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
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