The Decatur Daily Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 60

Decatur, Illinois Friday, January 22, 1954 TWENTY-FOUR PAGES TODAY. THE DFCATUR REVIEW Banning Pfeffer, Stone Fight of 1952 Is Renewed By J. Neely Martin Of The Review Staff Renewal this year of the tight John Short, 681 S. 20th who made the chart, looks on with approval. Young Sutton, who is the son of Mr.

and Mrs. Otto Sutton, 2188 E. Hendrix St, got Glass Studies Reds contest of two years ago for nomination of a Democrat for state representative in the 24th district comprised by Champaign, Piatt and Moultrie Counties appears probable in the April 13 primary campaign. Paul Stone, bulhvan lawyer and former state representative, has announced he will run again for the Democratic nomination, while Repv Leo Pfeffer Seymour, who won the Democratic nomination over Stone two years ago by only 19 votes, has hied tor renommanon for a second term. In the 24th dis trict, Democrats nominate only one candidate for representative, which assures the nominee's election as the minority representative from the district.

In the 1952 Pfeffer-Stone contest, Pfeffer, the Champaign County Democratic committee chairman, saw Democrats of the two smaller counties, fiatt and Moultrie, team up in a near successful effort to overcome Pfeffer's party advantage in his home county ot Champaign. In that campaign- Stone was favored by strong influences in the Steven son administration. Stone carried his home county of Moultrie seven to one and carried Piatt two to one, but this margin was wiped. out by Pfeffer's two to one lead in the big county of Champaign. Also shaping up in the 24th dis trict is a Republican primary fight against the district two veteran Republican representatives, Charles W.

Clabaugh, Champaign building contractor, and Ora u. Dillavou, Urbana implement dealer. Clabaugh has been a member of the House since 1938 and Dillavou has been a member since 1940. Announced as opponents of the two legislators in the primary are Joseph T. Clancy of Urbana and Morris Brown of Champaign.

Clancy is a former Champaign County sheriff. Brown is a professional bondsman. Lakeview Teacher Files For Superintendent Announcement last night that John M. Ball, 31, a Lakeview High School teacher, will be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for county superintendent ot schools assured a full slate of Democratic candidates for county offices in the April 13 pnmarv. Ball, former high school instructor in Michigan and a former mem- John Ball ber of the staff of the Chicago branch of the University of Illinois, came to the Lakeview faculty fie holds.

Masters degrees from the University of Michigan and the University ot Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Ball and their three chil dren live at 1656 Buena Vista Ave. Walter F.

Burger, Decatur lawyer, filed his petition yesterday as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for County Judge. GR0HNE GETS CONTRACT FOR WORK IN FLORIDA The H. L. Grohne Company, 2594 N. Water has been award ed a contract for.

exterior rehabilita tion of 66 frame buildings and painting at the Marine Corps Air Station, Miami, rla. The announcement was made by the Sixth laval District fublic Works Officer at headquarters in Charleston, S. C. The contract-sum was $163,577 A 1 1 Witnesses Tell Pros, Cons of School Charter Decatur School Board Attorney Smith McGaughey called a stream of witnesses to testify on behalf of the retention of Decatur's 'special school charter in the hearing before County Supt. Robert Ernest this morning.

John Dver attorney for die peti tioners, concentrated primarily on pointing out the testimony ot, the witnesses as being mainly from the point of view of the Decatur district only. In almost even' case, after the witness had given an opinion favoring the special charter, Dyer asked if that opinion was based mainly on consideration of the best interests of District 61 as opposed to the surrounding area. Generally the wit nesses answered Yes. Mrs. Dorothy Morris, housewife and member of the Decatur Council of Parent Teacher Associations, sought to the "selfish in terests angle of the petitioners attack when she said that she.

felt the Lakeview Districts' financial problems are not for the Decatur district to solve. The plight in which annexation of outlying territory to the city of Decatur places Lakeview District's school system has been one of the main points of the petitioners' ob-' jecnons to the special charter. Under the special charter, any territory annexed to the city automatically comes into the Decatdr School District. Within the last few years Lakeview lost a large portion ot its taxable property but none of its pupils through Decatur's annex ation ot A. fc.

Staley Mig. Company land. Shouldn't the problem of Lake-. view and other community unit dis tricts, Mrs. Moms asked, be the states to solve since the community unit district falls entirely under the state school code? Among those testifying this morning in favor of the special charter were Luther Roehm, chairman of the Education committee of the Association" of Commerce; R.

Wayne Gill, business manager of Millikin University; Russell J. Foval, su perintendent of recreation; and M. E. Bailey, former treasurer of Macon County. Mrs.

Robert Lewis, testifying as a representative of the League of Women Voters, said the League believes the advantages of the special charter 'so definitely outweigh those of the community unit district as to make the referendum election sought by the petitioners unjustified. The League would not necessarily oppose increasing the size of the school board, Mrs. Lewis said, but advocates that it be done through special legislation. At the outset the larger school board was the provision of tEe community unit district in which the petitioners seemed most interested. Questioned by Dyer about the Lakeview District's plight, Mrs.

Lewis said that according to her recollection the League members, at the time of their study, had questioned whether the Lakeview schools should have been organized in a community unit district in the first place. Building philosophy and costs were discussed by Board President Otto C. Keil and by Fred W. Sa- logga, representative of the firm of Hams, Spangler, Beau and Salogga, architects for the newest school buildings. Keil re-stated the board's position that it is cheaper in the long run to build better buildings which will have low tire insurance and main tenance costs and will stand up for 50 years than to build initially cheaper buildings upon which costs will mount as years go by.

He in dicated that, as a result of public meetings before the last group of new buildings was started, the Board had believed that to be the citizens' sentiment also. Questioned closely on building costs, by Attorney Dyer, Architect balogga gave the average cost of Southeast, Grant, Harris, Oak Grove Schools and Dennis addition to be. $16.03 per square foot of usable classroom space. He said this did not include the excess cost of grading and fill work on the Southeast school. It also did not include utilities tunnel areas which were comparatively cheap to build but cannot count as usable educational space.

As the moming phase of the hearing drew to a close. Carl Barding, a leader of the Oak Grove parents, volunteered the statement that the Oak Grove is satisfied with the Board of Education's foresighted- ness- in the planning of the Oak Grove School which was designed tor probable expansion the fu tureand suggested, "Why didn't these, people criticize beforehand it they're that smart." WEAVING IS POPULAR 10 Looms Are In Use At Grade, Junior High Schools Weaving is catching on as an art project in the city's schools. Ten looms purchased last spring have been distributed among the four iunior high schools and several grade schools and are proving highly popular, according to Miss Norma Riehl, art supervisor. In the grade schools they are use ful the pupils studies ot colonial times. With the looms they can act ually-try themselves to make, rugs and cloth in the way the early settlers did.

The new looms are especially good for school use, according to Miss Riehl, because rags, old hose and even raffia can. be used on them instead of yarn, which is more ex pensive. Wells May Be In Operation During April The wells the city is going to drill for an emergency water supply probably will be producing some time in April, according to esn mates made yesterday. A representative of the well drill ing firm which has been engaged to make tests told the City Council that tests could be completed and permanent wells in operation by April 1 "under the most favorable circumstances." However, Water Commissioner Homer L. Chastain said that legal matters, engineering and construction make May 1 a more likely date Vail H.

Moore, engineer for War- a Van Praag, the firm engaged by the city to supervise the well project, told the Council he be lieves spring rains will replenish the lake before use of wells becomes necessary. He said the well water supply will probably show its value in late summer or early fall. Chastain also has. said he places confidence in the arrival of heavy rain in March. One encouraging aspect, said Chastain, is the ability of the lake'; watershed to provide a lot of water in a hurry after heavy rains.

The spring rains of March, 1922 and again, in 1925 bear the com missioner out on this, scording to old newspaper records. On Wednesday, March 29, 1922, the lake level was at 602.9. The dam was still under construction then, and had a big gap in it. It rained Wednesday and the next day the water level started! to" rise. By Sunday, water was flowing over the top of the dam, despite the gap in the structure.

The rate of rise was more than 7 feet in less than four days. Work Started For Offices Complete modernization of the building at 131 N. Church St. is now in progress, converting the former automobile showrooms into office space. The remodeling is cost ing approximately $30,000.

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, which now has offices on the fifth floor of the Citizens Build ing will move to the North Church location on completion of the remodeling. A. F. Krall Construction Com pany is doing the remodeling which includes installation ot air conditioning; subdividing the building into office space; lowering the ceil ing and installation ot acoustical ceiling; and installation of a new lighting system. Engineering Service Corporation is the architect for the modernization.

The new quarters will about double the space now used by Metropolitan, according to E. Decatur manager. No definite date for the move to the new quarters has been set, Rieckman said. The insurance agency has a staff of 29, including the manager. The staff includes seven clerks; 19 agents, eight of whom work out of the office in nearby cities and towns, and two assistant managers.

The building being remodeled was formerly the showrooms of Kil- born's auto agency. It is owned by Sam and Jake Loeb. The 33 by 80 foot structure is part of the old Ridglydale property which was purchased by the Loeb brothers in 1948. License Revoked The drivers license of Thomas Woodrow Wilson, Clinton, has been revoked, it was announced today by Charles F. Carpentier, secretary of state.

Three Men Held Decatur police were holding three Negroes today as suspects in recent store burglaries in Decatur. WTVPRemains On Air, 19 Have Resigned At least 19 persons have left the staff of Station WTVP since the resignations of three executives Wednesday morning. The mass resignations kept the channel 17 station off the air most of Wednesday and forced a curtailment in Thursday's programming because of the absence of personnel who normally put on the live pro grams. Station officials today said they saw no interruption of telecasting in the near future. The station be gins daily telecasting at 2 p.

m. William L. Shellabarger, presi dent of Frame television, owners of WTVP, announced to day that Robert G. Wright has been named program director. Wright, who has been manager Of commercial programming and who formerly worked for Pownall Advertising, succeeds Paul K.

Taff who resigned Wednesday. The other two executives who resigned Wednesday were Harold G. Cowgill, general manager, and Chief Engineer James C. Wulliman. The dispute between staff members and Shellabarger concerned cutting expenses, Shellabarger said.

He said that the expenses could be cut by trimming some members from the staff and combining other duties. He added that it was the stockholders' desire that some programs not particularly popular with the viewing audience be eliminated. "They wanted to retain the higher type and the popular local programs," he added. Shellabarger is principal stockholder. Not all of the jobs vacated by the staff members will be filled, according to the company president.

However, he indicated the staff total, when replacements have been secured probably will come near the 47, including part-time employes, the station employed before the dispute. "Several engineers" were listed among the primary needs of the station today. The situation regarding some em ployes who have left the station was not clear. Continuity Director Marian Bork was reported by the station as resigned, but spokesmen for the employes said she was fired. Shellabarger said yesterday that Maureen Sullivan, an artist, was discharged because her job was being dispensed with.

Besides the three executives and Miss Bork and Miss Sullivan, 17 others submitted resignations yesterday. The resignations were all identical and said: "I hereby resign my position as a of WTVP because my professional activities are. seriously hampered by an unstable administrative situation and because of proposed changes in program policy that would not serve the public interest. "As notice seems unnecessary in the current suspension of normal schedule at WTVP, this resignation is effective immediately." Employes who submitted resigna tions included: James E. Crowell, news director uoiores Kyan, women director Tony Parker, sports director Richard W.

Shaughnessy, staff announcer Charles H. Logan III, producer-director LeRoy R. Scales, floor manager Arthur Zahler, engineer Nile M. Hunt, video supervisor William R. Leonard, producer-director Charles F.

Marden, engineer Leo C. Krenzel, engineer Marie T. Crigler, secretary Joseph S. Gravagno, engineer Elinor Owens, traffic manager John Boyd Buckstaff, producer-director Edwin R. Pianka, transmitter supervisor C.

Louis Bumphrey, engineer. Wulliman Releases Statement On Equipment James C. Wulliman, former WTVP chief engineer, last night released a statement regarding condition of transmitting equipment at the time of his resignation Wednesday. The statement, in part, says: "That morning the engineers were in the process of repairing the equipment after operating, from ap proximately 4:45 p. m.

Tuesday with makeshift repairs as shown by the transmitter log. "Upon mv resignation. I checked the tower light to comply with CAA regulations, took all the operators licenses to protect the men and. with the other engineers and several members of the program staff, I left the station at 11:53 a. m.

Since I was not responsible for the equipment after 11:35 a. m. I do not know what was disrupted by unqualified personnel From Taverns Gets Protest Opposition to a suggested ordi nance to ban minors from all prem ises where beer and liquor are sold was heard last night in a meeting ot city and county officials with a committee of the Macon County Retail Liquor Dealers Association. The meeting in a Blue Mill pri vate dining room was held to discuss cooperative methods to curb purchasing of liquor by minors. Officials attending included May or Robert E.

Willis, State's Attorney Kenneth E. George Grand-field and George Taylor of the county liquor Corporation Counsel Byron Merris and City Li cense Inspector Otto Kujawa. The proposed ban on minors en tering places where liquor is sold was criticized on the grounds that some hotels and. restaurants in which service of food is a major business would be unfairly treated in such a regulation. Officials agreed to furnish tavern operators with descriptions of youths who have attempted to buy liquor and suggested that tavern operators notify police ot all attempted pur chases by underage persons.

Dimes Total Is $17,537 The March of Dimes today rose to $17,537.95, officials of the Macon County chapter of the Na tional Foundation for Infantile Paralysis announced. The increase over what was pre viously reported included $5 from die Greenswitch Help-U Club and from the 40 8. Polio officials reminded potential contributors that they may mail their donations to postoffice box 1048, Decatur, and that checks may be made out to "March of Dimes." A full report on the "Backstage for Polio" telecast benefit. Wednes day night was not available today. Approximately $2,000 was pledged by persons who telephoned Station WTVP during the benefit program.

Dimes March Radio Show Is Saturday The annual "March of Dimes Jamboree" will be broadcast over Radio Station WDZ from 1:30 to 3:30 p. m. Saturday, the station announced today. WDZ Program Manager Bill Mller will be master of ceremonies for the program. Entertainers on the show will fill requests telephoned in by listeners.

who pledge donations to the March ot Dimes. Those who will be on the pro gram include the Ail American Quartet, Dink elch and his Kopy Kats, the Decatur All stars iazz or chestra, and Harvey Alltop and the VVLli frail Riders DECATUR WOMAN WRITES PRAISE OF BOSSES A letter written by Mrs. John J. Lowman, 163 N. Dennis con cerning the "Ideal Boss" appeared yesterdays Chicago Tribune in the Kuth MacKay column White Collar Girl.

In the letter, Mrs. Lowman, the former Shirley Freidinger, told of the pleasant relations with her for mer boss who was manager of the personal shopping department of a ritth Avenue shop in New York City-. Mis. Lowman also mentioned pleasant relations with her first boss, the late Miss Layah Riggs, society editor ot the Herald and Review, The letter tended to dispel the belief that women make poor bosses. Mrs.

Lowman was a society re porter for The Herald before join ing the Red Cross for overseas service during World War II. Later she worked in New York. Gasoline Stolen Theft of 50 gallons of gasoline and an aluminum helmet from drilling rig five miles southwest of Elwin was reported to Sheriff David M. Peters by the Sun Oil Company. Tickets valued at $10 tor the pur chase of water also were stolen.

The oil company is drilling test holes in the area. Victims of the alleged assault are James Banks, UbZ fc. Condif Ronald Eugene Woods, 1853 Railroad and James Venters, also of three youths were beaten a lane east of Deca tur, where they were parked with two girls. Banks required hospitali zation. Putnam is serving a jail sentence on a third charge ot assault.

Ronnie Sutton, right, adds a sample to his display of mineral resources of Russia which he prepared to go with a products chart. Allen Short, son of Mr. and Mrs. Johns Hill Mrs. Armstrong's Class Learns About Reds By Barbara Hill Of The Review Staff The Peter Mack 'class is at it again.

This time the students, in Mrs. Agnes Armstrong's ninth grade English-social studies class at Johns Hill Junior High School, have been digging into Russian history and politics. Alter a semester of research they are unanimous in declaring that the Russian svstem ot government is pretty poor. I he students first became inter ested Russia when, as seventh graders, they followed Congressman Peter Mack's around-the-world good will flight from their school room and shared his disappointment when the "iron curtain" wasn't raised for his proposed visit to Moscow. The students and Mrs.

Arm strong won a Freedoms Foundation Sawyer Estate An estate valued at $3,500 was left by the late John Alva Sawyer of Decatur, according to a petition for probate of his will, filed today in County Court. Under the will, one-half of the estate is left to a son, Alva 578 Longview PL, and the other half to a son, Leroy, and his wife, Pine Bluff, Ark. in an attempt to get the station on the air. "To the best of my knowledge no WTVP engineer was asked to operate the station for the polio program as a public service. "We had offered Sunday to contribute free time for the polio program but were informed that the program was to be paid for by the Crum Distributing Company and Philco.

"We called Dick Crum early Wednesday afternoon and were told the show had been cancelled as of that time. Shellabarger Issues Statement on Troubles William L. Shellabarger, presi dent of Prairie Television Company, owners of Station WTVP, issued the following statement this morn- "I do not wish to carry on in the newspapers a running discussion of our troubles. What has happened, has happened, and talking about it will not undo it. "I will however, make this final comment.

"Starting from scratch we have all worked very hard to bring high class television to Decatur. As all new enterprises, we had many ob stacles to overcome and many rough spots to iron out. "The public has been patient and altogether wonderful to us and our staff, and we regret exceedingly that the employes who walked out on us on the eve of our big polio drive did not see fit to give us some" notice of their "We certainly would have appre ciated it and obviously, we could have made the necessary adjustments much more smoothly and with less expense if they ha4 given us some notice of their intentions. I regret particularly that those employes were not more considerate of the public which has been so kind to them "We "have been much heartened by the many kind telephone calls we have had from thousands ot our friends. "(Signed) W.

L. Shellabarger, president Praine I elevision the samples from mineral collection. The Canadian origin. uranium is of (Herald and Review Photo) diversity and natural resources and compare its government with the United States and the writing of 500-word papers on some phase of their study. The papers dealt with everything from biography of leaders to profound economic problems in Russia.

The climax of their work was a television show last week on which they told what they have learned. The most astounding fact they learned through their study, they reported evaluations, was that Russia, although supposedly communistic, has only a small percentage of party members. lhev also were surprised at the great diversity of the land and peo ples of Russia. Their curiosity about what has made the Russian leaders tick in such odd ways was only partially satisfied, but at least the kids can now join a lot of older people in talking about Russia and really know what they re talking about. Duda Indicted By Champaign Grand Jury William Duda, 17, Decatur, was indicted by a Champaign County grand jury this week on a charge of reckless homicide.

He was arraigned and a motion to quash the indictment was entered by his court-appointed attorneys. A hearing on the motion was set for Jan. 30. Bond was set at $3,000 and sure ty was provided by Morris Brown, professional bondsman of Cham paign. The Duda indictment grows out of a car accident Nov.

14 when a car driven by Duda crashed against a culvert near Champaign and Earl Kice, 17, was fatally injured. The crash also brought about an investigation of liquor sale to mi nors in Macon County. Teen-agers in the car driven by Duda allegedly had bought liquor at Decatur taverns before the crash. Lake Decatur Drops Again Lake Decatur resumed its drop today with a lake level reading of 4.76 teet below the dam. Yesterday's reading was 4.75, up .02 of an inch from Wednesday's reading.

The lake level reading today was taken on ice and officials believe that the level of the lake probably is lower than recorded. Apparently the .83 of rain which fell early this week did less good than anticipated. It is probable that the thirsty ground soaked up most of the moisture. Speaks At Weldon The Weldon Womans Club will have a dinner at 6:30 p. m.

today in the Weldon Methodist Church. Husbands will be guests for dinner and a H. B. Hardy, chairman of the petroleum institute's information committee, will be guest speaker and show a film. Mrs.

Roy H. Campbell, club president, is in charge of the meeting. his citation for their project and eventually got the left-over Moscow scroll to hang in their room for a while. Mrs. Armstrong, who studied Russian history at the University of Illinois, and the practice teacher this semester, who had taken the same course recently, encouraged the class in its wish to find out more about Russia.

It was easy to find apparently authentic material on the Russia of before World War II, according to Mrs. Armstrong, but the research on tne years since tne war reany gave the students a workout. Volumes of information, much of it contradictory and unsubstantiated has been published in periodicals since the war and the students had to strain a lot of material to collect facts they could accept as true. Their Russia project has included all their research, the making of maps and charts to show Russia's DRYCLEANERS GATHER IN DECATUR SUNDAY A clinic for drycleaners and de partment store buyers in the Deca-tur-Springfield area will be held here Sunday. The program, to be held at Janes Cleaners, 666 W.

Eldorado will feature a lecture on new fabrics by Oscar Howard, Washington, D. a representative of the National In stitute of Dry Cleaners. The program, the first sectional clinic to be held this year, will begin at 9 a. m. and end at 4 p.

according to Carl U. rranke Springfield, president ot Pans Cleaners-Furriers and vice president of the Illinois State Cleaners Asso ciation. Also on the program will be a demonstration of wool finishing and of a new type cleaning room pro cedure. New Service Club Formed A new service club has been or ganized in Decatur and will be of ficially chartered reb. 20, the club's membership chairmen, Don Livergood and Bill Rotz, announced today.

The club is Sertdma International, an organization for men in business, the professions, institutional work and agriculture. It takes its name from its motto "Service to Mankind." i The election of officers and directors will be Feb. 9. The local club's constitution and by-laws, now being prepared by Fred Limerick and Scott Cleave, will be submitted for adoption after the election. The club has been holding organ izational meetings for the' last several weeks in the YMCA but has not yet selected a permanent meet ing, place, aertoma has- about 30 members in Decatur now.

The committee in charge of arranging the charter banquet is: Harry Caldwell Steve French George Hektner BiUHaebich Glenn Henson Bill Dickinson Dr. W. G. Bechtold Dr.W.M.Wyatt The first Sertoma Club was or ganized in Kansas City, in 1912. There are now about 200 clubs in the U.

S. and Canada. Putnam Has Double Date Youth to Appear for Ruling, Trial Fred Putnam 111, 18, has a double date Monday in County Court. He will appear with two other youths for a ruling by Judge Gus'T. Greanias on guilt or innocence after a trial on a charge of assaulting Arlie Holmes and Vernon Mowry.

Putnam also is scheduled to go on trial Monday on a charge of aggravated assault upon three other youths last Sept. 17..