Scrapbook

              ew
rings Fervent Hope
For Peace, Progress In World
By James Wrightson
The year's end is a time for
reviewing the old, for memories of things past.
But the New Year's mood
is one of fresh starts courageously undertaken, of new
aspirations,   new  hopes.
Hope. For centuries priests
and sages, and indeed history
itself, have been telling man
that his earthly work will be
destroyed by change and fall
to dust.
But with stubbornness that
frequently achieves greatness,
man goes on working as
though the monuments he
raises, the governments he
sets up and the art he painstakingly fashions could last
forever.
This is the spirit of 12 of
Fresno's leading citizens who
were asked: What are your
greatest aspirations for 1963?
Answers from a judge, two
clergymen, a farmer, two educators, a banker, two housewives, a symphony conductor
and two businessmen show
that man's thoughts jump not
from pleasure to pleasure but
from hope to hope.
And the hope of peace is
uppermost in their New Year's
wishes.
The most eloquent wish for
a peaceful world came from
a housewife, Mrs. Helen Harp
Msgr. Francis X. Singleton,
the rector of St. John's Cathedral, muses over this paradox:
"This decade finds that the
world has achieved greater
scientists and material advancements in all fields of endeavor than any other age,
but less real peace, happiness
and mutual cooperation be
tween individuals, families,
cities, states and nations."
Justice Philip Conley
Mrs. Helen Harper
er, past president of the Fresno Council of Negro Women.
She said: "My greatest
hope is that mankind can begin to live together in love
and fellowship. Then and only
then can a righteous and holy
relationship be established
between man and his Divine
Maker. Then and only then
can peace, happiness and severity for future generations
€pme to this wonderful earth
which we live."
And from the highest court
the San Joaquin Valley
fcomes the same thought.
wPhilip Conley, presiding justice of the fifth district court
of appeal, says:
"My greatest hope for 1963
lift that effective progress
ftiay be made toward assuring
world peace.
If'The atom bomb has made
Ipace a condition to the continued existence of the hu
man race. It is my hope that
our beloved country will assume the initiative in this
matter of fundamental concern to all living beings."
The clergymen are more
specific:
The hopes of the Rev. Robert Moon of the First Methodist Church are for a renascence of morality, thoughtful-
ness and meaningfulness in
religion.
"I hope that 1963 will bring
a revival of morality in inter
national affairs that will bring
an end to deceitfulness and
violence and exalt trust
worthiness and generosity,'
he says.
He hopes for:
"A revival of thoughtful
ness about social and politi
cal ideas so that we may dis
cuss and judge them on their
merits and not on their
sources or their defenders.
has relaxed and bloomed and
prospered have been few and
far between.
Art Is Comfort
Symphony conductor Paul
Vermel, the musical director
of the Fresno Philharmonic,
notes this and sees the arts
as vital forces in the world.
"I hope the world will find
peace," he says, "and that the
people of the world will come
to believe in the arts as a
staff of comfort in difficult
times, a great source for enriching a peaceful life and a
constant vital force in our
changing world."
And Mrs. Rosellen Ker
shaw, former president of the
Fresno League of Women
Voters and president of the
Womens Civic Council, looks
"A revival of the democratic spirit so that we may
recognize the enormity of our
discriminations b a s e d - on
color, culture and class.
"A revival of meaningfulness in religion so that we
will not try to silence the
skeptics or allow ritual or
cliches to insulate us from
reality."
Msgr. Francis X. Singleton
He points out:
"Ages ago it was thought
that when opportunities for
education were opened to
many, peace would prevail —
but this has not been the case.
It demonstrates that something fs needed besides education, scientific achievement
and rnaterial prosperity.
"The secret and need of all
is love and faith in humanity.
We must achieve inner peace
with ourselves, our family,
neighbors and associates.
This peace and love must expand to reach everyone in the
community, state, nation and
the world.
"We can change the world
if we ourselves change.
"So if we would strive for
personal peace and a more
peaceful world in 1963 we
must be just and honest in
our dealings with others."
But periods when the world
Mrs. Rosellen Kershaw
to Fresno in her hopes for
1963.
She says: "In our own community I hope for a working
together of all citizens to
make ours a better place in
which to live—providing the
things we need: more parks,
recreation areas, removal of
blighted areas, an adequate
convention center with a concert hall, and adherence to
good planning."
Hope for the community
good is not confined to women's groups or to housewives.
Joe Levy
Leon S. Peters, the owner
of Valley Foundry and Machine Works, wants Fresnans
to have a better understanding and a more generous feeling toward the needs of the
growing community.
"I hope we will continue
and increase our voluntary
support of our youth, welfare,
and character building organ-
Hopes Rise For
izations ... so that at least
we can meet our goals instead of each year being
forced to curtail their activities," he says.
"Once we meet our goals
in helping others we can be
assured of a better community, a better place to live for
us, our children and our
grandchildren."
Another businessman, Joe
I.evy, the vice president of
Gottschalk's, thinks 1963 will
be a year of decision for the
City of Fresno.
He says:
"We will have to decide if
Fresno is to become the
metropolitan center of the
richest valley in the world
or will be just one of another
dozen towns in the San Joaquin Valley.
"We will have to decide
if we are going to have a
convention center that will
draw many thousands of people, who in turn will spend
niillions of dollars and create
niany hundreds of jobs.
"We will have to decide if
we are going to have a new
county courthouse that will
echo the future and not the
past.
4,We will have to decide if
Dr. Henry Madden
we are going to have a revitalized downtown with a
mall, adequate parking and
a healthy climate to stimulate
added growth.
"If the people of Fresno
are willing to give up their
selfish interests and look
ahead for the common good
we will see these things accomplished."
The beauty of the city has
its place in the hopes of Dr.
Henry Madden, the Fresno
State College librarian.
He says:
"How much more beautiful
our cities would be if all utility lines were put underground, as they are in practically all European cities. It's
time we started on this."
He would like to see the
Fresno County Courthouse
torn down in 1963 and a modern one built.
As for the important business of getting along together, an expansion of the programs of cultual. exchanges
would help, Dr. Madden
thinks.
He says:
"High school and college
students should be encouraged to travel and study
abroad and their contemporaries abroad should be invited to this country. Persons
influential in the life of the
community should similarly
be encouraged to visit other
countries."
Dr. Madden would like to
See New Year Page 3-D
THE FRESNO BEE
THE REPUBLICAN
Fresno, California, Tuesday Evening, January 1, 1963
1-D
P£
de
th
of
fil
tic
er
Paul Vermel
Presbyterian
Mens Club Will
Hear Of Trip
Leon S. Peters, president of
the Valley Foundry and Machine Works, Inc., in Fresno,
will speak at a meeting of the
Mens Club of the First Presbyterian Church Wednesday
at 6:30 PM in the church hall.
He will tell of a three week
tour of the Soviet Union
which he and other Fresno
area farm and industrial representatives took last year.
Dinner tickets are $1.50
each and reservations should
be made by contacting church
ushers tomorrow or telephoning AD 7-5594 by tomorrow
r night.