*
I™'* __^ ten
jf= ^Frontier S
North-Central Nebraska’s BIG Newspaper
Volume 73. Number 3. O’Neill, Nebraska, Thursday, May 21, 1933. Seven Cents
=============—-—_____
120 Rural Eighth
Graders Promoted
—
I
13 in Class
(See photo below)
One hundred twenty Holt
county rural school eighth grad
ers formally were promoted
into high school in graduation
exercises held here Wednesday,
May 13, in the O’Neill public
school auditorium. Prior to the
exercises the group posed for
the camera with Miss Alice L.
French, Holt county superintend
ent of public instruction.
Miss French announced that
13 members of the class were
rated “superior” students.
The honor group, according to
o standing, follows;
Nancy Paul, district 18V4;
Linda Serck. 20; Janies Brew
ster. 73; Gene O'Neill, 14;
Richard Sweet, 218; Mary
Clare Gilg, 99; Linda Cronk,
110; Ronnie Frickel, 74; Gary
Holcomb, 212; Ardath Barnett,
228; Charlene Mahoney, 121;
Douglas Auman, 88; Leo James
Burival, 9.
The program included proces- 1
sional Mendelssohn music by
Vera Ernst and Edward Price;
invocation by Rev. R. W. Olson,
pastor of Christ Lutheran church;
“America” sung in unison; flag
salute, led by Merton V. Welch
of Norfolk.
Four selections were sung by
the lower grades chorus directed
by Mrs. Etha Walters: “I Don't
Want, to Play in Your Yard.”
“Look Out the Window,” “Five
Little Ducks” and “That Doggie
in the Window.”
“The Past Is the Foundation”
was the title of a speech given
by Gary Holcomb of district 212.
Ardath Barnett of district 228
played the piano solo, “Artist’s
Life” by Strauss followed by
selections by the fourth, fifth,
sixth and seventh grade chorus,
“Old Folks at Home,” “Chia
panecas” and “Shortnin’ Bread,”
directed by Mr. Welch.
Gene O’Neill of district 14 was
heard in the piano solos, “Dan
gerous Journey” and “Little
Star.” The eighth graders sang,
“While Strolling Through the
Park.”
O’Neill City School Supt. D.
E. Nelson delivered an address,
“Four Corner Stones.” Miss
French presented awards and
diplomas and Bonnie Burival of
district 90 sang “Pretend” and
“On Moonlight Bay.”
Benediction was offered by
Reverend Olson and soft drinks
were furnished by the Chamber
of Commerce.
Members of the class, in addi
o tion to the top 13 students, are:
■t
District 14—Dean Johnson; 16 -
— ‘Vemetta Krogh, Demaris
Lindberg, Bennett DeVall; 18—
Josie Adams, Marjorie Rahn,
Sharon Arp, Gary Arp; 20—Don
na Perry; 23—Sharon Crumly;
32—Rexford Carson; 37—Cecelia
Matthews; 38—Doris Hrbek; 33
—Gregg Kemper, Ronald Sum
mers; 47—Walter McIntosh.
District 49—Brenda Cole, Glen
Miller, Ruthie Vonasek; 53 —
Dean Obermire, Donald Ober
mire, Gene Stems; 55—Harold
Heese; 56—Edith Butterfield; 57
Garry Neisius; 62 — Pauline
Strong; 65—Keith Halsey, Ray
mond Strong; 72—Raymond Mc
Nair; 73 — David Roby; 76 —
Thomas Welsh; 77—Artha Pacha,
Bernac'ine Rossman; 79 — Mar
jorie Dobias, Richard PoessneCk
er; 80— Judy Sanders, Gordan
Slaight; 81—Dick Bogue; 82 —
Deanna Fried; 84—Rosalie Wabs.
District 86—Alice Allyn; 87—
Donald Mikklesen, Ruth Ann
Scott; 89—Mary Disterhaupt; 90
—Ronnie Burival, Arnold Babl,
Gary Braasch; 91— Violet Hor
ton, Wayne Root; 99 — Vernon
Anderson; 100—Rodrick Hughes;
107 — Edythe Grimes, Dwayne
Walter, Richard Young; 108—
Marvin Hawk; 110—Carol Soj
ka; 115—Mable Harkins; 118 —
Merrell F o r s 1 u n d, Laverne
Stamp, Francis Heumesser; 119—
Donald Pettinger; 121— Richard
Hansen; 122— Norma Kopejtka,
Judy Juracek.
District 125 — David Wright;
127—Evelyn Pritchett, Marvin
Young, Robert Young; 128 —
Dennis Cunningham; 131—Rose
Marie Emesti, Linda Tuttle; 134
—Gloria Jean Pavel; 136—Elvin
Vanderbeck; 146 — Maurice
Schindler, Bemadine Keeler; 147
—Larry Schaaf; 150 — Frances
Ernst; 163— Dorine Gleed, Del
bert Farewell; 165 — Shirley
Melcher; 168—Mary Straka; 173
—Bennie Taylor; 174 — Neddie
Boyle, Theresa Boyle; 178—La
trelle Burrell; 180—Kay Butter
field; 183—Arlene Radcliff; 203—
Evelyn Kaup, Robert Mitchell.
District 206—Edith Pokorney:
212—Marleine Ermer; 213—Ro
land Bouska, Edwin Prussa; 218
—Patricia Allyn; 228— Dorothy
Fisher; 232—Don Minnig, Jean
Moeller, Joan Moeller; 233 —
Jeanette Wolf, Janice Hall; 242
—Larry Karr, Claudene Raymer;
246 — William Focken; 18% —
Robert Miller; 96 — Alice Fre
richs, Freddie Frerichs; 3—Allen
Wyant.
Residents Asked
to Wear Poppies
Saturday, May 23, will be
poppy day in O’Neill.
Volunteer workers of the Am
erican Legion auxiliary and jun
ior auxiliary members, with Mrs.
Dean Streeter as poppy chair
man, will canvass the downtown
district throughout the day.
One day out of each year res
idents are asked to wear a pop
py made by disabled war veter
ans in the various hospitals. O'
Neill’s poppy quota has been in
creased five hundred over pre
vious years.
Mayor J. E. Davis has pro
claimed Saturday official poppy
day in O’Neill.
Returns from Korea
R. L. Rossman, FN, (above)
arrived Monday at San Diego,
Claif., aboard the navy’s USS
Gregory DD802, after serving
eight months near Korea and
Japan. He is the son of Mrs.
Gertrude Rossman of Atkin
son. Upon his arrival in the
U.S. he telephoned his fiancee,
Miss Betty Dailey of O’Neill.
Vargason Burial
Sunday at Newport
Lifelong Resident of
Rock
NEWPORT—Funeral services
were conducted at 2:30 p.m.,
Sunday, May 17, from the Meth
odist church in Newport for
George Lee Vargason, 49, who
died Thursday, May 14, in an
Omaha hospital. Death was
caused by a cereberal hemorrage.
Rev. Homer Hix officiated and
burial was in Bassett Memorial
park with the Newport Odd
Fellow's conducting graveside
rites. Pallbearers were David
Peacock, John Hasch, Leo
Slachetka, Jimmie Foxworthy,
Frank (Martelle and Frank
Keller.
Esli Sparks, Clifford Farr,
Lorena Keller and Mona Stoic
part sang “There’ll Be No Dis
appointment in Heaven” and
Beyond the Sunset”, accom
panied by Gertrude Keller as
organist.
George Lee Vargason was
born at Newport March 12, 1904.
He spent his entire life in the
Newport community. On Nov
ember 22, 1924, at O’Neill he
married Opal Snelson. They
became the parents of a daugh
ter, Doris Lila, who died in 1946.
Survivors include: Widow:
sisters—Mrs. Pearl Christensen
ind Mrs. Viola Slachetka, both
>f Newport; brothers—Walter of
\ins worth and Earl of Newport.
Those attending the funeral
:rom a distance were: Mr. and
Mrs. Wayne Sanford of Albion,
Mr. and Mrs Pete Bartlett and
Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Christensen
of Aurora, Mr. and Mrs. Ora
Bartlett of Harvard, Mr. and
Mrs. Orville Vargason of Wood
kake, Bert Chambers of Millboro,
S. D., Mr. and Mrs. Wayne
Chambers of Bonesteel, S. D.,
Orville Pickett and John Park
of Wakefield.
Speeding Teenager
Fined $15, Costs
Lester Walton, 16, a high
school sophomore, Wednesday
afternoon was fined $15 plus $4
costs on charges of speeding
filed in Justice H. W. Tomlin
son’s court.
Walton admitted driving at
excessive speed on East Adams
street during the Monday noon
hour. He drives a “firechief red”
1942 model car.
A complaining witness pointed
cut to the court that 30 children
reside along the route Walton s
car raced ‘‘at a dangerous rate
of speed—at least 40 miles per
hour.”
Justice Tomlinson lectured
Walton and pointed out that
Walton was not the only speed
er among youthful drivers.
FATHER DIES
Mr. and Mrs. John Gilstrap
received word that his father,
Kelly Gilstrap, died Sunday
morning at Glenwood Springs,
Colo. Mr. Gilstrap left the same
day for Glenwood Springs to
make funeral arrangements.
Mrs. J. W. Ressel returned
Tuesday from Plainview where
she had spent a month visiting
her daughter, Mrs. John Sen
sehev.
8 Blocks in
City to G et
Paving Soon
2 Street Improvement
Districts in Center
of Town Established
The city council in special
session Friday night adopted
ordinance 260-A which provides
for the establishment of two
street improvement districts.
The ordinance proposes pav
ing and improving eight blocks
of city streets forming a square
on the outer boundaries of the
four main business blocks which
center on the corner of Fourth
and Douglas street (traffic sig
nal) in the heart of the city.
Action of the council follow
ed numerous requests and sug
gestions from citizens for
street improvements from var
ious sections of the city and
consultation with James
Thorburn of Norfolk, special
engineer.
Thorburn was present and ex
I plained the many phases of pav
ing and street improvement
problems. The improvement
would help solve parking con
gestion and help take the heart
of the city out of the mud and
gravel.
Ordinance 260 - A, which was
adopted, provides for grading,
guttering, paving and other im
provements on these eight lineal
blocks which may be defined as:
Everett street (from Third to
Fifth); Fifth street (from Ev
erett to Clay); Clay street (from
Fifth to Third), and Third street
(from Clay to Everett).
Although it is not definitely
decided as yet, it is proposed
that the width of the paving
would be 40 feet, which would
allow for parallel parking on
both sides of the streets with
two 12-foot driving lanes be
tween. Costs of the intersections
and alley intersections would be
paid by the city, and the city
would also pay for a portion of
the street proper in front and on
the sides of lots. The balance of
the costs would be paid by spe
cial assessment against the prop
erties in the same block bene
fitted.
The cost of paving streets
on the side line of comer lots
would be pro-rated among the
adjacent lots to the center of
each block on a sliding scale
according to proximity to the
paving.
The legal procedure involves
the passage of an ordinance by
the council for the creation of
the districts. This appears in this
issue of The Frontier. Thereaf
ter, a public notice must be pub
lished for a period of two weeks,
and resident abutting property ]
owners are permitted 20 days :
within which to make and file i
written objections with the city i
clerk. In the event that 51 per- ;
cent of such owners object, then
the ordinance is repealed and
the matter dropped.
Otherwise, the city is empow
ered to proceed with contract
ing and construction. Bonds are
issued in payment of the im
provements and are payable in
installments over 10 years. The
installments can be paid in ad
vance if desired. The assess
ments against individual prop
erties are worked out by the city
council after public hearings.
Engineer Thorbum stated that
on the basis of the estimates, the ,
costs per running foot on the ,
front side of lots abutting the ,
pavement would not exceed ■
$6.85, and the costs per running
foot of side lot lines abutting the .
pavement would not exceed •
$2.05 for a 22-foot lot or $3.45 ,
(Continued on page 10)
MlSi
"The Princess Chooses a Kitty." operetta staged Monday by
kindergarten and first grade pupils of St Mary's academy, pre
sented a riot of color. Terry Tomjack (with buttoned leggings)
was the town crier and Jean Marie Lohaus (speaking, center of
stage) was the princess. Others in photo (left-to-right) are: First
row on left of stage—Judy Curran, Carol Klein, Joanne Miles,
Terry Tomjack, Billy Joe Pruss, Jolene Stutz, Jean Marie Lohaus;
on right of stage—Suzanne Stewart Patsy Pribil. Dickie Wanser.
‘ ------til ___
Kathy Bosn. Danny Helmer, Dick Larsen, Danny Schaaf, Beth
Bowker, Joe Gilg, Donna Marie George. Owen Shoemaker. Back
row on left of stage—Joe Shoemaker. Helen Gokie, Marilyn Don
ohoe, Billy Doeming (top of head barely visible), Renee Spittler,
Linda Siuifbergen. Jerry Donohoe; on right of stage—Ellen Arlus.
Mike McManus. Kathleen Wanser. Randy Marie Socha, Sue Ann
Cavanaugh, John Robert Pruss.—The Frontier Photo by John H.
McCarville.
Marlene Waring
’53 Valedictorian
Miss Marlene Waring was
awarded 1953 O’Neill high school
senior class valedictorian honors
Tuesday evening in commence
ment exercises at the school aud
itorian. Salutatorian honors went
to Lavonne Rieck. Peggy Aim
earned the regent’s and church
affiliated scholarship. Alternate
regent’s scholarship went to
Lyle Fox.
Fair and Square club pins
went to: George Taylor, special
room; Clarence Hill, third;
Cheryl Coulter, fourth; Gary
Skulborstad, fifth; Velda Ernst,
sixth; Robert McClellan, sev
enth; and Donna Summers,
eighth.
Dr. N. W. Thorpe of the Uni
versity of Nebraska was com
mencement speaker.
Miss Carney Leaves 10*
Eor West Coacst—
Miss Mary E. Carney leaves
today (Thursday) for California
to visit friends and relatives.
In Los Angeles she plans to
attend the graduation of her
niece, Miss Marguerite Carney,
from Marymount college.
From California she will leave
for Richland, Wash., where she
will visit her brother, Tom, and
family and also her niece, Mrs.
V. Rohde, and family.
Washingtonians Here—
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Harp
lam and daughter, Connie, and
Mrs. Frank Harpham, all of Ken
liwick, Wash., Mr. and Mrs. Gil
3ert Volwiler, Mr. and Mrs. Hen
•y Kettleson of Plainview spent
Wednesday, May 13, visiting
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gokie at O’
Neill. Mrs. Kettleson, Gilbert
ifolwiler and Mrs. Gilbert Harp
lam are nieces and a nephew of
Mrs. Gokie. This is the first
;ime Mrs. Gilbert Harpham has
net her Nebraska cousins and
mnt.
WEATHER SUMMARY:
Hi Lo Prec.
May 14_ 58 27
May 15_ 68 43
May 16_ 69 46 .01
May 17_71 49 .84
May 18 _ 67 43 .04
May 19_ 80 49 T
May 20_58 15
Totals_ .90
NEWS OMITTED
Because of a late surge of dis
may and legal advertising, a
:onsiderable amount of news is
lecessarily omitted from this
ssue. Considerable news from
2mmet, Inman, South of Stuart
md Rock Falls, intended for
his issue, will be carried over
mtil next issue.
—THE PUBLISHER
iii:
Kittens (foreground) . . . Ellen Stulz, Carol
Lowery, Kathy Hynes, Joe McCarville IIL
Rosemarie Waller and Dorothy Havranek (ex
treme right); sunbonnet girl in background (at
left, facing camera) is Patsy Pribil; little girl
and boy in background (at right, facing cam
era) are Donna Marie George and Owen Shoe
maker.—The Frontier Photo by John H. McCar
viile.
Horseless Smokey Stops Here
By a Staff Writer
A horseless ex-rancher, ex
movie actor, and ex-sheriff from
Arizona who took to wholesale
hiking six years ago hoofed it
into O’Neill around 5:15 Wednes
day afternoon.
He plans to leave here Thurs
day, heading for Omaha.
No, 67-year-old Smokey Cam
eron isn’t settling down. Odd
jobs along the way are just part
of his game. He walked away
from a ranch in Nogales, Ariz.,
shortly after his wife and two
sons were killed in a cattle stam
pede in 1947, and he’s been hoof
ing it, working as he walks,
ever since.
He’s covered 33,700 miles on
foot, has worn out 10 pairs of
moccasins and is on his 17th
pair of boots, and quips quite
proudly, . . and I haven’t worn
out the seat of one pair of pants
yet.”
He sometimes accepts rides
when they are offered, if he’s
tired or the weather’s against
him, but he does not count them
as mileage walked. No, sirree . .
And if the tales he can tell
were horsetails, he’d have enough
to braid a trail matching his
hikes, mile-for-mile.
He claims he’s a second cousin
to Rod Cameron and has visited
the movie actor three times in
Hollywood. “Every time I see
him he calls me short and ug
ly, and I call him tall, dark and
handsome,” Smokey drawls.
In his first year on the open
road Smokey hiked to Alaska.
Since then he’s traveled from
coast to coast across the United
States, through Mexico and Cen
tral America to Panama, and
back again. His walkings have
taken him through 38 states (Ne
braska makes 39) and two terri
tories. From O’Neill he plans to
walk to Maine, where he will
swing north through Canada for
his second trip to Alaska.
Since 1947 he has given 33
pints of blood along his travel
route to the veterans’ blood
bank and has helped fight 50
forest fires that got in his way
He’s been attacked by a timber
wolf and treed by a mother bear,
but his only injury, says Smokiy,
was a burn from a Copenhagen
snuff box.
A story goes with that, too.
He was helping fight a forest
fire in the Yukon during his first
Alaska trip. A fire-fighter was
overcome by smoke, and Smokey
dashed in to retrieve him. After
helping the man to safety,
Smokey decided he needed a
chew. He reached for his Copen
hagen—and it was gone.
It had fallen from his shirt
pocket, he figured, when he bent
over to pick up the man. So he
dashed back to the spot, spotted
the can, and reached. He had his
chew all right, and he still sports
a scar in the palm of his hand
showing the rounded imprint of
one side of the can. Smokey had
forgotten ... it was hot in there
. . . ’Snuff said.
His closest call was the moth
er bear who was protecting her
cubs. It happened the same year,
also in the Yukon. The mad
mama slapped the trunk of the
tree right under the little man’s
feet as he climbed upward, and
the slap shook the whole tree.
How did he get out of it? “I
was thankful as I sat in that
tree, that she wasn’t the climbin’
type,” Smokey recalls. He threw
her a candy bar . . . and waited
until she went away, happy,
with her cubs.
Smokey’s film career dates
back to silent movies, when he
says he was co-roled with his
wife in “Covered Wagon,”
“Stagecoach,” “UP Trail,” “Sing
in’ Wire,” “Western Union,”
“Renegade,” “Outlaw’s Revenge”
and a host of others too numer
ous to recall on the spur of the
moment.
“I always had to play the part
of an Indian because I was
brought up by Apaches,” Smo
key explains. His mother became
sick when he was 2-years-old,
and an Indian maid kept him
with the Apaches until he was 9.
“I was more Indian than white
(Continued on page 10)
Assessment
Mess Brings
Board Grief
Numerous Increases in
Personal Valuations
Valuations Ordered
At least 25 Holt countyans had!
appeared before the Holt coun
ty board of equalization before*
it adjourned Wednesday after
noon, protesting substantial in
creases in property valuations.
The board opened hearings*
Monday. It will convene again*
Monday and Tuesday, June J
and 2, and once each week there -
after until further notice.
Many of the grievances in
volve personal property owner#
whose valuations were increas
ed several times their 1952
value. Under the new law
property is to be turned in at
actual value and assessed at 50
percent of its actual value.
The situation regarding the'
valuation of property in Ne
braska is a complete state of
confusion at every level—
township, county and stale.
This is primarily because of
recent legislation and because of
press reports indicating that 61
counties in Nebraska, including
metropolitan Douglas and Lan
caster, are apparently not sub
stantially increasing assessed
valuations.
One Holt board member told
The Frontier any radical in
crease in the assessed valuation
at this time may be unfair to the
taxpayers in this county when
comparisons are made with oth
er counties.
One of the sensitive phases ol
the muddle is the valuation ratio
between old and new dwellings.
Generally the owners of the
new dwellings are contending
their real estate value is only a
small fraction of what it’s worth
Owners of older dwellings com
plain their valuations are too
high in relation to the newet
homes.
Generally speaking, the coun
ty board of equalization appears
disposed to increase and equal
ize personal property valuations
and leave the real estate muddle'
to the state board.
Observers who have been
watching the assessment prob
lem are concerned about what
the state board will do. but
it is generally conceded an ov
erall increase is in the mak
ing.
One Holt board member, whtf
did not want to be quoted, frank
ly stated few county officials
understand the situation and all
the ramifications. He said he had
talked to board of equalization
members from several other
counties and the dilemma is
general.
“It’d be a full time job for six
months for a board to dig in and
work out values properly. All
we can do is equalize as best we
know how."
Crippled Children’s
Clinic Scheduled
The next crippled children's
extension clinic to be held in*
this area will be at the high
school in Ainsworth on Satur
day, May 23. Clinic registration
will begin at 7:30 a.m.
The clinic is for diagnosis,,
consultation, checkup and after
care services for children now
receiving treatment and will be
conducted by Dr. Charles Tomp
kins of Omaha, formerly of In
man, pediatrician, and Dr. L. S
Campbell, orthopedist. Children
who are not now receiving ser
vices under the program of ser
vices for crippled children n®>*
be admitted to the clinic when
referred by their local physician ,
or in certain cases at the request
of parents.
Club Empties Treasury
in Behalf of Library—
ATKINSON — The Atkinsor?
Extension club virtually emp
tied its treasury as an expression
of its best wishes for the success?
of the project of raising money
for a public library in Atkinson .
The sum amounted to $30 aiki^
members of the club held a food
sale Saturday evening at Hos—
kinson’s mercantile store and
raised another $20, making a to
-al of $50.
Tea Scheduled—
The Country club ladies are*
sponsoring a complimentary tea
Thursday afternoon, May 28*
from 2-5 p.m. at the Town
House. All members and pros
pective members are invited.
A/2c and Mrs. Charles Mar
sten will leave Friday to return
to Waco, Tex., after spending
his furlough here visiting their"
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Marsten of Walnut and Mr. and
Mrs. Harden Anspach. Airman
Marsten is stationed at Goodfel
low air force base there.