JACK RENNIE LIKES GUATEMALA AFTER FIVE YEARS OF RESIDENCE
Native Selmian, Home For Visit, Talks About Adopted Land

Jack F. Rennie, native Selmian and for the past five years representative of the American Optical Company in five Central American countries with headquarters in Guatemala City, is making one of the periodic visits to the States, accompanied by Mrs. Rennie and their three and one-half-year old daughter, Diane. He is the guest of his mother, Mrs. John Rennie, having been joined here tor the past week end by his wife and Diane who returned to Birmingham to continue a visit to Mr. and Mrs. R. T. Daniel, parents of Mrs. Jack Rennie. Whats the climate like in Guatemala? And does he like it there? Its fine and he does, Rennie assured a Times-Journal reporter. Its marvelously even-tempered and pleasant, with a mean degree of 70 for the year; cool night with the mercury dropping to 45, and green and lovely verdure persisting around the calendar, Rennie explained.

Spectacular Scenery
There are no snow-capped mountains, but the scenery is beautiful and spectacular with lakes and volcano scattered thru easily accessible areas. "And Lake Atitlan is rightfully credited with being one of the really magnificent scenic gem of the world equal to the Swiss lakes Rennie added. There are two luxury hotels and smaller hostels where prices range from $8 to $9 per day. As in Mexico, the tourist has to remember to eat only cooked vegetables and boiled water in some areas of the country where a backward attitude toward modern culinary methods still exists. The Rennies have made many visits to these backward areas; they furnish the most captivating insight into a people who were skilled in many of the arts and sciences when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived. Mrs. Rennie has collected textiles the weaver's art speaking clearly of the life of the villages, and their different cultures and additions to her collection are always eagerly sought when there is time for a motor trip to the mountains. One of the unique points of tourist interest and still a lure to the Rennies who frequently go there is the Indian village of Chichicastenango where the ancient church of Santo Tomas and the market preserve customs from a thousand years ago. Literally, nothing changes and if it does change, it is by a slow process of assimilation in Guatemala, said Rennie.

Indian Dress Colorful
The Indian dress is colorful it has always been so and the spinning and weaving still is carried on within the small, thick-walled adobe brick huts, which lighten with the color which the loom introduces. As the seasons revolve in a continuous spring-summer period, there is no winter clothing, but the Indian weaves for mountain altitudes in wool, and for the usual year round wear he uses cotton, most of it raised in Guatemala, but some of it imported. Dour and reserved, the Guatemalans have very simple need. They cling to ownership of small plots of ground upon which they attempt to raise their foodstuffs rice, beans, fruit and such products. Their means of transportation is primarily by pack, and Rennie has seen both men and women carrying unbelievable burdens on their shoulders over high mountain trails and uncertain footing. Over 2,000 full-blooded Indians out of a population of 3,500,000 pose a problem in Guatemala, Rennie said, as educational advantages are limited and the people themselves seem to want change to come slowly. However, the government is building new schools and good roads and is attempting to extend educational advantages to the masses. Guatemala boasts one of the oldest universities in the American hemisphere the University of San Carlos, founded in Antigua, Rennie said. Contacts with the countries in which he represents the American Optical Company: El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica; are easily maintained by air travel, Rennie disclosed. Both Pan American and Taca airways cover the areas with excellent service, and travel both to and from the United States is speedy and pleasant because of the airlines. I make the trip to and from the states by air because the sea voyage is something of an old story. I made it 52 times while in the Merchant Marine during World War II, the Selma visitor said. Life is pleasant for the American families who live in Guatemala City, he disclosed. The surroundings are more than ordinarily lovely, and social life is pleasant. Rennie belongs to the Country cub, to the Mayan Golf club and to an amateur magicians group, the Club de Magos. This last named connection has put him on the spot with his seven year old nephew, Johnny Falkenberry, who has bedeviled his uncle to pull a rabbit from a hat ever since an evening in which a few of the tricks he learned in the club de Magos were disclosed. Rennie expects to leave early in January for Guatemala City, driving thru in a car which he soon will leave Selma to obtain in New York. The trip from Selma back home will require seven days to drive its 1,400 mile as the crow flies, to Guatemala City. He does not expect any difficulties, as motor travel is being encouraged by the South American countries, with good road. Mrs. Rennie and Spanish-speaking Diane will return by boat from New Orleans later in January. They will land in Puerto Barrios and will be met there by Rennie.