Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday,
Letters to the Editor
St. William's Church holds confirmation
Bishop Thomas Connolly
Editor's note: Letters to the editor must be signed. The Gazette- Times will
not publish unsigned letters. Please include your address and phone number conferred the Sacrament of
on all letters for use by the G-T office. The G-T reserves the right to edit Confirmation on four students of
Health district board grandstanding
To the Editor:
In the April 30 edition of this
newspaper, I wrote a letter to the
editor in which I asked for your
support in asking the Health Dis
trict board to try to renegotiate a
new contract with Dr. Bitsas to
bring him back to Pioneer Memo
rial Hospital and Clinic. Your re
sponse to that request was tremen
dous.
On May 5, at the regular board
meeting of the Health District, I
presented them with a petition
containing 288 signatures re
questing that they renegotiate a
new contract with Dr. Bitsas. I,
at that time, spoke to them about
feelings on this matter.
In the next issue o f this news
paper, they let us know that they
were to have an “executive ses
sion” to try and accomplish what
we requested of them. They asked
Dr. Bitsas and the staff and em
ployees of the hospital and clinic
to come and speak to them about
their feelings and concerns on this
matter.
One thing that puzzles me is
that they did not ask for any other
input from the community, which
they represent, at that meeting. It
is to my understanding that a
board of directors, whether pub
lic or private, is to represent the
best interest of the people they
serve. My question to the board
is, why didn’t they ask the com
munity to speak at that “execu
tive session”? Does what we want
mean anything to them? Evi
dently not.
In my opinion, their try to bring
Dr. Bitsas back was a very weak
try at the best and was nothing
short o f “grandstanding” to try
and appear to renegotiate with Dr.
Bitsas. I feel they had no inten
tion of renegotiating in the first
place.
If they truly wanted to renego
tiate with Dr. Bitsas, then why
was all the other input from the
s&ff, and employees of the hospi
tal and clinic needed? Hadn’t they
already talked to them? A meet
ing to renegotiate with Dr. Bitsas
should have been between the
board and Dr. Bitsas only, and no
one else.
When they were looking for a
new doctor at the clinic, they ad
vertised for two doctors, and we
know they only hired one, which
was Dr. Bitsas. Why does this
board of directors want to inad
equately staff our clinic at this
time? If there has been at least
three doctors at the clinic in the
past, then why did the board think
only two doctors is enough?
Another question is, why is
there such a turnover in our health
care professionals in this area and
also at the north end o f the
county? If the board plans to open
a new clinic in Irrigon to serve the
needs of the north county, then
why do they keep the clinic open
in Boardman when Dr. Boss’ pa
tients are seeing him in his new
private practice?
This board always cries for
more money. They claim they
don’t have enough. It cost them
$25,000 to bring Dr. Bitsas here
and three months’ severance pay
when he resigned. At this point, I
feel they have squandered over
$50,000 of taxpayer monies. How
much will it cost to bring another
doctor here if they can find one?
Why go elsewhere for another
doctor when Dr. Bitsas is still
here? Why not bring him back,
which is what a large part of the
community want anyway?
If we keep advertising for doc
tors, the health care community
is going to question why there is
such a turnover of doctors in the
“Mayberry of Oregon.” Eventu
ally any qualified, competent
physician probably will not want
to come here to practice medicine
at the clinic.
Maybe the turnover in health
care professionals here is because
the board seems to inadequately
staff the clinic. They seem more
concerned about a $29,000 phone
system to handle 300 plus calls
per day to take the workload off
operators that in keeping a good
doctor here.
I feel that we, the taxpayers and
voters, should take a hard look at
whether or not this board of di
rectors and hospital administrator
truly represent our best interests
or not, and if we find they don’t,
maybe we should look at replac
ing them, not the doctors, as soon
as possible, even if it takes a re
call of voters to do that.
Let’s all continue to call, sign
the petitions, and in any way we
can, let them know that we want
to keep Dr. Bitsas here at our
clinic. When the next regular ses
sion of the health district board
meets on June 2, let’s as many of
us as can show up in person to let
them know how we feel about that
they are doing and ask questions
of them as to what they plan to
do in the future.
Rumor has it that the hospital
administrator plans to tender his
resignation at that board meeting.
I wonder if he really plans to do
this, and if so, why?
L et’s don’t accept answers
about our concerns and wants
from the board of directors as
vague as a consensus, let’s ask,
“Why are you doing what you are
doing?”
Sincerely,
(s) Vem Burke
Heppner
Births
M iehaela A ngeline M arie
Forester-a daughter Miehaela
Angeline M arie was born to
Krissie Rea, lone, and Michael
Forester, Klamath Falls, on May
2, 1997 at St. Anthony Hospital
in Pendleton. The baby weighed
6 lbs. 13 oz.
She jo in s brothers Dylan
Pettyjohn, 15, Koby Rea, 13, and
sister Alisha Forester, 5, at home.
Her grandparents are Skip and
Barb Pettyjohn, lone, Ginny and
Roger Morley, Tucson, AZ, and
Sandy and Terry Cheyne, Mid
land, OR. Great-grandmother is
Helen Pettyjohn, lone.
M ak en zi Kae H ughes-a
daughter Makenzi Kae was bom
to Angie and Kevin Hughes of
Heppner on May 8, 1997 at St.
Anthony Hospital in Pendleton.
The baby weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz.
She joins a sister, Jessica, at
home.
Her grandparents are Merlin
and Claudia Hughes, Heppner,
and Dan and Gail Haggard,
Merrill, OR. Great-grandparents
are W.E. and Pauline Hughes,
Heppner, Corleen Coe, Walla
Walla, WA, and Uyvonne Hag
gard,
Redding,
CA.
°
°
» W l O V f f f « y l'i ' / ¿ n r*
4-H now.
For many years people have
thought of 4-H as cooking,
sewing, pigs and cows. But it is
much, much, more, says Morrow
County Extension agent Bill
Broderick.
"In the past few years Oregon's
4-H program has been struggling
with the cut backs of ballot
measure 5, and now 47, but the
program is still strong," says
Broderick, "and the people
behind it are wonderfully
energetic, so many volunteers
dedicated to working with our
kids, the adults of tomorrow."
4-H is looking for new leaders
who might be interested in
investigating some of the new
programs available, along with
sewing, cooking and livestock.
"One program that has
decreased in the past years in
Morrow County is the horse
p ro g ram ,
w hich
is
understandable because of the
expense," he added, "and a horse
is a 365 day/year project. Many
parents are also afraid that after
the purchase of a horse and
equipment the child may lose
interest and then they will have
to sell everything.
A new program called the
"Horseless Horse Club" is
designed to teach all about the
horse-breeds, health, equiprrient
and feeding, before a horse is
purchased
also
encourages
parents to learn together with the
child to make the experience a
happy one.
"Another problem is that many
people think that a 4-H horse
program is just about a horse
show, but it's not," adds
Broderick. "Many states have a
trail horse program that deals
with just on-the-trail activities,
competitive trail rides, but
always horsemanship.
The
Working Ranch Horse is also a
fantastic program dealing with
roping, cutting and ranch work.
Both of these programs go
through the same nine year steps
of any 4-H program, so each year
is added development."
Because there are so many
programs available, Broderick
suggests that anyone interested
should to talk to the Extension
agent. A few examples include:
computers,
art,
fishing,
gardening, bug collections, and
forestry, in addition to the
leadership
opportunities
available like 4-H camps,
Summer Days and many national
opportunities.
To contribute ideas or for
more information, contact the
Extension office, 676-9642, or 1-
800-342-3664 or Glaya Baker,
president. Morrow County 4-H
Leaders Council, 481-7488.
Schwab display takes 2nd
Come see
our large selection
of Wedding Invitations
featuring the
Flower Wedding Line
G a z e t t e - T im e s
147 W. W illow
H ep p n er. OR. 9 7 8 3 6
(
541 ) 676-9228
Meeting just to placate
To the Editor:
There were a total of 288
signatures gathered on the
petitions that were presented to
the (Morrow County Health
District) board at the executive
session to renegotiate another
contract with Dr. Bitsas. But
apparently the board called the
meeting just as a formality to
placate all of us that were upset
at their decision to force Dr.
Bitsas to resign.
From the beginning of all this
the board and administrator have
refused to give any reason for
their choice to let one of the best
doctors Heppners ever had go.
There has been a lot of support
from the townspeople to get the
board to bring Dr. Bitsas back,
and he would very much like to
be a practicing physician here.
The only reason he isn’t opening
his own practice here is because
at this time he doesn’t have the
money to.
It’s very important that
everyone who reads this to let the
board and administration know
they don't have the final say on
this matter unless we choose to
let them have it.
There is a board meeting on
June 2. All of us who would like
quality health care here in
Heppner and surrounding areas
need to show up at this meeting.
Also between now and June 2,
everyone needs to keep calling
all the members of the board and
Kevin, the admmstrater, (to) let
them know what you want, how
you feel about what they’ve done.
For those of you that don't have
their names and phone numbers
already, get a copy of week
before
last
newspaper-the
information is in it. This is very
important, so I'm asking
everyone to please stand together
on this and not to give up. There
is plenty left to do, and it's for
the good of everyone that we
don't quit now.
(s)Laune Reichardt
WCCC plans Monday barbecue
The Willow Creek Country
Club will hold a family barbecue
on Monday, May 26, at 4 p.m. at
the club.
Each family will bring their
own meat to barbecue. Those
whose last names begin with A-
K are asked to bring a dessert; L-
Z, a salad.
Hosting the barbecue are Dave
and Trish Gunderson, Gary and
Barb Watkins, Greg and Encka
Grant, and Dave and Patty All-
stott.
21,1997 - SEVEN
Obituaries
Joan M. Hughes
St. William Church in lone on
Sunday, May 11. Receiving the
sacrament were Jake McElhgott,
Mark Orem, Jenny Sullivan, and
Luke Swanson.
Men of the Holy Name Society
provided Bishop Connolly an
escort and Monsignor Raymond
Beard, Father Frank Hebert, and
Father
Gerry
Condon
concelebrated the Mass. Altar
servers were Adam McCabe and
Colin McElhgott. Debbie Wryn
provided the music.
After the Confirmation and
Mass, the Altar Society of lone
• hosted a potluck dinner.
PICTURE: (L-R) Fr. F. Hebert,
Fr. G. Condon, Luke Swanson,
Jenny Sullivan, Jake McElhgott,
Bishop T. Connolly, Mark Orem,
Msgr. R. Beard
May
Joan M. Hughes, 63, of Hepp
ner, died Thursday, May 15,
1997, at her home.
The funeral was held Saturday,
May 17, 1997 at All Saints Epis
copal Church in Heppner, with
burial at the Heppner Masonic
Cemetery.
The daughter o f Terrell and
Mary Cartwright Benge, she was
bom January 11,1934, at Denver,
Colorado. She was raised at
Golden, Colorado, and attended
school there. She moved to Hepp
ner in 1945 and attended schools
at Heppner and lone, where she
graduated m 1951. She attended
business college in Portland and
returned to Heppner in 1953.
Mrs. Hughes and her husband,
Matt, raised two children.
She worked for the Bank of
Eastern Oregon, then worked as
a legal secretary in Heppner for
18 years. She has been employed
by the Farm Service Agency for
the past 20 years.
Mrs. Hughes was a member of
All Saints Episcopal Church in
Heppner, the Hermiston Eagles
Lodge, and was a Lady Elk in the
Heppner lodge.
Survivors include a son, Terry
Hughes of John Day; a daughter,
Teresa Andrews of Kennewick,
Washington; her mother, Mary
Benge of Heppner; a brother,
Michael D. Benge of Fall Church,
Virginia; a sister, Lynn Marie
McDonald of Omaha, Nebraska;
and four grandchildren. She was
preceded in death by her father,
Terrell Benge, brother, Ralph,
and sister, Mary.
Memorial contributions may
be made to a chanty of choice.
Sweeney Mortuary, Heppner,
was in charge of arrangements.
LeRoy
A.
Britt
LeRoy A. Britt, 59, of Spray,
died Thursday, May 15, 1997, at
his ranch.
Graveside service was held
Saturday, May 17, 1997 at the
Heppner Masonic Cemetery.
Mr. Britt was bom May 30,
1937, at Fossil, to Roy and Selma
Anderson Britt. He was raised at
Spray and attended local schools.
On March 16, 1957, he married
Diana Nash at Spray. The couple
moved to Pilot Rock in 1969 and
returned to the Spray area in 1978.
Mr. Britt was a well-known
W heeler County logger and
rancher. He operated a ranch
along the John Day River for 20
years. He was named Eastern Or
egon Logger of the Year in 1978
and was a member of the Oregon
Log Truckers Association.
Survivors include his wife,
Diana, of Spray; sons, Ted of
Heppner, and Tony of Ukiah; his
mother, Selma Adams of Spray;
brothers, Rod of Redmond, and
Sid of Echo; a sister, Ruth Pietila
of Floodwood, Minnesota; and
three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may
be made to a charity of choice.
Sweeney Mortuary, Heppner,
was in charge of arrangements.
WCCC lad ies hold fun day
Heppner Les Schwab Assistant Manger Jeff Shank (left),
Dustin Cossitt, along with "friend" show off Treasure Island
promotional display created by store employees that earned
second place in their district.
B M C C announces presidential pick
Dr. Virginia "Nicki" Hamngton
is in negotiations with the Blue
Mountain Community College
Board of Directors to become the
new college president.
The board of directors made the
selection Thursday evening and
made a follow up phone call to
Harrington to confirm her
interest.
Harrington will be leaving her
position as vice-president of
teaching and learning at Moraine
Park Technical College in Fond
du Lac, WI. She has been there
since 1993.
Originally a nursing instructor,
Harrington has a bachelor of
science in nursing from the
University of Michigan. She
holds two master's degrees, one
in education and the other in
nursing education. Her doctorate
in education leadership is from
the University of San Diego.
Hamngton is a believer in the
importance of community service
and involvement, said a BMCC
news release. She has served on
committees for several local
events featuring the arts. She
volunteers
with
the
Big
Brother/Big Sister program and
with Easter Seals and is a
member
of
Soroptimist
International.
Harrington's interest in the
Pacific Northwest goes back to
her years as director of health
occupations at the College of the
Redwoods in Eureka. CA, from
1983 through 1993. said the
release.
Willow Creek Country Club
lady golfers held a fun day on
May 13. Results are as follows:
Special events w inners-#2
Lynnea Sargent, Jean Ball, Sheila
and Pat Edmundson; #5 a tie be
tween Sandi Hanna, Joyce
Dinkins, Karen M organ and
Deborah K endrick, L uvilla
Sonstegard, Jackie Allstott and
Norma French, Jean Ball, Lynnea
Sargent, Sheila and Pat
Edmundson; #8 Juanita Martin,
Betty Carlson, Lorrene M ont
gomery and Sherron Woodside.
Scramble team winners: first
Jean Ball, Lynnea Sargent, Sheila
and Pat Edmundson; second
Norma French, Jackie Allstott,
Luvilla Sonstegard; third a tie
between Lorrene Montgomery,
Sherron Woodside, Juanita Mar
tin, Betty Carlson, and Joyce
Dinkins, Karen Morgan, Sandi
Hanna. Deborah Kendrick; fourth
Jenny Reynolds, Kate Reynolds,
Lorie M cKinney and Susan
Atkins: fifth Lois Hunt, Jeanette
Padberg, Carol Norms and Wendy
Haack.
> > > > ) > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
T r a il B ik e R a f f l e
19 8 0 H o n d a X R 8 0
H
T IC K E T S
$ 1.00
6 fo r $5.00
n
H
H
Drawing to
be held
August 17th
(need not be present to win)
Tickets available at the
Neighborhood Center of
South Morrow County
» 3 AJO3QQQQ>>>>>>>>
U J
PRCKIEEDS BENEFIT THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER OE SOUTH MORROW COUNTY