2/26/1959

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, February 26, 1959   Vol. C713

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LOCAL NEWS

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FIRE ON LAKESHORE DRIVE

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East Farewell – Late on Monday night the East Farewell Fire Department responded to house on fire on Lake Street Dive. The house was the residence of Harry Turnbull. The fire was roaring by the time the Fire Department arrived and it took almost three quarters of an hour to bring under control. The freezing temperatures hindered the department’s attempts to bring the fire under control. Luckily for the owner and the department the water lines did not freeze. The home was an original home built in East Farewell as a summer home for the Mighty Keystone Railroad top executive, Charles Comstock, about 1904. Comstock passed away in 1929 and the property was sold several times before Turnbull purchased it just five years ago. It had been turned into a year round residence many years ago and Turnbull had done extensive renovations after he bought it. Turnbull was in the house with his wife, Marie, and their five children, Harry Jr. (16), Sara (13), David (10), Sam (7) and little Hope (4). All were able to get out safely and no one was injured. The Turnbull family has taken up temporary residence in Mrs. Mallard’s boarding house only three doors down and across the street. “Mrs. Mallard was so very generous.  She immediately offered her home to us as soon as she saw the devastation to ours,” said a tearful Marie Turnbull on the Mallard porch, “We are so thankful. She has always been the greatest neighbor and tonight she once again showed she is one of the most wonderful people in the world.”

            The Turnbull home was not a complete loss but it suffered extensive damage to the second and third floor. “We believe the fire originated in the walls after a fault in the electric system caused a spark,” said Fire Captain, Joe White. “We were able to get a handle on this fire fairly quickly in spite of the difficult climate we had to deal with. I think we were able to save the house but it is going to need a great deal of repair.”

            “We are absolutely going to rebuild,” said Mr. Turnbull from the Mallard porch, “East Farewell is our home. The kids all were born here and they attend the local schools. All our friends are here. This is our home. We will be starting as soon as possible.”

            Thanks to the fast and efficient work by the East Farewell Fire Department this possible disaster was averted. Given the sever temperatures it is another tribute to the professional procedures by the Fire Department. The Turnbulls and the entire Lakeshore Drive community are very thankful.

Turnbull house on fire

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SPORTS

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COUGARS LIKE IT BACK HOME

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East Farewell – The Cougars played their first home game in three weeks and they enjoyed themselves as did the fans. They took on the Slate Mountain Canaries and prevailed fairly handily, 46-36. The Cougars have been struggling lately having played their last three games on the road against the top teams in the league they lost two out of three and have slipped into the middle of the standings in the league. Friday’s game was a turnaround for the Cougars coming off a heartbreaking loss to Riverview, they were able to play a well-organized offense and show off their impressive ‘Big Three’ defense of Hawkins, Tasker and Mitchell. The front three commanded the center and only allowed the Canaries 8 points from inside the lane. Hawkins closed down the driving lanes and Tasker and Mitchell forced the Canaries outside where they had to rely on their guards, Ben Gold and Sam Moore to put up some offense. Together they accounted for most of the Canaries points (14 and 10 respectively).

            The game started out with the Cougars taking a 12-4 lead and the Canaries spent the rest of the half trying to catch up. They finally got close with 1 minute left in the half when they drew with 1 point at 24-23. That is how the half ended and in the second half they came out fast tying the game briefly at 26 apiece. That turned out to be their high point though. The Cougars inside reestablished their control and took over the game. Hawkins ended the game with the high score of 18 followed by Tasker with 12.  The score would have probably been more lopsided but Coach Wilson pulled Hawkins and Tasker out with three minutes left. The subs, Ferguson and O’Shea played admirably and showed a lot of pose on the court.

            The Cougars stay home next week as they host their arch rivals Riverview in a turnaround game. They just played them last week at Riverview and lost by one point. The Cougars are hoping for a lift from the home town fans and are looking for a little revenge. The game is a Saturday game and begins at 1:00PM in the Regional High gym.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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FBI SEIZES HEROIN – BRIT MACMILLAN WORK WITH KHRUSHCHEV –

 “DONNA” REMEMBERS RICHIE VALENS

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The FBI seizes 51 bags of heroin, worth an estimated $500,000 from a Capital Airlines Viscount plane in New York. Someone phoned and said a bomb was on board. Passengers were then taken to the terminal building and asked to reclaim their baggage. The airline operates on the theory that no bomber would reclaim a piece of baggage, which later might be opened to expose an internal device. All the baggage was reclaimed except one piece of luggage. An airline reservations clerk thought he recalled that the suitcase had been checked in by one of the passengers but the passenger twice denied it was his.

British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan agrees with Premier Khrushchev to begin work on an Anglo-Soviet cultural treaty and appeals to the Russians to “combine our peace” with the British.

Donna Ludwig (16) the girl in Ritchie Valens’ hit record, reflects on her 2 ½-year friendship with the rock and roll singer from suburban Pacoima. She recalled that she and Valens went steady as 10th graders at San Fernando High School and said her namesake song came about from a phone conversation they had last September, when she chided him about writing that promised song for her. “While we were talking, right there on the telephone, he wrote the words to ‘Donna’ and he read them to me. He called me the next night and sang the song to me, and played the guitar. It was wonderful. I didn’t believe it was going to be recorded”

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Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this section of The News.

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2/19/1959

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, February 19, 1959   Vol. C712

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LOCAL NEWS

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VALENTINES DAY SOCIAL ALWAYS A BIG HIT

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East Farewell – The weather was too cold and the streets were still icy but the Valentine’s Day Social got everyone out and about on Saturday night. No foul weather or dangerous ice was going to stop East Farewellers from attending the Dinner-Dance Social. This was the tenth annual dating back to 1948 but it has not always had the amazing popularity it enjoys now. The first four were held in local homes and were more a dinner than a dinner dance social. In 1952 the committee decided to hold it in a hall for the first time due to the surging interest and attendance. In 1952 the first Valentine’s Day Dinner and Social was held in the basement of St. Charles Church and for the first time dancing was introduced and live music was played. The success of that event set the tone from then on. Each year the attendance grew, the dinner fare became more elaborate and the music became a show in itself. By 1956 the Social (as it was called by then) had moved to the bigger and more centrally located Regional High Gymnasium and famous bandleader, Gus Templeton, took over as Master of Ceremonies and he was instrumental in introducing new bands and types of music to the event. But probably the most anticipated part of the event has been the Homemade Sweet Treats Competition. It began in 1952 and has been growing in entries and exotic entries every year. This year there were more than 30 entries. This year they included cakes, pies, cobblers, an ice cream cake and several concoctions that can only be described as brownie a-la-mode dishes. Also this year ice cream played a bigger part of some entries despite the cold weather. Past winners all brought entries that reflected their past victories and new comers were a little more adventurous using fruit and jellies to try and win over the judges. The judges were all the attendees’ who were able to sample each entry after dinner. The voting took place and after a long dance session the winner was announced. This year the winner was two time champion, Peg O’Malley. Her semi-sweet four layer cake was a familiar treat to most. She has supplied the Bakery on Main with some on occasion throughout the year. There have been reports of people rushing to the bakery to purchase one once the word leaked that they were available. Last year’s winner, Sylvia Bass tried again with her simple cherry cobbler and longtime entrant and previous winner, Ida Plant, entered a luscious brownie a-la-mode that was a surprise to many, she usually entered multi-layer cakes. Fran Carvel tried again with her ice cream cake that has been gaining popularity all across the region. Following Gus Templeton’s announcement Peg took the notorious ‘winner’s walk’ down the center aisle where at the end all the other contestants plastered her with one of her cakes. The messy and crazy tradition goes back to the early days of the completion. Coincidentally, Peg was the first one to get a cake in the face. Back in 1952 she won and while she was walking up to accept the prize she stumbled and fell on her own cake. For years rumors circulated that a disgruntled loser actually tripped her but she has long denied that. Nevertheless, the tradition was born and continues to this day. It is all in good fun and the winner takes the smashing with grace and humor. Peg has grown used to it, she has won three times.

            The food for the dinner this year was a change from the past two years. The menu was pork chops donated by the local meat packing company, L. Myers & Sons, paired with hand mashed potatoes and green beans. Charles Wenz, owner of the Lost Oasis Restaurant & Bar, served helped out by his very capable staff. He also supplied the beverages, beer, wine and during the cocktail hour before, hard liquor. The desert was, obviously the all the Sweet Treats. Everyone enjoyed the dinner.

            After dinner Gus took the stage and his swing band started with the unofficial theme of the social, Memories are Made of These. He then went into a wonderful selection of very popular dance tunes and everyone took the floor. Later Gus shared the stage with introducing several local talents. This year he showcased the rising star and local crooner, Michael Tiller, country favorite Charlie Green, bluesman Al Jackson and the high school group the Rebels who played some of the new sound, rock and roll. The variety of music was well received by the crowd. The final number was an all hands on stage for a giant sing along of Goodnight Irene.

            The evening went late into the night and things finally settled down around 1:00AM. The crowd bundled up and headed out to the cold with smiles on their faces. There was much talk about next year and not much talk about the cold.

1959 Winner Peg O’Malley with cake in the face

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SPORTS

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COUGARS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE

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Riverview – The Cougars came in to Riverview hoping to shake off the bad performance from last week. They worked hard all week on getting their basics tightened up and their teamwork back together. All the work helped bring the team back together and they played a strong game but the Riverview Wildcats were just a little better. The Wildcats came out on top, 50-49. The game was tight and the Cougars did take a 6 point lead at one point but the Wildcats battled back and then went on their own run to go up by eight. The Cougars worked hard and tightened up their defense and came back to tie with five minutes left. Both teams were sharp and did not make many mistakes. The Cougars Hawkins was going one for one with Wildcats center, Tony Falco and the rest of the Cougars “Big Three” (Tasker and Mitchell) were able to clear the center. Wildcats forward, Davey Dimero fouled out with one minute left and it looked like the Cougars had a chance to grab the lead. Wildcats replacement, Andy Bettruci, turned out to be very good and did not let the Cougars capitalize on the replacement.

            The game came down to thirty seconds left and the Cougars had the ball and a one point lead. Fox was trying to kill the clock but Wildcats guard, Vince Di Angelo, tied him up and he had to pass it off to Mackenzie. Mack got the ball but was immediately wrapped up by Falco. Mackenzie spun past Falco and headed for the basket. Dimero stepped in front of Mackenzie and forced him to stop short and try to pass off to Tasker but the pass was intercepted by a backtracking Falco who was able to toss it down the court to a streaking Di Angelo who drove unimpeded to the basket for a layup as the buzzer sounded. The Wildcats won, 50-49.

            “That was a heartbreaker. Those kids really played their best and came up short. They don’t have anything to hang their heads about,” said Coach Wilson after the game, “I’m going to talk to them and let them know how proud I am of them. They grew a lot tonight. They just didn’t score enough points.”

            The Cougars come back home for a home stand of three games. Next week they take on the Slate Mountain Canaries. They were able to win the previous meeting fairly handily but the Canaries have strung together a two game winning streak. The game begins at 4:00PM in the Regional High Gym.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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WINS AND OTHER TOP 40 STATIONS PAY TRIBUTE TO HOLLY, RICHARDSON & VALENS – AMPEX DEMONSTRATES VIDEOTAPE CRUISER – KENNEDY ON FACE THE NATION – DANCE ETIQUETTE FOR TEENS

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WINS, New York does a tribute to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. Richardson on the Paul Sherman show. Many other top-40 stations did the same.

Ampex demonstrates a self-contained traveling (cruiser) unit that can videotape any type of location footage. Demonstration was at the Hollywood Desilu studios. The cruiser consists of a bus equipped with two camera chains, a videotape recorder, a monitor and switching setup, camera mounts on the roof. Cost is $185,000.

Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass) will be the guest on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation” this week. Kennedy, mentioned as a possible candidate for the Democratic nomination in 1960, makes his second appearance on recent months on the program. The program is moderated by Stuart Novins.

Dancing etiquette for teenagers... from a teenage column, a girl writes in that her high school puts on a lot of dances during the school year. She asks that after dancing with a boy – is it proper for the girl to thank the boy or, should the boy thank the girl for the dance? Is it proper for both to say thank you? ... Answer: After a boy and girl dance, the boy should always escort the girl back to her friends or to where she was sitting and thank her for the dance. The girl should say, “I enjoyed it too,” “That was fun” or “Thank you” with the accent on YOU.

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Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this section of The News.

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2/12/1959

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, February 12, 1959   Vol. C711

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LOCAL NEWS

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COLOSSAL ICE CAUSES PROBLEMS

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East Farewell – The temperatures in the area have been very cold for what seems to be a very long time. The average daily temperature has been 30 degrees for the last two weeks. This has let the snow hang around but during the days when the sun shines, which is often, the snow will melt slightly and then when the sun sets the melted snow freezes again and turns to ice. This normal occurrence would be fine if it was not on every street and sidewalk in town. Icicles have grown on every eve and hang from every sign post and store sign. The ice on the streets has made roads impassable and traffic has all but disappeared. The EFTA (East Farewell Transit Agency) had to suspend service on two of its four routes and the other two have only limited service. Walking outside on many sidewalks is difficult and dangerous. Most people are staying home.

            The forecast is for continued cold for at least the next five days. Many folks will have to venture out and take on the elements. The committee services will have to run and people have to eat. East Farewell is no stranger to foul weather and winter is usually greeted with much anticipation so this event will probably go down in local lore as the “Great 1959 Ice Storm” 

Lake Shore Drive – February 1959

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SPORTS

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DEVILS PUT A SPELL ON THE COUGARS

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East Farewell – The ice did not stop the Devils as they slid into town Friday afternoon and cast a slippery spell over the Cougars that caused them to turn the ball over and take ill-advised shots for no good reason. Not really, but that is one excuse that surfaced for the Cougars poor play on Friday. The Devils were clearly the better team that afternoon and kept the Cougars chasing and trying vainly trying anything to get any momentum going. The Cougars were only able to put together two streaks of six points in a row while the Devils had at least five. The Devils walked out with a 52-48 win that would have been worse if they had kept in their starters. In the last three minutes the Cougars made their longest run against the Devils second stringers and closed from a 50-38 deficit to the final score, 52-48.

            The game started slowly for the Cougars who went without a score for the first three minutes. The only thing that kept them in the game was the Devils were also having trouble connecting. Both teams bounced bad passes and took bad shots but the Devils started to click in the second part of the first half and were able to start a well-coordinated offense that took advantage of their leading scorer, Matt Drew and a rising sophomore center Arvin Brooks. Both Drew and Brooks matched up well against Cougar’s Tasker and Hawkins. The Devil’s backcourt made up of respected seniors, Frank Mason and Dave Butcher, were more than a matchup up for the Cougar’s Fox and Mackenzie. Mason and Butcher ran a well-executed offense in the second half, leaving Fox and Mackenzie to play catch up. Drew was once again leading scorer with 20 but Hawkins was right behind with 19. The Cougars turned the ball over a season record 11 times, not a confidence building statistic. They also were way behind in most of the playing statistics like rebounds (24-30), foul shooting (2 for 0 vs. 5-10) and blocked shots (3 vs 5).

            “We are going go back to the drawing board after this one,” said Coach Wilson after the game, “I can’t believe this was the same team that I saw play last week. It is like they forgot everything we worked out and they seemed like they forgot how to play the game. This was a very disappointing performance. I do have faith in these kids, though and I am sure we will get this straightened out.”

            They had better get things right because next week they will travel to Riverview to face a league leading Wildcats team that beat them earlier in the season. The game is on Saturday afternoon, starting at 1:30PM in the Riverview High Gymnasium.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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KHRUSHCHEV TALKS TOUGH ABOUT BERLIN – IKE RESPONDS – IKE MEETS MEXICO’S MATEOS – COSTELLO STRIPPED OF CITIZENSHIP – CASTRO SWORN IN

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Soviet Premier Khrushchev says that if the western powers try to shoot their way through to West Berlin, “this will mean the beginning of war”

President Eisenhower says that if there is to be any shooting or use of force over Berlin, it will be started by the Russians trying to “stop us from doing our duty.”

Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, Chief of U.S. Naval Operations says that the United States “has the ability right now, in being, to destroy the Soviet Union… in several ways and several times over”

In Mexico - President Eisenhower and President Adolfo Lopez Mateos meet for the first time. The President is there for two days of informal talks.

Mobster Frank Costello is stripped of his American citizenship because of a lie he told 34 years ago while swearing to uphold the Constitution. He said he was a realtor, but in fact, he was a bootlegger, according to the government.

 Castro (32), leader of Cuba’s revolution, is sworn in as Prime Minster and concedes he faces “the toughest test of my life.” Castro said he wants to “carry forward the revolution in Cuba,” but conceded it will be no easy task. He appealed to Cubans not to be impatient about reforms, but to “aid and understand us.”

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Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this section of The News.

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2/5/1959

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, February 5, 1959   Vol. C710

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LOCAL NEWS

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FUN ON THE LAKE

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East Farewell – Lake Charles has been frozen for almost three weeks now and the ice thickness has been determined to be almost a foot and a half in some areas. There are some areas up in the lagoons that are still too thin to walk on but for the most part the entire lake can be used for recreation. The townspeople wait all year for this to occur and once the ice has passed the tests that the Safety Committee runs to determine ice thickness, strength and flow they flock to the surface clearing ice rinks, erecting fishing huts and this year even building a go-kart race track. The ice hockey games range from structured; almost league status to neighborhood pickup games. The fishing huts have popped up all over the place, reflecting each individuals “perfect” fishing spot. In an interesting social observation several huts have located close to each other forming a kind of village on the ice. This has led to some raucous shenanigans late at night over the weekend.

            It has not been all fun and games, though. The Safety Committee has blocked off large sections of the shoreline in the northern lagoons due to thin ice. In one area two fishermen are reported to have fallen through the ice while trying to haul their fishing hut onto the ice. Also, a group of children had to be herded back to safety when their game of crack-the-whip came too close to a thin ice area. No one was injured in either occurrence.

            The weather forecast for the area is cold, cold, cold with more snow expected next week so the Lake will stay solid for a while. The frozen lake has brought a lot of visitors to the area. Fishermen and hockey players for the most part but figure skaters and lovers of the beautiful scenes have been seen in on the lake as well as the area restaurants. Wherever they are they all seem happy to there. Let the fun continue.

Ice hut community on Lake Charles 1959

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SPORTS

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COUGARS WIN A BATTLE WITH THE BEARS

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East Farewell – The Cougars were able to win a close game against the Central Bears on Friday, 50-48. The game was a rough and tumble, well-played game that came down the last shot to determine the winner. Neither team was able to establish control as the lead went back and forth almost every series with the biggest lead gained by either team when the Cougars led 30-26 at the half. The Bears sophomore center, Stuart Drew was spectacular. He led both teams in scoring with 22, he also snagged 15 rebounds and dished off 13 assists. He came into the game with high ratings and certainly lived up to everyone. The Cougars center, junior James Hawkins had his hands full with the youngster. The two battled under the boards for every rebound and inside shot. Hawkins was able to get a couple of blocks on Drew and end up scoring 20 on his own. The game was billed as a real close matchup with both teams standing near the top of the league and each team had been enjoying a winning streak.

            The game was tied 17 times which may be league record, and as the clock ran down the Cougars had a 2 point lead with 45 seconds left. The Bears in-bounded and took it down court with Bears guard, Bernie Fitzpatrick taking control. He passed it off to Fran Baxter who was able to drop it into Drew who was able to fight off Hawkins, turn and hook the ball in for a score tying the game again. The Bears then put on a press to slow down the Cougars. There was only 23 seconds left and the Cougars called a timeout before the inbounds. They came back with a surprise; Hawkins took the inbounds responsibility forcing Drew to guard him. Hawkins was able to get the ball in to a cutting Bobby Fox who immediately threw it to Don Tasker who was at half court. Tasker was able to pivot and drop the ball into a streaking Mack Mackenzie’s hands who drove by Bears forward Ernie Doyle for the score with only 2 seconds left. The Bears tried a court long inbounds “hail Mary” pass to a running Drew but it was unsuccessful as Drew was unable to get a handle on the wild pass. The clock ran out and the Cougars walked off with a 50-48 win. Both teams met at center court to congratulate each other in a spontaneous exhibition of true sportsmanship. “This was one of the best games, if not the best game of the year. Both teams played their hearts out and really showed how basketball should be played. I really admire Dave (Florence, Bear’s Coach) and wish him all the luck for the rest of the season. I think we play them again but I’m not sure. I look forward to playing them again, maybe in the playoffs,” Cougars Coach Wilson said after the game.

            Next week the Cougars stay home again to host the league leading Corning Devils. This will be a real test for the Cougars. They beat the Devils earlier this season but the Devils have improved as the season moved on. The up side is the Cougars have improved, too. This should be a good game. The game begins on Friday afternoon at 4:30PM in the Regional High Gym.  

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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BUDDY HOLLY, J.P. RICHARDSON & RICHIE VALENS DIE IN PLANE CRASH - TITAN MISSILE FINALLY BLASTS OFF – CASTRO ON CBS –TRANS-ATLANTIC TELEPHONE CABLE BREAKS

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On February 3 Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson and Ritchie Valens perished in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The four-plane chartered craft carrying the trio and their pilot crashed within minutes after taking off in light snow from the Mason City airport. Holly, just 22, was from Lubbock, Texas; Valens (17) of Los Angeles and J.P. Richardson (24) was from Beaumont, Texas. Pilot was Roger Peterson (21) of Clear Lake, Iowa. The troupe had appeared and played before about 1,100 teens and their parents and the surf ballroom in Clear Lake. The Beechcraft Bonanza, chartered from the Dwyer Flying Service, was to have taken the three to Fargo, N.D. Authorities blamed bad weather for the crash. Temperature was 18 degrees and a southerly wind was blowing at 35 miles an hour when the plane took off. The plane came down about 5 miles northwest of the airport on the Albert Juhi farm. The plane’s left wing first hit the ground and skidded across the snow for 538 feet. The body of Valens was thrown 40-feet. Richardson and Holly were found 20 feet from the wreckage. The body of pilot Roger Peterson was wedged so tightly in the wreckage, it had to be cut loose with torches. All were not discovered until long after dawn.

For the first time a Titan ICBM missile is fired aloft. Twice before, the Titan ignited and on both occasions, the engine fizzled just before lift-off at Cape Canaveral. The Titan is the first of a new series of “second generation’ rockets and should be more powerful than the present Atlas missiles.

Fidel Castro appears on the February 4 broadcast of CBS’ “Person to Person” with Edward R. Murrow. He and his six-year-old son will be shown in their residence in Havana’s Hilton Hotel.

An underwater break in the 2,000-mile transatlantic telephone cable caused a pile-up of waiting phone-calls between Europe and the United States. The break is believed to be off Newfoundland. An American cable ship is on route to make repairs.

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Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this section of The News.

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