P4 THE SPOKESMAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021
FLASHBACK
Albanian college student seeks way to stay
100 years ago
May 26, 1921 — Plan Patri-
otic Decoration Day Parade
Monday
Members of all patriotic
and fraternal organizations of
Redmond will participate in
a Memorial day parade Mon-
day morning, according to
arrangements perfected yes-
terday by American Legion
committees.
The program announced
for the day provides for the pa-
rade to start from the Knights
of Pythias hall at 9 o’clock. The
marching bodies will pass up
Sixth street to “G” where trans-
portation will be provided to
the cemetery.
It is planned that the pro-
gram shall occupy but a half
day, and the services at the
cemetery will be short. Ar-
rangements have been made to
have prayer led by the Ref. J.W.
Cabeen and a short address by
the Rev. C.M. Brown.
A firing squad from the
American Legion will give a sa-
lute over a grave to be prepared
in honor of the unknown dead.
A special invitation is ex-
tended by W.I. Smith, in charge
of the program for the day, to
the veterans of all wars who
are now living in Redmond or
vicinity, and to gold-star moth-
ers.
75 years ago
May 30, 1946 — More to
Police Work Than Pouncing
on Drivers at Stop Signs, Says
Chief
There is a little more to be-
ing a policeman in Redmond
than to just sit around at some
intersection and wait for an
unwary driver to ignore the
stop sign, according to Chief of
Police Jess Edgar.
Ever since the department
was increased from three to
four men several weeks ago
it has been under scrutiny by
budget makers and others, and
Edgar has been called upon
numerous times to explain
just why it is that four men are
need to fill on on the 24 -hour
per day, seven-day per week
schedule.
Edgar explains that in the
first place, the actual hours
of scheduled time on patrol
duty or in the office represent
only part of the time that is de-
manded of the officers, since
they are always on standby
duty and are subject to call 24
hours per day.
The process of arresting peo-
ple and putting them in jail is
actually only a minor part of
the police routine, Edgar ex-
plains. The police have to be
their own jailers, bailiffs and
bookkeepers in each case, and
have to follow through on each
arrest until the case has been
cleared through court and all
the penalties have been en-
forced.
Meanwhile the officers are
busy chasing dogs, running the
dog pound, rounding up stray
cows, horses and chickens and
riding hard on peddlers. There
are occasions when these ped-
dlers are as hard to keep track
of as a colony of ants. Some of
them pretend they never heard
of the city’s “Green River” or-
dinance, and are sometimes at
work in several parts of the res-
idential districts at once before
the police get tipped and start
tracking them down.
In their daily work the police
license bicycles, inspect trailer
houses, settle family fights, en-
force traffic rules, building and
sanitary regulations, and do a
variety of work connected with
state and federal law enforce-
ment agencies.
Redmond police are their
own stenographers and book-
keepers for the most part, and
have to work out their own fin-
ger print records, accident re-
ports, receipts, complaints and
other papers, and have to do
SOLUTION
Sudoku on Page 2
Spokesman file photo
Andi Dede shows sponsor Anna Jeffrey photos of bunkers in his home-
land of Albania.
their own filing and indexing.
These duties are all in ad-
dition to their regular job of
patrolling the city, Edgar ex-
plains, quieting drunks, check-
ing doors and lights, keeping
an eye on the hobo jungles and
generally enforcing the traffic
ordinances.
50 years ago
May 26, 1971 — Statistics
dampen chances of four-lane
Highway 97
Any hopes Deschutes
County residents may have
held for a four-lane highway
between Redmond and Bend
were dampened by the recent
arrival of a statistical report
from the Oregon State High-
way Division.
Cost of modernizing the
14 plus miles to full fourlane
standards would cost approx-
imately $8 million, according
to R.L. Porter, state highway
engineer, who pointed out that
from 1968 through 1970 inclu-
sive, only three fatal accidents
occurred on the section. Two
were caused by vehicles run-
ning off the road at night, and
a third involved a pedestrian
during darkness.
Porter included statis-
tics showing that from 1965
through 1969, the Red-
mond-Bend section of High-
way 97 had experienced be-
tween 1.55 and 2.78 accidents
annually, compared to 2.40 to
2.98 on other primary rural
nonfreeways, statewide.
Average daily traffic along
the stretch varied from 5600
at Redmond’s south city limits
to 4550 approximately mid-
way and 5300 just north of the
junction with Sisters Highway
near Bend.
Porter listed 19 jobs, bearing
comparable deficiencies, to il-
lustrate the relative rate of us-
age along the highways. They
varied from 1700 vehicles daily
along the Camas Mountain
section of the Coos Bay -Rose-
burg highway to 15,000 on the
Santa Clara-Eugene section of
the Junction City-Eugene high-
way. Of the 19 jobs listed, 10
were more heavily used; nine
less traveled.
The report was forwarded
to the Redmond Chamber of
Commerce by Sen. Gordon W.
McKay, who along with Rep.
Sam Johnson, had contacted
Porter after receiving copies
of the resolutions, requesting
the Highway 97 construction,
which had been sent to the
State Highway Division by
Bend and Redmond Chambers
and the Deschutes County Ad-
vertising Committee.
Sen. McKay pointed out that
“Of course, the problem is, as
in every area of highway con-
struction, the lack of funds.
There are many deserving and
needed highway construction
projects and mainly the high-
way division has to rely on ba-
sis of need and priority.”
25 years ago
May 29, 1996 — Albanian
college student seeks way to
stay
Andi Dede’s love of, and ex-
pertise in, the English language
got him to America and into
Central Oregon Community
College.
But will it be enough to keep
the Albanian student here?
Dede hopes so, because get-
ting an education is something
he and his family value above
all else.
Especially a degree from an
American university.
But Jim and Anna Jeffrey of
Redmond, his foster family this
year, are unable to sponsor him
next year.
Dede met the Jeffreys when
they were on a mission to Al-
bania. He acted as their inter-
preter, something he had done
many times before, and they
became friends.
Dede took English for eight
years in the European nation’s
version of middle and high
school. He found he not only
liked foreign languages, he was
good at them.
His work as an interpreter
gave him a chance to talk to
many different English speak-
ers and he got even better.
And at age 19, Dede is still
amazed he ever got a chance to
talk to foreigners.
When he was growing up,
Albania was a closed, com-
munist country. Because of
its strategic location, due east
of the heel of Italy’s boot, the
country was carefully guarded
and isolated from all Western
nations.
History and geography les-
sons in school were focused
on other communist nations.
Watching Italian television
or listening to capitalist radio
stations could land one in jail.
Anyone speaking a foreign
language was immediately sus-
pected of being a CIA agent.
But in 1989 and 1990, Dede’s
second year in high school,
“everything changed,” he says.
Borders were opened, travel
was allowed, new experiences
unthought of before democ-
racy were possible.
For Dede, the opening of the
county meant the opportunity
to come to America.
“It’s good to live in times
of change. You learn a lot,” he
said, while admitting his can
also be confusing. “It’s like a
coin, flipping from one side to
another mentally.”
But for Albania, or Shqiperi,
(pronounced Shiperee, the
country’s real name, according
to Dede,) some things haven’t
changed.
His family is “not at all
rich,” he says, even though his
mother is a doctor and chief
of chemotherapy at an Alba-
nian hospital and his father is
a television journalist and re-
searcher for the department of
education.
Dede says “it is very hard to
find jobs in my country, and
even if you work very hard,
you may not have much.”
And that’s one of the things
he likes best about America.
“If you are a very hard
worker,” Dede says, “you get
something.”
His family, which also has a
daughter in college in Albania,
is a classic case — and unable
to help financially with Dede’s
expensive American schooling.
Since the breakup of com-
munism, the wealth in Albania
has gone to businessmen.
“They have Albania now in
their hands,” he says, shaking
his head.
But Dede’s chin comes up
when he describes the things
he loves about his homeland
and that he hopes will never
change. Things like family.
“Here at age 16 or 17, chil-
dren say bye-bye to their fam-
ily,” he said. “At home, we stay
with our families, sometimes
until we are married.
Divorce is uncommon, and
Dede appreciates the plight of
the single parent.
“How can you do it by your-
self?” he asks.
In addition, he says his fam-
ily measures wealth differently.
“You are rich if you speak two
or more languages,” he said. “At
home, if you don’t have school,
you are nothing.”
Ways you
can support
Thelma’s Place:
SOLUTION
Crossword on Page 2
• Vehicle donations
• Cash donations
• Sponsorships
• Volunteer
CHILD CARE
AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAM
Your support makes a difference!
Redmond: 541-548-3049
Day Respite and Support Groups
www.thelmasplace.org
Joe A Lochner Insurance Agency Inc.
Joe Lochner, Agent
123 SW 5th Street
Redmond, OR 97756
Bus: 541-548-6023
joe.lochner.h5mi@statefarm.com
Fax: (541) 548-6024
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1211999