Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 13

Monday, July 31, 1989 The Arizona Republic C5 F. Ernest Morrison, original 'Little Rascal' 2 missing New Mexico youths may be pair in Florida photo Deaths Elsewhere i The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE Relatives of two New Mexico youths who vanished last year said Sunday they are almost certain their children were shown gagged in a mysterious photograph that appeared on national television last week. The "tabloid" television news show A Current Affair broadcast Friday in New Mexico had a segment on the mystery picture, a Polaroid snapshot found June 1 5 in Port St. Joe, Fla. The relatives of Tara Calico and Michael Henley Jr.

believe the picture is the first evidence that the missing youths still are alive, perhaps in captivity in Florida. Calico was 19 when she disappeared in September while bicycling on a rural road near Belen, about 30 miles south of Albuquerque. Michael Henley Jr. was 10 when he disappeared in April 1988 while on a camping trip with his father in the Zuni Mountains south of Grants, about 70 miles west of Albuquerque. The picture shows a young woman and boy with their mouths taped over, lying with their arms behind them.

They are shown inside a white van, according to Sheriff Ed Craig of Cibola County. "It's the best lead we've had in 16 months," Craig said Sunday. Until now, he said, there had been no sign of a kidnapping in the boy's disappearance. It generally was assumed he became lost. Reportedly, the woman who found the photo in a store parking lot said a white van had been parked over the spot where the picture was found.

"If I had to say yes or no, I would say yes, but I am qualifying it until I see the photo," Calico's mother, Pat Doel, said Sunday. The search for Calico had been thorough, Doel said, and "we felt we would have found her body." "We didn't," she said. "We covered every inch of ground around here," She said she is taking pictures of Calico with her today to Port St. Joe, about 30 miles southeast of Panama City, to inspect the snapshot. Craig showed a videotape of the A Current Affair segment to Michael's father, family and friends Sunday at sheriffs headquarters in Grants.

"The majority of the family believes that that's Michael," Henley later said. "Michael's best friend believes that's Michael. His sister believes it's Michael." Henley said his wife also believes the photo is of their son, but he isn't so sure. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe it's just because I don't want to sec my son like that." After A Current Affair was telecast Friday, relatives called Doel saying the young woman in the photograph resembled her daughter.

Doel said she was not sure at first whether the young woman was Calico. The Associated Press The relatives of Tara Calico and Michael Henley Jr. believe this picture is the first evidence that the missing youths still are alive, perhaps in captivity in Florida. The book in the photo is by Calico's favorite author, V.C. Andrews.

motion pictures, was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1987. Ramon Areces, operated chain of stores in Spain MADRID Ramon Areces, founder and president of Spain's largest department-store chain, died of a heart attack in a Madrid hospital Sunday. He was 83. The son of peasants, Mr. Areces began his career in Havana and later created Spain's biggest retail El Corte Ingles, which had sales last year of $4.7 billion.

He was born Sept. 15, 1905, at Grado, a village in the northern Asturias region. He went to Havana when he was 15 and worked as a store errand boy. In 1925, he moved to Canada and graduated from Montreal University, where he studied economic sciences. In 1936, he bought a small clothing store in Madrid, which formed the base for what is now a chain of 18 department stores throughout Spain.

The Spanish news media have estimated that Mr. Areces, a widower with no children, had a personal wealth of more than $2.5 billion. A spokesman for El Corte Ingles said a burial service will be held today at San Gines church in Madrid. Compiled from the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press. Anna Rubertino, 90, of Scottsdale, a homemaker, died July 29, 1989.

She was born in Cleveland. Survivors include her daughters, Jane Beemiller and Lucille Rusnak; a son, Frank; two brothers; 11 grandchildren; and three greatgrandchildren. Rosary: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Messinger Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School Road, with visitation 30 minutes prior to the rosary.

Mass: 9 a.m. Tuesday, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 7655 E. Main Scottsdale. Thomas Vincent of Peoria, a warehouseman, died July 27, 1989. He was born in Torrance, Calif.

Survivors include his parents, Janet and Paul; one sister; a brother; and his grandparents. Visitation: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary, 7924 N. 69th Glendale. Mass: 10 a.m.

Tuesday, St. Helen Catholic Church, 5510 W. Cholla Glendale. Michael George Schunn, 72, of Phoenix, a retired asphalt company office manager, died July 25, 1989. He was born in Pennsylvania.

Survivors include his sister, Elizabeth. Graveside services: 10 a.m. Monday, Greenwood Memorial Park, 2300 W. Van Buren St. A.L.

Moore Sons Memory Lawn Mortuary. Edna A. Smith, 70, of Mesa, a home-maker, died July 29, 1989. She was born in Bunch, Iowa. Survivors include her husband, John three daughters; one son; five sisters; four brothers; and eight grandchildren.

Services: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Meldrum Mortuary, 52 N. MacDonald Mesa. W.D. "Shorty" Wallin, 65, of Phoenix, a retired truck driver, died July 28, 1989.

He was a native of Phoenix and a World War II veteran. Survivors include his wife, Thelma Jean; two sons; two sisters; and five grandchildren. Services: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Shadow Mountain Mortuary, 2350 K. Grecnway Road.

Marjorie F. Williams, 71, of Phoenix, a saleswoman, died July 28, 1989. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. Survivors include her husband, Jack five daughters; and 11 grandchildren. Services: 2 p.m.

Monday, Hansen Mortuary, 8314 N. Seventh with visitation an hour prior to services. Urban L. Wood, 56, of Gila Bend, a former Gila Bend Parks Deparmtent employee, died July 26, 1989. He was a native of Phoenix and a Korean War Army veteran.

Survivors include his daughter, Mardes Patterson; one brother; and a grandchild. Gravesido services: 9 a.m. Monday, Pioneer Cemetery, Gila Bend. Buckeye Funeral Home. The Floor 1924 before accepting an offer to perform full time in New York vaudeville shows.

He was often billed as "Sunshine Sammy Our Gang Star." After living and performing for 16 years in New York, Mr. Morrison returned to Los Angeles where he was a regular in the Dead End Kids and East Side Kids film series. During World War II, he appeared as a singer-dancer-comedian for the troops stationed in the South Pacific. In Hawaii, he was involved in a Jeep accident that left him with a permanent limp. For several years after the war, Mr.

Morrison turned down a series of offers to return to show business, saying that he had fond memories of the movies but no desire to be part of them again. Instead, he accepted a job as a quality-control inspector for an aerospace company in Compton, where he worked for 17 years. After his retirement, Mr. Morrison was rediscovered by film buffs who had learned of him after a revival of the Little Rascals in the 1970s. He made guest appearances in several television situation comedies, including Good Times and The Jcffcrsons.

Mr. Morrison, who appeared in 145 Thekla O. Meeker, 89, of Chandler, a homemaker, died July 28, 1989. She was born in Perryville, Mo. Survivors include her sons, William C.

and Bruce six grandchildren; and eight greatgrandchildren. Services have been held. Valley of the Sun Mortuary, Tri-City Chapel. William "Bill" Ernest Montano, 27, of Phoenix, a carpet cleaner, did July 29, 1989. He was born in Carson City, Nev.

Survivors include his wife, Joanne; three daughters; one son; his parents; four sisters; and five brothers. Rosary: 7 p.m. Monday, Green Acres Mortuary, 401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, with visitation from 6 to 8 p.m. Graveside services: 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Green Acres Memorial Gardens, 401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. Naoma Montierth, 79, of Safford, a Sunday school teacher and homemaker, died July 29, 1989, in Phoenix. She was a native of Thatcher. Survivors include her husband, Roy two sons; one brother; 12 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.

Visitation: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, Safford Funeral Home. Services: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Safford Third Ward Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Melvin Mortenson, 70, of Tempo, a retired newspaper advertising salesman, died July 29, 1989.

He was a native of Arizona and a World War II Army veteran. Survivors include his daughter, Rosemary DcsJarlais, a son, Bob; two sisters; one brother; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Services: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Douglas Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with visitation an hour prior to services. Tempe Mortuary.

J. Oscar Nottoli, 75, of Glendale, a salesman, died July 28, 1989, in Phoenix. He was born in Hunstvillo, Mo. Survivors include his wife, Doris; two daughters; two sons; 12 grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren. Rosary: 8 p.m.

Monday, Grimshaw Bethany Chapel, 710 W. Bethany Home Road, with visitation three hours prior to the rosary. Mass: 9 a.m. Tuesday, St. Louis the King Catholic Church, 4331 W.

Maryland Glendale. Contributions: R.R.R. Fund, co St. Louis the King Catholic Church. Reymundo "Pee Wee" Rodriguez, 62, of Phoenix, a butcher, died July 29, 1989.

He was born in Val Verde, Texas, and was an Army veteran. Survivors include his daughters, Ramona L. Bernal and Sylvia; three sisters; three brothers; and two grandchildren. Rosary: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Mortensen-Kings Funeral Center, 1020 W.

Washington with visitation from 5 to 8 p.m. Mass: 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Immaculate Heart Catholic Church, 909 E. Washington St. Four On ft LYNWOOD, Calif.

Frederic Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, one of the original "Little Rascals" the mischievous gang of street-smart children that entertained several generations in films and on television has died at the age of 76. Mr. Morrison, believed to be the first black actor to sign a long-term film contract, died of cancer last week at St. Francis Hospital. Born in New Orleans, Mr.

Morrison began his career in 1917 at age 3, when he appeared in Baby Marie Osbourne silent-film features. He was an instant success and earned the name Sunshine Sammy. At age 4, a feature was created for him, called The Sunshine Sammy Series, but only one segment was produced. Some critics believed, however, that the episode provided comedy producer Hal Roach with the idea for the Our Gang film shorts, later shown on television and known by several other names, including the Little Rascals. Roach signed Mr.

Morrison to a contract in 1919. "Ernie Morrison's unwitting role in Our Gang's inception, should not be overlooked," stated a profile of the actor in Our Gang, The Lifes and Times of the Little Rascals, a book on series. The oldest member of the original comedy gang, Mr. Morrison appeared in 28 episodes from 1922 through Obituaries Obituaries published by The Arizona Republic In Its news columns are provided free of charge as a public service. Parties desiring specifically worded obituaries may place them through their mortuaries in the paid classified advertising section.

BARNEY, James C. BURREIX, Lcora CLOUSE, Scan Sterling FOSTER, Ralph Edward HOERNER, Aline Louise KOPYCINSKI, Robert J. LAWSON, David L. LOPEZ, Armando MUCKER, Thckla O. MONTANO, William 'Bill' Ernest MONTIERTII, Naoma MORTENSON, Mclvin NOTTOLI, J.

Oscar RODRIGUEZ, Reymundo R. RUBERTINO, Anna SCHANK, Thomas Vincent SCIIUNN, Michael George SMITH, Edna A. WALL1N, W.D. Shorty, WILLIAMS, Marjorie F. WOOD, Urban L.

James C. Barney, 55, of Glendale, an electrical engineer, died July 27, 1989. He was born in Glendale, Calif. Survivors include his wife, Michele one daughter; one son; two stepsons; one sister; and two grandchildren. Memorial services: 10 a.m.

Wednesday, Heritage Funeral Chapel, 6830 W. Thunderbird Road, Peoria. Contributions: Lions Foundation of Arizona Eye Bank, 1016 N. 32nd Phoenix 85008. 1 1 111 I IjAnra Burrell.

82, of Phoenix, a volunteer at a senior citizens' center, died July 28, 1989. She was born in Anderson, Mo. Survivors include her daughter, Betty L. Ainsworth; a son, Billy one sister; two brothers; five grandchildren; and eight greatgrandchildren. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m.

Monday, A.L. Moore Sons, 333 W. Adams St. Services: 11 a.m. Tuesday at the mortuary.

Sean Sterling Clouse, the infant son of Margo and Keith, of Mesa, died July 28, 1989. He was born in Mesa. Other survivors include his sister; four brothers; his grandparents; and great-grandparents. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the family residence.

Services: 9 a.m. Tuesday, Ihi Eighth Ward Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SainU, 810 E. Lehi Road, Mesa. Graveside services: 4 p.m. Tuesday, Snow-flake Cemetery.

Bunker's Garden Chapel. Ralph Edward Foster, 66, of Phoenix, a carpenter, died July 29, 1989. Ho was born in Kirby, Vt. Survivors include his daughters, Linda Lee Joslin, Sharon Jean Steel, Carol Ann Follon and Diane Rae West; a son, Ralph E. two sisters; two brothers; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Visitation: 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary, 7924 N. 59th Glendale. Graveside services: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Rcsthaven Park Cemetery, 6290 W.

Northern Glendale. Aline Louise Hoerner, 82, of Phoenix, a homemaker, died July 29, 1989. She was born in Rush Hill, Mo. Survivors include her daughter, Patricia Schulz; a son, Dr. Jack Paul; a stepson, Kent Shelby; Ave grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

Services will be private. Contributions: Arizona Cancer Center, 1501 N. Campbell Tucson 85724. Whitney Murphy Arcadia Funeral Home. Robert J.

Kopycinski, 68, of Prescott, an electronics assembler, died July 28, 1989. He was born in Chicago and was a World War II Army veteran. Survivors include his brother, Ronald J. Mass: 10 a.m. Monday, Fort Whipple Veterans Administration Medical Center, Prescott, with visitation an hour prior to services.

Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home. David L. Lawson, 62, of Glendale, a warehouse foreman, died July 27, 1989, in Phoenix. He was born in Cleveland. Survivors include his wife, Ann; one daughter; his father; and two brothers.

Services: 5 p.m. Monday, Green Acres Mortuary, 5830 W. Missouri Glendale. Armando Lopez, 31, of Buckeye, an air conditioning technician, died July 29, 1989, in Phoenix. He was born in Idaho.

Survivors include his parents, Maria and Higinio four sisters; and one brother. Rosary: 7 p.m. Monday, Cordy Funeral Home, 926 S. Litchfield Road, Goodyear, with visitation from 6 to 9 p.m. Mass: 9 a.m.

Tuesday, St. Henry's Catholic Church, Buckeye. Vehicles, mining, grazing imperil California desert wildlife, GAO says Tafoya said there is a clue in the photograph a book by the author V.C. Andrews. She said the book was Calico's favorite.

Port St. Joe Police Chief Carl Richter said Sunday night that there is a striking resemblance between the young woman in the photo and pictures of Calico. "It's not so much the book or the hair or anything else the mother has told us about, it's the facial features. They look almost identical. "As far as the boy goes, there's some people in New Mexico who believe it's their son.

There's a resemblance there, too, but it's not as strong as with the girl." The chief said the investigation is focusing on the fuzzy Polaroid because little information has been uncovered about it or the mysterious white van. Richter said officers don't consider the the photo a hoax. "You can just tell by the expressions on their faces, especially the little boy," Richter said. "There is genuine fear there." The Mohave ground squirrel, now listed as a threatened species. The squirrel's habitat is threatened by livestock grazing, off-road vehicle use, mining and "other surface-disturbing activities," the report says.

The Inyo brown towhee, a bird species also listed as threatened. The brown towhee's habitat is in decline because of water diversions by miners and encroachment by wild burros. The bighorn sheep, whose population in the Santa Rosa Mountains has declined about 50 percent in past decades. Reasons for the bighorn's decline were not cited in the report. As proposed by Cranston in the Senate and Lcvinc in the House, the California Desert Protection Act would designate 4.5 million acres of desert land now controlled by BLM as national wilderness areas closed to all vehicle and commercial uses.

The existing Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Monument areas would gain an additional 1.5 million acres, and would become part of the national park system. The measure also would establish a 1.5 million-acre East Mojave National Park cast of Barstow, Calif. of toxic deja vu play on the sidewalk, to stay away from the grass and dirt. He warned them against playing with the taffylike clumps of soil. "I figured there's nothing anybody can do for me after all these years," Freicrmuth said.

"But I hope it's not too late for my kids." He blames the chemicals for his youngest child's eczema, a skin condition. And he worries about his wife, who is pregnant. The five contaminants found in Forest Glen are aniline, phenothi-azinc, benzothiazole, mercaptobenzo-thiazole and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, the EPA said. As with Love Canal, EPA officials suspect that the contamination came from some of the many chemical companies attracted to the area by cheap hydroelectric power produced from the swift Niagara River. if Tara Calico Was 19 when she disappeared in September while bicycling on a rural road near Belen.

N.M. Michael Henley Jr. Was 10 when he disappeared in April 1988 while on a camping trip near Grants, N.M. "She used to keep herself fixed up, and had a permanent in her hair," she said. "Before the perm, without the makeup.

1 got out the old pictures, and it's her." A friend of Calico, Cynthia Tafoya, agreed. "It's her. Everything the features, everything," Tafoya said. and Rep. Mel Lcvinc, D-Calif, to create three new national parks and protect millions of acres of desert.

Supporters of the bill say it is needed to protect desert land from overuse and overdevelopment. But opponents describe it as "lockout legislation" that would unfairly close off the desert to many who now enjoy its resources, including the military, miners, ranchers and responsible ofr-road-vehicle users. They say the measure is an attempt by environmentalists to circumvent the 1980 California Desert Plan, a compromise measure that took four years to negotiate. The new GAO report concludes that the Bureau of Land Management has struck an improper balance in administering the desert plan. The report says many desert plants and animals are dying out, including: The desert tortoise, described as "an important indicator species for the overall health" of desert wildlife.

Livestock grazing, off-road-vchiclc use, urban and agricultural development and highway construction were listed as primary non-natural threats to the tortoise. families living there. They urged people to move away. Authorities think the ground on which the trailer park was built once was a chemical dump. The Environmental Protection Agency said several companies arc under investigation, including Occidental Chemical which a federal judge earlier this year ruled partly responsible for Love Canal contamination.

Forest Glen residents have reported health problems a lot like those at Love Canal: allergies, unexplained rashes, headaches and fears, as yet unproved, of higher-than-normal rates of cancer and other serious illnesses. Despite the doubts of his neighbors, Frcicrmuth, who has lived in Forest Glen for nine years, has been pestering federal officials about his fears since spring 1987. He ordered his young daughters to Los Angeles Daily News The California desert's fragile environment is seriously threatened by off-road recreation and commercial uses such as mining and ranching, a new federal study concludes. The study by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, faults the Bureau of Land Management for bias against wildlife interests in its desert management. "Wildlife objectives have been adversely affected by land-use decisions that favor such competing uses as off-highway vehicles, grazing and mining," the GAO report says.

The study was made at the request of Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif. Completed in late June, it will be made public today. The GAO's conclusions sharpen an already bitter disagreement among California lawmakers over management of the state's desert land. On Thursday, 21 of the state's congressman were involved in a heated debate over the issue during a House subcommittee hearing.

The panel was considering the California Desert Protection Act, a controversial proposal by Cranston Love Canal veteran had clue RepublicGazcttc Classifieds feature the largest listing of new and used vehicles. iTom American cars to Volvos. Classics to RVs. Whether you're buying or selling, turn to RepublicGazette Classifieds for all your transportation needs. The Associated Press NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.

When Terry Frcicrmuth began talking to his neighbors about the oily patches dotting the soil in the trailer park where he lives, he couldn't find many who shared his worries. But the truck mechanic knew what he was talking about. He grew up four miles away at Love Canal, the neighborhood the government declared a national disaster area a decade ago because of chemical pollution. "People thought I was crazy," said Freicrmuth, 29. "But I know something about chemicals.

It's the same damn thing all over again." Last week, federal officials said industrial chemicals in the soil and groundwater under the Forest Glen mobile-home park pose a significant environmental health threat to the 51 RepublioGazette Classifieds 256-9111 'Ihll free in Arixona I MOO yfl WV 1.