FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 2, 2000
Obituaries
Richard Bruette "R.B."
Burkett
Services for Mr. Richard
Bruette "R. B." Burkett, 90, of
Whitehouse, Texas, will be held
2 p.m. Monday at Burks Walker
Tippit Chapel with the Rev.
Sherman Mayfield and the Rev.
Harold Davis officiating. Burial
will be at Whitehouse Cemetery.
Mr. Burkett died Thursday,
July 27, 2000, in Tyler, Texas.
He was bom March 16, 1910,
in Bullard, Texas, to the late
Richard Henry (Dee) and Willie
Minerva McAnally Burkett. He
attended school at Walnut Grove,
Texas, and had resided in
Whitehouse for 70 years.
He was a member of First
Baptist Church in Whitehouse, a
member
of
International
Brotherhood
of
Electrical
Workers for 60 years. Along with
several other businessmen in
Whitehouse, he was instrumental
in beginning the first Whitehouse
Volunteer Fire Department. He
served many years on the
Whitehouse School Board.
He had been retired since 1962
after being in business for 30
years in Whitehouse.
He loved traveling, fishing and
hunting, but his greatest joy was
spending time with his daughters
and grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a
grandson, Richard N. Henry, and
four sisters, Charlene Rains,
Lorene Tomlin, Pauline Burkett
and Zettie Marie Ackerman.
He is survived by his wife of
67 years, Frances Oceana
Breitling Burkett of Whitehouse,
whom he married November 2,
1932; and daughters and sons-in-
law, Mane and Joe Key of lone,
and Barbara and Gaylon
Shackelford of Whitehouse,
Texas; a brother, Marshall B.
Burkett of Whitehouse; five
grandchildren, Mark Shackelford
of Whitehouse, Stacey Simmons
of Winona, Texas, and Lenora
McClard, Tim Key and Jeffrey
Key, all of lone; 15 great­
grandchildren and two great-
great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Tim R.
key, Mark Shackelford, Marshall
D. Burkett, Joe Tomlin, Donald
Breitling and Paul Simmons.
Honorary Pallbearers will be
Gene Tomlin, James Lilly and
Lawrence Smith.
The family will receive friends
at the funeral home from 6-8
p.m. Sunday.
If desired family request
Memorials be made to The
Whitehouse Volunteer Fire Dept,
at 303 E. Main St., P.O. Box 759,
Whitehouse, Texas 75791.
Kemp A. Dick
Kemp A. Dick, 73. died on July
23, 2000, in Portland.
A celebration of his life will be
held at the home of his son,
Daryl Dick, in Welches, OR, on
Sunday, August 6, 2000 at 1 p.m.
Mr. Dick was bom December
6, 1921, to Louis and Martha
Dick in Pomeroy, WA. His
family moved to lone in the early
1920s, returned to Pomeroy, and
eventually settled in Heppner in
1933. He graduated from
Heppner High School in 1939.
He married Lavelle Pieper in
1942. They had four children:
Dennis, Daryl, Gary and Diane.
They were divorced in the early
sixties.
He married June Jarvis in the
late sixties in Portland. His
second family included six step­
children and several step-grand
children and great-grandchildren.
They were married almost 30
years when shedied in 1997.
Mr. Dick was an Army veteran
with an honorable discharge in
1943.
He was a member of the Elks
Lodge, Moose Lodge and the
American Legion.
He retired from Reynolds
Aluminum Co. in the 1980s and
spent much of his leisure time
pursuing his love of gardening.
He took great pleasure in
spending
time
with
his
grandchildren
and
great­
grandchildren.
Heis survived by his sons and
daughters-in-law; Dennis and
Marilyn Dick, Daryl and Anita
Dick, Gary and Kathryn Dick, his
daughter and son-in-law, Diane
and Gary Snyder; brother, Ed
Dick, seven grandchildren and
three great-grandchildren and
five nieces and nephews.
He will be buried next to his
twin sister, Marcia, in lone at a
later date.
Health care assoc,
endorses Smith
The Oregon Health Care
Association has endorsed Greg
Smith
for
Oregon
State
Representative, District 59,
according to a Committee to
Elect Greg Smith news release.
"Greg is an impressive new
leader who understands the
health care needs of Oregonians,"
said James Carlson, executive
director of the Oregon Health
Care Association. "We look
forward to working with him in
the 2001 legislative session".
"I am going to work hard to
support our elderly citizens," said
Smith.
"I
fully embrace
physicians of choice, affordable
prescription medicine and low
cost housing options for our
senior citizens".
Since announcing his intent to
run, Smith has been visiting
assisted living facilities and says
he has gained a solid
understanding of the issues
facing the health care industry.
"Greg has already been
instrumental in helping the
Willow Creek Valley Assisted
Living Facility obtain a small
loan," said Suzanne Jepsen,
board member of the Willow
Creek Valley Assisted Living
Facility. "I know he will be our
advocate in Salem."
The Oregon Health Care
Association is a nonprofit trade
association representing more
than 80 percent of all Oregon
Nursing
Homes,
including
nursing facilities, assisted living
facilities and residential care
facilities, said the release.
Births
Coby Mac Dongherty-a son
Coby Mac was bom to Dawna
and Cliff Dougherty of Heppner
on July 7, 2000 at St. Anthony
Hospital in Pendleton.
Emily Rose Taylor-a daugh­
ter Emily Rose was bom to Cheryl
and Joseph Taylor of Boardman
on July 23, 2000 at Good Shep­
herd Community Hospital in
Hermiston. The baby weighed 6
lbs. 8 oz.
Garden Club
sets meeting
A meeting of the Heppner
Garden Club will be held at Cal's
Restaurant on Monday, August 7,
at 7 p.m.
Ideas for a fair booth and more
programs will be discussed.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
AUGUST 1st - 8th
20% - 25% O FF
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THE WHOLE STORE! ^
(not guns or ammo)
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Layaways Welcome
Health district seeks funding for remodeling project
The Morrow County Health
District Board, at their regular
meeting Monday night, discussed
asking the Port of Morrow for a
$150,000 loan to fund a
remodeling project at Pioneer
Memorial Hospital in Heppner.
The project would remodel the
hospital
facilities
to
accommodate a CT (cat) scan
machine. The district has
purchased a CT scanner, but has
not been able to use it because
there was no space adequate for
the machine at PMH. According
to the board, the scanner would
allow medical providers to order
cat scans m-house, thereby
providing the service locally.
Now, patients must be sent to
other facilities for cat scans.
Cat scans, which are used
extensively to assess a wide
variety o f injuries and illnesses,
would not only offer a needed
service for patients, but would
also provide a lucrative source of
income for the district. MCHD
CEO Victor Vander Does said
that they hope to have the cat
scan remodeling project done by
October.
According to the MCHD board,
the port has a revolving loan fund
which the port borrowed from
USDA at one percent interest.
MCHD Board Chairman Larry
Mills says the port has indicated
that they may loan the district the
money at eight percent interest,
deemed a "little high" by the
board.
The district is in the process of
obtaining its own $2.5 million
loan from USDA and their
application has been pre­
approved, but the extensive,
laborious application process is
not expected to be completed
until October. The board does
not believe it can wait that long,
because of the district's ailing
bottom line and the financial shot
in the arm the cat scan could
provide.
Initially USDA representatives
said that the $2.5 million would
come directly from USDA, but
now they indicate that they
would approve a portion as a
guaranteed loan, meaning that
the monies would be loaned to
MCHD by a bank at a very low
interest rate and would be 90
percent guaranteed by USDA if
MCHD defaulted. The district is
anticipating a 40-year loan,
which Mills says would allow
them "wiggle room" to recover
from their financial situation.
The $2.5 million would be used
to refinance the district's debt, in
addition to remodeling at PMH.
In other business, the board;
-approved the preliminary
financial report for the month of
June which indicate $341,583 in
gross patient revenue, $177,312
in revenue deductions (bad debt
and contractual adjustments),
$46,500 in tax revenue and
$3,409 in other operating
revenue for a total operating
revenue of $214,180; vs.
$374,446 in total operating
expenses and $2,907 in non­
operating gains for a $157,358
loss for June.
Gross patient revenue for June
was up $66,789 over May at
$274,794, but May's bad debt
and contractual adjustments were
down at $120,308. Total
operating revenue, including
$46,500 in tax revenue, for May
was $228,753; total operating
expenses were $364,469 with a
$28,290 non-operating gains for
a $107,425 loss for May.
Year to date figures show
$4,217,442 in gross patient
revenue, $933,838 in bad debt
and contractual adjustments,
$558,000 in tax revenue,
$228,789 in other operating
revenue for $4,070,394 in total
operating
revenue
ytd;
$4,582,454 in total operating
expenses and a $120,017 non­
operating gains for a $392,042
loss for the year.
In addition to plans to offer
money-making services at the
hospital
and
clinics
and
refinancing debt, Vander Does
has concentrated on improving
billing procedures and cost­
cutting measures to improve the
district's financial situation since
he came on board in September
of last year. MCHD is in the
process of negotiating with the
Willow Creek Valley Assisted
Living Facility Board to provide
management services for the
proposed assisted living center to
be built in Heppner.
-received notice that an
EMT education grant of $7,620,
a grant for five people to attend
an EMT, Emergency Medical
Services conference and a
CSEPP award of $3,000 to build
a storage shed were approved.
-heard a citizen complaint
about the board renaming
Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home
the "Settlers' Home." The board
said they changed the name to
eliminate the term "nursing
home," which, they believe, has
bad connotations, and were
US West donates
to school program
US West has donated $2,650 to
Umatilla-Morrow ESD's School-
To-Careers program.
US West had a booth for public
relations during the Career
Showcase in February during
which US West employees were
given the opportunity to connect
with students.
US West has a program for
employees
called
WOW
(Widening Our World) which
provides
employees
the
opportunity to donate money to
any charitable organization
where.. ' ^ p lo y e e s , Llh*yc
participated, sych as ymatUja-
Morrow ESD's Career Showcase.
"This grant could provide up
to 800 middle school and high
school students the opportunity
to learn about "high tech"
applications we use right here in
Umatilla and Morrow counties,"
said Sam Pambrum, director of
Umatilla-Morrow
ESD's
Professional Technical Education
Department. "We're grateful for
companies like US West who
assist education in creating
learning experiences."
Teachers in Umatilla and
Morrow counties will be able to
•apply for a Umatilla-Morrow
Technologies Careers Field Trip
application in the fall. The funds
will be given out on first come,
first serve basis.
"This has been a great
opportunity to give students
knowledge
about
the
opportunities at US West for
future careers," said Ed Grimes,
US West Eastern Oregon
construction manager. "Stay in
school, stay away from drugs.
US West is an equal opportunity
employer and we want to show
our support for the local
community."
Grimes said he would like to
work towards creating summer
internships with US West for
students.
For more information, contact
Tania Wildbill, special projects
coordinator, Umatilla-Morrow
ESD, 541-966-3209.
tVUfecfcfin^ f a ß i e s ^
Nicole «Sweeney & S co tt C o e
W edding August 12, 2000,
Patricks Church
Laurel Temple & Joel Coom bs
W eddin g S ep tem b er 2, 2000
Tina Kemp & Philip Joyce
W eddin g O c to b e r 7, 2000
Muffluj'i D juu )
,INC.
217 North Main • Heppner • 676-9158
We accept Visa and Mastercard
Serving Happoer. Lexington A lone
seeking a forward-sounding
name. The board, however,
agreed to sponsor a contest to
name the nursing home and
appointed a committee.
-heard a complaint from a
patient concerning a sharp
increase in the cost of a
laboratory test, which was sent to
California, rather than a lab in
the region, where tests were
previously sent. Vander Does
said that they would rectify the
situation.
-signed with Pacific Source
Health Plan, an insurance
company.
-discussed a proposal with
Cascade East Health Plans, an
insurance company.
-discussed a proposal from
Michael R. Bell & Company,
certified public accountants and
consultants, to prepare the
distirct's Medicare/Medicaid cost
report.
-rejected all three ambulance
bids with plans to reword and re-
let the bid.
-expressed appreciation to
Nancy Vander Does for her
gratis work in revamping the
billing system and in setting up
policies and procedures.
-discussed a news article and
an editorial in the East Oregonian
favorable to the district and
Victor Vander Does' progress in
improving the district's financial
outlook.
O f f The
Jti AA i t I i i i H o b t i i s o n
We're so convenience-oriented, it's difficult to decide which
gadgets are the most useful. They do provide the means to hurry up
and do something else that probably didn't need doing in the first
place.
People from lesser advanced countries probably think Americans
are all bom wired. Perhaps a better term should be wireless,
judging from the number of cell phones in use. Too bad extra
hands aren't an optional feature for people who talk on the phone,
write and drive a vehicle all at the same time. That’s rather
intimidating for me since I'm the type of passenger who needs both
hands just to talk
While on the go, Web surfers can now stay connected with a
pocket size personal computer. It’s the ultimate productivity tool,
the advertisements claim. With a modem you can e-mail or
download music on a player. An optional feature is a digital
camera that can create video pictures to enhance your e-mail. If
grandma is also "wired", she no longer has to wait for conventional
snapshots of her little darlings with watermelon juice running
down their chins or of little Susie who has lost her first tooth.
This is all rather mind-boggling for someone who thought that the
advent of toilet and facial tissue are the greatest products of the
century. No wonder many companies no longer send big catalogs,
for those items outmoded a common secondary use of catalogs
when the "facilities" were all "out back" Anymore households
don't even keep a lowly, but handy ragbag that provide aid to a
bloody nose or helped bandage scraped knees.
Today vacuum cleaners, air cleaners, air conditioners or
television satellite dishes are commonplace. If a kitchen is large
enough there’s some kind of gadget for processing any type of
food. You can grind those coffee beans or perk coffee at the touch
of switch. Aside from microwaves there are super stoves that cook
in jig time. You might even have dispensed with a kitchen stove,
because there are electric grills, hot dog cookers, rice cookers,
crockpots, electric roasters, etc. There's really no excuse for a dirty
oven anymore, but please don't look inside mine.
Even though I was bom clueless and wireless, I'm ju^t a?
dependent on electricity and some o f many conveniences “as
everyone else. Still I still cling to obsolete mefiiods of cooking ffiaf'
, perhaps take a little more effort than shoving a TV dinner in a
microwave. If you can't find the crockpot stored among all those
other gadgets, pre-cooked stew meat is now a staple in stores.
Voila, instant stew.
I'm afraid that I'll never be up to speed when it comes to buying
things sight-unseen on the Internet. If I hit the wrong keys they
might send me raccoon instead of a rat catcher. Since I probably
won't do much traveling, I don't need the services of MapQuest
that will give directions via a cell phone to prevent getting lost in
route. The cost of this service is immaterial. We all know that
some of the most memorable vacation trips were the ones when we
were completely lost.
Predictions are that in the near future all inanimate objects from
the front door to the light bulbs will have a wireless Internet
hookup. So if your furnace breaks down while you're are away, it
will alert you via your cell phone of perhaps just call the repair
man. Thus it would line the pockets of the repair person for a
service call since the problem may be only a blown fuse.
However there is no escaping advancing technology. Virtually all
phones being made today have micro-browser capabilities,
enabling them to surf the Web. The sales of personal digital
assistants is soaring. Perhaps you carry your cell phone on your
day off, during vacation or while just plain goofing off. Therefore
you can snap a mini-keyboard onto to your cell phone and answer
a ton of e-mail. How handy for telemarketers. Don't try to sell me
on the idea of ever-present communication capabilities at all times.
Sometimes it’s better to not be aware of what others are
transmitting or saying. Right now I can't be bothered as I've got
apricot juice running down my arms.
8
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(Dr. Donald J. Carlson
f o o t S pecialist
will be a t the Pioneer Memorial Clinic
on August 9th for the diagnosis
and treatment of all foot problems
Heppner
676-5504____________
Hermiston
567-8750 ___ '