Fossil auto dealer honored by TIME
B E S S I E WETZELL
U OF ORE
newspaper
E U G E N E OR
L I B
9 7 4 0 3
35C
azette
imes
VOL. I l l
NO. 7
8 Pages Wednesday, February 19, 1992
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Carlson announces re-election bid for judge
Louis Carlson announced last
week that he will file for reelec
tion for the position of Morrow
County Judge. Carlson, the in
cumbent, was elected to the posi
tion in 1986 in the general elec
tion and took office January
1987.
Judge Carlson indicated his
prime reason for a second term
of office as county judge was his
interest in community develop
ment, senior services and con
tinuity in the work being done
with the Chemical Stockpile
Emergency Preparedness Pro
gram at the Umatilla Army
Depot. ‘‘The incineration pro
gram will impact all of us in Mor
row County and I believe that the
public needs to be informed of the
program and be confident in the
plans now being implemented for
the safety of all citizens,” stated
Carlson.
Carlson added, ‘‘with the im
pact of Measure 5 on county
government and upon the cities of
the county it is imperative that
care be given to not assume state
program funding at a local level.
Holding the line on tax levies will
continue to be of prime con
sideration.”
Carlson serves as co-vice chair
man o f the Oregon Rural
Development Council and vice
chairman of CAPECO (Com
munity Action Program East
Central Oregon). Low income
and disabled citizens of Morrow
County -are currently being serv
ed by the Heppner Neighborhood
Center and the Irrigon/ Boardman
Emergency Center in conjunction
with CAPECO.
Get your duck for O’Ducky race
The third annual O’Ducky
Race will be held again this year
on Saturday, March 14 during the
St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
Four hundred ‘‘Olympic win
ning" plastic ducks will be drop
ped off the bridge in front of the
courthouse at 4 p.m. Minutes
later the winners will start
“ swimming” across the finish
line behind the library. Watch
your duck go for the gold on
Willow Creek.
Prizes are $100 for first place,
$75 for second, and $50 for third.
T-shirts with the O’Ducky Race
logo will be given to the first 10
duckies to cross the line.
Duckies will be for rent at
Cheri’s Hair and Nails until the
big day and at a booth on Main
Street in front of Bud’s Pub the
day of the race from 9 a.m. until
they are soid out.
TIME Magazine has named
Herbert C. Wright, vice presi
dent, Wright Chevrolet, Inc. of
Fossil, as a recipient of the 1992
TIME Magazine Quality Dealer
Award. The TMQDA announce
ment was made February 8 by
Elizabeth P. Valk, publisher of
TIME Magazine, during the Na
tional Automobile Dealers
Association (NADA) convention
in Dallas. Wright and other
award winners were honored at
the opening business meeting of
this year’s NADA convention, at
tended by more than 15,000 in
dividuals involved in the
automotive industry.
Wright is one of only 65
dealers nationwide to be
nominated for the magazine’s
award, sponsored in cooperation
with the NADA since 1970. The
annual TMQDA program
recognizes outstanding franchis
ed new car dealers for exceptional
performance in their dealerships
and distinguished community ser
vice. Winners are selected by a
panel of faculty members from
the University of Michigan
graduate school of business ad
Wright Chevrolet dealers honored
Wright Chevrolet, Fossil, has
been notified that the dealership
has been included on the ‘Top 50
SDA Customer Service Index
Dealers.” The listing is compil
ed from Chevrolet owners
surveyed through Nov. 1991.
Wright Chevrolet is the only
Portland Branch Chevrolet
with a song ...Matthew and
Darren Van Cleave entertained Pioneer Memorial Nurs
ing Home resident Marjorie Worden with a Valentine
song.
The boys and their mother Myrna Van Cleave enter
tain nursing home residents each year.
dealership to appear on the na
tional ranking.
The Fossil dealership has been
on the top of the list in the
customer service index during all
33 years of operation.
Owner Herb Wright has also
been chosen winner in his group
in ‘Service Images ‘91.’
Donkey basketball planned at HHS
Louis Carlson
Heppner High School will be
featuring donkey basketball on
March 5 at 7 p.m. at the high
school.
Four teams will compete:
Heppner High seniors-Brody
Struckmeier, Travis Greenup,
Richard Pettyjohn, Jim Kindle,
Jason Britt, Ryan Currin, Becky
Norton, Charlie Rathbun, Sheila
Dunaway, Kan Johnston; facul
ty members-Les Payne, Mark
Dowdy, Bob Sagely, Steve
Dickenson, Greg Grant, Bob
Ployhar, Dave Gunderson, Dave
Fowler, Lee Padbeg, Bryan
Traylor; a town team-Wayne
Evans, Steve Rhea, Archie Ball,
Kenny Eckman, Dave Eckman,
Rick Johnston, Dicky Devin,
Russell Britt, Slater Mitchell,
Bob Krein. The fourth team is
still in the making. Announcer is
Larry Mills and Joe Kindle and
Becky Evans will be pooper
scoopers.
Advance tickets are available at
Murray’s Drug and from HHS
senior class members. Tickets
sell for $4 adults, $3.50 for
students grades seven through 12
and $3 for children kindergarten
to sixth grade. Tickets will be 50
cents more at the door. Proceeds
will go toward the ‘92 senior
class trip.
By Anne Morter
The Big Sky Tournament will
kick off for the lone basketball
teams Friday, Feb. 21 and Satur
day, Feb. 22 at Umatilla High
School.
The Lady Cards will play Fri
day at 1:30 p.m. when they take
on the Dufur Rangers. If all goes
well in that game, they will ad
vance to Saturday, Feb. 22 play
where they will meet the loser of
the Condon-Sherman game with
the Big Sky’s second state tour
nament berth on the line.
The Cardinals will play Sher-
New to the annual St. Patrick’s
weekend this year will be a mini
pageant of the story of the Irish
in M orrow County to be
presented at 8 p.m. Saturday
March 14 in the Heppner Junior
High auditorium.
The show entitled “ Erin Came
to County Morrow,” has been
researched, written and will be
presented by the community
theater group HIT, sponsored by
the Morrow County Children
Youth Services Commission, to
encourage intergenerational ex
perience in theater arts and to
assist pre-school programs here.
Narrated by Tony Becket, the
show will trace briefly through
skits, letters, stories, music,
songs and dances the life of the
Irish here from the 1870’s to the
1920’s.
The performers from Heppner.
Lexington and lone range in age
from six months to 87 years.
Musical numbers will include
among others, the South Morrow
tors from 1973-1986.
Wright is also active in civic
and community affairs. He cur
rently serves as a board member
of the Oregon Retail Council and
as a director of the Oregon Rural
Electric Co-Operative. He is also
a member of Associated Oregon
Industries.
In his community, Wright was
chairman of the Fossil City Coun
cil from 1968-72 and presently is
a member of the local school
district’s budget board. In 1985,
he was named Wheeler County’s
Outstanding Citizen of the Year
by the Fossil Community Club,
in recognition of his contributions
to the county.
Mr. Wright and his wife,
Margaret, reside in Fossil.
Onion workshop
slated Feb. 27
A lower Columbia Basin Onion
Workshop will be held on Thurs
day, Feb. 27 at the Heather Inn
at Umatilla.
There will be no charge for the
workshop and lunch will be
provided.
For more information call the
Morrow County Extension office
676-9642 or the Hermiston Ex
tension office 567-8321.
Jill Barber, daughter of Don
and Judy Barber. Heppner was
the winner of the North-East
hoop shoot age group 10-11, held
in Hermiston February 8.
Jill advances to the Oregon
State Elks Free Throw contest
held in Corvallis this Saturday,
Feb. 22.
Jill s grandparents are Don and
Jean Bennett also of Heppner.
man County Friday night at 8
p.m. in the battle of the “ number
ones” in opening round play of
teh Big Sky District Tournament.
The winner goes on to the state
tournament as the Big Sky’s
number-one seed. Dufur will play
Condon in the battle of the
“ number twos,” with the winner
of that game playing the loser of
the Ione-Sherman game for the
last state playoff berth. Both the
girls and boys games will be
broadcast on KOHU-Hermstion,
99.3.
Community Choir directed by
Bob Isted, Mrs. Calvert’s second
grader leprechauns, dancers from
both grade and high school and
the Larry Lindsay family. Musi
cians include Rikka Tews, Deb-
by Wryn, Tom LaRusso, Rosalie
Scharen and Jeff Wallace on
piano, guitar, violin and
accordian.
Tickets for reserve seating may
be purchased at Murrays. Prices
are $3 for adults, $2 for seniors
and children or $8 family. Over
90 tickets have already been
reserved by out-of-town tour
visitors.
Herb Wright
Jill Barber on to state
lone boys, girls to compete at
Big Sky District Tournament
Mini pageant new to Irish festivals
Happy Valentine’s Day
ministration. In acknowledge
ment of the University’s par
ticipation, TIM E Magazine
makes a grant of scholarship
funds to the graduate school of
business administration in the
names of TIME, NADA and all
TMQDA winners.
A native of Fossil, Wright
began his automotive career in
1953 when he began buying cars
from a franchised dealer 60 miles
away and then selling them
through the service station he had
operated since 1941. Wright pur
chased the Chevrolet dealership
which bears his name in 1959. He
acted as the organization’s presi
dent until 1988, when he ap
pointed his son-in-law, William
Mac Innes to succeed him.
Wright Chevrolet has been the
recipient of many factory sales
awards during Wright’s tenure;
he has also participated on
numerous dealer councils since
1972. Wright was nominated to
receive this year’s TMQDA by
the Oregon Automobile Dealers
Association, to which he has
belonged since 1959. He served
as a member of its board of direc-
Chamber seeks
auction donations
Photo by Joyce Hughes
Jill Barber practices for her
upcoming free throw shooting
contest
The Chamber of Commerce is
seeking donations for the St.
Patrick's auction.
Anyone having items they wish
to donate should contact Bob
Kahl or Steve Rhea, 676-9113.
Proceeds will go towards St.
Patrick’s festivities.
Day Care to offer child care
during St. Pat’s festival
Heppner Day Care will be open
on Saturday, March 14 from 1 to
5 p.m. for parents who need child
care during the St. Patrick's
festivities.
The charge will be $1.50 per
hour per child. Reservations are
required. The day care can care
for 33 children maximum. “ We
will play games, show a movie
and have lots of fun activities
along with a snack." said direc
tor Kathy Tellechea.
Call 676-5429 for reservations.