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 11, 1961: White Rat Studies Win Liberty Girl Advancement In Talent Search Program

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 11, 1961.

White Rat Studies Win Liberty Girl Advancement In Talent Search Program

By RITA GETZ

PROGRESS IN SCIENCEーSandra Johnson, (left) 16, Liberty township senior, and former Regional Science fair winner, discusses latest achievement, placement as finalist in Annual  Science Talent Search. She will attend Junior Scientist Assembly March 17-18 at Indianapolis when winners of Westinghouse Science Scholarship Awards will be announced. Interviewing her is Mrs. Rita Getz of V-M Editorial staff.

Miss Sandra Johnson, 16-year-old Liberty Township High school senior, has just been notified that she is a finalist in the Annual Science Talent Search in competition for the Westinghouse Science Scholarship awards.

Winners will be announced at the Junior Scientists Assembly which will be held March 17 and 18 in the Claypool hotel, Indianapolis.

Sandra’s entry, “Motor Elements in Simple Cognition” is an experimental psychology study with white rats, dealing with perception.

The project, result of 1½ years research, won the Future Scientists of America award for the attractive young brunette last year. As a result of this win she was appointed to the Indiana University Science School seminar which was held last June in Bloomington.

Through her work at the Institute, Sandra was invited to remain at the university for an additional six weeks, where she worked in the psychological psychiatry lab with Dr. Russell DeValois.

Starts As Freshman

Sandra’s passion for science began in her freshman year, she stated. A regular entrant in the Science fair, she won first place in the junior division in 1958 with a study on colored vision in guinea pigs.

The following year she won top senior division honors at the Northwestern Regional Science fair and was awarded a coveted trip to the National Science fair at Hartford, Conn.

Her present project, which she perfected over the past two years, consists of a three sectioned maze, light avoidance box.

As part of her study, Sandra operated on several white rats, cutting their eye muscles. She learned the surgical procedure from Dr. W.C. Gunther, associate professor of biology at Valparaiso university.

Looks To Future

The young student would like to make experimental psychology her career, she stated. If this is not possible, she would like to enter the biological field.

She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Johnson, RFD 5, Wauhob Lake.

Sandra is the second member of her family who has shown an avid interest in science. A brother is now studying for his Ph.D. in psychology.

A graduate of Liberty, and Valparaiso university, he did his graduate work at Western Reserve university. It was access to his books which sparked Sandra’s interest. She noted.

Although her scientific research takes up much of her spare time, Sandra has organized a Science club at Liberty, and is now its president.

In addition she helped organize the schools’ chapter of the National Honor society, and retains her membership in it through her high grades. She is also on the rosters of the Latin club, French club, National Music Honor society, and is a past officer in the student council.

Her extra-curricular activities include membership in the Young Democrats of Porter county, and the Chellburg Science seminar, which meets weekly at Chesterton High school.

At the moment, she concluded, her biggest ambition is to win a substantial scholarship to one of the nation's colleges.

Jan. 17, 1961: ON FIRE RADIO NETWORK

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on February 17, 1961.

ON FIRE RADIO NETWORK

Clerk John A. Heller, of Chesterton’s fire and police departments, works at new fire frequency base station KAY 218 in fire station enabling truck-to-truck and fire-station-to-truck contacting in cases of emergency. Receipt of license from Federal Communications commission and installation of equipment enables Chesterton Volunteer fire department to call truck-to-truck to Liberty, Pine, Portage and Ogden Dunes departments. Chesterton and area police cars are also on the same frequency.

Jan. 7, 1956: Wheeler Soon To Have Its First Woman J.P.

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 7, 1956.

Wheeler Soon To Have Its First Woman J.P.

By ROLLIE BERNHART

“Magistrate, “man-of-the-house”, and mother.

These are the jobs which Union township’s first woman justice of the peace, Mrs. Beverly M. Squires, of Wheeler, is filling.

She is “filling the shoes” of her late husband, Robert, who died unexpectedly Nov. 13, in serving out his unexpired term as justice of the peace, and is being both a father and mother to her five-year-old son, David.

This seems like quite an order, but Mrs. Squires is determined to make a success of it.

It was this same determination which impelled Mrs. Squires to weather the shock of losing her husband, and to do some clear thinking about the future of herself and her son.

Accompanied by Joseph Rowlandson, Union Township Trustee, she appeared recently before the Porter county commissioners and requested appointment to serve out the justice of the peace terms of her late husband, which officially had until 1959 to run.

Receives Commission

Her straightforward manner and the knowledge she had gained as a clerk and bookkeeper for her husband's court activities, received the approval of the commissioners for the Union Township Post. She received her commission from Gov. Greg on Dec. 30th.

Thus she became the second woman in Porter County History to assume the office of justice of the peace. Mrs. Edna Wilkes was a Liberty Township “JP” from 1939 to 1946. Known as the “flying Justice” (she held a pilot's license), Mrs. Wilkes was defeated in the 1949 primary.

The new justice of the peace in Union Township will be “in business” officially just as soon as her bond is filed and she receives the oath of office.

Meanwhile Mrs. Squires plans to attend a seminar at Purdue University next week which will deal with traffic court procedures.

A graduate of Emerson High School, Gary, Mrs. Squires stated that she has always had a natural interest for the legal and judicial professions. She appears as adept at consulting the two volumes of Indiana Laws she has on her book shelves, as she does working about her home and kitchen.

Mrs. Squires will conduct the duties of her office on a full-time basis, and will be available at all times in the spic-and-span red cottage at the end of Fourt street in Wheeler.

 Although she believes in the theory that persons are innocent until proven guilty, this female “JP” will back up and support the state troopers who bring violators of the law to her Court.

“As far as I am concerned," she stated, "I'll go by their judgment. They have enough to do without being charged with looking for cases."

Speeders and motorists caught passing school buses, and brought before her had better beware. These are two types of traffic violators on which she intends to crack down.

In so far as making her office a Gretna Green for couples seeking to be tied in wedlock, Mrs. Squires prefers to be old fashioned.

“I’m just not the ‘marrying justice’ type. I just believed that marriages should be consummated in church."

David, her son, will be of age to start school next year. Until then she has no other desire than to stay at home and be both a “father” and mother to him. 

Although the field of politics is new to her, she is determined to be a success. Rather wistfully she said, "If it only works out, I'd run for another term.”

Will Serve In Court, Kitchen

UNION TOWNSHIP’S First woman justice of the peace, Mrs. Beverly M. Squires (top), brushes up on traffic laws in her home on Fourth street in Wheeler, where she will hold court. She will serve out the unexpired term of her husband, Robert, who died Nov. 13th. Bottom, Mrs. Squires casts aside the dignity of the court, and dons an apron to prepare a meal.

Dec. 9, 1970: Break School Windows - Vandals Smash 350-400 Panes

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on December 9, 1970.

Break School Windows

Vandals Smash 350-400 Panes

Between 350 and 400 windows and glass door panels at six schools and a gymnasium in Porter County were broken early this morning by vandals, who also struck two business firms where six windows were smashed. One school cancelled classes today.

A white compact car, possibly a Ford, was being sought by police who said a vehicle of that description with three persons was observed driving away from the scene of one vandalism.

Schools sustaining damage and the number of windows or door panels broken include Washington Township, 115; Jackson, 95; Kouts, 86; Morgan, 46; Liberty, 17; Westchester Junior High School, 7. Two glass door panels and a window were broken at Chesterton High School’s Goldsborough gymnasium.

Business firms sustaining damage by vandals are Don’s Sinclair Station, U.S. 6 and Meridian and Brown Tire Co., Inc., Indiana 49.

The vandalism in most cases occurred between 4:45 and 7 a.m., Sheriff’s Detective George Earley said. Deputies regularly patrol the schools and when Jackson and Liberty were checked at 4:45 a.m. everything was in order.

All classes in schools are in session with the exception of Morgan Township School.

There was no estimate of damage, but costs of replacing windows and other school equipment will probably mount to the thousands of dollars.

Vandals used rocks, pipes, teeter-totters, and portions of cement blocks, to cause the damage.

Band equipment at Morgan and Washington schools was damaged by items which were thrown or pushed through windows.

Majority of damage at the schools occurred on the first level, Earley said, and vandals kept away from the fronts of the buildings to avoid detection.

Rocks found at the scenes indicated that vandals picked them up elsewhere than on school grounds.

Washington School, where the largest number of windows were broken, is not covered by vandalism insurance. Most of the county schools do not have vandalism insurance and the cost of repair will have to come from the schools’ budgets.

Damage At Washington

All windows in overhead door in shop area at Washington Township School were broken today by vandals. Removing glass (top photo) is Glenn Brown, who along with other Washington students assisted in clean-up so classes could be held. Principal James Dold holds 3-pound which was thrown with such force it traveled 30 feet, broke exterior overhead light fixture and smashed through inner office glass panel.

Dec. 4, 1965: Liberty Pupil Asks Whether Or Not Santa Really Exists Santa Clause Doesn’t See Debate Need

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on December 4, 1965.

Liberty Pupil Asks Whether Or Not Santa Really Exists

Santa Clause Doesn’t See Debate Need

(EDITOR’S NOTE ー Answer to letter to Santa Claus from the staff of Liberty Township school’s “Lion Roar.”)

By SANTA CLAUS

Dear Barbara: Why should there be any debate among the Lion’s Roar staff members about whether there is a Santa Claus? There is no reason to have to prove this. People believe in me, so I exist ー ask any one of millions of little people.

Don’t their eyes light up on Christmas morning when they see their presents? Ask them who brought the gifts and they’ll answer “Santa Claus”. How could he bring them if he doesn’t exist? Don’t the little people flock by the hundreds and thousands to see Santa and tell of their desires for Christmas? To whom are all the letters addressed expressing wishes for Christmas presents?

Perhaps as they grow older and more “worldly” some of them forget about their faith and belief in Santa. This, however, does not mean I don’t exist. How many other faiths and beliefs do some people deny? Does their disbelief and vehement denial give credence to their lack of faith?

Must Believe

Barbara, for those who believe in me, I exist. Those who do not think there is a Santa Claus are somewhat unfortunate and for those I can not be ー not until they believe.

It’s too bad the worldly, the knowing can’t take a lesson from the little people and learn the joy of really knowing that Santa Claus is real, for I am the personification of happiness and generosity that joins in the truly joyous spirit of Christmas born almost 2,000 years ago.

As for your requests, your one wish for a good luck charm can be fulfilled and you will find at your school one day soon a lock from that famous fluffy, white beard.

May it serve as a good luck charm for your basketball team, although they hardly need it. I hear they play a good clean game. That’s what really counts, isn’t it? But maybe they’ll pick up a few more wins now.

Tougher To Grant

The other request for more senior boys is a tougher one to grant. You have no idea how many similar requests have been pouring in from all over.

There aren’t a whole lot of senior boys to be found, but as soon as some become available they will be sent to Liberty, though they may arrive too late for you. The girls now in the junior class may be the ones who will be appreciating the arrival of the boys.

Meanwhile, be good to the senior boys you do have at Liberty. At least be kind to them. I’m sure they’re trying to do their best.

Mrs. Claus does plan to have a Merry Christmas. Both of us will rest and know the joy of having made so many people happy.

Be Seeing You

And so, Barbara, I’ll be seeing you on the street corners, in the stores and homes. You’ll be hearing my voice in the Christmas songs and greetings. If you listen hard enough you may hear me with my reindeer and sleigh jingling through the countryside.

You’ll be able to see the twinkle of my eye in the Christmas tree ornaments. You’ll see my smile passing from face to face as greetings of the season are exchanged and my laughter will ring out as the little people find delight first in anticipation and then in that morning full of wonder.

My red cheeks will be seen as the frosty air nips the shoppers busily thinking of others and the special gifts that must be found. My breath will frost the window panes as I peek at all the preparations being made.

Dream and Hope

My white beard will tickle the fancies of the little people as they dream and hope, hardly able to wait for that special day. As the gifts are opened my chuckle of satisfaction will be heard in the crinkle of wrapping paper as it is torn off to reveal all the long awaited pleasures.

And you’ll hear my prayer during Christmas worship services.

I exist, Barabara, but I don’t take the place of the true meaning of ChristmasーI only accompany it to help make the occasion truly great as it should be.

Merry Christmas, Barbara and the entire Lion’s Roar Staff. Merry Christmas.

Nov. 21, 1955: Oily Lake Michigan Water Kills Birds

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 21, 1955.

Oily Lake Michigan Water Kills Birds

At least 200 water fowl have frozen to death along the Porter county shores of Lake Michigan, conservation officials said today.

Heavy oil in the water “gummed up” their feathers and prevented the birds from flying after alighting in the water, Conservation Officer Charles Black said.

Unable to leave the water by flying, the birds swam or were washed ashore where they froze to death.

Black and a party of seven men covered a four-mile stretch of the shoreline east and west of Dunes State park from late Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday.

During this time, the party found 37 “grounded” birds which were still living. The men washed the fowl in a detergent and brought them to the Liberty township farm of Earl Hanrahan, where the animals are recuperating.

Black said that when the birds are able to preen their feathers with natural oil they will be released on inland lakes. The conservation officer also said today he did not know how long the birds would have to be kept at the Hanrahan’s before they could be released.

Most of the dead and rescued birds were of the inedible “fish duck” type, Black said. There were a few edible blue bills, he added. Among the birds found on the beach were cormorants, grebes and mergansers, which regularly inhabit the lake region.

Conservation officials said the source of the oil, which “is like a heavy No. 6 oil,” was not definitely known, although it may have come from industrial waste in the Gary area. Dead birds were found as far west as Michigan City.

Black said he first was notified of the condition Friday by persons at Dune Acres where youngsters were washing the grounded birds with a detergent.

Many of the surviving birds found by Black and his party Saturday night were unable to move when they were picked up and washed.

Floundering Birds Given Baths By Dunes State Park Officials

SOME OF THE 15 WATER FOWL found alive the shores of Lake Michigan’s Dune State park are shown being given a bath in a soapy detergent today to remove the gummy substance from their feathers, believed to have been caused by heavy oil in the water. The gummy condition prevented the fowl from flying, and washed them ashore. Park Supt. Max Dickey, left, reported that about one-half of the birds found along the shoreline Sunday were frozen to death. A check along the shore today revealed no floundering fowl. Helping in rehabilitation the fowl is parking employee Clarence Sederberg, of Chesterton.