A8
COFFEE BREAK
East Oregonian
Saturday, December 18, 2021
DEAR ABBY
Educator feels homeschool past carries stigma today
DEAR ABBY: I was homeschooled K-12.
I now have multiple master’s degrees and
work for a public school. I returned to my
hometown and, with hard work and dedica-
tion, have moved up the career ladder in my
district. While I love my job, I also value and
respect the fact that my mom chose to home-
school me. I can’t change my childhood, so I
embrace all of those who are part of a village
to raise and educate children.
My challenge comes when I am asked
what year I graduated, or other questions
about my schooling. (They assume that since
this is my hometown, I attended school in
the same district in which I work.) If I reply
with, “I was homeschooled,” I get shocked
silence, and feel I must somehow justify my
mom’s choice to homeschool me (something
over which I had no control).
This isn’t just from colleagues, but also
parents and staff . In addition, our district tors, so the error can be corrected.
likes to feature alumni who work at the
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have
district and who chose to return to their been married for seven years. He provides
fi nancially for our family, while
hometown to give back. Well,
I work part-time. My husband is
I meet one of those criteria, but
an “open book” when it comes to
I cringe when they mistakenly
announce my name as an alumna
discussing our personal fi nances
in a public forum, not knowing
with others, while I am extremely
private about this type of informa-
how to handle it. Please advise.
tion.
— EDUCATION LOVER IN
ARIZONA
Recently, our neighbors stopped
DEAR
E DUCAT ION
by, and he told them what we paid
JEANNE
LOVER: I think it is time for you
for some work we had done on our
PHILLIPS
house, which they did not ask to
to stop being self-conscious about
ADVICE
know. I was appalled that he did it,
the kind of education your mother
gave you, which equipped you to
and asked him after they were gone
attain not one, but multiple gradu-
not to tell people such private infor-
ate degrees. Rather than “cringe” and hide mation. I’m very uncomfortable discussing
the fact that you are not an alumna from the our salaries with others, while he thinks it’s
district, discuss this with the administra- something for all to know.
We’re a middle-class family, and I’m by
no means embarrassed by our fi nances, but I
think it’s preferable to abstain from discuss-
ing these matters with others. He thinks
it’s rude not to tell people what we pay for
things and how much we make and save.
Is it common practice to discuss personal
fi nances with others? — PRIVATE LADY
IN NEW MEXICO
DEAR PRIVATE LADY: Rude?!
Nowhere is it written that people “have”
to discuss their fi nances with anyone other
than one’s spouse, immediate family or CPA.
Keeping quiet about fi nancial matters is not a
breach of etiquette; it’s good judgment. What
your husband is doing could be perceived
as bragging, which creates resentment and
jealousy rather than impresses others, and
anyone who reads my column knows it can
drive people away.
DAYS GONE BY
100 years ago — 1921
The buff alo carcass which will be distributed to Pend-
leton people by the Pendleton Trading Co. is expected to
arrive here tomorrow, according to information which has
been received by the management of the store. It will arrive
on the Northern Pacifi c. The buff alo will be placed in the
window which will be specially decorated for the purpose.
Orders for the meat have been received by the company for
several weeks.
50 years ago — 1971
Round-Up residents who delayed until this weekend
purchasing their Christmas trees learned in many instances
that they didn’t have as many from which to select as in
previous years. Commercial cutting permits were issued
at the U.S. Forest Service offi ce in Pendleton for only 346
trees, down considerably from the number issued in 1970.
Two reasons were given for this: There were fewer trees
in convenient locations for commercial cutters and heavy
snow in the mountains made it diffi cult to get into the
commercial areas. Only about a dozen commercial cutters
obtained permits. One of them got a permit for 100 trees,
but was able to get only 20. The Forest Service sold 1,846
individual tree cutting permits. Last weekend, despite the
snow in the mountains, individuals streamed into the forests
to cut their own trees. The sale of aluminum trees in Pend-
leton was about normal, merchants reported.
25 years ago — 1996
A little bit of Pendleton is standing in the desert of
Phelan, Calif. The old courthouse, the Byrd School and
Dr. Fred Vincent’s residence, which used to stand where
the Elks’ Club is on Byers Avenue, live in miniature in the
home of E.B. Casteel. The newly completed courthouse was
a particular labor of love for Casteel. “From 1931 to 1938,
my father was the county clerk,” he recalled. “My mother
took over and was there until around 1955. I grew up in the
courthouse. For fi ve years, we lived right across the street.
I mowed the lawn, and I used to wind the clock in the clock
tower.” All of Casteel’s replicas have personal meanings to
him. He recreated Byrd School in Pilot Rock because his
mother was schooled there. Casteel’s wife, Theresa Arnre-
iter Casteel, was the daughter of Dr. Vincent. Casteel’s
joy obviously is in the creation of these landmarks of his
personal history. He has given them to the Umatilla County
Historical Society to exhibit as they wish.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
On Dec. 18, 2019, the U.S. House
impeached President Donald Trump
on two charges, sending his case to the
Senate for trial; the articles of impeach-
ment accused him of abusing the power
of the presidency to investigate rival Joe
Biden ahead of the 2020 election and
then obstructing Congress’ investiga-
tion. (The trial would end in acquittal
by the Senate.)
In 1787, New Jersey became the
third state to ratify the U.S. Constitu-
tion.
In 1863, in a speech to the Prussian
Parliament, Prime Minister Otto von
Bismarck declared, “Politics is not an
exact science.”
In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the
Constitution, abolishing slavery, was
declared in eff ect by Secretary of State
William H. Seward.
In 1892, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s
ballet “The Nutcracker” publicly
premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia;
although now considered a classic, it
received a generally negative reception
from critics.
In 1917, Congress passed the 18th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
prohibiting “the manufacture, sale, or
transportation of intoxicating liquors”
and sent it to the states for ratifi cation.
In 1940, Adolf Hitler signed a secret
directive ordering preparations for a
Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
(Operation Barbarossa was launched
in June 1941.)
In 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court
upheld the government’s wartime evac-
uation of people of Japanese descent
from the West Coast while at the same
time ruling that “concededly loyal”
Americans of Japanese ancestry could
not continue to be detained.
In 1956, Japan was admitted to the
United Nations.
In 1957, the Shippingport Atomic
Power Station in Pennsylvania, the fi rst
nuclear facility to generate electricity in
the United States, went on line. (It was
taken out of service in 1982.)
In 1958, the world’s fi rst commu-
nications satellite, SCORE (Signal
Communication by Orbiting Relay
Equipment), nicknamed “Chatterbox,”
was launched by the United States
aboard an Atlas rocket.
In 2000, the Electoral College cast
its ballots, with President-elect George
W. Bush receiving the expected 271; Al
Gore, however, received 266, one fewer
than expected, because of a District of
Columbia Democrat who’d left her
ballot blank to protest the district’s lack
of representation in Congress.
In 2003, two federal appeals courts
ruled the U.S. military could not indef-
initely hold prisoners without access to
lawyers or American courts.
Ten years ago: The last convoy of
heavily armored U.S. troops left Iraq,
crossing into Kuwait in darkness in
the fi nal moments of a nine-year war.
Vaclav Havel, 75, the dissident play-
wright who became Czechoslovakia’s
fi rst democratically elected president,
died in the northern Czech Republic.
Five years ago: A suicide bomber
blew himself up outside a military
camp in the southern Yemeni city of
Aden, killing at least 52 soldiers; the
Islamic State group’s Yemen-based
affi liate claimed responsibility. Actress
Zsa Zsa Gabor died at her Los Angeles
home at age 99.
One year ago: The U.S. added a
second COVID-19 vaccine to its arse-
nal, as the Food and Drug Administra-
tion authorized an emergency rollout
of the vaccine developed by Moderna
Inc. and the National Institutes of
Health; a vaccine from Pfi zer Inc. and
Germany’s BioNTech was already
being dispensed. Vice President Mike
Pence became the highest ranking U.S.
offi cial to receive the fi rst dose of the
COVID-19 vaccine in a live-television
event aimed at reassuring Americans
the shot was safe. The National Hockey
League and players reached a tentative
deal to hold a 56-game season in 2021
beginning in mid-January.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Roger
Mosley is 83. Rock musician Keith
Richards is 78. Movie producer-direc-
tor Steven Spielberg is 75. Actor Ray
Liotta is 67. Comedian Ron White is 65.
R&B singer Angie Stone is 60. Actor
Brad Pitt is 58. Actor Rachel Griffi ths
is 53. Singer Alejandro Sanz is 53.
Actor Casper Van Dien is 53. Coun-
try/rap singer Cowboy Troy is 51. Pop
singer Sia is 46. Country singer Randy
Houser is 45. Actor Katie Holmes is 43.
Actor Ravi Patel is 43. Singer Chris-
tina Aguilera is 41. NHL defenseman
Victor Hedman is 31. Actor-singer
Bridgit Mendler is 29. Atlanta Braves
outfi elder Ronald Acuña Jr. is 24. Elec-
tro-pop singer Billie Eilish is 20.
CHURCH DIRECTORY
First Christian
Church
The Salvation Army
COME WORSHIP
WITH US AT THE
COUNTRY
CHURCH
215 N. Main • Pendleton
10:30 - Worship Service
Sundays at 11:00am
In Person worship Sundays
at 11:00am
5:30 Family Fellowship Meal • 6:00 Bible Study
32742 Diagonal Rd.
Hermiston, OR
Office Phone: 541-276-5358
Hours: M-F 9:00am-1:00pm
PENDLETON
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH
Sunday Service: 9am & 6pm
Tuesday Kingdom Seekers: 7pm
Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm
We offer: Sunday School • Sign Language
Interpreters • Nursery • Transportation • & more!
Pastor Dan Satterwhite
541.377.4252
417 NW 21st St. • Pendleton, OR 97801
www.facebook.com/
PendletonLighthouseChurch
Solid Rock
Community Church
140 SW 2nd St Hermiston, OR 97838
541-567-6937
Worship Service: 11:00AM
Sunday School: 9:45
Pastor Wilbur Clark
(DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
Center for Worship & Service
Sunday Worship Service
9:30 - Sunday School
Wednesday Bible Study
COME AS YOU ARE
150 SE Emigrant
(541) 276-3369
FAITH LUTHERAN
CHURCH
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
Iglesia Católica Nuestra
Señora de los Ángeles
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
in Mission for Christ LCMC
Sunday Worship.........9:00 AM
Bible Study......10:15 AM
Red Lion Hotel
( Oregon Trail Room )
Redeemer
Episcopal
Church
241 SE Second St. Pendleton
(541)276-3809
www.pendletonepiscopal.org
PendletonPresbyterian.com
Sunday Holy Communion: 9am
Wednesday Holy Communion: Noon
M-F Morning Prayer 7am on Zoom
Worship Services On Facebook
10:00am Sundays
All Are Welcome
Community
Presbyterian
Church
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at 11:30
201 SW Dorion Ave.
Facebook.com/PendletonPresbyterian
OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR
www.graceandmercylutheran.org
Sunday Worship 8:45 a.m.
Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Nursery Provided)
Fellowship, Refreshments & Sunday School
Check Out our Facebook Page or
Website for More Information
541-289-4535
Pastor Weston Walker
Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA
(First United Methodist Church)
191 E. Gladys Ave. / P.O. Box 1108
Hermiston, Oregon 97838
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
N.E. Gladys Join
Ave & Us
7th, Hermiston
541-567-6672
JOIN OUR INCLUSIVE
CONGREGATION
ON OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS
Services 9:00am Sundays
In-person or streaming on
Facebook or Zoom
To advertise in the Church Directory, please contact Audra Workman
541-564-4538 or email aworkman@eastoregonian.com