IIKITNKK OKK. GAZETTF.-TIMKS, Thursday. February 22. 1973
Great Grandmother Whittles Furniture And Gifts
PholOc
The six-gun cabinet at the Wayne Papineaus showing the rose
design and the carver, Agnes Papineau Nichols.
By Jl'STINE WEAT1IEKFOKD
Five large gun cabinets, five
kneehole desks, several tables,
chests of drawers, a baby's
clothes cabinet, 38 clock
frames, various spice cabinets,
dozens of smaller articles such
as pot-holder hangers, ther
mometer plaques, napkin and
letter holders, and many carved
pictures have been created by
Mrs. Archie Nichols, Lexington
wood carver. A south paw, she
has kept her talented left hand
very busy practicing her an
cient form of art these last few
years. Her work is now in many
Oregon locations, up at Friday
Harbor in Washington, in Los
Angeles, and even as far away
as Iowa.
A few Examples
Each piece of original furni
ture, given to members of her
family, has several carved
designs. In son Wayne Papi
neau's home there is a large
desk with seven drawers cover
ed with roses and a six-gun
cabinet with six drawers and a
top board carved in similar
rose designs. Wayne's family is
also very proud of their spice
shelf and of other examples of
his mother's art.
At the Dick Hoffman home
several fine gifts are being used
with pride: a gun cabinet with
animals carved on its head
board and its six drawers
stands in the livingroom. Mrs.
Nichols chose deer, moose, elk,
and mountain goats for its
design.
Grand-daughter Penny (Mrs.
Hoffman) is especially happy
with their pair of davenport
end-tables carved in the rose
design with end supports of
wheels carved out of single
blocks. The Hoffman's T.V. set
sits on a carved three-drawer
chest. Grandmo Nichols has
promised Penny and Dick a
carved coffee table, too.
various supplies home to carver
Agnes. He is a Lexington native
whoso father Thomas Hale
Nichols came to the area with
Archie's grandmother in 18iU.
After farming awhile, T.H.
Nichols Joined W.E.Leach in the
Nichols and Leach general
merchandising business in
town. In 1902 they sold out to
W.F.Barnett who enlarged the
store considerably in 1915. The
stock changed hands four times
in its later years. Archie was Its
next -to-last owner and operated
as Nichols Grocery across from
the I.O.O.F. Building. Before
the store closed the Warners
bought it and operated it
briefly.
Now Archie has a few sheep,
some chickens, a milk cow, and
a terrific garden which supplies
fine fresh vegetables to the
members of the their families.
He has adopted many homeless,
deserted cats. Last spring he
was giving a home to 19 cats
which usually followed him as
he made his twice daily trips to
the barn carrying his milk pail.
He kindly shared fresh milk
with the cats who constantly
passed the word around and
more cats kept coming to him.
Mr
:-r
BMCC Tax Levy Up Only 3 Pendlelon;;
dents and permit preparations yilene Rlnghand, Milton
for an Associate Degree Nur- Freewater, and Shirley Zlelln
sing program later In the year, gk, Boardman.
he continued. Members of the board who
The committee elected a80 serve on the budget
Kobert Mautx. Pendleton, committee, are: Bob Abrams,
chairman, and Ben Holdman, Heppner; Kenneth Dauble,.
Pendleton, secretary. Weston; Russell Dorran, Brent
Members of the committee. In Horn and Harmon Springer, all
addition to Mauta and Holdman, of Hermiston; Joe Green,
are- Bill Etter, Pilot Bock; Pendleton, and Bob Zerba,
Homer Hughes, i.cxinnion; Ainena.
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(i-T Photo
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5S
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yd
J (i-T Piiulu
Meet Agnes Nichols
Born Agnes Schoonover at
Boise, Idaho in 1902, she first
whittled at her logger father's
knee. She recalls that her dad
enjoyed years of winter whittl
ing. She has always enjoyed it
too, but she really got going in a
big way after grand-daughter
Penny brought home a small
wood-carving knife from one of
Tom Shear's art classes at
Heppner High in 1970. Most of
her carving is done in pine;
however, she has also used
tamarack and fir.
Agnes does not spend all her
time carving. She also cooks,
sews and freezes much
garden produce. She is espec
ially noted for her fine western
style men's shirts which she
cuts without using a pattern.
Each of her sons, and many Gun Cabinet at the Dick Hoffmans with the deer and elk on the
grandsons, have Christmas-gift headboard of tne gun cabinet carved bv Mrs. Nichols.
shirts every year since they
were tiny.
She came to Morrow County
with her logger husband Frank
Papineau who was especially
proud of his Clydesdale logging
teams. Frank and Agnes im
bued a love of horses in their
sons. Agnes mothered eight
Papineaus; still living are sons,
Fred of Union, Earl, Ray and
Wayne, Lexington and daugh
ter, Frances (Mrs. Bill Beck of
Hermiston). Agnes has 16
grandchildren and 6 great
grandchildren. Early in the
I950's she married Archie
Nichols and is now a step
grandmother and great
grandmother to the Bill Nichols
family of lone. Agnes has shown
some of her work at recent
county fairs. She sells a few
carved frames with electric
clocks for which she charges
from $35 to $50 depending on the
size and design.
Husband Archie
Archie Hale Nichols says he is
the errand boy who brings
The end table showing the Wheels that Mrs. Nichols carved from
a solid piece of wood.
(i-T Photo - - ' . j
Prospecting I'liins
Archie Nichols and step-son
Fred Papineau, now pretty well
recovered from a bad logging
accident-but unable to do
heavy work, are planning to go
gold prospecting this coming
summer. They expect to comb
the mountains of eastern Ore
gon and parts of Idaho. They
will have very good company.
Agnes savs she is going along,
j' too. so they will not want good
cooKine ana so mat sne win
share the fun and excitement.
Perhaps she will get some
carving done around the even
ing campfires in some beautiful
locations.
The ( Ian
Agnes and Archie live on
Black Horse Canyon Road just
east of Lexington's "down
town." Their green-colored
home has a large livingroom
and a big, busy kitchen centered
with a good-sized table. There is
a woodburning stove that must
consume lots of wood chips
from the busy left-handed
carver.
Agnes carves and keeps her
tools in a little shop room off the
livingroom. Her son Earl and
family live across the road on
higher ground, and above them
on the hill is son Ray Papineau's
home. Son Wayne and family
live in the large rose-colored
house on the town side of the
Nichols.
Blue Mountain community
College's tax levy for the 1973-74
school year will inch up by a
bar three percent over the
current figure If a budget
proposal by President Wallace
MeCrne is approved by the
college board of education and
budget committee,
In his annual budget message
last night to the board and
budget committee, McCrae said
the proposed budget reflects a
shift in emphasis from meeting
the steady enrollment pressures
of the past to an attempt to raise
quality and add programs that
are long overdue.
The emphasis on quality, he
said, follows three consecutive
"hold the line" budgets which
were designed to keep budget
requests down to a "bare
bones" level without diluting
existing programs. The pro
posed budget, which calls for a
4.6 percent increase in operat
ing funds, would allow a modest
beginning in music and home
economics and an enlarged
Licensed Practical Nursing
program.
The proposed levy is $1.78 per
$10oo true cash value, an
increase of five cents, or three
percent over the current figue.
Total proposed budget McCrae
presented is $2,058,875, up 4.6
percent over this year's
$1,967,850.
While colleges and univer
sities throughout the country
face continued enrollment
drops, McCrea said he expects
BMCC's full time equivalent
enrollment next year to reach
I0K0 students. A full time
equivalent is 15 hours of credit
for three terms, an average full
load for a full school year. The
college's full time equivalent
this year will be 1037, McCrae
estimated. Total number of
persons enrolled in the college
this year, he added, will exceed
3000.
Although BMCC suffered its
first enrollment decrease this
year. McCrae said the reasons
were well understood and the
college adjusted rapidly.
Among the reasons he cited
were: 81 fewer high school
graduates in Morrow and Uma
tilla Counties, changes in Selec
tive Service regulations,
improved enlistment opportun
ities in the armed services, and
the desire of students for
exploration, travel and inde
pendence. McCrae said the proposed
budget allows a modest be
ginning of the "long-delayed"
music program and the first
year of a transfer home
economics program. It also
allows, he said, for continuation
of the Air Traffic Control
program and enlarging the
practical nursing program. The
latter would permit continua
tion of a health services
program for high school stu-
3
JO
MARBRO DATSUI1
1 for work a fun
1972 Datsun
Vl Ton rickup
radio, heater, 4-speed
Hunt bumper
Local, one owner
18,000 actual miles.
$1905
1968 Datsun
1. Ton Pickup
radio, heater,
4 speed
Hunt bumper, also
West Coast mirrors.
$109$
1970 Datsun
i2 Ton Pickup
radio, heater,
4 speed
Hunt bumper
$1495
1966 Datsun
Yj Ton Pickup
radio, heater, 1
4 speed 1
Hunt bumper
$095
1964 Datsun
io Ton Pickup
radio, heater,
4 speed
$595
J8 1967 Datsun
$ 10 Ton Pickup
radio, heater,
4 speed
& Hunt bumper
$993
1965. Datsun
y Ton Pickup
radio, heater,
4 speed
Hunt bumper
$69S
1969 Chevrolet
34 Ton
long wheel base
radio, heater,
3 speed
completely
overhauled
I cylinder engine
$199S
MARES RO DATSUN
515 S.E. Dorion
ph. 276-0330 Pendleton
"We will not be undersold"
Putting her name on the back of tea pot potholder is Agnes
Papineau Nichols, left handed carver.
G-T Want Ads Pay Big
How You Can If f?yj
Put Yourself in J 11
This Picture "jf v
mm. m
1
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Rose-design clock frame similar to 38 others that Mrs. Nichols
has carved and sold or given away.
Importance of Communication
Imagine. Your family in a new home . . .
a first home ... a dream home. One that
has a play-yard for the children ... a
real laundry room ... a wood-burning fire
place. Ahh. You think it won't ever
happen? We think it could! Come
and talk to us. We'll give you all the
facts about our Mortgage Loans.
LENDER
ID t UAL
If SAVINGS tni LOAN ASSOCIATION
Don Gray, manager
nrTTTn
180 NE Second
Hermiston, Ore.
Guest speaker Andy Land
force, Extension specialist from
OSU, stressed communication
between youth and adults when
he spoke at the Morrow County
4-H Leaders Banquet at lone
High School Feb. 15.
The banquet sponsored by
Columbia Basin Electric Co-op,
was served by the Empire
Builders 4-H Club, under the
supervision of Mr. and Mrs.
Steve Brownfield of Heppner.
Annually, 4-H leaders from the
north and south of the county
are honored for their work in
the 4-H program. One, five and
ten year leaders were presented
with pens from Harold Kerr,
Morrow County Extension
Agent, who also introduced all
the county's leaders.
Mrs. Garry Tullis introduced
special 4-H community spon
sors, especially the sponsors of
the summer school program.
Master of Ceremonies for the
evening was Empire Builders
pres. Jan Ekstrom of lone.
Empire Builders serving the
dinner were Anita Davidson,
Tom Wolff, John Kilkenny,
Debbie Yocom, Sherrie Kemp,
Phil Carlson, Mark Rietmann,
Micki Hoskins, Charlie McElli
gott, Kay Bergstrom, Mary Pat
McElligott, Melissa McElligott,
and Rick Peterson.
First Year Pin Leaders:
Sharon Biddle, Bonnie Hardi
man, June Lindstrom, Barbara
Peterson, Sandi Rodriguez,
Sheridan Tarnasky, Kathy
Wahl, Ken Nelson, Phyllis
Crowi, Dora Sundin, Edith
Partlow.
Five Year Pin leaders:
Gladys Alderman, Bonnie Clow,
Beverly Doherty, Nancy Myers.
Ten Year Pin leaders: Lou
Crum, Rose Wiison, Rita Wolff.
Fifteen Year Pin leaders : Pat
Pettyjohn.
Semi-Annual
OF SHOES
STARTING THURSDAY, FEB. 22
Two Pair of Nationally Advertized
Women's or Girls' Shoes For The
Price of One Pair
Choose From Such Famous Names As
MISS WONDERFUL, AIR STEPS and
CHARM STEPS
Other Special Prices On
Men's, Boy's and
Children's Shoes
No Mall or Vhoo
Onlen PtoaM
AU Sal Final
!fo Bounds
Ko ExchangM
Wo Charg or
GOMTY'S
34