Montgomery County sentinel. [volume], November 19, 1959, Image 1

About Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974

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THIS ISSUE
13,382
(Subject to Audit)
11,127 Paid
iIDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS
REPORT OF MARCH 31. IFM
103 YEAR -N. 50 --wBYIILB MARYLAND THURSDAY. NOVEMBER If, l* 2 SECTIONS-22 NEWS FADES Tin f Rnto [| Copy
Spanking
Backed by-
Whittier
School Superintendent C.
Taylor Whittier thinks it’s a
good idea for the school sys
tem to have a law allowing
it to spank problem children.
“I would hate to be associated
with a school system that did
not have such authority," he
said on ‘‘City Side,” a television
program broadcast last Satur
day over WTOP-TV.
The school administrator also
said in response to a question
that he does not propose to ask
for a teachers' salary hike in the
coming budget. A major boost
was granted teachers last year
by the county.
On the subject of spanking,
Whittier emphasized that he be
lieves the chief value of such a
permissive law is the fact that
it serves as a psychological de
terrent to some pupils.
If some badly-behaved pupils
did not know that the school
had the authority to administer
corporal punishment, he indi
cated, they would be extremely
difficult—if not impossible—to
handle.
He said he did not know
whether there had been any
cases of spanking by adminis
trators in the school system this
school year.
Whittier stressed that under
the State law, punishment may
only be administered by the
principal and then only in the
privacy of his office.
The question was directed at
Whittier as a result of an as
sertion by Juvenile Court Judge
Alfred D. Noyes on the same
TV program two weeks earlier.
Noyes had stated that he
thought It was a good idea for
the school system to give some
pupils an occasional “smack.”
/'“"N
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Quentin V. Frey
Gaithersburg
Town Post
Goes to Frey
Quentin V. Frey, jr., 38-
year-old partner of the firm
of Holmead and Frey, land
surveyors, has been appoint
ed City Councilman for Gai
thersburg to fill out the un
expired term of Rodney M.
Thompson, who resigned in
September. The term lasts
until May, 1962.
Still unfilled is the vacancy
ereated by the resignation Oc
tober 31 of E. Russell Gloyd,
another Councilman. A spokes
man for the city said however
that several well-known Gaith
ersburg residents have been ap
proached with a view of taking
over Gloyd’s term.
Frey was a member and sec
retary of Gaithersburg’s Zoning
Board for four years and is the
atep-son of J. J. Ilgen, of Rock
ville, director of the Department
of Inspections and Licenses for
the District of Columbia. Frey
is called "Dinny” by his asso
ciates.
A native of Chambersburg,
Pa., Frey did not settle in Gai
thersburg —he lives at 118
Meem ave.—until his discharge
from the Navy after World
War 11. He served a little more
than three years aboard the
U. S. Bogue, converted aircraft
carrier, in support of the Afri
can campaign and in the North
Atlantic on submarine patrol.
He enrolled in George Wash
ington University after his dis
charge but did not graduate.
SUtpf “ Timriii Scitioel
Our Deadlines
Will Be Friday
Due to the Thanksgiving
holiday next week, the" Sen
tinel will be delivered Tues
day morning instead of
Thursday.
This means that the dead
line for all news and advertis
ing for next week’s issue will
be Friday. We are sorry to In
convenience our readers and
advertisers this way but It is
unavoidable. On the occasion
of Thanksgiving the Senti
nel would like to express its
sincere thanks for the ex
pressions of friendship and
support we have received.
School Aid
Plan Hit by
Northrop
Opposition to a proposed
new formula for distributing
State school aid to Mary
land’s counties was express
ed this week by State Sen.
Edward S. Northrop (D-
Mont.).
The so-called Mort plan, he
said, would discriminate unfair
ly against the larger urban
counties, such as Montgomery,
and Baltimore City.
Sen. Northrop, who is chair
man of the State Senate's pow
erful finance committee and
served last year as Senate Maj
ority Leader, explained his
views by pointing out that the
more populous counties
Montgomery, Prince Georges,
Baltimore (County) and Anne
Arundel and Baltimore City
contribute approximately three
fourths of the State’s revenue.
Accordingly when the State
gets around to handing U back
to the counties on such a basis
as that proposed in the Mort
plan, the larger counties will
receive less than they put into
the State coffers.
Under the Mort plan, the
State would be paying an over
all average of 45 per cent of
county school budgets. Depend
ing on whether a county is rich
er or poorer than the average,
the State would pay less or
more than 45 per cent of that
county’s school budget.
“I am afraid the Mort plan
would not help the bulk of
teachers and the bulk of stu
dents where the help is most
needed (in the populous areas),
Northrop said. Over two-thirds
of the pupils in the State are
in the urban counties or Balti
more City, Northrop said.
He said Northrop said the
present equalization formula on
which State school aid Is based
has been gradually becoming
more equitable as assessment
rates are becoming more and
more equal among the various
counties.
In the past, some counties
the smaller ones have delib
erately kept their property as
sessments low in order to qual
ify for more State aid. This
is gradually being corrected,
Northrop pointed out, and as it
is, State School aid is being
more equitably dispensed under
the equalization formula.
“Until they can work out a
more valid basis for a change,”
he added, “I think the present
program of giving direct aid
is the best.”
In County
First of 3 Youth
Centers Due Soon
The first of three county
youth centers planned for
Montgomery County will get
under way next year in Be
thesda.
Two more—one in Wheaton
and another in Silver Spring—
are in the works at the Mary
land-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission.
The Bethesda center site is op
posite a public parking lot in
the 4500 block of Walsh st. Two
houses on the site will be razed
next year to permit construc
tion of a two-level center costing
about $125,000.
Funds for a similar center in
Wheaton are in the plannig
Commission budget this year,
but the Silver Spring center is
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“GOODBYE, ELEANOR,” says Potomac farm
er and columnist Drew Pearson as he
watches his 87-strong milking herd being
sold Monday. Pearson has for years named
his cows after political figures, "Eleanor
New Station
Will Open
On Friday
Captain Paul O. Alexander
and 52 police officers are
set to move into the brand
new Wheaton-Glenmont Po
lice Station Friday.
Although official dedication
of the building at the Glenmont-
Colesville rd. (WHitehail 2-5400)
la- not gxpests* until January,
men at the station will imme
diately start supervising their
approximately 100 square miles
of territory—second only in size
to Rockville.
Rough boundaries of the sta
tion: Plyers Mill rd. on the
South, Howard County line on
Rt. 97 to the North, the Prince
Georges County line on the east
and Rock Creek to the West.
Police officials expect that
the Wheaton-Glenmont station
will be the county’s biggest
within r decade as wave after
wave of suburban subdivision
marches out Georgia ave. and
Colesvllle rd.
Rockville station now covers
about 350 square miles, while
Bethesda has 31 and Silver
Spring has about 82.
To control his area, Capt.
Alexander will have a fleet of
four “beat” cars, four detective
cars, one accident investigation
car and two motorcycles. Other
county police cars are always
available through the Rockville
headquarters dispatcher.
The station will have eight
civilian clerks but as yet, there
are no jail cells because of the
steel strike.
Second in command will be
Lt. Fred Thrailkill, only recent
ly promoted from Sergeant.
Capt. Alexander was promoted
from Lieutenant at the same
time. He is 48, married with one
child, and lives at 4831 Flanders
ave., Kensington. He has been
on the force 20 years.
still in the proposal stage.
Central business districts
were deliberately selected for
the centers. One reason was to
help siphon car loads of kids
away from drive-in restaurants
and other establishments in
in "bright light districts.”
The centers are the outgrowth
of Master Plan of Schools,
Parks and Recreation brought
out by the Commission in 1956.
As conceived, the Commission
would keep ownership and mafti
tain the centers, while the Mont
gomery County Department of
Recreation would operate them.
The centers would be avail
able to other groups during
school hours but the children
would have the centers to use
afternoon and evenings.
Roosevelt” (above), being one of his favor
ites. Pearson sold his Holsteins because of
the high cost of labor and because of the
pressure of his newspaper work.
Staff Photo.
Go.RMHS.Go!
Saturday’s the Big Day
For Stalwart Rockets
Any resident of the Rockville area who stays at
home Saturday to watch televised football is down
right foolish!
The Richard Montgomery-Wheaton High School
game—last of the season for RMHS—at Wheaton bids
fair to be one of those real thrillers that don’t come
down the pike often.
Examine what’s at stake: (1) a possible tie for
RHMS in the Bi-County League; (2) a chance for
RMHS to extend its season’s win streak to 18; (3) a
chance for RMHS to notch its 12th straight victory
over powerful Wheaton, beaten only once this season.
Both RMHS coach Roy Lester and his opposite
Bill Hahn at Wheaton have worked determinedly to
have their teams “up” for the tilt. Richard Mont
gomery, for instance, has stayed away from crushing
scrimmage work, fearing injuries before this crucial
game of the year.
Hahn will go into the game the possessor of 116
wins as a coach at Fort Hill and Wheaton High
Schools. Lester on the other hand is conning a squad
whose predecessors were able to win only five games
in the three years just past.
But Lester’s stalwarts have piled up an amazing
275 points this year and won’t be denied one last, all
out bid for victory. They’ll get that chance and fans
will have the opportunity of watching what likely will
turn out to be the season’s most talked about local
game when the referee’s whistle starts the game at
2 p.m.
To Stem Complaints
Small Whisky Bottles
Banned in Rockville
Sale of whisky, vodka and
gin in miniatures and half
pints and wine in pints was
cut off in Rockville’s two
County Liquor Dispensaries
this week.
County Manager Melvin L.
Reese imposed the ban Monday
in an attempt to stem constant
complaints of disorderly con
duct and loitering outside the
North Washington st. dispen
sary.
The other dispensary at Con
gressional Plaza was Included
for fear displaced patrons would
move there.
Thirsty customers can still
buy wine by the pint in at least
nine Rockville taverns, gin or
vodka. If they want whisky,
they’ll have to buy it in pints at
dispensaries.
Reese said "This action will
relieve If not correct the situ
ation which Is a problem—but a
controlled problem (elsewhere)
in the county.”
He also told the County Coun
cil that the County Liquor Con
trol Board eventually will re
move half-pints and miniature
bottles of whisky from all
county dispensaries.
The Rockville merchant Glen
Koepenick wrote several let
ters to the County Council, both
as a merchant as an ex-presi
dent of the Rockville Chamber
of Commerce. He complained
that drunks and panhandlers
were attracted to the next-door
dispensary where they would
ntury of Service
loiter on the sidewalk and in
front of his store.
He claimed that many of his
regular customers were afraid
to patronize his store for fear
of harm to their wives and chil
dren.
He got at least some moral
support from Reese in this con
tention. “We have to recognize
this as a social problem ... we
can’t close our eyes,” he said.
But he pointed out that it is
not a new situation nor one con
fined to the area of the liquor
store. Councilman David L.
Cahoon said "Similar problems
fxist throughout the Rockville
business district, although we
are providing a focal point at
the dispensary.”
Keopenick has long contend
ed that since the dispensary
drew objectionable clientel, the
problem it created was one the
county had to control, Inasmuch
as the county operates under a
liquor control law.
Occasional police prowl cars
are a help, he said, but are not
sufficient because the loiters
melt away and come back when
police move on.
A deputy sheriff is employed
by owner of the shopping cen
ter, but his main job is to con
trol traffic around a corner in
the parking block, well away
from the dispensary.
Dispensary personnel contend
that their only responsibility is
conduct of patrons in the store.
Police Check On
Teachers Asked ('
Solicitors
Regulation
Drawn Up
The Montgomery County
grand jury and the County
Council this week moved
ahead with efforts to crack
down on objectionable door
to-door solicitors and maga
zine salesmen.
The grand jury’s final state
ments Tuesday contained the
observation that “matters com
ing before his grand jury have
amply demonstrated the need
for an adequate law licensing
door-to-door salesmen. . .”
At almost the same time
Tuesday, the Council revealed
a proposed ordinance controlling
such salesmen. A public hear
ing on the ordinance will be set
soon.
Its chief points:
• “Solicitors” means those
going from door to door with
the purpose of getting orders
for the sale of merchandise, in
cluding magazines.
• The ordinance will be coun
ty-wide, excepting Incorporated
cities—unless they wan* to be
covered.
• A license will cost $3 and Is
good a year.
• Those 18 and over will be
finger-printed by police.
• Statement of criminal rec
ords must be given.
• Violators of the ordinance
could be fined SIOO and jailed
up to six months.
Only-two weeks Ngo, Xt&te's
Attorney Leonard T. Kardy ap
peared before the Council and
issued a strong plea for such an
ordinance. He told of how so
licitors and magazine salesmen
have forced their way into
county homes and molested
housewives.
When solicitors apply for a li
cense, they must give a descrip
tion of the merchandise to be
sold. And they must furnish
two self photographs, one of
which is to be attached to their
licenses which must be shown
upon request.
If solicitors use cars in their
work, they must furnish license
numbers and a description of
the car.
Those excused from the or
dinance are persons who:
• Are under 16 years of age.
• Visit residence by invita
tion.
• Those selling merchandise
to retailers, wholesalers, etc.
• Newspaper routemen or
boys.
• Hawkers and peddlers who
carry their wares with them for
immediate delivery.
Disbeliever
Loses Plea
For Ruling
A petition to grant a no
tary public license to Roy
R. Torcaso, self-professed
unbeliever in God, was dis
missed Wednesday by Mont
gomery County Circuit
Court Judge Ralph G. Shure.
Judge Shure said in a four
page opinion: “The Court finds
no conflict with the United
States Constitution or the Con
stitution of Maryland , . .”
Torcasp, Wheaton resident,
contended through a battery of
lawyers that the U. S. Constitu
tion did not require him to
state a belief in God, and that
the Maryland Declaration of
Rights which does was
unconstitutional.
Judge Shure held that Tor
caso's privilege to believe in an
Almighty Being was not at
stake: rather, he ruled, “In
Maryland, Article 37 of the De
claration of Rights is a restric
tion applicable to those who
wish to hold a position of profit
or trust . . . This restriction is
a qualifying condition and it
seems most assuredly to be one
which may be rightly imposed
by a sovereign State dealing
with its own officials.”
Semi-Annual Grand Jury Advocates
Action in Report to Circuit Court
h ailure of the county school system to screen em
ployes—including teachers—for possible criminal back;
grounds was criticized this week by the county grand jury*
All persons hired for jobs in
schools should have their back
ground checked by county po
lice, the jurors said in a report,
adding:
"Cases have come before this
grand jury in which persons
with unsavory backgrounds
have been employed in the
school system but who should
have been eliminated from con
sideration for such work had an
efficient background investiga
tion been made prior to employ
ment."
After the jury submitted its
report, State’s Atomey Leonard
T. Kardy told reporters the
jury acted because of matters
coming before it including the
case of a county school janitor
indicted for keeping a narcotics
needle in his school locker.
The prosecutor also said that
during last term of court a
county teacher “with a previous
record of homosexuality” had
been brought before the Jury
for a sex offense.
“All county government em
ployes are fingerprinted and
mugged but that is not being
done by the school board,”
Kardy said. He added that the
grand Jury believed school
board employees should be "en
compassed” by the county
screening procedure.
Commenting on the report,
Dr. C Taylor Whittier, county
school superintendent, said
there would be no objection to
the suggested procedure as far
as he knew but he added that he
knew of no place where teachers
were fingerprinted and mugged.
“Of course, there Is the sheer
volume of work as far as the
school board Is concerned that
is to be taken into consider
ation,” he said.
There are almost 3000 teach
ers and a total of about 2000
others on the school payroll, he
pointed out.
“I would question whether a
check of county police records
would do much good in view of
the fact that so many of our
teachers come from different
parts of the country,” Dr. Whit
tier added.
“We insist on adequate char
acter references in all cases now
and we are developing our sup
porting services staff so that we
will be able to provide greater
screening for custodial person
nel,” he declared.
Dr. Bird Memorial?
Name Change Weighed
By County Hospital
Changing the name of
Montgomery General Hos
pital, Olney, Md„ to “Dr.
Bird Memorial Hospital” is
under study by the hospital’s
board of directors.
Spokesmen said Board Presi
dent C. Willard Harvey will
soon appoint a committee of di
rectors to bring in a recom-
Planners Buy
$200,000 Site
Of Park Area
Sixty-two acres straddling
Lux la., Bethesda. have been
purchased for a little more than
$200,000 as the first segment of
the Cabin John Regional Park,
it was learned Wednesday.
Dr. Alex C. Levin sold the
tract to the Maryland-National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission. Its Eastern boundary
is the Washington National
Pike and its Western boundary
is Cabin John Creek.
Forty acres are situated
North of Lux la., and 22 lie to
the South. Its purchase price
represents about half that set
aside in Ihe Commission’s
budget for land acquisition in
the regional park. Joined to the
Cabin John Stream Valley
Park, the regional park even
tually will contain 438 acres.
Weather Outlook
Warmer Friday, Saturday,
chance of rain Saturday. Four
to eight degrees below normal
highs, lows, of 54, 37. Low
Wednesday was 19.
Jury Cites
Problem of
Illegitimacy
The county grand jury
which reported Tuesday,
after six days of studying!
the crime situation here
thinks:
• All persons in the county
convicted of a felony should be
required to register.
• The number of illegitimate
children being reported in the
county is disturbing and expert
sive to the county’s taxpayers.
It also approved county plans
to build a new Jail by next year
agreeing that the facility on
the top of the courthouse has
“outlived its usefulness” at that
location.
In addition, the Jury said in
its report that It is “convinced
that the police and the courts
are doing a good Job in keeping
crime at a minimum for a coun
ty the size of this one.”
The jury said the State’s At
torney’s office presented for its
consideration 99 presentments,
the testimony of 189 witnesses
was heard and 91 indictments
were returned. Nine cases were
“ignored.”
Foreman of the 25-member
grand jury was Fred L. Lutes,
Silver Spring banker.
la citing ¥h> problem,ef
Ultimate children, the Jurors <te>'
dared: “The grand Jury has ne
solution to the problem but feats
that the sanctity of home and
family should be constantly em
phasized.”
In its report the jury also de
clared it was “pleased to find
that no juveniles are confined in
the jail at this time.” A sepa
rate room is maintained at one
end of the jail for detention of
juveniles. Social agencies have
decried this practice but a move
ment to build a special juvenile
detention facility has failed to
date.
In connection with the re
quirement that felons should
register, the Jury report de
clared: "Matters coming before
this grand Jury have seemingly
demonstrated the necessity for
the police department to exer
cise constant vigilance over
known sex perverts and narcotic
addicts who are taking up resi
dence in the county.”
mendatlon on the question. The
action was prompted by a
recommend&tlon of the hos
pital s executive committee after
numerous such suggestions had
been received from the public.
The proposed new name
would honor the late Dr. Jacob
W. Bird, physician who prac
ticed in Sandy Spring for sft
years and was credited with
foiindlng the hospital In 192 ft.
Both Dr. Bird and his wife,
Jean, were killed In a traffic
crash last October 25 in Hunts
ville. Ala. whore they had gone
to visit Dr. Bird’s son, J. W.
Bird, jr., on a short vacation. A
car coming out of a side road,
• Please Turn to Page A3>
lieud All About
The Teen Center
How do teenagers behave
when they are given the
right to govern their own
conduct, deal with hundreds
of dollars of Income a
month, and plan activities
for themselves?
Well, if you will please,
turn to Page Bft and you
will find out. There you’ll
find a complete story, with
pictures, on Rockville’s new
Teen Center —the first of
Its kind In the Metropolitan
Wu>hington area.