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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2016)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ NOVEMBER 23, 2016 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion A whisper rooted in thankfulness Though it’s been 35 years since I arrived in Oregon as a high school sophomore, when people ask where I moved from, I still whisper when I say, “California.” I do so in jest (mostly), secure in the knowledge that revealing my California roots — however withered — won’t suddenly bring nearby conver- sations to an embarrassing halt, leaving cricket chirps in its place. Part of the reason is because, more often than not, those around me are also orig- inally from California. Seriously, folks. I’ve heard you whispering. But recently, I’ve come to realize there’s a different rea- son I whisper when it comes to explaining where I was in relation to where I am now. It’s a whisper rooted in thankfulness. It’s the whisper that escapes you the moment after realizing how close you came to being in a serious accident. Or when the gas attendant asks if you want to use your .50-cent gas reward when you thought you only had 20. “What? Yesss.” Oregon changed my life for the better. Twice, actually. First as a 15-year-old with my family, then again when I moved back as a 37-year-old with my own family. In the first instance, it was culture shock just short of defibrillation as I went from the concrete jungle of Los Angeles to the blackberry hill- sides of the North Fork. Instead of riding my Schwinn to school and spend- ing afternoons running around I’d known. It wasn’t until returning that summer to visit my father in L.A. that I realized some- thing that changed my life: Everything I thought I knew wasn’t nearly as important as how I’d come to know myself thanks to the life I was experi- encing in Oregon. From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON the streets in my Nikes, I was canoeing over a flooded dike to meet my school bus and returning home to stack wood or dig post holes. Usually in mud boots. I hated Oregon because it was the opposite of everything Returning home at the end of that summer, I still remem- ber stepping out of the car and onto our dirt driveway in a new pair of Nikes, realizing how those shoes — and that life — just didn’t fit anymore. This is home, I whispered. Mostly because I didn’t want my parents to hear and know they had been right. I was still a teeneger, after all. The lessons learned and perspectives gained from life as an Oregonian were things I carried with me after graduat- ing from Siuslaw High School and becoming a regional chef in Atlanta for the next 10 years. But during all of that time, the thought of returning to Oregon stayed with me, par- ticuarly as the gains in my career began costing some- thing far more important: Time with my family. So when, in 1998, the opportunity was presented to begin a new career as a jour- nalist, my beloved Oregon — and Florence in particular — changed my life for the second time. Come Thanksgiving, these are the things I’ll be thinking about and quietly giving thanks for as my family gath- ers around a dinner table that, if not for Oregon’s surrepti- tious intervention in my life, I may not be sitting at today. On behalf of everyone at Siuslaw News, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and many reasons to be thankful. Especially if, like me, you’re originally from... *whispering* California. Write Siuslaw News editor Ned Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslaw news.com or P.O. Box 10, Florence, Ore. 97439. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affect- ing the Florence area and Lane County. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaran- teed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters or poetry will not be published. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com Civil War Thanksgiving Editor’s Note: In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are holding Letters to the Editor for this issue and, in their place, are sharing a bit of Thanksgiving history... T he first official proclamation declaring Thanksgiving a national day of remem- brance was issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, partly in honor of Northern successes in the war that year. Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise.” That year, Thanksgiving fell on the day after a crucial Union victory at the battle of Chattanooga. The previous year in late November, armies were on the march during the Fredericksburg and Vicksburg campaigns. Around Thanksgiving 1864, some Union forces were on the cusp of the bloody battle of Franklin, while others were marching to the sea with William T. Sherman. Due to their harsh surroundings, many Civil War men in the field enjoyed only the most spartan of celebrations. In Kewanee, Ill., teenage sisters Tirzah and Sarah Vaill received a letter from their older brother, an Illinois USPS# 497-660 infantryman, describing his 1861 Thanksgiving holiday meal as, “hard bread” and salt pork. He added that “during the day I thought of you at home having your nice dinners” and “wishing maybe that you might present a plate to some of us soldiers filled with your own goodies.” From his camp in Virginia that same year, Private Zebina Bickford of the 6th Vermont Infantry made the best of his day. In a letter home, he mused that “you may think we are homesick today but it is not so,” mainly because of a care package sent from loved ones back in Vermont. The goodies consisted of “a box of clothing and a few nicknacks consisting of eatables” that made “a very good thanksgiving for us.” With tongue in cheek, he wrote that “you can’t imagine what a lot of fine things we had for supper… a piece of sour bread and salt pork.” However, he gleefully noted that “some of mother’s cookies and doughnuts that came in our box” made the evening memorable. It would be Bickford’s last Thanksgiving; he died the following April 30. Presbyterian Church.” He also wrote there was “no drill today,” a welcome respite. In 1864, the Union League Club of New York City pleaded for donations of “cooked poultry and other proper meats” as well as “mince pies, sausages, and fruits” for men in the field. The call brought in some $57,000 in cash donations, as well as nearly 225,000 pounds of poultry and large quantities of cakes, ginger- bread, pickles, apples, vegetables, and cheese. One appreciative soldier saw the deeper meaning, writing that “it isn’t the turkey, but the idea that we care for.” Others received far less. That year, Lewis Crater of the 50th Pennsylvania recorded in his diary that the Sanitary Commission “issued three fine apples to every man.” Despite the middling fare, Crater and others likely gave thanks that they had survived to see another Thanksgiving during the four bloodiest years in American history. — Submitted by Tom Emery Copyright 2016 © Siuslaw News Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com 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; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry The next year, Asa Bean, a doctor in the 114th Ohio, enjoyed greater tidings. On Nov. 27, 1862, he wrote that “there has been a sur- prise party here today for the benefit of sol- diers and nurses.” The feast included “roast turkey, chicken, pigeon and oysters stewed” along with “baked chicken, boiled potatoes, turnip, apple butter, and cheese butter.” Bean, though, lamented that he “cannot eat much without being sick.” He, too, would die months later. Elsewhere that year, Federal soldiers sta- tioned at Fort Pulaski, Ga., held their own “fete and festival.” The day’s events included target practice and a rowing match, foot race, and hurdle sack race. Competitions involving a greased pole and a greased pig were also on the agenda, as was a “burlesque dress parade.” In some cases, Thanksgiving was a time of spiritual reflection. On the first official install- ment of the holiday in 1863, Sewell Van Alstine, a soldier in the 95th Illinois, wrote in his diary that he “went to town” and “heard an excellent discourse by an army chaplain at the 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
