10
vernonia’s
voice community
june
2009
Strawberry Fielder Forever
Senior Stars: Myra Baska
By Sally Harrison
By Necia Dewitt
Maybe it’s an age thing, but, whenever the seasons change and I feel that warm sun on my
face, my mind wanders back to summers long ago and all the wonderful experiences I had
growing up in Vernonia.
For those of you who don’t know, Charlie and Freda Biggs adopted me at the age of five. We lived
at the end of “Biggs Road” north of town. I’ve always said the road was a half-mile long, but I’ve
never measured it. I do know it seemed much longer at the end of a hard day’s work.
At the age of nine I began my summer career of strawberry picking. When I was working, my
regular chores of dishwashing, weed pulling and firewood packing were suspended.
The day started very early, 4:00AM. It was get dressed, pack a lunch and walk the half mile to catch
the berry bus. Over the years we had many bus driver/field bosses, but the one I remember is Celeste
Potter. She knew how to keep the unrulies in line on her bus and in the field.
For our picking enjoyment, some growers provided carriers with six cannery hallocks and a handle,
while others had flats with twelve cannery hallocks. As I got older, I preferred the flat. Not so many
trips to check in and get my card punched.
Now you must understand I was in this endeavor for the money. I bought all my school clothes and
later my school books with my earnings. I teamed up with Rosalie Badley McCoy, and we were
picking machines. The most we were ever paid per flat was sixty cents and when the berries were
good, we made upwards of thirty dollars per day. Rosie was such a wonderful berry buddy. She
was fun to be with, and there’s something about a little competition to keep you on your toes. We
did make sure that at the end of the day we each had the same amount of flats.
I must admit I had a couple of quirks like taking one tuna fish sandwich every day for lunch. And
I never, I mean never, got down on my knees. Having my hands dirty and stained was all I could
stand. When I got home, I would dunk my hands into full strength bleach. Painful but necessary!
The bus rides home were the best fun. Everyone was tired, dirty, hot, and hungry. A little insan-
ity would set in and joking, laughing and singing would ensue. The usual songs like, “My Gal’s a
Corker” and “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” were always standard fare but my favorite was, “In
the Boarding House.”
In the Boarding House where I lived,
Everything is growing old.
Long gray hairs were in the butter
On the bread there’s always mold.
When the dog died we had sausage,
When the cat died, catnip tea.
When the Landlord died, I left there.
Spare ribs were too much for me…
The last place that Rosie and I picked was at Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Hershey’s, way, way up in the
hills. They had small fields and a small crew. I’ll never forget the time Richard Hunteman put a
snake in his berry carrier as a joke. I thought Mrs. Hershey was going to have a heart attack! The
hills were alive with the sound of her scream.
It was hard work, it was fun and it gave us a sense of pride and a doable work ethic. It hasn’t
seemed to harm my fellow berry pickers or me physically or mentally.
All I have are good memories of life in the strawberry fields.
Another Vernonian Builds Towns
Spelling Reputation
Noni Andersen won Second Place in the 12th Annual Oregon Senior (50 and older) Spelling Bee
held April 18 in Aurora, Oregon. Twenty-two senior spellers competed in the tourney, which be-
gan with a qualifying written round of 75 words. The top fifty percent then competed in the oral
round. Each competitor received a different word to spell aloud in successive rounds; competitors
were eliminated after three incorrect spellings. First place went to Maggie Stuckey, Portland, and
a playoff round for the four spellers tied for third gave the prize to Barry Pelzner, also of Portland.
A separate certificate for first place in the written portion went to Linda Goertz of Portland.
Noni won the local Senior Spelling Bee in 2001 and has participated in prior years’ state bees.
Prior local winners of the Oregon State Bee
include Audeen Wagner, Second Place 1998,
First Place 1999; Carol Sawyer, Second Place
2002 and First Place 2003; and Tobie Finzel,
who moved up from Third in 2002 to Second
in 2003 to First in 2004. Once a competitor
has won First Place, he or she may no longer
compete. Retired champions are then invited
Offices in Portland, Hillsboro and at
to participate in the volunteer committee that
runs the Bee; the three local women all do.
The three have also competed in the National
Senior Spelling Bee in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Audeen was the 2000 winner and Carol won in
2003. Tobie placed third in 2003 and 2004.
Law Office
Brindle McCaslin & Lee PC
610 Bridge St., Vernonia
The National Senior Spelling Bee, sponsored
by AARP, is open to anyone over 50 who likes
to spell. This year it will be held in Chey-
enne, Wyoming, on June 20. Visit the web-
site www.seniorspellingbee.com for details.
Next year’s Oregon Senior Spelling Bee will
be held in Aurora on April 10. Contact Ro-
berta Hutton at tansyacres28_@hotmail.com
for registration and information.
Open Tuesday and Friday
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Consultations
$60.00
For an appointment call
503-429-2412
Myra Baska was born January 21,
1911, in Donnybrook, North Dakota,
to Harry and Altha Graff. She was the
eighth of fifteen children. She received
her schooling in the tiny school in White
Ash. Myra married Frank Dinger on
January 22, 1934. They lived on a farm
in Grano, North Dakota. To this union,
six children were born, two boys and 4
girls-- Gary, Jerry, Delores, Fran, Carol
and Pat. When Frank passed away in
1944, Myra took care of the farm, rid-
ing her horse to round up the cows. She
also took care of sheep. She remembers
Myra Baska celebrating another birthday
one farm task was to churn butter. With
a large family, she performed that act-- and many others-- often.
Myra married Earl Baska in 1948. They lived in Mohall, North Dakota, until 1956. Earl’s
brother, Art, lived in Portland, Oregon, and encouraged Earl to apply for a position as a log truck
driver for Crown Zellerbach in Vernonia, Oregon. He succeeded, and drove a truck for CZ for six-
teen years. Earl and Myra had two children, Judy and Gene. When he became old enough, their son
Gene followed his dad’s footsteps and worked for Crown Zellerbach for many years. When Earl
retired in 1972, the couple moved to Cornelius, Oregon, where Earl passed away in 1976. Myra
decided to return to Vernonia, and spent a great deal of time tending to her flower garden, among
other things. She still loves flowers!
Myra blessed the employees (and family members) of West Oregon Electric with her kitchen
skills. She made pies and sandwiches for the Board of Directors’ monthly meetings and often made
donuts or cookies for West Oregon employees. Her cooking and baking skills were also apparent as
she made food to bring to potlucks for the Vernonia Baptist Church, which she attended regularly.
Bowling is one of Myra’s passions. Her teams won championship awards in 1979, 1981 and
1982. She was featured on Channel 2 and the Longview newspaper where she displayed her skills
when she was 90 years old! In her 90th year, the family gave her a birthday party in the Vernonia
Scout Cabin. Over 100 people attended, including many family members.
Five of Myra’s children live in Vernonia: Delores Fowler, Jerry Dinger, Gary Dinger, Fran
Fletcher and Gene Baska. Her daughter, Carol Bodenhamer, lives in Rainier with her husband, Ted,
and a daughter. Daughter Judy White lives in Tennessee with her husband, Bruce, and daughter
Pat Simonson lives in Prineville with her husband, Chuck. Gene Baska worked with the Vernonia
Police Force for many years. Myra’s longevity is strengthened by the knowledge that she still has
living siblings. She has one brother and three sisters scattered across the US.
Another of Myra’s skills is her ability to sing and remember lyrics. She recently sang all the
verses of “Twenty Froggies Went to School” while at the Vernonia Senior Center. Necia hopes to
have Myra sing another tune at the Senior Center someday, entitled “I Don’t Want to Get Married.”
She sang that song during her interview for this article. Also, during the interview, Myra revealed
another of her skills. She can play the piano by ear (not needing sheet music). Myra has a piano in
her bedroom which she plays most days. Some songs she played during the interview were “In the
Good Old Summer Time,” “Roll Out the Barrel” and “Smile Awhile.” One more skill Myra pos-
sesses is her love to paint, which the interviewer noticed was displayed in a painting Myra has on a
wall in her home. She loves to play cards, especially pinochle.
Truly, Myra Baska has already lived a life full of varied experiences, and she intends to con-
tinue doing the many things she enjoys, as time and health allow. She and her family continue to
strengthen the community of Vernonia. Add Myra to the list of Vernonia Senior Stars!
Clatskanie Seniors Celebrate 30th
Anniversary of Flippin House
The Clatskanie Senior Citizens are pleased to extend an invitation to attend the celebration of
their 30th anniversary of the purchase of the historic Flippin House by the seniors of Clatskanie.
The celebration will be held on Sunday, June 14, from 1-4 p.m. at the Flippin House located at
620 Tichenor Street in Clatskanie. There will be free food, entertainment and tours.
In conjunction with the day’s activities, the senior center is collecting memories of the Flip-
pin House. If you have any special memories of this historic house, please send them to Memo-
ries – Clatskanie Senior Center at P.O. Box 383, Clatskanie, OR 97016. To be included in the
pamphlet available that day, please send your memories no later than June 1. The day’s activities
and memories pamphlet are partially funded by the Columbia County Cultural Coalition.
Please feel free to contact Elsa at 503-728-3403 or Loretta at 503-728-3608 for more
details.