The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 6, Milford, Kosciusko County, 23 February 1983 — Page 1

Phones: i ■ 658-4111 , & 457-3666

VOLUME 20

44 years with company — > Retirement party to honor NIPSCo's Jay Peffley Monday

Most people look forward to the day they retire. It’s a time of relaxation and reflection. A time to travel, to do things that a fulltime job usually prohibits. But for Syracuse’s Jay Peffley, retirement won’t be that easy. After 44 years working for NIPSCo. 20 years as the Syracuse manager, Peffley will officially retire Monday, Feb. 28, after a company retirement party in his honor. Over 100 guests are expected to attend that get-together. That’s a fitting tribute to a man who’s been “really kind to the people of Syracuse,” according to one NIPSCo employee. Peffley will do the things most retirees enjoy. An avid fisherman, Peffley will have more time to wet his line this summer. He and his wife, Lucille, will do some more traveling. Traveling is sort of a hobby for Peffley. He wants to visit every state capitol in the country sometime and he is already up to 36. It’ll be easier now to fulfill that gdal, when he retires. Peffley said he’ll spend most of his time fishing and traveling, in addition to spending time with his wife. “I’ve looked forward to it (retiring) for many years, but now it’s here I’m not sure.” he said. Peffley began his career with NIPSCo as a record clerk, then later took a position in the electrical engineering department before moving to Syracuse as the local branch manager. Born and raised in Goshen, Peffley was a standout athlete for Goshen High School. Goshen fans remember him as the boy who stepped off the bench to make two free throws with :10 left in a basketball sectional contest against arch-rival Elkhart. He came into the contest -during the heat of the battle after one of the regulars got hurt. “I intercepted a pass, dribbled toward the other end and got

MAD committees appointed for 1983

By DEB FOX Milford Area Development Committees for 1983 were appointed. and a report on the old Milford Junior High School land was given at the meeting Saturday, Feb. 19. Committees include public relations and coordinating; membership and finance; legislative; housing; retail merchants; planning, zoning and annexation. Other committees established included a committee to look at the rates charged for use of the Community Building. “If there are going to be guidelines, stick by it,” commented Max Evans, who stated he has heard a lot of complaints about the price charges and had some people walk out after hearing the rates. Committe members and the responsibilities will be; Public relations — Missy Sorenson and Bruce Bultemeier, who will compile and keep current a list of all clubs and organizations, their officers and phone numbers, make recom mendations on general town policies, inform the public of the aims and goals of MAD to the betterment of the community and plan an annual event involving all community clubs and groups. Membership and Finance — Don Arnold, Marcie Haab, John Murphy, Doug Brown, Jennie Heckaman and Missy Sorenson, who will promote ways and means of expanding membership and study and promote ways of collecting money for Milford. This group will also look into the rates for renting the community building. Legislative — Arch Baumgartner, who shall study federal and state monies available for housing, sewage, urban renewal and other legislation pertaining to small towns, keep MAD informed of all

The 25'

Consolidation of THE MILFORD MAIL (Est. 1888) and THE SYRACUSE - WAWASEE JOURNAL (Est. 1907)

f 1 ‘V JtyMk *£***_-- I* ~ * JAY PEFFLEY

fouled,” said Peffley. When he stepped to the line, the score was tied at 19-19. He swished them both, and the Redskins were the sectional champs. His most recent contributions to the sport came as an official. For seven years, Peffley officiated area high school basketball games until an incident at Bristol ended his career. “The reason I quit was after going to a BristolMiddlebury game one night I walked in with my glasses on. When I came out to referee

legislative changes, study the selling of bonds for financing municipal improvements, obtain literature for all areas of municipal improvements and legislation anti study town ordinances and urge enforcement of or passage of new ordinances. Housing — Karl Keiper and Paul Reith, whose duties will include drawing a map detailing vacant lots, buildings, owners and prices; coordinate all existing plans and maps, seek ways to promote housing on all levels, compile all pertinent information regarding housing (tax rate, sewage, water) and record all reports in the secretary-treasurer’s file. Retail merchants — Lani Baker, Becky Doll and Bobi Doll. These people will promote retail merchandising, maintain Christmas promotion and town decorations, see to the general up-grading of all retail areas, maintain cleanliness of the uptown area, conduct an annual (Continued on page 2) Palace of Sports is available Officials at the Internationa Palace of Sports have announced that Camelot Hall is now available for wedding parties, dances, proms and like occasions. Anyone interested should call 834-7060 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Charles Parker, executive director; and Marilyn Tharasher, secretary, have promised to do their best to make time spent in Camelot Hall a joyous and memorable occasion for people and their guests.

without my glasses, a fan told me if I needed to come in with glasses then I needed them for the game. I told myself that this was enough.” In addition to basketball, Peffley played football and ran track while in high school. He still continues with his involvement with Goshen sports as timekeeper for the Goshen Relays, a position he has filled for the past several years. His two brothers. Dale and Bob, still live in Goshen and were also outstanding athletes while in high school. His sister, Lois, lives in Findlay, Ohio. Since his arrival to Syracuse, he has switched his loyalty from his alma mater to Wawasee. “We’ve had reserved seats every year since they were available,” said Peffley. Involved in several community organizations, Peffley is active in Syracuse Rotary, where he

Honduras: Good place for vacation

By SHARON STUCKMAN The Commerce Director for Tourism of Central America and Honduras, Martha J. Banegas de Alvarenga, visited in the Warsaw area last week end. Her host was Lake Wawasee resident Jack Mason. Her job is to promote tourism and industry in several Central American countries including Guatemala, Micaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras. She is presently working diligently to inform people what the Central American country of Honduras has to offer as a vacation site, a retirement home or location for industry. The conflict in some Central American countries has affected tourism in Honduras very badly according to Mrs. Alvarenga. She says, “Honduras is in the center of the countries with trouble, but there is peace there. Still, people are afraid to go there.” She continued, “There is no reason, to worry about going to Honduras, it is a peaceful country. There is no trouble there.” She remarked, “Tourists who go there the first time always go back.” Honduras has a strong military force and no trouble is expected in that country. It is a place where people are not afraid to walk on the streets at any time of the day or night. The country has a tropical climate and beautiful beaches to offer, along with first class hotel accomodations and outstanding restaurants. Fresh seafood is in abundance in Honduras. Lobster

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23,1983

received the Paul Harris Fellow in April of 1961. He has had perfect attendance to\all of the group’s meetings. He is a member of the SyrkcuseWawasee Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors for the Lakeland Youth Center and at one time was its former director, Syracuse-Wawasee Area Development Inc., and is the Turkey Creek Township representative to the Kosciusko Community Hospital. A member of the Saint Andrew’s Methodist»Church, he attended a business college at Fort Wayne after working for his father Bert in the construction business. When he first worked for NIPSCo, he worked for 44 hours a week and received sl6. His father died in June at 94 years of age. Peffley moved to Syracuse in 1962 into the same house he’s living in now along the shores of Syracuse Lake. The change from Goshen to Syracuse was a big one, but one Peffley has enjoyed. “I’ve been born and raised there, , it’s been quite a change,” he said. - He has two daughters, Marcia Zimmer of Huntington and Cheryl Rials of Saint Petersburg, Fla. Marcia is expecting her second child in March. ——T — —'—n t TU XaZ tO subtribere ar 7o *** mt* Pah t ' scribers effective MawcM 2 inf l rAacfc ftp* * ••^** , *v rtse tw ”11x7* <ll .. . ♦ w if t a Arc'll wvvvruiiijj _■ WiH Damn ne oversale pricewill \ ***** WWe « *** pere*if>y. 1 Subscribers have until receive tOtefi* W per cent HfewMint on

■ . 4 MM B IB? y-• * < ~ 7 / A. r s CENTRAL AMERICAN OFFICIAL HERE — Martha J. Banegas de Alvarenga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, visited the Lakeland area last week end. Jack Mason, a Lake Wawasee resident, was acting as her host. Mrs. Alvarenga promotes tourism in several Central American countries. She stressed that Honduras is a peaceful country with a lot to offer tourisits. (Photo by Sharon Stuckman >

is a featured item on menus in many restaurants. Yet, prices are very reasonable. According to Mrs. Alvarenga a lobster dinner, with all the trimmings, would not cost over $8 for a couple in the country’s finest eating establishment. People from all over the world go to Honduras to enjoy the many benefits there once they overcome their fear of conflict in neighboring countries. Honduras has American

-■’A.' 2. < i IM. w '• Mb' SWe ZsarfXocF , <F /grttfrMl ■F •BL. yr »_ ? «-■» „ ;/ * x JIS - x*** t ■ ACCIDENT CLAIMS TWO LIVES — A two-car accident on SR 13 in Wawasee Village Sunday evening claimed the lives of two rural Syracuse residents and critically injured a third. Pronounced dead at the scene was Kenneth Pletcher, 44. r 2 box 577 Syracuse, who died of a broken neck, fractured skull and crushed chest. His mother, Florence Pletcher, 7S, r 2 box 577 Syracuse, died at 12:30 a.m.. upon arriving at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne. She suffered head and internal injuries. Listed in guarded condition at Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, ill., is Lovilia Marchand. 67. r 4 Greenhaus Apart- / ments, Syracuse, with head and internal injuries. She was transported to Chicago on Monday morning. Also injured was David Heath, 43, r 1 Leesburg, driver of the second auto. He suffered a laceration and contusions to the face. (Photo by Deb Fox)

2 killed, 2 hospitalized in head-on crash at Syracuse

Lovilia Marchand, 67, r 4 Greenhaus Apartments, Syracuse, is in guarded condition at Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, 111., (*'>wing a two-car accident Sunday evening. The accident claimed the lives of Kenneth Pletcher, 44, and Florence Pletcher, 75, both of r 2 box 577 Syracuse. Pletcher was pronounced dead at the scene of a broken neck, fractured skull and a Crushed chest. His mother. Florence Pletcher, died upon arriving at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, at 12:30 a.m. She was taken to Goshen Hospital before being transferred to Fort Wayne. Mrs. Marchand was taken to Goshen and South Bend Memorial Hospitals before being transferred to Chicago. She suffered head and internal injuries. Also injured in the accident was David Heath, 43, r 1 Leesburg, who suffered lacerations and contusions to his face. He was taken to Goshen Hospital for treatment. Indiana State Police officers

schools and good medical facilities according to the tourism director. She said travel there is easy, as they have good streets and many forms of public transportation. The country has coffee, citrus fruits, fine woods, and gold and silver among its natural resources. The wages for laborers are very low. An average carpenter would earn about $2 a day. Medical care and social security benefits to the people of

stated the accident occurred 1,000 feet south of Pickwick Road when Heath’s 1975 Corvette crossed the centerline and struck the northbound Pletcher auto head-on in the northbound lane. Pletcher was driving a 1978 Chevrolet Chevett. State Trooper Tom Perzanowski, one of the officers at the scene, stated witnesses behind Heath’s auto and the Pletcher auto gave statements

Active bidding on town hall

By GARY LEWIS Bids were opened for the Syracuse Town Hall project and the proposed condominium units along the shores of Lake Syracuse received its necessary zoning change during a special meeting of the Syracuse Town Board last night. Thirteen bids were read by Syracuse Town Board attorney Bob Reed and after the reading, board members unanimously

Honduras is provided free of charge. The system is financed by the national lottery. There are also high quality private medical facilities which charge about $lO per day for all their services. Taxes in Honduras are very low compared to those in the United States. For example a person who earned $1,200 a month would pay no more than SBB in taxes that month. Honduras has some fine homes, according to Jack Mason, who has spent a lot of time in that country and hopes to retire there some day. The price of a fine home there, he said, would be less than one-fifth of the cost of a similar home here. Mrs. Alvarenga studied political leadership in Puerto Rico and she worked hard on several organizations to obtain the right for women to vote, which was enacted into law in 1955. She has three children, one in Honduras and two in Indiana. Her daughter is in college in Indianapolis and her oldest son attends high school there. She had been to Indianapolis many times, but this was her first trip to the Lakeland area. Asked how she liked Kosciusko County, she said that it was a very nice place, but indicated she thought it was cold here. She has written a book of children s poetry which has been published in her home country. Mrs. Alvarenga believes that tourists could spend a month in her country, enjoying all the fine restaurants and hotels for less than S3OO.

Heath appeared to be making a deliberate left turn and was completely left of center upon impact. One of the witnesses was Indiana State Police Detective for Elkhart County, Neal Graves An alcohol blood sample was taken from Heath at the hospital and the results will be available in the near future. Perzanowski stated Heath faces possible charges of driving under the influence causing a death, which

voted to take the bids under advisement. Indiananapolis architect Wayne Schmidt of Schmidt Associates Architects will examine the bids and report to the board at the next regular meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, March 15. Schmidt said after the meeting that he “hoped the bids would have been more competitive,” but he added the bids were within the budget range. Schmidt said he was encouraged that the bids were within the projected budget. “It is well within that, but higher than what we would have liked,” he said. The lowest bid submitted was $589,775 by Ira C. Mast and Son, Inc., of Elkhart and the highest was $720,757 by Robinson Construction of Warsaw. The second lowest bid was by Ancon Construction Company of Goshen, $592,983, followed by Baker and Sons of Huntington, $605,500; Wright Construction of Elkhart, $612,000; Silkworth Community Builders, Inc., Fort Wayne, $615,300; and W. J. Carey Construction, South Whitley, $620,300. The biggest difference between the bids was the number of proposed construction days required. The lowest number of days was submitted by Rome Builders, Inc., Indianapolis at 140, followed by Ancon Construction, Goshen, at 147. The highest number of days submitted was 300, submitted by three companies: Baker and Sons Construction, Huntington; D and C Construction, South Whitley;

Inside... Fluoride decision tabled Page 2 Richard D. Smith builds x log cabin Page 6 Triton Sectional previewed See insert

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is a felony under state laws, or reckless homicide All charges will depend upon the blood alcbhol level. Tests are currently at the Indiana State Police lab in Indianapolis. Investigating were: Indiana State Police Troopers Dan Ringer and Perzanowski; Kosciusko County Sheriff Al Rovenstine. Detective Sgt. Tom (Continued on page 2)

and Anderson-Miller Inc., Kokomo. Each of the bids submitted included five alternatives — deletions — with each project bid. The contractors estimated the amount of savings expected if the board selected the alternative. The alternatives included changing the material in the walkway surrounding the building, replacing the vinyl walls, ceramic tile, gutter fascia and sodding. The projected savings for each of the alternatives was from S3OO to $7,000. Schmidt said part of the reason for the high bids may have been due to the required work to the construction site. Several concrete slabs need to be removed before the proposed government building is erected. He said these expenses are an “unknown factor” and difficult for a contractor to bid on. The building would be located at the same site of the former town hall, at the comer of Huntington and Henry Streets in “ town. Former Factory Rezoned In the only other item on the agenda, the board approved a rezoning petition tabled at last week’s regular monthly meeting. The board narrowly accepted the proposed rezoning of the Syracuse Enterprises plant on Medusa Street from light industrial to residential. The rezoning is a necessary step for O.E.C. Realty, owners of the property, to sell the land to Syracuse realtor Joe Todd. (Continued on page 2)