Clinton Centennial
Like Clinton's Friendliness: Industrial Plans Draw Comments
(Those in photos are: Jim Pilgrim, Earl L. Garrett, Mrs. Daniel Kretzer,
Dr.Curtis Layton, Mrs. Eugene P. Sheldon and Mrs. Robert Bell)
Six members of the Clinton Newcomers' Club were interviewed at a recentmeeting to find out just what they thought of the city. They had onlypraise for their new home.
Unmetered offstreet parking lots, the city's fine parks, the friendlyatmosphere and industrial planning all drew praise. Here some comment:
Jim Pilgrim: Says the nice parks are the things that impressed me mostwith Clinton. He came here from Grinnell and is employed at Krambeck Feed& Supply Co. He and his wife have two children.
Earl L. Garrett: Likes Clinton's broad streets and shoppingdistrict. He says it's "a good clean town." Garrett is inClinton to help Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. convert to dial service here,and is central office foreman. He came here from Muscatine afterconversion had been completed there.
He and his wife came here April 1 and have two children.
Dr. Curtis Layton: "There are two things that impressed me mostwith Clinton. They are the friendliness found here and the large number ofyoung married couples in Clinton. The generous offstreet unmetered parkingis something that most cities promise but never achieve.
"This is our first permanent residence. We came here from Honoluluwhere I was interning in children's denistry." Layton has a dentalpractice in Clinton limited to children. Mrs. Layton was originally fromBellevue while he is a native of Cedar Rapids.
Mrs. Daniel Kretzer: "Our first impression of Clinton wasthe warmth and friendliness of the people. We are thoroughly at home afterliving here 10 months," she said. The Kretzers came here from GraniteCity, Ill. and have a daughter who is a student at the University ofAlabama. Kretzer is manager of Kline's department store.
Mrs. Eugene P. Sheldon:
"After being in Clinton a little over a month, I can truthfully say itis the town for us. The children go to lovely Horace Mann school and havebeen taken in and made happy from the first. The teachers and curriculumare tops. We've dreamed for years of returning to Iowa."
TheSheldons have two children. Mr. Sheldon is an assistant vice president athe Iowa State Savings Bank. The couple came here from Palas Park,Ill. Both are natives of Osage.
Mrs. Robert Bell: Says she likesthe friendly feeling of a medium-sized city like Clinton, especially in thestores; the "wonderful off-street parking lots, and the planning."
Shesaid: "Clinton seems like a city looking forward to another successful 100years with planned industrial development and new schools to accommodate anincreasing population."
The Bells came here from Cambridge, Ohio. They have three children. Bell is employed at Collis Co. Mrs. Bell wasoriginally from Detroit, Mich.
SOURCE: Centennial Edition, Clinton Herald, Clinton Iowa, 18 June 1955
