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MCHENRY PLAINDEALER SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 VOLUME 99 - NUMBER 49 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1975 18 RAGES - FIFTEEN CENTS Crash Fatal Estates Man One-Vehicle To Sunnyside A citation for improper turn at an intersection was issued to Edward J. Dentro of 2303 Country Club road, Woodstock, following a collision at the intersection of Johr.?burg road and Riverside drive, north of McHenry. The mishap oc­ curred Saturday afternoon about 4 o'clock. Krista Taylor, 8, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don Taylor, pulls beard of Santa to show her classmates at Valley View school that he's real. A proud Krista, unable to convince her friends that Santa Claus is her uncle, settled their doubt when she brought him to school last Friday - a little late for Christmas 1974, but Just about right to keep excited youngsters believing in the magic of the big man in the red suit another holiday season. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD No Santa Claus? Preposterous! That isn't to say there weren't a number of skeptics in the third grade at Valley View school. But it changed when the door of Mrs. Cindy Morimoto's classroom qpefied to greet the jolly man la$t Thursday. In he walked, the bulky man with the silky white hair and beard, and spent a full hour talking to the children and showing them films of his reindeer and elves. Santa's visit was arranged after 8-year-old Krista Taylor proudly went to school at Christmas time, showing her classmates a letter from Santa. There were some believers, but others scoffed at the idea that indeed, Santa had written her a letter. Then the big man arrived in town, bringing with him a Raggedy Ann doll. Again the young lady's claim to fame was met with rebuffs. After all, her uncle was Santa Claus and no one would believe it. Krista gave the problem some thought, and decided the only way out of her dilemma was to bring him to school. With the good nature inherent in the good saint, he complied with her wishes and an entire third class at Valley View school believed. Not .many folks know that Santa once lived right here in McHenry. As LeRoy Scholtz he graduated in 1944 from M.C.H.S. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Scholtz, still reside here. It was some years later that he entered, by chance, into a career that was to make him the No. 1 man in a child's life. It was while working in a post office in Kansas that he took a seasonal, part time job as Santa. The experience was a satisfying one for Scholtz. Later, upon learning of an opening at Santa's Workshop, a theme park, near the Adirondack Mountains, North Pole, New York, he applied and was hired. At first Scholtz was the youngest of five, the others all advanced in years. Within a short time all had retired and Scholtz became No. 1, a coveted position he still holds. He has a stand-in, but there is only one Santa Claus at the park. When a little girl at Valley View asked him just what time in his life he decided to become Santa, Scholtz told her it was when his grandpa decided to retire. "It is an all consuming job and it takes a lot out of you", he observed with conviction. It was his way of explaining why his predecessors in the job chose to retire. Santa visits with "children" of all ages, from 1 to 100, from unknown people in small towns to governors. Among those with whom he has chatted in the last eight years were Gov. and Mrs. Wallace of Alabama, Gov. and Mrs. Scott of North Carolina, Gov. and Mrs. Wilson of New York, Jodi of Family Affair television fame, Mary Ann of Gilligan's Island, and Comedian Red Skelton. From the end of May to mid- October, Santa visits with about 3,000 people daily, and in a year's time he includes 150,000 among his admirers. Most of them, of course, are children. Does he like his job? "You can bet 1 do," the big man says emphatically as he points with pride to the fact that 85 per cent of his wardrobe is red. He even travels in a small red and white car. Located 100 miles south of Montreal, where the 1976 summer Olympics will be held, Santa tells a heartwarming story of the park's founding by the Reiss family twenty-seven years ago. The holiday was just past, and one of the small members of the family asked her parents where Santa went after Christmas Eve. In pondering their answer, the parents conceived the idea of a park where Santa would be present much of the year. Today, according to Scholtz, fourth and fifth generation members of the Reiss family still work at the 50-acre park, which was built around the nativity pageant Christmas theme. They raise their own reindeer, which are used in the Story of Christmas. After visiting his family in McHenry, Santa started out on his travels which take him (Continued on page 15) Elect Officers The rumblings about gas rationing, either combined with higher prices or alone, are greeted by this writer with less than a small amount of enthusiasm. We have long heard the argument that rationing is more fair than higher taxes. The poor can't afford rising prices. This is true, but the poor are now paying higher prices for food, clothing and other necessities of life. Increased gasoline taxes will also hurt, but it should encourage the very things for which they are advocated - car pools and use of public transportation. Those who are unemployed will have much less need for gasoline. Can you imagine the fairness of rationing under the red tape of bureaucratic bungling? The < rich and powerful would manage to get their gas at t higher prices or with rationing. Anything that hurts the poor is unpopular for politicians to support because the poor also^ vote. Anything that hurts the' poor should be unpopular with all of us just because we are fellow human beings. Nevertheless, except for the poverty class which can hardly afford gasoline or anything else at present prices, the group classified as poor usually seems able to select some form of leisure activity, which is as it should be. We feel this choice should be available for all of us if it is not (Continued on page 15) Pistaqua Heights On Problems Of Focuses Pollution A continued focus on problems of water pollution and shoreline protection against erosion were pinpointed as goals of the Pistaqua Heights Improvement association at its election meeting. Charles (Chuck) Batchelder, 890 Pau Puk Kewis trail, succeeds Paul Berg as president of the association which includes home owners living on or near the shores of Lake Matthews, the Meyers bay area and connecting channels. Other officers are Steve Benchick, administrative vice-president; Dick Braefield, vice-president; Vergil Lyon, treasurer, and Blanche Jauman, secretary. Serving with the officers on the board of directors are five zone representatives elected to two-year terms. They are Jay Becker, Wallace Bochonko, Jim Doran, Louise Dumke and Cammife^Hunt. Spring Grove Program Community Invited To View NevT School Plans The aeration system installed last year in Lake Matthews will be evaluated to determine its effectiveness in pollution control. If the findings are favorable, the system will be enlarged to cover the entire lake. As he outlined his plans, Batchelder seemed to reflect the mood of the community in his own experience: "When we moved into Pistaqua Heights we did not move into just a house, we moved into a total environment; a place where (Continued on page 15) According to deputies, Dentro was east-bound on Johnsburg road and as he made a right turn onto Riverside drive, slid on loose gravel. As he did so, Dentro entered the north-bound lane of Riverside drive and hit a car driven by John R. Straza of 2714 Stilling drive, McHenry, which was stopped at the sign. Two Wonder Lake people were taken to McHenry hospital for treatment following an accident Saturday night at 4405 E. Wonder Lake road, Wonder Lake. David A. Clinton of 3109 Park drive and Mary E. Clinton of the same address, were taken to the hospital by the Wonder Lake This twisted metal is all that remains of a pickup truck driven by Roy V. Stetter of McHenry, who was killed when the vehicle struck a utility pole early Monday morning. He was traveling north on Riverside drive when the truck left the road on a curve and crashed into the pole. R&R PHOTODESIGN Rescue squad following (he auto-pickup truck accident. Driver of the car, Maynard J. Jacobson of 4506 W. Lake Shore drive, Wonder Lake, was ticketed by sheriff's deputies for driving while intoxicated. Clinton told authorities he had just pulled away from the parking lot at the Village Mart and was traveling about 30 mph when his vehicle was hit in the rear by the Jacobson car. Spring Adult Education Classes Start In City According to Jacobson, Clinton's truck stopped in front of him and he could not halt in time to avoid a collision. A two-car accident at the corner of Chapel Hill road and Route 120 last Tuesday af­ ternoon resulted in a ticket for leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage being issued to William J. Feeney of 2317 Lincoln road, McHenry. Feeney stopped at the sign and as he pulled onto the high­ way, he saw a car driven by Abatha A. Drohan of 1020 Lake Shore drive, Ingleside, making a left turn in front of him. He was unable to stop in time to avoid making contact. Feeney staied he was partially blinded by the sun at the time of the accident. He left the scene and was traced through his license number which Mrs. Drohan had obtained after the collision. Both drivers were ticketed after an accident at the in­ tersection of Route 31 and Bull Valley road, south of McHenry. (Continued on page 15) Registration is still open for classes at McHenry Com­ munity high school West campus this evening, Wed­ nesday, Jan. 22, from 7 U>9 p.m. and also during the first nights of classes, Jan. 27 through Jan. 30 in the main office at West campus. Three new offerings this semester include Script Writing, Macrame, and English as a Second Language. A course in Individual Income Tax will be offered for those looking for assistance in filing their personal returns. Some of the course offerings this semester include Basic Typing, Beginning and Ad­ vanced Keypunch, General Educational Development, foreign languages, and crafts. For those with an artisitic flair, Portrait Painting, Flower Arranging, Photography, Beginning and Intermediate, Guitar, and Modern Dance and Exercise are offered. For those interested in money-saving home projects, offerings in Woodworking, Interior Design, and Auto Maintenance are available. Learning to drive or improving driving skills are possible in the three offerings of Driver Education, Defensive Driving, and Driver's License Review. Happy homemakers can become happier while improving skills in the areas of Sewing, Macrame, Knitting, Crocheting, and Yoga. Of­ ferings in the area of recreation include Men's and Women's A community meeting will be held at Spring Grove school Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. for the purpose of discussing the new school addition and remodeling program plapned by District 11. Announcement of the meeting, which will include a question and answer session, was made at the school board meeting last week. The board heard a report regarding possfble difficulties if electricity or gas service should be interrupted during the night. These services would not return automatically and would create problems if shutdowns occurred during the night or on weekends when no one was in the building. Don Anderson was instructed to look into the possibility of having the boiler wired with an emergency bell which would sound outside the building to alert someone of the trouble. Installation of a burglar alarm system was explained by Ralph Obenauf. Leasing would cost $261 for installation and $12 per month rental. Purchasing the equipment would cost $665 plus an additional charge for each service call. The matter was tabled until it is deter­ mined whether or not the burglar alarm system could be combined with the boiler emergency bell. Quinn Harris from Honeywell gave the board information as to maintenance charges and service for Honeywell ther­ mostats. This ^matter was tabled for further discussion. (Continued on page 15) Open McHenry Hospital Membership For 1975 "Membership in the not-for- profit McHenry Hospital corporation is now open for 1975," it has been anndunced by LeRoy E. Olsen, president of the hospital's board of direc­ tors. "In our annual appeal for members, we .stress that hospital policy and practices can be more responsive to the wishes of our service area if there is a wide representation of the population," Olsen said. "As we prepare to build the Northern Illinois Medical center as an advanced regional facility to serve this area of western Lake and McHenry counties, we have been assured a wide base of support by leaders of all communities in the region. This support, which Recreation, Swimming In struction, Scuba Diving, Judo, Small Boat Seamanship, and Bridge. For mothers or teachers, Crafts to Teach Children I and II would offer some creative approaches. Those who desire further information on course of­ ferings at McHenry high school should call West campus between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or between 7 and 9 p.m. and ask for Adult Education in­ formation. Several Escape When Snowmobiles Fall In Bay Two snowmobiles fell through thin ice on Pistakee Bay, near the end of Bayview Lane, Sunday afternoon Jack Wolf and his wife, Irene, of 800 S. Fairfield, Elmhurst, were on a snowmobile which plunged into the icy waters. They succeeded in getting out of the lake, went to a nearby home and were taken to their summer home at 823 Lakeview, McHenry. The couple returned to the scene later, and with assistance, succeeded in recovering their snowmobile from the lake. It was learned that earlier, a snowmobile towing a sled had gone through the ice in about the same location. The • Fox (Continued on page 15) cuts across city limits and county lines, can be reflected (Continued on page 15) Arrest Two For Burlgary Of Area Church Two Pistakee Highlands youths were arrested last week for the burglary of St. John the Baptist church, Johnsburg, which took place the night of Jan. 1. Arrested were Ronald C. Dew. 18, of 306 Nippersink drive, McHenry. and Linda A. Sager, 17, of 903 Ringwood road, McHenry. Each was charged with (Continued on page 15) Lark Wheelock Essay Winner l^ark Wheelock, a senior at West campus, was awarded first place in the Voice of Democracy essay contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 4600, and ladies' auxiliary. Her theme was "My Responsibility as a Citizen". She is shown above receiving her award from Ua Hogan, contest chairman for the auxiliary. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD Lark Wheelock a senior at­ tending McHenry Community high school, was the first place winner of the annual "Voice of Democracy" essay contest which is sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600 and its ladies auxiliary. Ila Hogan, chairman for the auxiliary, and Robert Freund, commander of the post, made the presentations at an awards night which was held at the post home last week. Second place award went to Andrew Oakley, a junior and Patty Berry, also a junior, took third place. All entries are students at McHenry Com­ munity high school West campus. No entries were received from East campus although the contest is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Other students who entered were Bill Hegner and Joe Karwacki, both seniors, and Dawn Benson a junior. (Continued on page 15) He's Real! Santo In January? Roy V. Stetter, 47, of 1708 W. Oakleaf drive, Sunnyside Estates, McHenry, died after the pickup truck he was driving crashed into a utility pole on Riverside drive, one-half mile south of Johnsburg road. The driver was the only occupant of the vehicle. He was taken to McHenry hospital by the McHenry Rescue squad, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. According to deputies, the pickup truck was north-bound on Riverside drive when it left the roadway on a curve and hit a large utility pole. The truck was completely demolished in the accident.