4B | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS
from 1B
to the state playoffs and a
berth in the semifinals.
Howell was also the first
Viking ever named to the
East-West Shrine all-star
game. He will be inducted
into the Siuslaw Sports Hall
of Fame on Friday.
“Dennis was probably the
hardest hitter I ever coached
and certainly one of the
toughest,” Erv Garrison, the
Vikings’ head coach from
1961-64, said in a 2016
phone interview from his
home in Milwaukie, Ore. “If
you were in a scrimmage
with Dennis, you’d be wise
to have your head on a swiv-
el.”
Howell’s grit and tenacity
could be traced to his trou-
bled childhood. Raised in
Sacramento and then
Eugene, Howell endured
years of abuse and neglect.
His mother took him
from Sacramento to escape
an abusive stepfather, but
then abandoned him in
Eugene when he was 15,
Christy Howell said.
“She just deserted him,
with no food, no note, noth-
ing,” she said. “A truant offi-
cer showed up at the home
after Dennis hadn’t been in
school for two weeks.”
Howell was made a ward
of the court and sent to a
juvenile home for several
weeks before another stepfa-
Fishing
SILETZ
from 1B
success.
RIVER:
RIVER:
Cutthroat trout
These lakes and ponds are
now listed individually in the
alphabetical listing. Spring
trout stocking begins around
March 1.
COOS
COUNTY
LAKES/PONDS: Trout
These lakes and ponds are
now listed individually in the
alphabetical listing. Spring
trout stocking begins around
March 1 (see stocking sched-
Ba
s
h
Ticket Includes
Dinner with Beer,
Wine & Other
Beverages, a
Great Time,
& Supporting an
Important Cause!
—Don Hunt is a 1971 Siuslaw
High School graduate and free-
lance writer who lives near
Kalispell, Mont.
His book, "The History of
Siuslaw High School Football, a
Tradition of Excellence," will be
released on Aug. 20.
Beginning July 1, the daily bag
limit for marine fish will
reduced from 5 to 4 plus 2
lingcod. The retention of cabe-
zon starts on July 1 with a
1-fish sub-bag limit. Anglers
have reported catching rock-
fish, greenling and striped
surfperch inside Coos Bay
near the north jetty and other
submerged rock structures.
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Stop by today!
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
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family members in the park
that night, and Christy visit-
ed them when she got off
work.
“It was an emotional
reunion,” she said. “Tom
kept thanking me for Dennis
saving his life.”
Garrison,
who
left
Florence in 1965 and
coached at three high
schools in the Portland area
for the next 25 years, never
lost touch with Christy
Howell and her family.
Her oldest boy, Denny,
who was just 3 when Dennis
Howell died, stayed with
Garrison at his home in
Milwaukie for a month
when he was in the seventh
grade.
They kept in touch until
Garrison died in February
of 2017 at the age of 83.
Christy Howell’s daughter
lives in Yachats while her
younger son Greg, whom
she was five months preg-
nant with when the accident
occurred, lives in Maryland.
tomfish is open in the ocean
Dungeness crab, bay clams,
rockfish, trout
Streams and rivers are open
to trout fishing. Trout anglers
are having success using small
spinners or flies. Anglers can
use only artificial flies and
lures in streams above tidewa-
ter. The daily limit for trout in
streams is 2 fish per day and
they must be 8-inches or lon-
ger.
Recreational fishing for bot-
Boo
Sa
t
at t
he
F
all-state selection at line-
backer. About a week later,
he got the nod as a Shrine
game participant for the
West squad in Pendleton.
Nearly a decade later,
Christy Howell visited the
two young men in the hospi-
tal in Thorne Bay the day
after the accident. Cliff
Peeline, who at 27 was the
same age as Dennis, began
weeping as he saw her
approaching.
“He thought I was going
to blame him,” Christy
Howell said. “I told him, no,
it was nobody’s fault and
that Dennis loved him.”
Peeline suffered a sprained
back but wasn’t seriously
injured. The other man that
Howell had saved, 19-year-
old Tom Chartier, wasn’t as
fortunate. He suffered a
severe leg injury and was
permanently disabled.
Christy Howell remained
in Alaska until 1979, when
she moved back to Florence
and took a job as a park
ranger at Honeyman State
Park. Years later, as Christy
was checking in guests at
Honeyman, she saw the
name Chartier on the check-
in form. She looked up and
saw Chartier’s father. Tom
Chartier was among other
down against Mapleton.
On offense, he served as a
bruising fullback as the
Vikings won their first-ever
league championship and
advanced to the state semifi-
nals before losing 7-6 to
North Catholic.
Howell surely would have
been a bigger part of the
offense but Siuslaw’s back-
field, led by first-team all-
state halfback Tooey Emery
and speedy Bob Vanderford,
was loaded. Howell excelled
when given the chance, as
evidenced by a 63-yard
touchdown run against
Philomath and a 60-yard
pass reception for a touch-
down against Mapleton.
And he saved his best for
the playoffs. In a stunning
41-14 win on the road over
previously unbeaten and No.
3-ranked Brookings, Howell
seemed to be in on nearly
every tackle.
Afterward, the Brookings
coach asked Garrison: “Who
was that animal you used at
linebacker, that number 46?
He didn’t even read our
plays. He just tore us apart.”
Howell was equally ornery
in a 13-0 state quarterfinals
win over Junction City the
following week and was
nearly as dominant in the
semifinals when Siuslaw
shut out North Catholic for
more than three quarters.
The Oregon Journal
newspaper took notice,
naming Howell a first-team
COOS RIVER BASIN: along with bays and estuaries.
ugust 11th
y, A
da nce Events Cen
t
e
ur lore
r
RIVER:
Steelhead, spring Chinook,
trout
Summer steelhead are pres-
ent in decent numbers. Low
clear water can make fishing
for summer steelhead chal-
lenging, but there can be some
good action at first and last
light, or on those drizzly over-
cast days. Concentrate on deep
pools and deeper riffles. Drift
fishing, spinners, and flies are
good choices. Light line, small
presentations, and fishing the
riffles and deep pools at first
and last light can increase suc-
cess.
There are still a few spring
Chinook available in the
Wilson River, although num-
bers will be very low, especially
considering the low runs we
are seeing on other basins.
Cutthroat trout can be
found throughout the river,
with sea-runs beginning to
enter tidal areas. Fishing
should be fair to good, with
spinners or flies good bets for
for logging, fishing and
being in the outdoors.
Howell had such little
knowledge of football when
he moved to Florence,
Garrison said, that the
youngster didn’t know the
difference between offense
and defense.
“He just said to put him
out there where he can hit
people,” Garrison said,
chuckling. “I told him I
thought we could make that
happen.”
Despite his dearth of
experience, Howell quickly
became a starter during his
sophomore season in the fall
of 1961, Garrison’s first as
head coach. The Vikings
won only one game, but
seven sophomores were in
the starting lineup on both
sides of the ball.
The foundation was being
laid for a winning program.
The following season, the
Vikings went 6-2-1, and
Howell was their best player.
He almost needed a wheel-
barrel to lug home all the
awards and trophies he
gathered at the team ban-
quet: most valuable defen-
sive player, most valuable
offensive player and most
inspirational player.
Howell was even better as
a senior. He was the leading
tackler from his middle line-
backer position on defense,
and showcased his speed
when he returned an inter-
ception 77 yards for a touch-
ule).
YAQUINA
Steelhead, spring Chinook, cut-
throat trout
Summer steelhead are in the
river. Fishing is good in the
lower gorge. Casting spinners,
drifting bait or using a bobber
and jig can be effective.
Spring Chinook are avail-
able in the Siletz. Be aware of
the regulations for the Siletz, 1
wild Chinook per day and two
for the season through July 31.
Trout fishing in streams and
river opened May 22.
• Note: The 3.5 mile bridge
(aka Steel Bridge) in the Siletz
gorge is now open to motor-
ized vehicles, but is only open
to public vehicles on the week-
end.
Anglers can walk/bike in the
road during the weekdays. If
anglers do walk in they can
park at the one mile gate and
start from there.
SIUSLAW
RIVER :
Cutthroat trout
Trout fishing in streams and
river opened May 22. Fishing
is restricted to artificial flies
and lures through Aug. 31.
WILSON
ther, Neal Howell, picked
him up and moved him to
Florence in the spring of
1961.
Ill-tempered, emotionally
unstable and not one to back
down from a fight, the
younger Howell didn’t make
many friends when he first
moved to Florence. But he
did become buddies with
John Spikes, and it was
Spikes who encouraged
Howell to try out for foot-
ball.
Howell attended a team
meeting in May of 1961, but
sat in a corner and looked
disinterested,
Garrison
recalled.
“He was off to himself,”
Garrison said. “Our line
coach, Dick Smith, noticed
it and thought this kid was
going to quit before we ever
put a uniform on him.”
Garrison called Howell
into his office after the meet-
ing and told him the coach-
ing staff had big plans for
him.
“You could tell he was a
good athlete just by looking
at him,” Garrison said. “I
said, ‘Dennis, you don’t even
know how good you can be.’
His eyes perked up and he
smiled. All this kid needed
was for someone to believe
in him.”
Until the day Howell
graduated from Siuslaw, in
May of 1964, and beyond,
Garrison was his surrogate
father. They shared a love
5pm Doors Open
6:30pm Dinner
8pm Auction
Vintage Viking Themed Event
50’s or Vintage attire Encouraged
Specialty Cocktail
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Dan Barnum Scholarship
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Howell
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Saturday August 18
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