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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2017)
1B THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 CONTACT US FOLLOW US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON DOGOODNICS RULE huge thank you to the DoGoodnics, who hubby, Dad and I had the distinct pleasure of meeting as we attended their free ‘Red and Ruby’ (Vince Brown and Lavon Hardison) swing concert on Feb. 18, celebrating music of the 1930s and 1940s,” Donna Barnett of Hammond wrote. “(DoGoodnics is) a Long Beach (Washington) Peninsula nonprofit service, led by Robert and Gwen Brake,” Donna explained, “who pour their hearts into sharing music and the heal- ing power music has to combat memory loss — restoring brain activity and activating connections to self and others. We are talking about folks, like my 92-year-old Dad, Spurgeon Keeth Sr., who’s been afflicted with Alzheimer’s/dementia disease.” You can reach the DoGoodnics at 360-665-2784 or oobear@cen- turytel.net Of historical note: Spurgeon Keeth is the area’s oldest sur- vivor of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. “Keeth nar- rowly escaped death on numerous occasions during World War II,” Robert told the Ear. “A shell exploded near him on Guadal- canal, blowing off his clothes. He suffered from malaria. And a Japanese soldier, from just 3 yards away, fired at him and missed. Keeth received numerous ribbons and stars for his service.” Pic- tured, from left, Vince Brown, Spurgeon Keeth and Robert Brake. “Before the concert, Robert and Gwen presented Dad with a brand new iPod, earphones and headphones containing 185 coun- try music selections that they programmed especially for him,” Donna added. “He does not remember attending the concert, he does not recall what a DoGoodnic is, and he does not remember Ruby and Red, but he does have a special place in his heart for the nice couple who provided him with his new little contraption full of music that connects him to the past.” DoGoonics, indeed. NOTHING BRATTISH ABOUT HER ‘A GUNNING FOR CLAMS TAKE A LESSON n remembrance of the sixth anniversary of the March, 11, 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Yahoo! Japan installed a gigantic banner on the side of a Tokyo skyscraper as a striking visual reminder to be prepared for the next disaster, according to Rocket News: A red stripe at the almost 55 foot high mark illus- trated the height of a tsunami wave in Iwate Prefecture (http:// tinyurl.com/55stripe). A split-frame photo of the building, by Masatoshi Yazaki, is shown. Part of the text on the banner is as follows: “Every year, when March 11 comes, we look back on what happened on that day. … We tell ourselves that disasters won’t happen again. But some- day, another disaster will probably, no, definitely occur. … If the tsunami had happened here, in the middle of Ginza, it would be exactly this (the red section’s) height. “It’s higher than one would imagine. But just by knowing how high it is, the actions we take can change. We can make prepara- tions here and now. We can receive the understanding and knowl- edge through our memories of the victims. We won’t forget what happened that day. Yahoo believes that this is the most important part of disaster preparedness.” Please note: If you think the tsunami height on the banner looks frightening, just remember that the tallest wave during that event — caused by a subduction zone very similar to the Cascadia off the coast of Oregon — was a terrifying 128 feet high (http://tinyurl. com/2011tsu). Unfortunately, the banner’s lesson was short-lived. It was taken down March 12. I ore celebrities visiting Astoria: Shirley Temple, a famous child film actress in the 1930s, visited Asto- ria in June 24 to 26, 1945, the year World War II ended. A spokesman for the Navy, which brought her here to visit the wounded at the Astoria Naval Hospital, noted “there was nothing temperamental or brattish” about her. The actress also attended the presentation ceremony of 12 Purple Hearts, given by Capt. H.E. Ragle, command- ing officer of the hospital, and posed for photos with the recipients. At a dance given in her honor, the Astorian reported that “during intermission, she took time out from dancing to autograph casts for wounded men, and scraps of paper for the many admirers who rushed up to ask for such a favor.” An anonymous reader kindly sent in three U.S. Navy photos of the visit; one of Shirley Temple and Capt. Ragle is shown. All three are here: http://tinyurl.com/EarST Karen Radich of Warrenton, who was a Navy WAVE stationed at the hospital at the time, was chosen to help Temple get ready for the dance. “What a delightful hour that was!” she recalled. “When I told her my favorite of all her movies was ‘The Good Ship Lollipop,’ we sang together ‘Animal Crackers in my soup, monkeys and rabbits loop the loop.’ What a lovely lady she was … she was sitting all alone (at the dance). I decided to sit by her to make her comfortable. She was a small woman, and very nice, and a little shy.” “It was a thrill, you know,” Karen recalled, “and she was so sweet.” M MISSING HISTORY t a recent memorial service for Allan Doney, what is believed to be the forerunner of today’s clam gun was shared,” Marian Soderberg of Astoria wrote. “The late John Newton made this prized weapon in his woodshop. John donated it to Allan at one of the clambakes held for 25 years by Ken Doney (pictured), Allan’s brother, at Roxy’s Motel in Seaside.” “Allan greatly enjoyed the outdoors and was a great provider of fish and clams,” Marian recalled. “Legend has it that Allan was a champion clam digger because of this doomsday weapon. “According to bona fide witnesses, clams actually came up to the surface to check it out,” Ken explained, “even though the Chief Mama Clam kept warning them to flee if they ever saw that old Mr. Doney in the surf.” “We are assured that this is not ‘fake news,’” quipped Marian. ‘A SLOTH SLEEPOVER ell, Oregon is in the national news again, and this time it ain’t for Goat Yoga. CNN Money is touting a sloth sleepover at the Sloth Center at Zoological Wildlife Conserva- tion Center, 74320 Larson Road in Rainier (www.chasing-tail. com) as “the coolest thing to see” in the Portland area (http:// tinyurl.com/slothsleep) — which some in hipster city might take exception to. Anyway, you better save up your pennies, as it’s $600 a night for double occupancy for a sloth encounter, which takes place in an enclosure. You’ll need a lot of patience — and the tent, cot and satellite TV provided — to keep from dozing off, as sloths are not exactly known for being action-fueled. No talking is allowed, either. Whispers only. Sloths are apparently very delicate critters who don’t like noise. Can’t afford an all-night sloth immersion? An hour-long visit costs $100 per person. But before you cough up the bucks for either one, CNN raves aside, you might want to check out the Sloth Center’s Yelp reviews (http://tinyurl.com/slothyelp), which range wildly from “you will reek of urine” to “a dream come true.” Caveat emptor. W LOCAL BREVITIES BIG BOX he Ear happened to see a Facebook post by World War II buff, Aaron Buda, that two historic cast iron origi- nal telephone boxes, used to protect telephones from the elements, were stolen from Battery Russell gun pits in Fort Stevens State Park sometime between Thursday, Feb. 23, and Friday, Feb. 24. One is pictured, courtesy of Aaron Buda. The boxes are 12 inches by 12 inches by 8 inches, and weigh about 60 pounds each. “Evidence shows someone did not use a pry bar,” Park Ranger John Koch told the Ear. “They took the time to take them off appropriately.” The Warrenton Police Department has been notified of the theft. “Gun telephone boxes are rare,” the park ranger added. Apparently only 28 of this type of military installation still exist, as most of them were scrapped after World War II. In fact, Koch said, after Battery Russell fired its last shot — in December 1944, during the decommissioning cere- mony — a crew came out that same afternoon and started dismantling the installation. It is surprising the telephone boxes were overlooked. But not by the thief, obviously, who probably knew they are highly collectible items. Now that you know what they look like, please keep an eye out. Those historic boxes should be returned to Battery Russell. If you know any- thing about where they might be located, please call Park Ranger John Koch at 503-861-3170. T he largest container ship on record has finally been com- pleted by shipbuilding giant Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) of South Korea, and the naming ceremony for the MOL Tri- umph took place recently, according to WorldMaritimeNews.com (http://tinyurl.com/SamTri). The ship is shown courtesy of SHI. At 1,312 feet long, and 192 feet wide, the mega-boxship can carry 20,150 containers, more than any ship on the seas so far, and is the first of four being built by Samsung for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in Japan. It may be huge, but believe it or not, the ship is eco-friendly, and “boasts an array of energy-saving equipment.” And, this type of ship can reduce carbon dioxide emissions per container moved by around 50 percent, as compared to far smaller boxships. Triumph, which will serve in the Asia-Europe area, will be delivered to MOL on March 27. T idbits from 132 years ago today from the Tuesday, March 17, 1885, Daily Morning Astorian: • E.C. Holden sold yesterday at sheriff’s sale the Walkley place at upper Astoria to Brenham Van Dusen for $1,575 (about $38,000 now). He also sold at sheriff’s sale the Spexarth property to Theodore Brakke for $1,200 (about $29,000 now). • A small force of men is now employed in the vicinity of Fort Stevens … men looking for transient work would do well to think twice about coming here unless they have sufficient coin to keep traveling. • Smallpox is reported at various points on this northwest coast: Salem and Nanaimo (B.C.) and other places. • It is the intention of the board of pilot commissioners … to call for plans and specifications for the building of the pilot boat for which $10,000 (about $241,000 now) was appropriated at the last legislature. The boat will be built of the best material, and will probably be an Astoria production … and in every respect a staunch vessel. T COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Columbia Northwestern Model Rail- roading Club — 1 p.m., in Hammond. Group runs trains on HO-scale layout. For informa- tion, call Don Carter at 503-325-0757. Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m., Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296 Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel. For information, call 503- 325-5598 or go to http://astoriafiberarts.com SUNDAY Cannon Beach American Legion Women’s Auxiliary Breakfast — 9 to 11:30 a.m., American Legion, 1216 S. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach. Military Officers Association of Amer- ica, Lower Columbia River Chapter — 5 p.m., Doogers Seafood & Grill, U.S. High- way 101, Warrenton. Quarterly meeting. Cdr. Kristen Serumgard of Coast Guard Cutter Fir, homeported in Astoria, speaks on her experi- ences as a commanding officer for the past three years. All officers, former officers of U.S. Armed Forces are invited; active duty, re- serve, retired and NOAA or USPHS officers. For information, contact Capt. R. Stevens (U.S. Coast Guard, retired) at 503-861-9832 Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m., Seaside American Legion, 1315 Broadway. For infor- mation, call 503-738-5111. No cost; suggest- ed $5 tip to the instructor. MONDAY Chair Exercises for Seniors — 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior Center, 1111 Exchange St. For information, call 503-325-3231. Scandinavian Workshop — 10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725 33rd St. Needle- work, hardanger, knitting, crocheting, embroi- dery and quilting. All are welcome. For infor- mation, call 503-325-1364 or 503-325-7960. Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Sug- gested donation $3 for those older than 60; $6.75 for those younger than 60. For informa- tion, call Michelle Lewis at 503-861-4200. Columbia Senior Diners — 11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St. Cost is $6. For informa- tion, or to have a meal delivered, call 503- 325-9693. Warrenton Senior Lunch Program — noon, Warrenton Community Center, 170 S.W. Third St. Suggested donation of $5 for seniors and $7 for those younger than 60. For information, or to volunteer, call 503-861- 3502 Monday or Thursday. Astoria Rotary Club — noon, second floor of the Astoria Elks Lodge, 453 11th St. Guests always welcome. For information, go to www.AstoriaRotary.org See NOTES, Page 2B