The Key West Citizen Newspaper, May 5, 1952, Page 7

———————— PAL IS A GREAT WORD IN KEY WEST JOHN VOSBURGH (This Article is reproduced in Its entirety from the December, 1947 issue of The Florida Peace Officer.) HEN LOUIS M. J. EISNER, a retired New York police- WV man, was appointed chief of police in Key West in 1945, he found himself faced, as all police chiefs do, | with a juvenile delinquency problem. Not that Key West was any worse than any other city— it wasn't—but there was q juvenile problem. The city was filled with war workers. In many famiftes both parents were breadwinners, leaving the children with- out supervision for many hours. Thousands of sailors from the Navy's great submarine base thronged the streets. As in all service towns this factor created an additional hazard for teen-aged girls. Civilian boys often roamed the neighbor- hoods in small gangs and though not actually criminal they were bothersome and sometimes felonious. Eisner didn’t want to get tough with the youngsters. He reflected that they were the victims of cirmumstances and if given the proper guidance could no doubt be placed on the right track. Looking back over his 21 years on the New York police force, he recalled that the best guidance for young people he had ever seen was right in the Police Athletic League (PAL) operated by the New York police. The new chief decided to set up a PAL in Key West. For seven weeks every Saturday night Eisner spoke for 15 minutes over the radio to the people of Key West about PAL. He addressed every civic club in town and talked to the city’s schoolchildren in auditoriums filled to capacity. A stocky, powerful man of about 50, with white hair accen- tuating a deeply tanned, jovial countenance, Eisner punched home his points on the need for PAL in Key West. He told of the need for recreation, the wartime perils for teenagers, the necessity of supervised recreation for the children of the city. The Police Athletic League would meet these needs, he explained. “What is this PAL? asked the people of Key West, and Eisner told them. "A private, nonprofit membership organi- zation which offers social and recreational opportunities for all the children of Key West. Its prime function is to develop strong bodies, mold character and teach civic pride. The objective of PAL is to make today’s children into responsible citizens for tomorrow's needs by teaching sportsmanship and community spirit through the mediums of wholesome and healthful recreation.” The Key West chief voiced thoughts similar to those re- cently expressed by Mayor O'Dwyer of New York who describes the Police Athletic y recreation to hundreds of Is who are unaffiliated with any League as “a most unique organiz thousa’ O'Dwyer said. “Through its ties, it is developing im a sense of responsi- For 11 y New Y been expanding and develop- ing its gre A such an extent that juvenile delinque percent. Closely associated with PAL y 18 h a uniformed and F ed to s West was in winning over a youth re 1 @ war workers’ de- was ais in charge were aiter hearing Eisners Louis M. J. Eisner The police chief found he had A-! assistance in a ber of Poinciana youth supervisors: Dr. Lucille Calverly, Monday, May 5, 1952 , Candidate tor Sheriff woman dentist; Marcel Mazeau, engineer; Charles Hic! poultry retailer; Charles G. McGraw, plumber a U. S. Army ordinance expert, employe for tw tions, and George Mills White, veteran Federal of Through the cooperation of White and Key West Authority an abandoned warel into a PAL clubhouse with gyn hall and many other recreat turns chaperoning the activities In New York the nse a > 8 but Eisner found t sary for this sort of activ to 600 boys and girls bet PAL members. spirit of the orga PAL.” A Cat use of this large center wes started. T ‘ J. W. Barr A H iow was all this financed? Il Civic support is its bank- boy and girl pays SOc a year for a member- to give them a feeling that they have t. Largest source of funds is from ps from adults and donations of serv ices as well as funds. erest test to which PAL has been sub- ] upset in 1946 which brought about anager and Chief Eisner. Despite ner continued his full support of s as strong as ever. Public spirited trative and supervisory capaci- Newspaper, The Citizen, has ind the movement witk powerful edi- gson, Mayor W. W. Demeritt rbonell and Hunter Harden bers of the board of directors although e sides of the political fence from er is PAL president and N. H. Pep- ctor, is treasurer. The wife of ‘THE KEY WEST CITIZEN Page? Eisner hopes to get at least two policemen of outstanding character to take an active part in the program as is the case in New York City. Once the children know the policemen are instrumental in providing them fun and recreation the juvenile delinquency problem is half won, An effort is being made to follow the. policy used in New York where the policemen often turn over responsibility to the roughest, toughest boys and girls. Clothed with authority over other youngsiers and made cognizant of their responsibility, the troublemakers usually become good and sometimes out- standing PAL members. PAL in Key West has entered a tremendously wide renge of activities. It has secured use of Navy pools for swimming. The president of the city bus line company, Jack Sellers, has lowered the bus rate to and from the pool to five cents. A PAL softball team participates in the city junior league. PAL teams enter the city junior ond girls basketball leagues. PAL holds field meets, bicycle races and model plane shows. The boys and girls practice painting and musical productions, enjoy reading and music in PAL centers, go on chaperoned weenie roasts and cooperate in producing floats or exhibiis for civic parades and similar events, When 10-year-old Earl Enser, a member of the PAL junior baseball team was siricken with polio in 1946, Chief Eisner and other PAL members hit on the idea of getting him a base- ball bearing the autographs of the New York Giants, Earl's favorite big league team. The Giants readily fell in with the idea and gladly answered the chief's request. An auto- graphed baseball wasn’t all they gave Earl, He also re- ceived an official Giant baseball cap and baseball book, autographed by team members, kt was a big day in Earl’s life when he received those gifts from the mighty Giants and showed them proudly to his fellow PAL members. The youngster seemed encouraged and renewed his game fight against the dread disease that had struck him down. PAL hobby shows and shellcraft exhibits have won wide acclaim for the painstaking work they reflect and the ex- quisite design and unusual detail of the collections, At least 3,000 persons visitd one of the PAL hobby shows last year. The hobbies ranged from fish scale collections to a full- rigged ship both made by 11-year-old boys. One lad dis- played a stamp collection, a coin collection, an exhibit of 100 pen-pal letters and 60 shoulder patches of fighting units, Many members of the Florida Peace Officers’ Association will recall the PAL shellcraft exhibit displayed at the 1946 state convention by R. C. Hicken, who was instrumental in helping Eisner organize PAL. Those attending the 1946 and ‘47 conventions will remem- ber Hicken, an earnest, heavy-set speaker and the fervor with which he explained the PAL movement at those meet- ings. To Hicken as to all good PAL workers, PAL is his first interest next to his family and business, In his parting words this year he expressed the hope that the Key West PAL movement “is blazing a trail for all to follow in every hamlet, town and city in our lovely State of Florida.” He pleaded for “a Statewide organization where- by the police, in cooperation with all law-abiding citizens will be in a position to offer to all of our children social and recreational opportunities and teach them the democratic way of living, through participation in activities that call for sportsmanship and respect for the rights of others.” It is through such measures that PAL is filling a long-ielt need in Key West. In those sections of the city where it is operating juvenile problems have decreased, Efforts are being made to set up PAL centers in the colored residential area and another in a section of the city where a PAL recrea- tional outlet is needed. More and more the city’s residents are realizing what it means not only to the boys and girls but to the community itself to be A Big PAL to a Little PAL.” Pull Lever 18-A (Paid Political Advt.)