TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, December, 1, 1977
Telephone tree
passes the word
Sifting through
the TIMESjl
3
After he looked out his
window at about 2:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Jerry Daggett
picked up the phone to make a
call the first of many to come
that morning. When the dial
ing was over, some four hours
later, families of Heppner
Elementary students were
informed of a school closure
and kids were scheming for
their first snow day in recent
years.
Heppner Elementary relies
on what Principal Don Cole
calls a "telephone tree" to
spread the word of emergency
closures. Despite the lack of
"instant" media coverage in
the area, and the many
connections needed to com
plete the tree, Cole said 90 per
cent of the families were
1
. t,
aware of the shut down well
before the usual time to pack
the students off to school.
Not one youngster showed
up at the school Tuesday, Cole
said. "Usually there are a
couple that don't get the
message but this time every
thing was covered quite well."
Cole credits much of the
success of this year's tree to
Jean Ann Turner, who serves
as head room mother and did
most of the organizing of the
network. Each of the room
mothers has a list of five or six
numbers to call and the
system continues from there.
"Everyone is hopefully con
tacted if they have a phone,"
Cole said. In order for the
operation to run smoothly, the
mothers are asked to refrain
from personal calls for the
30-minute time period when
their chain call might be
expected.
But before the room mo
Public officials
Following is a list of Oregon and Eastern
Oregon public officials for the information of
readers who want to communicate with them :
U.S. Sen. Mark 0. Hatfield, Russell Senate
Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510. Member of
Appropriations Committee, Interior Committee,
Rules Committee and Indian Policy Review
Commission. Portland office, Pioneer Courthouse,
R. 107, 520 SW Morrison, Portland, Ore. 97204, phone
221-3386.
U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood, Dirksen Senate Office
Bldg., Washington, D.C, 20510. Member of Finance
Committee and Commerce Committee. Portland
office, 1002 NE Holladay, Rm. 700, (P.O. Box 3621),
Portland, Ore. 97208, phone 233)4471.
U.S. Rep Al Ullman, of the Second District,
House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Member of Ways and Means Committee. Salem
office, 150 N. Church, Rm. 219 (P.O. Box 247), Salem
Ore. 97301, phone 399-5724.
Gov. Robert Straub, State Capitol, Salem, Ore.
97310, phone 378-3100.
State Sen. Ken Jernstedt (Morrow, Gilliam and
other counties), 311 Pine St., Hood River, 386-1393.
State Rep. Jack Sumner (Morrow, Gilliam and
toher counties), Route 1, Heppner, 676-5364.
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
Gayle Rush, Composing Chloe Pearson, Composing
Justine Weatherford Local Columnist
thers ever get into the act, a
lot goes on behind the scenes.
Daggett, the school district
transportation director,
placed his first calls to the
County Road Department and
State Highway officials to
check on road conditions.
After he was assured that the
white stuff was doing its best
to foul up travel attempts,
Daggett placed a 5 a.m. call to
Heppner High School Princi
pal Jim Bier.
Next came a call from Bier
to District Supt. Matt Doherty
and on the basis of all the
weather information gathered
to that point, the closure
decision was made. Bier then
notified Cole and the telephone
tree commenced to blossom.
"It's important to get the
word out before the drivers
start to take off on their runs,"
said Cole, who makes "five or
six calls to key staff people" to
get the ball rolling.
Although the high school
doesn't use the same system
Bier said the school utilizes
radio announcements and
some to staff members in
steadthe elementary phone
chain plays a sizeable role in
closure notification for the
Heppner area.
"The fact that Don uses the
system helps us out a lot.
Word travels really well
among the parents," said
Bier, adding that drivers of
high school bus routes are told
simply not to make their run if
conditions look hazardous.
The only problem with the
phone chain is that it has to be
revamped each year as the
school's student body chan
ges. "We draw one up every year
after the enrollment settles
down," Cole said.
Last year the school was
fortunate enough not to have
to use the telephone tree, but
this year it has already paid
off and it's not even winter
yet.
Parents
Editor,
The editorial section of our paper is a valuable tool to
raise to the public eye issues of our community. Today, we
the below, wish to use this means to give our thanks for the
response of principal Don Cole.
Several weeks ago, many of the parents of kindergarten
children went to, his office to express our concern with the
large number of small children of varied abilities that Mary
Bennedict was dealing with each day. He had already
Ramjet regretfully
relinquishes reign
Editor:
In a group of more than two people there are always
those who take pride in doing things a little differently. We
have such a person in town. This person takes pride in
running up various flights of stairs, which in itself is not so
strange, but this person does it in foggy conditions which
adds a little spice to the game. As he limps about town he is
setting plans for a refresher course in stair climbing. High
lights of the course will include anti-fogging procedures,
looking where he is going, and being sure the foot is higher
than the next step.
As the current holder of "The Heppner Fleet of Foot and
Graceful Coordination Award", it is with great regret that I
give up the honor. But when a worthy recipient appears and
leaves no doubt about his qualifications for the award there is
nothing else I can do but present him with the honored
position.
Therefore "Hop-along" Terry Lightfoot is now the holder
of the title long live the Champ!
With regrets,
Robb Ramjet
School Board action
Lex students face assignment
Lexington area students,
who in the past have been
given a free hand in choosing
whether to attend school in
Heppner or lone, will lose that
discretion as a result of
attendance recommendations
adopted by the Morrow Coun
ty District School Board last
week.
District Supt. Matt Doherty
said the Board action means
students in the Pine City and
Lexington areas will be as
signed to specific schools on
the basis of space available.
By following a system of
Buschke named. . .
...Continued from page one
else, Mrs. Buschke said. That
"someone else" is Joan
Hughes, who worked in Her
man Winters law office for 11
years and started a part-time
job with the ASCS office last
May.
Diana Ball, part-time pro
gram assistant, and Everett
Kiethly, a Federal Crop Insur
ance employee and part-time
ASCS field man, round out
the present ASCS staff, though
a full-time . field man is
expected to be hired in the
near future because of new
federal farm legislation.
Mrs. Buschke has lived in
Heppner since she was 12
years old, the daughter of
7
Letters to the Editor
appreciate principal's efforts
personal preference, the dis
trict has fallen into an
imbalanced situation, Doherty
said, citing the example of
near capacity enrollment at
Heppner Elementary while
lone Elementary has a great
er amount of student space
available.
The recommendation adop
ted by the Board does not
represent a new policy but it
will result in stricter enforce
ment of the existing policy.
According to Doherty, when
the five school districts conso
lidated, students in the Cecil
former residents Mr. and Mrs.
Joe Wright. She graduated
from Heppner High School
in 1956, the same year she first
went to work for ASCS. She is
married toDelmer Buschke, a
Kinzua employee, and they
have three sons, Kyle, 20,
Mike, 19, and Scott, 9.
Recent word from Dave
McLeod indicates he is enjoy
ing his new job in the state
office, Mrs. Buschke said.
"We sure miss him a lot."
From her new position as
County Executive Director,
Judy Buschke reminds all
farmers that the ballots for
members of the ASCS County
Committee must be returned
by Dec. 5.
ifi 11
f 'U t I
' t - '
J; ,
u '
m ;i
recognized the difficulty and through his work and ability
corrected the problem by the use of teacher aides to assist
the kindergarten teacher. A problem we felt needed to be
dealt with, he handled very effectively and quickly. It is good
to know that in emergency situations, problems can be solved
without resorting to drastic means.
We wanted to thank him publicly for his dedication to the
education of our children and the well-being of teachers in his
administration.
signed
Some of the thankful kindergarten parents
Steve & Vicki Tollefson
Steve & Nancy Brownfield
Steve & Kathy Peck
High-Low Prec.
15 Tue 56-40 .13
16 Wed 45-35
17 Thu 41-30
18 Fri 34-24 .32 5'b" Snow
19 Sat 26-12 .02
20 Sun 20-1
21 Mon 18-2 .01 Snow
22 Tue 24-14 .68 g- Snow
23 Wed 40-15 .06
24 Thu 47-24 .33
25 Fri 62-35 .25
26 Sat 58-42
27 Sun 57-37 .20
28 Mon 52-37 .01
29 Tue 56-39
w
E
A
T
H
E
R
district automatically trans
ferred to lone schools, stu
dents in the Hardman district
automatically went to Hepp
ner schools, and although
students in the Lexington and
Pine City districts were as
signed to specific schools, the
decision in those two areas
was left open to personal
preference.
"In the past, the free choice
has basically been a matter of
. custom rather than policy,"
Doherty said. "But with the
current overload, the district
has to begin assigning stu
dents to certain schools to
make the best possible use of
available space in the facili
ties." The Board also adopted a
recommendation to use the
Old Nelson Road serving the
Lindsay ranch in the Sand
Hollow area as a north-south
student attendance boundary
line. All students living north
of the road would attend
Riverside and A.C. Houghton
schools while all students
living south of the boundary
would attend the Heppner or
lone schools.
In a related action, Board
Chairman Pauline Winter was
asked to appoint a committee
to review the present repre
sentation alignment on the
School Board. Currently, the
Board includes three mem
v
'"lit, HaW
?
Bll HUM tM
bers from the Heppner atten
dance area and one member
each from the Lexington,
lone, Irrigon and Boardman
attendance areas. The com
mittee of lay people is
expected to report its findings
back to the Board in about
three months and if a change
. appears to be warranted, the
) issue will go to a public vote.
Following a report from the
teacherage committee, the
Board moved to sell four of the
six housing units maintained
by the district for its person
nel. When the district ac
quired the teacherages in
1966 two houses in lone, a
duplex in Irrigon and a duplex
in Boardman an accompany
ing resolution stated that the
district did not intend to place
itself in the housing business.
The properties were obtained
as inducements to new teach
ers at a time when housing in
those areas was difficult to
find.
Now that the housing short
age in Irrigon and Boardman
appears to be over, the Board
adopted the committee's re
commendation to put the
duplexes up for sale. Doherty
said the units would be offered
by bid or auction at the end of
the current school year. He
added that the two houses in
lone would be retained until
the housing situation in that
city improves.
The sale by auction of 22 Bureau of Land Management
tracts in north Morrow County was front page news this week
in 1967 The sale, held in Greenfield Grange Hall m
Boardman, was attended by a crowd of 500 persons. A total of
9,774.74 acres were sold for $431,900, an average of $48.49 per
acre.
Oscar and Gerald Peterson were the only Morrow County
buyers, acquiring Tract 10, 640 acres six miles southeast of
Boardman, for $40,200 or $62.81 per acre.
A home fallout pretection survey was officially kicked off
by Gov. Tom McCall and was scheduled to get underway in
Morrow County, Ted Smith, Civil Defense director,
announced ten years ago.
McCall estimated that only about 60 per cent of the
population of Oregon could be adequately sheltered from
radioactive fallout in case of a nuclear attack. The survey
was to be used to determine the amount of protection each
individual house provided.
The first snow of the year was reported this week in 1967.
A cold spell with a low of 17 degrees followed the
Thanksgiving holiday, accompanied by one inch of snowfall
and icy roads.
Photographs of 22 mysterious local Santa Clauses were
featured in the Gazette Times this week in 1957. Readers
were invited to participate in a "Name the Santas" contest as
part of a Christmas shopping promotion sponsored by 22 local
stores, each served by its own Santa Claus.
An emotional editorial printed 30 years ago in the Times
was later proved prophetic by historical events:
"In the race against time to save western Europe from
the perils of communism it is possible that insufficient
attention is being given to one of the most fertile fields for the
spread of this menace to democracy and freedom. That field
is China, where the spread of communism has been rapid in
recent years and where conditions are still such as to lend
encouragement to further envelopment of the Chinese people
unless drastic measures are taken to combat the insidious
propaganda fostered by the Kremlin."
With an extremely light voter turnout, five schools
including Heppner, Liberty, Willow Creek, Golden West and
Clark's Canyon, voted to consolidate with school District 1 in
1947. Only 48 ballots were cast in all, 37 for the consolidation
and 11 against.
A sample of grocery specials advertised this week in 1937
is enough to make today's shoppers groan with envy: Coffee,
3 lbs., 50c; peanut butter, 2 lbs., 29c, sugar, extra fine, 100
lbs., $5.69; bacon, 33c a lb.; beans, red or small white, 10 lbs.
49c; and fancy chocolates, 2 lb. box, 59c.
Fifty years ago this week, the Gazette Times reprinted
an editorial from the Canyon City Blue Mountain Eagle,
advocating farm investment over the "tinsel of town":
"There will be no better time to buy or own a farm than
right now. There is a move due to bring people back to the
rural localities. The competitive life of the city center is less
alluring than a few years back and wages are bound to shrink
with expenses remaining stationery or possible advancing.
People perform in a circle and quit where they start. The
tinsel of town loses its luster and in the end the freedom of the
rural centers draws those who long to live along the path of
least resistance or less struggle. And so, so far as investment
is concerned, there is none better today than the farm. City
property is not advancing in value, except in choice locations
and there are few cities in the United States where there is
any speculative motive in town lots. They have reached the
end of it, except in cases where some particular thing has had
a tendency to stimulate development."
Obituaries
Gladys
Gladys Helen Prock, 62,
Heppner, died Tuesday, Nov.
29, in Heppner.
She was born May 17, 1915 in
Heppner, the daughter of John
and Ada Templeton Cason,
and was a lifetime resident of
the community.
She was united in marriage
to Faye Prock at Prosser,
Wash., Oct. 14, 1935.
Mrs. Prock was a member
of All Saints Episcopal Church
and the Degree of Honor
Lodge.
Graveside services will be
held today, Thursday, Dec. 1,
at Heppner Masonic Cemetery
with Rev. Kenneth Miller of
All Saints Episcopal Church
officiating. Sweeney Mortuary
is in charge of arrangements.
Casket bearers are Claude
Buschke, Cornett Green, Paul
Heinrichs, Dale Baker, Bill
Kenny and Bob Mahoney.
Picture credit
Chinook winds took away Morrow County's bountiful
snowfall last Thursday night, but this 'fun-loving'
group found enough piled in the middle of Heppner's
Main Street to build a happy albeit skinny snowman
that lasted for a few minutes.
Prock
Mrs. Prock is survived by
the widower, Faye, Heppner;
a daughter, Karen Cutsforth,
Heppner; a son, Larry Prock,
Pendleton ; two sisters, Vivian
Elder, Heppner; and Patricia
Scritsmeir, Portland; five
grandchildren and numerous
nieces and nephews.
RUBBER
STAMPS
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