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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2017)
ILWACO WRESTLING TEAM WINS ‘BEACH BRAWL’ INVITE SPORTS • PAGE 10A DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 152 ONE DOLLAR Unsung Vigil marks teen’s tragic death heroes get chorus of applause Astoria, Warrenton honor four citizens By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Tears, joy and disbe- lief washed across the faces of Astoria and Warrenton’s four new citizens of the year from 2016, each surprised Saturday during the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce’s 144th annual banquet at the Astoria Golf and Country Club. Christmas Food Basket coordinator Myrle Bruner, Flavel mansion restorer Greg Newenhof and downtown advocate Sara Meyer joined the more-than 130 recipients of Astoria’s George Awards since 1960. Warrenton businesswoman and volunteer Darlene Warren became the 20th individual winner of Warrenton’s Richard Ford Award since 2000. See HEROES, Page 7A Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Brandon Williams, Trevor Secord’s uncle, and his son, Judas Williams, share a moment at a candlelight vigil for Secord on Sun- day night at Warrenton City Park. Secord was hit by a pickup and died Thursday night. Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Darlene Warren wades through a lum- berjack-themed crowd after being named for the Richard Ford Award, War- renton’s citizen-of-the-year honor. Submitted Photo Q&A Trevor Secord with his mother, Christina. Mother says Secord would ‘light up a room’ By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian ABOVE: Christina Secord, left, Trevor Secord’s mother, hugs friends and family before the start of a candlelight vigil to remember the life of her son. BELOW: Friends, family and community members gather for a candlelight vigil to remember the life of Trevor Secord. New county commissioner casts critical vote on suit ARRENTON — Dozens of family, friends and acquaintances gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil in memory of a Warrenton High School stu- dent who was hit by a pickup and died last week. The remembrance took place at Warren- ton City Park’s baseball field for Trevor Sec- ord, 15, who was struck late Thursday night after exiting a parked vehicle on the side of the road and running into the middle of U.S. Highway 101 just north of Gearhart. Scores of attendees, some hugging and others wiping away tears, lit candles for the teenager. Ray Bergerson, a pastor at The Mis- sion Christian Fellowship, invited people to share their memories. “He truly was one that would light up a room,” said Christina Secord, Trevor’s On the same night Kathleen Sullivan was sworn in to the Clat- sop County Board of Commissioners, she cast a deciding vote to opt out of a $1.4 bil- lion timber lawsuit against the state. Sullivan had been following the lawsuit Kathleen over revenue from tim- Sullivan ber harvests since she was elected in May to replace Dirk Rohne, but the 3-2 vote in front of a packed Judge Guy Boyington Building was still dramatic. See VIGIL, Page 7A See Q&A, Page 7A W By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Public health officer a critical link to health care Duncan was initially drawn to the chaos s a sea of doctors fled Astoria in the late 1980s, Thomas Duncan moved from Drain toward the coast. Clatsop County’s public health officer came to Astoria in the midst of the Patrick v. Burget antitrust case. Dr. Tim- othy Patrick accused private partners at the former Asto- ria Clinic — which housed 75 percent of doctors in the city — of colluding against him. The case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in A Patrick’s favor, and along the way bankrupted many of the other doctors and put the clinic out of business. Duncan was one of the doc- tors who came to Astoria to fill the void. “You couldn’t really get good doctors to come to this place,” he said. So what drew him to the seemingly hopeless situation? “The chaos,” he said. “It was an opportunity to do something interesting.” Duncan, 73, has held the position of county pub- lic health officer for 28 years. He essentially acts as a part- time consultant for the county health department, signing off on new standard operating pro- cedures. But he spends most of his time tending to his private practice at Lower Columbia Clinic. Other than common epi- demics like meningitis and influenza, Clatsop County has not faced a major public health crisis during Duncan’s tenure. Still, Duncan views the role of public health — including living standards, clean air and Submitted Photo See DUNCAN, Page 7A Thomas Duncan is the county’s public health officer.