Heppner gazette-times., January 21, 1998, Image 1

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The Heppner Chamber of
Commerce
man,
woman,
educator and business of the year
awards were announced at the
annual Town and Country
Banquet, held Thursday, Jan. 15,
at the Heppner Elks Club.
Skip Matthews was named the
man of the year, Janet Greenup,
woman of the year, Barbara
Stefani-Peterson,
citizen-
educator of the year, and the
Dick and Virginia Wilkinson
ranch, the business of the year.
HEPPNER
Virginia and Dick Wilkinson
imes
VOL. 117________NO. 3________6 Pages
Wednesday, January 21,1998
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
G uy VanArsdale to run for county judge
county buildings, parks, solid
waste, the weed control program
and the airport. He also handles
the budgets for those entities.
VanArsdale says that he feels
that his business experience
dealing with federal, county and
state governments will benefit
him if he is elected judge. He has
also worked In community
service programs with young
people, which he says he has
really enjoyed and will help him,
since the county judge is also the
juvenile judge. He says that
during the last three years as
public works director he has had
a policy of helping the public
work with the county processes
in a timely and positive way, a
policy which he would continue
as judge.
"Our present judge has put
together a very good selection of
department
heads,"
said
VanArsdale. "I don't foresee
changing any of that right off the
bat. If feel they're doing a very
good job and want to continue
with the system he has put
together."
VanArsdale says that his major
concerns, if he is elected judge,
would include the Army Depot
disposal of chemical agents, the
potential for decline in jobs in
the
Willow
Creek
area
communities and the increase in
population in the county's
Columbia River communities.
VanArsdale said that he
would step down from his
position as public works
director/road master if elected to
the judge's position.
Wheat seminar set for Jan. 29
Guy VanArsdale
A fifth candidate has tossed his
hat into the ring for the Morrow
County Judge position. Guy
VanArsdale, Lexington, filed for
the position Tuesday, Jan. 20.
VanArsdale joins Bill Doherty,
Keith Lewis
and Rollie
Marshall, all of whom who filed
on the Republican ticket, and
Greg Sweek, who filed as a
Democrat.
VanArsdale, 58, originally
from Stockton, California, first
came to eastern Oregon in 1959
to visit his father in Joseph. That
year he began working for Boise
Cascade, where he worked for
about three years before getting a
job in road construction. He
came to Morrow County around
1963 with Roadways, Inc., to
build the Coalmine Hill-Ditch
Creek Road system. During this
time he met Milo Prindle, the
wood superintendent at Kinzua,
who offered him a job. He didn't
accept the position, but, with his
oldest son starting school, he
decided to stay in the area. He
had wanted to settle in a small
eastern Oregon town and decided
"this was it". He later accepted a
position with Kinzua, working in
their road construction and
logging department from 1967
until it was phased out in 1979.
After Kinzua phased out that
department, VanArsdale bought
their equipment and formed
VanArsdale
Construction
Company and VanArsdale Air
Service.
Guy and his wife of 14 years,
Barbara, have since turned over
the construction business to his
son,
Mike.
The
elder
VanArsdales still operate the air
service, which provides forest
fire reconnaissance and charter
flights.
In 1995, VanArsdale accepted a
job as the Morrow County Public
Works director/road master. The
department is responsible for all
roads in Morrow County, all
The Morrow County Columbia
Wheat Seminar will be held
Thursday, January 29, from 8:30
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the lone
grange.
The morning program will be a
taped presentation of the January
27
Colum bia
Basin
teleconference.
Lunch will be served by the
ladies of the Grange and will
require pre-registration.
The afternoon program will
include presentations
from
representatives
of
DEQ,
Columbia Basin Agriculture
Research Center and OSU
Extension faculty.
Pesticide credits will be
available for the afternoon
session only. Cost is $10 for the
day, including lunch or $5 for the
afternoon session.
Those planning to attend are
asked to RSVP Lunch by Friday,
January 23. For reservations or
information call the Morrow
County Extension pffice, 541-
676-9642 or 1-800-342-3664.
Skip Matthews
Skip Matthews, Heppner, is the
chairman of the Willow Creek
Park District, and was very
instrumental in the Willow Creek
Waterpark
Project,
which
culminated in the opening of a
new swimming pool in Heppner
this past summer. He is a current
member of the Heppner City
Council and the Heppner
Coordinating Council.
Prior to his service on the park
district, Matthews served on the
swimming pool exploratory
commission for around three
years.
Awards presenter Bill Kuhn
noted that Matthews "is a person
of seemingly inexhaustible
energy,
unending
resourcefulness, ushakable good
nature and vast vision." He added
that Matthews, "when seeing a
community need, large or small,
throws all his efforts into
accomplishing a project to meet
the need and is relentless until
the project is done. He has the
skills,
organization
and
personality to shepherd major
community projects from start to
finish. He is an invaluable
resource and shining example."
Originally from Newberg,
Matthews, 41, graduated from
Oregon State University in 1981
with a bachelor of science degree
in agriculture.
He first came to Heppner in
1986 and began working for the
Farm Service Agency in 1987.
He and his wife, Sandi, have
two children, Whitney, seven,
and Donald, four.
says no when asked to help, but
she usually doesn't need to be
asked because she volunteers. He
time is freely given, which is
amazing because she is raising a
large family and time is her most
precious
commodity.
A
willingness to part with her most
precious possession is another
sign of her selflessness."
Greenup was bom and raised
in Heppner, graduating from
Heppner High School. She is
active in St. Patrick's church
activities, including serving as
parish hall coordinator, on the
Altar Society and as a Sunday
school teacher.
Greenup has been active in the
Heppner Wranglers riding club
for 20 years, serving positions
ranging from president to fence
mender. She has been active in
youth
activities
and has
volunteered for work crews for
the new ball fields and the new
swimming pool. She has
volunteered for the Heppner
Water Control district for over 10
years and is currently treasurer.
Greenup is employed as
manager of the Soil and Water
Conservation District.
She and her husband, Greg,
have four daughters, Amy, Sarah,
Kathleen and Kelsey.
Barbara Stefani-Peterson
BEO donates to "laws of Life" Fund
Oregon.
Stefani-Peterson taught health,
physical
education,
home
economics, language arts and
coached at lone and Heppner
from 1972 to 1985. From 1987 to
1989 she served as counselor at
Nyssa Middle School. From
1989 to the present, she has been
a counselor and Heppner and
lone schools and coached in the
athletic program.
She received a bachelor of
science degree from Portland
State University in 1971 and did
graduate work leading to her
standard license and personnel
services license from PSU and
the College of Idaho.
She has two daughters,
Danielle and Jessica.
Area ranchers Dick and
Virginia
Wilkinson,
1997
recipients of the Heppner
Chamber business of the year
award, have long been involved
in agriculture.
The couple recently donated
$30.000 to help construct a new
multipurpose arena at the
Morrow County Fairgrounds in
Heppner. Their gift brought the
fund raising efforts for the
project up to 60 percent of their
goal.
The Wilkinsons were selected
the 1997 Morrow County
Conservation Farm of the Year
and in 1994 were named the
"Landowner of the Year" by the
Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife "in recognition of the
outstanding contributions to the
fish and wildlife resources of
Oregon". The Wilkinsons have
long been supportive of allowing
hunters on their property.
Dick, bom and raised on the
land he still farms, served around
20 years on both the Columbia
Basin Electric Board of Directors
and the Federal Land Bank. He
was a member of the Rural Fire
District Board and the Game
Commission. He is a charter
member of the Heppner High
School FFA Chapter and still
serves on their advisory board.
Virginia, originally from
Florida, has been involved in
agriculture since their marriage
in 1950. She helped for many
years during fair. She was also
State Worthy Grand Matron of
the Eastern Star, heading up the
state organization which had
32,000 members at the time.
While raising two daughters, she
also worked with the Rainbow
Girls.
Citizen educator of the year
Barbara Stefani-Peterson, lone, is
a counselor at lone and Heppner
schools. She has become very
involved with the students at the
two schools, coaching basketball,
volleyball and track over the
years and serving as advisor for
many school activities.
Stefani-Peterson, 48, is advisor
for Red Ribbon Webk, an anti­
drug and alcohol activity. Oregon
Together, which provides alcohol
and drug free activities for youth,
OSSOM (Oregon State Students
on the Move) and STARS
(Students Today Aren't Ready for
Sex). She is also coordinator for
City of Heppner rriôiiagii vjtti y
the Heppner Elementary Multi- Marks has announced that a
Disciplinary Team, a member of recycle bin is once again
the county Multi-Disciplinary available to the public in
Team, advisor to the lone Heppner.
Student Council, counselor for
The bin is located at the city
the Heppner eighth grade gravel yard on Riverside Avenue,
exchange with the Centennial north of Morgan Street. The
Middle School in Gresham, a public is invited to deposit their
member of the Crisis Team and a newspaper, glass and tin at the
"Prevention" team member on recycle bin.
the state and national level,
The bin is provided by Finley
having
recently
gone
to Buttes Landfill and the site has
Washington, D.C. to represent been made available by the city.
Recycling bins
available again
Janet Greenup
Heppner Fire Chief Rusty Estes is pictured above accepting a check
for $1,000 from Bank of Eastern Oregon President George Koffler.
The bank donated the money toward a new “Jaws of Life" the Hepp­
ner Volunteer Fire Dept, is planning to purchase.
Estes says it will cost around $7,000 to replace their old “Jaws of
Life” which is 20 years old and outdated. Estes added that the depart­
ment has raised about half the funds required and is still accepting
donations.
WC Symphony to hold concert
The Willow Creek Symphony
will hold its winter concert on
Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p m. at the
Heppner Middle School gymna­
sium.
This free concert will include
vocal, string and harp soloists.
The orchestra will be playing a
variety of music, including pieces
com posed by Glenn M iller,
Bryan Adams and Mozart.
The public is invited to attend
and enjoy an evening of music.
Janet Greenup, 42, was
honored for her "willingness to
see a job that needs doing and
quietly getting it done, even if it
means doing it herself," said
Kuhn. "She is extremely self
motivated and that serves us
week
when
she
tackles
community projects. She never
WASCO GRAND OPENING
Saturday, Jan. 24th ~ 8 a.m.-12 noon
Breakfast • Equipment Reps • Door Prizes
71025 Old Highway 97 Loop, Wasco
And Come To The Lexington Customer Appreciation Day, Saturday Feb. 7th!
MORROW COUNTY
GRAIN GROWERS
Lexington 989-8221 1-800-452-7396
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Heppner Chamber of Commerce announces
Town and Country annual awards
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