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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2019)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019 ܂ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK ARMED FORCES DAY World War II veterans honored at State Capitol 95. “We heard machine guns and we knew we had ar rived.” Staley was one of the World War II veterans from Oregon who were honored at the National Guard Ca reer and Armed Forces Day celebration Tuesday at the State Capitol. Veterans Dick Cox, 91, and John Schneider, 93, also attended with their families. The ceremony began at noon and featured music from the Oregon Army National Guard’s 234th Army Band. The Howitzer salute was performed by the “Gov ernor’s Own” Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 218th Field Artillery Regiment and the 142nd Fighter Wing also Virginia Barreda Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK World War II Army combat medic Vern Staley still remembers the brutal winter of 1944, when his toes froze as his battalion fought the Germans. Staley and other troops in the 70th Infantry Divison arrived at Bischweiler on the west bank of the Rhine River on Christmas Eve. Dinner consisted of a box with Spam, crackers, four cigarettes and a stale cookie. “We called it our Christmas present,” said Staley, SILVERTON BAND COMPETES IN CORVALLIS had a flyover. Military equipment from various units throughout the Oregon National Guard were also on display. “It really touches you that people are taking their time to honor military,” Staley said. “It’s an honor.” Navy veteran Dick Cox Dick Cox enlisted in the Navy when he was 17, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He tend See VETERANS, Page 2A Forward This Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Friendship Brigade zeroes in on nursing homes Nadine Owings makes the rounds every week, go ing room to room at a Keizer skilled nursing facility. She isn’t a nurse or a psychologist, but she’s mak ing a difference in the physical and mental wellbeing of residents. They’re not her patients. They’re her friends. “I really enjoy it and look forward to it,” Owings said during one of her recent Thursday morning vis its. “I’m having the best time ever.” Owings is a volunteer with the Friendship Brigade, which recruits, trains and connects caring volunteers with isolated seniors living in community care and nursing facilities in the Salem area. The Friendship Brigade is a twoyear pilot project sponsored by Larry Tokarski’sMountain West In vestment Corporation in partnership with Friends of Center 50+, the Salem senior center. It was launched about a year ago with the goal to spread awareness about senior isolation and loneli ness, something onethird of older Americans expe rience. Loneliness triggers health risks Silverton High School’s Wind Ensemble under the direction of Frank Petrik during the OSAA Class 5A band competition on May 8 in Corvallis. DONNA BAHR/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL Endowment helps bridge funding gap at Willamette U. Ben Botkin Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Willamette University’s revenues have fallen short of expenses in recent years by millions of dollars an nually, tax filings show. But the shift in the university’s financial picture doesn’t mean it’s in a downward spiral or facing in solvency. School officials say the university is on a sustainable path forward with its endowment fund still growing. The declining revenues for Willamette University reflect a change in fortunes and broader challenges facing liberal arts schools nationwide. Competition for new students — and revenue — is intense. Online schools hawk convenience. And many students opt for vocationaltech training to more quickly enter the workforce, a niche filled by commu nity colleges after the Great Recession swept the country in 2008. Willamette University, located across the street from the Oregon State Capitol and one of the oldest schools in the West, isn’t immune. Its October enroll ment was the lowest of the last decade — less than 2,500. Meanwhile, net revenues have changed rapidly. For the tax year ending May 31, 2015, Willamette University reported a net gain of $33.6 million in reve nue after expenses. Since then, that figure has plum meted negatively, tax records show. The annual gap between revenues and expenses has ranged from $13.9 million to $10.6 million for each Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to a higher risk of physical and mental health prob lems. Loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 40 percent, according to a study by the Florida State University College of Medicine. Other studies claim it’s more dangerous than obesity and as damaging as smoking. And its impact will become more widespread as the aging population grows. “You can’t assign people a friend,” said Heidi Mil ler, coordinator of the Friendship Brigade. “We’re creating space and occasion for people to discover one another, and that’s a challenge.” Miller is a familiar name and face in the communi ty. She’s a former director of the local Meals on Wheels program. “The meals program was really a daily contact with a caring volunteer, that was the signature of the See HOMES, Page 3A See WILLAMETTE, Page 3A Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 138, No. 22 News updates: ܂ Breaking news ܂ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ܂ Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y ©2019 50 cents Printed on recycled paper Mateo Pineda, 2, Eva Pineda, 4, and Zora Thaggard, 3, all listen to a story during a visit by the Friendship Brigade, a group that focuses on intergenerational programming, at Avamere Transitional Care at Sunnyside in Salem May 6. ANNA REED/STATESMAN JOURNAL saturday morning NEVER TASTED So GOOD! BREAKFAST Made Fresh on the Grill Every Saturday Morning 7:00AM to 10:30am Saturdays Only $ 99 5 EA. 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