1959-03-19; Clare Sentinel

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Established 1878
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$2.50 Year la Clar«, Isabella CountlM
THE CLARE SENTINEL. CLARR MICHIGAN MARCH 19, 1959
Elmer Amble
uilty To County
Embezzlement
Charged with the embezzlement of Clare County Road
Commission funds, Elmer Amble, qf Harrison, former deputy
county cleric was placed under
arrest Friday of last week after
an appearance before Justice
William B. Dunlop,7 of Clare
Where he waived examination, lie
plead guilty in Clare County
Circuit Court on Wednesday, His
job for some 12 years as deputy
.clerk had, been secretary and
bookkeeper for the Road Commission.
Shortages in County Road
funds were discovered some time
after Amble's retirement at the
first of the year. His successor
as clerk of the Road Commission Edna Roth notified Commission members who immediately requested a check
of Amble's acco'unty -by
members of the State Auditor
General's staff.
Request for Clare County
Prosecutor James S- Bicknell
■HI to issue the warrant followed, .
**'      :t*
->
GOP Brings
3 Candidates
To County
The Clare County Republican
Committee met at the Courthouse at Harrison on Thursday,
March 12, with an attendance of
over 30 committeemen and
guests present. Vice-Chairman,
Sarah Schaeffer conducted the
afternoon meeting and a report
on' the State conventon was
gven by Harold B. Hughes Of
Clare. • • •   *
Mike RUeyA., Assistant io ike
State Chairmah, was V present
and made a very interesting report concerning the State Can"
didates. It was reported that
Clare County placed 7th in the
State at the last election, concerning increase in Republican
vote. Plans were made for the
Visit of the three state candidates for Friday, March 20.
Republicans Arthur K. Rouse
of Boyne City, candidate for the
State Board of Agriculture,
Charles G. Burns df Hubbard
Lake, candidate for State Board,
of Education and Edward G.
Durance, Assistant Prosecuting
Attorney of Midland County,
candidate for the Wayne State
University Board of Governors,
will attend the fish, fry sponsored by the VFW at the Surrey
House at Harrison and will then
journey to Clare where they
will visit-business places until
8:00 p.m.
There will be a coffee hour at
the Clare City Hall from 8:00
p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The public is
cordially invited to attend this
coffee hour and meet these men.
Open House
Draws 175
Scout Friends
Amble is charged specifically
with the misappropriation of
$1,000 in money, but Mr. Bicknell has said that the audit is
not yet complete and the exact
amount of the shortage is not
yet known.
It is believed that Amble obtained part of the cash iby illegally cashing checks made out to
the Road Commission and then
keepitig the xhonejf.It is hinted
that a concealed set of receipts
$.
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The March meeting of the
Clare PTA waS held at 'eight
o'clock, March. 16, in the school
auditorium, Richard ''Wheeler,
SUpt, jof Schools, announced
that the School Board will be
having a special election within
the next three weeks asking for
5 voted mills for school operating expenses next year."   ""    '''
The money will be asked for
the teaching staff, and. school
buses.
The election is early this year
because their request was voted
down last year; they had already committed themselves on
this year's operation and, consequently operated at a deficit.
Mrs. Davy, school nurse, requested and received for the
school a $100.00 emergency fund
to be used to cover dental emer-
geftcies 'and Stee- fluoride treatment tor those . children Who
Want, "but can't akord it.
Mr^ Stirling requested and
received $240.00 from the PTA
to: help buy caps, a part of the
new uniform for the Junior
High Band.
The nominating committee
presented its suggested slate of
officers for the coming year and
they Were unanimously elected.
They are as follows: President,
Mrs. Warren Tice, Vice .President, "Mrs. Richard Schroeder,
Secretary, Mrs. Harvey Hartshorn, Treasurer, Mr. Donovan.
Pogram Co-chairman, Mrs. Bud
Anderson and Mrs. Bryan D.
Miller.
The program for the "evening
was on civil defense and conducted by Ray Martin, director
for Isabella county. Mr. Bartow,
Clare county director, Was also
present. The talk covered keeping calm, first aid, resource
books and communication. Isabella county is having a civil
defense test for rural schools
on April 18. A question and answer period followed.
Refreshments were served in
the gymnasium by the fifth
grade mothers.
J'
Sunday, March 15 was an
outstanding day for the Brownies and Girl Scouts of Clare.
"Open House" at the Clare
IOOF Hall was attended by one
hundred and seventy-five interested parents' and friends.1   .
Displays Were very attractive, and well presented by the
different eleven troops. -Included in these were hobbies and
projects the girls have been
working on for their badges and
special awards.
. The girls, their leaders, and
the council, feel that this was
most successful, in spite of the
stormy day, and are hoping to
, make this an annual event. They
appreciate the efforts of all
who helped in any way to make
the day a happy one.
Studebaker
Dealership
Clare Farm Equipment Co.,
Inc. has been appointed, a
Studebaker-Packard dealer '. iii
Clare for sales and service, Syd-
ley Sl^Uilman, company vice
president and general sales man*
ager announced. The dealership,
operated, toy Clarence and. Warren McGuire is on West US-10
at the stockyards road co-ftier,,
kept by Amble may have been
the method of averting detection.
The shortage has been found
to exist over a period of about
six years.
Tom Hecker of Harrison,
chairman of the County Board
Of Supervisors and Albert Haley, supervisor from Clare agree
that " the County Supervisors
have little, or no opportunity to
discover or prevent situations of
the sort now involving Amble
and the Highway Department.
Both Becker and. -Haley expressed complete surprise and
regret at the disclosure of the
charges against the former. Road
Commission clerk. But they asserted that it made no change
in their belief that.the present
system of supervisor appointment of County Road Commission members is the best method of managing that Department,
Until four years ago. Road
Commissioners were elected by
county-wide  popular  vote,
The supervisors said that
while the present cloud is a, bad
reflection on the Road Commission as a whole, it is not possible in- their opinion to fix
blame on the Department or on
its members.
Supervisors have traditionally
kept hands off the Road Commission which is run as a separate division of county government and operates on funds
from- the State. The members
are appointed by the Supervisors Board, but detailed examination of Road Commission accounts would be an extensive
and specialized task.
~ The general attitude has been
"the State auditors Will perform
an, annual audit .anyway",..
But examination, of, Amble's
Road Commission accounts by
State auditors over* the years
has failed to Uncover the money
shortage until pointed out by the
clerical staff in the County Road
Commission's own Harrison office.
In a report December 8, 1958
on the condition of Clare county records and accounts for the
year 1957, Auditor General
Frank Szyrrtanski's office was
critical of the accuracy in posting certain records. The report
advised that greater accuracy
and better control bf both accounts receivable and accounts
payable would result if accounts
were proven monthly.
However the same report
written after the audit failed to
discover the present shortage
said, "All recorded departmental receipts of this agency (Road
Commission) were checked' to
the cash book and found to be
deposited with the county treasurer."
Road Commission chairman
Avery Barber was in Grand
Rapids Tuesday and not available for comment.
Ten Cents Copy
i   -ii, j_'„'i in »»■ mi.■'"'Piwmp.ip-
III illll'i]
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New Series, Vol, 67, NoTWT
Clare Mayor Gerald Nivison agreed io .reach inlo.   ihe box ip   .draw   out the winning
ticket in ihe Citizens State Bank Stiih Anniversary prize drawing io "award a New York
irip,    Frank R. Murphy of Clare was ihe Ju'qky one. Crowds, life© this attended a two-
day open house last week. - .        ..;*, 77 Photo by Lee Sowle.
Clare Artists9 Work Hangs In
Shows At Saginaw, Detroit
Grace McArthur has ,tWo
paintings in the 49th Michigan
Annual Exhibit now hanging at
the Detroit Museum of Art. The
show this year is a very controversial show and has ■ made
front pages in the Detroit papers.
The majority of the paintings
are abstractions. Mrs. McAr-
thur's work is her usual richly
embellished canvases of regional subjects.
One canvas is an interior
"parlor" jp'eopl^ v^ith, characters the average person could
easily associate with his own
family.
The second canvas is a handsome landscape called "Gathering Sap" depicting activities at
syrup-making time.
Mrs. McArthur also took an
Hdnorable Mention award at
the current Regional Art Exhibit held at the Saginaw Art Museum with a painting called "On
the AuSable."
Several other Clare painters
are also represented in the Saginaw show. Margaret McKnight
exhibits two ink and water color designs, Virginia Foss;.Doris
Ann Bicknell, Jan 'Johnston,
Maxine Kirkpatrick, Virginia
Seitz, and Wilma Randall are
represented in the oil painting
category and Sarah Beck has a
yarn tapestry on exhibt.
Speaker Taught
In England
On March 25, tbe Kiwanis
club and the Clare teachers will
hear an exchange teacher tell of
his experiences in England.
Mr. Cleon Rumbaugh is a so-
■cial studies and science teacher
at Pattengill Junior High School
in Lansing, Michigan. Last
year he taught school in England. He has many unusual experiences to relate. He also will
bring pictures df both England
and other parts of Europe.
Mr. Rumbaugh come '.to Kiwanis highly recommended. His
talk regarding his teaching experiences should prove most
interesting. v
All Kiwanians and teachers
are urged * to attend this 6:30
dinner and program at the Hotel Doherty on March 25.
Mayor Paired
Mayor exchange day, scheduled as an interesting event during Michigan Week will see
Clare's mayor trading jobs for
the day with the chief executive
from   Orchard   Lake,
Police Chief
Asks Leave
Clare Police Chief, Wilfred
(Bill) Skidmore who took oyer
that post on November 10, 1958
was granted a six-month leave
of absence Monday by City Commissioners at their regular
meeting.
Chief Skidmore said that he
has received an offer to bepome
chief -of the Frankfort city police to "do some straightening
out and reorganization" in that
city's department,
He will, leave his desk in Clare
on March 26, and report for
duty in Frankfort on April 1.
His home is in Honor, Michigan,
near Frankfort.
At Skidmore's ( departure,
Clare Police Sergeant William
Bell will become acting chief.
The chief said that employment
applications on fije would be
examined if the city wished to
hire another police officer to
fill the department Vacan^.    $■
Chief Skidmore has been head
of the City Police Department
for five months.
No Student
Name Lists
Given Here
Information to Clare school
officials indicates that the National Association of Secondary
School Principals is taking official notice and positive steps to
preveit student name lists from
falling into the hands of anyone
involved in personal and questionable   solicitation  enterprises.
High school Principal William
Harper told The Sentinel last
week that the Clare school has
for some time refused requests
for students' names. The Association has recently advised
such refusal as a matter of
members policy.
Reason for the recommended
halt in furnishing names for
students for "surveys" and the
like is pointed out in an article
in the March»Reader's Digest
describing a growing problem of
indecent and objectionable matter being offered through, the
mail for sale to young people
whose names were obtained under a guise of "educational service".
Palm Sunday
Ceremony For
Methodist
Palm Sunday services at the
Clare Methodist Church wiU be
devoted to baptism for children
and adults, and the receiving
into membership of a class of
applicants.
The pastor of the church,
Leslie J. Nevins, requests that
all parents intending to present
children to receive" the Sacrament of Baptism at this service
next Sunday, will please notify
him in advance of next Sunday
that 'information may be given
him for the preparation oi the
Baptismal Certificate in advance.
Rev. Nevins has been conducting two classes for membership
instruction and many from these
classes have expressed their de-
Sire to become members of the
church and to be baptized into
the Christian Faith.
Time permitting, the pastor
will bring a brief Palm Sunday
message following the baptismal
service and the reception of
members.'
•■ •
Criticize Loimty supervisors
For Pigeon* Hole "Veto" Of
Medical Examiner Vote
et it ions
Bring Candidate
List To Five
Signed petitions which • requested a dlare county vbte Ott
the.proposed change from elect:
ed coroner to appointed medical
examiner and were first presented to the Board of Supervisors
at their April session a year
ago, have become the center of
a dispute since supervisors took
no action on the request.
County Prosecutor James S.
Bicknell, III points out that the
law states when such petitions
to ask for a proposal on the
ballot contain ten percent of-the
names of electors who. voted at
the last General Election,, then
the Supervisors shall place the
proposal on the next Geheral
Election ballot.        ,
A controversy concerns the
question of whether the petition^ contained the required number of signatures. •
Michael Doherty, Clare funeral director and leader among
county Democrats presented the
New Giant
Supermarket
Opens Friday
On the occasion of the opening
of the new Giant Super Market
in Clare's' North Town.business
section, the "management could almost regard the event as the
finish of a "rags to riches" story.
The modern new food center
which Will open its doors to the
public tomorrow, March 20 JS
the pride of the food retailing
firm. Giant operates seven stores
and because of cramped space,
the Clare store has been a litfctc
less than the chain's standard
in item selection and display.     *
Not so any longer.
Moving into much larger quarters, the store is expanding lines
and adding attractive shopping
services and merchandise to maKe
it one of the best supermarkets in
the area.
In the building once occupied
by Woodworth Motor Sales, the
newly relocated Giant store will
have a customer parking lot that
can hold nearly 60 autos.
The store is the pride also of
Stan Wicks, manager at the old
location, who moves into the new
building. He said this week that
his woiiking force "numbers seven
additional people along with those
lately employed at the Fourth
street store.  *
A two-day open house and sale
to acquaint the public with the
new store and attractive ffood
prices begins tomorrow and continues through nine o'clock Saturday night.
Free attractions, prizes, entertainment and sale savings feature
the celebration.
Unusual advertising support
has been given the store opening
with Giant's section in today's
Sentinel. Pages, nine through 16
contain four full pages of specials
at the new Giant store, and four
more pages of advertisements by
contractors, builders and suppliers of the store building. Nonth
end businesses joined in advertising a welcome to Giant and
inviting the public to shop lor
goods, services and recreation in
the neighborhood,
I
signed petitions and insists that
they were proper and official.
Supervisors tabled the paper a
year ago and have done nothing
with the situation since.
According to a member of the
Board of Supervisors, the petitions bore an insufficient number of names. But sponsors of
the measure believe that if that
were the case, then the . Board
should have rejected the petitions and stated the reason so
that more signers could have
been contacted.
As the matter stands presently, the question cannot appear
on the April 6 ballot because it
is too late now to have it included.        ,*Yv,   , .<"
Clare voters can go to the
polls on April 6 witb a list of
five candidates from which to
pick three members of the City
Commission. Late petitions were
filed on Tuesday for Earl Baumgarth, Harvey Hartshorn and
Robert Walters. .   .
Incumbent officeholder George
Shayler also filed' a petition
bringing to four the candidates
joining Bert Schleicher,.
Marvin Witbeck, who had previously become a candidate when
he was the first one to actually
file his petition, announced that
he wished to withdraw from the
race.
Albert Haley and Dan Burdo,
present memhers of the Commission whose terms expire, allowed the March 17 deadline to
pass without declaring their
candidacy and are not in the
race.
Mr. Baumgarth is Plant" Engineer for Clare Manufacturing
Company and Mr. Hartshorn is
a Clare native. Mr. V^alters held
one previous term as a * Commissioner.
With the failure of Haley to
file for reelection, the city witnesses the retirement of a valued and conscientious public
figure.
Almost since the institution of
home rule form of city government here with ,city manager
and commission guiding the
town's affairs, Mr. Haley has
held positions of importance
and public trust.
Long on the City Commission,
he has been mayor for several
terms and represented .Clare on
the Board of County Supervisors where he was a two-term
chairman of that body. -
Mr. Burdo has been an influence on the City Commission for
two elected terms and likewise
retires With a fine record of
earnest public service.
At the election, voters will Indicate their choice of. not more
than three from among the five
candidates. The two receiving
the greatest number of. votes
will win two'-year terms, while
the one receiving the next highest number of votes will serve
one year.
Carry-over members of th«
Commission whose terms, did
not expire are Mayor Gerald
Nivison and Commissioner Paul
Schroeder. .
ROOM 19
School Counselors Ready To
Hear Life's Biggest Problems
Busy folks are -counselors,
those listeners and adjusters in
the junior highs and high schools.
Indeed, I often wonder that they
do not grow great ears from all
their listejiing to problems that
overflow from boys and girls and
big folks, too.
Solomon's wisdom is needed
here—and a professional silence
as to matters strictly confidential.
A counselor, on gaining information, relays it only if knowledge
of the situation makes ifor better
atmosphere; thus understanding
is established, replacing puzzlement or irritation.
A counselor seems at times a
Mother Goose or Father Gander
with goslings all in tow. He has
Kleenex for their tears and handshakes for'successes.'He even
seems to serve as Wooild-ibe curriculum magician, recommending
changes to facilitate the needs ot
boys and girls; he lessens scheduling conflicts whenever it is
possible.
Now homeroom teachers counsel, too, and classroom5 teachers,
but sometimes problems come in
bigger sizes that call for more
intensive solving in areas where
there is privacy established. for
that purpose.
The problems they encounter
go on and on, like taxes. Alice
flounders in a college course because her family insists. Tommy
connot see why he's an exile from
the room when all he did was
write the same words Jane had
written when she Was sitting next
to him.
John takes only easy courses,
in spite of what his teachers say;
Canadian Raw
Material Vital
A prominent port official has
described the United States as
"a have not nation which could
not last long in another -war
without use of Canadian resources,"
Harry C. Brockel, Milwaukee
municipal port director and active St. Lawrence Seaway promoter, thus summed up the
American position at the first
of three Canadian-American
Seminars at Michigan State
University,  '_ iJt
Marie is close to tears because,
her mother doesn't let her go
with Tim.""Harold's Victimized by
family pressuring that shouts A's
when- D's are indicated by 'his
mental tests.
Agnes passes by the course designed to bring improvement to
her feeble reading because there
is no academic credit for it.
Jim is sullen with insistence
that he wasn's impudent to Mrs,
Deal; he merely answered her
the way ihe always does his folks
back home. Tim says openly he
plans to run away because of all
the arguing he hears. Delores
cannot do her hdmework' chores
because the television blares.
Mrs. Thomas is all upset because of methods Mr. Smith is-
using, yet parentally she dares
not voice a protest to him lest he
take it out on Phyllis in demanding more of her in other ways,
Tom. is mad clear through, at
being sent out; ihe' merely said
a word he hears his dad say
every day.
Mary has a date with Bill, but
they are doubling with a couple
that parks, and Mary's sick with
worry. Lois has her first big date,
but she, like Cinderella, must (be
back at home by twelve, and what
will Henry think when all the
others stay much later?
Gloria weeps. She wasn't at
Helen's Saturday evening, the
way she told iher folks; she'd gone
dancing with a boy. her family
did not like, and (neighbors saw
her, and now what will she do?
Betty Lou is fond of band, but
tensions rise at home at practice
time because tlie house is small,
the sounds are big, and tooting
time away from school must be
an- hour long.
Jimmy knew he couldn't go
out all week if he brought home
that bad mark; and so he curved
fhe E lines into a bulgihg B. Mrs
Waskefield feels tnat Linda's
mark in English is unfair, and
wishes an appointment with tne
teacher.
So • the problems go—and
through it all the ■ telephone is
indispensable, dedicated both to
voice and ear, it sits on desk, the
way a teacher never should, and
carries messages between, the
world of here and there. For like
the counselor, it is truley helpful
as on agency in meeting newK
Accused In
Sale Of Wheat
AUedged violation of a wheat
growing'contract ufrder the. Agricultural Stabilization- law has resulted in a federal charge against
Donald Benchley, of East Colonville Road near Clare.
Ordered to appear in Federal
District Court at Bay City, Benqtt-
ley is cited for allecfgelljy selling
part of a crop which he raised
under a Feed Wheat contract,
A Congressional Investigator on
the case three to four weeks filed
evidence in the action.
Floren Pudvay, chairman of
the Agricultural Stablization
County Committee said that the
not-too-common Feed Wheat Contract is one enabling a farmer to
grow up to 30 acres of wheat tot'
his own feeding program.
Benchley's crop was reportediv*
contracted for this purpose, but
then disposed of in a cash Sale
instead bf used for feed. He
admitted the sale.
If found to be in violation, this
will be a second offense for
Benchley who paid a fine last
year for an offense -under the
same Federal law.  He is liable
lor .another femlty gnie:   *
Witbeck
Withdraws
Marvin Witbeck, first.to file
as a candidate for election, to the
Clare City Commission, an*-
nounced that he has withdrawn
his name and is no longer a
Candidate.
Circumstances have arisen, he
said, that would prevent him
from doing a -good job ■ On the
city's governing body, if elected.
The Sentinel would like to
correct parts of the story which
told of his petition being entered, and which. haVe been pointed
out to be in error. It Was incorrectly stated that Mr. Witbeck held a business interest in
the Coleman, Michigan IGA
store* under the managership of
Marvin's brother, R'obert. Marvin is owner of stores' in Clare,
Reed City, and Evart only, not
in Coleman.
Emergency
Hospital Unit
For Clare
A civilian defense portable e-
quipment unit for first-aid and
hospital treatment of people who
might be disaster victims has
been ordered for station in Clare.
City officials and Clarence Gum,
city manager think the unit might
arrive here possibly by the first
of April.
Mounted on a special truck, the
unit will consist of supplies for
emergency treatment of accident
victims or a disaster-struck populace. Supplies are said to be
irt quantities the equivalent of
those required for an 80Jbed hospital.
The equipment is intended fof
use at the scene of disasters, or
may be easily moved to large
public buildings if they are ever
used as temporary shelters for
injured persons.
imffiTMS
MRS.   MAYME BOGEfoS
Mrs. Mayme Rogers passed
away Tuesday, March 17 "at
Clare General Hospital. Funeral
services will be held Friday afternoon at 2 O'clock from the
Thurston Funeral Home with
Rev, Hugh Kennedy officiating
and burial in Cherry Grove cemetery.
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