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❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ APRIL 18, 2018
Siuslaw News
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
Memories of a man for all seasons
M
y first memory
of Wilbur
Ternyik came in
1961 or 62, when our
local Jay Cee club was
fighting the takeover of
the sand dunes from
Florence to Coos Bay by the
federal government to create
the Senator Neuberger
National Park.
We (the Jay Cees) were
attending a State Convention
in Grants Pass and our intent
was to get the Oregon State
Jay Cees to oppose this land
grab, and then at the Jay
Cee national convention get
them to oppose the park pro-
posal as well on Capitol
Hill.
Each of our delegation
members at the Grants Pass
convention were given 15 or
20 small plastic bags full of
sand to sell for .50 cents
each.
When it came time for
our presentation, our choice
for spokesperson was
Wilbur Ternyik. This very
well-dressed young man
when recognized by the
speaker (State Jay Cee
President) got up, intro-
duced himself and proceed-
GUEST VIEWPOINT
B Y D ELBERT P HELPS
S IUSLAW P IONEER M USEUM D IRECTOR
ed — very quietly and so
well spoken — to tell every-
one in attendance why those
sand dunes should not be
made into a national park.
He went on to explain
how, by way of his local
club, he was selling all of
the sand and that, soon,
there would be no sand for a
park.
It hit the point so well
that everyone stood and
applauded. As a result, the
motion to take the issue to
the National Convention
passed unanimously.
He got my attention and
gained my respect from that
point on. And as it turned
out, we became good friends
and I was very proud to
serve with him later in life
on the Florence City
Council and Oregon Coastal
Zone Management
Association.
For two years, we drove
or flew each month to a dif-
ferent port or town on the
Oregon coast for the
OCZMA meetings. We
talked about many subjects
and I always came home
with a new perspective.
Often, I would go to
Wilbur and Joyce’s home to
strategize on issues that
were important to both of
us. Going to their home was
like going into a museum; I
was always in awe at what I
saw.
Later, when I started con-
templating the development
of Florentine Estates, I
chose to use Wilbur as my
wetlands consultant.
It proved to be one of the
best moves our company
ever made. Without his
expertise in this field, and
Joyce’s memory and file
keeping abilities, Florentine
Estates could not have
evolved into the community
it is today — and home to
an 18-acre wetland restora-
tion program within the city
of Florence.
Due to natural erosion
and scouring by the creek,
the wetland was shrinking
in size and turning to up-
land.
Wilbur devised a mitiga-
tion program that, when
approved by Division of
State Lands and the feds,
produced a 5-to-1 increase
in wetland return for the
site. Wilbur was very proud
of that accomplishment.
As I was of his efforts.
DSL showcased the proj-
ect for many years as one of
its most successful restora-
tions.
When Kathy Bridges con-
tacted me a few years ago
and told me they needed a
home for Wilbur’s bronze
bust that was commissioned
by Senator Hatfield, and that
Wilbur wondered if the
Siuslaw Pioneer Museum
could find room for it, I told
her “We will make the
room.”
And we did.
Wilbur was fair, honest,
kind, a loving husband and
so much more.
He was truly a man for all
seasons, and I’m proud to
say a friend for 58 years.
LETTERS
O NLY FACTS
Bravo for Shirley Nelson’s Letter to
the Editor “Guns Only Have One
Purpose” (April 14).
Finally, a letter which only presents
pure facts and is not bogged down by a
politically motivated one.
I am sick of letters that push their
opinions filled with hate comments
against “Liberals” and which ignore any
blame on their own side of the issue.
I also find it appalling that people
brag about killing anything, such as one
letter that bragged about killing ani-
mals.
I just hope we get more clear-think-
ing people like Shirley Nelson.
—Jean Perry
Florence
newspaper.
I read up to three newspapers a day
and really appreciate our local paper.
Growing up in a small town and work-
ing in the local newspaper, I gained an
early appreciation for how hard it is to
be an editor in a small town. Over the
years, I’ve seen them come and go and
always dislike the ones that tried to
shove their opinions down the readers’
throat.
Thank you for your news reporting
and honest editorials.
If there’s an opposing opinion or
complaints on an issue, you always
seem to print both sides.
Keep up the good work.
—Bruce Yelle
Florence
M ISUSE IS THE
T HE FEC ROCKS
I have had the great pleasure of work-
ing with the FEC over the past two
years, to layer into place the Watercolor
Society of Oregon’s Spring 2018,
Convention, Exhibition and Juror
Workshop.
Our contracts covered April 5-24,
with nine days on site and 19 days for
use of Galleries One and Five, where 80
water-media paintings now hang.
The convention weekend was fairly
complex for FEC staff because of the
many moving parts of the convention.
Reconfiguration of five flat-floor rooms
occurred at least 20 times over four
days, including setting up 24 tables for
a Saturday evening banquet, with
Pavilion Catering providing a delicious
buffet in the lobby.
Because we were painting, two
rooms needed to be tarped to protect the
carpet. I purchased the tarps and special
tape and intended to lay and tape.
However, FEC crew and friends, fol-
lowing my tarping diagram, did the
work.
Juror Fran Larsen of Santa Fe, N.M.,
was our hired mentor for seven days.
More than 200 WSO members attended
various parts of the convention, exhibi-
tion and five-day workshop — and all
moving parts, including audio visual,
flowed together seamlessly and accord-
ing to schedule thanks to FEC Director
Kevin Rhodes, Operations Manager
Matt Holdahl, FEC Art Committee
Chair Liz Johnson and her crew,
Shannon with Pavilion Catering, and
the FEC office staff.
WSO artists had a highly satisfying
GUN PROBLEM
Regarding Shirley Nelson’s letter to
the editor (April 14) “Guns Only Have
One Purpose,” I found it hilarious on
one hand but very sad on the other hand.
I don’t know how anyone can say
automobiles, drugs and matches have
specific purposes, and that if there are
deaths related to them it is due to the
misuse of those things — then go on
thinking guns have but one purpose (to
kill or wound) and not realize it is the
misuse of guns that causes the deaths of
school children and others.
Misuse is the key word, whether we
are thinking automobiles, drugs, match-
es or guns as being “killers.”
Actually, I find it more sad than hilar-
ious that some folks can’t — or won’t
— see that misuse of so many things in
this world cause pain and suffering to so
many. In every case mentioned above,
the auto, drugs, matches or guns cause
nothing on their own.; a human being is
responsible if there is a misuse.
We shouldn’t blame items, but rather
the misuse of those item.
—Tony Cavarno
Florence
A PPRECIATION FOR
OUR NEWSPAPER
Siuslaw News editor Ned Hickson’s
quote “Some feel we try too hard to
straddle the middle without taking a
stance” in his editorial (“Your Feedback
Makes Us Better,” April 14) has got to
be about the best judgment an editor can
receive from his readers in a small town
experience because of FEC staff.
Thank you — and thank you to the
City of Florence for working to facili-
tate our events center.
—Kathryn Damon-Dawson
Chair, WSO Conference
S HE ’ S NOT J AY B OZIEVICH
I learned a lot about both candidates
at the April 6 forum for West Lane
County Commissioner candidates.
Nora Kent, a political greenhorn, is
full of integrity, intelligence and drive.
She shows a willingness to stand up and
fight for the rights of the people of Lane
County.
All the people.
By contrast, Jay Bozievich seems to
be a polished bureaucrat, defending the
timber industry and big business with
rigid intensity. When talking about
housing, watershed and the environ-
ment, it seems that these are only issues
for him when they begin to impact the
timber industry and large campaign
contributors — such as Wildish Land
Co. and McDougal Bros. Investments,
both based in the Eugene/Springfield
area.
It was while on his watch that the
boundaries for Western Lane County
were changed to include West Eugene
and surrounding areas amid reports of
gerrymandering.
Comm. Bozievich adamantly states
that he will not support any change in
timber industry practices even though
thousands of people in Western Lane
County are asking for change to protect
our health, children and the environ-
ment.
Lane County’s Roadside Vegetation
Management Program has responded to
these concerns and has drastically
reduced its spraying program. It does-
n’t take a rocket scientist, or even an
engineer, to see the parallels between
that and aerial spraying.
I don’t want the minions of the tim-
ber industry and large corporations
influencing the laws and standards by
which I must live.
That’s why I will be voting for Nora
Kent. She’s a smart woman, and what
she doesn’t know through polished
bureaucratics is what makes her not Jay
Bozievich.
—Ann Huntington
Florence
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
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L ETTERS
TO THE
P OLICY
E DITOR
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor
as part of a community discussion of issues on the
local, state and national level.
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Siuslaw News readership area will only be pub-
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P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS :
Election-related letters must address pertinent or
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Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing
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Send letters to:
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WHERE TO WRITE
Pres. Donald Trump
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, Ore. 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
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office
Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-
228-3997
541-465-6750
www.merkley.senate.gov
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
( 4 th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
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
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Caddy
McKeown
( Dist. 9 )
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email: rep.caddymckeown
@state.or.us
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