THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2022 A3
Terrebonne motorcyclist dies in crash west of Redmond
BY TIM TRAINOR
Redmond Spokesman
A Terrebonne man died
July 6 in a two-vehicle crash
on Highway 126 west of
Redmond.
Rodney Miller, 51, died at
the scene.
According to an investi-
gation by Oregon State Po-
lice, Miller was traveling
westbound on Highway 126
roughly two miles west of
Redmond when the vehicle
in front of him attempted to
turn left and the two vehi-
cles collided.
Miller was driving a Ka-
wasaki motorcycle, fol-
lowing a Chevrolet Impala
driven by Evan Borden, 28,
of Bend. According to in-
vestigators, Borden was at-
tempting to turn left into a
pullout on the westbound
shoulder when Miller
crashed into the driver’s
side door.
Borden was uninjured,
but criminally cited for
DUII and reckless driving.
Highway 126W was
closed for approximately
five hours while members
of the Oregon State Police
collision reconstruction
unit investigated the scene.
OSP was assisted by De-
schutes County Sheriff ’s
Office and ODOT.
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Reporter: ttrainor@
redmondspokesman.com
Pavliceks honored for charitable gifts
Couple has donated
more than $800,000
within Redmond
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
In front of the red brick of
Redmond’s City Hall early
in the morning on July 4, a
crowd gathered in gratitude
for Dr. John and Jill Pavlicek.
Members of organizations
such as the Redmond Senior
Center, the Redmond Com-
munity Church and Bright-
Side Animal Shelter poured
out their hearts for the impact
the Pavliceks have made on
their lives and communities.
Many in Redmond know
Dr. John Pavlicek from sitting
in his dentist chair, getting
their teeth cleaned and their
smiles shined. Others may
know John and Jill as familiar
faces from around town.
But fewer know about their
widespread philanthropy,
most recently in their dona-
tions of more than $800,000
to various organizations
throughout the Redmond
community.
From their large house
looking out over Pilot Butte
Canal, The Greens at Red-
mond Golf Course and
other homes they’d built, the
Pavliceks were able to build a
fortune through dentistry and
real estate investing.
Over the decades, the
Pavliceks helped build the
skyline of the region. A two-
story building on 14th and
Redmond Mayor George Endicott speaks about the impact the
Pavliceks have made at a ceremony honoring their donations.
Photos by Nick Rosenberger
John and Jill Pavlicek received a ceremonial flag on July 4 prior to the parade in Redmond, to thank them
for their support of local students and charities.
Highland, the Chelsea Square
Apartments across from
Fred Meyer’s, a building in
Prineville, a warehouse at the
Redmond Airport, the Amer-
iTitle building in Bend and
a fourplex of apartments are
just some of the properties the
couple has built.
Just after Christmas in 2021,
the Pavliceks received a check
from selling some of this real
estate and decided to spend
it on the community they’ve
loved for 50 years. From the
Bethlehem Inn to scholarships
for Redmond and Ridgeview
students, the Pavliceks wanted
to give thanks to the city that
helped shape them.
“We’re just trying to give
back to the community,” said
John.
The couple did not always
have the ability to be generous
with their funds.
“Both John and I came from
extremely poor families,” Jill
said. “We were in poverty.”
Jill grew up in a fam-
ily of five living in a 35-foot
trailer in Madras. John barely
scraped by in a family living
-hand-to-mouth.
“You wonder sometimes
how you make it through,”
John said. “Sometimes I think
hell is here on Earth.”
When he was two or three
years old, John was in a fire
that burned his leg. At Doern-
becher Children’s Hospital, he
needed a thick skin graft that
required moving skin from his
stomach to put on his leg.
His father couldn’t pay the
full medical bill and was only
able to pay $5 a month for the
procedure. Luckily, the hos-
pital accepted it. In 2021, the
Pavliceks donated $100,000 to
the hospital to thank them.
But as kids, money was
tight. John had heard one of
his neighbors helped another
neighbor pay for their school-
ing.
“I was gutsy,” said John.
“So I went to him and asked
him if he could help me with
some school. So he wrote me a
check for $100.”
The neighbor told him the
money was for tuition and
that he could pay him back by
helping somebody else.
The neighbor’s request was
one of the many reasons why
the Pavliceks decided to cre-
ate scholarships for Redmond
students. They created four
$25,000 scholarships, two each
for students at both Redmond
and Ridgeview high schools.
While in dental school at
Western Oregon University,
John worked various jobs to
get himself through college.
He worked as a dishwasher,
then at Blitz Brewery. He
worked weekend graveyard
shifts at a plywood mill —
meaning he’d come home
Monday morning and head
straight to class.
The poverty they faced
growing up is why they
worked so hard, Jill said. They
understand the difficulties of
growing up poor. That’s why
the scholarships won’t always
go to the students from well
off families with straight As or
high academic achievement.
Instead, they may focus on
a teenager who is working a
job to help support their fam-
ily and helping take care rela-
tives while they go to school,
Jill said.
This focus on the less fortu-
nate was also present through
the dentistry practice, where
they wrote off more than
$400,000 in bills for those in
need. This was especially pro-
nounced in the 1970s and
1980s, when there were a lot of
struggling blue-collar workers
who couldn’t afford to have
their teeth fixed.
“It was tough in those days,”
John said. “We were just so
lucky. I don’t know how else
to say it.”
█
Reporter: nrosenberger@
redmondspokesman.com
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