DECADE IN REVIEW
17C — THE OBSERVER
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019
2013: Community loses Doc Savage, Jadin Bell and Joe Bell
Observer file photo
Joe Bell, the La Grande man who embarked on a walk across America in the spring of 2013 to honor
his son Jadin Bell, a 15-year-old who killed himself after being bullied at school, was hit and killed by a
semi on a Colorado highway in October that year.
Observer file photo
Close to 50 photos of Jadin Bell were displayed at a vigil for the La
Grande High School sophomore Jan. 23, 2013. Bell was seriously
injured in a suicide attempt and in February died from the injuries.
10 — “Doc” Savage dies
The architect of one of the great-
est high school football upsets in
Oregon history died in August 2013.
Lorence “Doc” Savage died at his
home at the age of 80. Savage was
La Grande High School’s head foot-
ball coach from 1967-88. He led the
Tigers to the 1974 state title in the
large school division. La Grande
upset the highly favored Corval-
lis 26-7 in the state championship
game. That remained La Grande
High’s only state crown in football
until 2019.
Savage would go on to serve as a
Union County commissioner.
9 — Jury convicts
Elgin man of negligent
homicide
A Union County jury in De-
cember 2013 found Harold “J.R.”
Fruitts of Elgin guilty of criminally
negligent homicide for the death of
long-time Union County employee
John Rysdam III.
Fruitts was driving a Ford Bron-
co in early 2012 when he struck
Rysdam and three other Union
County Public Works employees
who were working to fill a pothole.
During Fruitts’ trial, he said he had
not been paying attention and was
messing with the vehicle’s stereo
system prior to the crash.
Judge Brian Dretke sentenced
Fruitts to a year and eight months
in prison, plus three years of post-
prison supervision. The judge also
revoked Fruitts’ driving privileges
for life. Fruitts was 53 at the time.
8 — Big capital
improvement projects on
university campus
Eastern Oregon University be-
gan work on the $13.7 million reno-
vation project at Quinn Coliseum
in 2013. The work would radically
transform the home of the Moun-
taineers’ indoor athletic facilities.
The project added a VIP seating
area and new scoreboard in the
main gym, converted the old swim-
ming pool into a new gym, and
added a computer lab and more.
The centerpiece was taking out
the low front doorway and build-
ing a two-story glass enclosure.
The completion of the $5.4 million
remodel of Hoke Union Building
was also completed in 2013.
7— Lostine faces cuts to
postal service
Lostine was the next Wallowa
County city at risk of losing its post
office in a nationwide reorganiza-
tion of the U.S. Postal Service.
Seventy-five people turned out
for a March 2013 meeting to discuss
potential changes to service at the
office, including keeping the post
office open just four hours a day,
which would save $46,000 a year.
Lostine Mayor Krag Norton
pointed out that would mean resi-
dents needing the post office after
1 p.m. would have to drive to Wal-
lowa or Enterprise. But by April,
the postmaster reported customers
has not given any feedback about
the change.
6 — Bison on the loose
Bison prompted the closure of
the Mount Emily Recreation Area
in 2013. The herd of 32 bison had
been on the loose and roaming
nearby since about mid-August.
Union County officials closed the
recreation area out of concern for
public safety.
Then Union County Commis-
sioner Steve McClure said he “had
a serious conversation” with the
owner of the herd, Tom Epler, about
getting the animals under control.
Elpler over a span of several weeks
hauled most of the herd away, but
he used a mobile slaughter unit for
eight of the animals. The county
reopened the Mount Emily Recre-
ation Area in mid-October, once the
final bison were gone.
two more in the fourth inning,
and senior Dani Sturm pitched a
complete-game shutout, allowing
just three hits and delivering seven
strikeouts. Union/Cove finished
the season with a 26-3 record. The
team last won state in 2008.
The Union girls cross country
team made it three in row in
November when it captured the
3A/2A/1A girls state champion-
ship in Eugene. And the Imbler
Panthers that same month earned
their second Class 1A state football
title after defeating Lowell, 88-76.
4 — Eastern Oregon
University faces budget
crisis
Eastern Oregon University in
the spring of 2013 had to strategize
for serious budget cuts.
The university in La Grande
was on course to spend $1.2 mil-
lion more than it would receive in
revenue for the 2012-13 school year.
EOU also anticipated losing a simi-
lar amount for the 2013-14 year.
To meet the bottom line, the
college approved a plan to cut more
than 14 positions over the span of
the next year and gave administra-
tors and non-unionize staff 11 days
off without pay.
3 — Bon-Ton Tavern
burns down
A fire the night of July 30, 2013,
destroyed the Bon-Ton Tavern in
Wallowa.
Bon-Ton owners Roy and Dianne
Dornbusch lived in an apartment
above the tavern. The bar was
closed and they were the only ones
in the building when the fire broke
out. Firefighters and equipment
came from fire departments in
Joseph, Enterprise, La Grande and
Island City. Fire crews fought the
blaze all night and extinguished it
between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.
The investigation found the fire
started in the basement ceiling,
traveled along big timbers east
and into the wall. Investigators
reported wiring appeared to be the
cause.
1 — Jadin and Joe Bell
(tied for No. 1)
In early February 2013, La
Grande High School sophomore
Jadin Bell died at a Portland
hospital. Bell, 15, succumbed to
injuries he suffered in a suicide at-
tempt. Jadin was openly gay, and
family and friends said bullying
may have driven the teen to take
his life.
Jadin’s father, Joe Bell, set out
in March from La Grande on a
cross-county walk to promote an
anti-bullying program in remem-
brance of his son. That October,
while walking along Highway 40 in
Colorado, a semitrailer struck and
Observer file photo
As head coach of the Tigers, Doc
Savage posted a 112-84-2 re-
cord. Savage started his coach-
ing and teaching career at Elgin,
before moving on to Redmond
and then to La Grande.
killed Joe Bell. He was 48.
The community held a candle-
light vigil a couple days later to
show support for the Bell family.
5 — Multiple local high
school sports teams won
state titles in 2013
The Union/Cove Lady Cats in
May defeated Yoncalla 3-0 to win
the 2013 2A/1A state softball cham-
pionship.
The local team scored one run
in the first inning and added
Observer file photo
Bison that got loose from Gary Price’s ranch on Mount Glen Road roam in August 2013 on private land
just south, and adjacent to the Mt. Emily Recreation Area.
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