Atkinson Group Wins Class C Award Veterans’ Wives Capture Honors for Work Toward Hospital By a Staff Writer ATKINSON — The Atkinson Veterans’ Wives club has won statewide recognition for the town in the "Build a Better Community Contest” sponsor ed by the National Federation of Women’s clubs. The Holt county group won first place in the class C div ision in Nebraska, and annouce ment of the win was made Fri day at the annual convention of the Nebraska Federation of Women’s clubs held in Omaha. The AVWC was cited for its amazing record of con ceiting a memorial hospital for the town of Atkinson, launching a fund-drive, rais ing approximately 25-thous and-dollars — all in a little more than a year! Mrs. Lou Verzal, who was AVWC president in 1949, was summoned to Omaha to receive the award. Other officers dur ing the campaign last year were: Mrs. Marceilus Schaaf, vice-president; Mrs. F. J. Man cuso, recording secretary; Mrs Roy Dickerson, corresponding secretary; Mrs. Robert Gaylor, treasurer. Meanwhile, new officers have been installed and they hope to push construction dur ing 1950. They are: Mrs. Ed Humpal, president; Mrs. Don Carroll, vice - president; Mrs. G. E. Gonderinger, correspond ing secretary; Mrs. E. C. Mc Kay, recording secretary; Mrs. Charles E. Chace, treasurer. Extraordinary features of the AVWC is the fact there are only 14 members. All are wives of service veterans. ‘‘Build a Better Community” competition was divided into classes according to size of the clubs. Lexington was presentee first prize among group A clubs, those with more than 150 members. First prize in group B, clubs of 51 to 150 members, went to Howells. Honorable mention in class B was award ed Valley, Columbus and Gor don. Atkinson was first in class C, clubs of up to 50 members. Honorable mention went to Stromsburg, Milligan and Ith aca. Final awards in the na tionwide contest will be made at the general federa tion convention in Boston, Mass., on June 1. A spokesman for the Atkin son group said Monday the 14 members are hopeful of win ning national recognition for their accomplishments. At least, they’re going to try! Four Atkinson women at tended the state convention last week. Besides Mrs Verzal, who received the award in be half of the AVWC, were Mrs. Dickerson, Mrs. Donald Davis, and Mrs. Chace. Meanwhile, a new site for the Atkinson Memorial hospi- I tal has been selected. At a recent meeting of the hospital committee, a site on State street, just 4 blocks from the main square of Atkinson, was selected as the building site. The location is now city owned and was recommended to the committee by the hospi tal site committee. The group voted to accept the recom mendation of the committee. The location is legally de scribed as block 37 of Kimball and Blairs addition to Atkin son. It will provide a readily accessible building place and is located on a street which is blacktopped and is the main street into the city from the east. It will be only 2 blocks west of highway 20. Ground-breaking ceremonies are being outlined now, and more news will be announced shortly. Mrs. W. H. Hasbroock, of West Point, was elevated from vice-president to president at the close of the annual conven tion. M’EACHEN DIES; HEART VICTIM ATKINSON— James A. Mc Eaohen, 55, of Lincoln, former chairman of the state liquor commission and former Lin coln businessman, died of a heart attack Thursday night at his ranch northwest of Atkin son. He was appointed to the li quor commission in 1935 and served 10 years In Lincoln he had been president and part ner of the Pegler - McEachen company, wholesale grocers, now Pegler & Co. Mr. McEachen had come to Atkinson from his home at 1704 Dakota, Lincoln, to look after his agricultural interests. Mr. McEachen was born June 12, 1894, in Cuming coun ty, the son of Robert A. and Adelaide Burke McEachen. He was educated at Wayne high school, Wayne State Teachers’ college and the University of Nebraska where he was a member of Delta Chi fraterni ty. He married Edna C Pegler in Lincoln on August 15, 1923. From 1916 to 1921 ha farm ed at Wayne. In 1921 he join ed the First National bank at Randolph where he was caahier from 1922 to 192.*,. He entered the wholesale grocery business in Lincoln in 1926. Mr. McEachen was a mem ber of the first liquor commis sion when it began to function in 1935. He served until 1945 He was appointed chairman for a two-year term beginning in 1937 and was serving as chair man immediately prior to leav ing the board. He was elected president of the National Con ference of State Liquor admin istrators in 1944. During World War I he serv ed in the army signal corps at Ft. Logan. Colo., and in the of ficers training corps at Louis ville, Ky. He was a 32d degrea Mason. Survivors include: Widow: sons—James A., jr., a medical student at Western Reserve university, Cleveland, O., and Edmund, a law student at th« University of Michigan, Ana Arbor. Mrs. McEachen is the daugh ter of Mrs. E. A Pegler, of Lin coln, and sister of Don Pegler, new president of Pegler Sc C