The Windsor Star from Windsor, Ontario, Canada • 8

8 The Windsor Star, Friday, July 7. 1972 'MY jtafa Who, When Whatnot By Jim Cornett 90 years young a's OSS her OUSG rti Kit -T 1 WrXV" the 329 Randolph Ave. Lowenberger home is spotless thanks to Ma's efforts. She keeps the house clean and her 77-year-old husband Bill, who also calls her maintains a beautiful lawn an garden in which she helps out from time to time. And Ma also takes good care of the boarders!" not only because the extra money "helps to stretch out that lousy little bit that the government gives us," but also because "it's company in the house." Perhaps Ma's "firm but friendly" disposition comes from her military heritage.

She is the last living descendant of famous American Civil War officer, General Joseph Hooker and remembers sitting on his knee. "He had one arm shot off and used to scare the life out of me," Ma recalls. But Ma is not an American. She was born in a house on Concession 8, northeast of Leamington. She was the "last brat" of the eight Hooker children and spent most of her early life in the Leamington area working for companies like H.

J. Heinz and Imperial Tobacco. She has spent some time in Detroit and St. Catharines but she has lived in Windsor since 1957. But wherever Ma Lowenberger goes, as her boarders know only too well, she's the boss.

By AL STRACHAN On a wall plaque in the kitchen, a brassy young lady with a frying pan in her hand announces, "I'm the boss. If you don't believe it, start The brassy young lady is lying. This is "Ma" Lowenberger's house and, as generations of past boarders have found out, she's the boss and she doesn't need a frying pan to prove it. Mrs. Ruby Lowenberger is no tyrant.

She doesn't yell, threaten or make demands, but in her speech is the inescapable voice of authority kind authority, but authority nonetheless and commanding respect. Even when she sits, in a really relaxed way in her favorite easy chair, and talks of her past, you can sense it. Her boarders, she explains, "come and go when they want to as long as they're good in the house." "And they are, always," she adds. Ma Lowenberger is slowing down a bit now, and though she won't say it, it rankles her. She feels she should still be active even though she'll be 90 this month.

She can't crochet and knit as much as she used to, but Br vXv nrK If many more unusual objects come hurtling across properties in the Walker Road-County Road 46 area, owners could get the impression that the district is jinxed. (Maybe Highway 98 didn't like having its name changed.) It was just a few weeks ago that a door and a coffin dropped through the sky after a decompression mishap in an airliner. Now, people who glance at the home of Russell and Irene Quick (on County Road 46, a quarter mile east of Walker) are seeing a whopper of a hamburger a decorative one made of styrofoam and measuring about six feet across that went flying across their lawn about a half mile from where the door and coffin landed. It had been laying on the highway and was set flying shortly after the witching hour of midnight when hit by a car. A whopper it was, too.

The front end and a fender of the car were damaged by the impact. It took more than two hands to handle this whopper to get it placed beside the sign advertising the Quicks' Chadamay Kennels for a conversational piece. Even if it had been a real hamburger, it would have been too much for the Quick dogs to handle. They're toy collies. The junky stuff placed in some breakfast cereal boxes as drawing cards puts the food processors to a lot of wasted expense when the stuff falls apart within a short time.

The items produce a waste of money, as well, to the consumer, who is playing indirectly for the free gimmicks. There could be a compromise. Years and years ago, cereal, coffee and tea companies used to include in their packages coupons which could be redeemed for postage stamps and stamp albums. A philatelist, noting the increase in stamp collecting in recent years, suggests the food processors take a page from the old days. From many angles, it isn't hard to miss seeing the Lancaster Memorial Rose Garden from the adjacent Jackson Park Sunken Garden.

The row of trees and shrubs plus the South African WTar Memorial running between the two make an excellent shield. Unless you're in one of the last few spaces, you can't see the roses from the parking lot, either. There must be many visitors who wander through the sunken garden and then leave without knowing that one of the finest rose gardens in North America is on the other side. How about a sign or two in the sunken garden pointing the way? Or how about the suggestion of Thomas Kerr, 1403 Goyeau for a giant arch or arbor to draw attention to something being on the other side besides the bomber on the pylon. Christmas is already in the air.

The Essex County-Windsor Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association is asking for volunteers to help prepare for the Christmas Seals campaign. The work involved in getting the seals ready for mailing includes typing, sorting address labels as to zones, putting labels on envelopes and putting the seals into the envelopes. Mrs. Eunice Henderson, executive secretary, says the work can be done either at home or in the association's office at 969 Ouellette Ave. Office hours are 8:30 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m. The number to call if you'd like to volunteer your services (sounds like a good way for jobless students to pass the time) is 252-0610. There's another sign of Christmas in downtown Windsor. The Royal Copenhagen 1972 Christmas plates are available. The long-awaited world chess championship match set to begin Sunday between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky even has Windsorites involved.

Or at least those Windsorites who shop at Smith's of Windsor. A bell was rung with the announcement that the argument over money was settled when British financier James Slater offered to sweeten an already record pot with a donation of 50,000 roughly $130,000. Fischer responded by saying he would play. Within recent months, Smith's of Windsor, along with the other 39 stores in the Gordon Mackay and Stores Ltd. chain, has become part of the United Kingdom-based holding company, Slater, Walker of Canada Limited, a subsidiary of Slater-Walker of Great Britain.

Sister Jeanine Cyrenne, co-ordinator of the Young Christian Students organization, is anxious to round up Sandwich W7est Township children 3 to 10 years old for participation in the group's summer project the Community Youth Recreational Centre. It provides day-long activities such as arts and crafts, music, sports, movies and field trips during July and August in the Sacred Heart Separate School gymnasium in LaSalle Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Further particulars can be obtained by phoning 734-8341. 1 0 vS-Xrt-vA.

irnfiifiirraiiiiifaiinr'n-'-: Photo by Cec Southward fc3Ia' Lowenberger in her favorite easy chair Surprise! It's not a Legion sports meeting By GAIL PIRIE Sports meetings usually turn out to be sports meetings for Florence Cox, Zone 1A Commander of the Royal Canadian Lef ion Ladies' Auxiliary. When she went to the sports meeting Thursday ni ht at the Branch 12 Hut on Brant Street, that was all she expec ted, a sports meeting. What it turned out to be was quite another thing. Mrs. Cox who officially retires Sept.

21, was the guest of honor at a surprise retirement party. Mrs. Cox has been a member of the auxiliary for 40 years and has served as Zone 1A Commander for the past 10 years. As zone commander, Mrs. Cox oversees the eight auxiliaries in Windsor and Tecumseh, comprised of some 650 members.

She has to officially visit each auxiliary at least once a year and she also presides at all nominations, elections and installations of new officers. She also attends most sports competitions among legion members, whether it be darts or bowling functions. Part of Mrs. Cox's duties includes convening the provincial election whenever it is held in Windsor. The last ladies' aux iliary convention held here was in 1966.

Mrs. Cox had to plan the arrange accommodations for tha 1,200 delegates who aUended from all over Ontario, and oversee registration of the delegates. She will be doing the same thing this year when the convention is held at the Cleary Auditorium Sept. 17-21. It requires a lot of work, planning, and patience.

The convention also marks the end of Mrs. Cox's years as commander. Jean Dumouchelle, first vice-president of the Ontario auxiliary executive, said Mrs. Cox will be greatly missed because of all the little extras she did that were not required or even expected. "Mrs.

Cox often prepared refreshments for legion functions and helped Out serving food if there was a death in a member's family," Mrs. Dumouchelle said. "She did everything with heart." CONVERTIBLE POOLS WINDSOR (DIVISION of ELMARA CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD.) Wh ere Qualify Costs No FJlore Whatever it is, Convertible has it beautiful styling quality construction dependability safety excellent value in-ground above-ground concrete fibreglass vinyl-liner concrete flower pots water fountains lawn ornaments alabastre statues marble statues pool accessories. To Buy the Best See the Best Where? Why at Convertible, of course A it- Branches in Over 45 Major Cities in Canada and United Kingdom Alcoholic housewives a Michigan problem LANSING, Mich.

(UPI) A report submitted Thursday to Gov. William G. Milliken says the "alcoholic housewife" is a serious problem in Michigan. The report, prepared by the governor's office on drug abuse and alcoholism, draws its conclusion from statistics submitted by more than 200 community agencies, which provide voluntary programs for alcoholics and drug addicts. The "typical" female alcoholic who seeks the services of local agencies is over 31, white, and more likely to be married than single, divorced or separated.

"Whatever might be drawn from this factor, it does seem to verify the fact that the alcoholic housewife is a serious problem," the report says. In addition, it says the female alcoholic often has a Grade 12 education, but seldom more, and sought the help of a community agency on the advice of a physician, or on their own initiative rather than through court referral. By comparison, male alcoholics who sought treatment were also likely to be more than 31-years-old and white, often with at least a high school education. However, most men were either single, separated or divorced and as many men lived in some form of institution as with a spouse. About 10 per cent lived completely alone.

"The (male.) client is probably employed, although a large number are enrolled in some type of. training program," the report says. "Chances are good that the client is a veteran not on active duty." Most male alcoholics were referred to treatment centres through the court system, although a "significant number" sought help on their own initiative, the report says. Few blacks and other minority groups of persons, either male or female, used the services of community agencise for alcoholic or drug problems, according to the report. Statistics reported for persons who seek help for drug problems differed markedly.

The typical male, for example, was likely to be a school dropout, probably before Grade 10. He is also younger than his alcoholic counterpart, usually ranging in age from 18 to 22. As a result, he is even more likely to be unemployed or underemployed and earning less than $5,000 a year. "Heroin is the overwhelming drug of primary use with psychedelics or hallucinogens a distant second," the report says. Females seeking help for drug problems were found to be similar in major respects to their male counterparts.

They fall into the 18-22 age group, more than 50 per cent were white, and few received anv form of welfare. 401 EAST I 401 WEST 0 A 1 3 HIGHWAY Open Mon. to Fri. 9 to 9 Open Sat. 9 to 6 OPEN SUN.

Noon to 6 p.m. DIAL 737-6711 737-6555 Convertible Pools near JUST 500' NORTH OF WINDSOR DRIVE-IN In CHATHAM Call Ken Haynes 351-0411 or 351-6665 In LEAMINGTON Call Vito Lasala 326-5085 SURPRISE! Florence Cox expresses the surprise that was the object of a party thrown in her honor Thursday night at Branch 12, Royal Canadian Legion, by the Ladies' Auxiliary. Members of the auxiliary paid tribute to Mrs. Cox for serving 10 years as zone commander for Zone 1A. In addition, she has been a member of the auxiliary for 40 years.

Mrs. Cox was presented with gifts on behalf of the zone, the auxiliary and the branch..