NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
A13
Community HEALTH BEAT
Eagle file photo
The historic Kam Wah Chung building in John Day.
Visit Kam Wah
Chung from home
Museum launches
new website that will
feature virtual reality
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
COVID-19 has postponed
the 2020 season for the Kam
Wah Chung State Heritage
Site, but physical limitations
play no part in the online expe-
rience on their new website.
The Friends of Kam Wah
Chung Museum worked in
collaboration with the Astir
Agency of Bend to develop
and design the new website for
Kam Wah Chung.
The old website was a few
years outdated, according to
Katee Withee, the president
of the Friends of Kam Wah
Chung Museum board, but the
new website provides a mod-
ern look with potential.
“We wanted something
new, modern and clean and
something we could grow and
expand with us over the next
few years,” Withee said.
The new website plans to
provide virtual reality expe-
riences, 360-degree tours
and interpretation opportu-
nities. While not available at
the moment, the Oregon State
Parks and Recreation Depart-
ment has been working on
making VR available.
The state plans to fund the
VR filming and glasses, and
the Friends group will provide
the website to host the video,
Withee said.
“State Parks has a contract
with a videographer to film
more VR content for the web-
site and have interaction where
you can touch certain objects
and read more about certain
items,” Withee said. “It was
canceled due to the budget with
the pandemic, but it’s hoping
to pick up next summer so you
can have more interaction with
the building itself or with our
interpretive center or our archi-
val space.”
Along with the online fea-
tures, the new website is also a
place where current and ongo-
ing research can be shared.
“We’re learning more about
the people who lived in that
area and telling a different
perspective or aspect of his-
tory that is not always shared,”
Withee said. “It’s kind of neat
that we can update and share
that information in real time
via our website.”
The team is currently work-
ing on a searchable index cata-
logue for all the documents and
objects available at the site.
“The website kind of fills
the need for not being able
to visit museum in person,”
Withee said.
Friends of Kam Wah Chung
was able to provide the website
by fundraising through a mem-
bership drive, donations from
visitors and a local grant from
the Grant County Chamber of
Commerce.
People interested in donat-
ing, volunteering or obtaining
a membership can visit friend-
sofkamwahchung.com.
Crane superintendent named
Administrator of the Year
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Oregon Small Schools
Association has named Matt
Hawley its 2020 Administrator
of the Year.
Hawley is the superin-
tendent of Crane Elemen-
tary School District and Crane
Union High School in Harney
County. Crane Union High
School is a boarding school
that serves students from a
large geographic area. Hawley
also serves as the public school
sponsor for Silvies River Char-
ter School and Oregon Family
School.
When Hawley took over
the helm at Crane several years
ago, the district was struggling
financially and academically.
According to Shannon Criss,
superintendent of the Harney
Education Service District,
“Under Mr. Hawley’s leader-
ship the districts are financially
secure, the facilities have seen
tremendous
improvements
and student achievement and
opportunities are on the rise.”
Criss said she was amazed
at the number of projects Haw-
ley had going to improve the
grounds and classrooms, as
well as housing for teachers.
Criss said that Hawley is
committed not only to stu-
dents’ academic success, but to
the “whole child.”
“He understands that a stu-
dent who is well-rounded is
one who can excel both in and
out of the classroom,” Criss
said.
Athletics have excelled
at Crane, as well as offerings
for students. Hawley worked
closely with Silvies River Char-
ter School to bring the Pax-
ton Patterson Career classes to
the charter school and to Crane
Union High School, a big pos-
itive for their rural and charter
school students.
“Matt Hawley is a super-
intendent who possesses qual-
ities that make him stand
out from the rest. I have only
known Matt a short time, but in
that time have come to respect
and admire his dedication and
commitment to the betterment
of education for all,” Criss said.
Contributed photo
Crane Superintendent Matt
Hawley, who was named 2020
Administrator of the Year by
the Oregon Small Schools As-
sociation, poses with some of
his students.
Hawley will receive his
OSSA 2020 Administrator
of the Year award later this
summer.
“The OSSA board of direc-
tors is very happy to honor
Matt Hawley this year. He is
an exemplary leader whose
work has improved the success
of students in Oregon’s small
school districts,” said Michael
Carter, OSSA board president.
Hawley earned his Bache-
lor of Education degree from
Western Oregon State Col-
lege and his Masters in Edu-
cation Leadership from North-
west Nazarene University.
He received his Superinten-
dent Endorsement/Education
Specialist Degree from Uni-
versity of Idaho and com-
pleted his Continuing Admin-
istration Licensure Program
from Lewis & Clark Col-
lege. Hawley began his teach-
ing career at Hood River Val-
ley High School, worked in the
Vale School District and came
to Harney County schools in
2015.
OSSA recognizes one
school administrator each
year who excels in the lead-
ership position. Criteria
include integrity, leader-
ship, commitment to com-
munity, scholarship and stu-
dent achievement. OSSA
serves as an advocate for the
benefits of rural education
and small schools across the
state. For more information,
visit oregonssa.org.
Quality Healthcare Close to Home
170 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-1311 • www.bluemountainhospital.org
Blue Mountain Hospital District Welcomes New General Surgeon, Dr. Jerry
Guanciale to the team. Dr. Guanciale comes to Grant County with nearly 30 years of
experience. “We are excited to have Dr. Guanciale joining our team at Blue Mountain
Hospital District” - (Derek Daly, BMHD CEO) “He brings broad surgery experience
and a diverse skill set to BMHD that will benefit our Grant County residents and the
patients we serve.”
He was raised in western Pennsylvania with three brothers and a sister. Following
graduation from Penn State University, he completed four years of Osteopathic medical
education at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Accepted to a premier
Osteopathic surgical residency at the Grandview Hospital and Medical Center in
Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Guanciale completed rotations at the Cleveland Clinic (OH) in
Colorectal Surgery, Grant Hospital, Columbus, OH for Trauma Surgery and Dayton
Children’s Hospital for Pediatric Surgery. Following completion of his residency, Dr.
Guanciale followed his passion for rural medicine in Kentucky and South Carolina
before settling in Myrtle Beach, SC for 12 years. He completed a Fellowship in Cosmetic
Surgery in 2008 from a center in Beverly Hills, CA. The draw of the desert took him to
Arizona and Nevada where he continued to practice rural surgery, while incorporating
his skills with his Cosmetic Surgery training. Most recently he worked in Mesquite
Nevada. Dr. Guanciale is board certified by the American Board of Osteopathic Surgery
and the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.
He has a passion for advanced endoscopy, colonoscopy, laparoscopic, minimally
invasive procedures, breast surgery, as well as cosmetic procedures. He moved to John
Day with his wife Tina and their Boykin Spaniel, Desi. He has two daughters that live
in Portland. In his spare time, Dr Guanciale loves exploring the outdoors, hunting,
fishing, off-road cruising, water skiing, golfing, and travel. He has been enjoying the
John Day Golf Club and is looking forward to exploring more of the wilderness. “The
people here have been so welcoming and friendly!” Dr. Guanciale is looking forward to
the possibility of providing additional services here in Grant County that aren’t currently
available.
Bend Ortho - Dr. Scott Jacobson 7/16
July
Bend Neuro - Dr. Raymond Tien 7/17
Visiting
Specialists Baker Podiatrist - Dr. Ruston 7/20
Bend Ortho - Korena Farris Larsen PA 7/27
Blue Mountain
Care Center
Resident of the Month
Donna Wyllie
Donna Wyllie was born to Robert L. Porter and Elma Lavelle Osborne Porter on October 27th,
1938 in Redding, California. She and her brother, Robert L. Porter Jr. were raised in Fall River Mills,
California.
Donna married Harry G. Santos and they had two children: Lindsey and Russell. After their
divorce, she married Laurie Wyllie in 1960 and had 2 daughter, Lori and Jamie and a son Layton. Laurie
had a young son, Kelly, and Donna loved him as her own. Donna and Laurie divorced in 1975.
Donna worked as a housewife, a receptionist for PG&E, as a rancher, and at the Blue Mt. Eagle. She
also worked for Chaney Asphalt and Pavement, was a dispatcher at Charlie Brown Trucking, worked
at Ace Hardware for 20 years in Nevada and sold mobile homes for Pioneer Mobile Homes. Donna
went to work as an aide at Blue Mountain Hospital on the second day it was open; her favorite part was
working with the mama’s and their babies. While working for the Blue Mt. Eagle, she would drive to
Prairie City on Tuesday nights to help Ruth Harris and Jerry Franklin with the Pioneer Press. She put
together the Elk’s Bulletin each month and was an Elkette.
Donna has lived in Nevada and Oregon. She and her family drove from Nevada to Gore, Oklahoma
to visit her Aunt. Her favorite place to travel with her family was Burney Falls Park, California.
Donna now has 14 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. She enjoys collecting teapots and salt
and pepper shakers. She also enjoys doing crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles and playing pinochle. She
also got to see Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Diamond
Rio, Neil Diamond and many others. She also met Bob Orisson a stuntman for the movies and Ron Ely
who played Tarzan.
In 1980, Donna was in Portland on her way to the Coast; when she heard about Mt. St. Helen’s; so
she drove towards the mountain and got very close. She took several pictures. It was a good thing she
ran out of film, as on her way out a police officer stopped and told her that she was only 12 air miles away
from the eruption. There were deer running away from the area as well. “I got home and I knew I had
been to Mt. St. Helen’s as there were ashes the car’s engine and everywhere”. She had the garage people
help her with that. She kept some of the ashes in a baby food jar and they would sift through the lid if it
wasn’t screwed on tight.
Donna came to Blue Mountain Care Center on September 27, 2017.
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