Irene Rangen spoke first. She was at Sertoma to bring us more information about the Miss Brainerd Lakes Scholarship Pageant which is sponsored by Community Education and Women of Today. She urged everyone to attend the event which will be held on June 12th at 7 p.m. in Tornstrom Auditorium. The last pageant was held in Brainerd in 1990.

Irene is a former Miss Brainerd. Many events lead up to the pageant for the girls including leadership opportunities and community service. The interview is the most important part of the contest and counts 40% with talent following at 30%. The Miss American Scholarship Foundation gives away 45 million dollars in scholarships. Anyone who participates in the pageant can apply for a scholarship. The committee locally is looking for donations for the scholarship fund (100% of these dollars are awarded), advertising for program books (these funds pay for production and yearly expenses for the winner), and volunteers to work the pageant. She remarked, “I am part of this program because it encourages personal growth in young people.”

Mr. Johnson was very proud of the nine Eagle Scouts that emerged from the 12 groups this year. He explained, “Scouting helps kids figure out who they are, teaches citizenship through working in groups, and allows them to develop physical fitness by applying their skills to real situations.”

He then explained the two new directions that scouting is going today. The Venture groups are co-ed and involve bigger and better scouting such as a visit to the Scout Ranch in Arizona for rock climbing and horseback camping trips. The Explorers focus on discovering careers and are also a co-ed group. The scouting program needs volunteers at the district level to participate in the membership committee, fundraising to help provide the $100,000 necessary to keep the program running each year, unit service, trainers, and program workers. Anyone interested in helping can attend the meeting at Park United Methodist Church on June 29th at 7 p.m.

• The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
• The winners of the FAS money will be Linda Twaddle and Scott Fisher if they call.
• The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an hour.
• The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
• Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
• Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the! country for any reason.
• The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:  1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke
• The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
• Two of 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
• Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
• There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.