SIXTEEN The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, March 30, 1978
s
Five miles a day at 78 years young
Gazette-Times celebrates 95th birthday.
On any day of the year, rain
or shine, Heppnerites may see
a white-haired gentleman
walking very briskly through
the streets of town.
Marion Olson, turned 78
years young on his St.
Patrick's Day birthday and
celebrated by walking five
miles about town, just as he
. has every day of the year,
since he had a slight heart
attack several years ago. He
said he travels that distance in
a swift-moving 50 minutes,
"give or take a minute."
Olson came to Heppner
from Iowa in January, 1946, to
represent the family at daugh
ter Millie's marriage to Burt
Winters. He liked it so well
here that he stayed and was
joined by his wife and four
other children a couple
months later.
"I loved every inch of
Oregon and still do," Olson
said. "Heppner was a wonder
ful town in those days," he
added.
Olson went to work for
Heppner Lumber Co. in 1946
when it was owned by Orville
Smith and stayed on through
the management change to
Kinzua Corp. until his retire
ment in 1966.
"I planned to work three
weeks and ended up staying
for 20 years," Olson said with
a laugh. "Coming here was
the best thing that ever
happened to me."
The grandfather of 12 and
great-grandfather of 9, Olson
is an avid gardener and
fisherman, in addition to his
daily hike through town. He
said he used to hunt but "I got
too old."
Olson now lives with his
daughter Millie, who was
widowed, and her second
husband Fred Breeding. He
enjoys talking about the 'old
days', remembering the ex
citement of the first Morrow
County Fair and Rodeo in
1946: "Heppner was a real live
town. ..I remember the dunk
ing tank. ..There was a Model
A Ford made into a paddy
wagon and they'd round
everybody up who wasn't
wearing western clothes and
clunk them in the tank. ..Those
were wonderful years."
"Eastern Oregon has really
changed," Olson commented,
remembering hunting duck
and geese around Hat Rock
when it was "nothing but a
wilderness."
Olson, though he enjoys
reminiscing, denies emphati
cally that he is against
progress. "I'm all for it.
Morrow County used to be one
of the poorest counties in the
state, and now it's on its way
to being one of the wealthi
est," he said.
He is also for the Willow
Creek Dam, believing Hepp
ner will become a "ghost
town" if the flood plain is
allowed to stand. Olson does
believer, however, that Hepp
ner itself has declined from
the old days: "No wonder
there's so many juvenile
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Marion Olson, 78, steps out briskly on his daily five mile
hike through Heppner.
ATTENTION
All Elks & Out-of-Town Guests
You Are Cordially Invited To
The Installation Of
New Officers
Saturday
April 1
4 p.m.
With a full
evening of
fellowship and
fun to follow.
DIHR
Fresh Crab &
Shrimp
All you can hold
For Non-Fish
Eaters
Cold Cuts &
Salad Variety
$6
i
DANCING
per person
served 6-8 p.m.
Trip the light fantastic
9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
with
Charley Lavender
and the
Country Gentlemen
Friday flight Only
Happy Hour Prices
ALL NIGHT
HEPPNER BPOi 350
Members & Out-of-Town Guests Only
problems. My goodness,
there's nothing for the kids to
do here anymore. They have
to go out of town just to see a
movie."
In spite of this opinion,
Marion Olson still enjoys his
active life in Heppner. He said
that his daily walk has allowed
him to get acquainted with
many folks who were just
faces to him before.
So the next time you see a
white-haried gentleman
quick-stepping through the
streets of town some fine
morning, stop and say
"Hello". He won't mind.
continued from page 1
story and best feature, both
written by Sherman. Hepp-
ner's paper had also captured
three second place awards in
the best photo, best editorial
and best local column cate
gories. Sherman's widow, Helen,
published the paper v alone
until November, 1969, when
she sold out to Charlie and
Dorothy Heard, who had been
the publishers of four weekly
papers.
Whon the Heards, now
retired in Milton-Freewater,
sold the Gazette-Times in
July, 1973, it was to the 'tall
Texan', Ernest V. Joiner.
Joiner, who had been in the
newspaper business since 1945
and publisher of the Sebastipol
Times for the previous 11
years, was probably as contro
versial during his time at the
helm of the Gazette-Times as
J. Watermelon was in his. His
colorful column "Horse
Sense" minced no words about
his stand on any topic, and, as
one observer commented,
"you either loved him or hated
him."
Joiner repurchased the Se
bastipol Times in March 1975
and managed both papers for
a year leaving the Gazette
Times mostly in the hands of
another controversial editor,
Ernie Ceresa.
The newspaper was finally
sold in April 1976 to the
present owners, G.M. and
Delores Reed, who have been
in the newspaper business for
many years and are also
publishers of the Hermiston
Herald.
Editor Ceresa was replaced
two months later by Wil
Phinney. Tom Franks served
for a short stint as editor
before the present editorial
staff arrived at the Gazette
Times last May.
As a fitting finale to this
history of the Gazette-Times
we would like to quote from an
editorial written by O.G.
Crawford on the occasion of
the paper's 60th anniversary.
The number 95 has been
replaced for 60 in this excerpt.
It is as appropriate today as it
was in 1943.
"...The Gazette, and later
the Gazette-Times, has
weathered 95 years with never
a thought of laying down on
the job of recording history as
it was made from week to
week. Today, instead of being
95 years old, it might be better
to say 95 years young, for it
not only has a commendable
record of achievement behind
it but a firm grip on the
future..."
. 'c i2' . f ii
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One gift per family on items a and b.
FSLIC
?F1
First Federal Savings
AND LOAN ASSOCIATION OF PENDLETON
Heppner Branch
Hermiston, Boardman &
Pendleton Home Office
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