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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2017)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2017 3 B M ILITARY H ERITAGE C HRONICLES — Vanport City B Y C AL A PPLEBEE Special to the Siuslaw News I t’s good to be back on the pages of the Siuslaw News bringing you tales of military heritage, and I thought I would start with a learning experience in our own back yard. “It was a dark and stormy spring in 1948, and heavy rains and record snowpack swelled the Columbia River and its trib- utaries. On Memorial Day, the community of Vanport City was wiped off the map when rushing waters flooded the lowlands where it was built, destroying what had been Oregon’s second- largest city in just 30 minutes. Borne out of the wartime need to address the critical hous- ing shortage as a result of Henry J. Kaiser’s phenomenal shipyard Van Port City, Ore., 1943, once the second-largest city in Oregon, was eventually wiped out by a giant flood in just 30 minutes five years later in 1948. success which delivered 455 ships during WWII, this com- munity — whose buildings numbered more than 10,000 and at one time boasted a population of 40,000 — was built in just one year’s time. As a native Oregonian who grew up on the Oregon coast, and as a student of military his- tory, you can imagine my sur- prise when I first learned of Vanport City’s existence by viewing the initial U.S. Merchant Marine display at our local Oregon Coast Military Museum. I wrote this recently in the museum’s end-of-year letter to supporters. And yes, I truly was surprised, particularly as I read Manly Maben’s 1987 book “Vanport.” It tells a riveting story of a phenomenal accomplishment in our state’s and nation’s efforts during WWII. There are numer- ous similarities between the story of Vanport City’s creation and evolution, and that of Camp Adair in the Willamette Valley build during a similar period. Of course, our society was completely different then. Right or wrong, the regulatory con- straints our society deals with today certainly didn't exist then. Can you imagine trying to build a complete city of 40,000 resi- dents in one year’s time in today’s complex society? Or Camp Adair? Even though we may be engaged in a war against terror- ism today, WWII coalesced and brought our nation together in a way we’ll probably never see again, allowing these great accomplishments. The basic story was more than likely repeated around the United States in that period. The urgent war effort placed such a huge demand for production workers in a geographic region that industry, in this case Henry J. Kaiser, applied great forward thinking, tenacity and effort to meet the need. Advertising around the nation for workers to meet the Kaiser shipyard production needs created an acute housing shortage in the Portland and Vancouver area. So, Kaiser sim- ply set about to build the state’s second-largest city in one year’s time. Maben’s book describes many of the challenges and issues that came with such a herculean effort, including political and social. Territorial battles between municipal, county, state and federal agen- cies and entities were plenty. Unintended consequences resulted from the effort, as often does, dealing with juvenile delinquency, race relations and simply providing services for basic necessities. Several positives came from it as well, such as an early effort to provide childcare for working parents, and the establishment of Vanport College, which even- tually morphed into Portland State University. Miraculously, because the flood in 1948 that wiped out the community and took place on a holiday, also happened during the post-war period, when the population of residents num- bered less than 10,000. As a result, casualties from the catas- trophe numbered only 15. However, due to the intended temporary nature of the commu- nity, the vast majority of the 10,000 structures had no foun- dation and literally floated away in the flood. Although the com- munity was never rebuilt, the disaster resulted in the enact- ment of the Flood Control Act of 1950. The City of Portland eventu- ally acquired the property for parks and recreation purposes, and today it is the site of Delta Parkway and the Portland International Raceway. The finishing touches are tak- ing place on the updated U.S. Merchant Marine display, even as you read this, and you can learn more by visiting that dis- play. Maben’s book is also avail- able for you to check out of our new lending library if you would like even more detailed information. Visit the museum on Kingwood Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, or visit www.ore- goncoastmilitary museum.com. Us TOO Flor ence Behind the headlines 541-999-5083 B Y B OB H ORNEY CANCER SURVIVOR U S TOO CHAPTER LEADER M y younger brother, Don, and I, along with two older broth- ers, grew up on a 360 acre farm in Indiana where Dad grew mostly corn, wheat, oats, hay and raised Angus Cattle. It was a good life, but look- ing back, I sometimes wonder what effect our unprotected handling and distribution of insecticides, herbicides and fer- tilizers had on our later lives. Although my older brothers are cancer free (as far as I know), Don and I fared quite differently. Don was diagnosed with Leukemia (CLL) in his late 50s and lived “with it” on Active Surveillance. Being a physi- cian helped him make that decision. Garage Doors sales • installation • repair See Jim for your auto sales needs! We sell and install all types of garage doors, as well as garage door openers. alumium • steel • wood • fi berglass • vinyl Give us a call today for a free estimate. We promise fast, friendly service and great rates! MIKE BARRETT’S GARAGE DOORS 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 Florence • 541-991-0367 CCB# 79598 In February 2015, living in Gallup, NM, he ended up in a hospital in Albuquerque with medical issues. The initial blood test indicat- ed possible pancreatic cancer and it was suggested he go to M.D. Anderson for analysis, which he did. After being there for over a week of tests, his M.D. Anderson doctor told him he was sure he had pancreatic cancer, but since they couldn’t verify it, they naturally could not initiate any treatment. So, they sent him home and said to come back in six weeks. When he got back to Gallup, he ended up in the local hospi- tal within three days. There, he saw a surgeon based with a hospital in Albuquerque who convinced Don that he needed his gall bladder removed. While doing that he would take a look at his pancreas and if it looked cancerous, he would remove it. He did not see any problems with the pan- creas so only removed Don’s gall bladder. Unfortunately, that surgery was to no avail. Don did not really regain any quality of life from it and within several months ended up at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. Eventually, with those doc- ...need a friend? Meet Pretty Princess re here esses a in s u b munity ese com rvice needs. h t g in now ur se relax, k with all of yo o t y s It’s ea to help Call the Siuslaw News to Join Our Senior Directory 541-997-3441 BRADLEY BERG ATTORNEY Wills - Trusts Probate 1932 Pine St. Suite B-3 Florence, OR 997-8114 SPRUCE POINT Spruce Point ASSISTED LIVING Assisted Living 375 9th Street • Florence 997-6111 541-997-6111 No small animals No small children Pretty Princess is a sweet girl, but very very protective over the person that she perceives as her own special person. New people scare her, her reaction in the kennels is very fearful. When introducing her to new people we prefer to do it in the yard where she seems more comfortable and likes to play ball. Pretty Princess is food and play motivated. She is smart and should learn her manners from her new person pretty easily. We are looking for an experienced German shepherd owner with a fenced yard. Prior to any adoption being fi nalized we will do a home check, all members of the household must be introduced to Princess, if you have a dog they must meet. If you would like to meet Pretty Princess or any of her friends, please visit us at: OREGON COAST HUMANE SOCIETY 2840 Rhododendron Drive • Florence • 541-997-4277 www.oregoncoasthumane.org This message brought to you by: FLORENCE PHARMACY Best For Hearing 2935 Hwy. 101, Florence 2285 Hwy. 101, Florence 997-8866 541-902-9966 tors being unable to identify what was going on and his con- dition rapidly deteriorating, he was moved to hospice care where he passed away Sept. 25, 2015, at age 75. Don wanted his children to know what took his life (in case it could affect their lives), so had requested he be autopsied. The answer came in early December — neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. In late 2001, my wife, Marianne, and I had just moved to Florence. Being 63 years of age and having followed the prostate cancer annual PSA testing recommendation since turning 50, my first stop to the clinic was to get my PSA checked. My visit was with a substi- tute physician, Dr. Maureen Bradley. When I told her my December 2000 PSA was 4.1 she gasped, “Oh my, I think you should see a urologist.” Well, my PSA came back still 4.1, but, when my urolo- gist Dr. Peter Bergreen per- formed the digital rectal exam (DRE), he didn’t like how the prostate felt. Long story short, a biopsy proved it was cancer. After my 2002 radical prostatectomy, the pathologist’s report showed perineural invasion and extra- capsular extension along with my Gleason Score of (3+4=7) — the “good” seven. Later, due to 3 post-surgery consecutive increases in my PSA, I returned for radiation follow-up from December 2007 to Valentine’s Day 2008. Don dealt with a cancer which defied diagnosis. My cancer has two tests: PSA, the “early” warning which didn’t work for me and the DRE, the “back-up,” which thankfully did (I still had no symptoms). Don lived (suffered) for eight months never knowing what was wrong and I have had 15 years of quality life since my initial treatment for prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer mortality has increased from 10.6 to 11.0 per 100,000 over the past 25 years. Prostate cancer mortality has decreased by 53 percent during the same time. And yet, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recom- mends asymptomatic men (like I was) not get screened for prostate cancer, but instead wait until symptoms arise and then get tested to see if it is prostate cancer.
