Entry
forms are available in the Pal- j
mer area from Hartley Motors.
The entry fee is $25, and the '
deadline for entering the races
is Aug. 15.
Matanuska and Susitna valleys
and that the mine mouth power
plant is capable of producing
electricity at the lowest cost
possible until Rampart is
built,” said Wilson.
“We would like everyone in
the valley to write a letter so
that we can show Senators
Bartlett and Gruening and
Congressman Ralph River
that we understand the impor
tance of this big power plant
to the economy of Alaska
“The decision on the location
of the power plant—either at
Shin Creek in Anchorage or t
Sutton in the valley—will n*
marie by Sept. 1. We have beer;
told that from an cngineeti'v
standpoint the two locations
about balance each other
Therefore, if we want a S12.
0G0.C00 electrical power center
to be built in the valley, we
must make our wishes known
Jim Wilson stated.
LORRAINE DUNNE
ENTERS CONTEST
Tenth of the young women
to enter ihe 1963 Alaska State
Fair, Inc. queen contest is
Lorraine (Lory) Margaret
Dunne, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas J. Dunne of
Homestead Acres, near Arch
orage.
Lorraine, a brunette with
light black hair, dark green
eyes, and a fair complexion
, (with freckles), is a 1963 grad
uate of East Anchorage high
school, where she was a mem
ber of Future Teachers of
America. She took part in her
junior class play and was ac
tive in class council. Her
special school interests were
English, history. French, and
choir.
She is five feet, four inches
tall, weights 126 pounds, and
i measures 37-24-37. Not quite
18 years old. she was born
Aug. 25, 1945 in Milwaukee.
Wise.
Lorraine plans to attend Ste
, phens College in Columbia.
Missouri this fall, where she
will major in retailing and
fashion. She plans to become
a stylist.
In her senior year in high
school, she won third place in
a statewide speech contest, and
received a $350 scholarship to
AMU. Her hobbies are sing
ing, sewing, and skiing.
Miss Dunne will utilize hei
singing talent in the Miss Al
aska State Fair pageant on
Aug. 31.
She is sponsored by Rexall
Drug Stores.
Sniders to be
Hosts at 1963 Fair
Visitors at the 1963 Alaska
State Fair will be greeted by a
couple who helped to create
the legend of Alaska—Mr. and
Mrs. Gerrit "Heinie” Snider.
As the official hosts and hos- j
tess of this year's fair, the cou- '
pie can bring to Alaskan new- j
comers more historical back- |
ground than possibly anyone j
else in the state today.
Mrs. Snider has lived in Al- !
aska 48 years, Heinie 54. They J
have raised four children, and '
have 13 grandchildren and six
great-grandchildren, all of
them Alaskans. They have ex
perienced all the traditional
Alaska living — do without,
make-do, put up a tent, erect a
cabin, train a dog team, match
wits with bear and moose,
make a living by sheer ingen
uity in a rugged new country.
Now, at the age of 77 for
Heinie, 69 for Alice, they live
comfortably in a showplace
home on Lake Lucille near
Wasilla which they erected
themselves and which was
seven years in the building.
Heinie was bom in Monnick
endam, Holland, Alice in New
Amsterdam. Heinie began his
travels at the age of 18, when
he went to sea and saw much
of the world until the spell of
Alaska took hold and kept him
here. Many of his early pros
pecting adventures centered in
the Yukon and about Dawson.
He and Alice were married
in Seattle in 1915. after which
they came to Anchorage.
Heinie was made stationmas
ter at Pittman about 1920, and
the couple have remained >n
the Wasilla area, except for
brief intervals, ever since.
After having been an Alaska
Railroad employee, Alaska
Road Commission foreman,
prospector and miner in the
Willow Creek area, mink farm
er, Alaska territorial senator
and representative, Heinie
found retirement difficult to
accept. Besides constructing
the beautiful Lake Lucille
home and writing his book. So
was Alaska, he became sales
man for all Alaska when he
acepted the job of information
al aide at the Alaska exihbit at
Seattle’s Century 21 in 1962.
Mr. and Mrs. Snider have
postponed a trip to their for
mer home in Holland to serve
as host and hostess for the
1963 fair.