THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015
Keeping arts and culture alive
Clatsop County Cultural Coalition
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By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
Lovers of the arts often face
an agonizing trade-off when
they move from big cities to
smaller, more remote towns,
like those along the Oregon
Coast: They lose the smog and
noise and congestion, yes, but
they may also lose the abun-
dant opportunities to enjoy and
engage in the arts.
That’s what happened to
Cindy Flood in her younger
years when she moved from a
Los Angeles suburb to south-
ern Oregon.
Flood — now the founder
and president of the Peninsu-
la Association of Performing
Artists in Ocean Park, Wash-
ington — told her story at the
annual Clatsop County Cultur-
al Coalition Awards Ceremo-
ny, held Thursday evening at
the Liberty Theater.
The coalition, part of the
Oregon Cultural Trust, award-
ed a total of $10,595 in grant
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ganizations that enhance the
culture, enrich the humanities
and preserve the heritage of
the county.
Hosted
by
coalition
co-chairwoman
Charlene
Larsen, the evening began
with Flood’s speech on how
to keep the arts alive — es-
pecially in places where arts
may already be hard to come
by — and continued with As-
toria High School’s Port City
Singers, who sang Christmas
carols conducted by teacher
Matt Pierce.
Flood reminded attendees
that, although it is easy to take
the coast’s rich cultural offer-
ings for granted, it could have
turned out very differently if
certain people hadn’t resolved
to create them.
If Flood was “going to have
my cake and eat it, too — if I
was going to have the beauty of
creation around me and live in
a very pristine environment,”
then she would have to see to
it herself, she discovered.
Because the arts can’t sur-
vive on their own. “It was up
to me,” she said. “I had to
make it happen.”
The coalition’s grantees
make the arts and culture hap-
pen here, and because they
do, North Coast residents —
somewhat removed from the
cultural cornucopia of a me-
tropolis — are less likely to
feel shortchanged.
Grantees
• Little Ballet Theatre,
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
The Port City Singers perform during the Clatsop County Cultural Coalition awards cer-
emony at the Liberty Theater Thursday.
Inc. received $2,000 for the
North Coast Dance Camp.
The check, accepted by board
members Gloria Van de Hey
and Catherine Anderson, will
go toward guest instructor fees
for dancers to present the sum-
mer dance camp.
• North Coast Chorale re-
ceived $2,000 for May per-
formances of Karl Jenkins’
“The Armed Man: A Mass for
Peace.” The check, accept-
ed by chorale representative
Phyllis Taylor, will go toward
the orchestral accompaniment.
• Seaside Museum & His-
torical Society received $2,000
for the preservation and en-
hancement of the Seaside
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tage. The check, accepted by
board president Steve Wright,
will go toward the prep work,
painting and supplies needed
to refurbish the exterior of the
museum.
• Knappa School District
received $1,600 for a Scan-
dinavian mural project. The
check, accepted by Leila Col-
lier, principal of Hilda Lahti
Elementary School, will go
toward supplies for shop and
art students to design and com-
plete a mural backdrop to be
displayed at the Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival.
• Astoria High School re-
ceived $800 for the Astoria
High School Literary Review.
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The check, accepted by teach-
er and author Matt Love, will
go toward the printing costs
for 250 copies of a bound stu-
dent literary project that show-
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and art.
• Partners for the PAC (Pa-
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$750 for a live theater perfor-
mance of Samuel Beckett’s
“Waiting for Godot.” The
check, accepted by co-chair
Constance Waisanen, will go
toward the play’s production
costs.
• Clatsop Care Memory
Community received $750 for
a show called “Music for the
Spirit.” The check, accepted by
administrator Mindy Stokes,
will go toward six concerts of
live music for residents of the
facility.
• Maritime Archaeological
Society received $695 for the
Maritime Cultural Heritage
ROV (Remotely Operated
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accepted by Jennifer Kozik,
the secretary and grant writer,
will go toward matching funds
to purchase the vehicle, which
will document underwater ar-
tifacts testifying to the region’s
cultural heritage in the Colum-
bia River and coastal waters.
Lawmakers work to protect Newport Coast Guard post
Copter base had
been targeted
for closure
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
U.S. Coast Guard air
stations in Newport and in
Charleston, South Carolina,
would be protected for another
two years under a bill moving
through Congress.
Oregon and South Carolina
lawmakers had won a one-year
reprieve for the air stations af-
ter the Coast Guard targeted
the posts last year for closure
because of budget constraints.
The new legislation, which
authorizes Coast Guard fund-
ing levels for two years, passed
the U.S. House on Thursday
and heads to the U.S. Senate.
“It is impossible to overstate
how critical having search and
rescue helicopters nearby is
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coastal visitors and residents,”
said U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio,
the ranking Democrat on the
House Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure
overseeing the Coast Guard, in
a release Thursday. “Today, we
were successful in securing lan-
guage in the Coast Guard Au-
thorization Act that will keep
this critical air station — which
handles half the emergency
calls on the central Oregon
Coast — open and serving the
Coast for at least another two
years.”
The Newport base has been
under threat of closure as the
Coast Guard tries to save mon-
ey. The agency has argued it
can meet its national standard
of two-hour rescue times using
helicopters from Air Station
North Bend to the south and
Air Station Astoria to the north.
Oregon’s congressional del-
egation helped pass legislation
last year that kept the Newport
and Charleston bases open until
January. The Coast Guard was
not immediately available for
comment Thursday.
“Search and rescue isn’t
passé,” said Jennifer Steven-
son, president of the Newport
Fishermen’s Wives, which
Growing importance
lobbied for the creation of the
Newport is home to the larg- station and had sued to block
HVWJURVVLQJFRPPHUFLDO¿VKLQJ its closure. “This is important
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Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ty.”
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Hard to close
tions Center, Oregon State Uni-
The legislation would place
versity research personnel and
several requirements on the
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The potential closure of the U.S. Department of Homeland
air station has faced stiff oppo- Security before closing any
sition from locals and politi- air stations after Jan. 1, 2018,
cians, who argue the base pro- including plans to ensure ade-
quate public safety protection
vides critical rescue coverage.
will help a deserving student succeed.
W e w a n t to th a n k a ll o f th e
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FR E E
I ro n C hef 2015
8 N . C o lum b ia in S e a s id e
Donate securely online through PayPal at www.clatsopcc.edu
JANET MARLENE ESKOLA TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 21, 1934-NOVEMBER 30, 2015
Janet Marlene Eskola Taylor was born in Astoria, Oregon on February
21, 1934 to Aili Johanna Kankkonen and John Niemi. Her mother
named her after two movie stars of the time - Janet Gaynor and
Marlene Dietrich. She was known as Marlene her entire life, except to
the U.S. government! Her parents divorced when she was young and
since her mother had to work to support her two daughters, Marlene
remembered spending much time with Aili’s many brothers and sisters.
When Aili married Charles L. Eskola, a local insurance agent, he
adopted Marlene and she became Janet Marlene Eskola.
Marlene attended Capt. Robert Gray Grade School and Astoria High
School (now Clatsop Community College). She was a straight A student
through all 12 grades and was a voracious reader for the majority of
her life. She was a good educational example to her two daughters.
Marlene was editor of her high school paper and also won a writing
award in 8 th grade. She kept copies of all the newspapers she edited
and the medal she won among her things and considered them
treasured memories.
Marlene planned to attend the University of Oregon Journalism School, but love intervened. Marlene met and married
Richard E. Green when he was stationed at Tongue Point Naval Base in 1952. They became to proud par ents of Debra Gale
in 1953, ChrisLynn in 1954 and Joni Wynne in 1957. Debra died in 1953. After living a time in Wyom ing, Richard and
Marlene divorced. Marlene returned to Astoria with her girls and soon after, met and married Gordon Lee Taylor, also
stationed at Tongue Point Naval Base, in 1960. They remained married until his death in 1977. Marle ne worked and raised
the family while Gordon served his country in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam Conflict. She was mother, father and
family breadwinner during those years and she never forgot a holiday or a birthday and made time to attend important
school functions to support her daughters -- she was a working mother in an era where very few women worked and she
did a great job wherever she worked. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with! Marlene was a bookkeeper and
worked over the years at Pillsbury in Astoria and Los Angeles, the Glen Flora Country Club in Waukeg an, IL and the payroll
department at Harrah’s Reno until Gordon’s death. She then became owner and operator of Bob’s Radio and TV in Sparks
NV and ran it very successfully. She was Zenith’s only female dealer at the time. When she sold the business to move to
Oregon it was on her terms and at her price…she was an amazing businesswoman!
Gordon’s career led his family from Astoria to Southern California to the Great Lakes area and final ly to Reno where Gordon
retired in 1972. He and Marlene bought the TV repair store and they set down roots. After Gordon’s death, Marlene made
one final move -- back to Astoria in 1981. ChrisLynn followed in 1982 and Joni in 2004.
Marlene stayed busy during her latter Astoria years -- she was an Astoria Anchor member, worked with the Regatta
Association, worked as a Columbia Memorial Hospital volunteer for 20 years, helped proofread the Cla tsop County Historical
Society Cumtux and spent several summers volunteering at the Star of the Sea rummage sale. She also helped organize the
Class of ‘52 reunions and wrote a comprehensive Kankkonen family tree that was distributed to all of her family members.
Marlene was especially proud of her Finnish heritage and she passed that fierce Finn pride to her da ughters.
As she slowed down physically, her mind never did -- she read two newspapers daily, did crossword an d sudoku puzzles and
watched news shows, documentaries and plenty of movies and dramas. She loved to visit with family w henever they came
to town and the “cousin’s lunches” were a highlight in her life as were visits from her grandchildre n and great-grandchildren.
Marlene left us -- peacefully and without pain -- on Monday, November 30, 2015 after a short illness . Those of us who
knew her and saw the rainbow that morning know without a doubt that it was her pathway to her husba nd, Gordon; her
parents, Charles and Aili; her firstborn, Debra; and her brother and sister, Virginia Lee and Raymon d Eskola.
Marlene did not want a funeral, so she was placed with her parents on Friday, December 11, 2015 at 1 1:00 am at Ocean
View Cemetery. Charitable contributions may be made in Marlene’s name to either the Clatsop County Historical Society or
the Columbia Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Mom -- you will forever be missed by those you left here on earth…your daughters, grand-daughters an d great-
grandchildren honor you and will love you always.
G rea t Sto cking Stuffer
B EST D ESSER T
Mail to: CCC Foundation, 1651 Lexington Ave, Astoria OR 97103
In addition to being a good student, Marlene was also a good friend.
Marlene remained friends with many of her grade school and high
school classmates her entire life and helped with her Class of ‘52
reunions until her death. She was proud of the Class of ‘52 and all that
its members accomplished over the years, including the establishment
of the Class of ‘52 scholarship awarded at Astoria High School.
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SENIORS EAT FOR HALF PRICE ALL DAY
P urcha s e a
and standard emergency re-
sponse times to coastal com-
munities.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden,
D-Oregon, said lawmakers
“fought hard to preserve this
crucial part of the coastal safety
net and are relieved Congress
won’t risk Oregonians’ lives at
the start of the dangerous win-
ter season and beyond.”
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