Heppner gazette-times., October 13, 1977, Page TWO, Image 2

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TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, Oct. 13, 1977
Search and Rescue Posse
THE
GAZETTE
TIMES
Published every Thursday and entered as second-class
matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon, under
the Act of March 3, 1879. Second-class postage paid at
Heppner, Oregon.
The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner
and the County of Morrow
G.M. Reed, Publisher Dolores Reed, Co-publisher
Terry M . Hager, Managing Editor
Jim Summers, News Editor
Eileen Saling, Office Manager
Elane Blanchet, Reporter
Laura Craig, Composing Chloe Pearson, Composing
Justine Weatherford Local Columnist
Editor;
Lois Winchester of your city has long been a champion
for animals. I notice in Ms. Winchester's letter to the Editor
dated September 8th, she was responding to a previous letter
of William Baker. Ms. Winchester's letter refers to Mr.
Baker to read a copy of Oregon Law ORS 653.315 on animal
care. Should someone actually look up ORS 653.315 it has to
do with working hours for children under the age of 16 years
and not on animal care. Perhaps she was thinking of animal
cruelty statutes ORS 167.850 and ORS 167.860. ORS 609.010 to
609.190 covers dogs (biting, chasing, running at large, killing
livestock, barking, etc.)
Sincerely,
Gene R. Burgess
Director and
Special Agent
State of Oregon
Humane Society
Editor;
The letter Mr. Jim Ackley wrote in your Heppner
Gazette-Times several weeks ago to promote kindness was
most commendable. It is gratifying and encouraging to note
that a teacher will help promote humane education.
We all know humane education in our schools would help
prevent crime and violence. The sooner it is made
compulsory in our schools, the better off every one will be.
Sifting
"Old timers said they had never seen so many hunters.
One reported that he had counted 49 camps below Cutsforthe
Park Saturday. Another said he counted 85 vehicles coming
up Willow Creek..."
This excerpt from the Gazette-Times during this week in
1967 could easily have been written of opening weekend of
deer season this year, proving once again that some things
just don't change all that much.
Another item printed in that issue hits even closer to
, where we live: "State directors of agriculture all over the
, nation are concerned about the plight of the American
farmer and say there is an absolute need for an increase in
his income." Amen.
The celebration of the 101st birthday of 'Grandma' Ellen
Rieth, Morrow County's oldest resident at that time, was
front page news this week in 1957, as was the survey of a new
one-way street to serve Pioneer Memorial Hospital.
However, the big news of the week and the
decade was touched upon in an editorial on an inside page:
"Last Friday night's announcement of Russia's "New
moon " probably was the most important story to break in the
world since the word was flashed that fne first atom bomb
was exploded. ..Do you realize that man has now taken his
first step off the earth and that the universe is now within
reach for our exploration. ..The more ominous part of last
Friday's story is in the undisclosed part of it. HOW the
Russians got their satellite into the void beyond the earth's
atmosphere. It had to be done be a multi-stage rocket much
more powerful and more controllable than anything the
United States has been able to get off the ground, or at least
that the government has told us about. Suppose the
Communists decided to aim a few dozen of these rockets,
armed with atomic warheads, instead of satellites, at the
Letters to the Editor
through
STATE ME NT OF
OWNERSHIP,
MANAGEMENT AND
CIRCULATION
As Required by 39 USC 3685
TITLE OF PUBLICATION:
Gazette Times, Publication
Number 240420.
DATE: Oct. 1, 1977
FREQUENCY OF ISSUE:
Weekly. A) No. of issues
published annually :52. B) An
nual subscription price: $6.00.
LOCATION OF known office
of publication: 147 West Wil
low, Heppner, Oregon.
LOCATION OF the head
percent or more of total
amount of bonds, mortgages
or other securities: Charles
and Dorothy Heard, 117 SE
6th, Milton-Free water, Ore
gon 97862.
EXTENT AND NATURE OF
CIRCULATION (Average
numer of copies each issue
during preceding 12 months,
followed by actual number of
copies of single issue pub
lished nearest to filing date).
A) TOTAL COPIES PRINT
ED: 2220, 2275.
B) PAID CIRCULATION: 1)
Sales through dealers and
carriers, street vendors and
LETTERS
COMMENTS
His letter should help to alert local people to the fact of
the Heppner High School Band's need for full dress uniforms.
The American public is known all over the world for its
gullible nature to give to every known gimic even after the
Readers Digest informed them that only ten percent of the
cash really arrives at its intended destination, they are still
over generous to give.
I would suggest that the Band students get suitable
containers and decorate them to let the local people know of
the plight for decent duds to perform in. If they were placed
in all business houses for a few weeks, I'm sure Heppner
people would help promote the money drive for such a worthy
cause.
I will be pleased to be among the first to drop a ten spot in
the bottle to start the ball rolling.
Kindness is the sunshine in which virture grows and the
more we divide it with others the more it multiplys.
Kind regards,
Lois Winchester
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mrs. Winchester did exactly as she said in
the second to the last paragraph of her letter. Along with her
letter came a container with a "ten spot" and' some odd
change. The monies were turned over to Jim Ackley,
Heppner music teacher.
the TIMESf
U.S. ...Not a particularity pleasant uiuugnt, is it'.'..."
Yes, while Sputnik ushered in the Space Age, editorials
like this appeared in papers all over the country, reflecting
both the wonder of the event and the pervasive 'Cold War'
paranoia of the day.
In this week's Times of 40 years ago, Charles
Bartholomew, president of the North Morrow County
Grazing District, explained how damage done to the range by
wild horses and jack rabbits helped pave the way for the
forming of the district. Its goal was to put 300,000 acres of the
north county under management and eventually back to a
paying basis.
Bartholomew, a county pioneer, told the tale of the big
rabbit hunts of 1905 which netter close to 30,000 animals and
a resultant business venture that didn't quite make' it.
"Apparently so plentiful was the rabbit supply that Mr.
Bartholomew and three of his nieghbors started a cannery at
Echo for the purpose of marketing the meat. Several tons of
the stuff was canned, but before any could be sold, the cans
began to bulge. They waited until the Umatilla was at flood
stage and dumped the whole lot in the river. The following
spring farmers working in their hay fields complained of the
stench resulting fro breaking the cans open with their
machinery. The rabbit canning venture cost him $3,000, Mr.
Bartholomew laconically recalled.
If this were 1917, Morrow County residents would be able
to choose between two entertainments this weekend. A large
Star Theater advertisment in the Times featured "Two Great
Serials": 'The Neglected Wife" with Ruth Rutherford and
"Patria", starring Mrs. Vernon Castle, "the best known, best
dressed woman in America".
A wrestling match was also advertised, pitting Ray
McCarrol, Boy Wonder of Pendleton, against Jake Dexter,
the Heppner Giant fctt the Opera House on Saturday night.
quarters or general business
offices of the publishers:
Same as above.
PUBLISHERS: G.M. and
Delores Reed, Hermiston, Or
egon 97838.
MANAGING EDITOR: Terry
M. Hager, 515 N. Elder, Hep
pner, Oregon 97836.
EDITOR: James M. Sum
mers, 100 C Street, Lexington,
Oregon 97839.
OWNER: G.M. and Delores
Reed, Hermiston, Oregon
97836.
KNOWN BONDHOLDERS,
mortgagees, and other secur
ity holders owning or holding 1
counter sales: 330, 365. 2) Mail
subscriptions: 1446, 1443.
C) Total Paid Circulation:
1776, 1808
D) Free distribution: 61, 58.
E) Total Distribution: 1837,
1876.
F) Copies not distributed, 1)
Office use, left over, spoiled:
368,379; 2) Returns from news
agents, 15, 20.
G) Totals: 2220 , 2275.
I CERTIFY THAT THE
statements made by me above
are correct and complete.
Terry M. Hager
Managing Editor
prepared for
The first call came in at
10:20 p.m. a concerned fa
ther informed the Morrow
County Sheriff's Office that
his son was long overdue from
an afternoon hunting trip. ,
By 10:30 Deputy Wayne
Maxam had relayed the mes
sage to Sheriff Larry Fetsch's
home and was on his way to
the Blake Ranch Spring area
where the boy was last seen.
Word was also spread to
members of the Morrow
County Sheriff's Search and
Rescue Posse to mobilize men
and machines for what was to
become an exhausting, thor
ough and successful search
lasting nearly 10 hours and
covering some 150 miles of
wooded hills.
On the afternoon of Oct. 5,
15-year-old Mike Miller, Port
land, packed a lunch and a
rifle on the back of his
off-the-road motorcycle, told
his parents he would return in
a couple of hours, and headed,
through the woods just as he
had done many times during
the summer.
When the afternoon passed
with no sign of the boy, his
parents decided he had proba
bly bagged his deer and was
taking his time dressing the
animal before returning. After
dark, Miller's father drove to
the area where Mike said he
would be hunting but was
unable to locate the youth.
Back at the cabin, he
summoned the Sheriff's Office
and set the search operation
into motion.
A communications base sta
tion was established in the
area at a cabin owned by Bud
Englert. From there, CB
contact was maintained with
Posse members and descrip
tions of Miller were radioed to
any hunters in the area. The
search continued throughout
the night with the only clue
coming from a woman who
had seen Miller on his
motorcycle at 6:30 in the
evening.
By daybreak, ten Search
and Rescue personnel some
on foot and some on motorcy
cles were combing the hills.
Based on the information from
Miller's father, the Posse was
concentrating the search on
the hills southwest of the
North Fork of Willow Creek.
Fetsch directed the search
from a hilltop vantage point
relaying messages with the
radio equipment in the Posse's
rennovated Ford Bronco.
Near 7 a.m. he ran across two
hunters traveling northeast
and told them to be on the
lookout for the boy.
About. 45 minutes later, as
Posse member Pat Cutsforth
' was entering the area for an
aerial search with his Super
Cub, the hunters radioed back
that they had located Miller on
the Caldwell Grade Road. His
motorcycle had crashed into a
five-foot gully and Miller was
found 50 yards down the road
where he apparently collapsed
after attempting to walk away
from the wreck.
Emergency First Aid was
administered until an ambu
lance arrived. Miller was
taken to Pioneer Memorial
Hospital for more emergency
treatment and then transfer
red to St. Vincent's Hospital in
Portland where as of Tuesday
he ws listed in serious condi
tion with head injuries.
The efforts of the Morrow
County Sheriff's Search and
Rescue Posse in locating
Miller are typical of the
services performed by the
group since its inception in
1972. Now marking its 5th
anniversary, MCSSRP has
grown from its original 12
members to a present 37-man
roster including 20 to 25 active
deputies.
Operating out of Emergency
Services in Salem, the Posse
was formed to assist the
Sheriff's Office in search and
rescue situations. Similar Pos
ses are operating in most
s f
; rCrtj r C
counties throughout the state.
"I don't know of any Sheriffs
who aren't in favor of the
idea."Fetsch said. "This
county, like most counties,
couldn't have this many
trained deputies without the
assistance of the Posse."
Fetsch said that at any
given time he could depend on
12 Posse members to be
available for emergency ser
vice. Each member must by
knowledgeable in Red Cross
Standard First Aid, trained in
two-way radio communication
and the regulations governing
the use of the equipment and
accomplished in map and
compass reading skills. In
addition, Posse members
learn survival techniques and
law enforcement investigation
procedures. Under mission
conditions, Search and Rescue
deputies are given the same
power as peace officers ex
cluding the power of arrest.
Specialized training also
plays an important role in the
Morrow County Posse with
several members holding cer
tification as Emergency Me
dical Technicians and others
qualified as CPR instructors.
Recently , four members of the
BMCC evening program
seeks class preferences
Fall classes for Blue Moun
tain Community College Eve
ning Division in the Hepp
ner area are now closed for
additional students. This fall
there were several classes
that had to be cancelled due to
lack of students.
If you were interested in
attending classes during the
evening, but did not find
something of interest, please
contact Nancy Brownfield,
Coordinator for BMCC Even
ing classes in the South
Morrow area. There are many
possibilities for evening clas
sesthe college need only to
know where your interests lie.
In order to offer a class, the
following requirements must
be met: Dinterest from a
group of ten or more people;
2) an instructor to teach the
class. (This is the responsibili
ty of the coordinator, howev
er, suggestions are always
welcome.); and 3) a place to
hold the class. (This is also the
responsibility of the coordina
tor.) In most cases, the first
requirement is the most
difficult. If you have an
interest, but can not locate
nine other people, call the
coordina tor anyway there
may be other people you are
not aware of.
any
it i j f , V if
Sheriff Larry Fetsch (l) with Search and
Simon Winter and "Felix".
Posse travelled to Fossil to
participate in a field tracking
seminar conducted by U.S.
Border Patrol Agents.
The group conducts its own
training exercises with the
help of "Felix" a stuffed
dummy deposited in some
remote spot and located
through the grid searching
efforts of Posse members.
Along with improving their
search techniques, members
have spent a lot of hours and
dollars refurbishing a govern
ment issue Bronco. The vehi
cle is equipped with rescue
lines, a stretcher, medical
supplies and radio equipment
including a high voltage
sheriff's radio in effect, a
mobile command post for
search and rescue missions.
But the Bronco is just part of
the rescue arsenal used by the
Posse. Members volunteer the
use of their own vehicles
snowmobiles, 4-wheel drive
rigs, scuba gear, motorcycles
and the SuperCub to name a
few. The group is now working
on forming a horse-mounted
Posse, should the need arise.
"We've got just about any
thing you could name as far as
rescue equipment goes," says
Posse leader Simon Winter.
The college offers the even
ing classes for you. If you feel
your interests are not being
fulfilled, BMCC wants to know
that. If you would like to see a
particular class offered, or if
you could teach a class, please
feel free to contact Mrs.
Brownfield.
For Winter term there are a
School
session
The Morrow County School
Board will hold a work session
on Thursday, October 13 at
7:30p.m. at the District Office
in Lexington.
The Board will examine
some long range areas of
district operation which have
been identified by Supt. Matt
Doherty.
Among those areas to be
examined are: Budgeting,
Staffing, Administration,
Transportation, Insurance,
Curriculum, Buildings, atten
dance areas and Board representation.
111
Y1
JESIMULJEL.
Rescue Captain
"Almost everyone has a CB in
his rig to keep in contact."
CB Channel 9 is open 24
hours a day for monitoring
emergency calls to the Posse.
When an emergency extends
beyond county lines, the
Morrow Courity group can join
forces with the Posses in
surrounding counties.
"When you're involved in a
search to save a life, bounda
ries don't matter inter-county
cooperation is important,"
says Fetsch.
Forming the leadership core
under Captain Winter are vice
president Grant Weatherford,
treasurer Mark Miller, secre
tary Gary Munkers and the
Board of Controls consisting of
Ed Baker, Bill Nichols, Fetsch
and the other officers. Archie
Ball serves as the group's
historian.
Last year the Posse re
sponded to seven emergency
calls during the hunting sea
sonalways the busiest time
of the year for resuce opera
tions. With even more hunters
pouring into the area this
year, the MCSSRP will be
ready to move into action
again with the manpower
and know-how to get the job
done.
number of people interested in
learning to upholster. If you
are qualified to teach a class
on upholstery, and are interes
ted in doing so, please contact
Mrs. Brownfield at 676-5039.
Office hours are 9-11 a.m., 2-4
p.m., and 7-8 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Board
today
The work session will in- '
elude the Board Members and
the School District Adminis
trative Staff and will serve as
a preliminary to actual pre
paration of the 1978-79 School
Budget.
Actual preparation of the
School Budget is slated to
begin in all schools of the
district in the near future.
GAZETTE-TIMES
CLASSIFIEDS
676-9228
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