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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 7, 2004
My late father was so unhandy with routine house
maintenance that he would hire a plumber or a handy-
man to install a toilet seat. I’m not making this up. He
had no sense of fixing stuff, and guess what? Right.
He passed on that particular lack of sense to the son
who lives in Cave Junction.
Here’s a classic example from the 1970s of dear
old Dad and his fix-it ability: Jan and the kids and I
had driven from Poway to the Chula Vista house he
shared with Mom in San Diego County for like 44
years. It was a Sunday afternoon. When we arrived,
he was standing in the kitchen with his right arm in
the air. He had a brown paper bag around his hand.
I said, “Hey, why do you have a bag over your
hand?”
He said, “I cut my thumb.”
With my curiosity running wild, I removed said
bag, and found that his thumb was a multicolored
mess. It was also quite swollen. These conditions
were caused by the rubber band he had wrapped
tightly around the thumb in an effort to stop bleeding.
I guess the bag was either so he couldn’t see it or to
keep the blood off the floor. Maybe he thought that
darkness would do something for the wound. But it
wasn’t working.
My Bob Scout … I mean, my Boy Scout training
immediately kicked in, and I started a campfire. No, I
helped a little old lady across the street. No, actually I
applied pressure to the proper locations to keep his
laceration from leaking anymore. We then applied a
bandage and telephoned his physician.
The doc was less than glad to be contacted, as he
was on the eighth tee at the nearby San Diego Coun-
try Club. However, with his cigar firmly affixed, he
met us at his office and somewhat brusquely fixed the
wound, what with being a former U.S. Air Force
flight surgeon. I think he was in a hurry to get back to
the course, as it didn’t seem he gave much time for
the painkiller to take effect. Anyway, Dad got his
stitches and a nice bill (for the emergency medical
service), and we took him back home.
Come to find out that he was trying to fix one of
those 10-cent ashtrays that motels and other places
used to give away. Unfortunately, because of his fix-it
skills, he managed to make a dandy slice in his right
thumb while trying to get the glue to bond. So the 10-
cent ashtray ended up costing him a ton of money (for
the 1970s).
There are many other examples of Dad’s (not so)
handy work, including the time he used 48 nails, none
of which were pounded straight, while trying to attach
a handle to my homemade wooden scooter when I
was about 7. The nails made an interesting art form
though.
And that brings us to last weekend, when we (and
I use the term loosely because Jan did most of the
planning and work) put up two shelves and a paper
towel rack at home here in Cave Junction. See, her
Dad was a tool-and-die maker, and knew how to do
all sorts of construction. My Dad was a pharmaceuti-
cal salesman. Actually, all three of our minor con-
struction items turned out pretty well, although both
shelves initially looked a bit crooked. A bit of redoing
made all the difference.
Didn’t end up with any art forms, although some
of the ruined screws and messed-up plastic sleeves
looked pretty interesting. Guess I’m just a chip off the
ol’ blockhead.
Illinois Valley News
An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and
published by Robert R. (Bob) and Jan Rodriguez
Bob Rodriguez, Editor El Jefe
Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post
Office as Official Newspaper for Josephine County and
Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published
at 321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523
Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523
Post Office Box 1370 USPS 258-820
Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330
Volume 66, No. 42
Staff: Cindy Newton, Chris Robertson,
Michelle Binker, Shane Welsh, Becky Loudon
& Kacy Clement
Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
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For I.V. Bikers
From Boaz Dillon, 7
Cave Junction
I appreciate the I.V.
Bikers for the toy give-
away. They made a lot of
kids very happy and me.
When I grow up I want to
have a motorcycle like my
Uncle Joel.
‘Goodbye friend’
From Mark Russo
Cave Junction
As another holiday
season comes and goes, I
reflect on the people who
have contributed so much
to us who are no longer
here. 2003 marks the loss
of entertainers Johnny
Cash and his wife June and
comedian John Ritter.
In services to the peo-
ple we lost U.S. Sen.
Strom Thurmond and Ore-
gon leader “Debbs” Potts,
and now Iver Roy Jackson.
If you haven’t lived here
long of haven’t had an
emergency, you may ask,
who was Roy Jackson?
Well, to some he was the
guy in the coffee shop,
sitting at the corner table
with his family and having
a smoke. To others, he was
the funny and charming
instructor who taught area
CPR classes. To many, he
was board member of the
Illinois Valley Fire Dis-
trict, but most remember
Roy as I do.
He was a rescuer, a
paramedic, and I had the
privilege of being his part-
ner on an ambulance for
five years. Roy was a gen-
tle man with a disarming,
Cheshire cat grin. He was
always quick with a joke
and never far from a coffee
pot. Roy could walk into a
room full of people and
immediately put you at
ease.
Roy was not tall, but
he cast a shadow both far
and wide, and touched the
hearts of everyone he came
in contact with. He had the
bedside manner of a coun-
try doctor, and when he
smiled and said, “Hello,
I’m Roy and I’m here to
help you,” you knew he
meant it. Roy’s calm, reas-
Hourly rate to
$7.05 because
of Measure 25
Ballot Measure 25, a
voter-approved measure,
has increased Oregon’s
minimum wage to $7.05
per hour as of Jan. 1.
The measure earlier
raised the minimum from
$6.50 per hour to $6.90 on
Jan. 1, 2003.
The annual adjustment
rounded to the nearest 5-
cents, changes the wage
rate for inflation using the
Consumer Price Index and
becomes effective the fol-
lowing January.
Prior to the passage of
Measure 25, Oregon’s
minimum wage had not
DAVE’S BEST BUILDING - Liz and
Dave Paulsen are the recipients of
the Best Commercial Building cer-
tificate for construction
during
2003. The Paulsens are operating
their business, Dave’s Outdoor
Power Equipment, in the new build-
ing at Redwood Hwy. and Hamilton
Avenue at the south end of Cave
Junction. The business offers a wide
range of power equipment and mo-
torcycle racing gear.
(Photos by Michelle Binker)
suring voice and skilled
hands in the back of an
ambulance could make
even a seasoned army
MASH surgeon envious.
Roy would deliver the best
treatment under the sever-
est conditions, always
coming back with a smile
and a wink, while asking if
there was any coffee left.
Roy and I spent a lot of
time together then. We
were a team and we
counted on each other to
“get our fat out of the fire,”
as he would often say.
Roy was like a father
to me, he taught me a lot
about emergency medi-
cine, about people, and
about myself. When I was
single and alone, Roy and
his wife, Bonnie, had me
over for Thanksgiving and
Christmas dinners. When I
got married, they were
there, too.
But then the time came
when we saw very little of
each other. Though our
lives had turned in differ-
ent directions as some-
times they do, I admired
that he was still involved
in the community and was
happy to see his name in
the paper from time to
time, until last week’s edi-
tion ran Roy’s obituary. It
made me cry.
I have met many kinds
of people in my lifetime,
but no one can come close
to the genuine care and
kindness of the man I saw
in Roy Jackson. I feel sor-
row for his wife and fam-
ily, who must learn to go
on without him, and sad-
ness for our community,
for we have lost the great-
est man I have ever
known.
Annetta Floyd & Family
YOUTH IN ACTION
Federal Tax (E.I.N.): 95-380-5759
Student/Participant Letter
As a third-year student working toward my biology degree at the University of Oregon
(2000 IVHS grad), I have been selected this summer to represent the Untied States with
hundreds of other students from universities throughout North America on a student volunteer
work program in Australia. I am committing myself to a minimum of 120 hours of volunteer
work in areas such as endangered species preservation and habitat restoration. The project is
coordinated by International Student Volunteers (www.isvonline.com).
This request is to friends and/or businesses for contributions to Youth in Action to help
cover the expenses of this summer’s program. I will need to raise over $2,500 in order to
secure my place on the Australian team. Any amount you are able to donate (tax deductible)
will be greatly appreciated. Contributions must be received by May 15, 2004. The coupon
below must be completed and mailed directly to me, with checks made payable to Youth in
Action in order to be tax-deductible.
Sincere thanks for your consideration……. Nicholas Leach
A COUPON MUST ACCOMPANY EACH CONTRIBUTION
Supporter’s Name:
Address:
City:
Phone:
Amount:
Mail to:
Correction: In a page 1
story last week, Deanette
Wearing incorrectly was
identified as Deanette Dem-
ming
for all the
kindness everyone shared
with us during the loss
of our loving
husband and father.
State:
E-Mail:
Check No.:
Zip:
Nicholas Leach
School: University of Oregon
P.O. Box 2327
Phone: (541) 261-2152
Cave Junction, Oregon 97523
IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE:
Your contributions to Youth in Action is tax-deductible (Federal Tax I.D. 95-380-5759)
Checks or money order must be made payable to YOUTH IN ACTION