LIIRAKY
i or o
EUGENE. ORE.
Copies 10 Cents
Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, April 12, 1956
73rd Year, Number 5
rade School Dedication Saturday
I . v xV
NEW HEPPNER GRADE SCHOOL will be dedicated Saturday even
ing during special ceremonies and open house. The building
was completed during the winter, and has been in at least par
tial use during all of this school year. In the immediate fore
ground are offices and main entrance. The wing to the left
The formal dedication program
and open house of the new Hepp
ner grade school will be held this
Saturday night, school board
members and officials announ
ced this week.
The new 10-classroom and the
multipurpose room building
which was accepted by the board
from the contractors on March 5
will be dedicated during the
evening and the entire new plant
will be open for inspection by
residents of this area, Heppner
school superintendent Joe Stew
art said.
Construction of the $258,000
building was started just over a
year' ago by Simonton and Steele,
Portland buildng contractors,
and work was rushed during
much of last year to make some
of the classrooms available at the
start of school last September.
Since January all the classrooms
have been in use even while the
final finishing touches were be
ing added, so great was the need
for classroom space in the Hepp
ner school system.
The program, scheduled to
start at 8 p. m., will include music
by the Heppner high school band,
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VALEY LUTHERAN CHURCH, which will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding next Sunday,
looks much the same as it did when the building was dedicated October 24, 1897. This picture
was taken at the time of the dedication nearly 59 years ago. Many decendants of the founders
still live in the area and worship at the church.
Valby Lutheran Church to Observe
70th Anniversary of Founding Sunday
In April 1886 a group of pio
neer Swedish people who had
settled around the community
known as Gooseberry in Morrow
county asked Dr. Erik Norelius,
president of the Augustana Synod
of the Lutheran church to con
duct their first worship service.
This initial worship and holy
communion service was held at
the home of Charles Anderson on
Palm Sunday.
This year, in fact next Sunday,
April 15, the church will cele
brate the 7 anniversary of its
founding.
The following day, April 19,
1886, a second worship service
was conducted, this time at the
home of John Johnson. According
to the "memoirs" of Dr. Norelius
after services and a noon meal,
the pioneer group went out, sat
v :
invocation by Rev. Willis Geyer,
greetings by L. E. Dick, Jr. school
board chairman; Mrs. Mary Stev
ens, mayor of Heppner; and the
county school superintendent,
of the schoolhouse planning, for
Jack Flug. A. L. Beck, director
the state department of educa
tion will give the main address,
which will be followed by musi
cal selections by grade school
students, an explanation of the
building tour by elementary
principal Clarence Johnson, and
benediction by Rav. George R. S.
Little.
All rooms in the building will
contain special exhibits prepared
by the students)
Long Planning Required
The dedication of the new edu
cation plant climaxes a long ser
ies of events leading up to the
actual start of construction of
the building. Three sites were
voted on before the final decision
on the location was made. One
other site was approved, but a
bond issue for construction of a
building on the location was re
jected. In all, five special elec
tions were held in the district be
fore the final go-ahead was given
on the woodpile and there or
ganized Valby Lutheran church
with the following charter mem
bers: Charles Anderson, Andrew
Carlson, Nils Magnus Peterson,
Olaf Bergstrom, Oliver Pearson,
Andrew Anderson, John Peterson
and John Janson Erik Berg
strom, Aaron Peterson, Paul An
drew Lovgren, Paul, Swen and
Johannes Tradsen, F. A. Lundell
and A. Charleston were also
among the early formative group.
Pastor Norelius remained in the
community for two days and
then continued his peripatetic
preaching ministry. Paster Peter
Carlson visited the congregation
in November 1886 and again in
May, 1S87. Pastor J. W. Skans
made his first journey to Valby
on Oct. 2, 1887 and on this occa
sion resolutions were passed to
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houses the multipurpose room and the 10 classrooms, which are
located on two levels, start at the right and extend on out of the
picture to the east. Playground space is behind the building.
The ultra-modem plant will be open for inspection to all visitors.
(Photo by Irene Wilson)
the board by the voters who fin
ally approved a $290,000 bond is
sue in 1954.
The building is of concrete,
frame and brick veneer construc
tion and contains a total of 23,
850 square feet of space. Actual
construction cost was $10.84 per
square foot, well under the cost
of similar type buildings con
structed elsewhere In recent
years. The two-level plan for the
classroom end of the school aid
ed the holding down costs and
took full advantage of the land
area available. Architects were
Freeman, Hayslip, Tufts and
Hewlett of Portland.
I he first, six grades are now
housed in the new building with
276 students registered in the 10
rooms. Clarence Johnson is ele
mentary principal.
Considerable landscaping and
completion of the playground
area to the north of the school
remains to be done, though the
building itself Is entirely finish
ed Plans are now being
developed for the leveling
and preparation of the play
ground area which may call for
the culverting and covering over
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have the congregation incorpor
ated which was done early in
1888.
In 1896 the congregation elect
ed a building committee and on
Oct. 24,1897 the building was
dedicated. The historical record
indicates that this was one of the
first church buildings erected in
Morrow county and is possibly
one of the earliest remaining
churches.
Although the church never had
a full-time resident pastor, it has
fostered its Lutheran heritage to
the present day when its present
church board for 1956 has as
honorary deacons, Erik Berg
strom, brother of charter member
Olaf Bergstrom; and Ernest Lun
dell, son of F A. Lundell, charter
member. As trustees, Oscar
(Continued on page 6)
of a section of Hlnton creek. The
district owns some property on
the north side of the stream which
will be available for play use if
this plan is used. Much of this
work will be done this summer.
It has previously been an
nounced that a group of scotch
pipers under the direction of
David M. Steele, one of the con
tractors, would be present for the
dedication, however previous en
gagements will prevent them
taking part in the program it was
revealed.
Commencement
Set For May 22
Heppner high school com
mencement ceremonies have
been set for Tuesday, May 22 at
8 p. m., it was revealedthis week
by school officials. Dr. Frank
Bennett, president of Eastern Ore
gon College of Education will
speak at the exercises.
Baccalaureate services will be
May 20 at 8 p. m. in the Christian
church with Rev. Charles Knox
delivering the baccalaureate ser
mon. Grade school graduation exer
cises will be Wednesday, April
23 at 8 p. m., it was also re
vealed. Services Friday
For Mrs. Wick, 73
Funeral services for Margaret
Virginia Wick, 73. will be held,
Friday, April 13 at 2 p. m at the !
Congregational church in Con- i
don. She passed away Wednes
day at Pioneer Memorial hospi
tal. Mrs. Wick was born August 14,
1883 at Pittsburg, Pa. and had
been a resident of Gilliam county
for 61 years.
Survivors are one son Lester
Wick, Lonerock; three daughters,
Mrs. Alfred Lovgren, Heppner;
Mrs. Walter Hayes, Boardman,
Mrs. Louis LeTrace, Echo; three
sisters, Georgia and Jenny Kel
logg, both of Condon, and Mrs.
Lilly Oatman, Portland; Three
brothers, Bud Perry, Walla Walla;
Trayton Bradfield, Hermiston,
Charles Bradfield, Alsea; nine
grandchildren and six great
grandchildren. Rev. Stuart Goude will offici
ate at the services with Pythian
Sisters in charge of graveside
rites at the Lonerock cemetery.
o
Pickup Loses Four
Wheels to Thief
The sheriff's office this week
Is investigating the theft of all
four wheels and tires from a
pickup truck belonging to Sid
Zinter of Eightmile.
The theft occurred late last
week from the vehicle which was
parked near the Zinter cabin lo
cated off the Heppner-Spray
highway. Two days later the
cabin was entered and a con
siderable amount of groceries,
some clothes and a few tools were
taken, sheriff C. J. D. Bauman
reported.
Wednesday Dust
Cloud Leaves
Layer of Dirt
Just whose real estate settled
down over Morrow county and
most of the Columbia basin Wed
nesday nobody seems to know
for certain, but the thick cloud
of choking dust that blanked
out the sun for most of the day
gave Oregonians a taste of what
Los Angeles residents suffer
through regularly.
The dust pall hit this area early
Wednesday and in a short time
left a layer of silt on everything
At times visibility was reduced
to one-quarter mile or less. By
sundown, however, the cloud had
drifted on.
According to reports the dust
was probably a combination of
silt from a storm in the Central
Washington area and a mass of
air from the southwest which had
p. eked up dirt from Nevada,
Utah and Idaho. Practically no
wind accompanied the cloud in
this section giving it more the
appearance of a heavy fog ex
cept that it felt much different.
The storm came on the fourth
consecutive day of genuine spring
weather which brought the mer
cury up into the high 60s and
70s. A rising barometer indicat
ed Thursday that fair weather
might continue.
o
Van Marter New
Elks Ruler
La Verne Van Marter Jr. was
installed as exalted ruler of the
Elks lodge last Thursday night
at special installation ceremon
ies. He takes over as top officer
of the lodge from Milton Morgan
Jr. of lone.
Other new officers include Al
ton H. Yarnell, lone, leading
knight; William Labhart, loyal
knight; John Hartman, lecturing
knight; Jack Railey, - secretary;
H. D. McCurdy Jr., treasurer; R.
B. Ferguson, trustee; and Lowell
Gribble, tiler
Appointive officers named by
Van Marter include Delmar Jor
dan, esquire; Everett Keithley,
chaplain; and Glenn Ward, inner
guard.
o
Heppner Students
Win Speech Awards
Darrell Blake, Heppner high
school speech student won a
gold cup for first place in panel
speaking at the district speech
festival in La Grande April 5 and
6
Five other students competing
qualified for a place in the state
speech meet at Corvallis April 12
and 13. They are: second place,
Meredith Thomson in persuasive
and Wayne Soward, in impromp
tu; third place, James Monahan
in panel; Lance Tibbies in ex
temporaneous; and James and
Wayne Soward in debate, Fourth
place; Darrell Blake in after
dinner speaking. Alternates in
their divisions were Meredith
Thomson in poetry; and George
Little In serious.
LEGION PARTY CHANGED
The Heppner American Legion
meeting and anniversary party
announced la$t week for Satur
day, April 14 has been postponed
until a later date, due to con
flicts, it was announced this
week.
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AVvinu wiMHLiis winneis oi certificates ot recognition tor com
munity progress during the past year, which were presented at
last week's chamber of commerce annual banquet are, left to
right, Lowell Gribble, P-TA president, who accepted for the school
board; mayor Mrs. Mary Van Stevens; Paul Koenig, manager of
Heppner Pine Mills; W. C. Rosewall; and Jack Angel, who accept
ed for the board of Pioneer Memorial hospital. Not present when
picture was taken was James Farley, who received award for ad
ding new auto display room and shop to business district Second
from right is Phil Blakney, chamber president, who made the pre
rentations. ' (Photo by Schaffltx)
REGISTRATION
DEADLINE TUESDAY
County residents were re
minded again today by county
clerk Bruce Lindsay that next
Tuesday, April 17 is the last
day to register to vote in the
May 18 primary election.
The clerk's office will re
main open until 8 p. m. next
Tuesday to accept late regis
strations and residents of Lex
ington, lone, Boardman and Ir
rigon may register with the
registrar In each town.
Unless properly registered,
persons will be unable to vote
in May.
Rummage Needed For
Civic League Sale
Residents of this area having
rummage to contribute to the
Heppner Civic League rummage
sale April 20 and 21 are asked to
contact Mrs. Jack Loyd or Mrs.
Marvin Smith as soon as pos
sible The deadline for clean
ing garments has been set for
Monday and the women will
pickup rummage this weekend if
called.
According to co-chairmen Mrs.
Jack Van Winkle and Mrs. M. O.
Storro, donations of rummage to
date have been very slow. All
items from clothing to furniture
are acceptable. Rummage may
also be left at Jack's Chevron
station.
Members of the organization
will launder and press cotton
items and clothing needing
cleaning will be sent to the
Heppner Cleaners. Sorting Is
scheduled for Monday evening
with Mrs. Paul Koenig in charge.
The semi-annual event is a
benefit for the local kindergar
ten. 1000 Acres Strip
Cropping Added in
Heppner District
Over 1000 acres of wind and
strip crop farming were estab
lished In the Heppner Soil Con
servation district in March, ac
cording to a report made by Tom
Wilson of the soil conservation
service at a meeting of the dis
trict supervisors Tuesday night
In the bank building.
The new acreage, with an ad
ditional 1000 acres planned in
April, brings the district total of
strip farming to approximately
8000 acres. A total of 320 acres
of wind stripping was establish
ed on the D. O. Nelson ranch, in
Lexington and 689 acres of con
tour strip cropping on the ranches
of Don Peterson, lone; Walter
Ruggles, Burton Peck, and Ver
non Munkers, Lexington. Strip
cropping planned for April will
be on the ranches of Harold Peck
Rhea Creek; Elmer Palmer and
son and Fred Mankin and Paul!
Heinrichs, Eightmile,
Technical assistance for level
ing and developing the play
ground of the new Heppner grade
school was approved by the su
pervisors and plans made for ob
servance of soil stewardship Sun
day in all churches May 6. Plans
for purchasing a new drill for
district use was tabled until re
sults of seeding trials were ob
served by supervisors.
The March progress reports
showed 39,936 acres of conserva
tion soil surveys completed
bringing the total to 800,198
acres; grass-legume seedlngs
made on 285 acres and bruch
eradication on 30 acres
Attending the session were
Raymond French, Raymond Lun
dell, John Wightman, Don Peter
son, Douglas Price, Roy Tabor
and Wilson.
Requests Made
For Improvement of
Spray Highway
Letters went out to members of
the state highway commission
and highway engineers last week
from the chamber of commerce
and numerous individuals asking
that immediate action be taken
to repair the Heppner-Spray high
way and also place it on a pro
gram for paving.
An acknowledgement of the
chamber's letter was received yes
terday from the commission sec
retary H. B. Glaisyer stating that
members would be advised of the
improvement request.
Reports this week tell of con
siderable maintenance work
having been done on the road
during the past week by high
way crews, though there are
still several bad spots remain
ing. Load limits are still in
effect on the road, as they are on
the Condon and Hinton creek
highways, but a state highway
district engineer was in the area
Tuesday inspecting the roads and
will report his recommendations
to the highway commission. The
result of his inspection Is not
known, but it is thought that
the load limits probably will be
lifted within the next week or
so.
The chamber of commerce let
ter to the commission said, in
part:
"The Heppner-Spray road, par
ticularly that section of the road
between the mouth of Chapin
creek and where the said road
intersects with the John Day
highway near Spray, Is In such a
deplorable condition as to be
practically Impassible. Load
limits are in effect, which have
practically stopped all truck traf.
fic on the said road and Is ad
versely affecting the economy of
this county, particularly the city
of Heppner, as well as the econ
omy of Monument and other
points in Grant county.
'This road was constructed ap
proximately 30 years ago and
has never been improved to any
degree in the section heretofore
mentioned . . ,
"It Is the belief of the Cham
ber of Commerce of this city that
the traffic count on this road
would be materially Increased If
the road was put in proper condi
tion and made a modern high
way. At the present time, due
to the deplorable condition of the
road, the mill at Monument which
normally hauls its lumber, rough
green, over the said road to Hepp
ner for dry kilning, planing and
finishing, is at a complete shut
down adversely affecting the eco
nomy of that town, as well as
causing unemployment In the
local plant here. The petroleum
dealers st this area who serve
the Spray and Monument areas
are unable to haul their products
over said road. A number of
farmers who have brought equip
ment to be repaired in this sec
tion are unable to return the
equipment to hteir ranches In
Monument, Spray area due to
the fact that this road is Im
passible. "During the last two fiscal
years the stute highway commis
sion has not expended any funds
for any new road construction In
Morrow county except on high
way 30. We believe that we are
entitled to have a share of the
road funds budgeted for improve
ments to the existing state high
ways in this county; therefore,
we request the state highway
commission take immediate
steps to repair this road so that
it can be put in condition for nor
mal traffic and that contracts be
let for the improvement of this
section of the Heppner-Spray
road between the mouth of Cha
pin creek and its intersection
with the John Day highway with
view of having the same hard
surfaced and brought up to stan
dard of other state secondary
highways."
Broken Pole Causes
Power Outage Sunday
A broken power pole on a PP&
L line just west of Heppner
caused a power outage varying
from-one and one-half to seven
hours eaily Sunday when a pick
up truck driven by Louis Sayers,
Heppner, left the road and it
broke off the pole. The accident
happened at 5:15 a. m.
In the accident report Sayers
said a pilot's helmet fell to the
floor of the truck ,and as he
reached to pick it up the vehicle
left the road.
Lexington was without power
for about one and one-half hours
with some users between there
and Heppner being off until
shortly after noon.