L0
Mo h is
Shows
n n
o n
DD
H
s
t
e
3
'14 MAILTRIBUNt'M,df,,d'r-
V'-" 'y , fy'! , ' ' ' ,
, V, V "''' -
i ' '',',' ' ' f ' l
i WOWI REAL RAINDEER?
J be what Santa is telling this
whatever it is, he seems to
I Sandy High School
I Draws Suspension
; Portland - (WD - The Board
of : Control of the Oregon
School Activities association
Friday placed Sandy High
school on probation for the
remainder of the school year
as result of a fight after a
wrestling match.
A spokesman for the board
said a protest was filed by
Jack Hornback, superintend
ent at Tillamook High school
after a Sandy wrestler alleg
edly - struck a Tillamook
wrestler.
: Student's Hanging
germed a Suicide
Hillsboro-dTD-Police Satur
day termed the hanging of a
17 -year-old Hillsboro High
school junior Friday night a
suicide.
The bodv of Timothv Miller
was found hanging by a sash
tied to the top rung of a lad-
er in the backstage wings of
the school auditorium about
8:15 p.m. by janitor Doyle
Johnston.
FEEL
FOR
GROVELAND
w
v
V
a
v
E
a
SP 2-5488
Medford,
Oregon
o
s
s
Sunday, Dec 13, 1959
That may not undivided attention. The man behind the
youngster, but beard says he meets-thousands of children
have the boy's each year during his Santa activities.
MEDFORD'S NORTH POLE
cial St. Nick, finds time between his job as a truck driver
and his activities as. Santa Claus to read a story to his two
children, Bill, 5, and Suzy, 7
3435 Forest ave.
Mortuary
(Opm Soon)
Columbarium
Ground Interment
Mausoleum
j. (Garden Crypts)
Crematory
FREE TO CALL
INFORMATION
LEW MILES Co-Owners JOE HOSICK
SR 2-2344 Funeral Director
Something New vor
Ybur Convenience Is a
ma
3
SISKIYOU FUNERAL SERVICE
All within Siskiyou Memorial Park
Ours Is 'the Only Cemetery
Completely Enclosed, and the
.Gates Are Closed Each Night.
605 Highland Drive . . . Siskiyou
- Ray Huson, the city's unoffi
months. The Husons live at
cam
SERVICE
jpj?jgj?.e.ejiiLejL'
Memorial Park
Activities Began
At Family Event
Seven Years Ago
By BOB WALTERS
Mail Tribune Siaff Writer
To thousands of youngsters
in the Medford area, that
bearded, heavy-set gentleman
in the red and white suit is
none other than old St. Nick
himself.
But to his friends, he's just
Ray Huson, a good-natured
truck driver who likes kids.
Ray has played Santa at the
Big Y super market for the
past five years and this year
donned his costume for the
opening of the Christmas sea
son in Medford as well as for
a group of Cub Scouts at
Washington school.
Few people realize, how
ever, that he's also the "right
jolly old elf" who calls on
children in about 50 Medford
homes each year.
Began Seven Yean Ago
Ray's Santa activities be
gan about seven years ago, he
said, when he borrowed a cos-1
tume from a neighbor and im
personated Mr. Claus at a
Huson family gathering.- The
following year, he bought his
own suit and visited the
homes of a few friends.
"The idea," Ray punned,
"just snowballed." He's been
the city's unofficial St. Nick
ever since.
Ray begins taking reserva
tions for house calls about
Nov. 1 each year and, by the
time his list is complete, he's
usually scheduled' to call on
youngsters in about 25 homes
Christmas eve and 25 more on
Christmas morning.
"I arrange my schedule just
like my truck route," he said,
"and let the parents know
what time I expect to be at
their homes. I can usually
come within 15 minutes of the
right time."
Arrange With Parents
Ray makes arrangements
with the parents to pick up
gifts, usually hidden on the
porch or' in the family car,
before making his entrance.
"Then I just bang on the
door a few times and barge
right in," he said. He stays
only about five minutes in
each home so", that the . chil
dren are still as excited when
he leaves as when he ar
rived. . '. '
This system, Ray said, has
always worked fine except
the time .two years ago when
he went to the wrong house.
Two little girls were waiting
for him in the house he was
suDDOsed to visit - but their
home was in a new develop
ment where all the houses
seemed to look alike.
Goes Right In
"I looked through the win
dow of one house," he said,
"and saw two little girls of
about the right age. I couldn't
find any presents bidden out
side but I figured their folKs
had just forgotten so I
went right on in."
The girls began screaming
with joy and jumping up and
down when they saw him, Kay
said, but the parents were
"flabbergasted." They were
standing in the . background,
whispering to each other and
obviously trying to figure out
what was going on.
I knew I d made a mis
take," he said, "so I, told the
girls that if they'd hurry off
to bed, I'd be back later with
presents. They were gone like
two shots out of a gun!"
"The parents," he laughed,
were still standing there
looking at each other when I
left."
Necessary Expenses
Ray doesn't charge for the
house calls but is paid for his
Santa duties at the Big Y:
Most of the money, however,
seems to be poured into the
necessary expenses of being a
self-sufficient St. Nick. This
includes a cleaning bill which
annually runs to about $30.
He owns two red velvet
suits, one. trimmed with real
fur and the other with white
satin, and wears a pair of
German boots which h e
thought were "ideal" when he
spotted them in a local mil
itary surplus store. But the
big, wide belt and the shiny
buckle were the hardest arti
cles.to find. - '
"I looked arid looked for a
belt buckle - Portland, San
Francisco and Medford," he
said, "and finally got one
from a coat belonging to one
of my wife's friends."
Source of Belt .
Ray, who stands about 5-7
and weighs 230 pounds, told
a bit sheepishly of where he
got the belt.
"Everybody's razzing me,"
he said, "because I had it
made at a tent and awning
company."
Ray's beard, made of yak
hair in Germany cost $50-and
he claim it's never been
pulled, classic Santa-kiddy
stories to the contrary.
He's avoided this, he said,
by holding a child's hands
while he or she is sitting on
his lap.
"This works two ways," he
explained. "They love to have
you hold their hands and yet
they're not tearing you to
pieces."
Dealing With Children
Ray talks to "thousands of
children before the year's
over" and he's developed
something of a system in
dealing with them.
"That ho-ho-ho stuff just
doesn't go," he said. "It scares
them every time. You have to
be real confidential with them
and let them whisper in your
ear. You're not talking to any
body else but them-and they
love it."
The youngsters who visit
him very seldom cry, he said,
"and when they do it's usu
ally the parents' fault be
cause they push them up there
before they're ready."
Ray claims that he almost
never runs into a genuine
brat-or at least they're angels
by the time they're face-to-face
with Santa..
Standing in Line
"When they're standing in
line," he said, "you can see
them simmering down as they
get closer. They're up there
for just one thing and that's
to tell Santa what they want."
Kay recalled one youngster
ne encountered a year ago
who was an example of this
type.
"He was a litle monster,"
Ray said. "I could see, him
coming - pinching, pulling
and shoving - but he calmed
down when he got to me,
"I asked him if he'd been a
good boy and he said, 'Oh,
yes, sir, and I said 'Oh, no
you haven't' and really lit
into him. When he left, he
kept saying, Til be good, I'll
be good .
Non-Believeri
Ray naturally meets quite
a few non-believers, but he's
learned how to handle them,
too. . . ' '
"It's a lot easier to keep
them on your side," he ex
plained. "If you wink and
let them think ' they're in on
a secret, they go right along
with you."
Most popular gifts with the
boys this year, he-said, seem
to be the toy sawed-off shot
guns modeled after the one
used in a current television
series. Dolls still top the list
for girls.
"I never definitely promise
them what they ask for," he
said. "I just tell them to be
good and that maybe we can
find something nice for them."
Promises Something
Last year, however, he
broke this rule and promised
something to a little boy-after
he got some coaching from
the lad's father.
"This boy wanted a real
horse," Ray said, "and I
didn't know what to say.
Then I saw his dad-a cowboy
if I ever saw one-standing be
hind him and nodding his
head 'yes.' So I promised him
his horse."
Ray and his wife Bettie,
both natives of Medford, live
at 3435 Forest ave. and have
two children, Bill, 5, and
Suzy, aged 7 months.
Young Bill, according to
Ray, is the only youngster ',
whom he thinks ' may have
recognized him in his cos
tume.
Christmas Opening .
"I think he spotted me at
the Christmas opening two
weeks ago." he said, "but he
won't admit it. He just men
tioned to ' his mother how
much dad's mouth looked like
Santa's."
Just before leaving, Ray
called home to tell his wife
he would be there soon. Bill
answered the phone, v
Ray talked to his son for a
while, hung up and laughed.
"He wants me to take him
to Grants Pass," he chuckled,
"to see Santa Claus."
N. Y. ENGINEER DIES
Red, Bank, N.J. - (UPD - Vin
cent P. O'Mahoney, a former
construction engineer on ma
jor Newi York building proj
ects, died in a hospital here
Thursday. He was 77.
TODAY Audrey Sims
Demonstrates
Christmas Decorations
... for the Home, Party, School, Church, etc. , "
KBES-TV
Following Pro Football Approximately 4:15
SIMS Cycle and HOBBY SHOP
'JOLLY OLD ELF' Medford's
his long white mustache before encountering a long line
of youngsters at a local super market. The beard, which
Ray claims has never been pulled, was made of yak-hair
in Germany and cost $50.
No Deceit Intended
In Filing Plans for
Mo r t u a ry
No deceit was intended bv
the operator's of Siskiyou Me-
mornal park when they filed
plans with the city building
aepartment for a mortuary.
inis was the expressed
opinion of the city planning
commission Thursday night,
when it recommended a con
ditional variance for the Sis
kiyou Memorial Park associa
tion to operate a mortuary.
A question of possible in
tent to -deceive grew out of a
discussion last month when it
was shown that the city build
ing department was consider
ing plans for the building
which did not clearly desig
nate it as a mortuary.
- The city building depart
ment said at the time of ap
proval they thought the build
ing was going to be a chapel,
not a mortuary.
Clears Issue
Manville M. Heisel, attor
ney for Siskiyou Memorial
park and its operators, clear
ed . the issue when he dis
covered two sets of mortuary
plans, one more detailed than
the other. He said the city
building department had mis
takenly reviewed the less de
tailed plans. .
James Richardson, 401
South Groveland ave., and
Fred Conrad, 2101 Siskiyou
Gifts Collected for
Mental Patients
The Mental Health associa
tion of Oregon is again col
lecting Christmas gifts for the
6,000 mentally ill patients in
Oregon's two state hospitals,
Mrs. Henry Padgham, coordi
nator of the project in Jack
son county, has announced.
Main collection depot for.
this area is the Jackson coun
ty welfare office and Pad
gham Glass -and Millwork
company.
Additional information con
cerning types of gifts may be
obtained from Mrs. Padgham
at SPring. 2-4248. .
Boy Scouts
Troop 16
Members of Boy Scout
Troop 16 met with Scoutmas
ter Dan Kadi Wednesday in
the Pythian building.
They were visited by the
Washington school Webeloes,
Cub Scout Pack 6, who were
accompanied by their assistant
denmaster, R. D. Price.
The Knights of Pythias
lodge, sponsors of Troop 18,
are now in the process of or
ganizing an Explorer Post 16
for youth of ninth grade and
over. Those eligible are invit
ed to attend an organizational
meeting Wednesday, Dec. 16
at 7:30 p.m. in the Pythian
building. They are encouraged
to bring fathers to the
meeting.
St. Nick, Ray Huson, twirls
P I a n n e rs
blvd., spoke in opposition to
various aspects of the mor
tuary. Conrad disagreed with the
views of two realtors, who
spoke for the mortuary, that
there would be no deprecia
tion in property values, but
said he would go along with
the mortuary if he had some
assurance that a policy out
lined by Heisel in regard to
the use of the new entrance
on Groveland ave. would be
carried out.
No Objection
Richardson, too, expressed
no objection to the mortuary
as such,' but was wary of the
traffic problems that might
result. He wanted all en
trances to the park to connect
with existing arterials. ' . -
Several other residents, in
cluding Councilman James
Dunlevy, protested the traffic
potential of the new entrance.
Dunlevy, who said he was
a member of the council ap
proving the original cemetery
variance in 1947, said he was
surprised at the course of
events taken by the cemetery
since then.
In recommending the con-'
ditional variance, the com
mission recognizea that a
denial of the variance would
amount to practical confisca
tion of the mortuary as it
could be used for no other
purpose.
Other Action
In other action at Thurs
day's meeting, the commission
rejected a request for a change
of zone from residential to
limited commercial for ap
proximately 46 acres of land
on both sides of Table Rock
rd. from Loder ave. to De
Barr ave.
The commission felt this
area should be retained as a
residential area, and the size
of the requested zone change
would create an undesirable
commercial strip on Table
Rock rd. They also noted that
three previous requests for
similar changes in this area
had been denied.
The commission also re
jected a request for a change
in zone from single and two
family dwellings to commer
cial in the Laurelhurst addi
tion. This change would have
permitted a home nursery in
this area. However, the com
mission felt this kind of zon
ing would be objectionable
spot-zoning.
In rejecting another request
for a change of zone, from
residential to light industrial
at the intersection of Merri
man rd. and Midway rd., the
commission was of the opinion
that by granting this to a pro
posed trailer park, it would
be opening the area up to
more objectionable uses in the
future.
It was also voted to con
tinue hearings on a change of
zone in the Highcroft addition
arid a change of zone to per
mit a veterinary hospital on
Barnett rd.
Bidding Strong on
Green Timber; No
Bids on Salvage
Bidding was strong for reg
ular green sales but poor for
small salvage sales at an oral
auction timber sale held by
the Medford district of the bu
reau of land, management
Thursday. The sale consisted
of four green sales and three
salvage sales "that were sold
and three salvage sales for
which no bids were received.
The seven tracts that were
sold contain a total volume
of 13,194,000 board feet and
sold for a total of $507,594.90.
The three no-bid sales repre
sent a volume of 414,000
board feet.
' In Jackson county, Moun
tain Fir Lumber company of
Murphy and Lithia Lumber
company of Ashland were the
Council on Aging
Sets Meeting at
Center Thursday
The Rogue Valley Council
on Aging will meet at 3 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 17, in the Sen
ior Activity Center, 601 East
Jackson st.
Frank Glonning, chairman,
said plans for the annual
council meeting will be dis
cussed and reports on the
Southern Oregon regional
conference on aging will be
given.
Mrs. Fred Rankin, a mem
ber of the state council, will
report on two meetings she
attended in Portland recently,
and Dr. Frank Roberts and
Mrs. Rita Holmes of the rec
reation committee will report
on plans for organizing Fifty
Plus clubs and the activity
center. Mrs. Mary Frederick,
president . of the Medford
Fifty Plus club will report on
plans for the new year.
Center Program
The. activity, center program
has been changed, center rep
resentatives said. The rug
making class will not meet
until after Christmas when- it
will start meeting on Monday
mornings between 10 a.m. and
noon. On Dec. 14, the arm
chair travel group will meet
at 1 p.m. It also will meet
Dec. 21 and Dec. 28.
The drama and woodcarv-
ing classes which ' usually
meet at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on
Wednesdays will not meet un
til Dec. 30. The Spanish and
orchestra classes will . meet
each Thursday as scheduled.
The orchestra has been prac
ticing for .two performances
this week - one Wednesday at
the . Christmas party of the
Medford and . Camp White
Fifty Plus clubs, and the other
party Friday, Dec. 18, for the
Chin Up club in the Girls
Community club.
The painting class each
Tuesday afternoon still is
in need of a volunteer in
structor. Anyone interested
may contact Mrs. Nettie Wil
liams or Mrs. Elsa Walker.
NOW!
Enter
V
ttJkx rihiii-iiKii
CHAMBER OF
Christmas
CONTEST!
Use This Blank
OFFICIAL ENTRY BLANK
The Christmas Lighting Contest
Residential Contestant
I would like to make this Medford's Brightest Christmas.
Please enter me in this year's Christmas Lighting Contest.
I understand the winner be entered in General Elec
tric'! Nation-wide Christmas Lighting Contest.
NAME
ADDRESS .
CHECK ONE HOME
MAIL TODAY TO:
Medford Jaycees
(Spontorinfl Organization)
P. O. Box 251, Medford
Courtesy of Medford Mail Tribune
high bidders for tracts con
taining 3,617,000 board feet
and 2,101,000 board feet re
spectively. The tract purchased by
Mountain Fir Lumber com
pany is located at the head of
Ninemile creek in southwest
Jackson county, while the
Lithia Lumber company tract
on Hutton creek is just north
of the Oregon-California line.
The high bid made in the first
sale included an offer of
$40.10 per thousand board
feet for Douglas fir and a total
offer of $143,360.80. Prices on
the second sale included an of
fer of $30 per thousand for
the Douglas fir, $45.25 for the
Ponderosa pine and a total bid
of $76,867.75. Three operators
participated in each sale. .
Josephine Tracts ,
The three tracts sold in
Josephine county were pur
chased by Cabax Mills, Inc.,
of Grnts Pass, Mountain Fir
Lumber company and Harry
Steward of Wolf Creek. The
tract Cabax Mills, Inc., pur
chased contains 3,493,000
board feet located on Yeager
creek near Oregon Caves. It
brought a bid of $46.10 for
Douglas fir which was the
highest offer for any species
in all the tracts sold. The to
tal price for the sale was
$155,806.90. They were com
peting with four other bid
ders for the tract.
Mountain Fir Lumber com
pany bought 638.000 board
feet of timber killed in the
Wilderville fire last summer.
Their offer included $35.10 for
the Douglas fir and a total
price of $21,881.80.
Harry Steward purchased
82,000 board feet of salvage
timber west of the mouth of
Grave creek without competi
tion for-$2,223.60.
The Robert Dollar company
and Patterson Lumber com
pany, Inc., both of Glendale,
purchased tracts in-Douglas
county.
The three tracts that receiv
ed no bids were all located in
northwestern Josephine coun
ty. They will remain open for
receipt of bids for 90 days in
accordance with the timber
sale regulations.
One small salvage tract lo
cated in Jackson county that
was offered for sale on Ndv.
5 but on which no bids were
made, is also still open for bid
under these regulations,' ac
cording to the district man
ager's office.
Dormitory Loan
Okayed for College
Portland (UPD - Sen. Rich
ard L. Neuberger was advised
Saturday by the Community
Facilities administration of ap
proval of a $225,000 loan to
Lewis and Clark college here
to build a dormitory for 90
men students. , !
The college will supply
$86,000 of its own funds to
ward the cost of the project.
the
.iiininR
COMMERCE
Lighting ml
, APARTMENT