> The Kenai Peninsula
third year
August 13, 1961
l0c a roP.v Number 42
W M --—
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sras
BIG TWO-DAY CELEBRATION MARKS
KENAI’S 170th ANNIVERSARY
In cooperation with the kenai
Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, Kenai
Chamber of Commerce and the
City of Kenai. All proceeds go
to the CAP for erection of an
aircraft hangar.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, August 19:
7:00 a.m.—Eagle Kock Silver
Salmon Derby — No entrance
fees, open to everyone, bank
fishing only, free camping fa
cilities for the weekend. First
prize: Moose hunting trip with
Andy’s Flying Service, for one
person, plus an IS cubic foot
deep freeze. Second prize: Mod
el 760 rifle, 270 caliber. Third
prize: Complete fishing outfit.
Derby will end 4:00 p.m. Sun
day.
10:00 a.m.—Kenai Days Parade—
Floats, horses and band. His
torical theme to commemorate
Kenai’s 170th anniversary. En
tries will be judged on the
basis of originality of thought,
and design, and continuity of
ideas in the two categories of
“most beautiful” and “most
humorous.” All entries must be
registered w'ith the parade
committee no later than 5:00
p.m. Thursday, August 17,
when further instructions will
be given. Complete details may
be secured from Leo Oberts,
Phone 283-7591.
11:00 a.m. — Carnival Show on
Midway—Games, booths, horse
back riding both days. Home
and Garden Display at Carni
val Grounds. Entries will in
clude vegetables, flowers, jel
lies, jams, bread, cakes and
pies. All entries should be
taken to Mrs. Juanita Coleman,
FAA Apartment House, on
Friday evening, August 18, or
to the booth at the Carnival
Grounds before 10:00 a.m. Sat
urday, August 19.
Art Exhibit — Kenai Library
Building. All area artists are
urged to participate, amateurs
as well as professionals. En
tiles must be either matted or
framed and labeled with ar
tist’s name, title of picture,
medium and price (if for sale),
and should be turned in to
Clarice Kipp, Spurr Motel, Ke
nai, not later than Wednesday
(Continued on Page 12)
2 Die in Kenai Auto Crash
A head-on collision between
two cars at approximately 10
p.m. Sunday, July 31, brought
death to two persons and injuries
to two others. The accident took
place on the Kenai Spur road
about one-half mile north of the
city limits of Kenai.
Dead are Pfc. Nicolas Velaz
ques - Santiago, 20, soldier at
Wildwood Station near Kenai,
who was air-evacuated to the
5040th Air Force Hospital at An
chorage and pronounced dead on
arrival, and Opal Cates, 49, who
died in Seattle on August 5,
several days later.
Injured in the same accident
were Mary Ann Nissen, 17, driv
er of the 1957 DeSoto in which
the soldier was riding, and Gor
don L. Hobbs, 19, driver of a 1955
Oldsmobile, in which Opal Cates
was a passenger.
Velazques - Santiago, formerly
a military policeman at Wild
wood, had separated from serv
ice and was due to rotate on
Aug. 3 for his home in P'nila
deipma, t'a.
Opal Cates came from Long
view, Wash., on June 20 and was
an employee of Columbia Ward
cannery at Kenai. She received
severe fractures of the right leg,
head injuries and internal injur
ies. She was taken to Providence
Hospital in Anchorage by the
Kenai Civil Air Patrol Beaver,
piloted by Carl Swanson and ac
companied by military nurse,
Mrs. Chin Ying, and a hospital
corpsman, both of Wildwood Sta
tion. She was administered oxy
gen and blood plasma enroute.
According to word received in
Kenai by Mary Feldhusen of the
Inlet Cafe, with whom Opal
Cates had been visiting since her
arrival, the injured woman died
on the operating table in a Se
attle hospital this past Saturday
morning. She had been flown
Outside on Friday for possible
surgery.
The Nissen girl, daughter of
Mary and Louis Nissen of Kenai,
received severe cuts, abrasions
and bruises on legs and face.
Hobbs, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doit
aid Hobbs, sustained a broken
left shoulder and right leg. Both
were taken to Providence Hos
pial in the same Air Force plane
which evacuated Velazques-San
tiago.
Charles “Red” Pauley, chief of
police of the city of Kenai, said
the Nissen car was headed north
toward Wildwood at the time of
the accident, apparently enroute
to take the soldier back to post.
The other car, driven by Hobbs,
was headed south toward Kenai.
Both cars were towed into
Kenai and were pronounced to be
completely wrecked. Investigation
of the crash is still pending and
the fault of the accident has
not as yet been determined.
Land Transfers
Srus! Be Recorded
Land owners are advised by
Mrs. Francis Torkilsen, city clerk
of Kenai, to notify her office at
once of any change in ownership
in order that tax rolls be kept
accurately and up to date.
“If the correct owners of prop
erty could receive the tax notices,
it would avoid much delinquency
in tax payments, making it fi
nancially easier on taxpayers a id
easier on the city clerk’s staff, ’
Mrs. Torkilsen said. “If change
of ownership is recorded immedi
ately most of these taxes will
not become delinquent.”
Correct listing of all names in
volved in the transfer and box
numbers or other mailing ad
dresses are likewise important,
she added.
“Dusty” to CAP Camp
At least one local cadet, Dus
tin “Dusty” Rhodes, will attend
the two week Civil Air Patrol
encampment to be held at Elmen
dorf Air Force base this month.
“Dusty” plans to participate in
camp contests and activities from
August 14 to 26. He may be ac
companied by one or more other
local cadets, names of whom have
not been announced as yet.
A <iouDie tragedy brought
death to two North Kenai boys
last Wednesday evening when
Mickey Van Skye, 10, and Johnny
Seaman, 11, drowned in Bernice
Lake near their homes just off
Miller Loop road.
Johnny Seaman and Mickey
Van Skye accompanied on foot
by Bryan McCoy 9, Steven Smith
K, Jeff Smith C, and Peanuts
Miller 10, were riding horses by
Bernice Lake, when they decided
to swim their horses in the lake.
V isitor Bryan McCoy 9. son of
■Mac McCoy of Lake Otis Hoad,
Anchorage who turned out to be
a very level headed boy ami did
all the right things when the
tragedy occurred, tells what hap
pened in his own words.
"Johnny Seaman was swim
ming his horse and tried to get
the horse to go in deeper water
The horse balked and Johnny
tell off and when the horse
turned to swim back to shore
it accidentally kicked Johnny.
Johnny was hurt and kept
yelling for help and Mickey took
his horse ‘Shorty’ in to help
Johnny, When he (Mickey) got
out there they both got on Mick
ey’s horse ‘Shorty’ and then
‘Shorty’ got excited and they
both fell off in the water.
“I turned to tell Steven Smith
to go after them and when 1
looked back they were gone and
‘Shorty’ was swimming ashore.
“Steven and Peanuts ran up to
the house (the homes of the two
boys are just across the road
from each other about 300 yards
from the lake) to get help.
“I started to pull my clothes
off to go after them but they
(Steve and Peanuts) got Larry
Van Skye and Mike Seaman
(brothers of Mickey and Johnny)
who came right down and pulled
them out of the water.
“Elsie (Johnny’s mother Mrs.
Carl Seaman), Mr. Van Skye
and Denny (Van Skye) and Gary
Kodyzs came right away anti Mr.
V an Skye and Denny began giv
ing them artificial respiration.
“Then a lot of people came."
The people were the friends
and neighbors who did what they
could, and the Army Medics from
W ildwood Station who under the
directions of Post Surgeon, Cap
tain Peter Webber worked for
three hours in a vain attempt
to revive the two boys.
Carl Swanson of the CAP
rushed the CAP resuscitator to
the scene to augment the one
from Wildwood Station. Working
with Dr. Webber were Sp. 5 Her
bert Otis, Sp. 5 Stanley Matsu
moto, Sp. 5 Thomas Malloy. Sp. 5
Noah Menard and Pfe. Patsy
Serrianni.
( apt. Albert Kimall, Cnidr. Hq.
& Signal Operations C’o. and
members of his company assisted
in procuring extra oxygen and
other equipment needed.
Jimmy Hollingswort i, Charles
Archer and George Robinson of
the Kenai Fire Department
brought equipment from Kenai
and assisted with the artificial
16spiration an<i filling of oxygen,
bottles.
Also assisting were Jackie
McGahann, Jack McGuire, Jim
Arness, Red Peaveley, the Rev.
i* ather James \ an Hoomisen and
many others.
Rosary for Johnny Seaman
wa» recited Thursday In Our
l.ady of the Angels Catholic
Church in Kenai amt the Rev.
James Van Hoomisen said mass
for Johnny on Friday.
Services for Mickey Van Skye
were conducted by Rev. Daniel
Harlan in the Kenai Methodist
Church on Friday morning. All
of the stores in Kenai closed dur
ing the funerals.
The boys will be buried side
by side in the Seaman burial
plot on the Seaman homestead,
where a sister of Johnny’s is
interred.
Surviving Johnny Seaman are
his parents Carl and Elsie, and
a brother and sister, Mike and
Carla.
Mickey’s surviving family are
parents Wally and Helen Van
Skye, and two brothers Larry
and Denny.
CAP Flies 44 Missions
So Far This Year
Kenai SqUadron of Civil Ait
Patrol, first formed here in 1951
and reactivated in the fall of
1956, is seeking funds to build a
hangar to house the I.-20 Beaver,
the corporate aircraft used in
seatch and rescue missions, emer
gency evacuation and miscellan
eous Wing and Squadron mis
sions,
“The plane cannot be on in
stant call if sitting outside dur
ing cold winter months. If .t is
to be available to the community
for emergency use it must be
housed within an adequate shel
ter so that engines will be warm
and ready to respond at a mo
ment’s notice,’’ Squadron officials
pointed out.
Parent Organization
Last winter, the CAP Wing
supplied funds for hangar rental
for the four coldest months. Such
funds are not available this year.
It is up to the Squadron, through
aid of the community it serves,
to provide such shelter.
The Air Force supplies the
Squadron with such surplus
equipment as is available to it,
such as the present L-20 Beaver.
Wing also assists with purchase
of fuel and oil. Wing headquar
ters aided the Kenai Squadron
in obtaining its newly acquired
resuscitator, which already lias
been used three times, the first
time to administer oxygen to a
heart patient in flight.
The local Squadron, under com
mand of Major Glenn Kipp, al
ready has flown 44 missions this
year. It has its own quonset hut
where meetings are held, pays its
own fuel and utility bills on the
quonset and buys its own air
plane fuel if the plane is used
on Squadron business other than
mission flights.
Glenn Kipp, electrical contract
or and motel operator, has been
commander of the Kenai CAP
Squadron since the winter of
1956-57, succeeding acting com
mander Phil Ames, who at that
time was with the marshal’s of
fice in Kenai. Earlier command
ers of Kenai CAP include Jim
Hartley and Harry White. Also
actively working with CAP in its
formative yeais were George
Dennison, Frank Hall and others.
George Dennison, in earlier
years of the Sqqadron, was ca
det commander in charge of an
active cadet group before the
Squadron was reaeivated in 1956.
Dorothy Sandstrom, one of the
(Continued on Page 3)