'Probable Suicide9 Ruled
By JACK WILSON
Ot tha Heckler-Guard
Special Jury
A verdict of "probable suicide" by an inquest jury has
ended the controversy that grew out of the death of Eugene
businessman Donald A. McDonald.
In a statement released Monday through Lane County
Dist. Atty. William Frye, the jury said, "while accidental
death is a possibility, the evidence most reasonably points to
the probability that McDonald . . . took his own life."
Frye called the jury, equivalent to the old coroner's jury,
when the county's medical investigator and Eugene police
investigators failed to agree on the cause of McDonald's death.
The jury heard 27 witnesses in 3V4 days and announced the
following conclusions Monday afternoon:
That McDonald died Oct. 29 at 3600 Donald St., Eugene;
That "the cause of death was carbon monoxide poison
ing, self-administered by means of running a car engine in a
closed garage and probably for the purpose of taking his own
life."
McDonald's body was found in his car Nov. 10. The car
was in the garage of a house at 3600 Donald St., Eugene,
where McDonald had once lived.
McDonald, 33, was a former president of Liberty Television,
Inc., which operates KEZI-TV in Eugene. He had sold his
interest in the firm several months before his death.
Dr. Harold Lyman, the medical examiner, called the death
a suicide, but at an unprecedented hearing Eugene police is
sued their decision that the death was accidental.
Lyman stuck to his determination, and Frye called the
Jury of inquest as "the proper way to resolve the question."
The jury began hearing testimony last Wednesday in secret
sessions, Frye said he had not invited the public to the ses
sions because of the personal nature of some of that testimony.
"It was in the interest of common decency to confine the
hearing to the departments and persons involved," Frye said.
The district attorney added that certain witnesses would
not have given complete testimony in an open hearing, and
CofC Elects
Robert Cross
As President
Eugene Insurance Man Rob
ert Cross, 51, Monday night was
elected 1963 president of the
Eugene Chamber of Commerce,
succeeding Attorney Ralph Cobb.
Cross is beginning his third
year as a member of the cham
ber board of directors. He has
served as vice president for the
past year.
Also elected Monday were
Glen P. Porter Jr., a partner in
the accounting firm of Collins,
Herzinger, Ray & Porter, vice
president, and David J. Wil
liams, assistant vice president
with the First National Bank,
treasurer.
Cross is a partner in Robert
Cross Insurance, dealing in con
tract bond business as well as
insurance. He has been in busi
ness here since 1944, and has
been a member of the chamber
since then. He is a native of
Kitzville, Wash., and is a 1933
graduate of Washington State
College.
Cross is a member of the Ore
gon Insurance Agents Assn., the
National Assn. of Surety Bond
Producers, and serves as secre
tary and general manager of the
Oregon Logging Conference.
He is past president of the
Eugene Active Club and the
Central Lane YM-YWCA and
currently is president of the
Eugene Council, Navy League.
Cross, his wife, Cecilia, and
their son, Bruce. 18, live at 2295
University St. The Crosses have
two grown children, Jim Cross,
a student at the University of
Oregon, and Mrs. Gary Arm
strong of Pullman, Wash.
Cross Monday night said he
expects to appoint new commit
tees in the near future.
Directors-heard Chamber Man
ager Fred Brcnnc report that
the chamber now has about 800
active members as the chamber
enters its 68th year.
Directors agreed that two pri
mary subjects of concern dur
ing the next 12 months will be
downtown parking problems and
l tourist promotion program.
4-H'ers Plan
Conference
Lane 4-H'ers, 14 and older,
will attend their own pre-legis-Jative
session during the third
annual "4-H Conference on
County Government" in Harris
Hall, Eugene, beginning at 9:30
a.m., Saturday.
This year, the 4-H'crs will
learn more of the subjects they
hear under discussion at home
such as home rule charter,
civil defense and medical self
help, the justice courts and du
ties ot a medical examiner.
County officials, including
commissioners, county health
officer, and judges, will open
doors of their offices to the
young visitors and explain their
jobs.
Originated in 1961, "the con
ference and the interest of
county officials bring home
every 4-H'er's pledge to good
citizenship," says J. R. Gurton,
- 4-H extension agent.
The Saturday conference on
county government is also the
forerunner to the annual 4-H
conference on state government,
the agent adds. Two Lane 4
H'ers a boy and girl who must
be 16 or older will be select
ed as delegates to the 5aiem
conference, Feb. 6-9. and a be
hind scenes visit to the Oregon
Legislature.
Announcement of Lane Coun
ty's delegates will be made on
Saturday after interviews with
all eligible 4-H'ers regarding
their 4-H activities and experience.
SECTION B EUGENE,
YOU MEAN Ht
EXCUSE KKMIN6
ABSENT Fl?0M
SCHOOL BECAUSE
IWA55ICK?
V
is that what the note is
R)R?Thats Disillusioning
1 wnTP? I 1
3
181
CD Gives Report
On Shelter Marking
The shelter marking program
in the Eugene-Springfield area
is nearly completed members of
the Lane County Civil Defense
staff were told at their annual
meeting Monday night.
The marking of downtown
Eugene buildings is virtually
complete, Deputy Director Ern
est Norris noted, and said that
the University of Oregon will
probably complete marking of
campus buildings by early next
week.
The 14 buildings marked in
the city will provide shelter
space for 11,670 persons, Norris
said. The University will have
another 16.000 spaces.
In addition, Director James
Postage Due
Pennies Slow
Mail Routes
Letter carriers probably took
a little longer getting around
their routes Tuesday because of
the new postal rates which went
into effect Monday.
Postmaster Ethan Newman of
Eugene said there was "an awful
lot of postage due for the car
riers because people mistaken
ly mailed letters at the old
rates.
Newman said that if a carrier
delivers 1,000 letters, he could
expect to have 25 postage due
letters included and this means
25 stops to ring doorbells and
to collect pennies.
Normally, a carrier would ex
pect to find three or four post
age due letters in any 1,000 he
has to deliver, Newman noted.
Postage rates Monday rose to
five cents for regular letters in
stead of four cent"!. Airmail now
costs eight cents instead of sev
en. Because of these one cent
postage boosts. Newman said his
stations have been having field
days selling one-cent stamps.
More than 80.000 were sold Mon
day, raising the four-day total
to more than 200.000.
"Yesterday, the lobby looked
like Christmas," Newman said
Tuesday morning, noting that it
had now quieted to normal.
Police Check On
Anchorage Burglary
Eugene police are investigat
ing a reported burglary at Jim's
Anchorage Drive-In, 947 Frank
lin Blvd., sometime late Sunday
night or Monday morning.
The burglars entered by
breaking a window. About $10
was taken from the cash register.
Ends Inquest
"the public will end up knowing more than it would have
from an open hearing."
Of the controversy and the unusual calling of an inquest
jury, Frye said he thinks "the experience will work to the
benefit of the entire system (of death investigations) in Lane
County." .
The jury's statement said it had heard testimony that
McDonald suffered "severe personal, marital and business dis
appointments , . . and had been under psychiatric care. Several
years before his death he had attempted suicide and on several
occasions more recently he had threatened or suggested sui
cide." The jury gave this account of McDonald's actions on the
night of his death:
He had been drinking in at least two Eugene night spots
and was not in good spirits when he left the last place about
1:15 a.m.
He parked in the driveway of the house at 3600 Donald St.
He walked to a bedroom window at the rear of the house, cut
the screen with a paring knife, broke the glass and entered the
house.
He entered the garage from the family room, closing the
door behind him. Then he opened a garage door, drove his car
in, got out and closed the garage door, and returned to his car.
The jury was told McDonald was found in the driver's seat
of his car. The ignition switch was on and the gas tank was
empty. The windows had been rolled down, although the
garage was unheated.
Frye had said earlier that no signs of violence were found
at the death scene. 1
Police Lt. Robert Lockard, whose investigation as a deputy
medical investigator led to the police ruling of accidental death,
was commended by the jury.
"His interest and highly professional attention to details led
to valuable information being made available," the jury said.
LANE COUNTY'S HOME NEWSPAPER.
OREGON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1963
VE5, Vol have to have one.
OTHERWISE THE SCHOOL CAN'T
COLLECT ITS STATE-AID MONEV
I TH0U6HT THEV WERE
INTERESTED IN WHETHER Oft NOT
I WAS FEELING BETTER !
If
Kocpke predicted that shelters
will be placed in the J. C. Pen
ney building in downtown Eu
gene, the new Equitable Savings
and Loan building across the
street, and at the new Big Y
Market on W. Sixth Avenue,
bringing the area's total shelter
capacity to about 30,000 spaces.
This is not too bad for the
first year of the program,
Koepke said.
Clcve Dumdi, of the Lane Ex
tension Service, reported that
the program to train medical
self help instructors is "going
good" and he predicted that
about 4,000 cpnple will be
trained by May 1 representing
every section of the county.
Dr. W. I. Holcomb, Eugene
physician, next reported on
various aspects of the medical
service that will be provided by
civil defense agencies in event
of a disaster elsewhere in West
ern Oregon.
These will include sending
surgical teams and aid stations
to the periphery of the disaster
area; handling an estimated 30,
000 casualties through Eugene
which will act as a southwest
Oregon distribution station; and
the establishment of field hos
pitals in the area,
Holcomb said there are now
two portable 200-bcd hospitals
in the area, and he is hoping to
get another to store in South
Eugene High School, and pos
sibly a fourth for Cottage
Grove if storage space can be
found there.
Meeting
Notices
Tonight
ELKS DUPLICATE Bridge
Club regular match point play
at 7:15 p.m. at 2727 Centennial
Dr., Eugene. Visitors welcome.
For further information, call DI
4-6104.
TROPICAL FISH Club meet
ing at 7:30 p.m. at the home of
George Elliott, 4390 Mill St.,
Eugene. Further information
available by calling DI 3-9937
or RI 6-2313. Public welcome.
Wednesday
SENIOR ACTIVITY Center
meeting from 9:30 a.m. to 4
p.m. at Celeste Campbell Rec
reation Center, Skinner Butte
Park, Eugene, for sewing, cards
and crafts, including weaving
All senior citizens welcome.
Bring sack lunch.
EUGENE LODGE No. 11, AF
and AM, special meeting at
7:30 p.m. at Eugene Masonic
Temple, 992 Olive St., Eugene.
Work in MM degree.
rr
h"T
New Deputy
Starts Work
In DA's Office
A new deputy district attor
ney went to work in the Lane
County Courthouse Monday.
Mitchell A. Karaman, 27, a
1961 graduate of the University
o: uregon law
school, has been 1
assigned to the
criminal depart
ment, Dist. Atty.
William Frye
said Monday. He i
replaces John
Osburn, who re
signed last fall
to enter private
practice.
Karaman grew
up in Portland
and did his un
Karaman
dergraduate work at the Uni
versity of Oregon. A Marine
Corps veteran, Karaman was em
ployed in the trust department
of a Portland bank before com
ing to the Lane County job.
Karaman, his wife Patricia and
their two sons live at 925 Nor
kenzie Rd., Eugene.
Frye said the addition of Kara
man brings his staff to full
strength of six deputies.
Tax Information
Available Now
The Eugene office of the
Oregon State Tax Commission
will be open week days until
April 15 to help persons who
have problems preparing their
state income tax returns.
The office is located in room
306 of the State Office Building,
165 E. Seventh Ave.
During January, February
and March, help will be given
between 1 and 4:45 p.m. from
Monday through Friday. After
April 1, the hours will be
changed tu 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.
The office will be closed on
Feb. 12 and 22, which are state
holidays.
Vital
Statistics
BIRTHS
SACRED HEART HOSPITAL
(Eurene)
(Jan. 7, 1963)
DUFFY Mr. and Mm. Donald
Duffy, 4250 Donald St., Eugene, a
daughter.
PERROTT Mr. and Mm. Nick
Perrott. Rt. 3 Box 2MC, Eugene, a
daughter.
CAMPBELL Mr. and Mr. El-
win Campbell. 4660 Franklin Blvd.,
Eugene, a Ron.
(Jan. s, irez)
MORRIS Mr. and Mn. Rlrhard
Morrla, 1825 Harlow Rd., Eugene.
a daughter.
MrKENZIF-WII.I.AMETTB
HOSPITAL
(Springfield)
(Jan. 7, IM3)
JONES Mr. and Mm. Rlrhard
Jone, 4T6'1 W. M St., Springfield,
a son.
PETERS Mr. and Mra. Nlrholai
Petera, Rt. 1 Box 180, Springfield,
a son.
DEATHS
THOMASON Nnrman L Thoma
axon, 70, of 1990 Empire Park Dr.,
Eugene, died Jan. 8. Services will
be Friday at 10:30 a.m. In Poole
Larsen Chapel with Interment In
Sunset Hills Memorial Park.
WINFREY Elzore Winfrey of
Dexter died Jan. 7. Servicea are
pending at Buell Chapel.
BARRETT Kenneth Victor Bar
rett, of 21W) Henderson Ave,, Eu
gene, died Jan. 7, Arrangement are
pending at Buell Chapel.
LOVELADY Thomas Allen Love
lady, 76, of 1945 N. Port St., Eugene,
died Jan. 7. Services will he Thurs
day at 3 p.m. tn Poole larsen Chap
el with interment In Lane Memorial
Park.
DK KENS Elsie J. Dickens. .
of 1895 S E. Barnes Ave., Salem,
died Jan. 7. Services will he Thurs
day at 2 p.m. In Buell Chapel with
Interment In the Upper Mabel Ceme
terv. RIGOS Mae Rlffffft of 955 Cham
bers St., Eugene, died Jan. . Ar
rangements are pending at Simon
Lounsbury Mortuary.
f
MRS. CONNIE HELLAND
To Lead Mothers
Dimes March
Head Chosen
At Springfield
Lane County March of Dimes
officials have announced that
Mrs. Connie Holland, 1112 Se
quoia Ave., Eugene, will serve
as chairman of the 1963 Spring
field Mothers' March.
Mrs. Helland, who is a resi
dent of the Springfield school
district, will direct the annual
door-to-door fund raising pro
gram of the annual fund drive.
The mothers' march, sched
uled for Jan. 30, will be orga
nized by elementary school dis
tricts, Mrs. Helland said, with
each district under the direc
tion of a "team leader."
This will be Mrs. Holland's
first post with the March of
Dimes, although she has par
ticipated in other fund drives
and is choir master and on the
teaching staff of St. John's
Episcopal Church, Springfield.
She is a ninth grade teacher
at Hamlin Junior High School,
Springfield, where she is the
head of the social studies de
partment and is faculty advisor
for student publications.
She and her husband have
four children, Decker, Erick,
Jim and Marta.
Chairman of the Springfield
March of Dimes drive is Robert
Boehmke, music director in the
Springfield school district.
Water District
Levy Okayed
In a light voter turn out, resi
dents of the Rainbow Water Dis
trict Monday approved a pro
posal to exceed the 6 per cent
tax limitation by $21,370.10.
The vote on the measure was
69 yes and 13 no. Since the wa
ter district's tax base is only
$7,984.83, the ejection was ncc-
cssary to obtain authority to
levy sufficient taxes to finance
fire protection costs for 1963-64.
The water district, directly
north of Springfield, receives
fire protection from the City of
Springfield. The cost of this pro
tection will be 6 mills, or $29,
354.93 for the next fiscal year.
At a meeting of Rainbow di
rectors Monday night, J. Wade
Cowan, a lumber firm employe,
was elected chairman of the
board for 1963. Other board of
ficers elected were Frank Light,
secretary, and Ivan Bccson,
treasurer.
Children's Shoe Reductions
Burch's Semi-Annual Sale
VV: J Reg. 9.9S
Entire Stock of Edwards' Iflo to
BIG GIRLS' SHOES
f W
Reg. 10.50
k . A C
Lane Legislators in Review No. 6
Elder's Interests Include
Law Enforcement, UO
By BAN SELLARD
of the ResisterGuard
One of the two Republicans
which Lane County sent back
to the Oregon House of Rep
resentatives in the November
election is former sheriff Ed
Elder.
He and Minority Leader F.
F. Montgomery are outnum
bered by the four Democrats
who with them make up the
county's delegation to the
Legislature which convenes
Monday in Salem.
A big man (6-feet, 3-inchcs
tall and weighing 205
pounds), Elder will be serv
ing his second term in the
House.
In 1958, he almost chose to
run for the U.S. Congress.
Elder had announced his can
didacy from the Fourth Dis
trict for the seat then held by
Charles Porter but bowed out
ED ELDER AND
Always a Willing
Sister City's Mayor Sends
2nd Anniversary Greetings
A cablegram from the mayor
of Chlnju, Korea, brought good
wishes to the people of Eugene
Wednesday on the forthcoming
second anniversary of the sister
city relationship between the
two cities.
Mayor Lee Byong Moon of
Chinju said in his cablegram to
Mayor Edwin Cone of Eugene:
"I wish to extend my best
wishes and happiness to you
and the people of Eugene on
the occasion of the second an
niversary.
The anniversary will be
Thursday.
Eugene officials meanwhile
were still awaiting word on
whether the Korean consul-general
from San Francisco will
BIG BOYS' SHOES
FOR DRESS
AND SCHOOL
to 12.95
90
SAVINGS
SHOES for
90
ALL SALES FINAL... NO
Exchanges or Refunds
when State Sen. Edwin Durno
decided to run.
At 42, Elder considers
himself a conservative "some
where between Rockefeller
and Goldwatcr" and more so
than the national Republican
platform. He is a serious per
son to whom state problems
loom big and all-important.
Elder was first elected
Lane County sheriff in 1952
and re-elected in 1956. He
didn't seek a third term.
As a former sheriff, Elder
speaks for that wing of law
enforcement, and in the 1961
session tried to get criminal
investigation removed from
the activities of Oregon State
Police and given to county
sheriffs.
(Another Lane County legis
lator, Rep. -elect Gene Hulctt,
D-Eugene, a former state po
lice officer, has said ho will
introduce a bill to do just the
opposite this session take all
SON STEVE, 13
Chess Challenocr
visit Eugene -to help observe
the sister city anniversary.
Jack Collins, administrative
assistant to City Manager Hugh
McKmlcy, said Mayor Cone has
received a letter from In Han
Paik, the consul-general, ex
pressing interest in the city's
invitation for him to visit Eu
gene. Paik said in the letter he
would let the mayor know by
telegram, by Tuesday, whether
he is free to accept the invita
tion. There was no word by
noon Tuesday, however.
If the consul-general visits
Eugene, Collins said he will be
invited to address the Junior
Chamber of Commerce Distin
guished Awards banquet,
planned for Thursday night.
CORRECTIVE 4V
SHOES j bSys
REG. 9.95 to 12.50
NOW ttsasg
in EVERY DEPARTMENT
MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN
GIRLS' DRESS SHOES
Reg. 7.95 fo 9.95
i90 1 90
and
criminal work aw ay from
sheriffs and give it to state
police.)
Elder also has had a lot of -interest
in other law enforce
ment legislation, including
fish and game.
This next session, he is pro-:
posing a compromise on an
old legislative battle what to
do about the Pioneer Ceme
tery on the University of Ore
gon campus.
The university's attempts
to move the graveyard so it
could use the land always has
ran into a lot of opposition.
Elder's compromise would be
to "float" a building above
the cemetery which would be
kept in a memorial park man
ner. The proposal has gener
ated much discussion, which
pleases Elder. He points out
that he has spent long hours
of discussing the plan with
many people beforo ho made
it public and feels fairly sure
that his plan, or a large part
of it, eventually will be a
reality.
Elder was born in 1920 in
Montana. He has lived in the
Eugene area since 1926 and
graduated from high school
in Santa Clara. Ho is married
and has three children.
Ho works for Oregon Auto
mobile Insurance Co. in Eu
gene. During the 1961 Legislature,
Elder was one of several who
incurred the wrath of some
when he suggested that "more
investigation" should be car
ried out on the circumstances
surrounding the printing of a
story in "Facets," a Univer
sity of Oregon campus publi
cation. Elder said he was con
cerned over "how much these
professors tolerate these
stories if they inspire them
or if the students inspire
them."
He had carefully studied
the issue, he said, and wasn't
happy about what he had
found.
This is typical of Elder.
Ho is serious and concerned
about legislative matters. ,
Police Probe
Attack Report
A Eugene man is reported In
"good" condition in Sacred
Heart Hospital Tuesday as a
result of a back injury received
when he was allegedly assaulted
and robbed by two men Sunday
evening.
William Frank Stone, 60, ot
132 W. Eighth Ave., told Eu
gene police the incident oc
curred about 11:10 p.m. Sunday
as he was walking in an alley in
the 800 block between Olive
and Charnelton Streets.
Stone said tho two men, de
scribed as between 18 and 20
years of age, came up behind
him, cursed him and knocked
him to the ground. Hia wallet,
containing $58 in cash and as
sorted papers, was taken by the
two thieves who then ran off.
CCo
OOFF
MlAMItaT
ClIHOMU
' MM