Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 2000)
Kids celebrate Easter with bunny and egg hunt D e c ile Wetzoll U o f 0 h e v s p a > i r M S r a r y Lu ¿'ìlio, OR 9 / 4 l i Kids scramble for eggs during the annual Easter egg hunt held at the Heppner city park on Saturday. New committee to focus on local business retention The Wenberg family (left to right): back row- Heidi. Mindy and Bonnie; front row - Dr. Kenneth, Nels and Cynthia. When Dr. Kenneth and Bonnie W'enberg said they were going to set up a family practice in Heppner they really meant it. Not only does the Willow Creek Clinic serve families, but it is operated entirely by Wenberg family members—from the physician, to the nurse, to the office staff, to the janitorial crew. Dr. Kenneth Wenberg, 53. has been a familiar face as a physician at Pioneer Memorial Hospital and Clinic for many years. His wife, Bonnie, 52, who has a master's degree in nursing, is the clinic's nurse and office manager. Their daughter, Heidi, 24. will be their receptionist and will also handle billing. Their daughter-in-law. Cynthia, will help out with reception and filing. Their son, Nels, 15. will provide the janitorial services and will also fill in when needed in the office. Their daughter, Mindy. 10. will run errands and also help around the office. The Wenbergs have three other children not directly involved in the clinic operation—Peter, 18. who just moved to Heppner; Tars. 20. who lives in Silverton, near Salem, with his wife. Kristi, and their seven-month old baby. Akaina; and I rik, 26. who lives in Hermiston with his wife, Cynthia, and their two sons. Sebastian, two years, and Wales, seven weeks old A close-knit family. Dr. Wenberg's parents. Kenneth and Freda Wenberg. and Bonnie's mother. Lillian Shadduck. have also moved to Heppner to be nearer their children. The family also has a strong faith, belonging to the Seventh-day Adventist Church Dr Wenberg graduated from Andrews University at Berrien Springs. Michigan, with dual bachelor's degrees in chemistry and math and a minor in physics. He and his wife met while he was doing undergraduate work at Andrews and she was a nursing student. Their meeting and falling in love was just chemistry-literally. While going to school, she was also working as a secretary in a men's dorm and he was working in a research lab. She got his attention when she got the highest score a nursing student had ever gotten on a national standardized chemistry exam. After graduating, Kenneth got a job teaching at Indiana University at South Bend campus, about 40 miles away from Berrien. They married the next summer after Bonnie finished her bachelor's degree in nursing at Andrews. Kenneth taught a second year at IU South Bend and Bonnie worked in medical surgical and then pediatric nursing in South Bend. The Wenbergs then came west to the Seattle area, where he taught chemistry at Shoreline Community College Bonnie w'ent back for her master's degree in nursing at the University of Washington. where she completed a two-year program in only one year. She then taught maternity nursing at the University of Washington. By then Kenneth had decided to become a physician and was admitted to the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. Kenneth flew to Mexico the first part of October in 1973, first completing an intensive four-month Spanish class prior to beginning med school. Bonnie remained in Seattle until Erik, their first child, was bcm. He was bom on October 18. Bonnie and the baby flew to Mexico 12 days later. Fhcir second child. Heidi, was bom in Portland, two years later during summer break. Bonnie's sister then lived in the Portland area. Kenneth had already flown to Mexico, but flew back for the baby's birth. Bonnie and the baby returned to join Kenneth in Mexico when the baby was only two weeks old. Kenneth received his degree in medicine in June of 1978. In July of that year he started a year of rotating internship at Portland Adventist Hospital, Portland. Oregon. The Wenberg's third child. Lars, was bom in Portland in 1979. In July of that year, Kenneth enrolled at Loma Linda’s LA campus to complete the "Fifth Pathway Program " Kenneth opted for that program, which is a post-graduate program similar to an extra internship, rather than complete a year of community service required of Mexican physicians. From there he spent four years in a residency program in Pontiac, Michigan. Son Peter was bom in 1981 in Southfield. Michigan, just as Kenneth began his residency and son Nels was bom there in 1985. six months after his residency ended. Kenneth worked in ER in Michigan for two years before the family decided to move back to Oregon. Kenneth, a "preacher's kid", and Bonnie, an "Air Force brat", lived in many places during their childhood, but came to consider the Pacific Northwest as their home "Neither of us grew up here." says Bonnie, "but we fell in love with the Northwest." Dr. Wenberg worked at a clinic and in ER at Oregon City, through Spectrum Emergency Care, which provided doctors for emergency rooms. About that time, he heard about Heppner continued page 2 Representatives of lone. Lexington and Heppner met on Ihursday April 20 to form the Willow ( reek Valley lechmcal Advisory Committee. The steering committee has been form ed to oversee implementation of the 1999 Willow Creek Valley Economic Diversification Study completed by Elesco, Ltd. The implementation focus will be on a business retention program recommended by the study. Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corporation (GI.ODC) will staff the business retention program "The goal ol the business retention program is to support local businesses and increase local jobs." commented Martin Davis. GEODC executive director. "Most economic development efforts focus on recruiting new businesses to a community. The Willow Creek Valley is lucky to have a strong recruitment partner in the Port of Morrow, so vve can pay attention to supporting the stabilization and growth of existing community businesses." I he business retention program's kick-off ev ent will be May 4 at 10 a m. at the Bank of Eastern Oregon conference center in Heppner. I he event Two-year-old Rylee Kollman enoys a special moment with the Easter will feature speakers with Bunny during the Heppner Easter egg hunt Saturday at the city park experience in other communities’ Rylee later gave bunny a big kiss on his fuzzy cheek. retention programs. The Technical Advisory Committee includes representatives from each of the three communities in Willow Creek Valley. The committee will meet monthly to oversee The Gazette-Times was in collecting only around S500.000 progress of the business retention error in calculating the maximum from the SI million five-year program, and will closely amount taxpayers w ould pay for local option levy. The monies coordinate efforts with the the local option levy the Morrow will be used to fund 10 teaching Willow Creek Valley Economic County School District is putting positions that were eliminated Development Corporation. before the voters in the May 16 when the school district was K ABO. the cities of the Willow forced to cut S992.000 to balance mail-in election. Creek Valley, the Chamber of The tax rate for the levy is the 2000-2001 budget. Two Commerce and with Morrow S1.04 per thousand assessed teachers will be rehired in County. valuation. If the levy passes, the Heppner. one in lone and seven l echmcal Advisory Committee most a taxpayer with a $50.000 in the Boardman-Imgon area. members include from Heppner: home would pay is $52—not Seventeen teaching positions Cliff Green and Dan Brosnan; SS520 as stated in last week's were initially cut from the from lone: Loyal Bums and Jim Gazette-Times. A taxpayer w ith budget. Swanson; from Lexington: Ballots will be mailed by the Robert Tay lor and Luella Taylor. a SI00.000 home would pay a maximum ofS104-not $1.040 A end of the month and must be For more information about taxpayer with a $500.000 returned to the Morrow County the committee contact Lisa business would pay a maximum Breckcnridge a; 276-6745. Clerk's Office by May 16. ot S520; one with a SI million larm would pay a maximum ol $1.040. I he Gazette-1 inies regrets the error Morrow County School Superintendent Bruce Anderson Initial reports estimate damage 1 he Oregon State Police stresses that not all taxpay ers w ill in excess of S850. which ends up is seeking information leading to pay the maximum amount. The levy is calculated on the the arrest of suspects involved in being paid by taxpayers, says difference between the assessed vandalism to Oregon Department Oregon State Trooper Dave R/ewnicki and market values of property If of Transportation property. Anyone with information On or about Friday, \pril 21. the assessed and market v alues of about this crime, is asked to call one or more v ehicles ran down at a piece of property are the same, I rooper R/ewmcki at 676-9467. that taxpayer will pay no least 28 steel roadside markers C allers may remain anonymous and at least one stop sign along additional taxes. Any information would be I he school district anticipates State Highway 20. South of appreciated. R/ewnicki. I leppner. Correction: school district levy figures not correct State police seek info on vandalism to road signs COLEMAN Contractor A ir Compressor \\c $769 M orrow C ounty G rain G rowers Model CW550 Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 for lami equipment, visit our web sum wwwmcggnM
