2A • December 1, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
WHEN THE COURSE OF
HISTORY CHANGED
American Legion
to present day of
remembrance
Tip-a-Cop supports
Special Olympics
Police officers
work with
servers at Mo’s
Restaurant
By Brenna Visser
By R.J. Marx
Cannon Beach Gazette
Cannon Beach Gazette
Pearl Harbor Day and those who lost
their lives at the attack received recog-
nition Monday night. The Seaside City
Council unanimously endorsed a proc-
lamation recalling Dec. 7, 1941, when
more than 2,400 Americans were killed
in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
“On that day, life changed in Amer-
ica, and the course of history was al-
tered,” reads the proclamation, delivered
by Councilor Steve Wright and signed
by Mayor Jay Barber.
The proclamation praises the reaction
of Americans, who reacted to the attack
with “firm determination to defeat tyran-
ny and secure our nation.”
At the height of the conflict, the Unit-
ed States had ships on every continent.
In all more than 16 million Americans
wore a military uniform and came from
all walks of life.
At home, “Millions more contributed
to the war effort, laboring for victory in
factories, on farms and across America,”
reads the proclamation.
“That is a solemn day to remember
for sure,” Barber said after its reading.
DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP
Color Guard from Camp Rilea prepare to present the colors
during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony in Seaside.
Deep roots
Seaside’s legacy of Pearl Harbor re-
membrance has deep roots.
Bill Thomas, a seaman on the USS
Medusa, was “the impetus” for Seaside’s
Pearl Harbor remembrance, former
Mayor Don Larson said in 2015. In the
1970s, Thomas moved to Seaside where
he rallied for veterans and proposed a
Pearl Harbor memorial on the First Av-
enue Bridge.
Thomas died last December.
The county’s last remaining survi-
vor, Spurgeon D. Keeth, is expected at
the Dec. 7 event at the convention cen-
ter. The memorial begins at 9 a.m. at the
Seaside Convention Center lobby. The
service will move outside to the Pearl
Harbor Memorial Bridge, adjacent to the
convention center, for a wreath-laying
ceremony and a possible Coast Guard
flyover at 9:55 a.m. The event is spon-
sored by Seaside American Legion Post
99. Refreshments will be served after the
service.
JOSHUA BESSEX/EO MEDIA GROUP
Bill Thomas, a Pearl Harbor survivor aboard the USS Medu-
sa, salutes as Boy Scout Troop 642 lowers the flag to half-staff
during the Pearl Harbor Day of Remembrance ceremony. Thom-
as died in December 2016.
For one night only, people
at Mo’s Restaurant got their
cup of chowder served by
the police officers of Cannon
Beach and Seaside.
Police officers shadowed
the servers of the seafood
restaurant Thursday, Nov. 16,
for the second annual Tip-a-
Cop, an event that raises mon-
ey for local and regional Spe-
cial Olympics programs.
Special Olympians from
Clatsop County also worked
beside the police officers,
acting as hosts and greeters.
After getting drinks and tak-
ing orders, part of the job for
the officer was to ask for extra
tips to support the program.
The fundraiser started
in the county two years ago
after Cannon Beach Police
Chief Jason Schermerhorn
talked with a representative
from the Special Olympics at
a police chief’s conference.
A phone call and two emails
later, Mo’s Restaurant was
on board and officers had
Mo’s hats on their heads and
cups of clam chowder in their
hands.
“Doing this is just anoth-
er way to be involved in the
community,” Schermerhorn
said. “It brings light to the
Special Olympics. Some-
times I think people here
don’t know we have athletes
here, and it’s nice to highlight
their stories.”
Special Olympics Oregon
provides year-round sports
training and athletic compe-
tition in a variety of Olym-
pic-type sports for children,
youth and adults living with
intellectual disabilities, said
Adam Kau, the director of
programs at Special Olym-
pics Oregon.
Kau said the statewide
fundraiser has already raised
BRENNA VISSER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Special Olympians Chey-
enne Valenzuela and Selah
Bryce work as hosts at Mo’s
Restaurant as a part of the
Tip-a-Cop fundraiser for
the Special Olympics.
$90,000 so far, with more ex-
pected to come in.
“The contribution is enor-
mous. All the proceeds pay
for the buses the athletes
can take to competitions,
uniforms, programs and the
overall athlete experience,”
Kau said.
There are about 100 Spe-
cial Olympians in Clatsop
County. Steve McAloney,
who was at the event as sup-
port while his son greeted
people at the front, said they
became involved a few years
back. He started as a parent
who would drop off his son
at basketball practice. Even-
tually, he became passionate
enough to become the region-
al coordinator for the county.
“For most of these ath-
letes, the chance of competing
on a high school sports team
is slim,” McAloney said. “It
keeps these kids physically
fit, sure, but also they make
so many friends through this.
And so many are gifted ath-
letes — you just have to give
them the right environment.
These kids are some of the
hardest workers you could
ask for.”
To show how hard she
worked, Selah Bryce wore
all of her medals around her
neck as she walked patrons to
their tables.
“I do aquatics and track.
I’ve won a lot,” she said with
a smile.
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