The Daily Alaska empire., 1944-02-10
FOND RECOLLECTIO-yS

FUND hEOOLLEOl llO.tS
 A vast amount of planning ana activity were involved in the pre- parations for the local Clubs cele- i bration of the Third Anniversary of the founding of the National USO. We trust that we do not sound boastful in stating that, op- timistic as were our hopes, the re- suits of the weekend surpassed those hopes by a considerable mar gin-certainly our feeling seems to be shared by lots of the towns people. Now the affairs Dinner, Formal Dance, and Open House.
 are only memories. Anyway, we've been having fun. these past few days in sharing our recollection of
 the high lights, remembering with deep gratitude the important fea- lures and the small details; such features and such details as the major contributions to the prepar- ations for the dinner made by the ever-reliable Soldier Oscar Krenzke and by the lso-ever-reliable and ever-fascinating GSO girl, Doris McEacnran and the vivid
 beauty of the Gold Room of the Baranof Hotel, strikingly enhanced that night by the presence of the totem poles and the blankets. so generously loaned to us by pr. and Mrs. Simpson, of the Nugget Shop .. the helpfulness of Soldiers Bob McBrinn genial correspondent for "Yank'9 and Lee Lucas and Chuck Huestis in arranging for photographs of the dinner the extreme good looks of the GSO girls and the other ladies, all in their evening gowns (we wonder whether, in the light of their com bined loveliness and the great beauty of the Gold Room, any of the other 1,400 USO Clubs holding parties that night could boast of anything quite so handsome as the Juneau dinnner-we truly doubt it) and the spontaneous gaiety of the informal singing -around-t the piano by the girls and the Ketchi- kan Coast Guard Glee Club mem- bers, preceding the dinner and the skill and speed shown by the staff of the Baranof in serving the meal in that very crowded room <. :. and the helpfulness of Anne Nielsen and Ann Thon1n- son in taking care of the check room (we predict that those two are going to be among the GSOs most popular girls some day if the war lasts a bit longer) '. :. and the skill with which the toastmaster's job was handled by the Reverend Walter Soboleff and the toughness of the assignments hand ed to Leslie Swanson, of the Army
 and H. M. Shumway, of the Coast Guard, asked to sum up in three minute speeches the meaning of the USO to them, and the success ful manner in which each of them put his remarks across and the sparkling playing of the piano and the Hawaiian guitar by Ar thur Richardson and Johnny Col lins, members of USO-Camp Show Troup No. 77 and the exoui- site violin solos by that distinguish ed artist, Signal Corpsman Miltor Steinhardt .. and the thrilline voices of the Glee Club chorus il, all their numbers CT Passed B, Your Window" and "Stout-heartec Men being our favorites) and the personal popularity of It. Col John T. Carlton, handsome Caval- ry Officer from Georgia, now head ing the Army's Alaskan Special Service Division, who spoke of mor- ale and of the value of the USc program and the generous assistance at all times rendered by K1NY and the Empire" and the remarkable enthusiasm of the large crowd at the Formal Dance that night, which combined with the inspired work of the Service mems Band, made this affair the most outstanding Formal of Juneau USO history and the ex- ceptionally lovely voice of Coast Iguardsman Ken Wilson in his cow boy songs with guitar accompani- ment) during the intermision ot the dance, keenly appreciated by