Page 8A
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
BARONS: Also featured a Western-theme
trade show and Buckaroo BBQ Challenge
Continued from 1A
horse, Dealers Kid, to market
at the sale. Whereas Sanjo
Gold is a gentle ranch horse
for riders of all abilities,
Roeser said Dealers Kid
is more fi t for high-caliber
ropers. It is Roeser’s job to
show both animals at the best
of their abilities in the arena
and auction ring.
“It’s a lot of work,” he
said. “You have to use a lot of
consistency in your methods
so the horses know what they
can expect from you.”
Once the sale begins,
trainers like Roeser take
center stage in the conven-
tion center where buyers
bid up to tens of thousands
of dollars for horses to add
to their operation. Selling
horses is a big part of Roes-
er’s business, and he said
Cattle Barons Weekend has
proven to be a great venue.
“It’s a good market for the
horses,” he said. “The people
who run the sale do a really
good job.”
Cattle Barons Weekend
also featured a West-
ern-theme trade show and
Buckaroo BBQ Challenge,
where teams competed for
the best ribs and tri-tip beef.
Proceeds go toward raising
scholarships that event
leaders say keep the Western
tradition alive in northeast
Oregon.
“That’s why we do
what we do, to maintain it
into the future,” said Andy
VanderPlaat, Cattle Barons
president.
Roeser’s return to Pend-
leton reunited him with at
least two of his former pupils
in Justin Bailey, of Pilot
Staff photo by George Plaven
Dan Roeser, of Roeser Ranch in Marsing, Idaho, pre-
pares to mount Sanjo Gold prior to the Western Select
working dogs and horses auction at the 10th annual
Pendleton Cattle Barons Weekend.
Rock, and Ryan Raymond, of
Helix. Bailey worked eight
years for Roeser on the ranch
in Idaho, and described him
as a highly regarded mentor.
Bailey now runs his own
training business, Bailey
Performance Horses, and
showed three of his own
animals during the Western
Select auction.
“What we’re trying to
show is a quality horse
that can handle ranch-like
situations,” Bailey said.
“You’re trying to show their
willingness and quiet mind.”
Bailey
Performance
Horses is located on the home
ranch of Anderson Land
& Livestock, operated by
Terry and Debby Anderson
who won this year’s Cattle
Barons Legacy Award.
Raymond, a fi fth-genera-
tion rancher who runs cows
for Raymond & Son, worked
three years for Roeser and
continues to ride plenty of
COMING EVENTS
TUESDAY, MAY 16
ADULT OPEN GYM, 6 a.m.,
Pendleton Recreation Center, 510
S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Half-
court basketball. Adults only.
WALKING FOR WELLNESS,
8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendleton Rec-
reation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion
Ave., Pendleton. (541-276-8100)
PRESCHOOL
PREVIEW
DAY, 9-11:30 a.m., Creative Care
Preschool, 470 E. Main St., Ione.
Preview a typical preschool day,
fi ll out paperwork and have your
questions answered. For any child
planning to enter preschool in the
fall and their parents. Free. (Misty
541-422-7003)
TERRIFICALLY FREE TUES-
DAY, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Children’s
Museum of Eastern Oregon, 400
S. Main St., Pendleton. Free ad-
mission all day. (541-276-1066)
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME,
10:30-11 a.m., Stanfi eld Public Li-
brary, 180 W. Coe Ave., Stanfi eld.
(541-449-1254)
PENDLETON SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 p.m., Pendleton
Senior Center, 510 S.W. 10th
St., Pendleton. Costs $3.50 or
$6 for those under 60. Pool, puz-
zles, crafts, snacks, Second Time
Around thrift store 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For Meals On Wheels, call 541-
276-1926. (541-276-7101)
BOARDMAN SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 p.m., Boardman
Senior Center, 100 Tatone St.,
Boardman. Cost is $4 for seniors
55 and over or $5 for adults. (541-
481-3257)
HERMISTON SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 p.m., Our Lady
of Angels Catholic Church par-
ish hall, 565 W. Hermiston Ave.,
Hermiston. Cost is $4 for adults,
free for children 10 and under, $4
for Meals on Wheels. Extra 50
cents for utensils/dishes. Bus ser-
vice to Senior Center by donation.
(541-567-3582)
REGIONAL JOB FAIR, 2-6
p.m., Pendleton Convention Cen-
ter, 1601 Westgate, Pendleton.
Businesses from around the area
recruiting for open positions include
CHI St. Anthony, Lamb Weston,
Boise Cascade, Wildhorse Resort
& Casino and Mid Columbia Bus
Co. Dress appropriately, bring a
resume and be prepared to apply
on the spot. (541-276-7411)
ATHENA TUESDAY MAR-
KET, 4-7 p.m., Dugger Park, Main
Street, Athena. Local vendors fea-
turing food, crafts and more. Ven-
dor spaces are free. (April McKen-
na or Katie Zmuda 541-310-9557)
BINGO, 5 p.m., Hermiston Se-
nior Center, 435 W. Orchard Ave.,
Hermiston. Doors open at 5 p.m.,
games begin at 6:30 p.m. Every-
one welcome. (541-567-3582)
INSIDE OUTSIDE THE LINES
ADULT COLORING, 6-7:30 p.m.,
Irrigon Public Library, 490 N.E.
Main St., Irrigon. Materials provid-
ed. Bring snacks to share. (541-
922-0138)
PENDLETON
KNITTING
GROUP, 6 p.m., Prodigal Son
Brewery & Pub, 230 S.E. Court
Ave., Pendleton. (541-966-0380)
PENDLETON EAGLES TA-
COS AND BINGO, 6 p.m., Pend-
leton Eagles Lodge, 428 S. Main
St., Pendleton. Regular packet
$10, special packet $5. Proceeds
donated to local charities. Public
welcome. (541-278-2828)
STORY AND CRAFT TIME,
6:30 p.m., Milton-Freewater Pub-
lic Library, 8 S.W. Eighth Ave.,
Milton-Freewater. For elementary
school-age children. (541-938-
8247)
PRELUDES
ORCHESTRA
CONCERT, 6:30 p.m., Little Vert
Theater, 345 S.W. Fourth St.,
Pendleton. Oregon East Sym-
phony’s beginner orchestra will
perform. A reception will follow
the performance. Free. (JD Kindle
541-276-0320)
TERRIFIC TUESDAY: A LIFE-
LONG FASCINATION WITH PA-
PER PEOPLE, 7 p.m., Heritage
Station Museum, 108 S.W. Frazer
Ave., Pendleton. Carolyn Mayer
will shine some light on the history
of paper dolls and share a glimpse
of some of the dolls from her own
collection, from her childhood in
the 1930s through the 20th centu-
ry. Free. (541-276-0012)
horses. Showing horses
at sales like Cattle Barons
Weekend takes honesty and
integrity, Raymond said,
with the trainer’s reputation
on the line.
“These guys know what
they can sell here,” he said.
“You can’t bring a horse here
you can’t lope around and
rope on.”
Cattle Barons Weekend
is just another fun event
to bring more people into
Pendleton, Raymond said,
while promoting ranching
businesses that are the
lifeblood of small Eastern
Oregon communities like
Helix.
“If we don’t do more
things to involve people in
local agriculture, I would
think those places will be
gone,” he said.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
TEACHER: Played arena football in 2009
Continued from 1A
Red Lion Hotel in Pend-
leton.
With his arm draped
around
Athena-Weston
School District superin-
tendent Laure Quaresma,
Funderburk stood in front
of an audience composed of
Eastern Oregon’s top educa-
tors as he was described as
“a living example of what it
means to be the best teacher
you can be.”
In an interview before
the ceremony, Funderburk,
34, said he was humbled
that he was named a Crystal
Apple winner, adding that
he always feels that there’s
something he could improve
on as a teacher.
Funderburk
played
football when he attended
Humboldt State University,
a state college on Califor-
nia’s northern coast. After
college, he moved to the
Northwest in 2009 to join
the Tri-Cities Fever, an
arena football team based in
Kennewick.
Funderburk decided to
end his football career after
a season, got married and
moved to Eastern Oregon,
where his wife, Kati, was
a teacher at Central Middle
School in Milton-Freewater.
He took a job as a parapro-
fessional while he worked
on his teacher’s license and
master’s degree at Western
Governors University, an
online college based in Salt
Lake City, Utah.
Funderburk did his
student teaching with a
teacher who would one day
become his boss, Weston
principal Ann Vescio, while
coaching track, football,
baseball at both the middle
school and at Weston-
McEwen High School.
Despite being well
established in the district
when he was named a K-8
P.E. teacher in 2013, he was
intimidated by the thought
of working with elemen-
tary-level kids, a group he
didn’t anticipate working
with.
2017 Crystal Apple award winners
Athena-Weston School District
• Megan Bryan, kindergarten/fi rst grade
• Justin Funderburk, physical education teacher/
athletic director
Echo School District
• Ben Campbell, physical education
• Brooke VanderVeen, industrial arts
Helix School District
• Julie Harper, paraprofessional
• Rory Simpson, social studies/physical education
Ione School District
• Bridgett Alldritt, instructional aide
• Eric Jepsen, science/art
Milton-Freewater Unifi ed School District
• Fil Chavez, lead custodian
• Eric Lynn, language arts
• Heather Vaughn, special education
Morrow County School District
• Jan Huddleston, maintenance coordinator
• Curtis Johnston, head custodian
• Jessica Lentz, educational assistant
• Lois Tallman, educational assistant
Pendleton School District
• Schelle Bixler, science
• Steve Larson, math/athletic director
• Anita Lewis, athletic and activities secretary
• Vicki Stillman, custodian
Pilot Rock School District
• Jacob Try, music
• Denise Weinke, fi fth grade
Stanfi eld School District
• Brenna Weyand, instructional assistant
• Tina Williams, fi rst grade
Ukiah School District
• Anne Coote, teacher/residence home supervisor
Umatilla School District
• Valerie May, third grade
• Tina Ridings, classroom assistant/STEM academy
site coordinator
InterMountain Education Service District
• Allen Acevedo, network analyst
• Maria Burke, educational assistant
• John Evans, speech-language pathologist and
early childhood/evaluator
• Delores Jenson, fi nancial specialist
“Little kids, honestly,
they can be scary,” he said.
Funderburk has since
adjusted, a development he
credited to his approach-
ability and his ability to
connect with students.
As a P.E. teacher,
Funderburk said he needs
to motivate kids to engage
in physical activities at an
individual level, whether
it’s a kid who loves playing
football or the student who
would rather play Pokemon
all day.
Even with an imposing
build and a dark beard,
Funderburk said he’s on a
fi rst-name basis with all his
students, an advantage of
living in a small community.
Funderburk lives with
his wife and two kids —
two-year-old
daughter
JayDee and four-year-old
son Cooper — in Athena,
and even when he goes
on shopping trips in Walla
Walla, he runs into his
students all the time.
And next year, Weston
Middle School students will
get twice the Fun, when Kati
will join her husband on the
school’s staff.