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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2016)
2 B SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016 Advisory council seeks members C AR C HRONICLES — Fury-ous memories B Y C AL A PPLEBEE Special to the Siuslaw News D uring my Junior year in high school, my real parents still lived in Oregon, and my father passed away rather young at the age of 48. My mom had never obtained her driver’s license because she’d had a bad experience when she was a teenager learning how to drive. She evidently didn’t have an interest in, or knack for, driv- ing. Both were evident when my grandmother was trying to teach her, she promptly put the family Chevrolet in the ditch and walked home. The only other times my mom even showed any interest in driving were when my dad was driv- ing, and she was constantly stomping on the imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side of the car in reaction to his driving skills. That must be hereditary because my wife still does that to this day when I drive. Because mom didn’t drive, the family car at the time of my dad’s passing just sat around her house in Tillamook and anyone who came to visit could use it. It was a 1960 Plymouth Fury, four-door sedan. It didn’t have the fake continental on the trunk lid as some of the models did, but it was still the nicest automobile my parents ever owned. Because Mom had no use for it and I was graduat- ing from high school, she gave it to me as my graduation gift. It was also the nicest car I had owned up until that time and a definite step up from the three junkers I had driven up to that point. It had an automatic transmission with the shifting via push buttons on the dash just to the right of the steering wheel. I believe it had the 318 and was a pretty powerful car. One day I needed to get new muf- flers on it and took it to the only garage in Marsing to have the work done. I don’t recall if I had picked up the new exhaust or if they had ordered it, but nonetheless, when they stripped the old dual exhaust off and went to install the new replacements, it was discov- ered they weren’t correct for whatever reason. I couldn’t afford to let the car sit for several days while they ordered correct parts, so I ended up driving it into Nampa, Idaho, to pick up the correct exhaust parts, and then drove it back to Marsing to fin- ish the installation. Of course, driving it that far and back without mufflers was extremely noisy, and while it did open up the power to have no restricter mufflers or exhaust pipe, I was nearly deaf by the time I made it back to Marsing. They finished the job and I had a quiet luxury car again! That car provided other interesting experiences, although not for me but for my college buddies who were always wanting to borrow it for dates because of it’s large back seat. More than once, with differ- ent drivers, they would return it and share horror stories on how while driving it and punching the transmission but- tons, the “drive” button would get stuck in the dash and they couldn’t stop it or reverse it. My roommate talked about one particular incident where the throttle also stuck at the same time as he was trying to exit the freeway coming back into Nampa and he had no choice but to shoot across the cross road and back onto the freeway until he could get the thing unstuck! The 1960 Plymouth Fury was the fourth year of that size and series, particularly with fins, produced by Plymouth. It was the first year for some other innovations, such as uni- body construction, ram induc- tion and the infamous slant-six, although my car had the 318. I can’t recall now whether it was the two-barrel or four-bar- rel version, but since the car weighed a hefty 3,550 lbs., it still wasn’t exactly a hot rod. The four-door accounted for 34 percent of Plymouth’s 63,073 production run for 1960, but despite that large amount, recent online shopping didn’t reveal any four doors for current valuation. Actually, not a lot of 1960 Plymouth Furys were available and those that were seemed to be specialty cars, such as a race-replica and one convert- ible that had been in the origi- nal family since new. The pricing was all over the board, ranging from $500 for a low end specimen to a whop- ping $95,000 for that single- family convertible! My guestimation on a value for a four-door in decent shape today would be more in the range of $4,000. New, the MSRP was $2,693. About this time in my vehi- cle life I evidently developed the need for constant change, which would follow for life, and hence the 90-plus vehicles I eventually inventoried. I would spot some other vehicle that would capture my imagination, and pretty soon I’d convince myself I had to have one. Then, I’d find one and trade off my current ride for the new dream ride. That’s what happened to the Plymouth; for whatever reason, I decided I needed a pick up and soon the Plymouth was gone and in its place sat a 1948 Chevy pickup that would bring its own set of adventures. Travel safe! Hospice scrapbooking program creates memories It began as a way to honor veterans and the service that they gave to America. It has grown into a program that cre- ates a treasured memory for a family grieving the loss of a loved one who has been in the care of PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Hospice. “It” is the Hospice Scrapbooking Project, an endeavor that has been captur- ing the memories of hospice patients through the use of pho- tographs, historical documents and other memorabilia. The program began in 2013 when hospice began an associ- ation with We Honor Veterans (WHV), a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. “This was a natural program for us to join,” said hospice volunteer coordinator Donna Becker. “We have many veter- ans who come through our service and the We Honor Veterans program is a beautiful way to honor their service and commitment to our country.” That association introduced Becker to the Scrapbook Project, which she wanted to incorporate into the PeaceHealth honoring veterans program. Not knowing where to turn, she posted a flyer at Rosie’s Art Carnival, a local art and crafts store, now closed, asking for volunteers. Several stepped forward, including Pauline Orozco, who became the unofficial leader of the scrapbook group. For the first two years, the group concentrated on creating scrapbooks for veterans and their families who wanted to participate. “Many people do not really know what a scrapbook is,” Orozco said. “When patients The local Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is still looking for community members who have the time and desire to work with staff at the PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center to assure a patient- and family-friendly hospital experience. It is critical that the PFAC have younger adults, age 18 through middle-aged, who can address health care experi- ences from their vantage point. That includes young fami- lies with newborns and those with teenagers or older chil- dren. Community members are asked to consider lending their voices for the benefit of health care in Florence. The next PFAC meeting will be Thursday, April 14, at the PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center conference room C, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Interested people are invited. To request attendance or more information, call Janis Finley at 541-902-6074 or Bob Horney at 541-997-6626. Brian Downing (541) 743-3811 • htpp://www.ppmnps.com • briandowning@ppmnps.com Veteran Discounts Pacii c Paralegal, Mobile Notary and Project Services Document Preparation Services • Researching • Draft ing • Filing/Delivery • Notarizing • Signing/Closing Agent Project Services: • Consulating • Managing • Completing • Evaluating • Stai ng Pacii c Paralegal is not staff ed by attorneys. If you need legal advice or representation please contact an attorney or your local state bar association. All Services are Mobile, We Come to You! ...need a friend? Meet Happy Happy is a very smart dog, he learns new commands quickly and is very entertaining. He is an energetic, active guy who needs to be in a home where he would be the only animal. The temptation to play and chase is way too strong! He minds pretty well but would benefi t living with a supportive person who will work to help him give his best. Happy was returned to us once for killing a chicken. He jumped off a second story balcony to get to the chickens. I feel that he might kill a cat if given the chance. Aggressive to most dogs. No Cats • No Dogs • No Small Animals • Children 12 and older and their families see a com- pleted one, they not only are astonished at the creativity and the work that went into it, but obviously they see happy memories preserved forever.” The small circle of scrap- booking volunteers meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the hospice office on Kingwood Street. The two hours have become both a social event and a way to feel good and give back in a charitable way. —Submitted by Becky Goehring If you would like to meet Happy any of his friends, please visit us at: FLORENCE HUMANE SOCIETY 2840 Rhododendron Drive • Florence • 541-997-4277 www.fl orencehumane.org This message brought to you by: Siuslaw News + www.shoppelocal.biz Port budget committee applications due Friday The Port of Siuslaw’ dead- line for its budget committee applications is 5 p.m. Friday, April 15. The budget committee is a standing committee of five citizen members that sits jointly with the Port Commission to publicly review and revise the annual budget document. Committee members serve three-year terms. Interested persons should obtain an application from the port office at 100 Harbor St., or the port’s website at www.portofsiuslaw.com. Applicants must be regis- tered voters residing within the Port of Siuslaw district. For more information, call 541-997-3426. Deadlines for press releases and news items are Mondays and Thursdays at noon. pressreleases@thesiuslawnews.com 45% OFF Implants NOW FREE CONSULTATION See the DentureMaster’s difference, we do it all right here! Dr. James Ridley,DDS 206 Nopal Street Florence, OR 97439 CALL NOW 541-997-6226 Tuesday 4/5 Rachel Donston Thelma Hale Westlake Deadwood Safeway Safeway Wednesday 4/6 Carol Tucker Carol Tucker Florence Florence Grocery Outlet Grocery Outlet Thursday 4/7 Wayne Wilkins Bear McDaniel Florence Florence Oceanside Veterinary Hospital Three Rivers Casino Resort Friday 4/8 Tilman Hanson Elsie McKean Florence Florence Three Rivers Casino Resort Safeway Saturday 4/9 Pam Marshal Pattie Panther Florence Florence Safeway Safeway Sunday 4/10 Jammie Mills Lonita Dalziel Westlake Florence Grocery Outlet Florence Liquor Agency Monday 4/11 Chuck Katz Ervin Dinger Florence Eugene Safeway Chen’s Family Dish
