Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, August 09, 1962, Image 3

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Medford mail tribune., August 09, 1962, Image 3

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Newspaper Page TextMEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON THURSDAY. AUGUST 9. 1362 Siskin Brothers Devoted to 'Reclaiming People From Scrap Pile' By AL KUETTNER Chattanooga, Tenn.-HTP- "O keep a place apart within your heart lor little dreams to go." So go the last two lines of a poem framed on the wall of a building on a one-way street in this southern industrial city at the foot of Lookout moun tain. A sign on the front reads "Operation Crossroads." The reception room inside Is the hustle and bustle of a busy out-patient clinic. Nurses in crisp white, questions, whimpering children, anxious grownups. You take note of things on the walls: -The Big Brother certifi cate: "Few others have stood so straight as Mose and Gar rison Siskin, who have stooped so often to help oth ers." -The citation from the Orange Grove School for the Mentally Retarded: "In grate iul appreciation for making a dream come true." Reclaim People You meet a big gruff fel low who has eyes that look like they want to cry. This is Garrison Siskin who, with his brother Mose, have embarked -as they put it-on a job of 'reclaiming people from the human scrap pile." Their place is formally called "The Mose and Garri son Siskin Memorial Founda tion Rehabilitation Center." But the Siskin Brothers don't really go in for formalities. "Come with me and I'll show you," says Garrison. Presently you arrive at a soundproofed little room. A man is seated before a one way mirror that looks out into a larger room where several children and a teacher can be observed and heard without their knowledge. The man turns, a look of wonder still on his face. "That's my little girl," he says softly. "I just heard her speak for the first time." "Come with me," says Gar rison Siskin. "There is more." Are Legend Around Chattanooga where they grew up-and collected junk door to door to help their Russian immigrant par-ents-the Siskin Brothers have become something of a legend. Today they are wealthy owners of a steel fabricating plant. But they have never lost touch with the past when life was a struggle. It's said around Chatta nooga that it's pretty hard to get a job at the Siskins' plant now unless you have been in some kind of trouble. The "Pushka" - the good West New Guinea Agreement Seen as Victory for Region ' Tokyo (UP11 Southeast Asia gees the impending agreement in the West New Guinea dis pute as not just a victory for the Indonesians but one for all former colonial nations of the region. ' This common bond served to rally many of the South east Asian nations to Indo nesia's side early in the dis pute. Their support never wavered although the dispute threatened at times to erupt into a full-scale war which could have engulfed all of Southeast- Asia. , In Manila, Vice President and Foreign Minister Emman uel Pelaez was quick to point out that while the Philippines favored a peaceful settlement, it was committed to support Indonesia in the dispute since its very beginning. Happy About Help "We are particularly happy because in our modest way we have been helping through diplomatic channels to estab lish contacts between the Indonesians and the Dutch," he said. He reiterated an offer to send Filipino technicians and doctors and help develop primitive West New Guinea and expressed the hope that "with the West Irian issue out of the way there will be great er opportunity for Indonesia and the Philippines to ex plore ways and means of strengthening their brotherly relations." : Singapore and Malaya, In donesia's staunchesl support ers in the dispute, hailed the impending agreement as one which would lessen tension In Southeast Asia. Hundreds of volunteers, including wom en, from both territories have been undergoing training in Indonesia as part of Presi dent Sukarno's campaign. . In Singapore, a government spokesman said the settle ment of the dispute would remove "one big sore'1 in the region and "dispel tension felt by neighboring coun. tries." He paid tribute to the United States and particular ly to U. S. Diplomat Ells worth Bunker and United Na tions Acting Secretary Gen eral U Thanl for mediating the dispute. President Sukarno an nounced Saturday that for mal negotiations over New Guinea would take place and that his foreign minister. Su bandrio, would go to Wash ington at the end of the month to conduct them with Dutch officials. Preliminary Talks Subandrio had held prelim inary and informal talks with the Dutch last month. Dutch officials welcomed the Indonesian decision and said it appeared the end in sight to the long dispute. which has broken into spor adic fighting in the past sev eral months, with Indonesian paratroop landings forcing the evacuation of civilians from many points in West New Guinea, Both parties have agreed in principle to the plan put forward by Bunker for the territory's future. The Dutch would turn over administration of the island to Indonesian officials, but the territory's 600.000 Papu an natives would be guaran teed eventual self-determination by the United Nations. deeds box of ancient Hebrew times-was a central feature of the devout Siskin house hold. Into it went a regular amount and out of it came the funds to help those in need who came to the family's door. Mama Siskin never would allow the "Pushka" to be robbed or cheated for her family's benefit. Today, the "Pushka" theme is still the guidepost for the Siskin Brothers. But they might have gone through life as just a couple of civic-minded business executives had it not been for an event in John son City, Tenn., one night in 1942. Garrison, en route to New York, was re-boarding his 1 train in the Tennessee town when a SO-pound steel stair- j way grid fell and struck his right leg. Clot Developed A blood clot developed and soon he was at the point of death from the same malady that had killed his father. "I'll never forget lying there on the operating table," he said. "The doctor wanted to amputate but he told me frankly I'd probably die any way. I asked him to leave my leg alone. And then I prayed. I said 'God, if you decide to let me live, I'll spend my life in the service of people'." Garrison did live, and with his brother then embarked on a life of making good on the promise. Out of their pledge grew the center, endowed with more than two million dollars of their insurance. Today it covers a city block. Their help also has pulled many another worthy local project back to life. "Don't get me started about the Siskins," said Chattanooga Reporter Marian Peck, whose beat is 127 social service agencies. "I wrote about our Speech and Hearing clinic and how it was closing for lack of sup port. The Siskins heard about it and the center was revital ized and given the finest equipment, Today it Is per forming miracles." Rebuild School The Orange Grove school also was about to close when the Siskins went to inspect it. Appalled at conditions, they decided on action. They called in 100 bricklayers on two suc ccsive Saturdays and rebuilt the place in 13 days. One large building at the center houses a complete ed ucation plant for a Hebrew school and kindergarten (one of the few Hebrew features in evidence) and any number of of local agencies. The Chattanooga literacy movement housed in the build ing holds classes nightly for adult illiterates. In two years, more than 500 have been edu cated in a county where 15,000 can neither read nor write, according to the 1960 census. A library of rare books, in cluding Braille, is utilized by many students of all faiths. (It requires 148 volumes in Braille to duplicate a 20-vol-ume printed encyclopedia). The center also houses the Harris Swift Museum of Re-1 ical therapy, public health and ligious and Ceremonial Art, one of the nation's finest mu seums of religious art. Efficiency of the staff has grown with the center and, along with standard special ized equipment, staff mem bers have designed their own to fit special cases. Director Hired Gladys Post, the new exec utive director, was hired this year from Indiana University Medical center where she was asistant administrator. She is regarded as an expert in the fields of rehabilitation, phys- hospital administration The rehabilitation center alone cost approximately $1 million and includes nine soundproof testing rooms sus pended within the building to exclude outside noise and vi bration. "We call it 'Operation Crossroads' because that's ex actly where the people are who come to us," Garrison said. Another building is the Me morial chapel and it is here that the Siskin brothers may be found every morning about 5:30 a.m. They leave their separate homes and fam ilies and link up in its quiet solitude to "gel strength for the day and find direction." Only the star of David and two tablets remind you that this is a Jewish house of worship. As accounts of the Siskin foundation have spread, peo ple have come from far and wide for help and now there often are waiting lists, a situa tion that distresses the two brothers. No Hope There are boys like Charles Sadicoff, age 5. When he came to the center he could neither speak nor walk and was be lieved to have no hope. "Hello, how are you?" he said to the reporter. Garrison helped the braced up youngster to his feet and he stood there looking at the man, a big smile on his child ish face. "You know," Garrison said as he walked from the child's room, "once a man we helped said to me, why do you do it? You are Jew and I'm not'. I just looked at him and said 'My religion is people'. It seemed to answer his ques tion." Through funds of a move ment within the foundation called the "365 Club," bor-1 rowed from Birmingham, Ala., money has been pro vided to complete the pur chase of property which clears the way for an early in-patient center. Applicants come from ev ery race, creed and color and are given all kinds of tests to determine what can be done for them. "There is just one question we never ask," Miss Post said. "We don't inquire about their religion." Coming- "Randy Rambler" liiten & Watch Don't Miti This Big Savings Event! Water Resources Board Sets Klamath Meeting Salem -(LTD- The State Wa ter Resources Board will meet at the Klamath Falls city li brary Aug. 23. On Aug. 22 the board will meet jointly with the Cali fornia Goose Lake Compact commission at the same place. Never Bought SO MUCH! Hi Seafood & Poultry 121 West Main 773-8497 0mm salmon I LING COD BAKE Trimmed Piece msm" 79 29. Fresh-Trimmed m w FRYER I FLOUNDER-BASS-SOLE GIZZARDS Fresh Fillets 69c lb. & HEARTS PERCH FILLETS Izl.'" ,..49c 2Cki SALMON EGGS For Bait QQ V lb- HERRING For Bait 0 FRESH RAZOR CLAMS POULTRY DAILY Pan Ready 1.49 lb. FARM FRESH Small GRADE AA EGGS 3 ... 59c Jumbos 59c Open Monday and Friday Evenings Until 9 P.M. 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