April 1, 1966: Filed Under ‘I’ For ‘I Want This’

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on April 1, 1966.

Filed Under ‘I’ For ‘I Want This’

By ADA CADDELL

An attempted purse snatching occurred at the Porter county jail this morning, but was solved quickly and the purse returned to its owner within minutes.

The purse had been left on the table in the office when its owner was offered a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

The whole thing appeared to be a scheme planned by two women, reportedly known as matrons. One of them has been showing a deep interest in this particular purse.

When the owner of the purse returned to the office, the purse was gone.

Playing it cool, the owner calmly sat down in a complete panic. The purse-snatcher hadn’t even left lunch money. When the owner began to cryーthe purse was one of her prized possessions and so was the lunch moneyーone of these matrons who had been so generous with the coffee began acting suspiciously.

Again, calmly the victim screamed, “Give me my purse.”

Faced with such a swift, calm unperturbed accusation, the purse-stealer returned the item in question after retrieving it from its hiding place in the filing cabinetーfiled under “I” for”I want this.”

No charges were filed because the matron who wanted the purse fell to the floor in a tantrum, kicking and screaming and it was impossible to get her name. It's something like David or Davies, the first name Laverne or Yvone or something. Her husband, who claims he’s a deputy, has a first name something like Jerry or Jesseman. It is believed they reside in Wheeler.

The victim of the purse-snatching scheme later said she felt this day in particular was no day to file charges. They might not be taken seriously. And who would believe that a nice old lady (not too old) would be victimized at the sheriff’s office?

March 24, 1966: 5 Will Tour Washington, New York

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 24, 1966.

5 Will Tour Washington, New York

Five high school students from Porter county will have the opportunity this year to see Congress and the United Nations in action during the World Day Affairs spring tour April 3-8, under the auspices of the Indianapolis Council on World Affairs.

Spearheading the drive to secure Porter county organizations to sponsor and defray the $130 cost and expenses of the tour is the Porter County League of Women Voters.

Mrs. Albert Langlutting, league president, and Mrs. Phillip M. Cagen, chairman of the student tour, were pleased with the enthusiasm evidenced by sponsoring groups this year.

Students selected by their respective high schools and the organizations which will sponsor them are: Miss Joyce Casbon, Valparaiso High school, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Casbon, 562 Grove, Tri-Kappa; and Miss Christine Mrak, Portage High school, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mrak of 10522 E. 29th, Portage, Portage Federated Woman’s club.

Also, John Carlson, Liberty High school, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Carlson, RFD 5, Liberty school, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Meska, RFS 5, Liberty PTA; and Miss ROse Baranko, Jackson High school, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Baranko, RFD 1, Chesterton, Jackson Township PTA.

In Washington, D.C., students will visit foreign embassies, the state department, the capitol and will watch Congress and US senators in action.

The group will then travel to New York where the main emphasis will be placed on the United Nations where special appointments will be made.

Also on the New York itinerary is a Broadway musical and a special summing-up session at the World Affairs center.

Students will be accompanied by adult leadersーone for each 12 persons participating in the tour. Adult leaders are under the direction of Dean Virgil Hunt, head of Indiana University’s downtown campus.

The five students from Porter county and their mothers attended a briefing Wednesday night at the home of league member Mrs. Paul Viezke, 1302 Summit place.

Present also were representatives of two sponsoring agencies and Valparaiso High school students who participated in the tour last spring.

Those taking the tour are all junior students and were selected by their high school faculties because of their interests in world affairs.

Because they will all return to their schools next fall as senior students, they will have the opportunity to share their tour experiences with their fellow students and respective communities.

TALK ABOUT MUSICAL

Mrs. George Schiller, (left) representative of Portage Woman’s club which sponsors a student to World Day Affairs tour, tells students selected for tour they will see a Broadway musical in New York, Students are Rose Baranko, Jackson High school, (center) and Christine Mrak, Portage High school.

FROM LIBERTY

Liberty school juniors Darlene Meska and John Carlson who will take World Day Affairs tour, talk over itinerary with Mrs. Paul Vietzke (left) who held briefing session for all county participants in her home Wednesday night.

SIGHTSEEING PAMPHLETS

Mrs. Charles Anderson (left) representing Tri-Kappa sorority which is sponsoring Valparaiso High school student to Washington and New York, and Mrs. Phillip Cagen, (center) Tour chairman from County League of Women Voters, give sightseeing pamphlets to VHS student Joyce Casbon. All students will have opportunities to see Washington and New York during tour.

March 15, 1966: Card Show Preference For Merger

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 15, 1966.

Card Show Preference For Merger

By ADELYNE RUOFF

CHESTERTON ー More than 530 Chesterton residents have sent in cards favoring the merging of the town of Chesterton and Porter and only six against, Everett Witte, town board president, reported at the regular meeting of the organization held Monday night.

Following a short discussion, board members voted unanimously in favor of a merger of the two north county towns. Witte suggested that action be taken in the near future to have the proposal placed on the November general election ballot.

To Arrange Meeting

Fernandes Babcock, member of the Porter Action committee said he would try to set up a meeting with the Porter Town board concerning the merger.

In other matters, Dr. Phillip Vukovich, president of the Chesterton Park board, appeared before the town board to discuss the fencing along the New York Central railroad right-of-way, at the rear of Railroad park.

Dr. Vukovich said his group would fence 455 feet and asked the town board to fence 373 additional feet. The town board voted to make the fencing a joint project.

Bids were opened and taken under advisement on street materials and gasoline.

Bids on street materials were received from U.S. Steel corporation, Gary, Material Service corporation, Gary, United Blacktop Paving, Westville and Seneca Petroleum, Chicago.

Gasoline bids were opened from Mobil Oil and Marathon Oil companies. This was for 50,000 gallons, more or less, plus the installation of a pump.

The board passed a resolution to issue $40,000 in bonds to raise funds to pay for the New York Central railroad depot and surrounding land. Resolution will be sent to the State Tax commission for further action.

March 12, 1966: TO HIGHEST BIDDER

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 12, 1966.

TO HIGHEST BIDDER

This 1929 Chevrolet fire truck will be sold to the highest bidder at auction planned by Kouts town board at the community's Town Hall on March 21 at 8 p.m. No longer used by Kouts Volunteer Fire department, this vehicle was a former chemical tank truck and was converted for hose usage in 1939 when Kouts got its water works. Vehicle has 1,165 miles registered on its speedometer. In truck, George Fall; front, Leland Jarnecke, town marshal, and Fire Chief Richard Chael.

March 1, 1966: Need Four Lunch Periods

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 1, 1966.

Need Four Lunch Periods

By JOYCE CRIZER

PORTAGE ー Remodeling at Portage high school has changed the lunch program considerably for both students and teachers.

Presently all cooking is being done in the junior high building, as there are no kitchen facilities in the high school.

Four lunch periods are needed, starting at 10:25, to serve hot lunch to between 850 and 950 persons. There is seating capacity for only 200 in the existing all-purpose room.

In addition to the multi-purpose room, a new dining area, seating 550, is being constructed. The room, along with a teachers’ lounge with serving equipment, are expected to be completed before the end of this school year.

The new cafeteria will eserve 1,500. Plans call for four student serving lines as well as teacher’s serving lines.

School Dietitian Mary Ellen Ault and the school administration felt that a lunch program even with extremely crowded conditions and no kitchen facilities was worth the extra planning rather than having no hot lunches for high school students.

Five thousand paper plates and plastic forks are ordered each week, adding about 2½ cents to the cost of lunches, Miss Ault said.

About 500 half-pint cartons of milk are sold in the concession stand daily to those who do not buy hot lunches, and therefore eat on the gym balcony bleachers.

Menus are the same as all other township schools, Miss Ault explained, unless a main dish which cannot be served on a paper tray is to be offered; then sandwiches are usually on the high school menu.

“The cooks who are working under a handicap have been good spots,” stated Miss Ault. Mrs. Lucille Kraft works in the high school all day, while Mrs. Annabelle Thomae supervises high school cooking being done in the junior high.

Other cooks spending parts of their mornings at both schools are Mmes. Ruth Peek, Bonnie Ransay, Virginia Vail, Nora McMillan and Evelyn Skinner.

TRANSPORT STUDENT LUNCHESーHot lunches at Portage high school are transported from junior high cafeteria daily, since the high school cafeteria is being completely remodeled. ‘Uncle’ Roy Dahlin, member of janitorial staff, assists Mrs. Lucille Kraft, head cook, in bringing containers of tightly covered food for one of three lunch periods.

(PHS News Bureau Photo)

Feb. 26, 1966: 20 Mayors Opposing Lakeshore

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on February 26, 1966.

20 Mayors Opposing Lakeshore

Twenty of 21 responding members of the Northern Indiana Mayors’ Roundtable have endorsed a resolution opposing a national lakeshore in north Porter County, Mayor Don Will said Friday.

Mayor Will is secretary-treasurer of the roundtable group.

He said copies of the resolution will be sent to Gov. Roger Branigin and to officials in Washington prior to hearings on the lakeshore legislation.

For Indiana Development

The anti-lakeshore resolution is similar to one adopted last month by the Valparaiso City Council and Board of Works.

It opposes the lakeshore proposal and states that any increased park development could best be carried out by Indiana.

Will said that of the 23 dues-paying members of the mayors’ roundtable, 21 have returned the resolution with Whiting Mayor Joseph B. Grenchick the only one not endorsing it.

Favor Resolution

Favoring the resolution in addition to Will are Mayors John W. Weaver of Elkhart, H. Roy Johnson of Knox, Emmett W. Eger of Rensselaer, Harold S. Zeis of Fort Wayne, Clarren L. Boger of Auburn, Walter B. Krueck of New Haven, Leo C. Meister of East Gary, Randall Miller of Michigan City, Lilburn Titus of Hobart.

Also, Herbert Roemer of Woodburn, Ira Webber of Columbia City, John Golden of Ligonier, R.H. Nash of Kendallville, Ralph B. Schenk of Goshen, C. Arthur Thomas of Plymouth, Donald Sell of Angola, Robert Sinclair of Nappanee, Thomas Boyd of LaPorte and Harrison Halterman of Rochester.

Mayor Will said copies of the resolution also have been sent to the three other mayors’ roundtable groups in Indiana.

Feb. 24, 1966: City 'Self-Sufficient'

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on February 24, 1966.

City ‘Self-Sufficient’

“Valparaiso’s economy is pretty self-sufficient as a result of expansion by local industries,” directors of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce were told Wednesday night at their monthly meeting at Wellmans.

Speaker was Don Reynolds, member of the urban planning consulting firm which for the past 11 months has been engaged in preparing revisions to the city’s master plan.

Also present were Everett Lembke, president of the Valparaiso Planning commission and Paul Fisher, Porter County Planning commission executive vice president.

30,000 By 1990

Based on an economic study of the city, planners believe that Valparaiso’s population will reach 30,000 by 1990, Reynolds said.

He described Valparaiso as “rather unusual” in several respects. He noted that the suburban areas outside of the city are well developed, which he said, is a situation generally only found around larger cities; and that there is relatively little land available for development within the city limits.

Reynolds pointed out that there are attractive sites outside the city including lake and timber areas. Inside the city he said much of the vacant land is not suitable for development.

Industries Stable

He noted that the local industries are “very stable” and that they are closely tied to the community as to their needs for supplies and the products they produce.

The 30,000 city population figure, the speaker said, assumes that there will be “fairly aggressive annexation of land development”.

Future growth is seen primarily to the north and the west.

The revision will call for numerous road changes and implementation of bypasses around the city, it was noted.

Reynolds said that the success of the city’s master plan will depend upon its close integration with the county’s master plan.

Future of industry is foreseen east and south of the city, due to its excellent highways, expanded municipal airport and railroad facilities.

Councilman Lembke, following Reynold’s talk, invited interested residents of the community to attend planning meetings the second Tuesday of each month, “We need your help,” he added.

Meanwhile Chamber President Max Dickey reported that airport runway expansion dedication ceremonies were discussed Wednesday afternoon at a meeting at Wellmans. Tentatively it is planned for “early June”, but details are still to be finalized.

Feb. 12, 1966 CEMETERY VANDALISM

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on February 12, 1966.

CEMETERY VANDALISM

Reported vandalism at Gossett cemetery in Liberty township was confirmed in visit to old burial grounds Friday by Mrs. Jane Blachly, member Daughters of American Revolution, William Henry Harrison chapter. Top, Mrs. Blachly at John G. Hearring grave where vandals dug down about two feet before halting ghoulish project. Stone was removed from grave and leaned against fence at opposite side of cemetery. Bottom, V-M Reporter Rollie Bernhart points with stick toward spot at grave of Sgt. Henry Battan where bronze marker designating soldier of Revolutionary War was stolen.