A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017
Our Community
Brushing, fl ossing and
other dental obsessions
I
don’t like the dentist .
Not any particular
dentist — just going to
the dentist in general.
Despite
what
my
friends might say, I have
a small mouth. That, cou-
pled with having anxiety
about not being able to
breathe be-
cause of asth-
ma, makes
my mouth
not very us-
er-friend-
ly when it
comes
to
Tammy
dental
work.
Malgesini
Seriously,
INSIDE MY
SHOES
there’s not
very much
room in there for my teeth,
much less hands, mirrors,
suction tubes and various
instruments that I prob-
ably don’t even care to
know what they are called.
It seems quite unfair
that I brush my teeth sev-
eral times a day (I even
have a toothbrush in my
desk at work) and I have
all kinds of funky imple-
ments to clean and dis-
lodge debris from between
my teeth and gums. Yet, I
seem to have my share of
dental issues.
And, don’t even get me
started on dental fl oss.
Too late.
I fl oss with regularity
— more in the past fi ve
years than ever before. It
hasn’t gotten to the lev-
el of a social activity,
which I get the impression
from my dental hygienist
wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The interesting thing is,
I recently came across an
article in Time — “How
Dental Floss Became a
Thing in the First Place,”
Aug. 2, 2016 — that sug-
gests fl ossing isn’t all it’s
cracked up to be.
The article talked about
the history of dental fl oss
(yeah, I know, a riveting
subject). It ends with, “To-
day, however, the value of
dental fl oss is not so cer-
tain.”
Another thing I’m in-
trigued with is the special-
ty areas in dentistry. Back
in the day, your regular
dentist was one-stop shop-
ping. They did it all, from
basic care to extractions
and root canals.
Now that I think about
it, maybe there is one den-
tist I don’t like. It seems
my parents paid for a root
canal when I was in high
school that I never actu-
ally got. I remember get-
ting hit in the mouth with
a rock and it resulted in a
slow and agonizing death
of the tooth.
The fi x — a root canal
and cap. Evidently, the
dentist decided to collect
the extra cash for the root
canal without actually per-
forming the procedure. Or
he did such a lousy job,
the endodontic specialist I
saw in the fall couldn’t tell
it had ever been done.
I recently looked up the
dentist’s name on the Ore-
gon Board of Dentistry. It
seems he had some issues
over the years.
While I can’t be certain
that dentist did me wrong
decades ago, I do know I
didn’t get the best set of
choppers genetically. I
won’t hold that against my
mom and pops. Before I
had braces, I could have
left a pretty gnarly bite
mark. They did sacrifi ce
to give me a straight smile
— something I appreciate
to this day.
———
Tammy Malgesini is
the community editor. Her
column, Inside my Shoes,
includes general musings
about life. Contact her
at tmalgesini@eastore-
gonian.com or 541-564-
4539.
Adult programs continue
at Hermiston library
Adults are invited to
attend specialty groups
that meet regularly at
the Hermiston Public Li-
brary.
•Yarn Club meets
Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.
and Saturdays at 10 a.m.
Lovers of needlecraft are
invited to attend
•Writer’s Group meets
the fourth Thursday of
each month. The writing
community offers sup-
port, encouragement and
motivation
•Photography
Club
meets the second Tues-
day of each month at 5:30
p.m. The group often par-
ticipates in photo-taking
fi eld trip.
Each of the groups are
free and open to the pub-
lic. For more information,
call 541-567-2882 or stop
by the library at 235 E.
Gladys Ave., Hermiston.
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
E-mail your community news items to:
community@hermistonherald.com
Nurse’s aide bids farewell after 46 years
Eleanor
Hockensmith
spends entire
career at Good
Shepherd
By TAMMY MALGESINI
COMMUNITY EDITOR
When she fi rst started
taking
medically-related
classes nearly fi ve decades
ago, Eleanor Hockensmith
had no intention of working
at a hospital or clinic.
“When I took the train-
ing, I didn’t intend to work.
I took the classes to have the
knowledge to take care of
my family,” Hockensmith
said Friday during a retire-
ment celebration at Good
Shepherd Medical Center.
Hockensmith and her late
husband, Charles, had four
children, Bill, Mary Lou,
John and Michael.
The Hermiston woman
worked longer than any oth-
er employee in the history
of Good Shepherd Health
Care System. Her 46 years
of service, said Kelly Sand-
ers, vice president of human
resources, will likely never
be exceeded. Of the 63 years
Good Shepherd has been
operating, Hockensmith has
worked for the hospital for
just over 73 percent of its
existence.
Hockensmith started her
employment as a nurse’s
aide March 27, 1971. She
initially worked in the OB
department in the old hos-
pital building located on Or-
chard Avenue. In 1983, she
transferred to the medical/
surgery department, initial-
ly working the night shift,
and later the evening shift.
Hockensmith, Sanders said,
is one of the few remaining
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Eleanor Hockensmith is all smiles Friday while people greet her at a retirement celebration in
her honor after 46 years with Good Shepherd Health Care System.
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Eleanor Hockensmith, right,
gets help cutting her cake
from her niece, Marjorie
Hoagland.
employees who made the
move from the old hospi-
tal to the current facility in
1985.
In August 1995, Hock-
ensmith transferred to a
part-time position in Good
Shepherd’s TLC Home
Health Care department,
which later combined with
the Vange John Memorial
Hospice. When those de-
partments later separated in
March 2012, Hockensmith
remained with the hospice
department as a certifi ed
home health and hospice
aide until retiring June 2,
2017 — after 46 years and
68 days with Good Shep-
herd.
“I enjoyed taking care of
people,” Hockensmith said.
And, people appreciated
the care she provided.
During Hockensmith’s
retirement
celebration,
which included upwards
of 100 people, Ken Free-
man shared about the fi rst
time he met her in 2013.
Hockensmith had entered
the room where Freeman’s
mom was.
“I watched her — that
lady took such great care of
my mother,” Freeman said.
“She was a great fi rst face
for hospice. She is one of a
kind.”
The nurse’s aide even in-
spired Freeman. The Herm-
iston man started volunteer-
ing for hospice about a year
ago.
Carollyn Robinson, hos-
pice clinical liaison, said she
always appreciated Hock-
ensmith’s willingness to
help. She often came in on
short notice when someone
called in sick. Hockensmith,
Robinson said, exhibited
loyalty and dedication to the
people she worked with, as
well as the patients.
“Her heart is huge,” she
said.
Luanne Brownfi eld of
Heppner, who worked with
Hockensmith for 26 years,
said the nurse’s aide was
like the Energizer Bunny.
“She ran us ragged,”
Brownfi eld said as many
nodded in agreement.
Although frustrated at
times with technology and
computers, Brownfi eld said
Hockensmith was will-
ing to learn. Brownfi eld
said Hockensmith is proof
that “we can teach an old
dog new tricks.” However,
Brownfi eld said they had
to get additional help on a
couple of occasions because
passwords were lost.
“I didn’t lose it. The
computer just didn’t go
along with it,” Hockensmith
explained.
Hockensmith loves to
sew and cook. In addition
to many winning entries
over the years at the Uma-
tilla County Fair, she has
been named Homemaker of
the Year on numerous occa-
sions. She plans to contin-
ue using her talents to help
other people, including a
current project of making
chair backpacks at Hermis-
ton Terrace.
Umatilla Landing Days expands festival
In celebration of the
town’s 155th anniversary,
Umatilla Landing Days will
feature a two-day celebra-
tion.
The festival kicks off Fri-
day from 5-10 p.m. at Uma-
tilla Marina Park. Geared
towards an adult crowd, the
evening offers food ven-
dors, a beer garden and live
music, including The Out-
siders and Grupo Viajero.
The event kicks into high
gear Saturday, starting with
a parade at 10 a.m. in down-
town Umatilla. After the
parade, the fun moves to the
marina park, which will fea-
ture a full schedule of en-
tertainment and activities.
In addition, craft and food
vendors will be on hand.
Additional displays and
educational activities in-
FILE PHOTO
Umatilla Landing Days offers a variety of vendors at Umatilla
Marina Park. The event kicks off Friday evening with food
vendors, a beer garden and live music. It continues Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., including a fi reworks display at dusk.
clude boater safety informa-
tion, along with boat rides
from the Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Offi ce marine di-
vision, personnel from the
Umatilla Rural Fire Pro-
tection District and a drunk
driving display trailer from
the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
The day also features a
salsa making contest (en-
tries must be submitted by
noon), a soccer tournament
and an Instagram photo
contest — be sure to use the
hashtag #UmatillaLanding-
Days2017. Also, Nuketown
is the featured evening per-
former.
There is a $5 parking fee
at the gate. Money is used
to help cover costs for the
fi reworks show, which will
fi ll the air Saturday at dusk.
For more information,
call 541-922-4825 or search
Facebook for “Umatilla
Landing Days.”
VOLUME 111 ● NUMBER 21
DENTAL Itsuratce
Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532
Physiciats Mutual Itsuratce Compaty
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Jayati Ramakrishnan | Reporter • jramakrishnan@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534
A less expetsive way to help get the dettal care you deserve
If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for
about $1 a day*
No wait for preventive care and no
deductibles – you could get a checkup
Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Keep your own dentist! NO netlorks to
tomorrol
lorry about
Coverage for over 350 procedures
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
NO annual or lifetime cap o n the cash
including cleanings, exams, fi llings, crolns…
even dentures
benefi ts you can receive
Shannon Paxton | Offi ce coordinator • spaxton@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530
FREE Information Kit
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
1-877-599-0125
Dawn Hendricks | Circulation District Manager • dhendricks@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4540
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: hermistonherald.com
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Purple Ridge
Lavender Festival
June 24th - 9am to 5pm
2891 Bridge Road, Hermiston
Magic in the fields!
Come enjoy the backdrop of beautiful blooming lavender and a masterful
quilt expo. Listen to live music as you stroll through the fields of lavender.
Guests are encouraged to don their favorite storybook consumes and receive
$2 off admission!
General
admission: $10 • Including beer tasting: $12
Gen
nera
ne
n
ral admissio
Proceeds go to Agape House and
Pr
Martha’s House