20 Years Ago
From Jan.-Feb. 1980 issues:
Work space is cramped. General delivery lines are long.
There are constant traffic and parking problems at the current U.S. Postal
Service location along Main St. in Ketchum (the current Formula Sports building).
So, it was no surprise that the city of Ketchum supported the move of the
Ketchum Post Office from its current A-frame building to the site of the former Scott USA
building.
Leasing the 7,700-square-foot Scott USA building would serve the
community’s mailing needs for the next 15 to 20 years, according to U.S. Postal
Service District Manager R. S. Greenburg.
· Failing health has prompted Salley "Sun Valley Salley"
Cartmell, 97, to finally leave her beloved home and move to California, to be closer to
her granddaughter Bunch Johnson Cohan.
Salley was Sun Valley’s unofficial goodwill ambassador for over 30
years.
At a time in life when most people are looking forward to retirement,
Salley arrived in Sun Valley via Union Pacific Railroad in 1947 to begin a new
career—at the age of 55—as a dorm mother.
She watched over a generation of young resort employees and established a
reputation for a ready smile, and an all-encompassing love for the resort of Sun Valley.
She left Sun Valley for good Jan. 13, 1980.
And an era ended.
· The Sun Valley and Ketchum Chamber Resort Association asked local
governments for financial support to continue representing the area. The Chamber asked Sun
Valley and Ketchum for $15,000 each, and asked the county and state for $5,000 apiece.
Chamber board chairman Bert Bender suggested that the cities support the
Chamber with part of the taxes collected through bed and drink taxes. In that way, the
tourist information office could be kept open, he said. Right now, the Chamber has a
$19,000 deficit, director Jed Gray said.
After hearing the request, the Idaho Mountain Express editorialized
that the request was inappropriate because the Chamber didn’t provide the cities with
a sufficient breakdown of expenses, and because the Chamber was already operating at a
deficit.
The Express editorialized, "With the pressure on municipal revenues
caused by One Percent limitations, there is little enough money for the most basic
services….The Chamber should look for financial support from a more appropriate
source—local businesses."
· The Sun Valley Center Gallery is temporarily "a gallery
without walls."
Sun Valley Company evicted the gallery from its location near Sun Valley
Inn.
Former mall tenants said they believe the eviction notice is more evidence
of the company’s desire to operate most businesses within the resort mall.
During the last year, the company has taken over the spaces formerly
leased by Poor Richard’s Konditorei and Avventura.
· Aircoa, the managing general partner of Elkhorn at Sun Valley,
announced that Elkhorn Associates Ltd. has admitted an additional general partner into
ownership of trhe resort operation.
He is Jack D. Franks, president of the JDF Financial Corp. of Palm
Springs, Ca. Married with six children, Franks purchased a majority interest, over 50%, in
the resort. Aircoa will remain as manager of Elkhorn Resort.
· Performing Feb. 1-4 at Elevation 6000 was Commander Cody. You
could get Cody, plus a shot of tequila or schnapps, for $7.50 at the door. Apres ski at
Elevation 600 was performed by Rude Bruce and the Vialtones.
· Ken Crosson, the winner of the third annual Busterback Stampede
15-kilometer cross country race, may be the first person in the history of Sun Valley to
buy a $100 ski discount pass for Baldy and exclusively use Nordic skis on the mountain.
Crosson, a native of Hawaii and a graduate of the Univ. of Hawaii,
explained, "I enjoy the speed of hard pack. When I first got here I went over to
Dollar, climbed up and skied down. After a while I went over to Baldy. And this season I
decided to buy a pass."
· It’s a bloody skiing dynasty.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Yacht Club alpine racing team skied to
victory in the annual Bartender’s Cup.
This year’s Yacht Club team featured Jim "Chopper" Morton,
Kent Frates and Chris Lindhjem. Morton has been on the winning Yacht Club team all five
years. The threesome won the Jan. 23, 1980 competition for 28 teams and 84 racers on
Baldy’s Lower Warm Springs ski run. Their coach was Joe Yarborough.
Second place went to The Chart House with Tom DeLorenzo, Gary Rumpp and
Holly Diest. In third place was The Ore House with Tim Carter, Thor Thorsen and Melanie
Cody. In fourth place was LeClub with Craig Lawrence, Buddy Levy and Karen Wright.
· To the great chagrin of mountain management, the fifth annual
Local Yokel Open alpine race was held last Thursday in perfect top-to-bottom cruising
conditions on Baldy.
The LeMans start was near Lookout. This year’s first-place winner was
Dave Forsythe, a speed-loving Sun Valley ski instructor. He pointed his finely-tuned 223cm
downhill boards towards Ridge, Blue Grouse and Mid-River Run for his spectacular descent.
As always, the Ski Patrol was relieved not to see any arms, legs or
equipment scattered over the hill on their final sweep of the day.
If you’re interested in participating in the next Local Yokel Open,
you’ll find out the night before the race, when you least expect it!
Carol Levine was one of the best female ski racers on Baldy
during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Here, she runs gates in the 1980 Sun Valley Ski
Club Pro Qualifying Race on Lower Warm Springs. Levine was third overall of 34 ski
instructors, and the only two-run female finisher in the race for the Don Johnson Trophy.
Fred and Juanita Trenkle head off the floor at Wood River High
School gym in Hailey after being honored at Wood River’s "Senior Night"
festivities Feb. 5, 1980. It was the final home game of Trenkle’s 10-year stay in
Hailey. He had earlier announced his intention to resign. Shoshone native Trenkle went on
to a successful college coaching career. And, oh yes, Shoshone spoiled Trenkle’s home
farewell with a 38-36 win over Wood River.
Suns winger Joey McCarthy from Lynn, Mass. is bloodied after
being involved in the infamous brawl between the Sun Valley Suns and Vancouver Seagulls on
Jan. 18, 1980 on resort ice. The brawl happened midway through the second period, with the
Suns leading 5-1 en route to a 7-1 victory. Fueling the fight was Suns goon Paul Cartmill,
who left the Suns bench and went to the aid of teammate Tim Rappleye. Rappleye was being
pummeled by Vancouver defenseman Dan Jones.
Sun Valley skiers Pete Patterson (shown here) and Christin
Cooper were named to the U.S. alpine team for the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid,
N.Y. Patterson, 23, was making his second trip to the Olympics, after finishing 13th in
the 1976 downhill. At Whiteface Mountain, Patterson ended up fifth in the 1980 Olympic
DH—this country’s best DH since Bill Beck’s fifth in 1952. Pete called it
his best race ever.
Former U.S. Ski Team racer and six-year World Pro Skiing
veteran Ken Corrock, 30, scoots down Baldy’s Lower Warm Springs ski run en route to
his 1.69-second victory over Jon Joy in the 1980 Sun Valley Ski Club Pro Qualifying Race
for the Don Johnson Trophy. Corrock won $100 for his efforts.
