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
APRIL
15
•
2015
1 2 5 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y F L A S H B A C K
1890 ❙
T
T HE W EST
™
F LORENCE T IMES
™
T HE S IUSLAW O AR
™
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS
™
S IUSLAW N EWS
❙ 2015
his year marks Siuslaw News’ quasquicentennial, our 125th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for any business in a small
community like Florence. To commemorate this milestone, throughout the year we’ll feature some of the town’s history as origi-
nally published in the newspaper, including historic articles and photos from more than a century ago.
Dreams of becoming real pitcher being realized
O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED A PRIL 23, 1954
T HE S IUSLAW O AR , V OL . 26, N O . 47
Dreams do come true.
Since he was a small lad, Keith Herring, 19,
of Florence has dreamed of becoming a baseball
pitcher.
Herring practiced his side arm curves on
anyone who would take time to be on the
receiving end of his pitches since he was old
enough to throw a ball. Grade school and high
school saw him a favorite moundsman, and
several seasons of Junior league baseball helped
spur his ambition.
Graduating from Siuslaw High School,
Herring worked for a while at the Reedsport
Lumber Co., but was laid off in October and
just fooling around home. He had a little
money saved up when he decided to go to base-
ball school.
Leaving home Jan. 16, he headed for Los
Angeles, where he visited his maternal grand-
mother and other relatives for a week before
departing to Avon Park, Fla. He took seven
weeks of baseball school and was signed by the
Red Hat Club of DeLand, Fla., after only two
weeks.
The DeLand Sun News reported, “One man
in particular caught Manager Jim Forbes’ eye
on the hill. He was Keith Herring, a 170-
pound right-hander from Florence, Ore., who
showed an amazing amount of control for the
early season.”
Herring was picked to start both of his club’s
opening games, but the first spring training
game was rained out the bottom of the 4th
frame. The DeLand Red Hats were playing the
Omaha Class A farmhands of the St. Louis
Cardinals at the airbase. The Omaha club,
directed by Manager Andy Anderson, had a
five point lead when the rains came.
Herring, rookie bespectacled right-hander,
started for the Hats.
The lanky chunker was unable to find the
plate with his assortment of fast balls and
winging curves. The bases on balls plus a cou-
ple of errors saw three Cards cross the plate in
the second canto.
Manager Forbes said after the game, he was
impressed with his team as a whole. He said
that Herring will settle down and “throw some
good games for the Hats this season.”
The Red Hats will play 140 games this sea-
son. Herring was chosen as one of 16 players
from a group of 37, and all the others had at
least one year of semi-pro experience behind
them.
The DeLand Sun News said, “Heading the
group of three pitchers who look promising
and show a world of control is Keith Herring,
6 feet, 3 inches high, who has pitched only
high school and sand-lot ball.”
Herring’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rho
Herring, reveal that their son has grown an
inch and a half since leaving in January and
put on some weight, too.
The adult Herrings have just returned his
contract to him, as he is but 19 years old. It
was necessary that it carry their signatures.
The Oar joins the community in wishing
Keith every success and are happy that he has
the “arm” to make his dreams come true. ™
NEIGHBORS
Where everybody knows your name
B OB J ACKSON
N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT
For the Siuslaw News
I
know that I am cheating quite a
bit with this column, because it
was written a few years back
when we still lived in Westlake and I
haven’t made many changes. My sen-
timents have not changed in the inter-
im years and I still feel that someone
needs to grab hold of all the inhabi-
tants of this old world, then shake
them up until they exhibit some com-
mon sense.
Perhaps then we can live in peace
with each other (something that has-
n’t ever happened in the “sheep-
thinking, follow the leader” recorded
history of mankind).
***
This page of the Saturday paper is
headed, “FRIENDS,” and for a very
good reason. The neighboring com-
munities the reports come from are all
friends. In this area there are no rival
factions, no division separating
protestants and catholic communities,
or Jews and Muslims, or loggers and
fishermen for that matter.
Nearly everyone is familiar with
the theme song from the TV sitcom
“Cheers”: “Sometimes you want to go
where everybody knows your name
and they’re always glad you came.
You want to be where you can see our
troubles are all the same. You want to
be where everybody knows your
name.”
Alight from your taxi in the heart of
Las Vegas, Manhattan or Los Angeles
and suddenly you are surrounded by
the “teeming masses” referred to on
the statue of liberty — and it is not a
pretty sight. Here nobody knows your
name; you are a microcosmic speck in
a frenetic mass of humanity that quite
naturally avoids eye contact (unless
they are selling something) because of
distrust and fear.
I am quite certain that when the
correspondents in places like Yachats,
Mapleton and Deadwood visit their
local businesses and post offices it is a
“given” that nearly everyone will
know their name. And that is one of
the blessings of living in a small com-
munity that I am afraid we sometimes
take for granted. (Sadly, this is no
longer true, because of the rapidly
burgeoning growth in this area).
I remember when I was a little kid
living in “Wetlake,” my Dad would
send me to the store, and when I
returned he would invariably ask,
“Did you see anyone I know?” That
seemed so funny to me at the time,
because there wasn’t ever anyone
there that he didn’t know.
And it is a global tragedy that
mankind is cursed with Xenophobia,
which Webster defines as “an unrea-
sonable fear or hatred of foreigners or
strangers.” How wonderful it would
be if there were no “sacred places”
anywhere on this earth, restricted to
some particular “ism” or despotic
doctrine. I could wrap a rag around
my head and stroll blissfully through-
out Tel Aviv, and everyone would
know my name. Or don a yarmulke
and do the same in the Palestinian
sector, and everyone would know my
name. Walk the darkest streets of the
poorest parts of every city in the
world safely, because everyone would
know my name.
But for now I am thankful that I can
walk into a restaurant, a bar or a busi-
ness in this little town of Florence,
Ore., and find that once in a while
(just once in a while) everybody
knows my name. How warm and
comfortable this world would be if
there were no strangers — what if
everybody knew your name.
LETTERS
Food Share gives thanks
Florence Food Share is extremely grateful to be the recipient of
$9,700 from Western Lane Community Foundation for the pur-
chase of an emergency generator.
Should our community ever experience an earthquake, a
tsunami or any emergency that results in a power outage, Food
Share stands to lose close to 20,000 pounds of frozen and refrig-
erated food that we have on site.
Thanks to Western Lane Community Foundation, we are one
step closer to purchasing our emergency generator and remaining
able to serve our food-insecure neighbors.
Norma Barton
Executive Director
Florence Food Share
Grant benefits cemetery
The Deadwood Pioneer Cemetery is very thankful to Western
Lane Community Foundation for their generous support for our
software, laptop and website work.
There are about 250 graves at the Deadwood Pioneer
Cemetery, dating back to 1883, and fully cared for by volunteers.
USPS# 497-660
A year ago, our records were a jumble of notes and letters in a
file. Our Board of Trustees was down to two, and when we got a
notice of audit from the state, we were overwhelmed.
Thankfully, a friend recommended contacting the Siuslaw
Pioneer Museum to see if they had anyone who might help, and
the wonderful and fearless Pat Rongey responded that she would
Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News
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WHERE TO WRITE
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National
Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore.
Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439. Phone (541) 997-3441 (See
extension numbers below). FAX (541) 997-7979.
John Bartlett
Jenna Bartlett
Ryan Cronk
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Jeremy Gentry
be happy to, and would bring some of her history and genealogy
friends, too.
We now have a board of six certified members. Combined, our
board members have over 50 family members in the cemetery.
Pat and her friends wrote this grant and mapped the graves, Don
Wilbur and Gerry Burnett have been doing grounds improve-
ments, Ed and Fran Riley are doing all kinds of documenting, Ric
Dreiling has put together a video commercial and our website,
and we have a lot more improvements coming soon, including
replacing missing and temporary markers.
On Memorial Day, we invite everyone to come up for a DPC
Heritage Day event, with “pioneer” actors talking about the
times, plus food, historic displays and demonstrations.
We hope that we’ll soon be self-sustaining, and even able to
someday give back to WLCF so the next generation of nonprof-
its can get themselves on their feet. As Pat said, “Western Lane
Community Foundation is like a rock thrown in the water. The
ripple effect goes on and on.”
Thank you, WLCF, for your support.
Megan Gerber
Office Manager
Don Wilbur Ltd.
Deadwood
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. Kate Brown
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