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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2016)
6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL June 22, 2016 Body Balance Arms-Core-Legs Chatterbox The Betty’s 20 years of Sentinel memories Get strong Dance and Tone + STAY STRONG Curves Circuit with Jillian Michaels Our All-New Boxing Class is Here! Strength + Balance + Cardio + Core All in 30 Minutes 1133 E. Main Street, Cottage Grove BY BETTY KAISER For the Sentinel M y, how time fl ies! This month I am celebrating an unplanned, 20- year career in the newspaper industry. It all began in 1996 when I walked through the front door of the Sentinel and applied for an offi ce job that they were advertis- ing. I knew absolutely nothing about of- fi ce work…but how hard could it be? Talk about chutzpah! Nevertheless, Publisher Jody Rolnick decided to take a chance on this older newbie. On June 9, 1996 I entered a new world. My colleagues, Retta and Rosie, and I were busy. We answered phones, fi elded questions and complaints and forwarded calls to the appropriate ad or newsperson. All classifi ed ads and bills were written by hand, as were subscrip- tion receipts. Those went into notebook fi les. I loved the offi ce buzz and meeting new people. My job description was: Accounts Pay- able. I remember thinking, “How hard could this be?” I managed our checkbook at home, and it always balanced. Enter a new animal—the computer. Gulp. Let’s just say that I was a slow learner, and there’s a special place in heaven for those who were my instructors. But I did learn and that experience began my love affair with computers today. So how did I morph from the front of- fi ce to the newsroom? Well, I’ve always loved writing. I grew up in the era of Emily Post and would write a thank-you note as soon as a gift was opened. In school, essay tests were a breeze. Put me on a committee and I would end up secretary or writing a “how- to-do-the-job” manual. In college I had taken some journalism classes and writ- ten for the campus paper, but that was the extent of my formal experience. Jody and I would occasionally talk about the need for a column on people, parties, places to go, things to do, cele- brations, recipes, etc. — sort of a hybrid commentary, old-fashioned local gossip column. News staff was not available for that sort of thing, so I volunteered. The Chatterbox debuted on April 7, 1999. In that column I requested the pub- lic’s input. I was counting on them to be my eyes and ears in the extended Cottage Grove community. I started sharing my life experiences and readers responded with stories of their own. Thus the adven- ture began. Originally, ABC/Disney owned the Sen- tinel. Later it was sold to Lee Enterprises. Then, Editor Finn John came aboard. He was young, enthusiastic, energetic and full of ideas! One of his visions for the news- paper was to include an old-fashioned society page level of hometown news. I was already writing the Chatterbox, so he brought me from the front offi ce into the newsroom. Suddenly my job morphed from one to three columns a week—The Chatterbox, Cook’s Corner and Neighborhood News. We often had a full page of military news, graduation lists, anniversaries and wed- dings. Eventually I added the monthly Faith Page and started covering news sto- ries as well. It was one of the best times of my life. I loved telling our town’s stories. Inter- esting things happen in our corner of the world. Some good. Some bad. Some ugly. Lee Enterprises published my columns on the Internet, and I started hearing from people around the world. Wow. That was fun. One of the most memorable stories I covered was Uno, a German Shepherd and his handler, Pat Gartman. A certifi ed crisis response dog, he and Pat, with Bill as sup- port, fl ew to Ground Zero after the 9/11 tragedy. The core temperature at the attack site was 1,800 degrees. The workers were numb, tired, dirty, grieving, expressionless and overwhelmed with the enormous task. Pat said, “Uno would pick the one who needed the most comfort. He’d put his head in the worker’s lap and inevita- bly, the worker would start petting him, talking to him, holding him. Uno’s back would be wet with tears,“ I cry every time I remember that story. I prefer to write good news, but re- porting an ugly situation won me a First Place Social Issues award in 2004 from the Society of Professional Journalists. My three-part series on homeless teens was titled, “Under the Bridge,” and it opened the public’s eyes to the needs of these hurting, invisible teens and those in organizations like Parent Partnership who work on their behalf. I briefl y retired in 2006 during a time of turmoil when my husband had a very seri- ous back surgery. At that time, my friend and editor Jonni Gratton summed up my eclectic style and newsroom career: www.curves.com 541.942.9580 Grove Medical Equipment “B UILDING A H EALTHY C OMMUNITY ” Sentinel fi le photo Betty Kaiser began her career with the Sentinel in the accounts pay- able department in 1996, though she found her niche as a colum- nist and storyteller, documenting the lives and times of the unique characters of Cottage Grove. “Betty Kaiser was a big city California girl who moved to the country in 1989 and settled into the groove of the Grove. “She put her heart and soul into every- thing that she wrote — good, bad, funny or bitter-sweet. She wrote from the heart about every segment of local life and her own experiences — from bats in the bed- room, a Saginaw slum, homeless teens, falling off ladders, women in the military, the tragic death of children and bad hair days. A born-and-bred Grover once told her “that she wrote like one of us.” “Readers enjoyed bantering with Betty — correcting her Spanish, disagreeing with her politics and banning her from their hair salons. Mostly, they just opened their hearts and told her their stories.” For all of the above reasons and more, I wasn’t very good at retirement. I returned to work in 2007 on a part-time basis writ- ing one column a week. That has since been reduced to every other week, which is just about my speed for this stage of life. As my 20-year career winds down to a crawl, I am so grateful to those who helped me along this path and the read- ers who supported me. I was a stranger and you took me into your hearts, sharing your stories and lives. It has been a won- derful relationship. Lord willing, I plan to continue doing this as long as I am able and making sense. So, Cottage Grove, thanks for the mem- ories and keep them coming! Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about peo- ple, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com • OXYGEN • SLEEP THERAPY • WHEEL CHAIRS • HOSPITAL BEDS • WALK AIDS • SPECIALTY FITTINGS • SALES AND RENTALS • INSURANCE BILLING FOR SALES AND RENTALS 541-225-5443 grovemedical@outlook.com 148 Gateway Blvd Join us on Facebook Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (Bi Mart Plaza) Drip Irrigation and Sprinkler Systems in Stock. LANDSCAPE AND BUILDING MATERIALS Open 7 days a week! 79149 N. River Road 541-942-4664 2015 e Grove Cottag ber m a h C merce of Com s Busines of the Year NEW: Digital X-Rays (use less radiation) n The Northwest’s Finest Gardening Seed Implants •Teeth Whitening • Extractions Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV) n Flowers, Herbs, & Shrubs n Vegetable Transplants Cottage Grove Dental n Fruit Trees Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS 20 Palmer Ave. n Cottage Grove n (541) 942-0510 PICNIC: July 4, 2016 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm at the VFW (3160 Hillside Drive-CG) Prepared by Big S t FOOD FOR SALE: CHICKEN, Barb uff eque Hot Dogs, Chips & Salads soft drinks, coffee & tea (No Alcohol, drugs or fi reworks allowed) MUSIC: The Country Classic Band, “Anderson Family & Friends” 12:30pm – 4:30 pm DEDICATION PROGRAM: 2:00 pm All proceeds go to our Veterans Supporting Veterans Program southlanewheels.org Delight Valley Church of Christ 33087 Saginaw Road E. Exit 176 off of I-5 Date: Saturday June 25, 2016 Vendor set up: 8am – 9am Sales from: 9am – 3pm RAFFLE 541-942-7099 541-942-0456 GIANT YARD SALE VFW 4 TH OF JULY PICNIC & RAFFLE Over $2000. Worth of Donations To Give Away! Provided by the Merchants of Cottage Grove • Chest freezer with beef included donated by Brad’s Cottage Grove • Dinners • Car Services • Massages • Gift Certifi cates • Golf • Health Club Workouts and much more. All this can be yours for just $2.00 per raffl e ticket 3 for $5.00 or 7 for $10.00 you do not have to be present to win the winner will be notifi ed by phone or mail Your Regional Public Transportation Service No elgibility requirements. 350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies) 541.942.7934 LOW COST Local & Metro Weekday Trips Professional Caring Staff Bring your stuff, sell it, and make a buck! No Charge to vendors, bring a table or two! p th Grou Our You lling e will be s Pop s n’ Hot Dog raiser und For a F Please remember we are a Church, so bringing old Playboy magazines would be un-cool…Thanks Phone: 541-942-7711 or 541-517-8493
