Most Retailers and Public Services Close Monday

Most Spokane retail business and public service operations will be at a standstill Monday as the city mourns the death of President John F Kennedy. Almost all downtown retail stores will be closed upon the request of the Executive Committee of the Spokane Retail Trade Bureau. Following a special vote by the committee Saturday, about 76 bureau member stores agreed to suspend business. Frank Fix, bureau president, said, “many advertisements for Monday sales appearing in today’s paper had been completed before the date had been set for the national mourning and that it was too late then to change this advertising. Consequently, all agreed that the offers made in such advertising would apply when the store concerned reopened Tuesday morning.” City Hall, the County Court house, state and federal offices will be closed with the exception of police and fire services. The Post Office will run on a Sunday schedule. No mail deliveries, except for perishables and special delivery, will be made. Only 14 city buses will be in service, as the Spokane City Lines will operate on a Sunday schedule. Following a special program at 8 a.m. Monday, all Fairchild Air Force Base military and civilian operations will shift to a Sunday basis. Schools Also Closed All city and county public schools will close their classrooms Monday. St. George’s School will be closed. Monday classes have also been canceled at Washington State University and its Spokane cent, Eastern Washington State College, Spokane Community College, Ft. Wright College of the Holy Names and Whitworth College. Gonzaga University students will be dismissed until Dec. 2 following special services Monday morning. Parochial schools will be session Monday morning as all parishes are scheduling masses and prayer session for school children to attend. Whether afternoon classes will be held at Catholic schools will be up to individual parishes. Libraries Close Both city and rural public libraries and bookmobile services will be closed. Glenn Yake, city director of utilities and works, said no city garbage collections would be made Monday, and that only “essential services –water supply and sewage treatment – will be maintained.” Areas usually receiving garbage service Monday will be serviced Tuesday. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, garbage possibly may be picked up during the weekend, he added. Northtown and Shadle Park shopping centers will be closed, with the exception of some grocery and some drug stores which will run on a part-time basis. Safeway, Albertson’s Rosauer’s and most other grocery stores will remain closed Monday until noon. Drug Stores to Open The Spokane Pharmaceutical Association agreed that two drug stores, Whitlock’s and Bates, would remain open all day Monday because of the nature of the profession and need to continually protect and maintain public health, welfare and safety. H.C. Seeber, president of the association, said as a tribute to the late President, all other drug stores and pharmacies would close from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Two drug stores, Payless and All. Will be closed Monday in observation of the national day of mourning. Banks to Close All Spokane banks, savings and loan associations, and the Spokane Stock Exchange will be closed. The Washington Water Power Co. office employes (Eds note: spelled this way in the newspaper at the time) will be off Monday with the exception of crews necessary to maintain electric and natural gas service. Workers to Mourn “The electric construction industry will generally observe a day of mourning,” Robert L. Wildkinson, manager of the Inland Empire of the National Contractors Association, announced. He added that electrical contractors and their employes “expect to continue only essential and urgent work on Monday.” The Kaiser aluminum Trentwood Plant will observe a five-minute period of silence in memory of the late President at 9 a.m. Monday. All machines which can be shut down will then be silenced. Because of the continuous production operation at Kaiser, the Mead plant will not so observe; mead offices however, will be closed Monday. Sen. Henry M. Jackson’s speech to the Spokane Chamber of Commerce scheduled for noon Tuesday has been canceled. Also suspended are all chamber committee luncheon meetings slated for Monday. StockLand Union Stockyards will hold its regular livestock sales Monday through Wednesday due to the “large number of livestock now at the yards,” F. Wallace Rothrock Jr., announced. However, a special period of tribute and mourning will be observed by all in attendance. The Livestock for Peace sale scheduled for Monday to benefit 15 foreign students has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Gonzaga Preparatory School classes are canceled, but a spiritual program will be conducted all day Monday in the school auditorium. The Spokane Stock Exchange will follow the New York Stock Exchange in closing Monday and possibly other days of the week.