Scrapbook 3: U.S.-Europe Twin City Telstar Calls Set for Today

U.S.-Europe Twin City Telstar Calls Set for Today

By JOHN KRUEGER

S&S London Bureau

LONDON (S&S) — Twin city space calls via Telstar will be bouncing back and forth between the United States and Europe Thursday if present plans go according to schedule.

The U.S. Embassy here has announced that England will be represented by Rugeley, Staffordshire. It will be linked in a telephone conversation relayed by the communication satellite to its twin American town of Western Springs, Ill.

Civic officials of the two communities will converse after the call has been placed from Western Springs. The time will be after lunch in Illinois and early evening in Rugeley. The towns became twins under the People-to-People Program for developing better international contacts.

Twenty-three American communities or institutions will take part in the hour-long Telstar tie-up with their counterparts in 16 European countries. Some 80 Americans are expected to take part, with conversations lasting five or six minutes. Telstar can relay as many as 10 calls simultaneously.

The full schedule will comprise New York City-West Berlin; Minneapolis-Oulu, Finland; Bay City, Mich.-Mechelen, Belgium; Rochester, N.Y.-Rennes, France; Western Springs-Rugeley; Boston University-Rome University; Vallejo, Calif.-Trondheim, Norway; Pittsburgh-Bilbao, Spain; Chicago-Copenhagen; New Bedford, Mass.-Lisbon; Hagerstown, Md.-Wesel, Germany; Albany, N.Y.-Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Alameda, Calif.-Lidingo, Sweden; Montclair, N.J.-Graz, Austria; University of Wisconsin-University of Helsinki; Buffalo-Luxembourg; New Bern, N.C.-Bern, Switzerland; Denver-Brest, France; Menlo Park, Calif.-Galway, Ireland; Medford, Ore.-Alba, Italy; Artesia, Calif.-Konderkerkaan-den-Rijn, the Netherlands; Toledo, Ohio-Toledo, Spain, and York, Pa.-Arles, France.

As an example of the twin-city program, the embassy here told how 900-year-old Rugeley sent official greetings and congratulations this year to Western Springs on the occasion of its diamond jubilee. At the jubilee banquet, the citizens of Western Springs were entertained by a tape recording of music specially recorded by a choir of 10-year-old Rugeley school boys.

Copies of the recording were also made available to the six elementary schools in the Illinois town, together with a recorded postscript inviting pen-pal letters from the Western Springs youngsters.

On another occasion, festivities at Western Springs honoring two exchange students from Rugeley were filmed and a copy of the film was later presented to Rugeley when a married couple from Western Springs visited Rugeley.