European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 23, 1959, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Of. 1community minded i of a housing area in Spain a improvement association works for welfare i vs.,1. Sof 3,000 residents of Royal Oaks near Madrid to " a by thurs on Macauley staff writer it air Jyi a i the Rpyal Oak development during a i a  tasteful uncrowded placement of Homes. Vio pm v ,f., j r b a a a a  a. / i Xiv in i a i i a i a a about five Miles North of Madrid on the Road to Burgos and san Sebastian the 16th air Force has a housing area Calleck Royal Oaks. It s unique in a number of ways. First Encinas de Jos Reyes As it s known in Spanish really was once Royal. The Oak Grove used to be part of a Royal preserve in the Days of the Spanish Mon Archy and the twin turreted Palacio de la Moraleja still stand nearby though now privately owned. Wealthy spaniards have Villas in the Vicinity american film Star Ava Gardner formerly lived in one. Most of the buildings at Royal Oaks Are Low rambling two floor houses with wide verandas on the upper floor. Two families live on the upper floor two below. Though steam healed every apartment has a big Stone fireplace for the Spanish Winter. With the houses perched on different Levels around the area and looking out Over Grassy Hills and Plains to the Guadar Rama mountains Royal Oaks might Well be an american Community i n California or new Mexico. Indeed Royal Oaks is As Community minded As any town Back Home for it has its own improvement association of Public spirited residents dedicated to making Ita bettor place in which to live. It even has a weekly newspaper called the Royal Oaks Acorn. Royal Oaks is divided into 12 wards each with its representative on the Cit Council or executive committee of the association. Mayor or chairman is the amiable and energetic m sgt Cyrus n. Wells a native of Miami fla., who now Calls Henderson nev., his Home. Wells wife Edna Mother of three who works As Secretary for it col r. W. A Vynn another councillor types the mimeographed actin every week. It s written mainly by Wells and councillor m sgt Jim s. Tronic of Worcester mass. The association was born at a Bull. Session attended by Wells tronic and a few others a while Back. Most of the 750service personnel living at Royal Oaks work at Torre Jon a 16th of head quarters which is 15 Miles Northeast of. Madrid on another  its founding the Royal Oaks association has concerned itself chiefly with the health safety and recreation needs of the growing Little american Community that now numbers about 3,000 , tronic and other residents have been spending evenings and weekends working on a baseball Diamond and play ground near the american dependent school now being built at one end of the area and scheduled to open during the coining  the group found the Torrejon grader out of commission a length of steel rail was brought in by truck and dragged Back and Forth to level the Diamond for Little league Pony league and softball. A Volunteer fire department is being organized. One recent evening a fire fight ing demonstration was Given in the open area in the heart of Royal Oaks that has been dubbed town  Many of the association s meeting take place in the open  key Man in the Royal Oaks project is capt James o. Good of Houston tex.,Torrejon a housing and billeting officer. Good reports that to Date some 750 of the866 housing units Are occupied while the rest Are earmarked for families due to arrive in Madrid shortly. Of the units 524 Are for enlisted men and 342 for of  of the first settlers in Royal Oaks was m sgt William e. Burgstaller of Springfield Ohio. The sergeant his wife Bess and six year old daughter Kathleen moved in sept. 18 of last year. They had spent 65 Days in a Madrid hotel. Burgstaller has done a Good landscaping Job around his  have really changed at Royal Oaks since we first moved in Burgstaller said. When we came there were no roads electricity was off and on mostly off with fuses blowing  James m. Smith Torrejon a com Mander has called Royal Oaks one of the finest and most modern air Force housing developments anywhere  mayor Wells and his coworkers Are doing their utmost to make it live up to Smith s  july 23, 1?59 the stars and stripes 11