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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1962)
o o MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON SUNDAY. MAY 6. 1962 Pesque Isle Residents Overcome Removal of Air Force Base By JOHN F. O'BRIEN United Presi International Presque Isle, Maine -ll'Pl)-The hardy folk in this center of Maine's potato empire are striving mightily to prove that "Joss of a big nd'itary oase should not plunge a commu nity into economic despair. City leaders know they have a big Job on their hands, but they're going all out to sole their own problem and show other American commu nities how it's done. And they have a lot on their side. With sudden deactivation of the U. S. Air Force base here and a growing slump in the i before the "phase out" order believe the federal govern vital Aroostook county pota- came, Air Force officials were ment should not waste defense to market, Presque Isle citi- trying to find 200 additional funds just to satisfy local de zens last year faced a bleak housing units in the city. To- jiands. We knew the tactical future. oSy, there are 300 surplus i value of the base had ceased Vanished Payroll The departure of 1.250 mili tary personnel and loss of 250 civilian jobs at the base meant a vanished payroll of $2.5 million a year in a city of just under 13,000 population. The economy impact was felt at once in Main street cash regisrs when the Snark missile base closed down be cause of the weapon's obso lescence. Only two months (Republican) I f A m A B Be. I I t- 3AYAKU FOR SHERIFF X Proven Administrative Ability Pd. Pol. Adv. by Savard for sneritr comm., Glen Allen,' Chm., 951 So. Stage Rd. il if aw I if-j i rentals standing vacant. Unlike some communities losing military installations, Presque Isle citizens put up no howl to Washington. In stead, in characteristic fash ion, they figured things could improve with some real indi vidual effort. The Presque Isle industrial council soon was established as an official arm of the city government. James M. Keefe, former chamber of commerce official here and in Attleboro,' Mass., took over as director. A former Colby college and semi - pro baseball pitcher, Keefe threw some fast curves at the menace of depression. And he had the whole town on his team. Knew Tactical Value Echoing the pride and the self - sufficient attitude of Presque Isle people, Keefe said: "We didn't try to fight closing of the base because we to exist and we wanted to solve oar own problemwith initiative in using what was at hand." The council quickly real ized it could obtain a ready made industrial park at a bar gain basement price. After negotiation with the General Services administra tion through Maine's congres sional delegation, the city was able to purchase nearly 1,900 acres of land and 20 valuable buildings for only $56,000. At the height of the Snark pro gram, the Air Force valued the base at nearly $19 million. Cor of Complex The core of the industrial complex is formed by six gi ant missile storage hangars, each 440 feet long and each costing $838,000 to build. Each building contains two two-ton overhead cranes and one of them has a 10-ton crane. All offer the necessary utilities for heavy industry, including We, at ROYAL'S QUALITY CABINET, wish to take this opportunity to thank our many customers for their past patronage and extend cordial invita tion to come in and see us at our NEW LOCATION 944 South Central C23D L Puts a new surface on your home or on any commercial and industrial property. DECOR, the NEW FADE RESISTANT COL ORED ALUMINUM COAT. ING for BRICK, MASONRY, CONCRETE, WOOD OR METAL is the ideal answer .... DECOR reflects solar heat rays, keeps interiors cooler, DECOR preserves and effects economy in maintenance costs. Eight (8) attractive colors for your choice. Sa Us Today For Full Information! OUR HOME SERVICES NOW INCLUDE: Exclusive custom furniture to fit your home ic Custom built dining bars and booths We maintain ONLY the highest quality of workman ship and materials . . . and keep abreast of the times by offering progressive styling and designs to meet the needs of our most exacting customers! Building? Remodeling? Take advantage of our J discount On all cabinet work During the Month of May 10 Down on Approved Credit QUALITY CfiiltMS 944 South Central Phone SP 3-2906 o 0 o Complete fixture designing service for Men's Stores, Barber Stopsestaurants, o Beauty Shops, Dress Shops and other types of businesses. five separate heating and elec trical units in case spaf should be divided among sep arate tenants. In addition to the huge hangars, the city's tract in cludes a group of warehouses, former Air Force maintenance shops, offices and even a mammoth gymnasium. Presque Isle's largest indus try since the air base closed is the potato processing plant of Potato Service Inc., which employs 300. The F. H. Vahl sing Co., situated 10 miles away at Easlon, employs more than 200 in the packing of frozen potato products. Local Criticitm Industrial developer Keefe says there is no serious public welfare problem on Presque Isle now because the recent onening of the two potato processing plants "tempered P.O. Box 252 By NORMA CLARK fcscT'iV zn PRINTED MATTER TO JAPAN It was suggested in this col umn, last February that old greeting cards, calendars and wildlife stamps be sent to Mrs. Rose Lesser, P. O. Box Naka hara 5, Kawasaki, Japan. This is what Mrs. Lesser does with them: 'We collect natural educa tional material," writes Mrs. Lesser, "to distribute to school children here on Saturdays and after school to help them In their language studies. Worthy magazines, illustrated and beyond could be rotated to share knowledge, experi ences and friendship, to build up mutual understanding and to gain an Insight into each other's needs. "Although the MORE JOY centers then planned and dis cussed in the face of death are not yet visible, the work is go ing on. The present MORE JOY center must be consid ered only an emergency cen ter, for it is run at the price of giving up my own private residence. But I have never resented this fact, for the joy the shock" of the closing of the air base. There was some unorgan ized and unoffrftal local criti cism of the government vir tually giving away the base, but the $56,000 price was based on an appraisal by the GSA. The federal agency took into consideration the geo graphical location nearly 400 miles north of Boston when it decided on the selling price. Keefe says the "closest" prospect the industrial coun cil now has for a permanent major industry is "one in the wood products field." But he declined to disclose the con cern s identity because nego tiations now are at the criti cal stage. However, officials of the GSA just last week flew to Presque Isle for formal sign ing of the deed to the proper ty, enabling the council to move into high gear in pro moting its facilities. Until then, the council had control of the base only on a revoca ble permit. Medford Man Pleads Guilty in Court Elmer Cecil Waldbcscr, 61, of 302 North Barneburg rd., Medford, beaded guilty in district court Friday to charg es of petty larceny. He was placed on probation and imposition of sentence was suspended for 18 months. Waldbeser was accused of taking three electric trains from Montgomery Ward com pany in Medford. - B 5 Sunday, May 13 4 MOTHER'S Oi DAY Cgg) CARDS 217 E. Ma' Medford papers, post cards, greeting t th -'..,,. feeling at home at the center, cards, wildlife stamps and similar material greatly en courage the students and en liven their lessons. "People have sent us fine colored slides of their cities, which we use to make slide' shows, so that the students can learn more about other countries." In 195$ Mrs. Lesser founded MORE JOY, an or. ganizaiion for the promo tion of mutual understand ing and fellowship of youth. The organisation began io crystallise in Kyoto during the war years when the Urge houie of Mrs. Lesser became a natural assembly place for the various Asian students concentrated in that city. At the end of the war, the activities were con tinued when she came to Kanto to take part in the educational program of one of the universities In the Tokyo erea. "During the terrible air raids of 1944 and 1945," Mrs. Lesser continues, "my stu dents and I, rather than go in to the primitive air-raid shelt ers which often became self dug graves, continued our les sons and indulged in the beau ty of foreign languages and the great classics. Watching the alien bombers flying low over our heads, we dreamed of a time to come when we would help each other to un derstand and to love. We looked toward the day when we would develop an organi zation, with headquarters in Japan, where friends at home So far, four- business and industrial firms have leased space and the industrial coun cil is busy answering queries from prospects all over the nation, with cooperation of Maine's department of eco nomic development. Council members also are looking to the European Com mon Market as a potential source of overseas air trade with Presque Isle as the American jumping off point, as it was for thousands of military aircraft during World War II. Includes Runways The city owned land In cludes one 7,400-foot runway and another of 6,000 feet, making accommodations for all planes except the largest jet aircraft. The city is served by four engine planes of Northeast Airlines and the council is remodeling one building into a new passenger terminal. Twenty months ago, a char tered airliner landed at Presque Isle and U. S. Sen. John F. Kennedy stepped out to make a brief campaign speech. Despite their individ ual political leanings, Presque Isle people haven't forgotten his plea for America to "get things moving again." They're doing just that in Presque Isle today. SOBBING SIMS SAYS: "SPRING TIME IS SWING TIME GYM-DANDY SWING TIME" "j-'Ultiji,.. CYM-PANDY (parents 24.88 With SLIDE 17 As Shown dear reward, "Actually there is little prl vacy. Gur.sts who stay over night, as they bften do, must suffer the sound of a type writer and the light from the adjacent room where work is going on until late at night. The tape recorder and record player are often used for lan guage studies and must be a bore for those who have other work to do. "In March 1960 we went on a MORE JOY mission to In dia, a month long tour of In dian schools to distribute 1700 friendship letters, which had been collected and translated by MORE JOY members. A gift was attached to each letter. "While we were there, two our children, who were ap pointed child ambassadors, presented Prime Minister Nehru with a gift of a tran sistor radio. "When we returned to Ja pan in April with Prime Min later Nehru's return-gifts, a gypsy doll and an ivory box, our hearts were full of grati tude for the love that had greeted us everywhere." For those who wish to send any material that can be used in the language classes at the MORE JOY center, Mr. Katsuhiro Ish ige, etsistant secretary, ad vises that the outside of the envelope or package be lab eled "Printed Matter, Sea mail Undeclared" to avoid the heavy custom taxes there. Otley Installed VFW Commander Frank L. Otley was in stalled commander of Crater Lake Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars when It and the auxiliary held an installation recently at 42 North Front St., Medford. Other officers Installed were Ray Lawless, senior vice commander; David Schultz, junior vice commander; Ira Canfield, chaplain; Louis Kula, quartermaster; Richard Schultz, post advocate; E. D. Smith, adjutant; Harold Suth erland, three year triiitee; I. H. Watkins, officer of the day; and Ivan Lusk, patriotic instructor. Installing officer was Past Commander Richard Schultz. Among the visiting officers were Past Department Com mander Harry Birch, of Steel head post 6881, Past Depart ment Commander Ted Hop kins, of Post 4116; Past De partment Commander Ira Canfield, of Post 1833; Senior Commander of District 7, Fred Kerby; Commander of Steelhcad Post 6881 Kenneth Clair; Senior Vice Command er of Steelhcad post, Jobie Bryan; and Commander of Post 3423, Alvln Hazelrigg. NEW TWIRLER SWING GYM xr Original price 54.95 ... 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