Jack of all trades writes book on tools of trade
RUSSIE
ORE
»J C F
s' .
E U 4 L N t
VOL
115
NO. 52
OK
W F. T Z E L *
: I
5 7 4.1
8 Pages Wednesday, December 25, 1996.
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Casey Beard, Heppner,
learned the tools of the trade
owing up as a member of the
g ‘ eard
family, renown rodeo
stock contractors. And now
Beard has written a book on
those tools of the trade. The
book, entitled, "Tools of the
Cowboy Trade", tells of
today's crafters of saddles, bits,
spurs and trappings for
cowboys, rodeo performers,
cutters and pleasure riders.
Beard, 48, plans to launch
his book at the Cowboy Poetry
Festival at Elko Nevada on
January 30. Beard will be
keeping good company at the
festival, along with cowboy
poets Baxter Black and
Waddie Mitchell and leading
Western
singers
ana
entertainers.
Beard says that while
c o lle c tin g
W estern
memoriabilia is quite popular,
up until now there hadn't been
much published about
contemporary
Western
craftsmen. His book has a
series of articles describing the
type of craft and biographical
information about the
craftsmen. Some local people
are featured in "Tools of the
Cowboy Trade"-Rich Boyer, a
saddlemaker from Hermiston,
the Severes from Pendleton
and craftsmen from John Day.
"Oregon has a rich history" in
crafting cowboy tools, says
Beard. His father had collected
old bits and spurs and
horsehair work, but it wasn't
until Beard was in the Army
and away from the family
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A t this special time of year, our thanks and best wishes
go to everyone in the community.
Casey Beard
business, that he really learned
to appreciate the craft. "The
things 1 had taken for granted,
other people looked upon as
works of art," said Beard.
The book also features
photography
by Dale
DeGabriele, a nationally
recognized photographer who
has been the photographer at
the Pendleton Round-Up and
has had photographs featured
in national ad campaigns, such
as Coors, Kodak, IBM.
Microsoft and Eddie Bauer.
DeGabriele, who lives in
Seattle, has been shooting
rodeo and the American
cowboy for 15 years.
Beard's wife, Anne, a fiber
artist was instrumental in
the book published.
f etting
he was a featured artist at the
Western Design Conference at
Cody, Wyoming, where she
had been selected to display
her work and participate in a
series of seminars. While they
were at Cody. Beard met w ith
Gibbs Smith Publishing,
ublisher of Western theme
ooks and poetry and the
moving force behind the
cowboy poetry festival. The
publishers of "Cowboy High
Style", a best seller. Gibbs
Smith had "a lot to do with
popularizing the Western
culture," says Beard. They
asked Beard for a prospectus;
he sketched a few chapters;
and after two years of work,
the book is expected to be
released in January. Locally,
"Tools of the Cowboy Trade”
will be available at Murray
Drugs in Heppner and
Armchair Books in Pendleton.
Beard is something of a
Renaissance man. In addition
to being an author, he is
director of Morrow County
Emergency Management in
Heppner. 6n weekends he still
helps out with the family
business, organizing and
loading stock, along with his
wife, nis parents, Frank and
Charlotte Beard, Ellensburg,
WA, sister and brother-in-law,
Shannon and Don Stewart,
Royal City, WA; brother and
sister-in-law Pat and Kaylynne
Beard. Milton-Freewater; and
various cousins and nephews.
"What I really like about
rodeo." says Beard, "is that it's
a family tradition, but you
don't see a generation gap." He
adds that crafting is much the
same. "You see people passing
it on from generation to
generation, back to the
founding of America."
Beard grew up in Outlook,
WA. near Sunnyside and
helped out with the family
• business which was started by
his grandfather. He earned a
bachelor's degree in political
science at Washington State
University at Pullman, WA.
He has two master’s degrees,
one in international relations at
Newport, Rhode Island, and
the other in defense economics
and strategic planning from the
Navy War College, lie was a
lieutenant colonel in the Army,
retiring in 1992 after 20 years
in the service. He is a
decorated veteran of Desert
Storm and later was selected
for battalion command. During
his stint in the Army, he was a
Queen's Exchange Officer
with the British Army, serv ing
three years with the British
Army. He was also named to
the Queen's New Year's
honors lisit for outstanding
service.
Beard, who has lived in
Heppner over four years, savs
that when he moved here, fie
already knew a lot of people in
the area, including Ruth
Nutting and Charlie Daley,
both friends of the family, the
Currin family and others
involved in rodeo.
Shanks win lighting contest
Teen dance on New Year's Eve Local flu vaccination still available
A teen dance will be held
New Year's Eve, Tuesday,
Dec. 31, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
at the Heppner High School
cafeteria.
The dance, for Heppner and
lone high school students, is
sponsored by Oregon
Together. Music will be by
Dan Bums.
Soroptimist Inti helps local family
The Soroptimist Club of
Heppner, with the help of
others, prepared gifts for a
family of six in the Morrow
County area. Each family
member received clothing and
all four children received toys
along with their clothing. A gift
certificate for groceries was in
cluded in the giving project.
"It's a warm feeling to help
someone out this time of the
year and our club cooperated
fully towards the project," said
Soroptimist president Judie
Laughlin.
BM CC winter term starts Jan. 6
Winter term for Blue Moun
tain Community College
(BMCC) begins Monday, Jan.
6, for day and evening classes.
Registration will be held Thurs
day and Friday, Jan. 2-3. Stu
dents are encouraged to make
their registration appointments
prior to those dates.
For students who will be new
to BMCC and who have never
attended college, the registra
tion process starts with place
ment testing. The Admissions
and Advising Office (AAO), in
Pioneer Hall, generally offers
placement tests on Monday
and Thursday at 11 a.m., un
less the campus is closed.
Anyone interested in attending
BMCC and taking more than
eight credit hours of course
work is required to take the
placement test. Appointments
are not necessary; there is a $10
testing fee.
Registration appointments
for returning or transfer stu
dents may be made by calling
the AAO at 278-5929 or
278-5930.
Public Health director.
McElligott says that MCHD first place
has given 1.200 doses of
vaccine so far this year and
JetY and Crystal Shank arc
adds that they still have some the first place winners in the
for anyone still wishing to get outdoor category' in the
their vaccine.
Chamber of Commerce annual
Christmas Lighting Contest.
received a $50 prize.
HHS FFA club competes at district They
Steve and I .uanne Brownfield
second place and $25 and
contests. Hermiston FFA took
The Heppner High School's sion
Dave
and Karen Wildman
placed second in both contests, took third
Future Farmers of America and
place and $15.
Mac-Hi placed third.
(FFA) Club competed at the Besides
In
the
indoor
contest.
Heppner, other com Jay and Darcy lighting
Blue Mountain FFA District's peting schools
Coil
won
were Pendleton, lace and $20 and Chuck first
and
annual agriculture sales and Riverside, Weston-McEwen
B •onna Moeller were second,
service contest at Milton-Free and Helix.
winning a $10 prize.
water recently.
Stanfield and Hermiston will
The Morrow County
Stanfield FFA won both the compete
in
the
state
contest
in
Museum
special
beginning and advanced divi- VVoodburn on Saturday, Jan. recognition earned
and $15 for the
11. Last year, Stanfield and festive business lighting
W illow Lanes - Hermiston
were both in the top display.
10 at state.
Honorable mention awards
raffle winners
Flu vaccine obtained at the
Morrow County Health
Department (MCHD) is not
included in the current recall,
according
to
Laura
McElligottt, Morrow County
announced
Susan Atkins of Heppner is
the winner of the Willow
Lanes Black Hills Gold ring
drawing and Everett Keithley
won the afghan.
Willow l^nes has raised
enough money for two clean
air filters to be iristailed next
week.
are as follows:
-Outside display : Ron and Jo
Brisbois, Emie and Mary Jean
McCabe. Richard and Carolyn
Paris, Clayton and evelyn
Sweek, Sandy Patton, Randall
and Marlene Peterson, Hoby
and Susan Hansen, Curtis and
Sandy Day, Phil and Shirley
l.andauer, Gene and Harriet
Hall, Glen and Joyce Ward
and Frank and Janet Skaggs.
-Inside display: Joyce
Hughes. Randall and Marlene
Peterson. R.G. and Flossy
Watkins.
-Business display: Peterson's
Jewelers, the Sfioebox, St.
Patrick's Senior Center and
Heppner TV, Inc.
To Aii Our
friends Customers
We ‘Wish A ‘Merry Christmas
^ Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396
fan ,