Hershey News 1953-12-31

              HERSHEY NEWS
Vol. 1 " HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA, DECEMBER 31, 1953 No. 14
Anniversary Year In
Review As '53 Ends
Visit Of President Eisenhower, State Rose
Festival, "Dutch Days" And M. S. Hershey
Day Among Top News Events
Turning back the leaves of the 1953 calendar brings
to mind many interesting events which occurred here during
the community's Fiftieth Anniversary.
Perhaps from the standpoint of news interest, the head-liner
of them all was the October 13 visit here of President
and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower for the huge birthday salute
to the President.
But there were other newsworthy happenings on the
local scene which made it a memorable year and which
brought many interested persons from near and far to join
with Hersheyites in programs and projects especially planned
for the Fiftieth Anniversary celebration.
It was a year Packed with
special events, and with the
Fiftieth Anniversary theme
adding emphasis and interest
to many regularly scheduled
programs. Injection of the
anniversary theme, for in-stance,
brought special plan-ning
and achievement tó the
Parent-Teacher Association's
annual Halloween Parade, the
Pennsylvania Dutch Days, the
Tulip Time Festival, and to
the observance of Pennsyl-vania
Week.
One of the finest of the
anniv ersary observances
was M. S. Hershey Day on
September 12 when the Fif-tieth
Anniversary Commit-tee
presented the Harris-burg
Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus in a cathedral-like
program of inspiration-al
,m usic.
So went the grand celebra-tion
of a great year—a tribute
to the community and its busi-ness
and industry.
It was a year of recognitioh
for the steady progress of a
community founded only a
half-century ago. Its amazing
transition from farmland to a
modern community of attrac-tive
homes and busy industry
is pointed up by the fact that
a number of persons still liv-ing
here and nearby have
watched the growth of the
chocolate • capital of the world
from its very inception in
1903. They have seen its com-fortable
homes and lovely
landscaping come into their
present-day form.
The "oldtimers" often
swap recollections about
how the big factory build-ing
was expanded; how the
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Hershey News
Comm. Bldg.
Hershey, Pa.
Community Building re-placed
the small limestone
schoolhouse on the corner;
how the modern hotel and
Milton Hershey School edi-fices
rose on Patt's Hill.
They've seen a community
born and reach a high de-gree
of development.
These are some of the
things which were recalled
during the celebration of the
town's Golden Anniversary.
Year of 1953.
The Ice Capades, coming in
late February and early
March, was a 50th Anniver-sary
event because of the
unique feature of presenting
on ice the fabulous operetta,
"Brigadoon".
South Pacific
One of the early outstanding
events of the year took place
in the week of March 16 when
Rodgers and Hammerstein
brought the famous musical
play "South Pacific", starring
Janet Blair and Webb Tilton
to the Hershey Community
Theatre. The entire program
of eight performances was
sold out long in advance. With
Janet Blair of Altoona and
Webb Tilton in the leading
roles, "South Pacific" was un-doubtedly
the biggest hit ever
to show on the stage here.
Hershey Sports Arena was
the scene of the National Fig-ure
Skating Championship
March 25 through 28. This
brought the greatest amateur
skaters from the western
hemisphere to Hershey and
put the name of the sponsor,
the Hershey Figure Skating
Club, on sport pages through-out
the world.
Another 50th Anniversary
event brought the fabulous
Harlem Globetrotters to the
Hershey Sports Arena on
April 2, while the Philadelphia
Symphony Orchestra with
Eugene Ormandy conducting,
Photo Highlights
Believing, with Confu-cius,
that "one 'picture is
worth ten thousand words,"
the Hershey News this
week presents a review of
outstanding events on the
local scene during 1953 in
photo form.
Pictures of 50th Anni-versary
Year highlights ap-pear
on Page Four.
This edition is designed
primarily as a year-end
souvenir of the fiftieth
milestone in Hershey's
golden history.
played before 4,000 people in
the Arena on April 22.
"The Biggest Show of 1953"
featuring the Woody Herman
and Louis Jordan orchestras
with recording stars Frankie
Laine and Ella Fitzgerald was
also at the Arena on May 1.
Mother's Day, Sunday, May
10 was an unforgettable one
as Comdr. Charles Brendler
and the famous United States
Navy Band appeared in the
park for afternoon and even-ing
concerts. The concerts by
this magnificent, group of
musicians drew the largest
crowds ever to see and hear
the outdoor concert at Her-shey
Park. Between 15,000 and
20,000 people were estimated
to have heard them during
their two performances.
Tulip Time
The 50th Anniversary Tulip
Festival took place in the
famous Hershey Gardens dur-ing
the last week of April and
the first two weeks of May.
More than 30,000 plants were
blooming. Among them were
18 varieties from The Nether-lands
which were having their
first showing anywhere in the
world at Hershey during the
golden anniversary.
Rose Festival
Many outstanding events
were to follow: One of the
most extensive undertakings
took place in June when Her-shey
crowned a Rose Queen
for the State of Pennsylvania.
Winner was Renee Silverman
from Midland, a small com-munity
west of Pittsburgh.
She was the winner from
among 300 contestants in the
Keystone State.
On June 12, the 17 winners
from the eliminations were
brought to Hershey as guests
at Hotel Hershey, to partici-pate
in a parade and a talent
show where the first three
place winners were selected.
A Scotch Kiltie Band was
here from Grove City and high
school bands came from as far
as Mansfield. Floats, deco-rated
cars carrying the con-testants,
bands, drill teams
and the Pennsylvania State
Police formed the most color-ful
part of the parade. An
estimated crowd of 20,000
watched the parade with 6,000
persons going to the Sports
Arena for the talent show,
which was judged by Miss
Mimi Benzell, famous Metro-politan
Opera, radio and TV
star; John Fearnley, casting
director for Rodgers and Ham-merstein;
Dr. Francis B. Haas,
Superintendent of Public In-struction
for the State of
Pennsylvania; Miss Margaret
Mary Kearney, Director of
Youth Programs for Station
WCAU radio and TV; Miss
Kathryn Dorr, Assistant Dean
of Home Economics,. Drexel
Institute, Philadelphia; Mr. W.
Fur The New Year
To The People of Our Community;
Our sincere wish is that 1954 may bring you and yours a
full measure of health and happiness.
Our hopes for the future are:
That the threat of war will greatly diminish,
That the forces for peace and mutual respect will
develop throughout the world, and
That our leaders in government, industry and labor
will work together diligently and prayerfully
towards developing an economy which we can support
and which will provide prosperity for all.
As we conclude the Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of
Hershey, it is our firm belief that what Mr. K. S. Hershey has
made possible during the first fifty years of our history is Just
the opening of new horizons. May the first half-century of
progress serve as our inspiration for future achievements that
will bring continuing happiness for all employeee and citizens of
our community. -
May we 411 be stimulated to serve to the best of our
abilities. In our own company, may we realize and understand
that our only justification for being in business is the supply.
ing or the highest quality products to our many customers. May
we improve the quality of our services and add to the experience
and cooperative spirit existing throughout the organization.
La 1953 draws to a close, I want to wish you all 4 very
Nappy New Year.
Hershey, Pennsylvania
December 31. 195)
Ray Hastings, Secretary the
All American Rose Selections
Committee; Mr. Lewis W.
Cohan, Secretary of Local 269
American Federation of Musi-cians
in Harrisburg; Mr. A. K.
Redmond, representing Radio-
• TV WHP and CBS and Mr.
Harold Miller representing
WGAL and NBC.
Sports Events
A sports headliner of the
year was the Pennsylvania
Open Golf Tournament held at
the Country Club on June 16
and won by Bo Winninger of
Oklahoma City. Hershey
Country Club pro Johnny
Weitzel and Smiley Quick of
Los Angeles shared fifth
place.
In the Harrisburg District
Golf Tournament at the Coun-try
Club July 17-18-19, Her-shey's
own Wally "Skip" Kil-rea,
Jr., won the medal with a
73. The championship was won
by Lynn Creason of Colonial
who defeated Sirio Startoni of
the Hershey Park Golf Club
5 and 4.
The Public Links Tourna-ment,
at the Park Golf Club
July 23-24-25, was won by
Dominic Foscone of Reading,
while the medalist was Art
Garrison of the Park Club.
Garrison is president of the
Pennsylvania Public Links As-sociation.
In the Public Links, the Her-shey
Park team captured the
team trophy for the fifth con-secutive
year, giving them the
second leg on the Sen. James
H. Duff Trophy.
National headlines came
from Hershey also in August
when the week of August 18
saw the first annual VFW
National Teener Baseball
Tournament played here. The
title was won by the Lacka-wanna,
Pa., team. Teams rep-resented
ten states.
July found a variety of
special events in the park,
highlighted by the appearance
of the United States Army
Field Band on July 26.
In August the State Police
presented their famous Rodeo
Sincerely,
in the Stadian and since the
Philadelphia Eagles of the Na-tional
Football League, as well
as the University of Pennsyl-vania
and the Philadelphia
Warriors, each make Hershey
their training base, August
was the beginning of a series
of sports events highlighted
by the football game between
those titans of the National
Football League, the Chicago
Bears and the Philadelphia
Eagles. Almost 20,000 were in
the Stadium for the Saturday
night game which was won by
the Eagles.
In August, there was a
greatly enlarged Pennsylvania
Dutch Day exhibit including a
4-H livestock show which was
largely attended.
Founder's Day
On September 12, thou-sands
of persons gathered in
the Sports Arena to pay proud
and thoughtful tribute to the
exemplary life and achieve-ments
of the late Milton S.
Hershey.
The impressive salute was
rendered on the day before
the anniversary of Mr. Her-shey's
birth in a special Foun-der's
Day program. A major
portion of the program was
a memorial concert by the
Harrisburg Symphony Or-chestra
and Chorus directed
by the famous composer-con-ductor,
Edwin MacArthur.
A highlight of the evening
came when the Harrisburg
Chamber of Commerce,
through its president, Wilbur
F. Packer, presented a bronze
plaque which notes:
"Fifty years ago a public
spirited Pennsylvanian con-ceived
an industry and a
community. Into both he
breathed a depth of human-ity,
a civic consciousness
and a concern for others.
Into the hearts of thou-
Atnds of boys he instilled
love and hope. From his in-spiration
have been built a
tremendous enterprise and
a center unrivaled in the
world. On this anniversary
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