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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2021)
SIX CERTIFIED TO INTERVENE IN KOKANEE INN MAKES ADDITIONS A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS FOR UPCOMING SEASON LOCAL, A3 $1.50 BUSINESS, A6 THE WEEK IN PHOTOS The Back Page, A16 137th Year, No. 6 WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Wednesday, May 19, 2021 ‘Superhero’ lifting Joseph’s clouds Parks supervisor returns to work but issues remain By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain Roswitha Parks Joseph Council should ‘fi x the problem’ JOSEPH — A native of Germany, Roswitha Parks fi nds living in Wal- lowa County reminds her of her Bavarian home, with the Alpine-like look of the mountains. “It reminds me of home,” she said. Parks came to the U.S. 50 years ago, tired of family trying to tell her what to do. She came to Joseph 16 years ago with her late husband, David, who wanted to live here to care for his mother. He was born and raised here. Parks worked for about 12 years for Heidi’s Towne Shoppe down- town. The Parks had no children and thus, no grandchildren. She recently shared her thoughts about living in Wallowa County. What’s your favorite thing about Wallowa County? The small-town feeling and the people and the people. They’re friendly, for the most part. What are your thoughts on multiple allegations of harassment of employees by Joseph City Council and its alleged “dysfunction”? I think it’s B.S. I think they are dysfunctional. They should have an investigation and fi x the problem. How has the COVID-19 pandemic aff ected you? Well, I had my shots and it’s aff ected me as far as I stay pretty much at home and don’t have a lot of company coming over, which is a change. What have you learned from living in Wallowa County? You don’t talk about anybody because they’re all related. What’s your advice for people who are thinking about moving here? You better like wintertime and snow. — Bill Bradshaw, Wallowa County Chieftain J OSEPH — The clouds that have covered Joseph City Hall with gloom for weeks — if not longer — may be lifting thanks to the eff orts of its new interim city Administrator, Brock Eckstein. Last week, Eckstein met with Dennis Welch, the city’s parks, Main Street and facilities supervi- sor, and discussed Welch’s harass- ment allegations that have kept him off work since March 22. He cited stress, “gaslighting” and harassment as reasons for his time off . Welch returned to work Sun- day, May 16. “The cloud is lifting and the Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain sun’s coming out and that’s what I want,” Welch said Monday. “I just Dennis Welch, parks, Main Street and facilities supervisor for the city of Joseph, stands under a cloudless sky at the want to come to work and do my city park Monday, May 17, 2021, having returned to work after an eight-week absence because of health-related job. I know the people here appre- issues stemming from alleged harassment. ciate me. They’ve made that very clear.” calls seeking comment. Welch’s allegation was the sec- Eckstein said May 17 he plans ond of two that rocked City Hall to meet with Braden this week to this spring. On April 1, former “get his side of the story.” city Administrator Larry Bra- The interim administrator den told the City Council that believes some progress can be unnamed members of the made, though he does not council were in violation know if Braden is planning of the city charter, council any legal action regard- rules and his own employ- ing his resignation or the ment contract by interfer- harassment allegations. ing with his work in City “I’m so glad he’s will- Hall. That sparked a debate ing to meet with me and between Mayor Belinda hear his side of the story,” Buswell Buswell and Council- Eckstein said. woman Kathy Bingham on He said he has yet to what elected offi cials were allowed begin any sort of investigation to do when it came to dealing with into the matter. The council has city employees. been silent on advice it received But Braden’s concerns appar- from city attorney Wyatt Baum on ently went unheeded and on April whether there should be an inves- Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain 16, he submitted a letter of resig- tigation. The advice was given nation citing “constant harassment during an executive session that Dennis Welch, parks, Main Street and facilities supervisor for the city of Joseph, turns on a water valve at the Joseph City Park on Monday, May from members of the current City was closed to the public. 17, 2021, having returned to work after an eight-week absence because of Council.” See Super, Page A7 health-related issues stemming from alleged harassment. Braden has declined to return Remembering a legendary coach Loved by his players Former players refl ect on life, impact of Gary Sather, who died in late March By RONALD BOND Wallowa County Chieftain JOSEPH — To many outside Wallowa County, Gary Sather was the architect of the fi rst high school girls basketball dynasty in Oregon, a coach who, by guiding Joseph to three straight state titles and a 79-game winning streak, became an instant legend and helped put the Joseph Eagles on the map. But to those close to him, Sather was a father fi gure. He was a gen- tleman who had integrity, who never raised his voice, who was an encourager, an honest man, some- one who led by example, and much more. “Everything he ever said or did was always kind of done with a smile, even him getting after you, although he didn’t do that very often,” said Julie Jorgensen, who started each game during the Eagles’ three-peat from 1981-83. “He was kind of fatherly, but never tried to take the place of anyone’s father. He had a presence about him. He had smiling eyes, because everything was said with a smile.” Sather, who became an inte- gral piece of the Joseph commu- nity and a local legend during his time in the town, died in late March at the age of 84, 40 years after he led the Eagles — often referred to the E-gals in print at the time — to their fi rst state title and undefeated season. His former players remembered Wallowa County Chieftain, File Gary Sather is shown during the state tournament in 1983. The Joseph girls basketball team, guided by the local legend, won its third straight state title that season — all under Sather’s watch. Sather died March 21, 2021. him for his kindness, for his genuine demeanor, for being a man who was the same on the court, in the class- room and in his day-to-day life. His players knew that they had an advo- cate who would be there for them if he was called upon, even after they moved on from playing in Joseph. Sather quickly gained the respect of his players and students, though it was not in a demanding manner. Pat Mallon, a senior on the 1982 boys basketball team that reached the state tournament, said Sather’s presence and demeanor made him someone you quickly looked up to or wanted to please. “He was just a real gentleman, and just (had) a presence that gar- nered respect immediately,” he said. Jorgensen said his approach to the student-athletes helped him earn the respect he was given. “He commanded respect because of how he spoke to us. He had that wisdom of how to deal with teenagers, boys and girls,” she said. “He treated us well, treated us with respect so it made it easy to respect him. He was kind of by nature a gentleman.” They also knew that, if needed, they had an advocate during dif- fi cult times, or when they needed input on a major decision. “That’s what I think sticks with us, is that relationship stayed over time,” said Karen Patton, one of the standout players on the 1981 and 1982 teams. “When he found out my dad passed away, he called, and we talked. When I coached, he was a mentor, and we talked often.” Susie Coughlan, also a mem- ber of the ‘81 and ‘82 teams, was a neighbor of Sather’s, and said he took the players under his wing. “When it came time for me to look for a job, I had a very fi rst job off er given to me, and I was leery of it. I had to commit for three years,” See Legend, Page A10