The Mail-Journal, Volume 17, Number 44, Milford, Kosciusko County, 19 November 1980 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL —Wed., November 19,1980

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Editorials Reagan will be put to the test At this point in his political life President-elect Ronald Reagan is getting all sorts of advice, and we won’t be so presumptive to give him any here. After all, he entered the political arena and won the nation’s highest office — by an overwhelming vote — and the job is now his to bend in his own fashion. He is already getting criticism from the so-called right for abandoning some of his conservative views. He’ll no doubt be getting plenty of criticism from the left for not doing enough for the poor and disadvantaged. There’s also a strong feeling in the country that it really doesn t make much difference whois president — that the country is run by well financed lobbyists, a bureaucracy set in concrete by a protective civil service system, and by appointed-for-lifejudges. . , , .. ... We’ve never subscribed to this view entirely, although there is some merit to its persuasion. ...... ... . . „ A President Reagan will have a Senate to his liking and his party has gamed some 30 seats in the House, and so he has a lot going for him. We have encountered many people who admittedly did not vote for the California governor, but who are saying, “Wait, this is our country, too. And Ronald Reagan will be our president. I wish him well for the next four years, and want to give him a fair chance to do what he campaigned he would like to do, if doctoci'' We’re among those. At this point we’re not Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals. We’re Americans. Good luck, Ron. He lived a life of community service The death of Carlyle D. Barnes in Milford last week saw the passing of the community ’s “father figure” and a man widely respected and trusted. There was a time when all communities had such pillars in their midst, men whose opinions were widely respected and sought. Carlyle Barnes was such a man, a true man of Milford. With our faster pace of living and rapid-fire, almost instant communications today, these men are less m evidence Barnes spent his entire life in the Milford community. As a young man he was a house painter, working alongside his late father, James Barnes. And it w as during these early years that he played in the celebrated Milford community ban With the death of the late William (“Billie”) E. Groves, the Mark Twain-like editor of The Milford Mail, Mr. Barnes, a young, ambitious community-mmded man, seemed the likely successor tp become the newspaper’s editor. The year: 1920 His training in the field of journalism was limited, if not non-existent, but ambition prevailed and he did a creditable job of carrying on the Groves In 1928 Herbert Hoover became president of the United States. This was a time when the spoils system prevailed in politics. The only federal office in small communities was that of postmaster, and most certainly a Republican would be named to this position in Milford. It fell to the trusted young editor to fill the post. The post office in those days was located in what is now the north room ot the Walter Drug Store. . Mr. Barnes was postmaster for four years — until Franklin Roosevelt became president — and then he was replaced by a Democrat. The year: 1933. He went back into the newspaper office, and was there until 1939. During the years he was postmaster, and when he returned to the newspaper, Mr. Barnes was ably assisted by his wife Berniece. There was a period between 1933 and 1939 when his brother Delbert, now a resident of South Bend, served as editor. Thursday, Aug. 5, 1939, Mr. Barnes turned the reigns of The Milford Mail over to a young (21-years-of-age) lad home from college for the summer. That lad, some years later, is the author of this article. It was on this same day that Mr. Barnes walked across the street to become cashier and manager of Milford’s Citizens State Bank, now the Milford Branch of the First National Bank of Warsaw. During those years as an editor Mr. Barnes also served as the town’s clerktreasurer and kept a set of books that was both accurate and neat. State examiners always praised his work as a town clerk-treasurer. He took the town books along to his new job at the bank, and continued to be clerk-treasurer for a time. | In those early years, we remember well scurrying across Main Street to the bank to ask advice on how to handle this or that story from our mentor Mr. Barnes. He always had time for us. And in later years, when Mr. Barnes confined his responsibilities to his duties at the bank, townspeople would seek him out for a discussion of their personal problems. He always seemed to find time for them. While he outlived many of his contemporaries, and the younger generation knew him not for the years of community service he rendered, the likes of Mr. Barnes will be hard to come by in a generation of hyped up living. -AEB Toy time Millions of parents are now in the planning or buying stage for Christmas toys. In recent years the quality of toys sold to the public has improved, but much junk still floods the market — and sits under Christmas trees every year. A word to the wise is thus in order now — in time. Take a close look at all toys. If they are not sturdily-built, if they appear to be fragile or flimsily constructed, opt for something else. One can be sure children will give most toys some abuse. Too often in recent years the delight of Christmas morning for millions of children has become worthless by Christmas evening, or after a few days. Goodness is not a comparison.

What others say — Got your number 10036-4987 Got that? That’s what the new, expanded nine-digit Zip Code is going to look like come February, when the US Postal Service gives Americans what many do not know they need but what Uncle Sam assures them they really do — four more numbers to memorize. Now, lest those skeptics who have been complaining that the post office is trying to do a number on them be too quick to pooh-pooh mail handling, we urge a quick perusal of the other commonly used numbers in your wallet. The new Zip Code is certainly no longer than the ever dependable nine-digit social security number, or even the nine-digit driver’s license Masssachusetts and other states hand out. In fact, next to the U-digit phone number in most large cities or the 15digit computerized banking card found in many a wallet, remembering the Zip Code promises to be a breeze. Still not convinced? ... Among other things, postal officials stress that use of the nine-digit code will be strictly voluntary; no one will be forced to memorize those last four digits... . , Perhaps the most reassuring aspect of the plan is the Postal Service s promise that, once assigned, the new Zip Code will be permanent; there will be no need to add more digits in the future. Most letter-writers will no doubt give the added digits their stamp of approval and keep hoping that nine is enough. — THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

J| J V Mrs. Raymond Doss of Milford visited school on Monday of this week and ate lunch with her twins — Diana and Darrell. It s not too late, why not visit a Lakeland school during National Education Week.

Voice of the people A column on the opinions of the people of the Lakeland area ... QUESTION: "Do you think the hostages will be home before the first of the year?"

J

“1 doubt it. If they were going to do something about it. they would have done it a long time ago.”

* I wH’/'

LARRY STAUFFER North Webster (truck driver)

“I doubt it. I don’t think they’re going to turn them loose. ”

Letter to the editor Focus on school

Dear Editor: We should be concerned about education and about schooling at all times. But during American Education Week, we focus more closely on our schools and our teachers. Teachers have a profound effect on our children’s lives. It is helpful to have imaginative administrators, competent secretaries, knowledgeable aides, and hard-working cooks and custodians; but it is the individual classroom teacher that makes the difference in students' lives. True, a few teachers are incompetent, and like poor doctors, they should know our objections, and their administrators should know our dissatisfaction. Incompetence in any field should not be tolerated. But most teachers are well-trained, overworked and underpaid; These teachers deserve an increase of salary that reflects the cost of living. Last year on Swap Day, I was impressed with the color Videotape. I was impressed with the school’s physical plant. But I was outraged in a science classroom in which there were UNFOUNDED Jears The fear of cataract blindness can be a greater threat to sight than cataracts themselves: Over three and a half million elderly Americans are needlessly restricted by cataract. Some believe it’s the price of aging, but cataract surgery is considered one of the safest operations a patient Can undergo. More than 95 percent of those who have this surgery have useful vision restored. Regular checkups are the best way .to prevent cataracts from developing to the danger point. Symptoms to watch for are blurred or double vision, spots or ghost images, a milky or yellowish spot in the normally black pupil. For more information, send a stamped, selfaddressed, business-size envelope to your state Society to Prevent Blindness.

ARNOLD GARZA Milford (grocery worker)

“No. They haven’t let them go this long. 1 don't think they're going to let them go any sooner. ’’ Court news The following claims have been filed in Kosciusko County Court, Small Claims Division, James Jarrette, judge: Wawasee Lakeside Dental Clinic, Inc., has filed the following claims: James Wolfe, box 142 Milford, $233 and costs; Joe Giant, r 7 Warsaw, $325 and costs Mt. Wawasee Pro Shop vs Karen A. Boggs. 6722 Forest Glen, Fort Wayne. Plaintiff seeks a judgment of $1,290 and costs

fewer lab stations than students. This situation was not only ineffective; it was unsafe. I was outraged to find 30 students in an English composition class. This overburdened the teacher and deprived the students of necessary individual attention. In the [ Lakeland School District, we are proud of our schools. But we parents must be interested in more than an unsuccessful athletic season or the choice of a school play. We must be concerned about the learning in the classroom. We must fight for reduced class size. We must be willing to pay the teacher for his work. (We are willing to pay electricians and plumbers.) If cuts in staff must be made, let these be made elsewhere. The teacher is too valuable in the lives of our children to continue to be overburdened and ill-paid. It is inconceivable that after five years of post-high school education and over 20 years experience, a teacher should earn less than $19,000 per year. The theme of American Education Week is “Education for the 80’s: Preparing for the Future.” Education may be doing this, but are we citizens? Anxious about earning a good living, students are choosing fields other than education. If we do not support our teachers now, perhaps we should be prepared for a future with beautiful classrooms with no teachers, Jane Bales Parent, Syracuse, IN

THE MAIL-JOURNAL (U S.P S. 325 840) Published by The Mail-Journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office at Syracuse, Indiana 44567. Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street, Syracuse, Indiana 46567 and at additional entry offices. Subrcr iption. Sit per year in Kosciusko County, Sl3 outside county. POSTMASTERS: Send change of add ress forms to The Mail Journal, P.O. Box lU, Milford, Indiana 44542. 10l wl

ICRJZIN around CU£

LARRY MELLOTT is still telling friends about his most unusual two-week vacation that took him and his Warsaw hunting friends, Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Johnson, into Wyoming, Montana and Utah. “Out of 17 such trips, this one has been the most unusual,” states Mellott, who is in charge of inventory control at Thornburg’s drug stores. In the little town of Kaycee. Wyoming, population 272. he and his traveling partners came out of their motel and found a man lying on the church steps across the road. It turned out he was a former church janitor, was 75 years of age and despondent, and took his own life with a well placed pistol shot. Coming home they stopped at Dennison, lowa, for the night, and walking to a nearby restaurant (the Rib Cage) they found a money bag containing a night deposit of $246. Dutiful citizens they are, they turned it into the local gendarmes. As if this were not enough, they were driving down th? highway near Chicago Heights, 111., and saw two cars just in front of them. “Wow, the debris flew in all directions,” so says Mellott. “Did you stop?” one would naturally ask. upon hearing the account. “Heck no,” says Larry, “by this time all we wanted to do was get home.” Larry reflects that he wouldn’t be surprised to get a call that the old timer in Kaycee, Wyoming, was murdered and didn't commit suicide at all. And that the night deposit they found was $1 short. And. what’s more, we’d be called back to Illinois to testify as eyewitnesses to the two-car accident. “And we don’t want any of that.” he concluded. COUNTY REPUBLICANS held a post-election carry-in victory dinner at the Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw last Wednesday which provided a high moment of euphoria following the Republican landslide election on November 4. Amid conversation of “great things to come,” county councilman Ron Sharp, of Syracuse, made some sobering remarks about some of them facing the electorate in 1982. His message, according to one who was present, was that the Republicans were going to have “to put up or shut up” in the next two years. TURKEY CREEK township assessor Charlene Knispel is wearing an outsized Reagan button about town, and appears to be upholding the tradition of her predecessor Harry VanHemert of making her office unofficial GOP headquarters in the area. DAVE NINE has decided to try it on his own. Dave has purchased a building in Leesburg, has done considerable remodeling, and plans to open a drug store to serve that community. A registered pharmacist, Dave worked in that capacity at the Syracuse Thornburg drug store for several years, during which time he served on the Syracuse Town Board, for a brief time as its president. JULIE (MRS. Ernest) Rogers is devoted to her jogging regimen like a trooper. She hits the road along North Shore Drive at least five days a week to get her mile in each day. Hubby Ernie prefers the 3.3 mile route around Maxwelton, but only about two or three times a week. SPEAKING OF running, three area runners — Tony Clouse and Jim Mills of Syracuse and Ron Baumgartner of Milford — participated in Bank One Marathon at Columbus, OH, on Sunday. They drove to Columbus on Saturday and attended a clinic that afternoon at which a number of speakers addressed the marathon participants. Before leaving for Ohio, Clouse, a Milford Junior High teacher, pointed out that there are 11 runners in the area who have successfully completed marathon races this year. THERE’S A better than average chance uptown Syracuse could lose a long-established business to the Village. We won’t know for several weeks.

WANDA ALLEN Milford (Smoker Craft worker)

THE SALES force at Wyant Chevrolet was pleasantly surprised last Wednesday afternoon when pretty Tammy Gallahan. daughter of Ann and Harold Gallahan. showed up with a dish of raisin and whole wheat . cookies. A customer saw all this and said, “Hey. how long has this been going on?” ALSO NEW at Wyant’s is Frank Miller, an addition to the firm’s sales staff. Frank and Anita formerly operated the Sleepy Owl. and he had a stint with a contracting firm at Santibel Island, Fla., but preferred to “come home” and work as a salesman. He has had long experience in the field of sales, for a time with Yellow Pages JAY PEFFLEY up and arourid early this week, but remains weak and was scheduled for further hospital tests before returning to his job at the Syracuse NIPSCo office. STEVE KEIM calls himself “temporarily unemployed.” A resident of r 2, Steve has been working for the past several years at the Scoreboard, a sporting goods retail outlet on West Lincoln Street, Goshen, owned by Goshen’s young Mayor Max Chiddister. Mayor Chiddister decided the burdens of being the city’s No. 1 politician and running a sporting goods store too burdensome, so he closed his business out. For a number of years Steve worked for Clem Lisor at the Sportsman Center in the Village, then operated his own business in Pickwick Place before taking the Goshen job. ,=A-o—---4 THE JOHV’Planks. residents for many years on a farm located on CR 700 N and CR 200E, east of Leesburg, have purchased the farm home of the late Ezra Beer, located on old road 15 just south of Milford, and hope to make their home there in the very near future. Plank, who races ponies, has two acres of land with his new purchases, enough to set up a small race course to ply his avocation. He runs Village Plumbing & Heating in our city. —o— SYRACUSE CHIEF of Police Robert Houser said this week he could find no evidence to substantiate the charge made by John Lauer, r 3 Syracuse, that a razor blade was found in an apple given to a youngster with him on Halloween night. Lauer, a resident of east' of Bonar Lake, gave chief Houser -an apple with a razor blade embedded in it the day following the Trick or Treat observance when youngsters made their rounds in the community. The chief said he would welcome information from anyone who could throw further light on the incident. IN A trade-off of customers in the Goshen Division of Northern Indiana Public Service Company, approximately 200 of the company’s customers in the Dewart Lake area were transferred to Rural Electrical Membership Cooperative (REMO in exchange for 67 customers in the Wawasee Heights division at Syracuse. A similar exchange was made between the two utility companies in the ’ Warsaw Division, according to a company spokesman. The exchange is made on a kilowatt hour basis. THE SALE on Friday of the property that formerly was the home of the well known Foo & Faye’s Cantonese Restaurant, in Wawasee Village, marked the end of the popular Chinese restaurant. Mr. and Mrs. Wong have sold the main building to Ray J. and Joanne M. Ganz and it will be leased to Don and Judy Storey as the new home of their Gropp’s Famous Fish of Stroh. The Storeys hope to open at their new location by the first of the year. Foo and Faye Wong opened their first Chinese restaurant on Road 8, just west of the fish hatcheries in 1948 and operated it for two years when it burned down. The business belonged to Charlie Chin. Then the ambitious young couple opened a Chinese restaurant known as Pagoda Inn on SR 13, across from South Shore golf course. In 1954 they built the building in the Village which gained a wide reputation as one of the best eating houses in the area. Their fine food and the

pleasing personality qf Faye W'ong as hostess brought diners from many miles around to their comfortable little restaurant. In 1974. Faye and Corky, their son, sold their interest in the restaurant, but Foo kept his interest and stayed on with the new partners Then he sold his interest in 1976. The sale of the property on Friday was due to the declining health of Mrs. Wong. The popular couple bought a house and condominium at Daytona Beach. Florida, and has since sold the house They will continue to keep a home in Florida and to spend time here with their son, daughter-in-law and young granddaughter Stephanie Ann (Mei Ling), which translates to “Beautiful Lotus Blossom ” Mrs. Wong spoke this week of the turmoil they went through in deciding to sell their restaurant. “The memories are still here,” she said, adding. “This is our home.” They kept the house, located on the back lot of the restaurant property, and plan to spend a large part of their summers here. Faye Wong was born in China but moved to Seattle. Wash., with her family when she was two years of age. Her husband was also born in China and came to the United States at 15 years of age with his family to live at Patterson. New Jersey. The young couple met at Seattle when Foo worked for Faye’s father. They both speak Chinese. Faye’s full name is Faye Kim Wong and her husband is Mun Foo Wong. —o— A SI RE sign that winter is coming: Annie and Gallie Gallahan have closed their B & K Root Beer for the season. Annie says. “Summer business has fallen off. and it costs too much to keep those cookers going.” —O'RONNIE REAGAN is the first divorced man the American people have ever elected president. We heard this remark, scratched out thinning hair, pondered, then thought, golly, that’s right Adlai Stevenson was divorced, but w as not elected. Gercy Ford’s wife Betty was divorced, but Gerry was never elected by the people. Nelson Rockefeller was vice president and divorced, but he was not elected by the people either. This must tell us something about the changing mores of our country. Energy topic for meeting “The Environmental Impact of Nuclear Energy” will be the subject of a public program on November 25. 7:30 p.m. at the REMC Building in Warsaw. The program is sponsored by the Tippecanoe Audubon Society. Dr. L. Dwight Farringer, professor of physics at Manchester College, will be the presenter. The slide program will consider aspects of the environmental impact of nuclear energy systems now in operation. Consideration will also be given to the breeder reactors proposed for the future. A comparison will be made to other energy systems that can be seen as alternatives to nuclear energy. Dr. Farringer studied at The Ohio State University. He has served as a research associate in the physics division of the Argonne National Laboratory. In 1966 he participated in a National Science Foundation sponsored “Research Participation Program for College Teachers.” In 1973 Farringer attended the School of Nuclear Environmental Science sponsored by the A.E.C. at the Argonne National Laboratory. He has been a teacher of physics at Manchester College since 1958. The public is cordially invited to attend this program. Two arrested on warrants Two area residents were arrested by Kosciusko County Police on Wednesday, Nov. 12, on warrants from Kosciusko County Court. Ron Lee Geyer, 34, r 2 Leesburg, was booked for check deception. He was released on SI,OOO bond. Betty Lou Cook, 35, r 2 North Webster, was released following a supplemental hearing. She failed to appear on a small claims court suit.