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
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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
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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