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TUESDAY EDITION
April 19, 2022
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
Storied
career
comes
to a close
amid the destruction
Margaret Davidson will soon
retire as Community
Connection’s executive director
By DICK MASON
Worldwide connections link fundraising eff orts in La Grande to those in need
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The small notice
would have been easy to miss.
Forty-four years ago Margaret
Davidson, now executive director of
Community Connection of Northeast
Oregon, spotted a small help wanted
ad in a La Grande news-
paper. It was for a job as
a data entry clerk with
an organization named
the Eastern Oregon
Community Develop-
ment Council. Davidson,
without giving it a second
Davidson
thought, applied and was
hired.
She had little inkling of what
awaited.
“I was a student at Eastern Oregon
University and I needed a part-time
job. I had no idea I was launching a
rewarding career,” said Davidson,
noting that the Eastern Oregon Com-
munity Development Council later
became Community Connection of
Northeast Oregon, an agency that
serves those in need.
The career ignited by that 1978
help wanted ad will be ending soon,
for Davidson is retiring at the end of
April. She said her tenure has been as
rewarding as it has been fulfi lling.
“I have really enjoyed the journey,”
said Davidson, who fi rst worked for
Community Connection for one year,
then left for three years because of
budget cuts before returning and
dedicating another 39 years to the
organization.
Community Connection has grown
tremendously during Davidson’s
25-year tenure as executive director.
The agency had a budget of $2.3 mil-
lion 1997, and last year it reached
$14 million, a direct refl ection of the
growth in the services it provides.
“She has done a fantastic job,” said
Steve McClure, chair of the Commu-
nity Connection of Northeast Oregon’s
board. “She knows the organization
from top to bottom and is very, very
inclusive and listens to input.”
By DAVIS CARBAUGH • The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Good Samaritans are
showing that every dona-
tion, even from the other
side of the world, makes a
diff erence.
La Grande resident
Anne Morrison was one
of the organizers of a
recent demonstration
at Max Square to raise
funds for those in need in
Ukraine. Her family con-
nection to the frontlines
in the war-torn country
is ensuring that contribu-
tions from rural Oregon
have a far-reaching eff ect.
Morrison organized
the demonstration on
March 12 alongside
Kate Gekeler and Cheryl
Simpson, with live music
from Al MacLeod. The
event raised $21,000 for
Ukrainian citizens in the
country as well as ref-
ugees fl eeing the war.
Local fundraising eff orts
continue that will put
supplies and aid directly
into the hands of those in
need.
Morrison’s cousin
Ian Dempsey, of Colo-
rado, met his wife, Sofi a,
while on a mission trip in
Ukraine nearly a decade
ago. The couple have
numerous existing con-
nections in war-torn areas
of Ukraine, one of which
involved assisting Sofi a
Dempsey’s sister and
young nieces in fl eeing to
the United States.
Inna Stasiuk and her
daughters, Valariia and
Anne Morrison/Contributed Photo
See, Aid/Page A6
Valariia and Alina Stasiuk sleep during their fi rst night in
the United States in early April after Inna Stasiuk and her
daughters fl ed Ukraine. A local connection in La Grande
helped provide funds for the family’s travel to safety, as well as
supplies for Ukrainians in need.
‘Master communicator’
Frank Thomas, who worked under
Davidson at Community Connection for
21 years, credits Davidson with having a
forward-thinking nature.
Felipe Dana/The Associated Press
Ukrainian servicemen walk among debris of
damaged buildings after a Russian attack in
Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 16, 2022.
See, Retire/Page A6
New book includes priceless gems from children
Gerald Hopkins book is second in
a series shares ‘wisdom’ of youth
By DICK MASON
The Observer
ISLAND CITY — Gerald Hopkins retired
as an educator about fi ve years ago, but he has
not stopped sharing the joy he experienced
while serving as a teacher and a principal for
33 years.
Book two of his series “Humor in the
Class, or Why Christopher Columbus Sailed
Away from His Wife,” is proof. Volume 2,
like volume 1, is fi lled with quotes from chil-
dren in the schools where Hopkins worked,
Some of Gerald Hopkins’ favorite quotes from children in
the new second volume of his “Humor in the Class, or Why
Christopher Columbus Sailed Away from His Wife”:
Teacher: How can you delay milk turning sour?
Student: Keep it in the cow.
Teacher: What does varicose mean?
Student: Nearby.
Teacher: What is a seizure?
Student: A Roman emperor.
Teacher: Why don’t ants get sick?
Student: They have antibodies.
which are as humorous as they are heart-
warming and enlightening.
Volume 2 features many gems teachers
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B7
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B8
KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS
Home .............B1
Horoscope ....B4
Local...............A2
Lottery ...........A2
THURSDAY
Obituaries .....A5
Opinion .........A4
Sports ............A7
Sudoku ..........B7
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
33 LOW
55/38
Showers around
A shower
CLAY TARGET TEAMS TAKE AIM
at Hopkins’ schools passed on, such as the
answer a teacher received from a child asked
to name the four seasons: “Salt, pepper, mus-
tard and vinegar.”
Participating in such exchanges or hearing
them brought delight to Hopkins’ career.
“Trying to see and hear the world through
the eyes of a child adds zest and enjoyment
and keeps all of us feeling young at heart.
Seeing these special individuals share their
lives and humor often brought a tear of hap-
piness to my own life,” Hopkins wrote in the
introduction of his new book.
Hopkins wrote down comments from stu-
dents as soon as he heard them. He would
See, Book/Page A6
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 47
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page A4.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com