COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 23, 2016
Ana Maria
Dudley (left) and
Leslie Cana-
les of Peggy's
Primary Con-
nection show off
a self-portrait
made by South
Lane P-20 Coor-
dinator Jackie
Lester in honor
of Peggy Lintula,
founder of the
family resource
center, who
passed away
early last week.
They said many
visitors came to
pay their re-
spects to Lintula
at the center she
loved.
photo by Jon Stinnett
Friends gather at family resource
center to bid founder farewell
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
F
amilies with young children
are a familiar and welcome
site in a room on one wing of Lane
Community
College’s
Cottage
Grove campus. Last week, however,
their visits were tinged with a bit of
sadness and more than a little refl ec-
tion.
Last Monday evening, South Lane Last month, the School Board
Superintendent Krista Parent told
voted to rename the center
the Cottage Grove City Council that
"Peggy's Primary Connection."
Peggy Lintula, who founded the
family resource center known as A a loss, were in plentiful supply as
Primary Connection over 25 years families who visited the center over
ago, had succumbed to cancer. The the years for parenting advice, to
next day, families whom Lintula had take a break or socialize their little
counseled over generations began ones made their visits. Generations
visiting the center’s new headquar- of families like the Urendas, one of
ters on the local LCC campus to pay the fi rst Hispanic families to come to
their respects.
Cottage Grove in the mid-1990s, told
“To feel the warmth of people com- of acts of kindness Lintula bestowed
ing in and sharing their stories was upon them.
wonderful,” said Ana Maria Dudley,
“Back when I was at Bohemia
a longtime colleague of Lintula’s. (Elementary), she always helped me
“People were making portraits and with my work,” Mario, now a teen-
sharing sweet memories, and to hear ager, said. “She was very nice to ev-
from the children about the impact eryone, and especially me.”
Peggy had was so special.”
“Peggy has been really special to
Flowers and comfort food, the the kids,” said longtime employee
staples of a celebration following
Leslie Canales. “It’s been hard for
everybody to express it. To this min-
ute, I can’t think of her gone.”
Last October, Lintula was among
the guests at a celebration to mark
25 years of A Primary Connection
in Cottage Grove, in addition to the
center’s move from Bohemia El-
ementary to the LCC campus. She
explained that she had been named
the District’s kindergarten coordina-
tor in 1989 and started formulating
plans for the center shortly after. The
center had been located at the district
offi ce and Lincoln Middle School
before its move to Bohemia.
Last month, after hearing that
Lintula was losing her battle with
cancer, the South Lane School Board
voted unanimously to rename the
center “Peggy’s Primary Connec-
tion” in her honor. It’s a title that is
expected to travel with the center as
it moves to what many hope will be
its next new home, on the campus of
a newly built Harrison Elementary
School.
“It’s so special that so many re-
member her,” Canales said. “We
miss her terribly but we need to keep
going, because it’s what she would
want.”
A NEW 5k RACE UP & DOWN HISTORIC MT. DAVID
in COTTAGE GROVE, OREGON
3A
Porter tapped to lead
South Umpqua S.D.
South Lane director of technology departs this summer
A
South Lane School District ad-
ministrator will depart at the end
of this school year to become the super-
intendent at another district.
Timothy L. Porter, who currently serves
as the director of technology and student
achievement at South Lane in addition to
the director of its children’s dental clinic,
has been named the new superintendent
of the South Umpqua School District, the
District announced last week. The hiring
is effective July 1, 2016.
“We had an excellent fi eld of 21 can-
didates for the open superintendent posi-
tion,” Board Chair Jerry O’Sullivan said,
adding that Porter “has demonstrated a
record of success in the South Lane and
Sweet Home districts.”
Porter’s prior administrative positions
have included the curriculum director at
Sweet Home and principal in the Con-
don School District. Porter has a doctor-
ate degree in educational leadership from
George Fox University and a master of
arts in theology from Fuller Theological
Seminary.
“I believe that every student has the
ability to learn, and it’s our job as edu-
Sentinel fi le photo
Timothy Porter, who will become
the new superintendent at South
Umpqua School District, also
served as an assistant boys' bas-
ketball coach at Cottage Grove
High School.
cators to make sure they reach their
potential in an ever-changing world,”
Porter said. “All students are capable
of performing at a high level given the
time and support they need. It’s up to our
educational systems to change so that we
can give this additional time and support
while not leaving any behind.”
Search for missing CG
man continues
Police say they have lots of leads but have yet to
positively identify William Thomas Stuart
T
he Cottage Grove Police Depart-
ment said late last week that it has
uncovered a “bunch of leads” regarding
the whereabouts of a local man who re-
portedly had not
been in contact with
his family since
Christmas.
Detective Doug
Skaggs said CGPD
has received lots
of phone calls re-
garding
William William Thomas
Thomas Stuart, 44,
Stuart
who is reportedly a
member of the local transient communi-
ty. Skaggs said police have been able to
fi nd Stuart’s camp on a piece of property
south of town that’s known as a camp for
several transients.
“We did an extensive search where his
camp was, and the homeless community
has been awesome in helping us with the
search,” Skaggs said. He added that po-
lice worried that Stuart may have been
victimized.
“The information we’re getting is
leading us in the direction that he may
in fact be safe,” Skaggs said, though he
declined to elaborate pending the ability
to positively identify Stuart.
Skaggs said that no one has seen Stuart
locally since at least early January, and
that a habit of moving around frequently
can lead others not to question a person’s
whereabouts.
“People move on, and others assume
that everything is okay,” he said. “It’s
scary for us, because people may not
take someone being gone as seriously,
and these people may be more likely to
be victimized.”
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