The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 39

SUNDAY, MAY 30, 1071 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR- SEC. 2 PAGE 19 Henderson Judge Raps 'Public Opinion Baltic' Comic Book Collector Is 40-Year-Old Veteran Day Camp Program For Retarded Set that he failed to report to his commanding officer "incidents and acts thought or alleged to be war crimes." Wondolowski took under ad-v 1 Friday a defense motion to drop one of the four charges against Henderson Typical U.S. Family Smaller Bui Richer 1 charges in connection with the of Americal Division troops through My Lai on March lfi, He was circling overhead in a helicopter when Lt. William L. Calley led a platoon through the village.

Calley his been convicted of the murder of 22 South Vietnamese civilians at the ham- let. Wondolowski said bis statement () thi! Pentagon would say: "I respectfully request the secretary of defense andor the secretary of he Army to refrain from making any public disclosures to the press media of any administrative action or contemplated action on administrative personnel previously charged with My Lai offenses and since withdrawn." WONDOLOWSKI took the ac tion against the Defense Department on defense motions that Pentagon statements were amounting to "command influence" on the military tribunal that will hear the court Ft. Meade, Md. (ITIi A military judge says the Pentagon and defense lawyers are battling fur public opinion In the court-martial proceedings of Col. Oran K.

Henderson, a native of Indianapolis, who is charged with trying to cover up the My Lai massacre of 1(1118. Judge Peter Wowlolnwski, who is hearing pretrial motions, said Friday that, "the less publicity emanating from military sources" the better chance Henderson had to gel a fair trial. BUT WONDOLOWSKI said the defense "does not come with clean hands" after the prosecution cited an interview Henderson gave to Army Times magazine. Henderson was quoted as saying: "I offered myself as a scapegoat for the Army." The judge adjourned pretrial hearings until June 7 while he prepared a statement to the Pentagon about actions that could be interpreted us related to the Henderson case. Henderson, 54, is the highest ranking officer still facing urn mm I (C) Thi Wuhiimttii Washington The typical American family is smaller, a bit older, and considerably richer, than its counterpart of two decades ago.

The Census Bureau, putting together a composite portrait of the typical family, said that is consists of husband, wife and two children in their late teens. It has fewer children under five years old, but more who are over 16. The average father and mother, too, are about one year older than those of 1950. The Census Bureau's profile was drawn by using statistics of the 1970 census. If found, for example, that in 1970 the median family income was $9,700 as compared to $8,300 dollars in 1950.

The real income taking rising prices into account was $6,100 in 1970, almost twice as much as the income of the typical family in 1950. The head of the family earns more than twice as much as a generation ago. Also, the wife of the head-of-family is much more apt to be working now than two decades ago. lne j'jflj lypicanamiiy lives in a home with a value of $17,000, about 43 per cent high er than the average value recorded 10 years ago in the 1900 census. tut UNUSUAL COLLECTION OF COMIC BOOKS SHOWN BY EDWARD LAHMANN Local Collector Has Serious Interest In The "Funny" Business TO? cf Ifttl Bl HI MR t.

IV 1 lAmvmm VL Stoat d-A-yJ 4 I I Xs? 'O Steak. lb. 1 i Xfa I I VV-TiiA 1 3 I I By IIARLEY R. BIERCE Edward M. Lahmann collects comic books.

That's unusual because he's 40 years old and has been collecting them since the Korean War. An employe in J. L. Steel Corporation's industrial supply department, Lahmann has about 300 of the illustrated magazines, each carefully wrapped with a waxed paper dust jacket. ACTUALLY, the collection is smaller now than it was several years ago because Lahmann has traded and bartered with other collectors a the country to get the books that are most valuable to him.

"What I have now are either first editions or they have some distinctive characteristic, such as illustrations by somebody I think is especially good," he explained. He has a copy of the first comic book in the format we recognize today (Famous Funnies), published in 1934. "In those days they were mostly reprinted newspaper strips. Mutt and Jeff were a central feature in this book," he said. How did a grown man, fresh from Korean War combat, get seriously interested in comic books? "IT GOES back to when I was a kid," he said.

"I used to visit my grandmother's and my mother would take me to a nearby drugstore and buy several comic books- "I always liked to keep things and I had hundreds of them by the time I started high school. After high school I used OPEN PICTURE THE PARADE PASSING SriyO(SO The Marion County Association for Retarded Children will conduct a recreation day camo irogram for retarded children ages 6 through 21 beginning next month. Unlike past years, the association will conduct two camp sessions at Noble Center and two sessions at special branch locations. TIIK NOBLE Center sessions will be held June 11-July 6 and July 7-Aug. 5.

The branch sessions will be at Greenfield June 21-July 16 and at a a Homes Inc. July 19-Aug. 13. Anyone from Marion County whose child is enrolled in special education classes in public schools or in Noble Center or in related programs may submit applications. Additional information can be obtained from the center, 925-3574.

Try the effective selling power of want ads. Dial 633-1212. A' to sell them to neighborhood kids three for a dime." While he was In the Army, Lahmann, 1614 Hoefgen Street, met a fellow from New York who said it could be a valuable hobby. Then Ed found an ad in a magazine offering first editions at $1 apiece, mostly of "costumed heroes" like Superman, Datman and Robin and the Phantom. Ed bought some of those.

But the most he's invested over the years has been about $150. "I hung onto them and started getting letters from other collectors, sort of like pen pals," Lahmann said. CALLING THE books comics is a misnomer to Lahmann. "They should be called graphic art of illustrated novels." The three "giants" in the business, according to the local collector, are Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon), Harold R. Foster (Prince Valiant) and Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates).

"Charles Shulz (Peanuts) Is head and shoulders above modern illustrators. But there's a lot more than illustrations to good comics. They have to have drama, suspense, movement, even staging like in motion pictures. "Shulz uses a lot of symbol ism, with the kids representing different facets of society." Comic books changed from reprinted newspaper strips to complete stories when two high school students invented the original Superman, who worked for a newspaper but didn't wear the caped costume with the big red "THEY GAVE a real big DAILY 10-10; SUN. 116 ROLLS 79c 1 ou 135-20, 8MAA fflf 27 v1 jump to the business and an immediate competitor showed up in Captain Marvel.

But National Periodicals (Superman) sued Fawcett Publishing (Captain Marvel) and Fawcett suspended publishing. According to Lahmann, only two other things are as truly American as comic books, and they are the banjo and basketball. "I've dealt with a few collectors, some of the celebrities who also collect these books, but I'm not really interested in them for monetary gain. "One of these days I'm planning to send them off to have them preserved, where they can be kept as historical reference material." Today the comic book business is "better than ever," Lahmann claims, although the business was almost wiped out by what he calls a "silly" book entitled Seduction of Innocents, written in the 1950s by a psy chologist who thought the books were damaging to young minds. THE INDUSTRY was reborn when Marvel Publishing start ed redoing old strips about I960, and has been boosted by younger people who have formed "cults," following different comic artists.

Lahmann doubts the industry could be "shot down" today. "People don't pay as much attention to the kooks. People, particularly children, are better educated, better informed today." Not only does today's flock of youngsters appear to like com ic books better than ever, collectors like Lahmann are de termined to keep the heritage of these "illustrated novels" alive and well. JENISE CALHOUN "Dear Lord: Please help the needy people of the world today. Help us to share with those who do not have as much as You have blessed us with.

Bless the children in other lands who do not have homes. Bless the children in Vietnam, who have not enough to eat because their parents were killed In war. Help us to be as the little boy who willingly shared his lunch to feed the people. Teach ns to give willingly. "Urd we pray for our land.

There nre a lot of people who do not go to church on Sunday. Teach the boys and girls, who use bad language, that they are taking Your Name In vain. Help them to follow Your way. Amen." Jenlse Calhoun, a fifth grade pupil at School 44, is the author of today's prayer written in connection with the lesson on Jesus feeding the multitudes. Fourth Rradn pupils now are I I enrollment cards for next fall.

All fourth mid fifth graders, enrolled by their parents, are eligible to attend Weekday Religious Education classes being held during the school year, Quick-Action Want Ads nre easy and Inexpensive to use. Dial 633-1212. jaB'ir Child's Prayer In erdir lo loir llklA A 1 H0. rr- 27 rr () I right to limit quanlilin. df ti fl I 1 lit I The Uncola MJ C3 SAVE AT MART ON FILM PROCESSING tsfe ox CLxO 4 K0DAC0L0R COLOR PRINTS 3 it 1 SQUARE PRINTS FROM ROLL FILM DEVELOPING yvv PASTRIES 1 1 COLOR MOVIES Why not surprise your proud graduate with a beautiful graduation cake from Eisner.

It's always fresh and delicious straight' from Eisner's own ovens. AND SLIDES KODACHROMT. 1 26-20, SUPER 8 tike I 1 11 I 1 I la I 9 am! I I -Willi vifriv.