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MAIL TRIBUNE, Mcdford, Or. A Thursday, Jun 2, I960
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IN BETTER DAYS - Francis Powers, held
by the Russians after his un plane was
': downed over the Soviet Union, is shown
above in better days. At left he is shown,
sffOWith his father, Oliver, center, and his
By JACK V. FOX
Norton. Va. - (UPD - Oliver
Powers is enduring as stark
an ordeal as a father could
His only son is In the hands
Of the Soviet military police,
branded a spy and very pos
sibly close to death before
a firing squad.
; Powers, 55, Is facing It with
dignity and with a courage
that only fleetingly wanes at
the desperation of his son's
plight and the bitter frustra
tion of being unable to help.
Almost every day since 30-year-old
Francis Powers was
brought down in his U-2 far
Inside Russia and the Com
munist charges trumpeted to
the world, the father has gone
to his one-man shoe repair
Shop in this tiny Virginia
mountain town and worked
it his cobbler's trade.
Pauses for Newscast
- Last week he sat at his
bench and, between custom
ers, talked about his son. A
radio played incessantly and
Powers paused for each news
cast. He had goncn working,
he said, because his son would
want It that way. His wife
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grandfather. At right he is shown with his fAVT3i jf1 A
five sisters, JoOine, Joyce, Jean, Jessica and VVjJpS Vf -j. I V- 'tdt
Janica. The photo was taken after Powers' V i3Si3p!LtM ' fVV i
graduated from high school. 'S. " fc'' ' V ! 4
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Powers' Father Endures Ordeal
Of Son Being in Soviet Hands
cost $2.50 and it was a woman
pilot in a two-seater plane.
"When he came down, he
said 'Daddy, I left my heart
up there.
Power's voice broke and
he sobbcQ. It was the only
time he lost his composure
in a conversation of more
than two hours.
Worked as Miner
Powers has repaired shoes
for 22 years. He worked 15
years as a coal miner but
gave it up because it was
"too dangerous." He was in
the infantry for about a year
in the mid-1 920s but never
went outside the country.
I would never let him go
into the mines," Powers said.
And he would never work
Receives Blame
For Many Deaths
Cincinnati
(Science Serv-
Is severely ill with a heart
condition, aggravated by
worry over her son.
"He was a daddy's boy,"
Powers said. "No one will
ever know how close that boy
was to me. We had five girls,
too, and I told Ills mother,
'You raise them however you
want, but I'll raise the boy
And I did'."
JRecalJs First Flight .
Four of the girls are mar
ried. Two of them have moved
away, both near Washington,
D.C. One is married to a rural
mail carrier here; the other
to a school bus driver. The
youngest girl lives with her
parents and grandfather on
the farm of 90-ycar-old James
Powers at nearby Pound, Va.
"Francis was a fine young
man," Powers said. "When he
was a young boy I told him
he wasn't to go with the bad
kind of boys. Run with the
best boys you can. They arc
going to amount to some
thing. That's what he did. I
never had a moment's worry
with that boy."
Powers, in fact, may have
tried to be too close to his
ton. The father revealed Hint
when Francis was sent to iiv
pan during the Korean Wnr
the elder Powers wrolc the
Air Force asking that his
"only son" not be sent into
combat. FrQicis did not sec
action-although the letter un
doubtedly hud nothing to do
with it.
First Plan Ride
Powers recalled when Fran
cis first went up in an air
plane. The boy was 14 and
the were driving through
Princeton, W. Va., on the way
back from taking the elder
girl to school.
"He kept after me to lot
Mm go up and there was an
icc)-Many deaths from heart
airj)rt at Princeton," Powers
aid "I remember the ride
disease and cancer may be
related to air pollution, re
search suggests.
Two analytical statisticians
from the Department of
Heallh, Education and Wel
fare in Washington, D.C, re
ported the relationship here
at the annual meeting of the
Air Pollution Control Asso
ciation. Richard Schiffman
and Emanuel Landau present
ed information based 'on a
study of 163 standard metro
politan areas that were ranked
n terms of potential air pollu
tion levels. Those with high
est air pollution had a great
er number of deaths from
various diseases than the na
tional average. Chronic rheu
matic heart disease, arterios
clerotic heart disease, indu
ing coronary, and non-rheumatic
chronic endocarditis
were three that showed mor
tality increase in 20 standard
metropolitan areas studied.
Above National Average
similarly, cancer of the
esophagus and stomach caus
ed more deaths in 20 metro
politan areas with high air
pollution than the national
average, while cancer of the
trachea, bronchus and lung
showed comparable mortality
Increases.
The need for further study
to show types of industries,
fuels used and other factors
related to air polWitlon and !
morbidity was emphasized, j
Other investigators here I
minimized the "overwhelm-!
ing importance) of cigarette
smoking as a prime cause of
cancer, which has been al
leged by' many researchers.
They said the frequency of
lung cancer started on the
Kuropean continent before
cigarette smoking became
popular.
at tftis trade. He just didn't
like it.
"This area doesn't offer
much for a young man. He
wanted to govo work when
he got out of high school, but
I persuaded him to go to col
lege. I talked him into tak
ing a pre-mcd course and he
did real well. But when he
got out, he told me he just
wasn't interested in being a
doctor and didn't want to go
on to medical school."
Powers triQI to get Francis
an appointment to the Coast
Guard AcadoKiy. BuWhe boy
was restless, his draft board
was scheduled to take him in
and Francis enlisted in the
Air Iftrce on Oct. 6, 1950.
After a year, he took flight
training and became a fighter
pilot.
Only Fighter Planes
"He never flew anything
but a fighter plane," Powers
said. "He told me he didn't
want to be responsible for
nobody but himself. '
Thinks Government blun
dered, o
There is reason to believe
that Powers knew something
about what his son was doing
in Turkey after leaving the
Air Force In 1956 and going
with Lockheed Aircratt as a
"test pilot," but that is where
the silence begins in talking
with the father.
His anger flares at what
he thinks has been govern
ment blundering in his son s
case, Including the abandoned
story that the U-2 pilot got
lost In the Turkish border
after a failure of his oxygen
supply.
Powers has tried to get
State Department approval for
a trip to. Europe and Russia
nd made personal appeals to
Premier NikiJJi Khrushchev
s a fellow coal miner and
father to let him take Fran
cis' place.
Unquestionably Invqgved
But he realizes how little
chance those attempts have.
Closing his talk, he said he
was aware his son may be
executed, asknowlcdgcd that
Francis was unquestionably
involved in espionage.
OSome one has to pay and
perhaps It must be my boy
he said slowly. "But know
this. Whatever he did, he did
for his country and it may
turn out to be one of the
most valuable things a man
ever did."
Next: Power's wife wanted
him to quit flying
BROWN'S
MARKET
Eagle Paint, Oregon
22.2 2 lbs.
S135
I J.'ll- I IO-oi, Instant
fSPJ $39
AN APPEAL FOR USED ITEMS
The Medford lions Club hat completed construction of the Girl Scout activity
center at Tomlin Forest. Used items are needed to start operation of the lodge.
Do you havo any of the following for Girl Scout use?
2 large iron skillets
2 large cooking potiwlids
1 large coffee pot
Smaller cooking pott
Tea kettle
Can opener
Kitchen knives O
long handled spoon
long handled fork
Pancake turner
Dish pan
Vir mattresses
Shovels
Sledge & wedges
lanterns
HaijH ax
Yard rakes
8 wash basins
First aid kit
Old chain
Old benches
Old tables
Phone SP 4960 or SP 2-6582 before 5 00 P.M.
Phone SP 2.803S, SP 2-9995, SP 2-5402 after 5:00 P.M.
AND A MEMBER OP MEDFORD HONS ClUB Will MAKE PICK-UP. IF YOU PREFER,
HAVE ITEMS AT GIRL SCOUTS, 500 East Main. Q Q
save up to 1.65 yd.
special purchase
MIRACLE BLEND FABBICS
reg. to 2.98 yd.
1.33
All new spring and summer fabrics featuring
Dacrons, cottons, Arnels, rayons in a gay assort
ment of fashion colors and patterns
u
save 11.10
completely immersible
ELECTBIC FR? PAS
10.88
comp. value 21.98
Giant 12-inch square. Therm-O-Ware top qual
ity appliance. Fully guaranteed. Spreads heat
evenly. Stay-cool contour grip handle. Price in
cludes lid and removable control.
save up to 1.10
- slight imperfections
BEACH TOWELS
values to 2. 98
1.88
Ever so slight imperfections mean dollar savings
to you. A gay assortment of full gen&rous size.
Brightly printed. By famous manufacturers.
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save 70c o
CHILDREN'S TENNIS SHOE
Kg. 2.99
2.29
save 1.20 o
OHIDREN'S TENNIS SHOE'
Kg. 5.99
4.79
save 1.99
little or no ironing
DRIP DRY COTTON SHIRT
reg. 3.98
1.99
Convertible collars. Short roll sleeves. Over or
tuck-in styles. In prints and solid colors. Sizes
30-38.
save 51c
handsome crew neck
BOYS' KNIT SHIRTS
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comp. value 1.50
99
Colorfast stripes in fine mercerized cottons . , ,
taped non-sHg neck band. Sizes 6-16.
save up to 1.41
ideal gift item
RAYONSILK SCARFS
Values to 2.00
59
Tops for graduation gifts. Lovely fashion scarfs.
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your pick . . . they're all beautiful. Hand rolled
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CUTLERY SALE
2 for 3.00 or
1.59
Famous "Foremost" brand. Imported hot drop
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set for lasting accuracy. Fully nickel plated.
, famous Munsingwear
for men & boys
SAMPLE KNIT LINE
k& $i. to 23 Price!
Includes full line of knit shirts, sweaters and
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10-12-14. ys,zes-
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