The Key West Citizen Newspaper, December 30, 1953, Page 5

Happy Christmas Season is Provided At The Old Folks Home This Year \Best Christmas Ever Caretakers And Towns people Give Oldsters A Merry Xmas By WILLIAM RUSSELL If the happiness of others makes) you happy, you would overjoyed at Christmas-time had. you been among the old folks at) the Codnty Home on Stock Is-| land. | All the inmates agreed it was the best Christmas t! had ex-/ periencél since entering the) Home. ‘The combined efforts of) many terned the Yulctide into 4) fruitful{season, both spiritually and malerialiy, for the 22 mem- bers of the Home. A biightly - decorated tree spread its cheerfulness all over’ the spatious living room of the caretak@s, Mr. and Mrs. Warren Bethel. [The voicessol young peo- ple rangout thraugh the halls and tooms @ beloved Christmas car- ols warped the hearts of the old folks. Boliday music filled the air as af orchestra enlivened the Home v¥ith strains of old Yule- tide favérites. Religious services and muge strengthened the souls of everyone and brought vividly! to mind the real meaning of Christmjs. | Duri the week preceding the ries a season, young folks} visited the inmates. They came| from public, parochial and priv-|~ } ate schopls and from the various|Praise of the young couple whojentertains the churched of the city. They sang|Watch over them in health and/songs and hymns they enjoy. | and recked about Christmas and/sickness, happiness and sorry—} ‘The Bethels, like the inmates,| give présents to the inmates./every day of the week and everylare also high in their praise—| Two solemn and religious man-|hour of the day. \praise for their helpers, Mrs. Ed-| @er sceres were donated by the} This feeling the inmates hold/na Mae Sawyer, the maid, and) students and Sisters of the Con-|for them can best be understood/Mrs. Concha Albury, in charge} vent of Mary Immaculate. |by a statement Mrs. Bethel madelof the laundry. “I can never op-} Membérs of churches of all de-!to this writer. “It is a pleasurelerate the Home as it should be! nominations held services, sang|to do what we can for these old!without their help,” Mrs. Bethel) Christmas carols and showered/folks,” she said. “I like it better!said. the old folks with gifts. jand better out here every day.’ A little bit of nature was| Fraternal and civic organiza-| contented and happy.” jbrought into the picture when| tions suppliéd gifts of cas The Bethels took charge of the|the Bethels took. charge of the} clothing, fruits and candy @/Old Folks Home on August 15|Home. . Bethel breeds para-| assisted in other ways in makingjof this year, It was nothing new/keets as a hobby and when they} each and everyone feel someone'to Mr. Bethel. His fathe: d|moved to the Home, cages full’ off really cared about them. |mother, Mr. and Mrs. Dalbertithe gaily colored birds came The American Legion supplied/Bethe!, operated the Home forjwith them. Their chirps and transportation to Christmas Light-/12 years when it was quartered|squawks fill the air in the rear ing Contest scenes and also sent/in an old frame building onjof the Home and bring a eertain t’ orchestra Christmas Day. |Pauline Lane, better known asinearness to God and nature to/ e been inmat the Chris this pict in tl tree in the spacious living room of the caretakers , the first of its kind to be published in many years. M at the far left. in Florida—Citizen Staff Photo by Finch, | “THE BEST CHRISTMAS WE EVER HAD” was the unanimous opinion of the above group, of the Monroe County Home on Stock Island. Those who were able gathered around for the photographer to make A few weré unable to appear . Warren Bethel whose care of the old folks comes in for high praise, is s The combined efforts of schools, churches, civic and fraternal organi- zations, relatives and friends and other individuals made the past Yuletide season a joyful time for these unfortunate folks. The Home is rated by state officials as one of the best of its kind is transferred to the Monroe General Hospital nearby. One of the inmates has been in the Home 43 years, another 10 years and still another seven years. The rest have been ad- mitted during the past two years, Surprise Message MILWAUKEE \(® — Dispatchers on the city police radio system were going about their work last] night when an unfamiliar voice came out of a loudspeaker: “‘Al- titude 3,000 feet. Ceiling zero. Vis- | ibility zero. Coming in for a land-| ing. Roger. Three MIGs at 3 o’clock, Watch ’em, Skipper.” The voice stopped when a dis- n, who desired to remain ur, presented Mr, and “Poor House Alley. jthe old folks. The Bethels had- 22 inmates on Christmas Day, 15 of them men. The younger Mrs. Bethel is |patcher asked for the squad num- ber and location of the radio car. | Wednesday, December 20, 1953 THE KEY WEST.CITIZEN Page 8 (County Commission Makes Plans For New Colored Old Folks Home If plans of the county commissioners mature, the colored old folks will get a new home on Stock Island. Commissioner Joe Allen today said that the commissioners hope Ito have the plans worked out in time for next year’s budget. The county's fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Funds for this year, Allen pointed out, already have been bud- geted. Alien said the plans call for the county te sell the present color- ed old folks home in Peor House Lane and use these funds—plus others if necessary—to build a new home for colored old folks on Stock Island, The new home would be near the county home for whites. At the present time, the home for whites has 21 inmates, During the Christmas holidays there were 22, but one of the men has since left for a veterans hospital. There are now 15 men and seven women in the home. Mrs. Warren Bethel, matron at the home, said there were 17 persons in the home when she began work there last August. She added that there have been as high as 26 in the home. Mrs. Sally Evans, matron at the colored home, said there are | five men and one women in that home now. This is the minimum ‘that the home has cared for, she said. She said that last year there ‘were 12 inmates, the mximum number that the home Bas handled. A Los Cubanos y A Todos Aquellos Que Sienten Por Cuba y Por El Club San Carlos LOS COMPONENTES DE LA CANDIDATURA QUIEREN POR ESTE MEDIO HACER CONSTAR AL PUBBLO DE CAYO HUESO: Para Tode Aquelle Que Sea De y Para El Club San Carles y Para Les Cee dentes En Cayo Muase. ro. — Que Felicitan Atodes Los Participantes En Las @! ciones y Les Ruegan Se Mantengan Unides En Misma Forma Per El Engrandecimiente San Carlos y La Colonia Cubana De Ca: Sr. Andres Rodriguez, Dr. Arture Castille, Sr. Manvel |. Rodriguez, Sr. Joseph A. Boze, Dr. zaiez, Sr. Gregorio Valder, Sr. Armando Acevedo, Sr. Borges, Sr. Jose Mira, Dr. Delio Cobo, Dr. Jose Valdes, Bienvenide Perez, Sr. Emilie Corral, Sr. Manvel Ismael! Calleja, Sr. Antonio Martinez, Sr. Ramon Va! Raiph Betancourt. Fellow Anglers KALAMAZOO, Mich. #—William| (Dad) Eddington still is reading} and rereading a holiday greeting. | It is from another fisherman, con- siderably younger than Dad’s 104 years. . It was among 300 congratulatory messages that followed newspaper pictures showing Dad, an avid ang- ler, convalescing from a fractured hip. It said: ‘ “I have just learned how well FRUIT ..... $3.95} Insured and Express Included Hobby Shop -1105 Troman Avenue PHONE 2-3961 { : inmates with|cared for at the Home, he or she|YOu are recovering from the brok-| en hip you suffered last summer. I hope your improvement contin- | ues and that you will be able to get back to your fishing next sum- | mer. My very best wishes . . ‘| For Home or Commercial Use. <. We Are Prepared To Furnish You With Clean, Pure Cube » Crushed ICE Thompson Enterprises, Inc. (Ice Divisidh) Dwight D. Eisenhower.” Taree worers In [VIPAMI st rorutar prices Located in the Heart of the City REASONABLE ROOMS WRITE or WIRE RATES for RESERVATIONS with BATH and TELEPHONE Ritz Pershing _Miller HOTEL HOTEL HOTEL 132 E. Flagler St. 229 N.E. Ist Ave. 102 Reoms 80 Elevator Elevator Rooms Solarium Heated Elevator 226 N.E. Ist Ave, 100 Rooms hel with a check for|iooked upon as “mother as ey saw fit benefit of the inmates. & and ftiends of. the old folks poured in all during the week with gifts and words of encouragement Christmas day, they sat down to the traditional feast of turkey ” by the} |But it came back on the air in- les ‘ |Eighteen were able to sit down] i ” Her tasks are long and|_.© bebe ee ioay(termittently with Air Force talk . at the spacious tables to enjoy! snd inquiries as to lunchtime. arduc us but never too much for|their feast and four were “tray| after checking wnused reiilo cars ber, “Always in the best patients,” who ate in bed in their|in the police parking lot and city spitjt., she soon has a despondent jpooms, | garage the dispatchers sent out inmate feeling that life is still The Christmas tree in the liv-|the message: worth living. A sick one is 8iV-|ing room was a gift of the Cox “All cars—watch for a drunk in en all the care possible and soonity’ and the decorations were|an unlocked squad car,” with all the trimmings. , |g on the road to recovery placed onit by the Bethels. Yes, it was a glad and joyous! Mr. Bethel is ed upon by! The Home is maintained and Mo time—a time of peace and happi-jthe inmates as one they can callloperated by the government of) ness and a time of wonderfuljon when something needs to be|/Monroe County, under the di- feelings within to know so many|done or when a word of advicejrection of Joe Allen, chairman of did so much to make others|is needed. When not on duty atithe Welfare Committee. happy. this regular job with Uncle Sam, ‘Then, there ‘was another thing|Mr. Bethel can be seen roaming the old folks were so happy/the rooms and halls of the Home| neces about this year. It was and still/ministering to the old folks is the tender, loving care given, The help their three boys give them by the Bethels and theirjthe inmates also comes in forlciety of the county alternate in| The two dined together. ixon three sons, Don, Chris and Joe./high praise. Don, the oldest,|ministering to the inmates and is expected to be here until the All the inmates are high in their/plays a piano by ear and often|when one becomes too ill to bejend of the week. inmates. of Carthy, Nixon Rest Richard M. Nixon and Sen. Joseph |McCarthy (R-Wis) vacationed at The county provides medical day care for the inmates and all the igiven tobacco. Members of the Medical So-) arrived last night. Check For “Bunk sa MARATHON.—Bill Carter Parrish sparked the sored the drive that Poat 18. Looki Andrew, donated by Department, presents check for $1,000 to Billy Parrish. Bunky” Ru The Volunteer Fire Department spon- " h $200 by American Legion Marathon $ —— fireman Harry Grayer—Photo by Capt. D. M. “Andy” fund MIAMI, Fla. (®—Vice President | the same ocean-front hotel here to- J - Nixon arrived Saturday night and ies of life. The men are) meCarthy, accompanied by his |wife, his brother and a secretary, 3 BLOCKS FROM UNION BUS STATION jj Dial 26831 Key West, Pore If you like beer youll dove Schlitz nent! Its dry and mellow, with no harsh bitterness, and only the kiss of:the hops.