The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965, June 04, 1953, SECTION 1, Image 1
TEN PAGES ° • ★ SECTION 1 Pages 1 to 10 North-Central Nebraska’s BIG Newspaper 's A A • •. . . ' * . V .: Volume 73.—Number 5. O’Neill, Nebraska, Thursday, June 4, 1953. Seven Cents STATE HIST SOC Over 300 Present for Alummi Banquet lifelong Holt Resident Dies Mrs. W. S. Devall, 63, 111 14 Months Mrs. W. S. Devall, 63, died at 2:30 a.m., Monday, June 1, in St. Anthony’s hospital here. She had been ill over four months and had been in the hos pital aimost two months. Funeral services were con ducted at 2 p.m., Wednesday, June 3, from the Paddock Union church with Rev. John Thomas of O’Neill officiating. Burial was in Pleasant Valley cemetery. The late Mrs. Devall, whose maiden name was Mary Stcrjo hann, was born July 30, 1889, in the Turner community, between Phoenix and Turner, in Holt county. Her parents were Claus and Mary Sleinbock Storjohann and both parents were Ger man immigrants. On July 5, 1909, at O’Neill sne married Mr. Devall. They resid ed for many years on what is known as the home place, locat ed one-half mile east of Mid way. The Devalls became the par ents of eight sons and five daughters. . Survivors include: Widower; sons—Arthur of Gering; Elmer and Walter, both of O’Neill; Clarence of Portland, Ore.; How ard of Bristow; Leonard, who is in the air force, stationed at Del Rio, Tex.; Martin and Roy, both of Spencer; daughters — Mrs. Rosie Kloepper of O’Neill; Mrs Ethel Craig of Omro, Wise.; Mrs. Edith Mitschke of Chambers; ® Mrs. Hazel Ruda of Bristow and Evelyn of O’Neill; 29 grandchil dren; one great-grandchild; sis ters—Mrs. Emma Diehl of At kinson; Mrs. Martha Fleener of O’Neill and Mrs. Rose Goeke of Atkinson; brothers—Henry and William Storjohann, both of Spencer. Sister-in-Law Dies when Auto Overturns Mrs. Ben Peterson, 51, wife of a Polk farmer and sister-in-law of Mrs. C. E. Jones of O’Neil!, was killed Monday afternoon when the automobile she was driving overturned eight miles west of Polk on state highway 66. She was enroute to Central City. Investigators said a tire apparently blew out. Survivors include: Widower; one sister and two brothers. Mr. and Mrs. Jones departed late Monday for Polk to attend the funeral. Mrs. Peterson had visited O’Neill several times. School Superintendent Clarifies Age Matter— “In order to enter the kinder garten the next school year a child must be 5 on or before Oc tober 15,” explained Miss Alice French, Holt county superintend ent of public instruction. “If a child’s fifth birthday comes be tween October 15 and Christmas, he may take the test which de termines whether he is ready for school or not We will plan tc have a tester from Wayne the last part of August again this year. If you are interested in having your child take the test, please contact the office of the county superintendent soon. “We must know the approxi mate number who wish to be tested,” she added. MEETINGS IN PROGRESS The Elkhorn Valley Holiness association is sponsoring its an nual camp meeting, which gets underway today (Thursday) and continues for 10 days. Rev. Fred Lester of Burlington, la., is evangelist. Site of the meetings is Wesleyan Methodist church. A returned missionary from China, Miss Florence Murray, will be guest speaker in services at the public school auditorium on Sunday, June 7, starting at 2 p.m.—one of the highlights of the meetings. BROTHER DIES EWING—Mr. and Mrs. F.arl Billings received word Saturday morning of the death of his brother, Charles Billings, who lived at Denver, Colo. Funeral services were held Monday at , Denver. The body was brought to Neligh on Tuesday. A short service was held at the Episco pal church on Wednesday nnd burial was made in the Ewing ' cemetery at Ewhng. ® DIES AT BASSETT INMAN— Mrs. Alice Kox of Bassett died at her home and was buried at Bassett on Sun day. Mrs. Kox was a sister of Walter Jacox, a former Inman resident. FRONT LINE DUTY CHAMBERS — Mr. and Mrs. Joe Koci received word that their son, Pfc. Robert Koci, was in the front lines in Korea. A/3c Wally Shellhammer, who is assigned to a fighter intercept or wing located at Kimboo air base in Korea, witnessed a sur prise bombing of the base on Wednesday, May 27. Shellham mer was unhurt. ° Miss Shirley Schultz, daugh ter of Mrs. Florence Schultz, left Monday, May 25, to -visit her brother-in-law' and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Tadd, and children of Terre Haute, Ind., fcr the summer. O o° CHAMBERS—Only two class es in the history of Chambers high school were not represent ed Friday evening in the first alumni banquet ever held in this south-Holt county commun ity. Not represented were the classes of 1920 and 1928. However, over three hun dred graduates, teachers and guests were on hand, headed by Ernest Farrier, member of the class of 1919. It was that year that Chambers boasted for the first time a full 12 grade course of study. There were five members in that or iginal senior class. Mr. Farrier was given special recognition and it was noted that his wife graduated in 1924 and their five sons are CHS alumni. The youngest son, John L., was graduated with the class of 1953 and will join his father on the farm. The ambitious banquet was served by members of the Wom an’s Society of Christian Service of the Methodist church. It was the biggest undertaking of its kind in the history of the town. The dinner menu was tomato juice, Swiss steak, whipped po tatoes, buttered peas and carrots, souffle, salad, rolls, pickles, ol ives, jelly, angel food with apri cot topping, and coffee. The alumni officers timed the banquet on the eve of memorial day to appeal to many former residents who would be return ing to decorate graves of loved ones. Memories of school days was the theme, using red candles and black slates on the tables. The stage was set with a little red schoolhouse against a scenic background. Figures of Humpty Dumpty and Mary and her littie lamb led to the school. Decora tions were in charge of* Gene vieve Gibson Gillette, ’29. The program theme also was “Memories.” The welcome was given by the toastmaster, Rew Ward Smith, ’31, and a welcome sung by all present. Interesting facts concerning graduates were given by the toastmaster. The The largest occupational group is that of a housewife—185. Mure than 87 graduates have served in the armed forces—28 are serving at the present time, and three graduates, Calvin Crandall, Paul Fisher and Harlan Miille, were killed while in service. Of the 502 graduates, 11 are deceased. Honor class graduates present were: 1923 — Winnie McClena han Gibson; 1933 — Helen Cal houn Ermer, Norma Coppoc Ver Maas, Ruth Grubb Baker, Leola Fluckey Stapleman, Zetha Hubbard Eason, Wilbur Osborn, Forrest Sammons; 1943 — David Burk, Genelle Held Shonka, Mil ne Hubei Race, Lee Mitchell, Edward Read, Bette Lou Young Mitchell; 1953—13 present. Each was presented with a flower. The class prophecy of 1953 was read by Darlene Grimes, 1943 by Bette Mitchell, and 1923 by Win nie Gibson. As the names were called, each graduate present stood with their class. The teachers were intro duced. Reverend Smith pointed out that not a single graduate had ever been convicted as a crim inal—and the announcement brought a round of applause. A short business meeting was conducted by the president, Ber nice Smith Platt. Motion was made by Ross Allen, ’25, to “pass the hat” for funds to carry on next year, and $112 was collect ed. New officers are: Ruby Whit aker Holcomb, ’30, president; Lorine Walter Smith, ’37, vice president; Jean Wandersee Hoff man, ’45, secreatary; Gordon Harley, ’46, treasurer; Bernice Smith Platt, advisory past pres ident Those attending the banquet from out-of-state were: Dr. and Mrs. Loran Coppoc of Ottumw'a, la.; Mrs. George Hodgson of Chugwater, Wyo.; Jim Newhouse of Wichita, Kans.; Mr. and Mrs. Hale Osborn of Winner, S.D.; Mrs. Emerson Smock of Boise, Ida.; Mrs. Jack Thompson of Flint, Mich. A “Voice of The Frontier” tape recording was made and re broadcast the following morn ing at 9:45 (WJAG, 780 k.c.) 250 Present at Page Alumni Banquet— PAGE—The Page alumni ban quet was held in the Page school auditorium Friday evening. The meal was cooked and served by the American Legion auxil iary. About 250 guests were pres ent. Mrs. Harold Heiss, president of the association, gave the wel come and Ronnie Parks, ’53 gave the response. Elton Trowbiidge of Saratoga, Wyo., was toastmas ter. Donald Medcalf, a former instructor, gave the address. Mrs. Velma Silvers of Holdregc gave the “Memorial” talk. Various other numbers made up the program after which Ralph Gray led the group sing ing. Among O’Neillites attending the banquet were: Mr. and Mrs. Freeman Knight, Miss Lee Sar tos, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Brewster, Mrs. Laurence Haynes, Mr. and Mrs. Dale Fetrow. Visits Parents— A/3c Lois M. Bredehoeft ar rived Saturday for a brief visit v/ith her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bredehoeft. She is station ed at Maxwell air force base, Ala. ELECTION SLATED The Chamber of Commerce will have election of officers Monday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. This is only a portion of the crowd that filled the Chambers high school auditorium Friday evening for the first alumni banquet. (Story in column 2.)—Frontier Photg. Ernest Farrier, class of 1919 . . . five sons are graduates. Protest Hikes in Tax Valuations One hundred Holt county bus iness and professional personal tax schedules have been revised upward by the board of equal ization. Persons concerned have received notification in writing. (For detailed information on in creases see official board pro ceedings on page 7.) About 30 of the persons affect ed by the revisions appeared be fore the board of equqalization on Monday and Tuesday. The board will convene again on Tuesday, June 16, to hear pro tests on the board’s earlier ac tion. Attorneys represented five firms during the two-day de liberations. Most of the controversy with the board arises over personal property schedules, although both real estate and personal valuations are being hiked. The O’Neill Municipal band will be organized at three levels for the summer months—begin ners, intermediates and Munici pal. The beginners are to ar range time with Director Charles Houser beginning at 9 a.m., Fri day, June 5; summer band — June 2; Municipal band—Mon Monday, Tuesday and Wednes day, 1 p.m, beginning Tuesday, day evenings, 7:30 p.m. Robert Wallace 1 Med School Grad Gets Degree fro r~~ Creighton ‘U’ Robert Wallace, son of Mr and Mrs. M. J. Wallace, today (Thurs day) is receiving his doctor of medicine degree from the Creighton university college of medicine in Omaha. Mr. and Mrs. Harold Connors and family of Greeley drove here Monday to visit her parents. Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Wallace. Mr. Connors returned Tuesday and Mrs. Connors and her parents drove to Wahoo the same day to visit another son and his vile, Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Wallace, and family until today (Thurs day). They left this morning for Omaha where they will attend Robert’s graduation. Dr. Robert Wallace will in terne at St. Joseph’s hospial in Sioux City. Mrs. Dale Kersen brock, the Wallaces’ other daughter, took care of the Con nors’ children during their par ents’ absence. Postoffice Jumps to First - Class O’Neill’s postoffice on July 1 will become a first-class office after having been in the second class category for many years. The classification is based on volume of business during the fiscal year—July 1 to June 30. The breaking point between first- and second-class is a 40 thousand-dollar annual volume. The O’Neill office during the fiscal year now ending will have i increased its volume about $7,- i 500 and will finish the year in excess of 44-thousand-dollars. Meanwhile, a general PO box rent increase and the new classification will change box rentals here, it was explained this week by Assistant Post master Harold Weier. Boxes formerly renting for 60 cents per quarter will be in creased to $1-10; 75 cents to $1.50; $1 to $2.25; $1.50 to $3. It is the first box. rental in crease since 1907. Try Frontier want advs. for quick results! 3 O’Neillites See Eliz’s Coronation At least three O’Neillites— Cpl. j Donald Borg 'and wife, who reside at St Jean, France, and Pvt. Gordon Hiatt, who is * stationed at Verdun, France —were among the teeming millions who lined London’s ancient streets Tuesday for Elizabeth II's coronation pro cession. Transportation and facilities for a relatively small group of American servicemen and their families were provided by the army as a part of a three-day conducted tour. The coronation rite itseJf took place in Westminster abbey and attendance was restricted to royalty, nobility, diplomatic corps and special guests. Many persons listened to the proceedings on the radio, start ing about 4 a.m. Next State Primary to Be in August Nebraska voters will go to the polls in August next year to choose candidates for the 1954 general election — thanks to a bill introduced in the unicamer al legislature by O’Neill’s Sen. Frank Nelson. The legislature wrestled more than an hour with the question of August primary vs. spring pri mary for the non-presidemiai years. When the debate had ceased, advocates of uniformity in Nebraska election dates had lost on three counts. They failed to knock the August primary out of the bill which had started out originally only to shift the primary from April to a later month because weather and road conditions are not favorable for campaigning for the earlier date. They failed next to kill the bill, and finally, failed to keep it from advancing to engrossment for final reading. Sen. Charles F. Tvrdik of Om aha brought up the question with the comment that periodically it would cost Omaha $40,000 for an extra election to leave the “off year” primary in August. When the bill finally advanc ed, Senator Nelson termed it “a very unusual bill—it has been : shot at three times.” Flower Girls in Memorial Parade O’Neill Saturday paid honor to is war dead with a memorial day parade, which was led by the colors followed by the Municipal band, firing squad, Boy Scouts and flower girls (pictured above). Flags weer flying at half-mast as the pa rade moved west on Douglas street and returned to the American Legion auditorium where brief rites were held.—The Frontier Photo. Appears on Heidt’s Network Show Miss Colleen Ann Williams, 16 (above), daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Williams of Sheridan, Wyo., last Thursday evening was heard singing “A Guy Was a Guy” on the Horace Heidt network radio program, which originated that evening from Sheridan. Miss Williams’ mother is the former Anastasia Murray, member of an early O’Neill family. The mother left O’Neill in 1916. Miss Colleen had been auditioned earlier and O’Neill relatives were advised by phone of the broadcast. She is a piano student as well as voice student and attends high school there. ‘Queen Iris’ Theme of Show, Atkinson ATKJJNSON — “Comation of j Queen Iris” is the theme for the Atkinson Iris society’s eighth ann ual iris show which will be staged at the high school auditorium in Atkinson Saturday, June 6. The show will be open to the public at 2 p.m., when the exhibit win ers will be announced and the awards will be presented by At kinson's hay days royalty, Queen Cathleen Weichman and King Lawrence Pacha. Admission is ; free. Honored Guest— EWING—James Gunter, one of Holt county’s pioneer citizens, was the honored guest at a fam ily reunion held Sunday at the country home of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Gunter. Six of his 12 chil dren were present and eight of his great-grandchildren. A no host picnic dinner was served Ao the 49 relatives in attendance. There were no major accidents to mar the long memorial day weekend in the O’Neill area, authorities have reported. Legion to Sponsor ‘Miss O’Neill’ Contest A “Miss O’Neill’-beauty contest will be sponsored Tuesday eve ning, June 9, at the American Legion auditorium. Simonson post 93 is searching for a lovely to represent the city in statewide competition. Win ner of the state contest will go to Long Beach, Calif., to compete for the titles of “MisS United States of America” and “Miss Universe” in a beauty pageant that opens July 9. A host of inducements are be ing offered the “Miss Universe” winner, including a motion oic ture contract, sports convertible, trophy and watch. Two runners up also will receive film con tracts. In connection with the contest the Legion is sponsoring a beau ty contest ball, featuring the music of Don Shaw and his Trombonaires. Contest entrants can be either single or married women be tween the ages of 18 and 28. Frontier for printing! Crop-Maker Rains Are Welcome T o Sunshine Following Soaker Encouraging to Farmers in Area A first-class crop-making rail*, general over northern Nebraska, moved into the O’Neill region about 9:30 p.m., Tuesday > and dumped .72 of an inch of mois ture. A series of thunder shortens had characterized the weather for the pas seven days. Usually showers have fallen during tbe night with an abundance of sun shine following during the day. The happy combination of adequate moisture and sun shine has helped erase the slow start of the growing sea son brought about by unsee sonal cold weather during May. Tuesday night’s storm was ac companied by sharp electrical > disturbances. One bolt of light ning struck the Consumers Pub lic Power district substation here and knocked out electric service momentarily. No one wae hurt. Lightning struck Consumers lines in Boyd county and Butte and Anoka were without power for six hours. J The street lighting system on until late Wednesday the street Fourth street was kayoed and was still in darkness, workmen unsuccessful in locating the trouble. Atkinson reported a half-mrri of rain Tuesday night, Bassett, .75; Burwell, .21; Stuart. 1, Clearwater, .62; Creighton, .GO; Bonesteel.S. D., 1.50. A small tornado rippvi across the South Dakota-Ne braska line north of Valentine and did some damage to RCA lines. O Wind damage was greater in the Bassett-Ainsworth-Valentine area than in Holt county. A cow belonging to Joe Son kup was struck by lightning on Wednesday, May 27, about 7 o' clock, about 2Vz miles north of here. Weather summary for 24-hour periods ending at 6 p.m., follow*: Hi Lo Prec May 28 _:_ 80 56 .13 1 May 29 .. 87 65 May 30 _ 82 53 .Iff May 31_1_ 77 51 June 1 _ 80 52 June 2_ 83 62 04 June 3_ 85 56 .77 Total- 1.0T Alice French’* Office to Be Housing Center The office of Miss Alice French, Holt county superintend ent of public instruction, has been designated as a center lor channeling housing provision® and requirements in connection with the air force’s wind test to be held here later this summer. The air force research center at Cambridge, Mass., has asked the Chamber of Commerce to ar range for “firm commitments'” on rooms and apartments to provide for around 150 mili/ary and civilian personnel. Advance parties will arrive anound July 15. The tests are to get under way August 1 and continue for about six weeks. The Chamber has arranged with Miss French to handle the detail work. Her office is in the courthouse basement and her teleohone number is 224. Resi dents with rooms or apartments are urged to contact her right away, President William McIn tosh said. Lt. Bryan T. Postman, who hasr made two trips here in connec tion with advance planning, ex pects to arrive July 8 and r err airs here until after the test is con cluded. World - famous civilian scientists will be among the* city’s guests during the tests. Hermann Again Play Supervisor Last week arrangements were made by the P-TA park commit tee to again engage Wilharo (“Willie”) Hermann, . the bike man, as park supervisor. He will be on hand for playground su pervision from 1 to 5 p.m., Mon days through Saturdays — the same schedule as last year. The P-TA held two bake sales shortly before school was out to raise money for the park fund and the American Legion > aux iliary contributed $150 to tne P-TA for park use. Four years ago the P-TA pur chased the equipment for Ford’s park and has paid for a play ground supervisor each year since. Tuesday June 9, will be ladie® night at the regular fortnightly session of the Lions club. O