The Kenai Peninsula
Ckeechako News
“NEWS FROM THE OIL CENTER OF ALASKA”
THIRD YEAR
OCTOBER 20, 1061
10c PER COPY
NUMBER 51
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Kenai Boy Dies of Gunshot Wound;
Funeral Services Held on Thursday
Tragedy struck at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Odman Kooly
of Kena; for the third time when
their son Richard, 15, died Mon
day in his father’s arms while on
emergency flight to Anchorage
for treatment of a gunshot wound
of the head.
In recent years, Mr. and Mrs.
Kooly lost two other sons in tra
gic deaths, one by drowning and
the other killed by vicious dogs.
Richard, who was in the sev
enth grade, came home from
•school tor lunch on Monday, went
into the bathroom and fired a
shot from a .22 caliber pistol into
his temple. The Kooly family
lives in a trailer house not far
frem the Western Comal cafe in
Kenai. Several members of the
family were at home at the time
of the shooting.
The boy gave no indication that
he planned such action, members
of the family said, although he
had seemed despondent for some
time.
Koolj, who is a civilian em
ployee at the Army's Wildwood
Station, rushed his son there for
emergency treatment. Capt. Peter
Webber, post surgeon, requested
emergency evacuation and a Coast
Guard plane enroute to Elmen
dorf Air Force Base from Ko
diak war contacted and picked up
the wounded bqy at Kenai air
port. He was pronounced dead on
arrival at the Air Force hospi
mmmmmm. * *#.; - s WvSS? mi i ■■iimi
RICHARD KOOLY
ta! at Elmendorf.
Richard was born at Anchorage
in L94C. His parents are long
time Alaska residents.
Funeral services were held at
2:40 p.m. Thursday at the Kenai
Chapel with Rev. Fred Crozier
officiating. Burial was at Kenai.
Survivors, in addition to the
boy’s parents, include a brother
and three sisters in Kenai, Glenn,
Jane, Mrs. John Warren and
Mrs. Geo. Schmalzricd, and sis
ters Edith Sellars, Chicago, and
Hilda Graham of Seattle.
ACC/4 Donations Listed
By Kenai Area Chapter
The fund raising drive of the
Kenai Area Chapter of the Al
aska Crippled Children's Assoc,
is continuing under direction of
Mrs. Thomas (Dee Dee) O’Malia,
Jr., over-all chairman of the fund
raising committee, and her co
chairman, Geneva Armitage.
Donations and fund raising
events are starting and resulting
contributions have already been
received from the following per
sons or organizations:
Kenai Commercial Co., $5; Ke
nai Pharmacy $5; Mr. and M:s.
Jack Bachman $5; Kenai Home
maker-- Club $25; Mr. and Mrs.
John Nasworthy $10; Soldotna
Homemakers Club $25; Mr. and
Mrs. Ray Sandstrom $10; Soldot
na Trim Club $10; Birch Lane
Trailer Court $5; and Soldotna
Teenage Club $30 (earned at a
dance held recently).
The Wildwood Station N C O
Wives Club has pledged to pay
$10 every month.
It is estimated that about $1000
will be needed in order for the
Kenai Area Chapter to pay for
the service of a speech and hear
ing therapist to work with area
children for one week every two
months during the current school
year. Dr. Helen Dittman of Anch
orage recently completed h e r
first visit to this area for this
•purpose.
A membership drive also is un
derway with Mrs. Jack Lewis as
membership chain man in Kenai
and Ray Sandstrom heading
the drive in Soldotna. Annual
membership dues are $1, with the
fiscal year starting this past
Sept. 1. Active participation is
encouraged although the dues are
the same for active and inactive
members.
Assisting the all-over fund
raising committee are Soldotna
chairman and co-chairman, Ra
mona Rrennan and Devora Stock,
and Sterling chairman and co
chairman, Audrey Shelman ami
Sally Clanton. Stella Pihokken is
heading the drive at Wildwood
Station.
Other persons who would like
to assist with fund raising or who
have any money-raising ideas are
asked to see Mrs. O’Malia at Qtrs.
104 FFA in Kenai, or Mrs. Bren
nan at the Division of Highways
camp at Soldotna.
Mrs. Lyman McBride, presi
dent of the local chapter, and her
co-workers are reminding the
public that the ACCA is a non
profit agency and all contribu
tions to it may be deducted from
income tax.
Pioneer Girls
Resume Meetings
All girls, ages nine and older,
are invited to meetings of the
Pioneer Girls, which have been
resumed, each Thursday at 3:45
pan. at the Soldotna Baptist
church.
Pioneer Girls is an internation
al girls club planned to develop
the individual character with
such activities as crafts, music,
recreation, Bible exploration,
earning ranks and achievements.
Mrs. Bert Schultz and Mrs.
Jack Lounsbury are leaders in
Pioneer Girls work and will be
assisted by others. The club pre
sents lots of fun combined in one
top notch program, says Rev.
Paul Weimer, pastor of the
church.
Local Demo
Dollar Drive
Underway
The appointment of several Ke
nai Peninsula men and women to
area leadership in the current
1961 Dollars for Democrats drive
has been announced by Mrs. Ruth
Haley Dodds, Southcentral Dis
trict chairman. Anchorage.
Mrs. Lyman IMcBride, Kenai.
and Mrs. Lawrence Lancashire, of
Ridgeway, have been named co
chairmen for the northern sec
tion of the 12th election district.
Mrs. McBride i s program
chairman of the Central Penin
sula Democratic Club, president
of the Kenai Chapter of Alaska
Crippled Children’s Assoc., and
member of the Kenai Health
Council. Mrs. Lancashire is sec
retary of the Central Pen. Demo.
Club and is president of the Ke
nai PTA.
In the Homer, Seldovia, West
Kenai Peninsula and Tyonek ar
ea, for the southern section of
the 12th district, Quincy Benton,
attorney, has been named chair
man. Benton is a member of the
Democratic State Central Com
mittee and is Democratic pre
cinct, chairman in Homer.
The 11th election district (Se
ward to Hope area) is to be head
ed by grate Senator Irwin L. .Met
calf as drive chairman. Metcalf,
a grocer, is democratic precinct
chairman in the Seward area and
a former United States marshal
in Seward.
T h e Dollars for Democrats
drive is being conducted primar
ily through precinct organization
during the month of October.
Friday Meet Set
By Homemakers
Club at Sterling
The first meeting of the Sterl
ing Homemakers Club has been
set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20,
at the community building. All
women in the area interested in
the organization of the club are
urged to be present.
Mrs. Gladys Musgrove, home
demonstration agent from Hom
er, will be present and will as
sist the club in planning projects
for the year.
ACCA Meeting
Called Tuesday
A meeting of the Kenai Area
Chapter of the Alaska Crippled
Chidren's Assoc, has been an
nounced for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct.
24, at the home of the chapter
president, Mrs. Lyman McBride,
Birchwood Park, Kenai.
All interested persons are in
vited to attend the meeting
v. h:ch will he for the purpose of
discussing fund raising for con
tinuing the speech and hearing
therapy work among area chil
dren and for the coming Easter
Sales campaign.
Mrs. McBride said the Officers
Wives club at Wildwood Station
is to sponsor a benefit sometime
in November.
First Degree Murder Charge
Filed in Death of Bar Owner
James Franklin Bush, 21, 'Sol
dotna unemployed laborer, con
fessed Saturday to the Oct. X
•' laying of Jack Edward Griffiths,
TO, co-owner of the Circus Bar
located on the Sterling Highway
near Soldotna.
Bush has been charged with
first degree murder. He waived
a preliminary hearing and is be
ing held in Federal Jail in An
chorage in lieu of $30,000 hail
set at his arraignment. Judge
Edward Davis has appointed An
chorage attorney Wendell Kay to
icpresent Bush after the latter
took a pauper’s oath in Superior
Court Tuesday.
Busii went to State Police head
puarters Saturday to take a poly
graph test, telling officers he
planned to join the Navy and
wanted to clear his name of any
suspicion in connection with the
bar owner’s death.
It previously had been ascer
tained that the men had quar
relled after Griffiths had object
ed to Bush’s attentions to one of
Griffiths' daughters.
During police questioning, Bush
reportedly broke down and ad
mitted striking the blows which
killed the bar owner, lie told of
ficers he knocked on the door
of Griffiths’ home and Was told
to enter. Griffiths was in bed
and printed a rifle at him, Bush
saio.
Bus! confessed he grabbed a
piece of stove wood, knocked the
nfle aside and struck the victim
<11 the head twice with the piece
of wood. Me said he then left the
house, alter turning out the lights
ami tossing the wood aside, am
did net return.
State investigators, including
Trooper Wayne F. Morgan o:
Kenai, are still endeavoring to tie
up loose ends of the case by
questioning of other witnesses
and seeking the murder weapon.
1 liberal services for the victim
wi re held in Kenai Monday at
the First Methodist Church with
services being conducted by
Kcith Fuhriman. branch president
of Kenai branch of the Church
of Jesus Christs of Latter D a y
Satnts and the Alaska-Ganadiar.
mission. Burial was at Kenai.
Griffiths, who was a World
War II veteran and a resident
of Soldotna for the past five
years, is survived by his parents.
Mi-, and Mrs. Lewis Griffiths-;
liis wife, Alice, of the home; their
five children, Mrs. Rhoda Den
brpck of Big Delta, Delores, Tee
la, Lou Ellen, Jacqueline anc
John, nil of the home address:
and three sisters, two in Utah
and one in Colorado.
Redevelopment
Meeting for Area
Planned Saturday
An area redevelopment com
mittee organizational meeting is
planned for 1 p.m. this Satin:day
(Oct. 21) at the Kenai high
school. Delegations have prom
ised to attend from Homer and
Soldotna areas and much interest
has been displayed by other com
munities on the Peninsula, it has
been reported.
James E. Fisher. Kenai Cham
ber of Commerce representative
to the meeting, is reminding Pen
insula residents that any group
on the Peninsula may send a rep
res* ntative to the meeting, pur
pose of which is to formulate an
overall economic development for
the entire Kenai Peninsula. Eith
er ’s also attorney for the City
of -Kenai.
“When the program has been
de veloped it will enable private
businesses, community groups
and local governments to apply
for federal lore interest loans and
in some cases grants," Fisher
says.
"After the over-all economic
development program is approved
it is possible to get grants of
funds for public works which will
increase employment. If an indi
vidual business can qualify under
t:;c urogram, Small Business Ad
ministration loans at four per
cent interest may be obtained,'
FA her concluded.
reward IVian
T© Head C.D.
In Peninsula
Ray Billens, Seward, will suc
ceed Don Lowell as director of
the Kenai Peninsula Civil Defense
district. Billens, a Cordova Air
line;- official, is a member of the
Seward planning and zoning coni
mi-sion, the state fish and gam
advisory board and is an active
member of the Civil Air Patrol
Lowell, who headed the Kena:
CD district since 1959 and hah
preciously served as head of th-.
program in the Greater Seward
district since 1950, has moved to
Anchorage where he succeeded
Gordon Severson as director o:
the Alaska Office of Civil De
fense. Severson recently resigneu
to enter active military service
Lowell, manager of the Sev
an) Division of the Alaska Tele
phone Corp. and manager, eng:
(Continued on Page 11)
© SEE— SEWARD MAN
Have Ambulances - Need Drivers
A MEETING TO ORGANIZE AN AMBULANCE CORPS IS
TO BE HELD AT 7:00 P.M., THURSDAY, OCT. 27, AT THE
SOLDOTNA SCHOOL. JIM MASSOCK, FIRST AID IN
STRIA TOR, MILL SPEAK AND SHOM' A FILM.
Blood Donors Urgently Needed
O-Xegativo and A-Xegative type blood may be needed within
the next lew da\s at the < linic in Soldotna, Dr, i‘aul Isaak
said Fridaj morning. He is requesting that possible donors with
either of the blood types stop by the Clinic at once.