S moke S ignals
JANUARY 15, 2018
5
Tribe loses eldest Elder again
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
2013 – Mark Johnston was named Tribal general manager. Tribal
Council Chairman Reyn Leno announced the news in a staff-wide
e-mail. Johnston began working for the Tribe in June 2007 as the
executive director of Health Services. Previously, he had worked six
years with the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians and six
years with the Coquille Tribe. “Given Mark’s management style with
the clinic, I have a lot of faith in Mark’s abilities and his leadership
to get the best out of his people,” Tribal Council member Steve Bobb
Sr. said. “That is exactly what we need in today’s climate, everyone
at their best. He has my support and I wish him all the best.”
2008 – Tribal attorney Jennifer Biesack was featured in Smoke
Signals. The Wisconsin resident began working for the Tribe’s Legal
Department a few months before, handling issues involving land,
construction and housing. “Jenny is a welcome addition to the Tribal
Attorney’s Office,” Tribal Staff Attorney Lisa Bluelake said. “She
comes to us with a lot of experience, having previously worked as an
in-house attorney for another Tribe. Her experience and personality
complement the other attorneys in the office. It is a great fit.”
2003 – The Grand Ronde Tribe’s
new residential community was
under construction and set to be
complete by June. It was funded
using federal money provided by
the Department of Housing and
Urban Development. “There’s al-
ways been a great need for family
housing in Indian Country,” said
Linda Layden, the Tribe’s Hous-
ing director. “And it’s been a long
time in coming. So, it’s great to be
able to meet that need.” The 36-
unit project consisted of mostly
duplexes ranging in size from one
to five bedrooms for families with
“moderate incomes,” meaning a
resident’s rent would not exceed
30 percent of their income.
2003
File photo
1998 – The Tribe and Spirit
Mountain Development Corp. announced plans to build a $3.1 million
retail and commercial center in Salem at the corner of Fairview Road
and Commercial Street. The project was intended to help the Tribe
diversify its economic base and gain self-sufficiency for its members.
“This project shows our confidence in Salem’s future and by working
with Stew Stone, we will produce a high-quality retail center that
benefits the entire community,” Tribal Council Chairwoman Kathryn
Harrison said. Stone was a Salem real estate agent who worked in
commercial development and had completed projects for national
chains such as Taco Bell, McDonald’s and Burger King.
1993 – Grand Ronde residents Linda and David Olson were fea-
tured as “Entrepreneurs of the Month” for their two businesses, Little
Feather Tee’s and Eagle Feather Construction, both of which utilized
the Tribe’s Economic Development Department to help further their
business ventures. Linda was a Tribal member and past coordinator
of the Tribe’s foster care program. She had taken economic develop-
ment classes in the past, but suggested the Tribe offer small loans
to members with a well-planned business idea.
1988 – Enrollment Director Margo George started to enter enroll-
ment records into a computer for more efficient service. She stressed
the need for an accurate and current membership roll, as it is the source
of documentation used to determine the amount of federal aid allocated
to Tribal governments. “It is also the source that determines our Tribal
needs for programs,” she said. “I am requested to provide statistics
on age groups and residency for the Health, Education, Housing and
Social Services programs. If I do not have the correct information to
compile, an inaccurate needs assessment could be made.”
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Clothes Closet open Friday mornings
The Clothes Closet is open from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the first and third Fri-
days of the month and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. all other Fridays on the Tribal campus
near the Elders Activity Center at the end of Blacktail Drive.
The Clothes Closet accepts clothing, small appliances, small pieces of furni-
ture, electronics and household goods that are clean and in good condition. It
does not accept books, large TVs or large furniture, but there is a community
board where people can post those items.
Donations are accepted during regular business hours.
For more information or emergency clothes, contact Lori Walker-Hernandez
at 559-847-7565.
For the second time in less than
a month, the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde has seen its eldest
Elder walk on.
Opal M. Davidson, who became the
Tribe’s eldest Elder upon the passing
of 105-year-old Pearl Lyon on Nov.
29, walked on Wednesday, Dec. 27,
at the age of 102.
Davidson was born April 19, 1915,
in Grand Ronde. According to an
April 2015 Smoke Signals story
written about her at the time of her
turning 100, her parents were “One
Shot” Harry and Pearl (Hudson)
Mercier. She was born after brother
Vernon and before siblings Vincent
and Blanche.
Opal M. Davidson
She graduated from Taft High
School in 1933 and attended beauty school at Chemawa Indian School.
She owned Nelscott’s first beauty salon, which is featured in a Lincoln
County history book.
She later worked in a beauty salon in McMinnville where the Sage
Restaurant is now located.
Opal met her husband, Loran Davidson, when he was living at her aunt
Josephine’s boarding house. They married in 1946 and had five children –
three sons, Gene, Harry and Loran Jr., and two daughters, Terri and April.
She raised the family in the blue house across from the Butler property
on the west side of Grand Ronde Road while Loran worked in the local
sawmills. At the time of her 100th birthday, she had 13 grandchildren
and five great-grandchildren.
Loran walked on in 1986 after 40 years of marriage.
Opal lived in Grand Ronde at the Tribal assisted living facility Cougar
Lodge since July 2008 after residing in a foster care home in Sheridan.
She said she was proud to be the eldest Mercier, descended from Francis
Mercier, her grandfather who immigrated to the United States from Belgium.
With Davidson’s passing, the Grand Ronde Tribe no longer has a cente-
narian among its living membership. The eldest Elders are now 99-year-
old Dorothy Greene, who was born Sept. 26, 1918, and 98-year-old Ruby
Bigoni, who was born March 18, 1919.
Need something notarized?
Tribal Court staff is available at no charge for notaries
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday though Friday with the exception
of noon to 1 p.m. Please be sure to bring a photo ID with
you. If you have any questions, contact the court at 503-
879-2303.
Food Bank provides
boxes, seeks help
The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkhmfk haws – is operated
by Marion-Polk Food Share, which has been leading the fight to end
hunger since 1987 because no one should be hungry.
Recipients of SNAP, TANF, SSI or LIHEAP assistance automat-
ically qualify for assistance at the Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9675
Grand Ronde Road. No one will be turned away in need of a food box.
“We believe that everyone deserves to have enough to eat,” Food
Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose says. “You are welcome to get
a food box at each of our regular weekly distributions. No one will
be turned away in need of a food box.”
Upcoming food box distribution dates will be:
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19;
• 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24.
Those who are unable to pick up a food box can fill out an autho-
rized representative form and that person can pick up a food box on
your behalf. The authorization is good for one year.
The Food Bank continues to seek volunteers to help with repacking
food, putting food on the shelves, handing out food boxes and end-
of-month inventory.
Call to ensure someone is available to assist. People also can sign
up for a monthly e-mail for the Food Bank calendar and events, as
well as follow the Food Bank on Facebook.
The Food Bank is an equal opportunity provider.
Call Ambrose at 503-879-3663 or contact her at fambrose@mari-
onpolkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer.