Page I. THE GAZETTE-TIMES. Heppner. OR. Thursday. August 19, 197
Orville Cutsforth . . . Grand Marshall
"He's quite a man."
Orville Cutsforth. A man of
determination, amazement,
individualism, and humor.
Orville Cutsforth is the 1976
Grand Marshall of the Morrow
County Fair and Rodeo. And a
man that is surely deserved of
the honor.
Bill Weatherford knows Or
ville probably as well as any
man in these parts. He can tell
you a little about the man.
"When I moved here 30
years ago, there were two
ranchers in the county that
appeared to be more aggres
sive than the others," Weath
erford said. "They were the
two I noticed right off. I
'There are times when I get so damn
mad at Orville , I can 't th in k.
Simply because he thinks quicker
than I can.'
deliberately got to know them.
It was selfish on my part ... I
wanted to find out how they
did it."
One of the men was Frank
Wilkenson, the other, Orville
Cutsforth.
"I was young and just start
ing," Weatherford explained,
"and I was in debt." He said
he spent quite a bit of time
with both men and learned to
like them both. Not always
agreeing with them, but
respecting their "brains and
abilities."
"I guest I've heard most of
Orville's whole life," he said
with a chuckle. "He started
with nothin' and with absolute
determination and good jud
gement and skills, he turned
himself into a most successful
rancher."
'Ile can fire so damn much quicker
and ahead of anybody else that you
don't know and you have to think...
are you irritated at Orville or
at yourself.'
Weatherford called Orville a
"businessman." He said a
federal judge once told him
that it "took more brains to be
a rancher than anything else
In the world."
Cutsforth has a limited
formal education, passing his
eighth grade test for the state.
But, he "succeeded better
than average."
"He has a terrific commun
ity spirit," Weatherford said,
"and he wants to see his area
survive and grow."
As most people in Heppner,
Morrow County or Oregon
know, Orville Cutsforth is an
outspoken man. He has his
own ideas and doeflrtt con-'
form to many peoples ideas.
An individualist, Weather
ford calls Orville an "extra
vert of the highest order."
"He gets as much enjoy
ment out of laughing at his
own errors and mistakes as
anybody. He is not at all
averse to put one over on you .
. . joke or business deal either
one."
Orville has obviously con
tributed financially and men
tally to the county. Look at
road signs and see for your
self. There is Cutsforth Park
on the top of the list. Add
Anson Wright park, Penland
Lake and Prairie, and hun
dreds of personal items at the
library and museum.
"He has been terrific help to
many individuals," Weather
ford states, "myself includ
ed." "There are times when I get
so damn mad at Orville, I
can't think. Simply because he
thinks quicker than you can.
Then later you think you were
silly, cause you should have
thought of it yourself."
Weatherford's favorite word
to describe Cutsforth would be
determination.
One time out on Crville'i
ranch, he ran out of power at
seeding time. His tractor
broke down. He took his Pack
ard car and hooked onto a drill
and proceeded to seed.
"That points out the deter
mination to get the work done
when it was necessary." Wea-
therford said. "That Packard
car didn't commence to have
the value of that wheat crop."
Orville has the ability to
think under pressure too,
Weatherford says. A tight sit
uation in a car one time,
where "most people would
have abandoned, Orville was
able to extacate from the
situation with no harm done to
him or anybody else."
"I know that he's acted
under the same situations In
his airplane," Weatherford
said. "The conditions might be
embellished (nl story jt Wl--
but at the same time, he
wouldn't deviate from the
truth either."
"In my own opinion," Wea
therford, a long time friend of
Orville said, i have complete
admiration for the man. Not
necessarily agreement. I
think they actually waited too
long to make him grand
marshall."
Once Weatherford and Or
ville took a trip to the Yukon
together.
"I never saw a man so in
terested in the physical coun
try where we were. He wanted
t y
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Girls work on 4-11 leathercraft.
Superintendents give plenty
Much hard work, effort,
dedication and time are put in
every year by fair superin
tendents. When you see them
working at the fair this year,
give 'em a pat on the back.
They are: Mary Lindsay,
community booths; Gary Cri
eb, livestock beef; Judy Cur
rin, goats, sheep, wool; Lyn
nea Sargent, poultry and
rabbits; Dick Sherer, saddle
horse show; William Rawlins,
grasses, hay and grain; D.O.
Nelson, commercial potatoes;
Velma Ling, Helen Martin,
Wilma Martin, Dorothy War
ren and the Rev. and Mrs.
Kenneth Miller, fruits and
vegetables;
Delpha Jones, Norma Rea,
Barbara Cutsforth, Maureen
Davis, Carolyn Howard, Hazel
Hamlin and Irene Padbcrg.
flower show; Marilyn Berg
Strom, clothing; Ruth Berf
"TMMMiT7"Tr5i Majrake'snd
to know what made every
thing tick."
At White Horse, Orville pon
dered and pondered how huge
steam wheel boats were hoist
ed from the water to the land
in the winter. He figured out a
man made lever type way.
While on that trip, Orville
got 25 or 30 people to sign a
piece of paper. He stuck it in a
bottle, corked it and threw it In
the Yukon River. Somebody
would find it, he figured.
"Anywhere we went, he had
the desire to see what made It
go.
He's a delightful man to
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Ann Bergstrom, needlework;
Be be Munkers, Theta Lowe,
canning; Mrs. George Currin,
Mrs. Darrel Vinson, foods;
Kay Walsingham, Tanna
Bunch, Lit Ernst, art and
photography; Mildred David
ton, Lois Woods, Marlene
Gray, Susie Johnson, crafts;
Jo Huston, Rosemary Parks,
Harold and Edna Peck, col
lectors comer; Karen THom
pson, pet show; Anna Schwar
zin. Darlene Arlington, Cln
dee Green, Monica Jones,
Laura Van Cleave, children's
corner;
General superintendents for
411 are Mike Howell, county
extension agent and Birdine
Tullis. extension program
assistant.
Others are Jeannle Howell,
Sherd Mahoney, 411 presen
tations; Louis Carlson, Susie
French'. 411 bwl, Jean Ben
nett. 411 dairy; Marite Acock,
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visit with, Weatherford said,
"a mental challenge."
"He doesn't have many
enemies, Weatherford said,
"people don't like him, but
they're more mad at them
selves then at him."
"He can fire so damn much
faster and ahead of anybody
else, that you don't know and
you have to think ... are you
Irritated at Orville or at
yourself."
"He set his mind lo some
thing and he could do it. He'd
get it done. In my book, he's
quite a man."
411 goats; Judy Currin, 411
sheep; Pete Richards, 411
swine; Kite Healy, Linda
LaRue, Merlyn Robinson, Sa
ndy Rodriguez, Everett Stru
ckmeier, horse show; Bev
Doherty, Jeannie Howell, 411
home ec. judging contest;
Lou Crum. Bev Doherty,
Barbara Peterson. Rlkka
Tews, 411 clothing; Ellen Ken
nedy, 411 knitting and crochet
ing; Donna Bergstrom, Fran
cine Evans, Maryn Mc Kill
got t, 411 style revue; Betty
Heath, Leila Key, Lrann Rea,
411 foods; Jeannie Howell, 411
favorite food show; Betty
Heath, Pat Pettyjohn, 411 food
preparation contest; Ilene
Padberg, Phyllis Piper, tole
painting; Louis Carlson, Ron
Currin, Merlin Hughes. Bob
Peterson, Bob Van Scholack.
411. FFA livestock auction;
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