iE SI ALLASC[20ST
VOL. 81 NO. 3
DALLAS, PA. THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 1970
area to pay tribute
to Hix, Post editor
by JANE BOLGER
An official “Mrs. Hicks Day’ was proclaimed
this week by Dallas Mayor Stephen Hartman in
honor of Mrs. T.M.B. Hicks, editor emeritus of The
Dallas Post, to give tribute to the famed journalist.
Mayor Hartman, by proclamation, designated
Sunday, Jan. 25, for the special occasion inviting
the entire Back Mountain community to partici-
pate in the open house day in honor of Mrs. Hicks
at College Misericordia from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in
Kennedy Lounge.
During the years since Mrs. Hicks assumed
nN at The Post in 1939, she has been an influ-
enttal part of life in the Back Mountain area.
Many organizations in the area are working
togther with Mrs. Hicks’ friends to make Sun-
day's festivities a memorable occasion for the
semi-retired editor. Clubs participating include
the Dallas Senior Women’s Club, Women of Ki-
wanis, Rotary Ann’s, Dallas Junior Women’s Club,
Harveys Lake Women’s Club, Dallas Kiwanis
Club, the Dallas Lions Club, Dallas Rotary and
the Bowman Creek Lions Club.
During the ceremony at the college, a tribute
will be given Mrs. Hicks by the Rev. Andrew Pil-
larella, representative Frank O’Connell and Mayor
Hartman. Tea will be poured by a committee of
women from the Dallas Senior Women’s Club
headed by Mrs. Lawrence Newheart.
Also highlighting the occasion will be a special
award presented in Mrs. Hicks’ name by North-
eastern Newspapers, Inc., publishers of The Dal-
las Post, The Abington Journal and The Mountain-
top Eagle. Sister Miriam Therese, R.S.M., college
president, on behalf of College Misericordia, will
aggept the $100 to be used for The Dallas Post Hix
Whiting Award. The annual award will be given to
students in three separate prizes. An award of $50
will be given to the student achieving excellence
in the creative writing workshop. Awards of $25
each will be given for top writing on Miss Recordia,
the college newspaper, and Instress, the literary
magazine, with faculty members to be judges.
Also included in the activities in tribute to the
78-year-old journalist will be a cash purse to make
possible Mrs.- Hicks’ long-time goal—a trip to the
Holy Land. Chairman of this aspect of the program
is Mrs. Frederick W. Anderson, with cochairmen
Mrs. Paul Rodda and Mrs. James Kozemchak.
The fund raising committee include Mrs. Andrew
Pillarella, Mrs. Thomas Reese, Patricia Reynolds,
Mrs. Leonard Cowett and Earl Phillips.
Mrs. Hicks, known to her affectionate readers
as HIX, retired three months ago from her post as
editor of this newspaper. She began her career
over 30 years ago, writing her first column as a
construction delay
on Carverton Road
The Carverton Road Project Association
was formed last week in an effort to delay con-
stffuction of a new state highway along the present
route. The group met at the Kingston Township
Municipal Building Jan. 13 after notifying listed
property owners on Carverton Road by letter of
the meeting. Approximately 30 residents of Trucks-
ville and Carverton attended.
The group from Trucksville is interested in de-
laying the proposed highway until sewers are in-
stalled in the area. Some of the residents have told
The Post that it would not be in the best interest
of taxpayers in the community to have a new road
built and then torn up for sewer installation.
The residents from Carverton indicated that
ti@ey do not want the project delayed. Many of
tfleir homes have been condemned by the state
and they cannot rent, sell or improve them, there-
fore they indicated that the sooner the matter is
"settled the better. Due to the difference in view
point they will have no part in the delaying action.
Officers were elected to represent the Trucks-
ville group. They are president, Jacob Harrison;
vice president, Howard Marquat, and secretary-
treasurer William Moss. $10 has been suggested
as a membership fee for any resident wishing to
join the association. The Post was told that over
$200 has already been pledged.
Officers of the group met Saturday with at-
torney James Brown to seek counsel on proceed-
ing with the delay. Attorney Brown will attempt to
get further information on the project from the
state highway commission in Scranton and will
report to the association at a public meeting to be
held Feb. 10, he said.
favor to her son, Warren, then editor of The Post.
Through the years since then, Mrs. Hicks has be-
come the personification of journalism in the Back
Mountain area. Her writing showed it was the
people she cared about and they in turn have come
to love and respect her.
A graduate of Goucher College, Mrs. Hicks
became associate editor of The Post in 1950. After
the death of publisher Howard Risley in 1962, she
became editor. During these years she also wrote,
in addition to her articles and columns, a book of
poetry and many children’s stories. She is cur-
rently writing two books, as well as continuing her
regular Post feature, Pillar to Post. :
Her fame was not confined only to this area,
in that Mrs. Hicks has long been recognized as an
outstanding newspaper woman by other members
of her profession. Included in her many honors,
continued on PAGE 8
Kingston boa
At the Kingston Township Board of Super-
visors meeting Jan. 14, secretary Michael Stanley
was authorized to send a letter to Dr. Hugo Maliley,
director of the Institute of Regional Affairs at
Wilkes College, requesting a meeting on the long
proposed Back Mountain police merger.
Two petitions were received by the board. The
first, signed by 51 percent of the residents of Mid-
way Manor requested mercury vapor street lights
for the development. Chairman E.W. Hall stated
that there will defintely be lights installed but the
date for installation has not been set. U.G.I. Corp.
is conducting a survey on lighting needs for Mid-
way Manor, Carverton Heights and Brown Manor.
Action will be taken by the board on the recom-
mendations made by U.G.I., the board said.
The second petition requested a public thor-
oughfare at Hilltop Acres. The supervisors will
investigate the matter.
Correspondence was received from the water
commission stating that they had reviewed a bill
submitted by solicitor Merton Jones for $1480.
Secretary Joan Lenahan stated in the letter that
the water commission had no information to sub-
stantiate the expenditure. A request was made for
copies of all briefs, correspondence and an item-
ized listing of fees. Township secretary Michael
Stanley was instructed to follow up the matter.
Police officer Clifford Culver was appointed
juvenile officer for Kingston Township. Police re-,
port for the month of December listed 241 miscel-
laneous calls made and 2346 miles traveled by the
cruiser.
Supervisors approved a weight limit of five
tons being placed on Church Road. The road is
being used as a detour while the Huntsville Bridge
to Route 309 is being constructed. A question has
risen over who will assume responsibility for the
road, the county or the township.
The board approved the use of the municipal
building on Mondays from 4 to 5:15 p.m. by a
newly formed Brownie Scout Troop. The request
was made by Mrs. Elwood Swingle, neighborhood
director. Permission was also granted for the
Brownies to maintain filing cabinets in the build-
ing.
Treasurer’s report was given by Michael Stan-
YOUR HiGHWAY ~~
TAX DOLAR
AT WORK
An unknown regional resident made this visual protest of the
slow snow removal situation. The sign was found jammed in
the snow across the street from a state highway garage.
Mrs. T.M.B. Hicks, who will be featured in the Hix Day cere-
monies Sunday at College Misericordia.
rd petitioned
ley and stated that there is $39,828.02 in the town-
ship fund. This consists of $10,110.15 in the road
fund, $11,717.87 in the real estate transfer fund
anc $18,000 in certificates of deposit.
The road adoption committee is planning ac-
tior on the approximately three miles of roads
presently recognized as township roads but not
. recorded as such at the courthouse. They are not
recognized by the state either and are therefore
not eligible for reimbursement. The roads are
being surveyed and their legal descriptions will be
turned over to solicitor Benjamin R. Jones III for
further action.
It was announced that the recreation commit-
tee is in need of new members. Chairman E.W.
Hall stated that they are open to suggestions of
names of residents, including women, who would
be interested in serving.
A list of exonerations was received from the
tax collector and accepted subject to review by the
auditor.
One resident congratulated the township on
its snow removal activities, but three others had
complaints. One resident said that his lawn and a
portion of a fence had been dug up by a payloader
plowing the snow. Another resident complained
that mail boxes were dug out in Midway Manor by
another payloader widening the corners. A resi-
dent of Mt. Airy Terrace stated that the state had
plowed Pioneer Avenue leaving high snow banks
that blocked vision at the intersection. Road super-
intendent Lawton Culver was assigned to investi-
gate the complaints.
Repairs and improvements to the municipal
building were discussed. The cellar is in need of
repairs and an outside cover for the stairway is
planned, the board indicated. Plans also call for a
storage shed outside the building.
TEN CENTS
road use
disgruntles
businesses
A five-ton weight limit placed on Church Road,
Trucksville, by the Kingston Township super-
visors last week has effected at least three local
businesses, The Post learned this week. Many
trucks from the Singer Co., American Asphalt
Paving Co., and Techweld, Inc., used the road
regularly before the ban was enacted. Use has
been heavier than usual because the road is being
used as a detour while the bridge from Huntsville -
to the Memorial Highway is being constructed.
The supervisors said they enacted the mea-
sure because they were concerned about safety on
the road. Chairman E.W. Hall stated that the Lu-
zerne County Commissioners passed a resolution
in 1968 naming the road an official detour. Kings-
ton Township officials had therefore assumed that
the road was the county’s responsibility.
Following the recent snowstorm, chairman
Hall said he contacted county engineer Bernard J.
Gallagher about the condition of the road and was
told it was not the county’s responsibility. Kings-
ton Township supervisors felt that the hill was too
dangerous for heavy vehicles to maneuver and
therefore put the truck ban on in order to force
the county to accept its responsibility.
After road supervisor Lawton Culver placed
the signs on the road, Kingston Township police
began giving warnings to truckers using the route.
Some trucks attempted to find alternate routes,
some turned back and others just went ahead.
Consequently the companies whose trucks were
involved sent representatives to meet with the
supervisors in an attempt to have the ban lifted.
Bernard Banks, vice president of American
Asphalt Co; said that tie road is the main gccess
to the company’s plant in Chase and that the
truckers were complaining. He said he felt that
the county had taken care of the road Friday and
he had fully expected that the signs would be
down Monday. Mr. Banks said that this was his
understanding following the meeting with the
supervisors that he had attended. He was attempt-
ing to reach Kingston Township solicitor Benjamin
R. Jones III to find out why the signs were still
there.
Hanford Eckman, plant manager of the
Singer Co., Trucksville, said that the weight ban
was certainly inconveniencing the company and
he was hopeful that the matter would be cleared
up soon. Mr. Eckman had also met with the su-
pervisors Friday night and commented that he
noticed that the road was now widened and cin-
dered.
Harry Swepston of Techweld, Inc., distribu-
tors for Air Reduction Sales Co., also attended the
meeting. Mr. Swepston said that his company’s
trucks only traveled the route one day a week,
Thursday, and they hoped that the ban would be
lifted and the road free and clear this week.
Kingston Township chairman E.W. Hall was
contacted Monday, and told The Post that the
weight signs will stay in place until the township
is satisfied as to what the county will do.
school resolutions passed
The Dallas School Board held a special meet-
ing Monday night primarily for the purpose of
paying bills that were not available at the regular
meeting last week.
After the bills were approved, two resolutions
were passed by the board. The first will permit the
Pennsylvania State Police to conduct a basic
police procedures series of classes at the Dallas
Senior High School. The classes will be conducted
Mondays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for
ten weeks beginning Feb. 9.
The second resolution adopted permits the
Dallas Senior High School varsity cheerleaders to
participate in the annual cheerleaders meeting at
the Catholic Youth Center, Wilkes-Barre, Wednes-
day, Jan. 28, and Tuesday, Feb. 3 :
It was announced that a representative of
Berkheimer Associates will speak at the Febru-
ary meeting of the school board. He will explain
the procedure for wage tax collecting and the re-
imbursement to the different municipalities. The
question arose about how: Berkheimer regulates
self-employed persons. Snyder and Clemente,
accounting firm, Kingston, are currently auditing
the books of the company.
It was announced by president John LaBerge
that he had made an unannounced visit to high
school classrooms last week. He was well pleased
with his observations and thought class participa-
tion was excellent and that teachers were putting
matters across in the proper manner. Mr. LaBerge
said he will try to visit the schools once a month.
It was reported that 225 students registered
for the Saturday morning recreation program for
intermediate students last week. There were 65
from grade 4, 68 from grade 5, and 92 from grade
6.
A report was received from the Back Moun-
tain Memorial Library Association on the number
of books taken out by students from the Dallas
School District during the month of November. A
total of 1922 books were borrowed, with Dallas
Senior High using 144 books, Dallas Junior High
using 264, Dallas Intermediate 235, Dallas Ele-
mentary, 1052, Shavertown Elementary, 67,
Trucksville Elementary, 49, and Westmoreland
Elementary 111.
Results were received from the N.E.D.T.
percentile tests that were taken by 217 Dallas
students. The average attained was 73, the national
media is 50. The feeling is that Dallas students
are being well educated when the scores that they
received in the tests are compared with the na-
tional average.