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Matter of Fact 4 Ban Politics
Ad Libs
1 Confident,' Says Vavra T H E SUNDAY P R E S S
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PRESS
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SVADAY
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EDITION
Oct. 2, 1955
In Matter,
Spell TV Fred J. V a v r a , inde-
pendent n o m i n e e in a
r r • is

Mayor Asks
Disaster Duke's Favorite t h r e e - w a y fight for
Broome County district
at the Nov. 8 election, last EDITORIAL, 'Decision on Mental
Board Vital,' appears on Page 8A.
night said, he felt "en-

T
By TOM CAWLEY
HE night Vice President
Richard' Nixon made his
campaign speech on television
about his dog, Checkers, the
New York State Republican
chairman, Wil-
liam Pfeiffer,
was at the Ar-
lington Hotel.
We went up
to t h e hotel
to watch Mr.
Pfeiffer watch
Mr. Nizon on a
TV screen. Mr.
v^Nixon, who was
running for the
vice presidency
at the time,
MR. CAWXEY said earnestly
in his speech that he'd never
taken any questionable gratuity
except perhaps tuV dog," Check-
ers, and he wasn't going to
give ^he-dog back to anybody.
Mr. Pfeiffer said he thought
the speech was wonderful and
would confound Mr, Nixon's
perfidious detractors.
We were reminded of this in-
cident the other day by reading
a bit of advice Mr. Nixon gave
to Republican leaders about
the necessity of adopting a
sound television technique in
the 1956 political campaign.
• * •
Thing to do, Mr. Nixon said,
Is to avoid giving the television
audience the impression you're
reading your speech. Make It
off-the-cuff, with formal help
from nothing but maybe some
notes in front of you.
This, with all due respect for
Mr. Nixon's grasp of How to
Make a Television Speech, we
don't think is sound advice.
There is nothing more pitiful
than an ad libber who has run
out of ad libs.
It's like trying to beat the
horses. All ad libbers die
Speechless.
• • • room. Or a train,
Tune: Next One couraged."
He noted that a sub-
stantial number of mem-
bers of the Broome County
Republican Committee failed
to attend Friday night's com-
mittee convention in which
First Assistant District Attor-
ney Louis M. Greenblott re-
ceived the x GOP nomination for
district attorney by an over-
whelming vote.
Mr. Vavra had sought the
Republican nomination and, in
anticipation that he might not
get it, had filed independent
nominating petitions Monday
with- the County Board of Elec-
tions.
In saying last night that he
was "encouraged" by a lack
ol full attendance at the
GOP convention, Mr. Vavra
last night also said that at-
tempts to block his independ-
ent campaign had failed.
The third contestant in the
race is Democratic nominee
Harry Margolis, who is serv-
ing as district attorney, until
Dec. 31 by appointment of
Gov. Averell Harrim-an as
successor to Republican Rob-
ert E. Fischer, who resigned
Sept. 15. , left, in Robin Hood attire, gels the drop on the wicked sheriff. Other "out-
At Friday night's nominat-
ing convention, 170 members
of the County GOP Commit-
tee were recorded as present.
The full strength of the com-
mittee is 308, but it was an-
nounced that three vacancies
leave the present membership
at 305.
The nomination of Mr. Green-
blott was made on a standing
vote which produced 11 mem-
bers.for Mr. Vavra, one absten-
tion and the rest of the 170 for
Mr. Greenblott.
In his statement last night,
Mr. Vavra, a former first as-
sistant district attorney, said:
, * —Sunday Press Photo.
"The outcome of the vote at
DUKE ELLINGTON the Republican county conven-
Warming up last night at IBM Field House tion was not surprising but had
some significant aspects.
By JERRY HANDTE "One of real interest and im-
Sunday Press Writer portance was the fact that after
much direct contact and urg-
T H E bandstand was a quiet shuffle of sheet music and ings for personal attendance at
the meeting, only 170 out of
1 sliding of metal music racks into position, with a 308 committee people appeared.
piano player softly noodling around in a rambling fan-
This is slightly more than one-
tasy when a big man with tired, mournful eyes turned half of the membership.
to await an approaching pho-
tographer and reporter. "For this and other reasons,
The bed- I am more encouraged.
He was Duke Ellington, setting
PUT 'EM UP, SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAMI-Egidio Mondolfi, 8/of 11 Pine Street,
laws" backing him vp are Anthony Fiorelli, 10, of 120 Susquehanna Street,
center, and Paul Rafuse, 12, of 38 Hawley Street, den chief. All are members of
Cub Scout Pack 19,.meeting at the Rafuse home.
Endicott Contractor b Killed,
«
IBM Worker Hurt in Crash
C l a r e n c e C. E c k e r t ; 5 1 ,
Endicott electrical
tractor, was killed instant-
ly yesterday and H i r a m B.
L a c e y , 4 4 , -of R o s s C o r -
ners, who was riding with him,
was injured in a highway ac-
cident near Dushore, Pa.
Mr. Lacey, an IBM employe,
was admitted to Ideal Hospital
at 8 o'clock last night for ob-
servation and X-rays. Hospital
attendants said he was brought
to the hospital by private car
and walked in with assistance.
Mr. Eckert's brother, Bruce
The bodrd of directors
of the Broome County So-
cial Planning Council last
night announced its sup-
port of the proposal to set
up a County M e n t a l
Health Board.
At the same time, as the
issue neared a probable
showdown in the Board of
Supervisors tomorrow, . t h e
office of Democratic Mayor j
Donald W, K r a m e r expressed ,
hope that "partisan polities"
would not block the proposal, v
Michael N. Scelsi, president
of the Social Planning Council,
announced that the organiia*
tion's board of directors had
unanimously adopted a resolu-
tion favoring "the creation of a
Mental Board ""to investigate -
the need for mental health serv-
ices in our county."
The resolution noted that the
council is an association of 78
public and private health, wel-
fare and recreation agencies of
the county.
x —Sunday Press Photo, The expression of views from
the mayor's office came from'
John J. Burns, executive as-
sistant to Mr. Kramer, as the
latest of a sequel of exchanges
with Second Ward Republican
H. Chester Larrabee, chairman
of the Public Health Commit
tee of the Board of Supervisors^
Mr. Larrabee last week pro- I \
posed that any mental health
program set up b y the county
be limited to child guidance.
This view later was attacked
by Mayor Kramer, who said he
believes there is a greater need
for facilities for adults. He ex-
pressed doubt that the city of
Binghamton would participate
in a program limited to chil-
dren.
con- In reply, Mr. Larrabee on
Friday said the mayor's com-
ments had "crippled" the
chances for a favorable vote in
the Board of Supervisors.
In tomorrow's expected vote,
3 •
the supervisors will not be de-
ciding on the scope of a mental
health program. For the time
I
•1
being, the decision is whether
or not to set up a Mental
Health Board which would
study community' needs, make
recommendations to the Board
of Supervisors, and then ad-
minister any program set up

r room is good.
'D like to add to Mr.
Nixon's advice taken from
his personal experience a little
advice of our own. We once
started an ad lib sentence that
went like this before a TV
camera and an open micro-
phone:
"Well, I think that, uh, of
course, most people, uh, con-
sider that their—or his, as the
case may be, because circum-
stances alter cases, you under-
stand — own personal prefer-
ences in political matters are
paramount, as against the rela-
tive merits of so-called issues
that are placed before the, uh,
people, and it might be, uh,
such a set of circumstances
that gives, uh, everybody the
impressioYi that, uh. . . ."
If Ed Scala hadn't kicked us
in the shins, out of camera
range, and pinched our ribs,
we'd still be trying to get out
of THAT little bit of incom-
prehensibility. From then on.
we started research on our own
little invention: A p o c k e t
Braille card to guide the foot-
less tongue on the air.
It never would do for a solid
Republican candidate to stand
'before a TV camera, being
watched from coast to coast,
• nd suddenly come down with
what- Is known as "camera
freeze," hypnotized by the lit-
tle red tally lights on the mon-
•ter eye, saying:
And, furthermore, my rrlends,
my opponent Is a man who, or
whom, or to whom one can
ascribe certain underhandeh
connivances that leave the de-
cent, law-abiding citizen asking
himself the question—uh. ask-
ing, that is, the question as to
Just why can't we ascrloc these
connivances of ours, I mean
iheirs. . . ."
Our advice is: Get It written
down and never tear your eyes
loose from the script. At least,
you'll get off on time.
It is possible to blow an ad
lib question, even. Worst night
we ever spent was the night
we asked a man a question on
the air and he said suavely:
"You just asked me that, and
I just answered it."
If only the wind would have
blown down the antenna tower
Just before that.
up for a one-nighter last night
at the IBM field house, the latest
stop in 27 years of velvet and
pepper music-making in jazz.
Thinking of hits like "Mood
Indigo," "Solitude" and "Sophis-
ticated Lady" composed by the
big man, the reporter asked the
Duke what his own favorite is.
^'Always the one coming up.
Without that dream, the rest
would be nothing. When you
think last year's song is better
than the one you are going to
write, then you are done," the
Duke said, throwing away the
lines in a resonant, quiet voice.
Mr. Ellington, with his interest
concentrated in future combina-
tions of notes, was not sure
which of his past hits has been
the biggest.
" 'Don't Get Around Much Any
More' and 'I'm Beginning to
See the Light' were real big in
1943 and 1944," he said, "but
some of those old ones like
'Mood Indigo' have been selling
for years and years. 'Caravan'
has been up three times, In 1937
when I wrote it, about three
years ago and then again last
year."
The Duke still uses the
standard instrumentation of
the swing bands which set the
youngsters on fire in the 30s
— five saxes, four trombones,
three trumpets and four rhy-
thm men.
Except for being "larger,
heavier"' In tone, he said his
band has not changed much in
style, except for "differences
tailored to fit new personalities
in tfrt> band."
The Ellington band, he said,
still ranges the extremes from
hot jaz7. to dreamy mood music.
Asked if the band hadn't
quieted down some since the
era of "The Mooche." 'East St.
Louis Toodle-oo" and "Ring
Dem Bells." the Duke com-
plained gently that:
"People listen to one record,
or one album, and form an
Impression of the band. The
band is too big to contain in
one record or one album. You
have to come out to one of ! hamton will alternate in the
these things and hear It."
The Duke said he drifted
into his musical career by
"picking it up hv ear as a
kid."
"Then I Rot into a position i
of prominence," he said with | opera will .start at 8.30 p. m.
a smile, "where I had to learn
to read notes to protect my-
self.
"I like to write things down,
and come back and hear them
in the band. That's a real
thing," he said of his com-
posing.
"I prefer to think It Is art. student of the famous Madame
I have no Interest In the money
involved," he added, with a soft
chuckle. "Does that sound
good?"
Writing, he explained, is
something for "when you're
alone, late at night. When you
finally get rid of everyone. Or
they get rid of you."
"I prefer to work in the Theatre in "The Little Foxes"
kitchen." the„ Duke said. "I
get into someplace that's not
too comfortable. A hotel room
is good, not a suite, just a
1 t
"If you get into good writing
jag it won't let you sleep, you'll
hop out of bed, jot down your
ideas. Writing is my biggest
kick. Keeping the band to-
gether is proof of it, because
you can hear what you write.
I'll never get tired of it."
The Duke said touring is not
too tiring "if you duck out on
the extra-curricular stuff and
get your sleep."
The Negro band leader said
he does not encounter much
race prejudice on the road any
more.
"Last spring we toured col-
leges and army camps in the
South. The college students
couldn't have been more graci-
ous, more hospitable. It has
cooled down a lot. Of course,
if you run out of gas on the
road and have to look for a
place to eat, It can be un-
pleasant."
"It has to cool down, that
race business. The world has
become too small for it."
The Duke said he works "52
weeks a year'' and "never has
had a vacation."
"If music wasn't my busi-
ness, it would be my hobby. I
love it. I have no other hob-
bies.'' he said quietly*
"Right now I'm working on
a musical show, 'Man With
Four Sides,' '' the old master
told the reporter.
"For Broadway' 7 "
"All we need is some loot
(money for the production)."
the Duke said. "It's a crazy
little thing. I hope you can
come down and see it. I think
you'd like it."
It was time for the Duke to
get back to his music.
Miss Eagan, Miss Donohue
To Alternate in Opera Role
Mary Lou F.agan of Deposit
and Patricia Donohue of Bing-
' soprano role of Inez in Verdi's
i "II Trovatore,"' to bo staged by
the Tri-Citios Opera Workshop
at the Masonic Temple the
nights of Oct. 2ft and 29 and
Nov. 4. 5 and 6.
Performance of the tragic
The sinister Count DiLuna
| will bo portrayed alternately
by baritones Carmen S. Savoca
and Robert J. Tarbeaux, both
of Binghamton. - Wilkinson Manufacturing Co.
Mr. Savoea Is workshop stage
director and a former voice
Conrad of the Berlin Slate
Opera. He studied opera stag-
ing; under Professor Tornau of
the Vienna State Opera.
Miss Donohue. a veteran of
several major roles in work-
shop productions, also has star-
red as a straight dramatic ac-
tress for the Binghamton Civic
and is slated for a lead role
in "The Late George Apley."
Miss Kagan. regular accom-
panist for. the workshop, has
"The date for objections to
my candidacy for district attor-
ney on the independent ticket
has passed. An attempt was
made to prevent my entry but
was unsuccessful.
"My name shall appear on
the ballot Nov. 8." Mr. Vavra
continued. "I shall be a candi-
date for district attorney.
"My trust and faith in the
people of Broome County who
believe in fair play is my source
of confidence/'
When asked b,y a reporter to
elaborate on his statement that
"an attempt was made to pre-
vent my entry" as an independ-
ent, Mr. Vavra said:
"The petitions were carefully
examined for discrepancies and
errors by those who sought to
file objections to my candidacy
as an independent nominee.
The petitions were found to be
in order."
Mr. Vavra also said that a
Republican leader, whom he
did not identify, asked him to
"withhold my entry as an in-
dependent for the sake of party
harmony."
"I stated." Mr. Vavra said,
"that I did withdraw in 1952
for that very reason, and did
not feel it just to step aside
again for a position I was and
am in all respects qualified to
hold.
"Finally," he cpntinued, "a
further attempt was made to
compel me to withdraw and dis-
courage me by another Repub-
lican leader who cited that over
100 lawyers were supporting the
other candidate.
"However, knowing that there
are about 280 attorneys In
Broome County, an equal num-
ber if not more have refused
(Continued on P«Rf 2 C)
MARY LOU EAGAN
s\mg Kate Pinkertfm in "Ma-
dame Butterfly" and parts in
"Cosi Fan Tulti" and "Car-
men" for the workshop. She
is a Deposit choir director and
organist.
< f
Eckert of Endicott, said the
electrical contractor and Mr.
Lacey were en route home from
Dushore when Mr. Eckert's
truck hit a guardrail, side-
swiped a car, struck another
guardrail and overturned.
Mr. Eckert, who lived at 404
North Page Avenue. Endicott,
is believed to have been driv-
ing.
Word of the fatality was
not received until afternoon
when Pennsylvania State Po-
lice teletyped state police at
Vestal Zone Headquarters and
asked them to notify Mr,
Eckert's wife, Lela M. Eckert.
Mr. Eckert's body was taken
to the Coleman & Daniels Fu-
neral Home, 300 East Main
Street, where" the funeral will
be held Tuesday at 3 p. m.
Burial will be in Vestal Hills
Memorial Park.
Besides his wife and brother,
Bruce, Mr. Eckert is survived
by two other brothers. Robert
and Roy of California; two
sisters, Mrs. Anna Shockley of j Norman Road, Chenango Bridge, and Judy Geist, 7, i
Portsmouth, Va., and Mrs.
Ruth Huntington of Oxnard,
Cal.
Mr. Eckert, a native of Penn- party for children sponsored by Conklin Kiwanis
-sylvania, had been an electrical
contractor in Endicott for many
years.
George E. Bailey
Promoted to New
Post at Ansco
George E. Bailey. 5 South
Mountain Road, has been ap-
pointed assistant manager of
the Ansco Warehousing De-
partment. Harold Harsh, Ansco
production
manager, an-
nounced l a t e
yesterday.
An A n s c o
employe
the
for
last 27
y e a r s, M r.
Bailey began
In t h e Ac-
counting D e-
partmont a n d
later worked
in expense
supplies, r a w
material qual-
ity control and MR. R A I I . K Y
film finishing. He had been
general supervisor of the Film
Finishing Department
1935.
A native of Sodalla. Mo., he
worked for Nestle's Foods, the
and Brewer-Titehcner Corn, in
Binghamton before joining
Ansco. -
He is a former governor of
the Ansco Recreation Associa-
tion.
Vcsser Class Meeting
Mary Vissor Class of Endicott
First Presbyterian Church will
moot at 8 p. m. Thursday-in
the home of Mrs. William D.
Howe, 104 Jefferson Avenue,
Endicott. The program will
include a talk on prewar life
in Manila, P. L, bv Mrs. George
Sewell.
^-Sunday Press Photo.
CONKLIN 'ROYALTY'-Charles Woodworth, 8, of 20
of Pierce Creek Road, Binghamton RD 1, reign yes- ! As to Mr. Larrabee's state-
terday as king and queen of "Kids Day," annua! : Mayor Kramer have possiblv
Club at Julius Rogers School.
Mikolasko Default of Bail
Funeral Jails Driver
To Be Tuesday Of Death Car
Robert Mikolasko, 23. of
West Corners, who was electro-
cuted while engaged in con-
struction work at East Vestal
yesterday, will be buried in St.
Michael's Greek Catholic Cem-
etery after funeral services
Tuesday.
There will be a brief service
at 9 a. m. at the home of the
victim's parents, Mr. and Mrs.
John Mikolasko. S r , 22 Mather
Street, followed hy the funeral
in St. Michael's Greek Catholic
Church.
Mr. Mikolasko was electro-
cuted and his employer, John
J. State. 39. of Endicott RD 1.
owner of the Stage Construc-
tion Co., was burned and suf-
fered electrical shock. Mr.
since Stage's condition at City Hos-
pital last night was reported
to be serious.
The two nien, according to
state police at the Vestal Zone
Headquarters, were standing in
a pit guiding the placement of
a two-ton reinforced concrete
manhole being lowered on a
steel cable attached to the boon
of a crane when the crane
canie into contact with a high
voltage line on a nearby util-
ity pole.
Electricity shot down the
steel cable. The crane oper-
ator told the troopers that Mr.
Mikolasko apparently had pre-
viously grapsod the cable in
his effort to direct the man-
hole's placement. Mr. Stage ap-
(Contlnurd on r*c* 2C)
by the county. :•',
In a statement last night,
Mr. Burns said the public ami
the supervisors "should realize
that the issue at this time is
merely whether a M e n t a l "
Health Board should be ap-
pointed by the Board of Super-
visors." *
"Mr. Larrabee's statements j
on helping children sound typi- 1
cal of a man up for reelection,"
the mayor's assistant contin-
ued.
- "He doesn't seem to want
such a board, if appointed, to
have a free hand in making, any
recommendations that it sees
fit to. Evidently he wants it to
limit its recommendations to
taking care of children.'
"Mayor K r a m e r has con-
tended that the board should
not be limited but should con-
duct a thorough survey of our
county's needs and make rec-
ommendations w i t h o u t any
(prior) limitations," Mr. Burns
said.
| ment that the comments of
"killed" or "at least crippled"
the chances»of a favorable vote,
Mr. Burns declared:
"Mayor Kramer has neither
said nor done anything that
should in any Way kill the pro-
gram. Evidently Mr. Larrabee
doesn't like the mayor's posi-
tion on this matter, so he's
being unduly critical of the
mayor.
"We hope," added Mr. Burn*,
"the Board of Supervisors will
vote on this issue on its merits,
and that partisan politics will
Sunday Press Bureau not enter into the supervisors'
Owego—Ernest L. Smith, 33- decision."
year-old Binghamtonian who was
driving the car in which a John- I Criticism of Mr. Larrabee
i also came from another mem-
son City shoeworker was killed
in Route 17 near here early yes- ber of the Kramer administra-
terday, is being held in default tion, William E. Gorton, sec-
of bail at the Tioga County Jail. ond deputy corporation counsel,
who is the Democratic nominee
Mr. Smith, a plasterer, who for Mr. Larrabee's seat on the
lives at 144 Washington Street,
is accused of driving without an
operator's license by sheriff's
Board of Supervisors in the
N'ov. 8 election. Like Mayor
Kramer. Mr. Gorton last week
men who are continuing inves-
had crossed swords with Mr.
tigation. Larrabee on the question of
limiting a county mental health
He was unable to post $250 program to child guidance.
bail. Because he had no attor-
Mr. Gorton last night said
ney, Town of Owego Justice of lie holieves the Board of
the Peace Howard W. Robinson
postponed the formal arraign- Supervisors should create the
I mcnl until 4 p.m. tomorrow. Mental Health Board and later
should follow any recommen-
Killed in the accident was dations of the now agency In
i Arthur Ferdinand Szowczk, 44, sotting up a mental health pro-
: of 109 Rutland Street. Johnson gram. He said ho favors a pro-
City, for whom funeral arrange- gram which would include
ments w e r e completed last adults and children in Its
night. scope.
A second passenger in the
*
"I do not know what the
car. Mrs. Joanne Barlow, 48. of
41 Moore Avenue, Binghamton, needs of Broome County are
suffered facial cuts and bruises, in reference to mental health,"
Mr. Gorton safd, "and I think
and bruises of the left hand
and wrist. . Mr. Larrabee will agree with
She was listed In* fair condi- me that likewise he cannot
give an opinion as to the
tion last night in Wilson Me-
morial Hospital, Johnson City, mental health needs of Broome
where she was taken in the County.
Owogo Fire Department's Emer-
"I therefore feel that the
gency Squad ambulance.
The one-car accident occurred determination of what the
mental health needs of Broome
m the Triple Cities residents
wore proceeding east in Route County are should be left to
17. a board of experts in this
field of mental health."
Ramming a guard post, the Mr. Gorton added that
j car continued along the south neither he nor Mr. Larrabee
t. shoulder of the road. Right should "undertake to tell this
i (Continued, on PA** 2 C) (Continued on Puge 2 C) \
.t... v