REGION
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Longtime local art
centergrant writer,
storyteller retires
East Oregonian
A3
Agencies respond to agricultural burn near Adams
town near the Canadian
border where, for a year,
he taught eight students at
PENDLETON — J.D. a one-room schoolhouse.
Smith, a writer and long-
“It was far out,” he
time employee of the said.
Pendleton Center for the
After that, he returned
Arts, is retiring.
to California, where he
A grant writer and fell in with, among others,
program manager from Ken Kesey’s Mer r y
Athena, Smith left an Pranksters. He found
indelible mark on the
whatever means of work
center during his 20-year
he could find to survive,
career.
“J.D. leaves enor- including making and
mously big shoes to fill in selling leather sandals
hiring a new grant writer from the back of his truck
for the arts ccenter,” said in the parking lot of Stan-
Board President Susan ford University.
In 1968, he
DeMarsh. “He has
began his four-
shaped the cultural
year stint as a
life of Pendleton
m a n a ge r a nd
in a profound way.
editor for the
We’re excited for
W h ole E a r t h
him to enjoy retire-
Catalog, a coun-
ment a nd look
terculture maga-
forward to reading
Smith
zine with essays
about his travels.”
and articles that,
After coming to
Eastern Oregon with his put simply, showed read-
wife in the early 1990s, ers how to optimize their
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Smith wrote a grant in lives.
A tractor plows the edge of an agricultural burn Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, between Tubbs Ranch Road and Highway 11 near
In 1972, Smith and
1998 to help turn the
Adams. Fire crews from East Umatilla Fire & Rescue, the Pendleton Fire Department, Umatilla Tribal Fire Department and
city’s former library into his colleagues won the
the Bureau of Indian Affairs responded to the burn after confusion surrounding its origins. According to East Umatilla Fire
what is now the art center. National Book Award
& Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Mark Moore, the controlled nature of the fire was not communicated within the district and fire
“He shaped the heart for the “Last W hole
crews were dispatched to the scene. “It wasn’t ever out of control,” he said.
and soul of the organi- Earth Catalog,” raking
zation,” said Roberta in millions of dollars in
Lavadour, the art center’s book sales, which they
executive director. “He donated as a foundation
steered us early on toward to organizations, includ-
things that are now ing the Sierra Club, the
district attorney, but all my County more than five years serving as the temporary
Former Morrow
on-trend, which is equity Black Panthers food
later.
staff.”
location of Hermiston City
County prosecutor
and inclusion.”
for children program
“It was a good oppor- Hall. When the new city hall
Tovey became deputy
In addition to support- in Oakland, California,
Richard Tovey starts district attorney to Nelson tunity to come back to the is complete, Tovey said he
ing local arts and music and other crisis centers.
shortly after Nelson took area,” Tovey said about believes he will move into
new job Thursday
through grant writing, Doling out those funds
office in 2010. Nelson called returning to Eastern Oregon. that building.
Smith helped start the was how Smith said he got
By ERICK PETERSON
him a close colleague, an He liked being the deputy
He will have no other jobs
center’s Art Rocks Teens into grant writing.
East Oregonian
district attorney, and he while serving as Hermiston’s
equal
and
a
friend.
Tovey’s
and Rock & Roll Camp,
From there, Smith
HERMISTON — Herm- departure, according to admitted his latest move is a city attorney, he said.
providing upward of 100 went on to live a blue
Tovey is married and has
iston’s first in-house city Nelson, is a loss for the bit unconventional.
students an opportunity collar lifestyle. He said
“It’s
not
the
most
common
county,
but
a
gain
for
Herm-
four
children. His oldest
attorney begins working
to play music, write songs he worked as a golf course
career move,” he said.
iston.
child,
a boy, graduated from
Thursday,
Sept.
30.
and sing together in the greens mower, an auto
Becoming city attorney Hermiston High School in
Nelson said he wants
The Hermiston City
summers.
parts runner, bookstore
Council at its Sept. 13 meet- Hermiston to know it is involves a pay cut, accord- 2020. He has three daughters
“The noise that results clerk and much more.
ing to Tovey. Still, there are — a high school student, a
ing approved Richard Tovey lucky to have him.
is beautiful,” Smith said.
“In retrospect, as an
benefits and the city job is middle school student and an
as
the
successor
to
Gary
“Of all the things I’ve
Tovey: past, present
80-year-old man, I liked
attractive. One plus to the elementary school student.
Luisi, who
done, that’s my favorite.”
and future
the blue collar stuff more
new work, his new office is
retires after
All the while, Smith
Describing himself as
Tovey,
who
grew
up
than
anything
else,”
he
only a few miles from his
23 yea rs
has been an advocate
“boring,”
he said he is a
in Irrigon, went to River- Hermiston house.
f rom his
for equal opportunity said. “It was never tough
46-year-old
family man
side High School in Board-
He said the city coun-
role as the
among students, particu- to find a job.”
without
many
hobbies. His
man. After graduating high cil and others in Hermis-
In 1992, he moved to
city’s attor-
larly those who may not
main
interests,
he said, are
school, he went to Linn-Ben- ton have been very warm in
ney the
be able to afford certain Pendleton, and joined
helping
his
children
in their
ton Community College and welcoming him. Throughout
the art center a few years
day Tovey
Tovey
programs.
sports.
Sometimes,
he
serves
later
Oregon
State
Univer-
the interview process, he felt
starts.
“Because the art center later. Lavadour said Smith
as assistant coach.
sity.
While
there,
he
majored
accepted
and
appreciated.
It
has
been
an
integral
Luisi, however, is a
is situated on the north
He also is an active and
private attorney with his own in history and anthropology. made him feel comfortable involved member of the
hill, it’s been a constant advocate for the center’s
“I thought I would with this job.
local office. As city attorney,
struggle for me to make employees and has consis-
become
a history teacher,”
Tovey, like Luisi before Church of Jesus Christ of
tently
done
the
behind-
Luisi
was
under
contract
but
sure that the kids from
he
said.
Instead,
he
decided
him, will represent the city Latter-day Saints in Herm-
was not working in city hall,
down in the f lats can the-scenes work to keep
to
attend
the
University
of
council at meetings and iston.
so he was not at the “beck
come up there and do things running smoothly.
Tovey said he is happy
Montana
School
of
Law
to
assist the policy body when
“He’s
a
storyteller,
and call” of city employees,
what they want to do too,”
about
working for Hermis-
become
a
lawyer.
needed.
He
also
will
work
and
he’s
been
able
to
tell
Tovey said. For city staff to
he said. “So I’ve always
He took the bar exam in with the city manager and ton. He said he expects to
reach Tovey, all they will
been an advocate for free our story at the art center
exceedingly well,” Lava-
need to do is stop into his 2004 and passed. This began city departments in review- stay in the position through-
programs for kids.”
his career in law. He worked ing contracts and providing out the time his children
office, call or email.
A lifelong storytell- dour said.
are in school. He may even
Smith said he’s enjoyed
Tovey said he is looking for the district attorney’s legal advice.
er,Smith grew up in
He will have in office continue as the Hermiston
forward to serving Hermis- office in Coos County, start-
Alliance, Nebraska. He working with youths and
ton, and he is earning high ing in 2004 and lasting until in the Hermiston Public city attorney until his even-
studied Latin and Greek meeting people during
praise from both his future his employment for Morrow Library for now, which is tual retirement.
and earned his bachelor’s his 20 years at the art
and his past employers.
degree at Tufts Univer- center. And he knows it
“We are very excited
sity in Medford, Massa- was a good job because
to have Richard start his
chusetts, just as the civil “nobody’s hit me and I
service as our in-house city
rights movement was haven’t been attacked by
underway.
attorney,” Hermiston City
wolves,” he said. Over-
From 1964 to 1965, all, he said, it was good
Manager Byron Smith,
Smith worked as a civil for him to hang out with
said. “It is a great time in
rights worker in Missis- people who made things
our growth and movement
sippi when churches and and did stuff.
forward as a community.”
freedom houses were
Tovey leaves his position
“That’s probably the
being bombed, including best thing that I’ve been
as the deputy prosecutor in
an interracial living space able to do there or what’s
Morrow County Sept. 28.
where he lived.
His former boss, Morrow
happened to me,” Smith
“I’ve never really said. “It’s been a good job,
County District Attorney
written much about that all in all.”
Justin Nelson, said he was
because I’m still process-
pleased with Tovey.
The art center is now
ing it,” he said. “I have no seeking applicants for
“We’re greatly going
desire to ever go back to a half-time grant writer
to miss Richard,” Nelson
Mississippi. I can tell you position.
said. “That’s not just me, as
that.”
He left Mississippi to
begin a master’s course
m
at Harvard. But the civil
on.co
g
e
r
O
rights movement had
stern
changed him, and he was
GoEa
dissatisfied with life at a
prestigious institution and
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