CityFo-Keep Present Mountain Water
1""
PHIL BLADINE, Publisher of the
McMinnville News -Register,
will be guest speaker at Moa
day night's Heppner-Morrow
Count Chamber of Commerce
annual banquet.
Job Development
Plan to be C of C
Speaker's Subject
Tickets went on sale early this
week for the chamber of com
merce annual banquet to be held
Monday evening, April 22 at the
Heppner Legion hall.
Main speaker for the event will
be Phil Bladine, publisher of the
McMinnville News -Register, and
an active member in the McMinn
ville chamber of commerce. He
will tell of the well-known "Mc
Minnville Plan" which was de
veloped by that- city's chamber
and business men to attract in
dustry to the area which would
provide additional payroll. Bla
dine was active in the formation
of the plan and will explain how
such a proposal could be put
into effect here.
Other features of the banquet
will be a report on the year's ac
complishments, the presentation
of awards and the calling of a
portion of the bonds sold by the
chamber to finance installation
of the lighting system at the
rodeo field.
Master of ceremonies will
be Gordon Pratt, vice-principal
of Heppner high school and the
dinner will be served by mem
bers of Epsilon Sigma Alpha sor
ority of lone.
The banquet is open to the pub.
lie and tickets are on .sale at
the First National Bank, Turner,
Van Marter and Bryant Insurance
and the Gazette Times. It is sche
duled to start at 6 p. m. with
a social hour, president Jack
Angel announced.
Crippled Children's
Clinic Set May 15
The semi-annual crippled
children's clinic will be held at
the offices of the Umatilla county
health department in Pendleton
May 15, it was announced this
week by Mrs. Velma Glass, Mor
row county health nurse.
This is a doagnostic, clinic
sponsored by the crippled child
ren's division of the University
of Oregon medical school. Dr.
Donald Smith of Pendleton will
be the examining orthopedic
specialist and other personnel
such as the medical social work
er, physical therapist, etc., will
come from Portland.
Any resident of Morrow county
under the age of 21 years with
a ciippling condition may attend
the clinic for diagnosis without
charge. Application forms are
available from the Morrow county
health department in Heppner.
An appointment must be made,
so persons wishing to attend are
asked to request an application
form so they will be assured of
an appointment. The public
health nurse will assist with
filling out the application and
she may be contacted by calling
Heppner 6-9911.
r.
Funds Started for
Church Window
Valby Lutheran church is es
tablishing a fund to put a stain
ed glass window in the new
Hope Lutheran church now under
construction in Heppner. It will
be a memorial window for the
pioneers of the Valby church,
it was stated.
Persons interested in aiding
the fund may contact Mrs. Lau
rence Becket
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Doolittle
returned Tuesday from Portland
where they visited a week with
their daughter and son-in-law,
Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Perrott and
son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and
Mrs. Paul Doolittle. In Aums
ville they visited with Mr. and
Mrs. Spencer Akers.
: 7
V f - 111
Copies 10 Cents
IT CAN HAPPEN
Tonido
HUGE HAIL
STONES DROP
FROM STORM
Yes, it was a real "twister"
. . . the first tornado to be seen
in Morrow county in almost 70
years.
The much-talked-about tor
nado which formed shortly after
noon last Friday on the McElli
gott ranch southwest of lone and
travelled about 20 miles before
the long black funnel finally dis
sapated at the outskirts of Lex
ington, caused more excitement
among those persons who watch
ed its progress than any act of
nature seen here in many years.
The twister was accompanied
by high winds and heavy rain
and hail from the parent storm
to which it was attached, but
fortunately damage was only
minor. As far as can be de
termined no buildings were struck
though the funnel passed within
a short distance of several ra'nch
houses and barns and finally
disolved within a mile or so of
Lexington where steps were hur
redly being taken to get school
students into a safe place in
the building.
Several reports have been re
ceived of telephone poles being
liftd out of the ground and of
fences that were picked up and
then dropped many feet from
their former location. Little if
any crop damage resulted from
the storm as most wheat is still
too short to be effected.
Hail and Rain Heavy
The storm was accompanied
by heavy rain and hail, even
after the funnel disappeared.
Lexington received nearly an
inch and one-half of pea-sized
hail and in many places it drifted
as deep as a foot. Near the edge
of the storm some of the largest
hail stones ever seen here were
dropped, but in small numbers.
Several were picked up at the
west edge of Heppner (as shown
in- the accompanying photo
graph) which were as big as
golf balls or larger. Insurance
agents have reported a .few
claims for broken windows and
roof damage and the rear window
of at least one car was shattered
by the stones.
Two ranchers north of Lex
ington reported over one half
inch of rain fell within less than
10 minutes and as the storm pro
gressed over Black Horse canyon
and Sand Hollow the fall was
even heavier. The most rain re
ported was 1.20 inches measured
at the Gene Cutsforth ranch in
Sand Hollow. It fell in less than
one-half hour.
Last Tornado in 1887. At the annual dinner meeting of
According to reports, the last the Morrow county TB and Health
time a tornado struck Morrow Association held at the Wagon
county was June 14, 1887. That wheel Tuesday evening it was
storm passed through Lexington voted to give free chest X-rays
causing one death and consider- at the hospital on the first Wed
able damage. It was also about nesday evening of each month
that same time that similar from 7:0o to 8:30 p. m. instead
twisters damaged Long Creek 0f jUSt twice a year as in the
and tore up trees in the Monu- past.
ment area. R wag reported tnat Morrow
:?? county was second in the state
TORNADO PHOTO
WANTED BY GT
The Gazette Times has ben
unable to locate anyone who
took a picture of last Friday's
tornado which can be used for
a newspaper cut. One was ob
tained, but its quality was such
that it would not make a usable
newspaper picture.
If any reader has such a
picture which is sharp enough
for this paper to reproduce, we
would appreciate having a print
of it as quickly as possible.
If one is found, it will be
printed next week. .The nega
tive is preferred and it will be
returned unharmed.
PLANE CRASH VICTIM
KNOWN IN COUNTY
James Andreas who was killed
last weekend in a plane crash
near Medford, was a former resi
dent of Condon and was well
known in this area. He served
as a Seventh Day Adventist min
ister in this section about 1950.
Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, April 18, 1957
HERE...
Scares,
Xf """SI
NO, NOT GOLFBALLS . . .HAILSTONES Last Friday's thunder -
storm which brought a tornado to sections of the county also
dropped some huge hailstones in certain areas. These were picked
up near the west city limits
ground 15 to 20 minutes before being photographed. Another group
of big ones is being kept in a freezer at the Gazeette Times office
to prcve to Doubting Thomases that Morrow county can also grow
man-sized hail. The hand belongs to state patrolman Bill Lab
hart, on whose car fender the stones were placed for photograph
ing. . (GT Photo)
Rainfall Records
Continue to Fall
-As Does Moisture
March set the all time record
for rainfall at Heppner, and
from all appearances the month
of April is out to set another one,
figures from the Heppner wea
ther station indicate.
Continuing storms over the
county dropped .57 inch of rain
here during the past week to
bring the April total to 1.14
inches. During fhe entire month
of April 1956 Heppner received
only .09 inch and the 10 year
average is only 1.49 inches. The
40 year average is even less at
1.37.
Leonard Carlson, Gooseberry
observew reports 1.20 inches for
April and 10.72 since September
1, 1956, the crop year.
Heppner has received a total
of 7.34 inches since the first of
the year, a record which is con
tinuing to get better as time goes
on.
Records at the Heppner station
during the past week showed:
Max. Min. Prec.
62 44 .
59 40 .24
58 35 .11
63 46 .03
61 34 .
54 31 .
58 40 .19
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
(Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Enlarged X-ray
Program Planned By
TB and Health Group
percentage wise in seal sales for
the year, receiving $1,474.50 dur
ing the sale, it was also re
ported that 794 chest X-rays had
been given at the hospital, to
incoming patients, during the
year.
' P. V. Mahoney discussed in
corporating the association and
it was voted to incorporate wltn
the four top officers as the in
corporators. Mrs. L. E. Dick was appointed
seal sale chairman for the com
ing year and the officers, presi
dent, Mrs. Herman Green; vice
president, Mrs. Lowell Gribble;
treasurer, Mrs. W. W. Weather
ford and secretary, Mrs. Kenneth
Peck were unanimously reelected
for another term.
The president appointed a com
mittee of Mrs. Velma Glass, L. E.
Dick, Mrs. Robert Penland and
Mrs. Noel Dobyns of lone to in
vestigate and formulate plans for
the association to sponsor a scho
larship to a girl interested in
nursing.
The nominating committee for
next year named was Mrs. Wil
liam Labhart, Mrs. Lowell Grib
ble, and Mrs. Kenneth Peck.
But Damage Light
of Heppner and had been on the
Angel Resigns
As Chamber Head
Jack N. Angel, president of the
Heppner-Morrow county chamber
of commerce and administrator
of Pioneer Memorial hospital,
Monday submitted his resigna-
lion as head of the chamber. He
took office January 1 this year,
Angel stated that hp is coins
into private buinesJn the near
future which will require so much
of his time that he would be
unable to adequately serve the
chamber as president. He has
also sumbitted his resignation as
hospital head but will not leave
that post for five or six months.
The chamber directors will
name his successor within a
short time.
o :
County Again
Tops Cancer Drive
For the seventh consecutive
year Morrow county was the
first county in the state to go
over the top in the April crusade
of the American Cancer Society's
Oregon Division, H. B. Cooper,
Portland, state chairman announ
ced late this week. Mrs. Howard
Pettyjohn of Heppner has served Texas- He was in the 3545th chairmen and the hostess com
as local chairman for the past Pilot training group and received jmittee will be Mrs. William Lab
three years. his Air Force wings at the gradu- hart, Mrs. Paul Hisler and Mrs.
By late last week Mrs. Petty- ation' Don Bellenbrock.
john reported that 124.7 percent For the next six months Lt. n
of the county quota had beenjplPer will be with the 3565th GRADUATION DATES SET
reached and the figure is still
rising.
Pilot Critical
After Plane Crash
Vern Green, 31 year old Hood
River pilot suffered critical in
juries Friday afternoon when the
light plane he was piloting
crashed just east of the Lexing
ton airport runway. The plane!
spun into the ground only a
short distance from the Lexing-1
ton-Echo highway from an altl-'
tude of about 300 feet. , j
Green had taken off from the!
Lexington field only a few min-j
utes before on his way back to
Hood River, but apparently storm
conditions caused him to change
his mind and return to the field.
In making his landing approach
turn, he apparently was caught
in a squall over the canyon
which sent the ship out of con-
trol.
Green was brought to Pioneer
Memorial hospital after being
extricated from the wrecked Tav.
lnrrraft nlann It ronllirA1 tho lico
of hack saws to cut him from
the nlane's framework.
-ii ta i
ine puoi suuereu muiupie
compound fractures of both legs,
concussion and severe head lac-
erations and his condition is
still listed as serious. He is mar-
rled and the father of three small
children.
' 74th Year, Number 6
Two Top Honor
Students Are
Named at HHS
Heppner high school's top
honor students were named this
week. They are Miss Mary Jo
Stewart, valedictorian, and Ger
ald "Jay" Sumner, salutatorian.
Miss Stewart, the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Joe H. Stewart,
has attended Heppner high
school for two years, and her
grade point average for her full
four years of high school is 3.96.
In addition to a top grade
' point average, she has served on
Hie Heliisch and Mustang staffs;
, as president of the National
' Honor Society; secretary-treas
urer of Quill and Scroll; GAS
vice-president; a member of the
Pep Club: was chosen Girl of
the Month for April; a member of
the volleyball team, band, Let
terettes and the FBLA. She has
been a delegate to two press con
ferences. Other activities include
Rainbow for Girls, 1956 local
United Nations contest winner
and winner of the Elks most val
uable student award.
Jay Sumner completed his four
years of high school work with
a grade point of 3.91. He is the
son of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Sumner.
Jay's activities Include: editor
of the yearbook, member of the
National Honor Society, Quill
and Scroll, band concert master,
sergeant at arms of the student
body, student council member,
class president and parlimentar
ian, Boy of the Month for October,
FBLA member, delegate to four
press conferences and he was ac
claimed in the upper one percent
ui me nauuu 111 aigeura Know-'
ledge as a freshman.
" , 1
Ho was a delegate to Bovs
State, national Boy Scout jam
boree, and was Hoppner high
math contest winner as a sopho
more. For two years he has re
ceived honorable mention awards
for outstanding under-classman
journalistic contributions.
The two top seniors will re-
,kt. . i i. a ii
ueive ineii uwuius hi grauuuiion
exercises May 22.
Lt. Loren Piper
Receives AF Wings
Lt. Loren E. Piper, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Rufus Piper of Heppner,
graduated April 12 at Goodfellow
Air Force Base, San Angelo,
navigation training wing station-
ea at james uonnauy akh ati
Waco, Texas. , j
o
for
RUMMAGE PICKUP.
Anyone having rummage
the Civic League sale May 3 and
4, which needs to be picked upj
may call 6-9725 or 6-9284, it has
been announced. It may be left
at Jack's Chevron station if de-days with his brother C. C. Gil
sired. liam.
it v
$
f
I
'K.
HOOD RIVER PILOT, Vern Green, is in serious condition in Pioneer
j Memorial hospital from Injuries suffered when his light plane
j crashed in this field near Lexington airport See story
j (Photo by Scott McMillan)
:: s
VALEDICTORIAN of Heppner
high school graduating class is
Miss Mary Jo Stewart.
SALUTATORIAN of HHS senior
class is Gerald "Jay" Sumner.
Elks To Sponsor
Saturday Morning
Easter Egg Hunt
The Heppner Elks lodge will
sponsor an Easter egg hunt next
Saturday morning at the court
house lawn for all county youngs
ters up to the sixth grade. The
scramble for prize eggs is sche
duled to start at 10 a. m.
Included In the hundreds of
colored eggs hidden , in the area
will be 20 prize ones worth a
silver dollar, or other prizes, to
the finders. The front lawn will
1)2 reserved for pre school child
ren, the rest for those up to the
sixtn grade
,,,,, u,
.. Ih commltU-e
the hunt is Mrs.
i,,irma m-o
in charge of
Tom Wilson,
LaVerne Van
Marter, Mrs. John Hartman, Mrs.
Harlan McCurdy, Jr., Mrs. Everett
Keithley, Mrs. William Labhart
and Mrs. Jack Van Winkle. -
Heppner P-TA To
See Style Show
The Heppner F. II. A. Chap
ter of the Heppner high school
will give their annual style show
at the P-TA meeting Wednesday
evening, April 24 at 8:00 p. m. in
the multipurpose room of the
new school.
Mrs. Homer Hager will be pro
gram chairman, Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Anderson. hosDitalitv
Graduation for Heppner high
school has been set for Wednes
day evening, May 22 and for the
' grade school Thursday evening,
J May 23. More particulars will
be printed at a later date.
Leonald Gilliam left Tuesday
by plane for Campbell, Calif.,
where he will visit for about 10
J 1
s I
m
Source
Pipeline Renewal
To Start, Summer
Supply Assured
The City of Heppner will start
immediately on a program to re
place nine miles of worn out
water supply pipe line with new
steel pipe, it was decided bv fhe
council Monday night at a spe
cial meeting called to cope with
the suddenly serious water sup
ply problem.
Bids will be asked for bv next
council meeting on the purchase
of two miles of steel pipe which
will be sufficient to solve the im
mediate problem, and plans will
be developed within the next two
or three months to finance fhe
remainder of the project.
Only two weeks aso the eoun.
cil received a report from its
engineers concerning the renewal
of its antiquated water supply
system from its upper wells 13
miles above town on Willow
creek, and it was planned by the
councilmen that a study of the
proposal, which included the
suggestion that new wells be
drilled, be made during the next
several months. The sudden
change in the water picture, cau
sed by the rebuilding of the Wil
low creek road, under which a
portion of the city's pipe line
runs, was the reason for the Im
mediate action by the city.
The entire nine miles of the
line is in need of renewal, and
the council has been eivine the
work serious thought over the
past year, as to feasibility and
mctnods or financing. The engi
neers' report was a maior steD
in determining this program.
Work on the road rebuilding,
however, has caused many breaks
in the 41 year old concrete line
during the past few weeks, and
it became aDDarent that If the
city was to have adequate water
this summer, something had to
be done immediately.
Cost Scaled Down
The engineer's reDort estimated
the cost of replacing the more
than nine miles of old pipeline
(Four miles of the total leneth
are now steel) at about $193,-
000, and suggested the idea that
the city consider drilling new
wells closer to town as a cheap
er way to get water. Council dis.
cussion centered about the rapid
ly falling water table in the
county and fear was expressed
that several expensive wells
might be drilled without finding
a supply sufficient to furnish the
city. It was pointed out that one
000 foot dry hole was drilled be
fore the present "lower" well
three miles from town, was
brought in which supplies about
350 gallons per minute. It was
also feared that additional wells
in the same area could verv
possibly tap the same water
sourse as the present well, mak
ing it useless.
Several council members ex
pressed the feeling that although
the cost of bringing water from
the upper wells might be ex
pensive, the supply was proven
and the water is rated as second
best in the state of Oregon. Many
cities must bring their water
many times farther, it was point
ed out, and still don't have as
good water as is available here.
Cost of replacing the critical
two-mile section was set at ap
proximately $25,000 and the
council felt that the entire nine
miles could be laid for consider
ably less than the engineer's
estimate of $193,600. Monev for
the present work will be gleaned
from budget monev for the cur
rent year, and from next year's
budget which starts its fiscal
year July 1.
Bonds May Be Needed
After more study Is given to
the Job, the council will proba
bly be forced to ask the people
to approve a bond issue for an
undetermined amount to com-
plete the work. It had been hoped
that about one mile of th line
could be replaced each year,
without the necessity of bonding
but engineering showed that the
present line would be olanned
to follow the new Willow creek
road which is an even grade.
while the old line follows a Dath
on the south side of Willow creek
for most of its distance and coes
over many ridges and Into num
erous canyons, causing serious
pressure ana breakage problems.
The council action In decidtn?
not to abandon the upper wells
was based on its own Judgment
of- the water problem and the
feeling that most residents de
sired that the city continue to
get most of Its water supply
from the excellent wells at the
forks of Willow creek.
The lower well, owned bv the
city, is used only during the sum
mer months, or In emergency
when the upper pipeline Is out
of order and is considered excel
lent protection against loss of
supply. It alone cannot supply
enough for summer use when
(Continued on Page Six)