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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 1978)
TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, July 20. 1978 Accident claims life of Echo man The Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES 70 ErH5an cnn On our awards .... Tooting our own horn this week, The Heppner Gazette-Times proudly displays the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Better News paper Contest awards it won on the front page. The awards were presented at ONPA's annual meeting last weekend in Sunriver. The Gazette-Times was one of four newspapers in Northeast Oregon that earned awards for journalistic excellence in the contest for 1977. Five of 11 awards presented to the four papers were taken by Morrow County's newspaper. Judged by the Nebraska Press Association this year. The Gazette-Times took a first place in Typographical Excellence, a first in Best News Story, and third place in Best Editorial, Special Section and Community Leadership. ONPA is an organization of 112 daily and weekly newspapers in the state and bringing home some hardware for publishing an award-winning news paper is something we take great pride in and hope that our readers share in the pride. It is through the subscriber's continued support in providing us with news, shopping the hometown merchants that advertise with us, reading and using the paper that helps us make a contribution to the community and in turn, win some awards. We thank our local advertisers, the merchants that serve you every day, for their continued support of community programs and advertising , that is a benefit to all. Last, but not least, we hand out kudos to the staff at the Gazette-Times for their pride and effort in publishing an award-winning newspaper. With that, we hope you enjoy another weekly issue of The Heppner Gazette-Times, tmh Hospital public meetings important The Pioneer Memorial Hospital Board of Directors is responding to the recent defeat of the 1978-79 operating budget special levy request in a timely and responsible manner. Public meetins set for next week, Monday night in Heppner and Tuesday night in Boardman, should clear the air about administration, personnel and increasing costs at PMH. The Board has cut $39,500 from the last levy request and cuts in any more areas would result in the loss of some services and personnel. ..something the county can ill afford when it's trying to attract doctors to staff clinics in Heppner and Boardman. The proposed budget would have been cut even further, but the Board wisely decided to include $20,000 for the recruitment of doctors for the two clinics. Something voters should recognize is that for the first time, Pioneer Memorial Hospital is standing by itself in the budget process. Previously, the hospital budget has been included with the county budget and the county has not had to ask voter approval of tax monies before. This is good, because it gives voters a chance to respond to the county budget, the hospital budget and earlier in the year, the road department, individually. We think the public meetings will answer a lot of questions and stifle a lot of rumors. We urge a large attendance at the meetings next week, tmh THEGAZETTE - TI The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow 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. G.M. Reed, Publisher Dolores Reed, Co-publisher Terry M. Hager, Managing Editor Rick Steelhammer, News Editor Eileen Saling, Officer Manager Gayle Rush, Composing Chloe Pearson, Composing Justine Weatherford , Local Columnist Ron Jordan, Printer 1 v1 4 x. r; """" " "Zs"-. - '1 . . in 1 l T-i- , t X v - 1 1 si ft V.. -llkb' James Swanson, 39 year old Employees thank Bene Laughlin Editor, With the resignation of Ilene Laughlin, we would like to publicly thank her for her years of service to Pioneer Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home. During her time as Administrator she did many things for our hospital and nursing home. She started the ball rolling for donations to buv needed equipment such as six geriatric chairs which were all bought by donated money from both banks in Heppner, and private citizens in memory of loved ones. Also an Isolette was bought and numerous other items too many to mention. The one big project Ilene started was the building of the Solariums for the enjoyment of our nursing home patients and hospital patients and visitors. The solariums were built at a cost of $46,000.00 for the building and all furnishings were extra. Of this amount not one penny of levied tax money was used to build or furnish these two rooms. For this one project, we employees give full credit to Ilene. During her term as Administrator of Pioneer Memorial Hospital donations to be used for the building of the Solarium and needed equipment exceeded $120,000.00 Even though she won't be at the hospital every day she will still be working for the good of the hospital. Excluding the materialistic things, we as employees of the hospital and citizens of the community owe Ilene a big thank you for her always ready smile and friendly greeting and words of encouragement and praise to us when we needed a boost. She was not only our boss but our confidant and friend. And above all SHE CARED. Employees of Pioneer Memorial Hospital Heppner, Oregon Harry Wells H. Bently (Harry) Wells died June 28, 1978 after a long illness. Harry attended Heppner Public schools graduating from high school in 1929. He was born Aug. 16, 1912 in Heppner, Ore. to Jacob J. Wells and Alys Leatherman Wells, the youngest of four children who are: Mrs. Helen Nichols of Portland, Myra Echo man was killed late Tuesday Letters From Headers Wells of Capitola, Calif. ; and Thomas J. Wells of Vancou ver, Wash, all of whom survive him. Also his step mother Bertha Wells and a half-sister Bette June Huston of Heppner and Portland. Harry attended Oregon Slate University two years then went to Berkeley, Calif, where he met and, after a few months, married Shirley Swink. To this union four children were born, the first a boy, who died in infancy. Then ft - 5, I . f ; .. ,v r when his semi truck ond trailer over Requestfor floodwater help Editor: Please find enclosed a copy of a letter to Senator Hatfield which we would like for you to print in your letters to the editor column. Dear Senator Hatfield, We would like to enlist your aid in correcting a floodwater drainage problem we have at Hardman, Oregon 97H:!fi on Oregon State Highway 207. The grade elevation on the highway is such that it forms a dam to the natural drainage of the local area, thus causing flooding of our residence and shop. . , This has occurred four times over the past 15 to 20 years. The most recent flooding occurred on July 7, 1978. Presently there is a metal culvert about 36 inches in diameter under the highway, which is not adequate for extreme circumstances. We contacted Harry Oswald, the District Engineer of the Oregon Highway Department, at Pendleton, Oregon and found him to be disinterested, unsympathetic and unhelpful. He said it was "an act of God" and that they could not do anything to correct the problem. He said that a five foot culvert could not be installed here because of inadequate depth of the highway fill. However we are convinced that 2 or 3 more 36 inch diameter culverts would do much to eliminate the problem. We are an elderly couple. My wife is 77 years old and I am 82. and we are not able to do all of the heavy cleanup work that each of these floods cause. Any assistance that you can give us in solving this problem will be greatly appreciated. Yours very truly, H.C.Lesley Marie A. Lesley a daughter Valerie, now Mrs. Jerry Rudd who lives in the Lake Tahoe area, Harry Junior who owns and operates a book store in Modesto and JeiTery who is First Male in the Merchant Marines. Mr. Wells was an Episcopa lian and active in the Masonic Orders. They lived in Duns muir, Vallejo and Placerville where he was a teacher. He is survived by his wife, the three living children and many other relatives. The remains were creamated and a Memo rial service will be later. Aha Edger Alta Edger, Heppner, died Monday, July 17, in Heppner. She was born at Ava, Mo., the daughter of John and Martha Strong Spurlock. She was a long-time resident of Morrow County and a member of the United Methodist Church. Funeral services were Wed nesday, July 19, at 11 a.m. in the United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Steve Tollefson offciating. Betty Marquardt was the organist. Concluding services and vault interment were at Heppner Masonic Cemetery with Sweeney Mortuary in charge of arrangements. "' turned at Cutsforth Corner. Casket bearers were Ken neth Peck, James Farley, Chris Brown, Mark Brown, Duane Gentry and John Molla han. Mrs. Euger is survived by her husband, Walter, Hepp ner; two sons, Vernon C. Brown, Pendleton and Paul C. Brown, Heppner; a daughter, Lena Gentry, Pendleton; three sisters, Mrs. Roy John son. Pendleton; Mrs. Gladys Hutchinson and Mrs. Doris Singleton, both of Ava, Mo.; two brothers, Frank Spurlock, Ava, Mo. and Don Spurlock, Jefferson City, Mo.; and several grandchildren. Contributions may be made to the Pioneer Memorial Hospital Fund. printing 676-9228 A 39-year-old Echo man was killed Tuesday night, when the tractor-trailer he was operat ing veered off Hwy. 207 and overturned about three miles north of Lexington. The victim was identified as James Swanson, a driver for Let-Er-Buck Motor Service of Hermiston. The accident occurred about 10 p.m. at Cutsforth Corner, in front of the Pat Cutsforth home. Morrow County Sheriff Larry Fetsch said Swanson was apparently killed on impact. . Swanson's body was pinned in the cab of the truck by the rig's steering column. It was more than half an hour before Cutsforth, Fetsch and other volunteers managed to free the body, using a farm tractor to pull away obstructions. The tractor-trailer was loaded with more than 100 sheep, several of which were also killed in the accident. A number of others were pinned in the wreckage for several hours before they could be freed. The sheep reportedly were being hauled from the Shirley Rugg operation south of Heppner to Hermiston. Fetsch said the truck came to rest 189 feet from the point Sifting through the TIMESfl Thirty years ago in Heppner, a traveling all-black baseball team trounced the Heppner Townies squad 19-1. During that summer week in 1948, four Heppner pitchers were called in for mound duty against the visitors, the Harlem Globetrotters' baseball division. According to a Gazette-Times account of the game, the Heppner hurlers "were all easy meat for the hardened and experienced colored ballplayers." But things picked up a bit for the hometown team later in the week, when the Townies trounced Arlington 20-3. Fifty years ago in Morrow County, nearly 100 farmers fought a contain a wheat fire that had broken out on the C. Hutchcroft place near Morgan. Despite their efforts, 200 acres of dryland wheat was burned. During the same week in 1928, a shipment of 22 double decker railroad cars crammed full of Morrow County sheep left the Heppner siding, destined for market in Denver. Area sheep growers contributing stock for the shipment included C.A. and Ellis Minor, R.A. Thompson and Lotus Robinson. Sixty years ago this week, word was received in Heppner that Harry Groshen had been rescued after the Navy ship on which he had been serving was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk in the North Atlantic. Prior to the sinking, the Heppner seaman had made seven safe convoy missions across the Atlantic during World War I. Morrow County Health Nurse Martha Tapanainen was in the news 25 years ago this week, when she was trying to figure how she'd get back to Heppner after her car was stolen while she was vacationing in Mexico City. Twenty years ago this week, Leslie Matlock, the "Paul Revere" of the 1903 Heppner Flood, died at age 84. Matlock, along with Bruce Kelley, made a horseback ride along Willow Creek, just ahead of rushing floodwaters, to warn Lexington and Ionearea residents of the approaching danger. Harvest was in full swing in Morrow County 15 years ago, when about 25,000 bushels of wheat were being loaded into the North Lexington grain elevator each day. As many as 15 trucks were lined at the offloading dock at a time. The Morrow County Grain Growers group was trying to move out the wheat as fast as it was coming in, due to the threat of an impending rail strike. During that same week in 1963, the Morrow County Extension Service budget had been cut $3,400 by the county budget committee, jeopardizing the funding for a salary for one of the county's three extension agents. As a result, some 70 citizens assembled at the courthouse to protest the cut, presenting a petition signed by 119 farmers calling for the funding to be restored. Ten years ago, Bob Abrams of Heppner was sworn in as chairman of the board of the fledgling Blue Mountain Community College. Community BILLBOARD Call 676-9228 Friday. July 21 Final Wranglers Playday, 7:30 p.m.. Wrangler grounds Saturday, July 22 ' Class of '68, dinner and dance, Heppner Elks Club Holly Rebekah Spaghetti Dinner, 7 p.m., IOOF Hall, Iexington Rodeo Dance for Princess Laurie Childers, 9 p.m., Fairgrounds where it left the highway and drove onto the shoulder of the road. The cause of the crash remains undetermined. "It could have been caused by a number of things," said Fetsch. "The load might have been top heavy, the sheep might have shifted when he started to make the corner... who knows? Swanson was alone in the truck at the time of the accident. His survivors include a wife, Sally. The body was taken to Sweeney Mortuary in Hepp ner. Burglars enter lone home Burglars entered the home of Rachael Schocter at Cherry and Third streets in lone last week, stealing or destroying nearly $1,000 worth of clothing and household items, Morrow County Sheriff's deputies said. Items missing include a cosmetics case, two formal dresses, two shawls, and a number of antique goods. Deputies said the thieves entered the home by breaking out a side window. Sponsored By RAY BOYCE INSURANCE 228 N. Worn Si. Heppner 676-9625 Sunday. July 23 Class of '68 Picnic, Cutsforth Park Monday, July 24 Chamber of Commerce, noon, West of Willow Hospital Board Public Meet ing, 7:30 p.m., Courthouse, Heppner LXJ
