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Show 2C Sun Wednesday, December Advocate, Price, Utah 15, 1982 Kids send letters His friends call him Santa Claus NORTH POLE, Alaska (AP) The post office of this tiny villages, town just outside Fairbanks gets thousands of letters in the season, and the phone of one resident rings almost constantly. The recipient of all the calls probably comes closer than anyone to being Santa Claus. His name is Con Miller and many people throughout the great Alaska interior are sure he really is old St. Nicholas. It all started in 1949, says Miller, 69. Id just arrived in Alaska, and bought an inventory of retail goods from someone in Fairbanks. Id load the goods in my old station wagon, and sell from village to village. But nobody much was buying, and Miller figured it was because he wasnt making an impression. About that time I was rummaging through my inventory and came across a complete Santa Claus outfit, he recalls. So from then on, whenever Id pull into one of those as Id proach, theyd call out, Santa Claus is coming! He knew the name had stuck when three years later he was building a trading post in Fairbanks, a carload of kids passed by, and one shouted, Hey, Santa ! Are you building a new house? The U.S. Postal Services aided in spreading this case of in 1954, when it a opened post office at the North Pole when the settlement was 1 in. When the telephone rings at his place of business, a huge store stocked almost entirely with Alaska souvenirs and items Christmas-relate- d postal clerks, seeing kids letters to Santa at the North Pole, passed em onto our post office, Miller says. And people there naturally turned them over to me, me around being Santa Claus these parts, anyway. It wasnt long before I was getting thousands of letters to Santa Claus. They usually start he anwhere he also lives House. Claus swers Santa The majority of the callers, and the writers too, are concerned with what they would like to see in their yule stockings and under their Christmas trees. But many just want to be able to say they actually spoke to Santa Claus. Many of the letters have no return addresses and quite a few lack stamps, but the post office delivers them to Miller anyway. Miller and his wife try to be pouring encouraging mis-identi- ty year old. Id guess that around in Thanksgiving. But what really answer as many of the letters as they can and are helped by the fact that lots of them come from groups or classes, which can be covered by one response. Miller almost always writes return letters to children in foreign countries. We think we can build better international good will through these kids, than all the foreign aid dollars he the government spends, explains. As for the calls, they come in every few seconds from morning to night. We try to give each a little time, but when evening comes, weve just got to cut off both phones so we can get some sleep, says Miller. But we have them back on real early the next day. Miller has found willing helpers for his Santa Claus role in his wife, Nellie, and me, he adds, are the phone calls. Last year we got, Id guess, about 350,000 calls between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Almost all the calls are from young children, and I bet their parents get quite a jolt when the phone bill comes be wearing my Santa suit. The kids would get really excited, and as Id ap- daughter, rather than promising in their responses to all the communications. They amazes appropriately named Mary Christmas Miller. His two sons are in politics with Terry, 40, currently the lieutenant governor of Alaska, and Mike, 31, just elected to the state House of Representatives. A little leaner than the traditional Santa, but just as jolly, home Con Miller stands in front of the Christmas tree in his in North Pole, Alaska, just outside Fairbanks. The Miller, who started wearing a Santa suit to sell his wares, gets thousands of telephone calls and letters during the holiday season. obituaries Merlin Anderson Merlin Anderson, died Dec. 10, 1982 Kenilworth, injuries he suffered in 61, of a r two-ca- collision at in the tersection of BIEWOUJTION in Price. He was born March 30, 1921 in Fairview, Utah, to August Charles and Emma Jane Mower Anderson. He married Fern Hyatt Oct. 26, 1945 in Kenilworth. She survives. A coal miner for 37 years, he was a member of the United Mine Workers of America. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints. In addition to his wife, survivors include sons and daughters, Randy, Eddie, Richard and Kent, all of Kenilworth, Jerry, Elmo, Merlynn Anderson, Huntington, and Connie Burdis, Price; nine grandchildren; one brother, Kenneth, Fairview; and three sisters, Mildred Thompson and Geroma (Peggy) Smith, both of California, and Rita Brown, Salt Lake City. Funeral services were at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Spring Glen LDS Ward chapel. Burial was in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Fausett Mortuary was in charge of arrangements. or WITH THE ALL NEW INSURED ACCOUNT Julia Vicich V, "Rates and Account available beginning December 14 CHRISTMAS EXTRAS FOR ACCOUNTS OPENED IN DECEMBER BONUS BONUS BONUS INTEREST INTEREST INTEREST plus a CROSS PEN and a plus a SANYO LITHIUM POWERED CALCULATOR a $2,500 deposit FREE with PANASONIC SOLAR POWERED FOLDING CALCULATOR never needs batteries FREE with a $10,000 deposit FREE WITH $20,000 deposit Qualifying deposit must remain in account 30 days Offer . 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Survivors include nieces and nephews, William Zele, Price, Rose Crandall and John Costello, both of Helper, Stan Costello, Grand Junction, Colo., and Tony Costello, Kemmerer, Wyo.; and grandnieces, and Becky Kloepfer, Helper, Charlotte Davis and Linda Allred, both of Price. Mass of the Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Mitchell Funeral Home, preceded by rosary at 9:40 a.m. Burial will be in Price City Cemetery. Did you know? The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1970 that arbitrary discrimination against women was unconstitutional. The Phone or visit an American Savings office today for complete details. YOUR MONEY IS LIQUID. 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