B2 Wednesday, March 18, 2020
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore.
ROOTS &
Branches
hoodrivernews.com
YESTERYEARS
Wy’east gym comes down after snow damage in 1980
1910 — 110 YEARS AGO
Every day heroes
By MAIJA YASUI
Pulling together in times of crisis are the life moments when
we country folks most often shine. We know how to reach out to
one another, provide emotional support, and share those actual
products, food, shelter and clothing for the most vulnerable so
we can all weather the storm. Whether a pandemic, hurricane,
fire or economic collapse, our actions during these difficult times
defines our very humanity. How do we treat one another? What
are we willing to give up for the good of others? It is a question
we are all too often faced with in recent times. One that we must
answer in real time.
We look to heroes who have risen to those difficult occasions,
our soldiers in time of war, our first responders, firemen, doctors
and educators in times of disaster. I believe we can all be heroes in
our day-to-day lives, in normal times, which lets us practice heroic
actions comfortably, almost habitually, making it an automatic
reaction when we are faced with a disaster, tragedy or catastrophic
event.
Automobiles are making
their appearance in town and
on the country roads in num-
bers and the season promises
to be a lively one in the use of
scoot wagons. Four new cars
have been sold recently by the
Gilbert-Vaughan Implement
Company, one each to J.H.
Heilbronner, B.E. Duncan,
Wilson Fike and Leslie Butler.
The two former purchased
Cadillac thirties, Mr. Fike a
Chalmers-Detroit and Mr.
Butler a new Cadillac thirty.
Three of these have been de-
livered and the other is on the
way here.
1920 — 100 YEARS AGO
In view of the growing
strength of the local post
of the American Legion,
and with the object of doing
something for the boys who
went overseas from Hood
River County, a committee of
local ladies has been formed
for the purpose of secur-
ing the nucleus for a fund
for a Legion home in Hood
River. Committee in charge of
events are Mrs. L.N. Blowers,
chairman; Mrs. Vonder Ahe,
Mrs. A.C. Lofts, Mrs. A.S.
Keir, Mrs. F.C. Sherrieb, Mrs.
V.R. Abraham and Mrs. L.M.
Bentley.
1930 — 90 YEARS AGO
Photo courtesy of Maija Yasui
DR. SATSUKI INA hanging origami cranes. Directions for fold-
ing the cranes can be found on page B5.
■
We were scheduling an event to honor one of our own local
heroes on March 28, Oregon’s Minoru Yasui Day. Min Yasui was
born and raised in Hood River, graduated from Hood River High
School and a few years later from University of Oregon law school.
He began his law career at a Japanese Embassy in Chicago imme-
diately before the United States was pulled into World War II with
the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
At this very early moment in his life, he was prepared to sacrifice
his freedom for the freedom of his Japanese American peers. He
willingly sought to challenge the United States government over
the illegal imprisonment of 125,000 Japanese living on the west
coast. This was personal, as his father was illegally imprisoned as a
traitor, and his siblings, friends and neighbors imprisoned for the
color of their skin, for being of Japanese ancestry. He believed in
the Constitution of the United States and the protections it provid-
ed to all, not just a few. Minoru dedicated his entire life, in times
of war and times of peace, ensuring that people of all ages, faith,
gender, ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, and ability were
given their Constitutional protections.
Given the rapidly-changing health advisements, we are going
to cancel Min Yasui Day events but hope that you will honor his
heroism in a manner that protects the most vulnerable from the
pandemic in which we are immersed. If we take our personal ev-
ery-day health precautions of greeting one another with elbow or
fist bumps or, better yet, keeping three feet between us, will help
protect our elderly or health impaired friends and relatives by not
exposing them to risk. Seek an alternative to face to face engage-
ment, perhaps recording an event, taking pictures, but still allow-
ing for interaction and participation for those in self-imposed
isolation. Outdoor settings provide some protection from trans-
mission of the COVID-19 virus as long as we practice those per-
sonal heroic deeds, secluding ourselves if we are not feeling well,
covering any cough or sneeze, keeping from touching our face,
especially eyes, nose and mouth, washing our hands repeatedly
for at least 20 seconds, maintaining a three-foot space between
one another whenever possible and disinfect surfaces repeatedly.
Perhaps one of our songwriting talents could scribe a catchy
tune reminding us of these important health practices, hopefully
not as dire as the childhood nursery rhyme we sang, “Ring Around
the Rosey, pocketful of posey, ashes, ashes we all fall down.”
Whether true or false, the urban legend that this nursery rhyme
was teaching about the symptoms of the plague, the way to ward
off the disease (carrying posies) or the consequence of dying from
the plague and being turned into ashes has been indelibly etched
in our brains.
■
We will move forward with the installation of a QR Code em-
bedded in the Minoru Yasui Legacy Stone that, when accessed
with a cell phone bar code app will display the three-minute de-
scription of Minoru Yasui’s life-long dedication in search of justice
for all, by President Barack Obama. It is an inspirational speech by
our president when awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom
posthumously to the Min Yasui family. Visitors to the small park
located on the north library lawn above Fifth and Oak streets
can scan the code with their cell phones and better understand
the life work of Minoru Yasui at any time. I will add a photo of
the stainless-steel code along with this column so everyone who
downloads a free bar code app to their cell phone can access the
video in the safety of their own home (see page B5).
We had also planned to highlight Hood River student activ-
ists work on social justice issues by placing a stone in the legacy
garden engraved with the year, students name, and a word that
represents the issue which they have been addressing. A $250
award will also be given to this year’s student activist on awards
night and will be an annual reward to promote activism in the
future. A list of those winners will be featured with photos in the
next edition of the newspaper after announcements are made at
Hood River Valley High School. The special engraved stones will
be kept in the trophy case at Hood River Valley High School until
after graduation and then permanently placed in the Min Yasui
Legacy Garden.
■
An event was planned for Min Yasui Day at the Riverside Com-
munity Church to participate in a Tsuru for Solidarity “Fold In” with
national activist and psychologist Dr. Satsuki Ina. That in-person
event has been canceled but we encourage interested participants
to watch a description of the Tsuru for Solidarity event at tsuru-
forsolidarity.org and hold their own “Fold In” in the safety of their
homes.
Dr. Ina, who was born in the Tule Lake prison camp, was to speak
about the parallels between the Japanese American incarceration
during World War II and the detention of immigrant children on
the U.S.-Mexico Border. Ina has used her incarceration experience
to help thousands of individuals cope with the challenges of mental
health trauma. She has published books, produced documentaries
that speak to the unjust and forced imprisonment of 125,000 Japa-
nese Americans during World War II.
Dr. Ina is a leader of the group Tsuru for Solidarity, which cites
the Japanese American incarceration as one of the main reasons to
stop the current border detention policies, which have been shown
to cause severe trauma for detained children. At a presentation of
cranes at one of the border camps in 2019, Dr. Ina stated, “Ameri-
cans turned their backs on us as we disappeared. Nobody marched
See ROOTS, page B5
Within the next few weeks,
Hood River will have its own
airplane, if the plans of the
members of Hood River Avi-
ation Club, organized a few
days ago, are carried through.
The group of local airmen,
now numbering well on the
way to a score of young men,
expect to have a Waco plane
of their own on the field by
about the middle of next
month and to take up a steady
course in flying. One of the
tasks to be undertaken by
the club is to put the aviation
field on the hill in first class
shape and to maintain that
condition.
1940 — 80 YEARS AGO
Under the auspices of
Hood River Fruit Growers,
a plan to pool Bartlett pears
and cherries is being put
through, with the object of
enabling independent grow-
ers to place themselves in an
advantageous position for
bargaining with canners and
others who will be in the mar-
ket this coming season. The
committee working out the
plans include Ralph W. Perry,
Joe D. Smullin, R.W. Skibbe,
J.E. Hounsell Sr. and George
Galloway.
1950 — 70 YEARS AGO
Coach Bill Abey’s Hood
River High boxing team
swamped White Salmon’s
prep squad in a smoker at Le-
gion Hall on Thursday. Hood
River dropped only two out of
nine matches.
Odell High Cougars ob-
served their first baseball
workout on Wednesday when
around 18 showed up for
practice. Odell will join four
other clubs in the Cascade B
prep league in a round robin
baseball schedule this spring.
Hood River News archives
M ARCH 15, 2000
Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Hood River Valley High School girls softball team opened the
season with a four-team jamboree on Monday against Benson, Grant and St. Mary’s. The Ea-
gles won one, lost one and tied a game. Junior Calli Vannet, above, reaches for an errant throw
at first base. The Eagles will be in action on Wednesday at Westview High School. Photo by
Jim Semlor.
Other clubs are Parkdale, Cor-
bett, Maupin and Dufur. Play
commences around the first
of April.
1960 — 60 YEARS AGO
Teacher contracts for 1960-
61 were the top order of busi-
ness for the county unity school
board at their regular March
meeting held last Wednesday.
The board, without major dis-
cussion or question, approved,
on blanket votes, the retention
of all teachers in the district,
except those asking to resign
from their posts.
1970 — 50 YEARS AGO
A solid wall of opposition
meant defeat Monday for a
Chamber of Commerce-spon-
sored plan to develop an off-
street parking lot in downtown
Hood River.
Nearly 56 percent remon-
strance was submitted from
the assessment area, includ-
ing Diamond Fruit Growers,
Inc., several lodges and clubs
involved, as well as private
businesses. The plan called
for purchase of a half-vacant
lot between Fourth and Fifth
street on Cascade, surfacing it,
adding lighting, landscaping
and markings, and providing
parking for some 52 vehicles.
1980 — 40 YEARS AGO
Crumbled remains of the
walls of the Wy’east Junior
High School gymnasium were
cleared by a large bulldozer as
an early step toward replacing
the structure.
Men on ladders were work-
ing to seal off the stage area
that linked the gym with the
school cafeteria. “Lots of rock,
not much concrete or rein-
forcement,” said one of the
demo workers. The structure
was built in the early 1950s and
was doomed when about five
feet of snow collapsed the roof.
Precise plans for its replace-
ment remain to be developed,
but there is speculation that
it will be something similar to
the Hood River Junior High
multipurpose room.
VERBATIM
Tent City Is Now Contemplated
Owning to the collapse of
the negotiations for the con-
struction of a tourist hotel
for Hood River, a number of
local businesses and hotel
men met at the Commer-
cial Club on Wednesday to
consider ways and means
of providing sleeping ac-
commodations for the large
number of tourists who will
visit this section the coming
summer (sic).
After considerable discus-
sion, it was admitted that at
present only two alternatives
to a modern hotel are avail-
able, and they are only of a
temporary nature. One is,
that residents who are will-
ing to accommodate visitors
in their homes during tourist
season list their available
rooms with a committee to
be appointed, and the other,
that a tent city be inaugu-
rated.
It is ascertained that C.A.
Bell of the Mt. Hood Hotel
is willing to lease the 100 x
100 tract west of the hotel for
a tent site and it was stated
that his would accommo-
date 15 8x10 and 10 16x16
tents, which would provide
sleeping quarters for about
70 persons per night.
The general sentiment
was that these propositions
are all that ca be gotten into
shape this season, and the
following committee was
appointed to investigate the
questions of cost and financ-
ing of the project: Hugh G.
Ball, E.E. Brett, R.E. Scott, j.
Culbertson and L. Baldwin.
— Hood River News,
March 19, 1920
ture holds for CAG became
more immediate when it was
Hood River becomes a tele- announced at the beginning
vision filming location next of the meeting that Myrna
week, but it is unlikely local Clements, who has been di-
residents will tune in on the rector and then management
story any time soon. That is consultant for the gallery, will
because the production will be retire April 1.
shown in Japan. A delegation
of young people from Tsuruta, 2010 — 10 YEARS AGO
Japan, will arrive in Hood River
on March 25 for a week-long
Women in Hood River
visitation as part of a continu- County are being urged to
ing springtime sister city tradi- clean out their closets and do-
tion. This time, the group will nate both formal and semi-for-
be accompanied not only by mal clothing in all sizes for the
several adults and Mayor Kenji second annual Dress 4 Less
Nakano, but also a film crew event in Hood River. Christine
from NHK-TV, Japan’s largest Keith and Jessie Page gained
strong community support for
television network.
the first effort in 2009 to help
teens find the perfect prom
2000 — 20 YEARS AGO
attire without spending a for-
What is the future of the tune. “We are hoping to have
Columbia Art Gallery? About more than 200 dresses for girls
20 supporters of Hood River’s to choose from this year,” said
nonprofit art gallery explored Keith.
that question March 10 at
■
the Hood River Chamber of
Compiled by Trisha Walker
Commerce conference rooms and Emily Fitzgerald, News
in an all-afternoon meeting staff writers
called “Vision 2000-plus.” The
question about what the fu-
1990 — 30 YEARS AGO
Items needed for FISH garden
The FISH Food Bank Gar-
den is in need of items to as-
sist with growing of nutritious
vegetables for FISH Food
Bank clients this summer:
■ Seventy-five to 100, 10-
foot long, thumb sized bam-
boo stakes that will be used
to identify what crops are
planted and where.
■ Twenty-five to 50 cedar
shakes and shingles, 18- or
24-inches in length, will be
used to protect young plants
from the relentless west wind
that the garden receives.
■ Bed sheets in any size.
These will be cut up and woven
between steel posts to create a
wind barrier for the garden.
Located behind the Spirit of
Grace Church and FISH Food
Bank at 1130 Tucker Road, this
garden is a combined proj-
ect between the Oregon State
University Extension Central
Gorge Master Gardeners, Spirit
of Grace Church and FISH.
For the past eight years, this
garden has annually grown
one ton of fresh vegetables for
distribution to FISH clients.
Through this effort, individuals
and families who face food
insecurity are receiving locally
grown produce in season.
Donations can be dropped
off at the FISH Food Bank Gar-
den Monday through Friday,
8 a.m. to 3 p.m., by April 1;
contact Tessa at fishgardenvc@
gmail.com for information.
LOCATION
200 SOUTH WALNUT
BINGEN, WA
509.493. 2751
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