Peek at the Past

Here’s what made news in the Nov. 25, 1964, edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

War against poverty begins with neighborhood youth corps

Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz has launched the Neighborhood Youth Corps, one of the largest programs in the nation’s war against poverty. The corps will eventually enroll about 150,000 disadvantaged boys and girls between the ages of 16 and 21.

It will provide part-time employment in public or private non-profit institutions to enable students having financial difficulty to stay in school, enable those who have left school for economic reasons to return, and provide needed work experience for those permanently out of school and unemployed.

Property owners want road change

Construction design of the Springer Loop Road section that lies within Palmer city limits occupied much of the discussion at a Nov. 24 meeting of the Palmer City Council. Councilmen approved a motion that council request the Alaska Department of Highways, working with city manager Larry Fountaine, present a new design for road construction that will be compatible with city street design and include sidewalks, gutters and parking areas. Fountaine said, “Palmer needs a surfaced street, not the type of road which would be a freeway with limited access.”

Art department at university uses Alaska raw materials

A growing department of art at the University of Alaska has learned that excellent raw materials are not difficult to find in Alaska. Students who like to express their creative ideas by sculpting, carving and molding are guided by professor Helmut Van Flein, department head, in the use of native Alaska materials.

The 26 art department students are using soapstone, Healy clay, Tokine marble and Alaska red and yellow cedar.

A number of displays of unique student art will be showcased on the university campus.

It cost what?

According to advertisements in the Frontiersman, in November 1964, you could:

• Purchase three loaves of bread for $1.19.

• Buy four pounds of ground beef for $1.

• Enjoy three, 10-ounce packages of frozen strawberries for $1.

• Buy a half-pound block of cream cheese for 45 cents.