Vernonia's voice., February 01, 2009, Page 15, Image 15

vernonia’s
voice community
february
2009
15
Senior Stars of Vernonia
Our senior Citizens are a treasure. They have lived full and interesting lives and can offer wisdom and knowledge, and a distinct
view of our community and its history. Vernonia’s Voice is honoured to profile some of our “Senior Stars”, and have been focusing
on our octogenarians.
Etta Russell: Serving in the Community
By Necia DeWitt
Etta Russell’s great-grandparents migrated to Russia from Germany. They were conscripted to
do farming. Her parents came to the USA in 1883. Her grandfathers, who were brothers, settled in
Kansas. Her father and mother (Joseph and Anna Marie Wuest) were cousins. They were married
in Kearney, Nebraska. They drove in a covered wagon to South Dakota, where they homesteaded.
Etta was born February 14, 1918, making her a Valentine baby. She had six brothers and one
sister. Her younger brother is still alive today. When interviewed, she stated, “I’m the matriarch of
my family.” She completed her high school education and attended one year of college at Taylor
University in Upland, Indiana.
Etta’s cousin invited her to go with him to Klamath Falls, OR, in 1939, which is where she
met her husband-to-be, Gerald Russell. Gerald was the son of Reverend Harry and Francis Russell.
Etta joined the Nazarene Church in 1939. Gerald and Etta were married February 15, 1942. She
remained involved in the Nazarene Church until 2000. Gerald served in the military from 1942-
1945. The young couple moved with his parents to Snoqualmie, WA. Gerald’s and Etta’s daughter,
Karen, was born while they lived there.
In 1946, they moved to Portland, OR, living there for about 1 ½ years. Their next residence
was Salem, for about eight months, before moving to Vernonia in 1948. Gerald’s and Etta’s two
sons, Ron and Fay, were born in Vernonia at the Lloyd Maternity Home.
Gerald’s father was the Pastor of Vernonia Nazarene Church in Vernonia. He purchased a
house for Gerald and Etta, allowing the young family to settle here. Gerald became a letter carrier
in 1948, and continued in that occupation until 1985. Gerald was also employed in the Vernonia
Mill until it closed in 1957. Etta’s employment included working at Tektronix from 1961-1971, and
janitorial care of the Post Office for twelve years. Gerald was a member of the Vernonia Lions Club
for 36 years. Gerald passed away in 2007.
Gerald and Etta were involved as volunteer officers of the Senior Center for many years, and
helped in the Center’s fundraising through newspaper rolling. Etta has the distinction of being the
Vernonia Senior Center’s first queen of the My Fair Lady Court in 1992. She was an active member
of the Vernonia Home Extension Group for 35
years. Gerald and Etta joined the Community
Church in 2000. Etta’s ministry is to send out
anniversary, birthday and sympathy cards. She
loves to read, too.
One of Gerald’s and Etta’s interesting oc-
cupations was to be “worm farm” operators.
They collected night crawlers for many years,
which were used by fisherman as bait. Etta
was quite proficient at it, commenting, “I col- Etta Russell and husband Gerald collecting worms
lected as many as a thousand worms in a single
night!” Fishermen purchased the worms through an honor system, paying for them from a non-
attended soil bin located outside the Russells’ home. These fresh worms enhanced many a fishing
trip in Vernonia!
In 1986, Gerald and Etta vacationed in various states. They visited friends and relatives,
watched the Atlanta Hawks play in the Omni Building and toured the CNN building. Etta’s son,
Ron, owns a time share in World Mark, and he and Etta like to go to various places for rest and
relaxation, especially Depot Bay. They enjoy watching the ocean and talking with the sea gulls.
One vacation, Ron and Etta were joined by Pastor Grant and El Donna Williams of Vernonia, as
they vacationed to Klamath Falls and visited Crater Lake. While on another trip to Port Townsend,
WA, Ron and Etta toured some of the original brick buildings, which they found very fascinating.
“The most pleasant of all activities is to be with my nine grandchildren,” states Etta. “I
taught two of my grandsons how to play marbles. They had no idea what to do with them! I
showed them how to hold the marble between their thumb and forefinger and then shoot. I
guess some of Grandma’s skills still work!” she chuckles. “It makes me feel young when I can
be with my great grandchildren.”
Amateur Radio Operators Vernonia Flood Stories (continued from page 14)
Assist During Flood Warning
Vernonia Amateur Radio Operators were activated Thursday, January 8,
by the Columbia County Emergency Operations Center to stand by in case
their services were needed during flood warnings in the region. Amateur Ra-
dio Operators covered shifts at the Vernonia Fire Department from Thursday
through Friday. They did close down the radio station at the Fire Department
when the EOC in St Helens secured for the evening, but continued to moni-
tor radio transmissions through the night from their homes. Friday, they
were once again on duty at the fire house. As river levels at the Green Bridge
continued to rise, the river gauge out Timber Road showed dropping levels.
Reo Gargovich, WX7REO, one of our local Sky Warn Amateur Radio Op-
erators, took readings at the Green Bridge and at Shay Park, transmitting
that information to Jim Buxton, W7BUX, for recording and later forwarding
of the information to NOAA, until they noticed a marked decrease in river
levels.
Vernonia Emergency Radio Association would like to thank our local
Amateur Radio Operators who responded to the Activation; as well as Allen
Pierce, KD7JET, an Assistant Emergency Coordinator for Columbia County
ARES, from Eastern Columbia County, who came over and spent 24 hours at
the Mist/Birkenfeld Fire Dept. as their Amateur Radio Operator on Station,
Thursday through Friday.
If you are interested in becoming an amateur radio operator, there will
be classes starting Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:00 PM at the Vernonia Fire Hall.
There is no cost for the class. The ARRL Fee for the test exam is $15, pay-
able when you take the test. We will try to have some Technician Class
Study manuals on hand for purchase at cost. We hope to see you there.
VERA /VARK meets the 2nd Tuesday of the Month at Mariolino’s at
7:00 PM-- you do not need to be a radio operator to attend.
Providence Clinic showed that by thinking outside the box, new answers to old questions may pres-
ent themselves, and might actually work.
West Oregon Electric Coop-- Getting Put to the Test
It’s been a tough couple of months for the folks at West Oregon Electric Cooperative (WOEC). In fact,
it’s been a tough couple of years for the folks that keep the lights on here in Vernonia and the surrounding
area. Two years ago, it was a massive ice storm that knocked power out for about a week. Last year it
was, of course, the Flood of 2007 that damaged WEOC’s headquarters and offices and left crews strug-
gling to get the town operational again. This year, heavy snows knocked power out for as long as two
weeks for some areas, and was then followed by not one, but two flood warnings that had staff moving
equipment to high ground and moving office equipment to high shelves and to upstairs storage areas.
“Here we go again!” said Coop General Manager Marc Farmer, recounting his feelings during the two
flood threats in January, 2009. “At least we had time to prepare-- this time we had much better warning.”
It was obvious that Farmer learned some very valuable lessons after last year’s flood. He immedi-
ately began investigating the possibility of moving the office to a new location and has been shopping
that proposal to his board, the Coop members and local property owners. He was expecting a report at
the January board meeting from a realtor on around five properties that are being considered as potential
sites for a new headquarters. “It’s obvious that we need to move,” said Farmer. “How we do that right
now, given the state of the economy, is the question. I think we have the support of our members.”
When the flood warnings were given this year, Farmer took precautions-- strategically locating
trucks on either side of town, securing office equipment, and bringing in a flat bed truck to remove re-
cords. They also brought in In-Line Construction, after they finished wrapping the Providence Clinic,
and sealed the WEOC building, with the experimental pool liner idea. “We can’t physically move this
building, so it was worth a try,” said Farmer. Farmer himself stayed inside the sealed building, so some-
one was available to take calls for outages and dispatch crews as needed during the potential emergency.
“The captain goes down with his ship,” joked Farmer. “This is not the best way to run a utility. We need
access to our computers, our records, our equipment.”
For WOEC, dealing with disaster, and getting put to the test is becoming a normal thing. “We have
a much better emergency plan in place,” said Farmer. But then he asks the question that has been on
his mind since mid December: “What is normal now?” Is global climate change contributing to these
unusual weather events, and if so, can we expect them to continue? Will WOEC have to face these types
of weather events every year?
I’m not sure Farmer, or the rest of us, want to find out.
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