davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25
Sam Zig Sees Bright Future
For Montgomery Expansion

record Of the past, it is not diff
ficult to envision.
Fig is the personification of
the American dream-of Amer
lea as the land of opportunity.
Out of the Russian village of
Smilovitch he came to this coun-
try-years ago-a lad of Is.
Success Story
His story overwhelms the
best of Horatio Alger.
He has risen from a SIS a
week meat cutter and Waldorf
bellhop to become one of Mont
gomerys biggest taxpayers, and
one whose philanthropic and
civic activities are known
throughout the area.
His success story has been
written many times. In 1852,
Fortune magazine chose him as
one of 10 self-made men who
hat contributed substantially to
their communities throughout
the country. That story was
written when his four-story Fig
building was breaking the two
story barrier in Silver Spring.
His formula for success is
simple. Pick yourself a city,
study its growth pattern and
then raise every nickel you can
and buy land in a suburban
area where you are certain the
growth will go.
Hold the Land
The important thing is to
hold the land. That has been
hard for Fig at times. For ex-
ample in 1923-not exactly a
year of plenty-he needed $2500
to pay taxes on property he
owned in what is now the heart
of Silver Spring business center.
1--WE certainly aren't going to
tie up our money out there in
the woods of Montgomery Coun-
ty," the loan officer at a Wash
ington bank said. But under
Figs persistence, he finally took
him to the bank president who
heard his case.
You'd better give this young
man the money. l think he's
going places" the president
said.
And Mr.. Fig proved he was
going places. He has dealt in
more than 500 million worth
of real estate since those early
days when he started putting
every dollar he could get into
Montgomery County's future.
Sees Future Growth
He's just as convinced today
about Montgomery County's fu-
ture growth as he was of Sill
yer Springs future in those
days when it was a community
of $500 souls.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

wen have a million people
out here in few years. Silver
Sprin; will grow. Rockville will
grow and you'll see a whole
new city here at Shady Grove
a city with the Atomic Ener-
gy Commission at one end of
it and the Bureau of Standards
at the other" he said.
Mr.. Figs activities obviously
aren't limited to real estate and
business. All four walls of his
conference room in the Fig
building are lined with pictures
and mementoes of civic accom-
plishments.
Today when he's not working
he's with his grandchildren
and there are nine of them.
They, too, are glad Sam has
de- eloped the Shady Grove
Country Club. Sam likes peo-
pie and these days he seems to
be doing most of his business
on the weekends on the terrace
overlooking the club pool.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

OF nostalgia interest to coun-
ty residents today, most Of
whom are paying taxes to sup
port a multi-million dollar coun-
ty school system, are memories
of the simplicity of schools in
the county during the 18th CEN
fury.
Today, the average school
costs around 100000 and is not
considered complete unless it in
cludes a cafeteria with chrome
steamtables, IN "all-purpose
room" and an air raid shelter.
BY way of contrast, consider
this description of one of the
typical county academies Of the
1906:
Abraham S. Hays was a farm
er, a magistrate, and a school
master near GAINESVILLE. Hays
School House" = later called
GAINESVILLE Academy-stood on
a portion of his farm east of
GAINESVILLE.
It consisted of one room only,
60 feet long by 30 feet wide. 1t
had room for about 100 stu
dents.
Old-style desks with drawers
for the safe-keeping of books
were ranged along the walls. 1t
was heated by two tinplate
woodworking stoves.
Shelves extended all around
the upper part of the walls near
the ceiling for the storage OF
lunch baskets (this was before
the day Of the "hot lunch") and
nails were driven in the walls
under these shelves. Goats and
hats were hung on them. The
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25
Police Solve
Supply Firm
Burglaries

Montgomery County police
have solved three recent break.
ms at the Rockville Supply Co.
with the apprehension of sepa-
rate defendants In each case,
Detective Capt. Kenneth c. Wat
kins announced this week.
Two men were arrested in the
most recent burglary, reported
on August IL, and one was an
uncle of a youth who also has
been taken in custody in con-
nection with an earlier break
in on August 8, the detective
chief said.
Two juveniles previously had
been apprehended in the first
theft of the series. reported on
August 6.
A coincidental feature of the
series Of burglaries was the fact
that even though they apparent
ly were unrelated, the same .
window was used as a means
Of entry on all three occasions.
Charged with the most recent .
break-in were Eugene c. Hol-
land, IS, and William Albert
Simms, 26, both of Rockville. !
The latter Is an uncle of Ed
ward Simms, Is, who was
arrested in connection with the
second burglary.
Captain Watkins said police
recovered not only the loot re-
ported stolen by the proprietor
of the supply firm, but addition
al items which had been taken
without the knowledge of COM
pany officials.
He credited a uniformed
patroIman, Herbert w. Jacob :
son, with uncovering the basic
information that led to the
arrest of the defendants. Jacob
sons initial inquiries were fol-
lowed up by Detectives Gabriel
c. Lamastra and Guy v. Lewis,
who rounded up the suspects. .
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25
Fisher Scientific Company
Ceared to Space-age Needs

istry, greater utilization of
Southern wood products, a
growing textile industry, new
government atomic energy
plants and rocket development
labs-all pointed to new mar
kets for Fisher products.
December 8, 1850, saw the Of
fetal opening of Fishers mod.
ern, air-conditioned, brick and
aluminium Washington plant at
tended by area leaders in
science, health and government.
OF the 100 Washington EN-.
ployees who keep up the Fisher
tradition of service, a full IS
per cent of the staff have adj
vanced technical degrees or are
working at night to earn them.
A good example of how the
Washington team works oc-
CURED in the spring of 1858. A
man, Professor Ahmed, ap-
peared at the office stating that
he had been commissioned to
obtain prices on a huge list of
items for the new King Saud
University in Saudi Arabia.
Hitch: DR.. Ahmed had only
five days.
Two Washington quoters bar
ricaded themselves in for four
days, including Saturday and
Sunday, handed DR.. Ahmed the
the finished price list on Mon
day morning. Result of this
speed and efficiency: a $4,000
order airmailed to the Middle
East, where young Arabs will
be training with American
rather than Russian scientific
equipment.
Technicians Engaged
In addition, the Washington
plant combines all those extra
plus" factors that add up to
the unmatched Fisher service.
There are the unique Person
alized-Service" sales units, each
consisting of a technical sales
man in the field backed up by
two office personnel. Each
scientist-customer has his own
sales unit, which leads to bust
ness on a first name" basis,
simplifies ordering, promotes
efficiency.
Fisher glassblowing special.
lists can provide custom glass
ware, one-of-a-kind items. for
special research projects, made
to the customers order. Gus
tom chemicals are available too.
Fisher Technical Specialists
demonstrate, set up, repair and
service instruments, and even
train customer personnel in the
customers own labs in efficient
operation. of new. instruments.
' Heading up Fishers Wash
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

Sam Fig is an impatient man
"a man too often waiting for
history to catch up with him.
His confidence in the future
OF Montgomery County is one
OF the county's greatest testi-
monials. His confidence goes be-
yond words into investments of
time, talents, and property.
At 81, his schedule would
break the back of men half his
age.
what am 1 doing now?
Working Is houiS a day seven
days a week and hoping that 1
can continue doing it to the
end" he said as he tried to es-
cape an interview for a bust
ness appointment.
Fig Investments Continue
Actually, Sam Els today is
carrying a tremendous burden
that can be dealt with in terms
of dollars and cents and brick
and mortar.
He is just completing 281-
unit, 9-building apartment prof.
ect-the Rock Creek Forest
Apartments off EaSt-West
hwy. in Silver Spring. On Au-
gust 8, he broke ground on a
81 million motel with 125 rooms
on the Georgia ave. mainline.
His new 18-hole championship
golf course at Shady Grove
Country club p r o m 1 S S
to be one of the finest in the
country and is "98 percent COM
plete." 1t will be ready for play
in April.
About the first of the year a
new 100000 clubhouse addition
will be started at the Shady
Groves dining room, adjacent
to his Motel Washingtonian.
Just across new Route 240-
Maryland's dream highway
two buildings are already COM
plete and two others under con-
struction in the 175-acre Wash
ingtonian Industrial Park.
Only the Beginning
This is only the beginning"
Fig said as he waved his arm
over the beautiful expanse of
rolling meadows and woods.
within a few years, this will
be a community of 100000 peo-
pie. Our golf course surrounds
an area on which we will build
three history luxury apartment
buildings. We already have
plans for them and they will
be called Country Club Towers.
Over there (pointing to the
north) will be a huge shopping
center"
For the novice, it is hard to
see. But looking at Mr.. Figs
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

Calico had to pause in his
research to grind out lenses;
Louis Pasteur had to impro-
wise an incubator before
continuing with his world
shaking experiments in bacteri.
ology.
Today these men would mere.
ly have to make a phone call,
and whatever they needed
would be delivered right to their
laboratory.
There are companies that spe.
cialize as "toolmakers to
science" A leader in this field
is Fisher Scientific Company.
Fisher, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
of laboratory instruments and
chemicals, is the worlds largest
laboratory supply house.
In continuous operation since
1851, Fisher has grown with
American science, and continues
to serve today in the age of
nuclear energy, space explora-
ton and sciences attacks on
disease.
Fisher m a de experimental
electronic equipment for Lee
DeForest searched for rare
chemicals for Edison's first in
candescent bulb sent a
front lines" research lab to
France in World War / to neu-
tralize Germany's mustard gas
=. and supplied chemicals to
Jonas Salk for producing a polio
vaccine.
10 Locations
Today, Fisher Scientific has
plants and sales offices in 10
strategically located American
and Canadian cities, including
an instrument manufacturing
plant in Indiana, Pa, and a g.
acre chemical plant in Fair
Lawn, N. J.
Fisher men design, manufac-
ture, distribute and service the
precision lab tools for research,
testing and quality control be-
hind almost every phase of
modern life: clothing, transpor-
tation, health, national defense
everything from the morning
cereal to the evening paper.
A key plant in the Fisher sys-
tenn is its Washington opera
ton at Silver Spring, Md. In
addition to being a major con-
sumner of scientific supplies it.
self, Washington is a chief dis
tribution center for goods ear
marked for the great Southeast.
Back in 1850, Fisher Scientific
saw that the South was ready
for expansion.
Development of waterpower,
advances in agriculture chem.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25
Once Upon a Time, l>Roon.
Made a Good County School

principals desk was at one end
of the hall.
The school was stated by
tt ee men-Thomas Carr Lam
nan, a graduate of Belfast Col
lege, and Mr.. Rogers and a
Mr.. McGrary.
Latin and Greek were among
the subjects taught and many
of the academy's scholars went
on to attain high places in the
business and professional life of
the county and State.
Examples are Richard Thomp-
son, who became a Clarksburg
physician; Gassaway Grimes,
another MD, and John Reid
who entered medicine and be-
came a Washington County
practitioner. Oscar Trail be-
came one Of the leading mer-
chants of Baltimore and George
Pearre took up law and became
an Allegany County judge. VIII.
liam Sellman represented the
county in the State Senate.
In light Of the meager physi-
cal facilities of the old Barnes.
vile academy and the distinc-
ton attained by many of the
students educated there, many
citizens may conclude that the
caliber of Institutional person
me- and the earnestness of pupil.
application to studies are more
important than costly physical
structures.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

ington operation is General
Manager Charles E. Heiden-
reich, assisted by Sales Man
ager Edward Kiefer and Opera
tons Manager E. r. Bower.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

For everything you have
missed, you have gained some
thing else; and for every thing
you gain, you lose something
Emerson.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

1t is as impossible for a man
to be cheated by any one but
himself, as for a thing to be,
and not to be, at the same time.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15

ing agencies whether State Board or
County Assessors. The State Board
has Fenton's decision on appeal be-
fore the high bench.
Even though there is substantial
question whether Fenton's decision
will stand up, the State Board, short
ly after the district judge handed
down his opinion, decided that since
the county assessors were not making
any great Roadway in bringing their
assessments up, the Board would
bring the assessed valuations of util-
ity inter-county properties down.
At the April IS meeting men,
toned above, the Board presented
its Equalization program to rep
resentatives of the various utilities,
predicated on the utilities agreeing
to drop pending tax protest cases.
To cushion the shock to the
counties, the Board suggested a
five-year period over which inter-
county assessments would be dropped
so much. each year until there was
reasonable uniformity between board
assessed and county assessed proper
ties.
There is reason for believing that
the Board, in view of statewide pro-
test, may today privately question
the possibility they acted hastily in
using the Fenton decision as a reason
for the cut-backs. There is also con-
siderable law to back up the conten-
ton oft-repeated by this publication
that the Board is acting Illegally in
reducing these values since they were
not, as of last April Is, above the
statutorily- 'full cash val
ue".
BOARD HAS TWO DUTIES
To return to Sundays MIC sub
committee meeting
Cavan, in pursuing his questioning
Continued On Page Five)
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
Regional Farmer-Labor Institute Told -.
Fundamental Changes Are
Needed To Assure Peace

"Peace could mean many
things" DR.. Robert Dunbar,
Montana State College, told
the Great Falls Farmer-Labor
Institute last Saturday evening,
as he outlined the great posi-
bilities for good and develop
ment that could come from a
world at peace. Then he added,
well, it is grand to dream,
but peace isn't going to break
outY.
Dunbar said this nation is spending
as billion dollars a year for defense,
and eff | interpret the Presidents
message to Congress correctly we
will be spending more.
Peace from total disarmament. Dun
bar said, would mean reallocation
of work, it would mean an end to de-
Tense jobs and great increase in
consumer goods (. a relocation of
our national income a retooling
of industry for additional consumer
goods and resulting reduction
in federal taxes of about $50 would
leave more money left in our pockets
for better homes, new cars, new
furniture, more money for schools,
facilities and travel.
But Dunbar does not envision any
peace or disarmament so long as we
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
TIMBER Charges
Chad Smith, Alone, At Fault For
Up Coming UC Premium Increase

E Chadwick HI. Smith, chair
man of the Montana Unemploy-
ment Compensation Commits
sion, now finds his chickens
coming home to roost," James
S. TIMBER, president of the Mon
tana State AFI-CIO, said in
Helena yesterday, following
Smiths announcement that en-
ployers compensation premium
rate would go to the legal maxi
mum of 2.7 per cent, starting
in April.
"He alone, should shoulder
the blame for employer tax be-
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
Great FaIIs-Butte
GIN Goose Case

At press time the hearing on the
request of Great Northern Railway
for Railroad Commission permits
sion to discontinue operation of its
passenger-freight goose" between
Great Fails and Butte, is still 60
ing on.
Great Northern is running into
heavy opposition in its effort to
terminate this local train service,
from the Railroad Brotherhoods
and number of interested groups
and citizens, including Attorney
General Forrest H. Anderson and
Secretary of State Frank Murray.
Complete report on hearing will
be carried in next weeks issue.
EDITOR.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15

"The nice American girls lin state
offices) with their frilly blouses will
be replaced with those chewing Peer
less with screwdrivers sticking out
of their hip pockets, snorted the
grand old Irish warrior, Auditor John
j. Holmes, at the Budget Analysis
subcommittee meeting Sunday after
noon.
Holmes had been cornered by Gene
Tidball, director of the Legislative
Council, and E. Joe Compton, IBM
salesman to consider the installation
of more IBM equipment in the Con-
troller's office, to take over the war
rant writing functions of Holmes
office.
Holmes gave the counter proposal
to scrap the present equipment in
the Controllers office and return the
auditing functions back to his office
where they could be done much cheap
er using competent persons instead
of mistake-making machines which
breakdown at critical times.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15

Then, last spring, District Judge
Fenton handed down a decision cut
ting in half the amount of taxes paid
by two pipelines on inter-county prop
critics. Judge Fenton ordered a dol
ars-and-cents reduction instead of
remanding the claimed over-evalua-
ton to the State Board for further
consideration.
Whether Fenton's dollars-and-
cents reduction will hold before the
State Supreme Court is open to
question since that court has re-
peatedly indicated reluctance to
approve any usurpation of the au-
thority of another branch of the
government by the courts.
The setting of assessments and
taxes is responsibility of the Adj
branch through assess
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
Farmers Butt Of SIur By
Banker Member Of Reqents

eff they paid their taxes we would.
MT need student fees" responded Boy
Page, Philipsburg banker, to the re-
cent South Valley Farmers Union
letter protesting the increasing build
ing fees at the University units, which
amount to tuition.
'sTax them equal to other institu-
tions'', continued Page at the Friday
"payola'' meeting of the Board of
Regents, of which he is a member.
The payola paper slot machine was
further saddled upon, the backs of
the student body in the form of Law
building at MSU for $435,00O and
at Eastern College of Education in
Billings in the amount of $1,250,000
for gym.
Student paying for payola build
ing programs is a direct circumven-
ton of the legislative controls and
intention. Present encroachment upon
the individual students cash warrants
a re-examination in the courts of the
"soak-the-student" policy established
by the present Regents.
Pages practice of lashing out at
a group with constructive criticism
certainly reflects the total opinion of
the empire building Regents who
would crush out any students indi-
vidual Towering talent if he is short
of cash. Payola Pages program pro-
noting building financed on general
admission bonding, should be re-
viewed by the courts to see if it is
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15

ing increased to the maximum
I2.7 per cent.
Labor and many manage
ment members of both House
and Senate had reached an
agreement on Substitute House
Bill 358, which would have
lowered the fund floor from
S28,0OO,000 to $25,0OO,O0O,
thus providing a 100000
cushion to protect Montana
employers from the tax in
crease until the spring upturn
in employment in Montana,
which obviously would have
built up the fund as it always
does during the high employ
ment season.
Chairman Smith stomped
the legislative halls for weeks
lobbying against this bill.
Smith, in his blind eagerness
to destroy the Unemployment
Compensation program in Mon
tana, has dealt employers a
severe blow. He, more than the
Governor, is responsible for the
veto of Substitute House Bill
$685." TIMBER concluded.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
Keeping Chemicals
Out of Milk

WASHINGTON, D. ca sharp
drop was reported in the amount of
insect-killing chemical that gets into
milk. Food and Drug Administration
spokesman said drive to control use
of pesticides that began in 1855 got
excellent cooperation from the milk
industry. Result: BY 1858, the per-
centage of samples containing Sub
stantiaP' residues of the chemicals
fell from 81 to 33.-U. S. NEWS.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15

| possible to return to the no-tuition
principle.
The only way to return to the prin-
ciple of public higher education is for
the Legislature to make an exception
ally large direct appropriation from
the general fund to retire the mush-
room expansion payola bonds.
The tendency of Legislatures to
avoid principles and responsibilities to
gain vote favors from supposedly tax
minded Montanans is disservice to
America in it's race to keep abreast
of other rapidly advancing nations of
the world.
The present mess is due to the
Board of Regents complete inability
to formulate building program. The
program is originating from the unit
level with the same "me first" compe-
tition which is causing the same old
duplicating waste.
Banker Page should be very quiet.
While farmers property taxes have
consistently gone up, he and his fra
ternity members received the only
substantial tax cut dished out by a
Montana Legislature in generation
via the bankers relief bill'' of the
1857 session.
1t is in order to ask Page: What
taxes are farmers not paying? Does
he have evidence members of South
Valley Farmers Union are evading
taxes? If so, let's have him put it
on the line.-F.S.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
Bo 81 Backs Away From Earlier
Utility Value Reduction Plan
By The EDITOR

State Board Equalization definitely decided whether will
looking
w.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
Saving MYTH BLASTED

Through the years legislatures have
removed more and more auditing
functions from the Constitutional
"fiscal dispensing officer, the Audi
tor, whom has operated with a mini
mum of funds and a peak degree of
proficiency without murmur of
scandal. Holmes brought his three
top aides, Anne Shay, Jack Crosser
and Clyde Gummow, to the meeting
and this battery of integrity blasted
IBM's $4,000 saving myth.
Holmes continued on to discuss the
model insurance law which will be-
come effective in 1861. Holmes said,
"Some of you solons would rewrite
the Ten Commandments -F.S.