Private Lives

These Americans last week did their bit to make the U.S. the kind of place it is:

Michigan. Competing stoutly against a bevy of capable housewives, Clifford Sterns, a young bachelor who drives a school bus for a living, won four blue ribbons at the Monroe County Fair: for his baking-powder biscuits, chocolate cake, spice cake and berry pie. His apple pie was only third. Detroit's Welfare Superintendent set about investigating 50 overweight women on the city's welfare rolls, who get an extra $3.30 every fortnight to buy nonfattening foods, discovered they had made no progress whatever in losing weight. "Maybe in this weather," he conjectured, "they can't resist ice cream and potato salad."

New York. Manhattan used a TV puppeteer's design as a horrible example (see cut), adopted for a slogan in their anti-hoarding campaign, "Don't Be a Grabbit."

Oklahoma. Candidate William O. Coe felt there was something fishy about the way Johnston Murray, Alfalfa Bill's son, defeated him in the Democratic gubernatorial primary run-off by only 1,009 votes. So he demanded a recount. The recount gave him only 47 added votes -- which cost him, since he had to pay expenses of $16,625, about $353.72 apiece.

California. Undaunted by official skepticism, one Clifford Harrod McCaslin of Oakland went on building his egg-shaped bomb shelter ("Ever try to crush an egg?"). His egg, when completed, will house 33, provide bunk space for 20. "They laughed ... at City Hall when I applied for a permit," said McCaslin, "but it isn't really funny."

Utah. Eighty-one contestants, who don't like to be called "barnyard golfers," gathered under the poplar trees at the county fairgrounds in Murray for the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America's Ninth World's Championship tourney. Even to qualify they had to throw 200 shoes, and score ringers two thirds of the time. Thirty-five qualified. The winner, for the fourth successive year: Fernando Isais of Los Angeles.

Texas. As one who has paid out $1,500 for gifts she is not herself eligible to receive -- Mother's Day, bridal, baby, wedding and anniversary presents -- Miss Dorothy Babb, an instructor at North Texas State College, felt that there should be a National Old Maids' Day. Many spinsters, she pointed out, don't even get birthday gifts, so eager are they to avoid the subject of age.

Idaho. Harriet ("Babe") Hansen, who at 50 is an experienced rancher, ex-sergeant in the WAC, forest ranger, and wilderness guide, won the Republican nomination for sheriff of Boise County. Said sturdy "Babe," who wears a 10-gallon hat, reportedly can pick the eye out of a grouse at 100 yds., and has shot 75 mountain lions: "I think I'm qualified."

Maryland. For netting no less than 27,252 fireflies in his own and neighboring backyards, eleven-year-old Morgan Mallory Butcher won first prize ($10) plus 25-c- per 100 fireflies in Johns Hopkins University's annual firefly-catching competition. The fireflies go to a biology professor, who studies them.

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