TUESDAY JAfRJARY 8, 1946 Trailers Mean Home To Veterans And Their Wives . - They’re making their home on wheels and on the whole, Mr. and Mrs. Ex-GI don’t seem to mind the idea. Living in trailer number a small brown abode, are Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rummel from Alliance, O. He was formerly a corporal in the 32nd division of the field artillery, and is now a freshman ma joring in forestry. Mrs. Rummel, a vivacious brunette, is enthusiastic about her new home: “I’m amazed at how nice it is. When we lived in town it yvas $47 for two rooms without cooking facilities, and herd it’s only $22 a month. I think the trailers are wonderful.’’ Small But Comfortable • The Rummel’s trailer is very small but at the same time it’s com fortable, well-heated by a kerosene stove (as are all the trailers), and provides adequate living conditions for two people. helps everyone else,” she said, “and we’re just like one big happy family.” On the complaint side, Mrs. Rumniel listed the necessity of carry ing all. the water from a central water-supply to the trailer. She also finds shopping in State College expensive, “a little out of a. college boy’s reach.” These two complaints seem to be the common ones on the part of trailer-town residents. Summing up, Mrs. Pummel says, “It’s fun; much better than any thing we expected.” Family Size Trailer Mr. and Mrs. Warren Adams, and their 18-months-old baby, Ro bert, of Allentown live in trailer number 11, a large family-size trail efr. This trailer is divided into sections for the baby, the parents, the kitchen, and the living room. Although the trailer residents are provided with curtains, Mrs. Adams has made sqme bright, cheery ones that make the place quite ■homey. Her husband, majoring. in vocational education apd formerly a staff sergeant in the Air Corps, does his studying at home after tfee • fesfey is aslegp. - ; ( '; Mi'S,■, Adams finds'.that the worst obstacle to trailer-camp Hying j has 'been- ’removed by the installation of a central Washipg inaphipe. :iFbrmebiyi.-pll .the w«|sh bad to fee done by hand. Now,, each woman gets’-two hours in which to do her laundry. l/ : J Tke youthful-lboking housewife arid mother apprecigt?? h§r temporary, home and said, “It means a lot to be here with my hus ■iband ?at/college even if it is a trailer.” V. Adding "a sad- note antk ope that b.e understood fey pther students, Mrs. Adams , sighed and said, “The boys feel thpt this : isfstill the army feecause they have to get up for those eight dlclockSi” Innovation On Wheels trailer houses Mr. and Mrs. Robert Reuter, |indjttieir ibaby daughter. Trudy, of Caimbridge, O. . , sfef ; SS?Vi®4 $? § first liepteflant in the Army Air Cgrps ;aT|di-is''.how studyipg forjestry. v i;x;]Vl,rs', .^e]iter tyyp other women in the trailer camp have forip- they , call “the club.” -iOne .flight a week , our husbands, stay! home with the Ibabies and to the movies anil' down to thq fSkellar for a glass Qf beer,” she said. ’ -JThe men have their day-too, for on Thursday flights the wives ;&tay ;home afldi-they go stepping. Both she. and her husband are.fond of State College: “My hfls ,J>an4..lbves 'it-stoji I- think it’s, -lovely, particularly the clean, snow-apd. iSfri and the beautiful mountains.” SALLY' By JANE WOLBARST THE COLLEGIAN Solve Trailers Officers Outline Trailer Boro Government By MERVIN WILF An acute, housing §hartag£ faced -fhe College last November. One of. the pressing problems was where to put married ex-servicemep grVjS thpir yiriyes. Pfo ppe wa§ more aware, of this problem thgn Vetergps’ Counsgilpr iiQbfetrt E. Galbrgith. One day in August, a -friend of Mr. Galbraith jokingly suggested housing married coggles in traiileVs. This idea took fqrm ifi sai ? s mind, arid he brought it to .the attention of Mr. Samuel K. Hostetter, assistant to the president in charge of business, and Mr. George W. Ebert, . i , hgad of grounds gnd buildings. Ssffll.' ' TOW©* They tpo thought that this would be the panacea for their troubles, and the plan was presented to the October 5 meeting of the execu tive committee of the Board of Trustees. They in turn flashed the “go” signal, and work began to ac quire the housing units The search ended at New Castle where the College, through the Federal Public Housing Authority, obtained 93 trailers vacated by wa r workers. The contract specifies that these units are oniy for the use of veterans, and the College lease on them is for one year. At pi'esent, 99 trailers are set up, 93 living units, three laundry units, and three lavatory units. Of the living units, 21 are of the expansible type, 15 by 21 feet, which have two sections for beds, a kitchenette, and a living room. These are primar ily designed for couples with children. The re maining 72 are one room, standard-sized trailers. These 7 by 22 feet units have day beds at either end and the kitchenette in the center. One factor that pleases most veterans is the low price of their hopies. Cost, including electricity, heat, and water, is $2B per month for the family size, and $22 for the smaller ones. All leases are made on a month-to-month basis. Each trailer comes equipped with an oil stove for heating, a gas stove for cooking, ice box, sink, folding table, four chairs, and curtains. Ample closet space brings favorable. comment from the housewives, and many of them have added their own furniture to make their cheerier. Insuring adequate protection from the, ■ cold Penn State winter and its hot summers, each unit is insulated with rock wool. To aid the residents in any way whatsoever, Daniel De Marino, assistant dean of men, was ap pointed the liasion agent bebvveen the College and the trailer camp. His work will now be tp cooper ate with -the eleoted officers pf the new “borough" 9R through •hisveffoft.S| -tWb^wasfoing.-niae%ies boards, and;scrub brushes in the communal laun dries until coin-operated Sendix automatic units become available. Acute Housing Shortage By LAIIRY FOSTER William Qsjcay, 27-yejr-old ifavy veteran, is thp newly-elected burgess of the trailer camp, and' he assumes his pbligatiop with a definite goal in mincjj. Effyer in the two years that Bill spent in the South) Pacific as a Navy ensign, gid he imagine that today he wpuld hold the top public office in his conumir nity. ' ;• According to Qs&ay, “The primary objective in organizing our community is to enable us to get together so that we may .be able to help each other. Living in a trailer camp presents problems that we will have to face collectively.' Soon we expect to take our place as a boro of the Community of State College.” In the recent election, trailer camp residents voted a burgess and six councilmen into office. At their next meeting, they expect to vote on a seventh member of the council, and then they Will have a set-up similar to other Pennsyl vania communities. Each council- man has a specific department of which he or she is in charge, Two women were elected, to the council, giving the ladies a voice in the affairs of the community. Mrs. Edward Drew is the trailer camp’s new social recreation leader. This young lady takes her job seriously and has big plans for the future recrea tional facilities at the camp. “We need a recreation building badly,” says Mrs. Drew. “At present we have no place to gather to meet our neighbors and pass our spare time. Aside from being a meeting and recreation hall, the building could also serve as a place for children to stay while their mothers go shopping." “It’s the first time I’ve ever had anything to do with politics,” said Mrs. Stanley Gross, who was elected to the position of secretary of the council. With that, Mrs. Gross introduced to us what she claims is the trailer camp’s biggest baby. His name is- Stu and all five feet seven inches and. 170 pounds of him is doing graduate work in poultry husbandry. Stu is Mr. Gross’s brother and not their “baby.” However, he is the only eligible male in the trailer camp. ; Although Dwight King is the councilman in change of public safety, he claims he hasn’t pinch ed one resident of the community for parking, or, for that matter, he hasn’t given out a ticket at all. Charles J. Stauffer, veteran of 38 months of overseas duty, is in charge of public works, and Howard J. Nurnberger from Avalon is treasurer and head of ppblic relations. Lester Hackenjherry is the sixth, councilman and his job is taking care of the health -and sanitation needs Of the commu nity. During the war he piloted a P-51. We’ll be hearing more about Penn State’s trailer camp and the people that go to ma]ce it up. PAGE SEVEN
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