The Kenai Peninsula
«Cheechako
"NEWS FROM THE OIL CENTER OF ALASKA"
SECOND YEAR May 12, 1961 10c a Copy Number 36
AL GHEZZI INJURED BY AIRPLANE PROPELLER
A1 Ghezzi, president of Alas
ka Freight Lines, was injured
last week when he walked into
an idling airplane propeller at
the Kenai airfield.
According to witnesses at the
scene, Ghezzi left a plane pilot
ed by Tom McCahil and was
hurrying to attempt to catch
another flight. He walked into
the still-idling prop and re
ceived severe lacerations to his
arm and shoulder.
Dr. Isaaks was called and by
standers applied a tournequet.
He was aided by Red Grainge,
Charles Murphy and McCahil.
Carl Swanson transported the
injured man to Anchorage in a
Civil Air Patrol airplane.
Air Service
Improvement
Several changes were made
recently in the airline schedules
for the Kenai Peninsula, offer
ing closer connections for
flights to other points and one
day service for those having
business in Anchorage.
Pacific Northern Airlines is
now serving Kenai and Homer
with Lockheed constellations
four days each week. With this
changeover, the flight schedules
were altered slightly.
The new schedules offer bet
ter connecteions with incoming
and outgoing flights in Anchor
age, according to Carl Swanson,
PNA agent in Kenai, as well as
deluxe service before only used
for more distant points.
Cordova Airlines has ar
ranged their schedule from An
chorage to Kenai, Soldotna,
Ninilchik, Homer, Kasilof, Co
hoe, Seldovia and Port Graham,
so it is possible to go into An
chorage on a morning flight and
return the same evening.
The company is operating on
a temporary permit, using Inlet
Airline’s schedule, until the end
of May. While using the tempo
rary permit they are allowed to
fly only a limited weight air
craft.
"The Tempests"—John Monfor, Ernie Jordan and Mike
Burton—played both the Kenai Talent Show Friday night
and the Ninilchik sponsored amateur night, winning second
in the music division on Saturday.
Jet Bombers In Flyover At
Wildwood Sta. Open House
Maj. William H. Winzenread,
commanding officer of Wild
wood Station extends an invi
tation to all residents of the
Kenai Peninsula to attend the
Armed Forces Day Celebration
to be held Saturday, May 13th.
At 12 noon the gates of Wild
wood Station will be thrown
npen to the public for what
should be a memorable after
noon for all our visitors.
Some of the events scheduled
Eor the day include an Open
House of Wildwood Station
from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Earlier
in the morning the 214th Army
Band and a Color Guard from
Wildwood will participate in
the Dedication Ceremony of the
new Kenai Post Office.
Through the afternoon the
Army, Air Force and CAP will
hold open house at the Federal
Parking area of the Kenai Air
port, with guided tours of vari
nus aircraft by the local CAP
cadets. At approximately 1 p.m.
several aircraft wiii fly over
Beach Fishermen Complain
About Road Crew Conduct
Fishermen along Kalifonsky
Beach are rising up in arms in
protest of the treatment re
ceived by state road crews con
structing the pioneer access
road on the beach.
One fisherman, Clinton Duck
er, claims the project engineer,
Jim Burrill, came to his house
without any previous notice and
told him that he must move his
buildings and gear off of his
property, if he didn’t want them
destroyed.
Ducker, who leases two lots
from the Bureau of Land Man
agement, immediately wrote to
Zimmerman of BLM to request
a statement of his rights in the
case.
Zimmerman informed him
that as long as the lease had
not been revoked, the use of the
property was restricted to him
and that the responsibility to
prevent any interference was
in his hands.
It is the state’s plan, Ducker
claims, to remove the gravel
from beneath his property and
push the barn over the bluff
and onto the beach. This would
eventually be scattered along
the beach, ruining nets that the
debris would contact.
He recalled one relatively
small piece of sod from a road
being built last summer went
through five nets, damaging
them seriously and putting a
stop to all fishing with those
nets.
Ducker has also corresponded
with Archie Pearmain, Colum
bia Ward Cannery superinten
dent.
the Wildwood Station area in a
salute to the men in the Armed
Forces and a display of POWER
FOR PEACE. The flyover will
include F-102’s, T-33’s, C-123’s
and B-57 jet bombers.
At 1, 2 and 3 p.m. the STAR
COM (Strategic Army Commu
nications) Operations division
will hold a communications or
ientation, showing off various
pieces of communication equip
ment and informing everyone
of their mission here in Alaska.
It should prove to be a very in
teresting show. Buses will run
from the main post to STAR
COM for these tours.
At 1:30 p.m. the Kenai Junior
High School tracksters will per
form their feats in the track
meet at the post Athletic Field
and the 214th Army Band will
also play during the event for
the enjoyment of the sporting
fans.
A troop display of clothing,
equipment and weapons will be
shown through the day, giving
you an idea of what the Ameri
can Soldier wears and fights
with.
The post TV Station, Chan
nel 8, will hold open house so
that visitors can be shown
around the studios and get an
actual look into the workings
of television that provides in
formation and entertainment
for the soldiers and their de
(Continued on page 5)
U. of A. Honors
Richard Reger
Cadet Maj. Richard D. Reger,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry F.
Reger of Soldotna, was among
the R.O.T.C. cadets awarded at
the first Governor’s Day at the
University of Alaska.
Reger was awarded a Supe
rior Cadet Ribbon Award for
the senior class at the April af
fair. He is a senior student
majoring in geology at the uni
versity.
Two Talent Shows In Kenai
A talent show and an amateur night presented on Friday and
Saturday w'ere the two big events in Kenai last week. The Talent
Show, put on by the Kenai High School under the direction of
teacher Francis Hall and emceed by Jerry Holly, disclosed a
surprising amount of local talent.
Some of the highlights of the show were the “Lollypop Skit”
put on by Lois Eagle and Vera Iazzi, and the singing of Barbara
kj rtourKe. people are sxiu
laughing about Dan Sample’s
impressions of a bride and
groom getting dressed for their
wedding.
Although it would be hard to
select one act out of all the fine
performances given,, the most
applause went to the “Bongo
Trio” consisting of guitarists
John Monfor and Mike Burton
with Ernie Jordon on the bongo
drums.
Prizes were awarded amateur
night which was presented the
following night and sponsored
by the Ninilchik P.T.A. Several
of the acts from Kenai’s talent
show' competed in this show,
along with many additional
acts from Ninilchik and Homer.
Judges Mrs. Allen Petersen,
Rev. Daniel Harlan and Ninil
chik Supt. Don Lawvere, a
warded first prize in the music
al division to Tim Jackinsky for
his piano selection, second went
to the Bongo Trio, third prize
to Chuck Hawkins and his bari
tone horn. Two fourth prizes
were awarded, one to the Kil
cher family for their Swiss song
and to Nancy Tiemann of Ninil
chik who played the accordian.
Prizes in the skit and dance
division were awarded to a skit
titled “Peek into My Album.”
In this skit Beverly Zehrung
played the elderly lady remi
niscing through her photo al
bum w'hile the pictures she de
scribed were acted out in the
background. The hilarious
scenes acted out portrayed her
life from ten years old to a ma
ture twenty-one. In order of
their appearance and the age
of the portrait were Susan Erl
wein 7, Cathy Fletcher 11,
Mary Alice Grainge 14, Lorry
Lancashire 17, and Carla Sea
man 21.
Second prize in this division
went to Fay Kilcher for a ballet
dance.
Although there was no third
prize in this division, Harold
McKibben of Ninilchik came in
for special mention with his
trained dog act.
SATURDAY
IS BIG DAY
IN KENAI
A full day’s schedule is ar
ranged for Kenai this Saturday,
May 13, with Armed Forces
Day celebfation at Wildwood
Station, a major state land sale
and dignitaries swarming in for
the post office dedication.
The U. S. Postmaster General
Edward J. Day, Sen. Ernest
Gruening and state officials will
arrive in Kenai before noon
for dedication of the recently
built post office building.
Following the ceremonies, the
official group will travel to
Wildwood for lunch and from
there return to Anchorage for
another post office opening.
At 1:30 p.m. the state Divi
sion of Lands will conduct a
lease and sale of 42 lots in the
Beaver Creek subdivision. The
sale will be conducted in the
Kenai Fire Hall.
Open for sale or lease is 32
commercial-industrial lots and
10 residential lots. All are
served by all-weather roads.
ELECTION RESULTS
Kenai Election
Kenai residents cast 175 bal
lots, of which three were re
jected. Those elected were as
follows:
Mayor—John Swanson.
Councilman, one-year terms
—Chester Cone, Carl Seaman.
Councilman, two-year terms
—Tom Hayes, Carl Swanson.
Councilman, three-year terms
—Mac McGhan, Dick Morgan.
School Board — Mrs. Glen
Kipp.
The resolution calling for
elections in May was passed by
a margin of 136 to 5.
Soldotna C of C
To Host Senator
Sen. Ernest Gruening will be
in Soldotna May 17th to speak
to the Chamber of Commerce,
according to Red Grange, cham
ber president. The trip is one
to discuss any problems the
community may have and make
a general tour of the area.
Soldotna Election
Sixty residents out of the 70
who registered east ballots in
the Soldotna election. Those
elected to the city council, and
their votes, were as follow's:
Don Wilson, 41; Burton Car
ver, 34; Dal Rorrison, 32; L.
Hirschberger, 30; Ted Grainge,
29, and Dolly Farnsworth, 27.
Two absentee ballots are still
to be counted.
State Receives Area
Land Classification
In a land order appearing in
the Federal Register and signed
by George Gustafson, lands and
minerals officer for the Bureau
of Land Management in An
chorage, 172.57 acres in the
Kenai area were classified as
suitable for lease and sale for
residential purposes under the
small tract act.
The state will have prefer
ence for selection before the
land is opened to general public
land laws.