Wallowa County Chieftain
wallowa.com
January 17, 2018
THREE
minutes with ...
HANK
WATS
Retired computer geek
Hank Wats, 74, of Joseph is fairly new to the county, but
for a self-described “loner,” he knew how to make himself
part of the community.
Hank grew up in Holland in a small city east of Rotter-
dam. His father was a house painter and his mother a stay-
at-home mom who took care of Hank and his four siblings.
A9
Hank went to a trade-oriented high school at 13, which
is how education develops in Holland. He graduated with a
degree as an electrician.
He was fortunate in that a famous theoretical physicist
had established his trade school, so he became involved
in research and learned to make and test scientific instru-
ments. American physicists also visited the school and,
upon observing his work, invited Hank to come to Amer-
ica and work in the physics department of the University of
Maryland. He arrived in the United States in 1969.
There he was introduced to the academic life, and in
addition to working at the university took evening classes
to get his American electrical engineering degree. His
career path grew more and more ambitious and the projects
more and more complicated. Over his lifetime, he became
proficient in high energy physics design phases and his
work supported projects for NASA and the NSA and the
technology of a cosmic ray project.
Along the way he married twice and divorced twice. He
has a son, Bryan, who lives in the Netherlands.
He is semi-retired and continues to design computer
chips for a company he worked with earlier in his career.
He may spend a lot of time at his computer, but Hank
also likes to be part of the community. He joined Hurricane
Creek Grange where he assists in the financial accounting
and serves on the building committee and is also a mem-
ber of Rotary.
in Idaho and he advised me to look for land before the
baby boomers got it all. My first find was John Fogarty’s
land in Troy, but that was too far out. I then found this land
on the west moraine, five acres with a log house built by
Bronson Log Homes. I was surprised at how many peo-
ple are highly technical in Wallowa County. There is very
much a diversity of people here.
Q. One doesn’t associate a scientific and technical
career with rural living. So, I have to ask: why retire to
Wallowa County?
A. I had been living in Washington, D.C,. for about 45
years, and I wanted to get out. I had a colleague with land
Q. Can you recommend a book you are reading now?
A. Janie Tippett’s “Four Lines a Day” (available at the
Bookloft in Enterprise). It is a pioneer book, and it gives
you a good idea about the living here. It’s amazing how
many books are published in this county.
Q. What has Wallowa County taught you?
A. It’s a totally different environment than Maryland
and Washington, D.C. The county I came from in Mary-
land was six times smaller than Wallowa County but had
600,000 people in it. If Wallowa County had the same den-
sity it would have 3.5 million people in it.
People are more social in Wallowa County than they are
in Maryland. In Wallowa County everyone waves as they
drive past. In Maryland you hardly even have contact with
your neighbors and you don’t bother to greet anyone when
you are driving. I think socializing is an acquired skill. You
must learn all those names and connections.
Q. Can you recall the first book you checked out of a
library when you were a child?
A. Oh, I don’t think I can remember back that far. I
remember three books about Dutch seafaring captains of
the 1700s. I think I was 10 years old when I checked those
out.
The Wallowa County Pilots Association
2018 Wallowa County Aviation Banquet
Saturday, January 20th
at the Wallowa Lake Lodge
A no host social hour will begin at 5:30 pm, with dinner being served at 6:30pm.
The Chief Joseph Flyer’s will give an update on what happened
during 2017 and what’s up for 2018
1.50% APY
1.65% APY
1.70% APY
1.80% APY
The NE Oregon Aviation Foundation will report on what took place during 2017
and give a sneak preview at their 2018 activities.
You will have your choice of three dinners:
Baked Salmon, Baseball Cut Sirloin Steak, Vegetarian option
(Let us know if you need a child’s dish)
The cost is $28 per person which includes, salad mashed potatoes, vegetables and dessert
Gratuity is included in the price of your dinner.
To place your entree order or if you have
any questions please call:
Bill Ables, 541-263-1327
Tim Locke 541-263-0470 or
Shay Mann 541-912-0340
(Please call before Tuesday, Jan. 16th)
No ticket is needed, pay at the lodge
after your dinner.
Ken Hauxwell
Financial Adviser
Public is invited to attend this event
103 N. Main St. Ste 3, Joseph, OR 97846
Office: 541-432-0888 • Cell: 503-970-8899
ken.hauxwell@raymondjames.com
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
Member FINRA/SIPC
Investment Advisory Services offered through
Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc.
Terry Decker - Owner/Sales
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