Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas • 16

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Caller-Times Sun Dee SO 1963 Top Stories of 1962 in Review 23 yean win retire In May 1963 on reaching TIL The Rev Darren Gray of San Antonio was appointed superintendent of the Corpus Christi District of the Methodist Church Jorge Alcoccr became the new Mexican consul here A contract for construction of Social Security offices went to an Odessa firm for location on South Alameda where Mayor Ben McDonald said there was not even zoning a protest was lodged by low bidder the Commerce Building -A smaU glasslike object fell possibly bom outer space on the farm of Charles WaUey It Is now being analyzed at Wright-Pat ter-eon Air Farce Base The Most Rev Garriga and the Most Rev Adolph Marx bishop and auxiliary bishop of the Corpus Christi diocese attended the ecumenical coundl lh Rome Marion Nixon retired from the board of the Texas Research League which he helped found and Ellroy King succeeded him Fagan Mason retired as State Expressway Engineer here Conway (brig became publisher of the San Antonio Express and Edward Harte became publisher of The Caller-Times Buster Shely Corpus official ambassador of barbecue served 3600 Shriners real Texas barbecue in Norfolk Va The piddle and school libraries refused to ban and other books protested as filthy vile and corrupt rain On Aug I the temperature was 103 within two degrees of an all time high At year's end the Weather Bureau reported that Corpus Christ! was facing its driest year in more than a decade On Dec 1 foe rainfall totaled 1305 inches for the year which was 1321 inches below normal then Some rain has fallen since Eight days before Christmas on Dec 17 it was unseasonably warm with 77 degrees recorded at the airport Then just before Christmas a wet cold norther blew In The below-normal rainfall in South Texas would have placed Corpus Chris tl on water rationing If it had not been for Wesley Seal Dam and reservoir diving 1962 officials announced The lake level dropped considerably but there was no shortage of water Recreation Tourism Approval in 1962 come for a federal seashore on Padre Is'and a 8130000 improvement to Lake Corpus Christi State Park and an 18-hole golf course at Cliff Maus Airport Con-ventkma were numerous here with foe National Audubon Society perhaps the biggest A watermht Jazz festival was attended by about 2000 persons Parades were held on July 4 during Buccaneer Days and at the beginning of the Christmas season Sane 8000 music students were here for the Buccaneer Music Festival It was reported that 18 youth baseball leagues here have a budget of more than 880000 a year Padre Island Park facilities and pier were repaired Miss Lora Slovak was named New Year's Day swimming queen Miss Carolyn Hulbert of San Antonio was named Miss Buccaneer Days and Miss Martha Ann Sloan was queen of the Court of the Wonderous World and Rear Adm Ralph Sperry Clarke (ret) King Alonzo DC BECKY McVE BRUSHED BY RADIOACTIVITY holds pet dachshund In Chico Calif home (F NwrMMrturH fWil (Ooattnord from Page IB) in August In October after a postponement due to controversy over the vaccine 132442 persons turned out for the second phase of vaccination with Type IIL In December 141678 went to the centers for Type vaccine Hospital and Welfare MEMORIAL HOSPITAL officials asked the city and county for more financial aid which the county gave but the city did not Cbtnmisiianer Ben Bennett criticised city officials for not increasing the outlay quoting figures to show that 85 per cent of the charity cases handled by Memorial come from within the city limits Commissioner Robert Barnes said the hospital's operation has held charity cost here to SL70 per capita while Harris cost is 8450 per capita and Bexar is 84 Mayor Pro Tem Trcn Swantner said a hospital district may to necessary to run Memorial to take the operating cost load off the city in the future Records showed that more than 8100000 a year in tax money is spent at Memorial on abortion cases They also showed that Memorial cares for some 3600 perrons a month who cannot afford to go tc a private doctor The Citizens Advisory Board advised that all health and welfare operations be centered at the hospital when expansion is completed Records show that sane 4000 persons were on welfare Nila here at Christmas Tighter controls on welfare surplus foods were instituted during the year on state orders Health Department records showed an outbreak of measles here during foe first part of the year Through March there were 20881 cases as compared to 2912 in the same period the year before Flu cases were up considerably in December over a year ago Special Schools CORPUS CHR1STI offered a 200cre site at the old Cliff Maus Airport for a 85 million state school for the retarded but the school was located at Richmond with Corpus Christ! recommended for another school if approved by the Legislature State Sen Bruce Reagan said he will introduce a bill for a second school here Also the Driscoll Foundation get 81 million in federal Hill-Burton funds it requested for a 50-bed hospital expansion It will be September 1963 before a new request can be made for the children's hospital Radioactivity Brings Series Of Horrors to Family of Five Obituaries it was too late McVey carried with him some of the deadly particles freed from the pellets McVey rushed into a shower the usual procedure upon any such exposure He said he assumed he was okay afterward as did others with whom he worked Test instruments available at the laboratory had become "hot" from stray radioactive particles and be used he said Politics A NUMBER of well known Corpus Christi and area residents died in 1962 Among them were Gordon Forsyth (Cy) Cyrus Dr Perkins William Wiley Ainsworth Daimwood (Cliff) Ilamil Jack Bonner Ella Barnes Charles Frank Hamlett Sr John Kaler Langston Ashford Mrs Herbert Whitney Rt Rev Msgr Mullen Rogers South Nacey Dotson Huie Jr A (Dutch) Nettleman the Rev John Palmer Richard (Dick) Chapman David II Nutt Vincel Smith Walter Newman Michael Dunlap (Mike) Kelsey Dr John A Rickard Samuel White Floyd London Mrs Hattie Littles Joe Black-nail Jr Thomas Ell wood McMillan Mrs James Stichter George Leslie Jackson Mrs Frederick Heldenfels Sr Adrain Anderson Mrs Clark Oldfield Mrs Anna Mae Whaley William Gerhardt Herbert Lowrey Collie Major Alvin Joseph Geistman Phillips Albert Rhoad William Harold Zavits James David (Jim) Adams A Shivers and Mrs Catherine A Glusing Army and Navy REAR ADM Kirn chief of Naval Air Advanced Training here was transferred June 1 to take command of Carrier Division 5 in the Pacific He was replaced by Rear Adin Frank A Brandley who came here from Washington DC Two NAS student pilots were killed Oct 20 when their training plane crashed on takeoff Four persons in an S2F twin-engine patrol plane escaped Injury when the craft crash-landed Dec 3 in a field short of the NAS runway Col Alba ugh commander of the Army Maintenance Center retired on Nov 29 and Col Jack Cromwell took over the command The center celebrated Its first anniversary here with a record of 11a million man hours without a loss-time accident Communications AN FCC EXAMINER in December recommended that television Channel 3 in Corpus Christi go to South Texas Telecasting Co operators of old KVDO-TV Actual granting may be several months away and is subject to review by the FCC Die other applicant is Nueces Telecasting Southwestern Bell Telephone Go started area codes for long distance dialing here in February Also four-party telephone service ended Miscellaneous ABOUT 40 persons applied for foe job of postmaster when it was learned that Mrs Ameta McGkxn postmaster for EDITOR'S NOTE A tragic accident with radioactive materials turned the happy family life of Jackson McVey Into a succession of horrors surmounted by the spectre of death itself After six years even though troubles have diminished somewhat the Mc-Veys dare not look forward to tomorrow CHICO Calif if Die nightmare in the lives of the Jackson McVey came almost six years ago It has lingered to torment them through every single hour since You can see it in the deepeut lines In McVey's face You can hear it In the tension-taut tones of Madeline McVey's voice when she talks about "the accident" and the aftermath that sent a happy solvent close-knit family tumbling into prov-erty amid the dreadful possibility of slow radioactive death You can feel it in foe atmosphere of the McVeys neat but sparsely furnished home in Chico Working Way Bark "We just five day to day What happens tomorrow happens tomorrow Right now all we want is to work our way back to a normal That is how McVey 41 summarizes his new philosophy a philosophy made necessary by a frightful accident on an unlucky March 13 1957 We just don't worry about tomorrow" adds Mrs McVey glancing uneasily at pictures of daughters Linda and Becky and son Eddie in a Army uniform At Houston Lab On that fateful March 13 McVey was at work in a laboratory at Houston Texas one of 4044 installations using radioisotopes for peaceful purposes job as an assistant laboratory supervisor was to mount deadly radioactive pellets in instruments used to detect flaws in metals and welded parts The tiny pellets contained iridium-192 Every safety device possible was bring used In their handling Somehow though two of the pellets were fractured McVey aware that invisible death must be filling the air worked feverishly to get the broken pellets into a safe storage cell Ran Out Too late Then with red danger lights flashing and alarm bells ringing he dashed out of hi booth But So McVey went borne thinking he was free from any contamination He soon found out he wasn't He had carried some par-tidcs after all It was discovered Things moved fast for the McVeys after that Before all the particles were discovered and eliminated all the personal property of the family had to be destroyed or decontaminated two cars a trailer house clothes appliances everything McVey began to develop nausea and one of his fingers which showed radioactivity began to puff up He learned that 5-year-old right heel showed a count Luckily a radioactive particle was washed from heel before any permanent damage was done Children Shumed Blow followed blow however When wad finally got out on May 2 that an accident releasing radioactive particles had occurred those who knew the family reacted In fear The McVeys became pariahs Die children were shunned and taunted "You see you really can't blame them" McVey says "People knew what happened at Hiroshima and NegasakL Radioactivity was just a terrifying monster to them a frightening thing It created hysteria We couldn't hurt anybody but they wouldn't let them selves believe that Our friends just stopped coming around" McVey's job terminated at foe beginning of 1958 and a long period of unemployment set in For a long time he was unable to work Blackballed When ha was able to look for work again he found himself virtually blackballed Despite assurances from the Atomic Energy Con mission that all the free-flying particles of iridium-192 had been collected and foe radioactivity could not spread the general reaction of employers was one of suspicion and fear Becky and the other two children Linda 13 and Eddie 17 were bewildered at the loss of friends Pioneer Program Aids Unwed Dads ing in order to eat Some of foe doctors and I'm thinking particularly of our family doctor In Houston just insisted on treating ua and hear of payments while we were down and out These are moral debts and we owe them and I'll pay Owe 830008 McVey estimated the total family debts at J20000 Surmounting all else In foe worldly sphere Is still This Thing the vague horrifying threat that hovers over them like a private cloud This filing as McVey calls It is the possibility of leukemia "About a year after the accident the doctors said I might develop leukemia if I couldn't build up my Mood There was some question as to whether my blood would build up or not" McVey said McVey was given injections of blood-boosting agents every day for three years and thus far the disease appears to have been warded off "But tlie uncertainty of It that's terrible" according to his wife Cataract Operations Both are resigned to eventual operations for the removal of cataracts Mrs is expected first "She has the vision of a 70-year-old woman" her husband said Are they certain the cataracts were directly induced by radio active contamination? How can you prove these things to a scientific certainty?" McVey asked "All we know is that none of us wore glasses before the accident Now cataracts are developing and every single member of the family is in need of glasses in varying degrees" McVey gays he still may be carrying some radioactivity inside his body He folds out his middte finger on each hand and calls attention to a slight purplish tinge around the nails due he says to radiation Above-Xomml Radiation "My last total body check was two years ago and it showed 10 per cent above normal background radiation" he says the body was going to expel the radiation completely it would have done so by then so I almost surely have an above-normal background atilL What's left htu settled in foe bones and that's where It's most dangerous" The examination two years ago was made at government expense Mrs McVey and Linda also were checked The examining physician later reported to the Atomic Energy Commission that all were in good health The doctor said McVey did show sane radiation although in a degree considered safe by Nap tional Bureau of Safety Standards Radiation tests on his wife and daughter showed them fixe of it the doctor said No Abnormal Finding! As for McVey otherwise foe physician said there were "no specific abnormal physical McVey finds much to be grate-fid for "Die main thing Is I'm becoming stronger Things are not like they were before the accident but neither are they like they were after March 13 of that year Tm deep in my books on electronics and chemical engineering and maybe can still make up for things" Other wounds have healed to the lives of the McVeys Their social ostracism Is a thing of tha past have friends again who understand and whom we can face It's said Mrs McVey Her husband added: We don't want to sink down in a well of self pity and wt don't want to be scarred for the rest of our lives with bitterness believe hi God and we believe in people How could we do otherwise when In spite of everything so many people helped Disturbing medical symptoms quickly developed McVey lost 48 pounds from his normal 185 and was told that unless his bloodbuilding agents regenerated he would become victim to leukemia a fatal disease All the family developed eye troubles Savings Gone The family's savings went in replacing belongings which had to be destroyed in medical expenses and other costs-In desperation McVey tried running a small amusement park far children in Houston but receipts were not enough to maintain equipment Next came a short stint as a salesman of photo-processing equipment "With 60 a week take-home pay it waa hardly enough to keep the family going" he says "It was like we were all drowning together and couldn't save ourselves One thing after another kept happening and all I could think of was 'I brought this on my family' 8oa Troubled Eddie uncertain as to whether his father would live or die troubled by the family's sudden poverty worried over his apparently deteriorating eyesight shunned by friends tortured by fears his capacity far having normal children would be impaired turned almost overnight from a carefree confident youth into a young-rid man weighed down by cares "He always wanted to own ranch and now he could think of nothing else but to buy a ranch for the family and if necessary support all of us" his mother recalled However Eddie Joined the Army and now Is in Germany Mrs McVe said the family troubles hit Linda hard emotionally also and that she suffered from nausea for a long time after her lather's accident Daughter Married Last summer she married an airman Iron Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho She is expecting a child "She's having pregnancy complications Of course we say if it is the result of this thing but it keeps us all on edge" her mother said It wasn't until Oct 9 1961 that McVey finally was able to return to his profession He was hired by the American Machine A Foundry Co for a job of testing foe calibrations on sensitive electronic instruments "I had to borrow money to go to Denver for foe job" he said Titaa Missile Base In April 1962 tha family moved to Mountain Home where McVey was transferred by the firm and in September he located in Chico where AMF had a contract to work on a Titan intercontinental missile base being completed just north of the city current job will end in foe early spring and he is again facing an uncertain financial future "Right now I know if the firm will have a place for me" he says "Die company may get some more contracts and I should know fairly soon" Moral Debts The family finances an still extremely precarious formal debts and what he calls debts" prey heavily on mind "Alter I went off the payroll at Houston at the beginning of 1968 we hid practically no Income until I went to work on AMF last year We got our two carfTack after decontamination but the upholstery was all cut up and the engines were rusted We arid them I think for a hundred dollars and foe trailer and other things In all we raised about 82500 but foil waa eaten up right away I got a 5500 workman'! compensation award" That was soon used up too said McVey He continued: "We had to retort to borrow THROUGH the Democratic primary elections and general election in which the Republicans here showed considerable strength most office fodders in Nueces County retained their posts However Judge Horace Young of County Court at Law No 1 defeated veteran incumbent Judge Cullen Briggs for the judge's seat In 117th District Court Attorney Vernon Har-ville was elected judge of County Court at Law No 1 Die legislative delegation from Nueces County added two new faces James Lattimore and James Klager who will join Travis Peeler and Ronald Bridges as state representatives Former State Rep DeWitt Hale resigned his post for an unsuccessful race against State Sen Bruce Reagan Rep Ben Glusing of Kingsville was defeated in his bid for reelection in a greatly enlarged and realigned district by Lindsay Rodriguez of Hidalgo Paul Haas was elected to foe State Board of Education John Carnally elected governor got 19125 votes in the general election here as compared to 12270 for Republican candidate Jack Cox The GOP jubilant over the turnout started work on the 1964 campaign The general election had GOP poll watchers and Democratic watchers of the watchers In Democratic circles foe old feud between various segments of the party broke out again both at the county and state conventions Gvic Projects THE CORPUS CHRISTI Arts Council requested a 152 acre site on public and private land at the north end of Shoreline Drive for an Arts Center The request for the area to be included in master planning is pending before the city Die Corpus Christi Museum has asked for a long-term lease from the city in the area of the Arts Center Jacques Singer musical director of the Corpus Christi Symphony since 1954 resigned to go to Portland Oregon He was replaced by Maurice Peress 32 The Council of Garden Clubs in September renewed its drive for a garden center on South Staples near Ray High School The United Fluid Drive here collected 8576082 or 87 per cent of its 8660000 goal in November and went into a crash program in December to raise additional fends The drive was headed by Rear Adm Ralph Sperry Clarke (ret) Del Mar College DEL MAR COLLEGE in 1962 temporarily dropped efforts to become a tour-jxar institution An opinion by Atty Gen Win Wilson was issued to the effect that the college could not use local tax money or state aid to finance a four-year school The Del Mar board approved foe purchase of 21 additional acres of land for Del Mar Technical Institute which would triple the size of the present 923 acres Public Schools DR DANA WILLIAMS of Corsicana replaced Dr Williams who had been here 11 years as superintendent of schools on July 15 Williams was retained aa administrative consultant at 821000 a year until next June 30 when his coi tract expires Meanwhile he took a special consultant Job with the Department of Labor in Wellington Harry Warake and Mrs George Hawn were appointed to fill unexpired terms on the school board and then were elected April 7 At that time the board was reorganized to make Frank Harrison president succeeding board member Arturo Vasquez Approval was given to starting a night school here for adults Jan 28 Corpus Christi schools were crowded to capacity when classes opened in 1962 with the highest enrollment ever Contracts have been let for school enlargement projects and other schools are planned Plans for a vocatiaial educational system at Cabaniss Field advanced by Williams when 66 acres were accepted from the federal government have been stowed if not kflled by Dana Williams and foe school board A better longevity pay plan was adopted to attract experienced teachers Classroom teachers at the end of the year asked for further raises School principals were allowed to keep prayers and Scripture readings in classes Sixty graders were hired in 1962 to help grade English papers Flour Bluff received word from the federal government that integration will be required if the school continues getting impacted area funds of which more than fl million has been received The school is not Integrated in elementary grades and sends 25 Negro pupils to Corpus Christi schools officials aid Officials Take Office Wednesday with the married they have established families and jobs or businesses and suddenly they're faced with the prospect of a child out of Why the man marry the girl? "We always first explore the said Pannor with most of these couples the reason they're coming to us is because already decided the baby must go up for adoption At least the father has Mill lias Hopes "The mother often -still hopes the man will decide to marry her" More than 225000 American males will find themselves unwed fathers this three times foe number 20 years ago That's the estimate of recorded illegitimate births by the US Department of Health Education and Welfare Welfare officials say unrecorded births would push the figure for higher Vista Del Mar a private welfare agency has long offered wide range of counseling rervices adoption facilities and aid to unwed mothers Boy Ignored "I was watching a young teenage the girl was pregnant who'd come in for help five yean ago" Pannor relates "and I noticed that the boy was virtually Ignored It waa also one of the the rare instances when the boy appeared at the agency "It was obvious he needed help Aid to unwed fathers began "These teen-agers haven't just been sowing wild oats They genuinely believe they're in'5 love "But when you ask them especially tiie boy whether they want to get married the boy will say not ready for niey're playing house without realizing the responsibilities Involved EDITOR'S NOTE The problems of the unwed mother have been related often and at length But how about the unwed father? He has some problems too and agonizing ones There's a California group which feels its problem's solution is understanding and therapy not the shotgun By DORIS KLEIN LOS ANGELES (AP) Eddie gangling and awkward as any 17-year-old shuffled up to the door of the Vista Del Mar welfare agency In west Los Angeles A few months before Eddie had joined one of the most neglected by their own choice-groups of men in the nation: Unwed fathers "The unwed father is the forgotten says Ruben Paimor aortal worker at Vista Del Mar and the man Eddie was coming to see Gaining Attention Paimor! pioneer program to ferret them out is gaining national attention from big city welfare agencies "Unwed mothers have the immediate problem" Pannor admits the boys and men involved are just confused and emotionally disturbed as the girls" For the last five years Pannor has been interviewing and trying to guide unwed fathers ranged in age from 14 to 55 and Included teenagers bachelors and married men "The teenagers often find it hardest to grasp the situation" says Pannor Afraid of Marriage "With single adult men they're usually shrinking from marriage because afraid of it When we get over the immediate problem of the baby I often try to direct them into aomi therapy to get to the roots of their fear "The problem la pretty obvious of 94th District Court Judge Todd of 105th District Court County Judge Noah Kennedy Judge FMlip Schraub of County Court at Law No 2 County Commissioners John Sable tura of Precinct 2 and Robert Barnes of Precinct 4 District Clerk Ben Ligon County Clerk Mrs Henry Gouger County Treasurer Mrs Neva McGregor County Surveyor William Green and County Supt of Schools Deskin Snow EfcM Ts Take Oaths In addition eight justices the peace will be taking oaths of office They are Peter Dunn Pet 1 Place 2 the courthouse Otto Raska Pet 2 the Leona Community Fred Garrett Pet 3 Biahop E11UZ Pet 4 Ague Dulce Gregory Fct 5 Robstown Arthur Ellis Pet 6 Calallen-Annavllle Oscar Gillespie Pet Port Aransas and Jahmjy Roberts Pet 8 Flour Bluff Ellllf and Ellis were elected after the former justices in their precincts died The other Justices of foe peace are incumbents reelected to four-year terms Roberts had to defeat opposition in the Democratic primary and a Republican opponent in the general election to win a new term Only two elective positions at the courthouse will have new occupants when officeholders take their oaths Wednesday Horace Young will take the oath is judge of 117ft District Court at 9 am a quiet end to a long and sometimes bitter campaign that saw the defeat of veteran 117th District Judge CtiUen Briggs Briggs will leave office Tuesday after 26 years ai a Judge Replacing Young aa judge of County Court at Law No 1 will be Vernon Harville former prosecutor of Corporation Court Harville defeated attorney George Hamilton In the Democratic primary and had no opposition in the general election Spirited Oun prigs Young Briggs and attorney Jack Blackmon engaged In a plrlted campaign before the Democratic primary for the 117th District nomination Young and Briggs went Into the runoff which Young won by a 2-1 vote Young had no opposition In foe general election None of the other st foe courthouse who were reelected had opposition in the primary or in he general election this year They are to post new bonds and take oath of office again Wednesday They art Judge Tillman Smith Weather Calais Christi had peculiar weather in 1962 Dm year started out with freezing weather the coldest since 195L On Jan 10 thin was a record usage here of 60 million cubic feet of gaa the biggest gas day in history Some 40 palm trees oi Shoreline Boulevard froze and had to be replaced Then came the hot dry summer The warmest October was recorded here in 21 years with an average temperature of 787 degree In April the Corpus Christi area was experiencing its driest period since 1917 A 55-day drought was broken here Aug 23 with a half inch.