The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1958-02-20, Page 1SHDHS QUEEN FOR 1958 — Helen Down, 18 -year-old daughter of Mr, and Mrs.
,
Clarence Down, R.R. 1 lima11, was crowned queen of SHDHS Friday nighi, at the
annual semi -formal dance, She succeeds Nancy Fahner, of near Grand Bend, who
crowned the new queen during the coronation ceremonies. Helen was described by
Principal H. L. Sturgis as a "hard-working, popular student." She plans to become a
stenographer.. —T -A Photo
e44
•
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IT'S FUN- BEING STRANDED—Being stranded in town by Monday's blizzard wasn't a
catastrophe for most SHDHS students from the district. They took haven in homes of
town friends, went to the theatre, enjoyed ,parties and games. Girls above, who were
guests of Heather MacNaughton, John street, had a record party. From the left,
Donna Oesch, Zurich; Patsy Marshall, Kirkton; Gwen Spencer, Hensall; and Heather,
New Housing Develops,
Investigate Town Plan
Exeter council, anticipatingivelopment atid a noted authority
two housing developments oil in London, Dr. E. G. Pleva, head.
either side of town, agreed of the geography department of
Tuesday afternoon to launch an the University of W Otani On.
Investigation into town planning. tario. It is believed Dr. Pleva's
U it's feasible,. council wants department made a survey of
the plan to ensure orderly and the town several years ago. a
commie growth of residential Mayor It, E. Peoley introduced'
areas and to protect sites for the discussion on planning by
iedustry, pointing out that a new housing
At the same meeting, council development on the other side
agreed tentatively to establish a of town would elleadaell undo
oad east of Sanders street to land which had previously been
open up at least one new deconsidered to be an industrial
open
that. Arthur Whil, site, "Ws too late to do any
-
smith, town tontractor who re. thing about that now," the mayott
quested the read, announced he said, "but we should do soni-
il b ild
smith's request, council agreed
to extend Sanders street east
beyond the Simmona apartments
providing the road allowance
was donated by the owners of
the iaad„ Gilbert Dow and Fred
Darling, which, it was indicated,
they, were prepared to do.
Council'sdecision was also
edaditiorial eti the approval of
the municipal engineer and the
department of highwaYs.
Mr. Whilsinith presented eoun-
ell with a letter from engineer
E. M. Raisa, Goderieh, who had
Surveyed the area earlier for
—Please Turn to Page 3
giqbty4.0con4 Year
0)(ETER,..ONTARIO, PEBRUARY 20i
Snow 22111
Worst Blizzard In Decade
Price for Copy 10 C.n
Storm, Radio
Foul School
The storm and an erroneous
radicareport foaled up classat
SHDIIS this week. ••••
About ao5 percent of the curet -
reed, including 100 district stu-
dents, reported .for scythes Mon-
day morning and it sooii became
evident they weren't going home.
Billeting was organized by Prin-
cipal H. L, Sturgis, Board Chair-
man al. L, :Snider and Teacher
Joe Wooden to house the 120
overnight.
Most of. the students arranged
their own accommodation among
ssielhidocorl. friends. "We only had to
place about,30," said Mr. Snider..
Tuesday morning the busses
ventured over passable routes
but found nary a student wait-
l'hg. A district radio station had
broadcast repeatedly that the
school was closed again. Origin
of the report has not been de.
terminal but there is a posSibil-
itY it may have been from a
prankish student.
Classes, were conducted Tues-
day for town students and these
district pupils which had re-
mainea overnight. When the
weather worsened shortly after
noon the busses took all oft=
home but one—He stayed in a
farmhouse two -miles from his
home,
Wednesday morning enrolment
was up to 70 percent. „..
Board Chairman Snider said
he had no difficulty finding ac-
commodation for the out-of.town,
students Monday night, The
school received over 20.offers
gaussigtdance more than was re -
The students had a "ball", as
one girl described it. The local
theatre was packed with them,
Several house parties were or-
ganized. TV sets were going full
blast.
Ten boys stayed at the hotel
(their choice) butthere weren't
the. shenanigans which might
have been expected. A photo-
grapherawenta to get their picture.
aastleelp.1-3° and found them; all
Four teachers. were absed on
Monday, Miss Arnold, Miss Bow-
man and Mrs. Nichols were
stranded in London. Mr. Bruce
Perry, who attended in the morn-
ing, atteinpted to get to his home
on Anne street west at noon,
and received approval to stay
there.
Exeter Public School and all
district schools had to shut down.
Some of them still are.
LEAD MERCY TRIP—Harold Harness, 'Department of Highways' local patrolrhan, and
Wilmer Preszcator,. driver, plowed the way through the drift -stacked No, 4 bighway
in the height of Monday's blizzard to allow an expectant mother from .RCAF Station
Centralia to be taken to London Hospital- for an operation. The to 'described the
storm as the worst they have seen. It took them three hours to 'ravel 18 miles,
orse, Flows, 11 Men
tick Gale For Mother
An Arabian show mare, three
snow plows and six operators,
two ambulances and their dri-
vers and au Exeter doctor all fi-
gured in a lour -hour battle
against a wild snowstorm Mon-
day night to ensure the safety
of an 18.year-old wife of a Cen-
tralia air cadet who was about
to give birth to her first child.
Eleven persons in all and over
860,000 worth of equipment were
involve& in the dramatic mercy
trip from Exeter to London dur-
Increase Pinery Staff
ing the height of the district's
' worst blizzard in nearly a dec-
ade.
i The expedition took Mrs, Nor-
ma Bernard, wife of Fit. Cad&
Camelle Bernard, to St. ro:
seph's Hospital, London, for a
caesarian operation. She's now
the proud mother of a girl and
they're both doing fine.
The mercy trip began with
the Arabian show mare, "Mis•
saudi," which carried snow plow
operator Wilmer Prezcator from
his home on concession three,
Stephen township, to Exeter,
a distance of . three miles. The
,Phton 'inkbein.er, Exeter, galloped
t
eurielgaltd htinge blinding storm with -
mare, owned by Dal-
To. Step Lip Progress our:::
Psztor and Harold Harness
once.
Sixty-five men, alt of them
from the district, have been
taken on 'strength at the Pinery
Park development project, Con-
struction Is progressing at record
pace.
Superintendent Keith Cameron
said Wednesday the number of
men on the project now totals
over 150. •
Teri miles of road, comprising
the north loop of the figure "8"
road structure planned for the
park, has now been established
and most of it is gravelled. Two
temporary bridges have been
constructed across the old river
A number of parking areas
haye been: established and some
of them are gravelled.
A large crew is cleaning up
brush at the south ead of the
.park, which was burned several
Postpone Verdict
On Crash Charges
'Decisioas on the charges of
drunk driving against Leo Earl
Zimmer, 17, and Clare Reader,
both of Zurich, will not be
brought down until next court
here, Wednesday, March 5
Magistrate Dudley Holmes was
to have. pronounced judgement
00 the two eases Wednesday but
edurt was postponed because of
the storm
Both cases are in connection
with the fatality in Zurich in
December when Silvestro- Kende,
17, was Med,
several houses 01 g o ensure that ot ier in
there as soon as postible and dustrial areas will not be en- "
may construct more later, claagered by housing."
1
Ceintell will start its investiga- Reeve William McKenzi, Who H. u den s Pick Steno
lato planning, whieh would has advocated tosari e
planning oft
hiclude zoning of ledustrial, cont. preVioua eccaaions, supported the•
S
Meecial and residential areas, by suggestioll but he felt the town ec
at eking advice &oat the °Mario should take adjacent townships ond ear In Row
Department of Planning and De. into eonsideration admit it con -
tem plated the plan.
Clerk C. V, Pickard said an
W To Mofficial plan, one that is recog-
atti by the provincial govern.
0 meat, would have to thelude all
Find it of the towns and it would take
four or five yeart develop R.
Announcements 13
Church Noticea 13
Coming Everitt 13
E nfierta innient II
Farm News,, 9, 11
Feniiiiine 'Potfi 1
Mensal( 6, 1
Looking lh With Liz
Lydon
12
Spots t, 16
WAnt •Ac1t ........Ahy, 11
lIc indicated such a plan re-
quired considerable work 110a
eallatain past experience Of
other. towns, there had always
boon 'Seine ratepayers in Rio
toinintinity who Objeeted to the
particular zoning of their areas.
The Mayor said "r fully real -
4e the &Melt that brings In
planning will not be popular but
think it should he clone."
In reply to •coritratter- 1011.
For the second year in a roW,
SILOJIS Students have chosen a
Would.be stenographer as their
queen.
}ter Majesty 01 198 is Helen
bown, ari 18 -year -01d Usborne
girl who hopes to put her typing
and shorthand training to use, In
a city office after she graduates,
If she does, she'll follow in the
footsteps of her predecessor.
Whey Fahner of near Grand
Bend, who left het office job in
London at five o'clock Friday
afternoon IA come to the school
dance and crown ty.enew mett.
Unhikc Nov, howover,
didn't have at opportunity to
k
prepare herself for secnsion to
the throe becatise of a now
polity inaugurated by the student
Midi' this year.
Results of the students' vote,
taken during' classes Friday,
Were not revealed even Co the
queen herself until the announce -
Med Was made At the dance.
Only O'f'resident Gwen Spencer
and Vice -President Ell! Marshall,
who counted the ballots knew the
sceret,
The husit.huSh policy Was
Adopted following last year's
experienee whet the identity of
the glitch leaked ou, hours b&
fort the dance. Nano/ had an
-,,Please Turn to Page 31
years ago, in preparation for the
'planting of a half million trees
this spring.
Construction of the mainten-
ance building, the superintend-
ent's home and other structures
in, the 4,000 acre park is rapidly ,
being completed.
This week's storms hindered
operations.
local Department of Highways
section patrolman, took off from
Meter in a 22 -ton -four-wheel
drive diesel plow to clear a path
for the Hopper -Hockey ambu-
lance driven by Kenneth Hockey
and carrying Dr A. . D. Ecker,
Exeter, the expectant mother's
physician.
At the Centralia road, they
met the. RCAF snowplOw and
ambulance which brought Mrs.
Bernard from the station to the
highway. Bucking drifts fiN e feet
high in zero visibility, the two
vehicles battled their way to-
ward London, sometimes travel-
ling less than five miles an
hour. Snow wasn't the only ob-
stacle — ears, trucks and even
another plow had to be pulled
out of the drifts to get through.
Averaging 12 miles, an hour.
the party arrived in Elginfield
at 10:30, three hours after start-
ing time, where it was met by
a plow which had bucked its
way through from London. This
plow took the ambulance into
the city,
Dr. Ecker who returned to
Exeter with the local plow
praiscdthetwo local plow ope-
rators for the success of the
trip. "They deservelot of crc
dit.' he said.
The men had to drive with the
windows of the eah open be-
cause the windshields were
frozen over. The bitter cold and
blinding storm made the trip a
—Please Turn to Page 3
Temp, Hits
Five Below
'rake 22 inches of new,:
sprinkle it liberally over a three.
day period., beat it severely with
winds gusting up to 64 miles pet
hour and freeze the eoneoction,
at temperatures as low as five
degrees below zero.
That's the recipe for the worst
blizzard the area has suffered
in a decade.
This dish was cooked up br
the weatherman from. Saturday'
to Monday. 11 was the second
serving of this type of menu n
as many weeks.
The blizzard, whieh began uni
pretentiously Sunday, developed,
in earnest Sunday and by Mona„.
day reached a raging peak, It,.
calmed out Tuesday, g,ave a last
gasp Tuesday evening and died
on WecindSclay..
Over 13.7 of the 22 inches of
snow which fell during the threea„
day period .came down MondaYS''
the same day that winds reasba
ed their peak of al miles pet
hour. After 11 hours of this fury;
the velocity suddenly dropped to
two m.p.h.
It left thousands stranded
some uncomfortably, others hap;
pily — sealed concession roaele
tight, fouled up schools, the local
election and meetings 'of all;
kinds.
Major story emanating from
the three-day storm was the
four-hour battle by plows and
an ambulance in the height of
the winds to take an expectant
mother to London hospital for
an operation.
There were hundreds of other
highlights:
Over 100. district high schoel.
students were stranded in town
and spent the night in the homes
of friends here.
About 125 civilians and airmen
living off the station were housed
in barrack blocks at RCAF .Sta-
tion Centralia Monday night. •
Two busloads of skiiers from
Detroit were marooned in Grand
Bend.
Twenty-five travellers took, re-
fuge at E. la -Chaffe's garage. at'
Devon corner.
Oddly enongh, only about 'five
reportable accidents occurred
and there have been no serious'
—Please Turn to Pagel
Cochrane
In Race?
W. G Cochrane, former Exe-
ter mayor, may be nominated
as the Liberal candidate in the
federal election, it was rumored
this week.
Mr. Cochrane is one of three
persons front whom the party
expects to pick its sbandarda
bearer at the nomination meet-
ing in Clinton Thursday after.
noon, The number of prospects
has narrowed :from the seven
candidates originally suggested.
Other two names mentioned
are A. Y. McLean, Seaforth, the
former MP, who has still not
indicated his position, and Hugh
R. Hawkins, Clinton, president
—Please Turn to Page
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PYJAMA PROM,. M - .Accommodation for 'district higli.
school students stranded in &dor wasn't a problem,but
finding enough pyjamas was, Above, SI -M118 Board Chair-
man r.. L, Snider ties to make An equitable distribution
of his .extra nightwear among four boys Whti stayed At.
It4
his home. 'Pram tliti left Aro Mr, Snider, Roward itannie:
I en Jones, George Troyer, all of Hensali; Wayne Little-
ton, Kippen; arid Mts. Snider. Mrs, Snider offerod_ the
boys one of her nighties but got no takers. She latot
found onough of her husband's to go around.—$A PhotO
WY