4 A
The First Amendment
Letters to the Editor:
C
ongress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press, or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances.
Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com
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WEDNESDAY
JANUARY
21
•
2015
LETTERS
grandchildren. Children who study the arts are four
times more likely to be recognized for academic
achievement.
Arts and music education programs are mandato-
ry in countries that rank consistently among the
highest for math and science test scores, like Japan,
Hungary and the Netherlands. Multiple studies have
concluded that curricular and extracurricular art
studies and activities help high-risk students stay in
school.
New brain research shows that music not only
improves skills in math and reading, but also pro-
motes creativity, social development, personality
adjustment and self-worth.
We owe it to the future to support this effort.
A fundraiser is being held on Friday, Feb. 13, at
the Florence Events Center at 7 p.m. More informa-
tion is available at www.crowkids.com.
Jacquie Beveridge
Florence
Farewell, Theresa
I want to personally thank former Siuslaw News
editor Theresa Baer for her service to the communi-
ty in her position as first reporter and then as editor
of this newspaper. I am sorry to see her leave us, but
I certainly understand the motivation.
I particularly want to shine the light on Theresa
for her outstanding coverage of the Siuslaw Pioneer
Museum activities and events over the past years.
This coverage by Theresa has been more than help-
ful in the ability of the museum to prosper in its cur-
rent location in Old Town.
It has been my pleasure to work with you and
your staff Theresa, and I wish you the very best in
this next adventure in your life.
Del Phelps
Florence
Thank you
I was sad to hear that our community will be los-
ing Theresa Baer, former Siuslaw News editor.
I was a brand-new sports reporter with the
Siuslaw News when Theresa inherited the position
from long-time editor Bob Serra in 2007.
I had no experience in journalism, but Theresa
not only was my editor and boss, but my teacher and
mentor. I was a new father who decided to leave a
comfortable job he loved in order to follow a dream.
With Theresa’s guidance and constructive criti-
cism, I progressed from someone who couldn’t hold
a narrative, to an award-winning journalist with a
newfound belief in myself and my writing. Theresa
is from the old-school of journalism, constantly
pushing her reporters to quit e-mailing people and
pick up the phone, to double and triple-check facts
and, most important, to genuinely care about the
community and people we were covering.
Although she helped me become a better writer,
the irony is that words can’t express how much
Theresa has meant to me and my family. Being the
editor of a small town newspaper during this
moment in journalism history is a particularly
thankless task, but I’m going to do it anyway: Thank
you, Theresa, for everything.
Shawn Penrod
Florence
Something to CROW about
Melanie Heard has done a fantastic job of bringing children’s
theater to Florence. Her efforts are supported by many others
behind the scenes. Our community is invited to step up to support
this effort.
After attending the informational meeting at the library on
Saturday, I have a much greater appreciation of the difference
CROW is making for children right here. Other communities
charge each child $250 to $400 per child to participate in a pro-
Pedestrian safety
In the last few years, I have heard of more and
more incidents that have occurred because of poor
visibility in the Florence area concerning pedestri-
ans. Due to raising concerns, I am willing to help put
together either a fundraiser or somehow work on
resolving this issue for both pedestrians and drivers.
Due to the seriousness of this, I hope that we as
a community can help create awareness and provide
a safer driving experience for those in the Florence
area.
Please contact me at 541-268-4825 if you have
any suggestions or find me under Kym Prater on
Facebook.
I am hoping to be able to find a way to heighten
awareness of those traveling at night either by foot
or otherwise.
Kym Prater
Florence
Our warriors
duction. CROW does not charge the children.
The children who are gaining life skills through CROW have
working parents who are often just making ends meet. If there
was a fee for their children to participate it simply wouldn’t be
possible in a community where the median income is $35,000.
CROW is taking a leap of faith to create a nest. The communi-
ty can step up to support this effort and make a difference for
children who live here and will make a difference in the future
of Florence.
Hearing just a few stories from others in attendance convinced
me that this program is vital for the future of our children and
This is a letter of thanks to the City of Florence
and the organization Concerns of Police Survivors
for their support of the police mentioned on the ban-
ner at Ninth Street and Highway 126.
The blue balloons and ribbons were a welcome sight to show
support for the police who serve this community.
I saw on a local news broadcast a man had put a blue light bulb
in his front porch light fixture to show support for the police. That
seemed like a great idea, so I did the same. Perhaps more blue
lights will be seen.
I also appreciated the Guest Viewpoint by Chief of Police Lynn
F. Lamm in the Siuslaw News on Jan. 7.
They are our warriors.
Renee Hansen
Florence
NEIGHBORS
Hawaiian adventure, starting point
B OB J ACKSON
N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT
For the Siuslaw News
L
iving in a retirement commu-
nity, I rather imagine that we,
perhaps all of us, are besot
with haunting memories of exciting
carefree times. And we look back
fondly to those days of yore.
The upcoming series of columns
may be somewhat muddled as a result
of being gleaned from my hastily
scribbled notes made years ago,
almost in diary form. Over the years I
have accumulated several boxes
filled with accounts of travels made
USPS# 497-660
when we were very, very young.
I am not sure when it was that I
penned these thoughts. Taking pity on
the readers, I have deleted much of it.
At 11 a.m. our Boeing jet has lev-
eled out above the clouds at 35,000
feet, a panorama of dazzling white
cotton, pierced by snow-capped
peaks spread from horizon to hori-
zon. It opens occasionally to reveal
rugged hills, laced with logging
roads, lakes, streams and tiny settle-
ments. We barely have time for cof-
fee and snacks before we are nosing
Bud’s beautiful new home, we are off
to Pier 35 in San Francisco, this time
in two cars, this time carrying more
family, who are coming to see us off.
We treat everyone to breakfast in a
waterfront Fisherman’s Wharf restau-
rant, then all nine of us go aboard the
gleaming white cruise ship S.S.
Mariposa to inspect our stateroom
and explore her decks. In our room,
we discover two bon voyage bou-
quets, one from our travel agent and
the other, equally beautiful, is dis-
played next to a fifth of champagne,
complete with elegant cocktail glass-
es, from Peggy’s family.
At the time, we were unaware that
this ship was one of the last of the
U.S.-flagged cruise ships. This luxu-
ry oceanliner was launched in 1931
and was one of four Matson Line
ships. A book could be written sole-
ly about her wartime adventures. She
was built to accommodate no more
than 300 first class passengers; how-
ever, during World War II she was
stripped down, and over 4,000 troops,
plus their supplies and ammunition,
were crowded aboard for delivery to
war zones on the far reaches of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Because of her speed she traveled
without an escort. Her itinerary read
like an exotic travelogue: Bombay to
Boston; Brooklyn Navy Yard to
Casablanca, French Morocco; Rio de
Janeiro to Tasmania, Australia, etc.
She had been in harms way for a very
long time.
To be continued.
Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News
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Jeremy Gentry
down through ‘Frisco fog, with land-
ing gear and flaps extended like some
gigantic bird of prey.
It is 12:10 and with our tires howl-
ing in protest we are carried by a
beautiful silver-winged aircraft, nurs-
ing its human cargo, at San Francisco
International Airport. Then we expe-
rience the standard frenetic pace
common to all large airports: myriad
signs, baggage pickups and confusing
concourses leading to who knows
where.
Somehow, almost like magic,
Peggy’s brother appears out of this
maelstrom, our mountain of luggage
is loaded into his tiny Pinto station-
wagon and we are off by freeway for
Vacaville, almost 70 miles away.
After spending the night in brother
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. John Kitzhaber
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us