Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2019)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly www.thecolumbiapress.com November 29, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 48 Park gets new name in honor of veterans Quilts provide a warm ‘Thank you for your service’ Sixteen armed service veterans were showered with a little love and warm quilts by women from the Quilts of Valor Foundation. The quilts were wrapped around each veteran during a ceremony at the monthly meeting of the Veter- ans of Foreign Wars Fort Stevens Post 10580 on Thursday, Nov. 21. “I know how hard it is to be a vet- eran or even how hard it is to be a spouse of a veteran,” said Chris Dunn of Quilts of Valor. The quilts are an expression of appre- ciation and “something to keep them warm; something to let them know they’re loved.” Quilts of Valor began in 2003 and has its headquarters in Iowa. Every quilt is unique and, usual- ly, more than one person worked on each quilt. B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Above: Tom Anderson, an Air Force Vietnam veteran, jokes with Myrtle Ed- dens as she wraps him in a quilt. Below: Teresa Koster hugs Charles Hansen, a Marine vet who served in Korea, after wrapping him in a quilt. Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press Seated, L-R: Eugene Book, Army, Korea; Bert Little, Navy, Vietnam; Charles Han- sen, Marines, Korea; Dave Hanlon, Army, Vietnam; Tom Anderson, Air Force, Vietnam; George Gunn, Navy, WWII. Back, L-R: Mark Warren, Coast Guard, Desert Shield/Storm; LeRoy Dunn, Army, Korea; Richard Gilliam, Army, Vietnam; Carl Yates, Army, Vietnam; Phillip McCurdy, Army, Vietnam; Mel Jasmin, Marines, Korea; Tiffany Adams, Navy, Persian Gulf, Somalia and Kuwait; Dennis Pratt, VFW state- wide junior vice commander; Kimberly Wright, Army, Desert Shield/Storm; Mayor Henry Balensifer; Scott Parker, Army, Vietnam; and Brad Horn, Marines, Vietnam. The tiny park at the four-way stop has a few unofficial names: post office park and flagpole park among them. The park got an official name Tues- day night: Warrenton Memorial Pla- za. The 0.3-acre park at the crossroads of downtown is undergoing change. Soon it will be a community gather- ing place. For the past month, a work crew from Big River Construction has been adding concrete walkways and soil amendment and soon will add grass, shrubs, trees, lights and benches. The plaza includes the new veterans memorial, which was installed and dedicated in 2018 by VFW Fort Ste- vens Post 10580. The city’s Parks Advisory Board conducted a survey to rename the park and 20 of the 50 respondents selected Warrenton Memorial Plaza. Less popular names were Memorial Park, Hero’s Appreciation Park and Appreciation Memorial Park. “I think Warrenton Memorial Plaza is kind of classy,” City Commissioner Rick Newton said. Mayor Henry Balensifer wanted to See ‘Park’ on Page 6 German students connect with Lewis & Clark B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Connecting with one’s roots can mean explor- ing a new world. For 23 teenagers who attend school in Wall- dorf, Germany, a connection was made in Asto- ria, Warrenton and Seaside. They came last week to view the historical trail of John Jacob Astor, born in Walldorf and America’s first millionaire. Astoria is named for him. “We’re having a great time over here,” said Jens Albrecht, headmaster of the Walldorf Re- alschule. His students visited Astoria City Hall, Astor Column, Fort Clatsop, South Jetty, Columbia See ‘Germany’ on Page 5 Students from Germany pose for a group shot at South Jetty in Fort Stevens State Park.