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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2015)
2 Winter 2015 Applegater The Applegate loses a true community supporter Kathleen (Kaye) Clayton July 15, 1935 - October 15, 2015 …and the Applegater loses a comma-loving proofreader extraordinaire, who stuck with us through thick and thin for many years. We could never thank her enough for her support, not only with proofing, but also with the arduous task of preparing the paper for mailing. Thank you, Kaye—you are unforgettable. pace was faster than ours) had passed by without BY AUDREY ELDRIDGE noticing. This was a common email that Kaye was a I would receive from Kaye Clayton true supporter of around 6 am. It was her way of figuring her community. out which of us (Rhonda Updike and/ She was an avid or me) would be walking with her. reader, a volunteer Every morning for decades, unless she at the library, and was very ill or out of town, Kaye would very active in the take a mellow hike though woods and Friends of Ruch back roads (almost two miles in total), Library (FORL), passing by Rhonda’s road and then my where she served Kaye, at her surprise 80th birthday party this year, house. While we walked, she taught us as president for six shows off her “tattoos,” a gift. much about the history of our valley and years. During that the unique botany of the area. We both time the library gained a deep appreciation of her, as well. closed for six months, and Kaye was needs everyone to contribute what they One of her favorite locations on instrumental in creating a lending library can. She also enjoyed haunted houses this hike was the log cabin where Julie out of the A-Frame Bookstore. She kept and purple, green or blue hair highlights. This year, her children surprised her Wheeler was born. It is no longer there, the A-Frame Bookstore running for the but the area has the most beautiful field last several years and oversaw the FORL’s with an 80 th birthday party. A large group of native sweet peas. Kaye also loved to annual book sales. She also helped of Applegaters showed up (and managed scout the area for the rare fritillaria and proofread and prepare the Applegater for to keep it secret), and she was thrilled! other wildflowers. We sometimes took mailing almost every quarter, pitched She was blessed with many thoughtful other local hikes to see what might be in at the Grange for its major events, gifts and tributes. The picture above blooming elsewhere. I can still see her coordinated the FORL booth during shows Kaye modeling her new tattoos, smiling and pointing to a morel that a Buncom Day, and was a long-time a gift she received at the party. After her group of Enchanted Forest hikers (whose member of WHOW (Women Helping party she was able to take a road trip that was on her bucket list. Other Women). It is difficult to share the uniqueness You could often find Kaye attending of a person like Kaye Clayton in a few performances of local short paragraphs. But if you see me and choirs and musicians want to hear about Kaye the Squirrel and at benefits for Charmer or why she earned the title m a n y Ap p l e g a t e “Maniac” (nothing to do with being Valley nonprofit crazy) or where some of her favorite o r g a n i z a t i o n s . hikes are, I could easily share. However, I K a y e w a s t h a t never found out exactly where her secret q u i n t e s s e n t i a l morel collection spot was, so don’t ask! v o l u n t e e r w h o (Or…did I?) Audrey Eldridge From left to right, Kaye Clayton with Audrey Eldridge and Thalia understood that a grandmaaudrey2@gmail.com Truesdell at the Applegate Grange-GACDC Mother’s Day event 2015. vibrant community ‘You walking?’ Kaye Clayton, an Applegater asset BY J.D. ROGERS It seems like forever that Kaye Clayton has been involved with the Applegater. She was a tremendous asset to the paper over the years—she proofread articles, proofed the final layout as the paper went to press, and was always available to help prepare the paper for mailing, a lengthy process. Back when I was working on the Applegater, we would always have a good laugh when I picked up corrected proof sheets from her. The laughs were usually at my expense and mostly about my spelling disorder with words of more than four letters. On one of those proof-pickup days, Kaye gave me the inside scoop on the CatBib when I told her how our cat Chloe had become such a bird killer. One of her cats was sporting this latest pussy- ware, and Kaye said the CatBib really did prevent the cat from slaughtering birds. Unfortunately, I had to pass on this novel invention when I thought that Chloe might claw my jugular as I slept. In between issues of the Applegater, I would run into Kaye in the Bi-Mart parking lot. Standing on the black asphalt, with temperatures around 100 degrees, we would discuss events taking place in the Applegate. The last time I spoke with Kaye was in that parking lot. I asked her if Bi-Mart had become her second home. She said, “No, but I’m sure it’s yours. I always run into you here.” I will miss Kaye. J.D. Rogers 541-846-7736 You’re invited! Thank you, Beate! Authors’ Reception Beate Foit has been keeping the Applegater’s books for more than a year, putting up with all sorts of nonprofit newsmagazine anomalies, and keeping it together in stride. She recently left the Applegater team, but we want her to know how much she was and is appreciated. It’s a complicated and sometimes challenging role, that of bookkeeper. So thank you, Beate, for your precision and patience, and we wish you the best always. From the Heart of the Applegate Join us for a celebration of the authors who generously donated their talents to create From the Heart of the Applegate: Essays, Poems, and Short Fiction by Applegate Writers. The anthology will be going to press soon and will be available for purchase—and autographs!—at the reception. Sunday, January 24, 2016 3 to 6 pm Applegate River Lodge 15100 Highway 238, Applegate Appetizers will be served. Wine will be available for purchase. Live Music • Raffle Prize • Free Admission (By the way, it turns out that Beate is both a bookkeeper and a poet! A poem of Beate’s appears on page 6.) Handcrafted ‘Applecrates’ for sale Beautiful planters called “Applecrates,” built with donated local wood and volunteer labor, are for sale. All proceeds will help sustain the Applegater. You can see these useful and long-lasting Applecrates at Applegate Valley Realty, 935 N. Fifth Street, Jacksonville. The price of a stock planter box (see photo), 12” wide x 22” long x 14” deep, starts at $40. For more information or to volunteer to help, call Chris Bratt at 541-846-6988.
