Page 2C
YOUR EO NEWS
East Oregonian
Saturday, August 12, 2017
ANNIVERSARY
Doug and Rita Nelson
Doug and Rita Nelson
are celebrating their 50th
wedding anniversary in
August with a gathering at
Wallowa Lake for family
and friends.
The Nelsons were married
Aug. 19, 1967, at St. Pius
Catholic Church in Billings,
Montana. They are 35-year
residents of Umatilla
County.
Doug
is
a
retired
service
manager for Ford
and Dodge deal-
erships, and the
couple now farms
near Adams, Ore.
Rita, a retired teacher,
volunteers for RIF and
Heritage Station Museum.
She enjoys garden club and
Submitted photo
Rita and Doug
Nelson in 1967
PEO
activities,
and seeing all the
students she taught in
preschool and second grade.
The couple has three chil-
dren, Darin, Gary and Colette,
and four grandchildren.
ENGAGEMENT
Punch-Struthers
Eleanor Cherie Punch and
Patrick Struthers announce
their engagement, with the
ceremony set for September
24, 2017, on “some beach
on the Olympic Peninsula.”
Both are longtime residents
of Pendleton.
Eleanor, 48, grew up
in Beavercreek, Ore. She
currently works for the
Umatilla County Historical
Society as the manager of
the Community Thrift Store.
She enjoys decorating, both
at her store and her home,
and is a tiny house enthu-
siast.
Patrick, 51, is a native of
Morrow County. He is an
independent IT consultant
Photo contributed by Vicky Hart
A group of regional high school students used a drone to capture this photo July 26 while visiting STEM
industry sites in Baker County during an annual camp hosted by Greater Oregon STEM.
STEM Camp offers exploration
Eleanor Punch and Patrick
Struthers
and works part-time for
Murray’s Drug in Heppner.
He also volunteers for
several local organizations,
and reads a lot of books.
The Greater Oregon STEM Part-
nership and Umatilla High School
recently coordinated a three-day camp
exploring science, technology, engi-
neering and math concepts.
Held at Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity, 24 high school students from
fi ve Eastern Oregon counties attended
the second annual STEM Camp July
25-27. Participants visited a local
wind farm, practiced assembling and
fl ying drones, and performed physics
experiments. They also toured EOU’s
campus and visited Blue Mountain
Community College.
Two students from each school
were selected to attend the camp and
organize a project to impact STEM
education in their school or community
during the upcoming year.
“It’s exciting to hear the impact
of these experiences on local high
S.U.R.E. effort cleans up river parkway
BIRTHS
St. Anthony Hospital,
Pendleton
AUG. 1, 2017
MADRIGAL — Mayra
Mendoza of Pendleton and
Jose Madrigal: a girl, Xyla
Julianna Madrigal.
AUG. 2, 2017
WINNETT — Toni R.
Brown of Pilot Rock: a girl,
Lillie Faye Winnett.
AUG. 3. 2017
FINCH
—
Julia
Finch and Tripp Finch of
Heppner: a girl, Rebecca
Hope Finch.
AUG. 6, 2017
MAVIS ARTERBURN
— Michelle R. Mavis of
Echo and Christian Garcia;
a girl, Kimber Quinn Mavis
Arterburn.
AUG. 7, 2017
WILSON — Kendal H.M.
Isbell and Randy D. Wilson
of Pendleton: a girl, Maddix
Michelle Kay Wilson.
Good Shepherd Medical
Center, Hermiston
AUG. 2, 2017
M A D R I G A L
CALDERON — Azucena
Madrigal Guzman and Junior
Calderon Rosales of Herm-
iston: a boy, Alan Madrigal
Calderon.
RANSLAM — Alyssa
M. Benshoof and Aaron W.
Ranslam of Umatilla: a boy,
Krystopher Wayne Ranslam.
Contributed photo
Michael Ward, executive director of the
Umatilla Basin Watershed Council, en-
joys a lemonade after the Aug. 5 Stew-
ards of the Umatilla River Environment
cleanup event in Pendleton.
Umatilla High School brings home hardware
Umatilla High School
brought home a couple of
awards from the Technology
Student
Association’s
national conference, held
June 21-25 in Orlando,
Florida.
Teacher David Dever
received the Advisor of the
Year award. And the Viking
technology students were
recognized for Chapter
Excellence.
The Technology Student
Association features 230,000
middle and high school
students across the nation who
aspire to be future engineers,
scientists and technologists.
The organization provides
school students,” said Julie Keniry,
GO-STEM facilitator. “When they
have the opportunity to meet with
students and learn more about what is
happening at other schools in Eastern
Oregon, they feel they can make a
difference at their own school.”
For information about upcoming
events and programs, visit www.
go-stem.org or contact Keniry at
jkeniry@eou.edu.
leadership and opportunities
that focus on in technology,
innovation, design and
engineering. Members apply
STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathe-
matics) concepts through
co-curricular programs.
For more information,
visit www.tsaweb.org.
A cleanup of the Umatilla River
Parkway and riverbank through
Pendleton on Aug. 5 netted 480
pounds of trash plus half a dozen
bags of recyclable bottles and cans.
More than 60 people came out
for the event, organized by the
Stewards of the Umatilla River
Environment (S.U.R.E.), an orga-
nization dedicated to enhancing
the riparian environment along the
parkway.
Among some of the more unusual
items found that day were the
bumper of a car, carpeting, a square
nail, a toy canoe and a purple water
pistol. Also, two mangled, algae-
fi lled grocery carts were pulled out
from below the Bedford Bridge.
Wildlife spotted along the river
that morning included a green racer
snake, mink, great blue heron,
osprey, yellow warbler, belted
kingfi sher, brewers blackbirds,
spotted sandpiper, killdeer, Eurasian
collared dove and a non-feral house
cat (with collar).
Thanks are extended to all who
volunteered despite the heat, with
special thanks to:
Betty Klepper, founding member
of S.U.R.E. VFW Post #922 for
staffi ng the grills for the barbecue
lunch. Umatilla Basin Watershed
Council for organizational support.
East Oregonian for providing
printing and publicity. Pendleton
Parks & Rec for disposing of the
trash. Les Schwab Tire Center
for donating plastic bags for recy-
clables. Baha’i Community for
bringing dessert. SOLVE Oregon
for trash bags and logistical support.
Pendleton Robotics team for taking
away the recyclables
For more information or if inter-
ested in participating in future river
cleanups, email Kathryn B. Brown
at kbbrown@eastoregonian.com to
be added to the S.U.R.E. email list.
Students cash in with Community Bank
bring the program’s grand
total of academic award
money to $79,608.
The program is designed
to encourage students in
their academic success by
awarding
Community
Bank Youth
Savings
accounts customers for their
good grades. During the
months of June and July, all
Community Bank branches
accepted
end-of-the-year
report cards from students in
fi rst through 12th grades.
For every top grade
(indicated on the grading
system used for each school)
in a main school subject that
appeared on the report card,
Community Bank deposited
$1 into their Community
The seventh year of
Community
Bank’s
Earn While You Learn
Program has set an all-time
high in cash awards paid to
student-customers for their
academic success.
For the 2017 pay-out
period, 748 students in the
Eastern Oregon and south-
east Washington area cashed
in on their good grades.
Community Bank’s student
customers earned a total of
$17,135.
Since the bank’s program
began in 2011, earnings have
steadily increased. In the
fi rst year of the bank’s Earn
While You Learn Program,
190 students were paid
$3,895. This year’s payouts
Bank
Youth
Savings
Account.
The Earn While You
Learn Program is an annual
reward of $1 per top grade,
up to $50 annually per
student, with payments
given for the whole school
year in June and July.
Community Bank was
founded in 1955 by a group
of Joseph business leaders as
the Bank of Wallowa County.
Since then, it has grown
to 14 branches, with 11 in
Eastern Oregon and three in
southeastern Washington.
It also operate a Loan
Production Offi ce in The
Dalles. For more informa-
tion, visit www.community-
banknet.com.
Pet of the Week
Photo contributed by Jesse R. Strong
A woman uses a spear to fi sh recently on the Umatilla River near Mission.
Regional organizations receive innovation award
The Greater Eastern
Oregon
Development
Corporation and North-
east Oregon Economic
Development District are
being recognized for its New
Natural Resource Economy
project.
GEODC and NEODD
have been chosen for a 2017
Innovation Award from the
National Association of
Development
Organiza-
tions. Innovation awards are
given to nationally to honor
economic develop organiza-
tions for creative approaches
to
advancing
regional
community and economic
development and improving
quality of life.
The
New
Natural
Resource Economy program
of GEODC and NEODD
is an effort to assist small
fi rms in Eastern Oregon
that are taking advantage
of emerging opportunities
in agriculture and natural
resources. NNRE businesses
are fi nding new ways to
use natural resources and
agricultural outputs by devel-
oping new products, such as
organic wheat and lumber
from juniper, and by fi nding
new markets for traditional
products, such as direct farm-
to-store marketing of meat
and produce.
GEODC and NEODD
partnered with the University
of Oregon’s Community
Service Center to identify
barriers facing NNRE busi-
nesses and ways to overcome
them. They range from
fi nancing to the complexity
of regulations to technical
management problems.
The innovation award
presented to GEODC and
NEODD is in acknowledg-
ment that the New Natural
Resource Economy project is
making a signifi cant impact
on Eastern Oregon.
Marcy
Marcy is a friendly 2 year old domestic
medium hair kitty who’s a new member
of our free roam room at PAWS. Her
adoption fee includes her spay, all shots
including feline leukemia, flea treatment
and de-worming. She is also litter box
trained, good with kids and other cats.
Come to PAWS Tue-Sat to meet Marcy
and give her a new loving home forever.
Visit Marcy at the Pioneer Humane Society/Paws
Tues - Sat • Noon - 4pm • 517 SE 3rd ST, Pendleton • 541-276-0181
Check out the PAWSABILITY Thrift Store
Pupcakes
Pet Grooming~Boarding
Day Care
125 S. M ain St.,
Pendleton
541-276-9292
541-429-8787 for Pendleton
541-910-2727 for La Grande
www.leterbark.com
415 Pets
Ado pte d
in 2017!