Bob Kilkenny named Grand Marshal of
Great Green St. Pats Day Parade
B e 3 3 i a 'A’
stzall
U of o Neva papar Library
Eu¿ana, 03 97403
/
HEPPNER
(L-R): Kelly Kilkenny Hale, Pat Kilkenny, Russell Kilkenny, John Kilkenny, Kevin Kilkenny, and Bob
Kilkenny.
imes
VOL. 123
NO. 9
10 Pages
Wednesday, March 3,2004
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Sager family to speak on Rwanda journey
The Sager Family gets ready to travel to mission in Africa
K e lly a n d L a u ra
Sager will speak at Christian
Life Center, 535 W. M organ
S t., H e p p n e r on S u n d a y
M arch 7, at 10:30 a.m. They
w ill s p e a k a b o u t th e ir
u p c o m in g tr ip in to th e
m issionary field in Rw anda,
Africa.
K elly w as raised in
H eppner and H erm iston. He
g r a d u a te d fro m E a s te r n
O regon U niversity. He is a
certified d rug and alcohol
counselor and is the current
director o f M orrow /W heeler
C ounty Behavioral Health.
Laura was raised in Fossil.
She is currently a M edical
T r a n s c r ip t io n i s t fo r th e
M o rro w C o u n ty H e a lth
District. They are the parents
o f five children. Darby, Brick,
Tegan, N yssa and K oopers.
The fam ily currently attends
G ra c e B a p tis t C h u rc h in
Hermiston.
The Sagers have been
appointed missionaries to East
Africa and will soon be leaving
Lexington for the bush country
in Rwanda, Africa. They will
s e rv e
as
v o lu n te e r
coordinators in Eastern Africa.
The Sagers will be leaving
Lexington on M arch 15 for
o rientation and training in
Vittim a, They will be arriving
in A frica in M ay for 40 days
o f training in Kenya, living in
the African Bush.
AM a re in v ite d to
attend.
Little Leprechaun Karnival and Kids Kuisine
L o c a te d on the lot
M a rc h 13 at th e L ittle
s o u th o f th e p o st o ffic e ,
Leprechaun Karnival and Kids
volunteers w ith the A dopt-a-
Kuisine.
T eacher Foundation will be
overseeing the fun and serv ing
up som e favorite foods to the
little p e o p le . G a m e s w ill
include “duck pond," miniature
Spring is around the comer along with spring cleaning.
golf, face painting, a “junk food
The City o f H eppner’s Beautification Comm ission is pleased
w alk,” and a “wheel o f fun.”
to remind the residents o f Heppner about the annual “ Sprucin'
T ick ets th at cost 25 cents
Up Your G reen' taking place M arch 1-12.
each or $ 1 for five can be used
Located at the city’s yard on Riverside by the recycling
for the activities and the snack
bin, will be tw o dum psters; one for yard debris and one for
shack. Hot dogs, brow nies,
m etals. R efrigerators m ay be placed in the m etal recycling
and drinks are the main menu
dum pster only w ith the com pressor rem oved. No household
items.
garbage is allowed in either.
T h is e n te rta in m e n t
Les Schw ab Tire C enter is helping with cleanup by
center
for
little people will
accepting old tires on Saturday, M arch 6 from 8 a.rh. until
open at 11:30 a.m. It will close
4:30 p.m. The disposal is lim ited to H eppner residents with
for the parade and then run
four passenger or pick-up tires per family.
again
until 3 p.m . Proceeds
“Your participation in our ‘Sprucin’ Up Your G reen'
from the attraction will support
cleanup will m ake H eppner ju st that m uch m ore a pleasant
the efforts o f the foundation to
com m unity to live in or visit, just in tim e for our St. Patrick’s
retain a m uch needed staff
Celebration,” says a com m ission spokesperson.
p o s itio n in th e H e p p n e r
For more information, contact City Hall at 676-9618.
schools.
Wee ones and their
p a r e n ts w ill fin d m a n y
attractions to entertain and
delig h t them on Saturday,
Spring clean-up available for Heppner
residents
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
Bob Kilkenny, a true,
green, Irishman, w as chosen
as the Grand Marshall for the
Great Green Parade during the
St. P atrick’s C elebration in
Heppner. Kilkenny, bom in
1929, w as raised on w hat is
know n in his fam ily as the
“hom e place” ju st outside o f
H eppner and m oved to his
ranch outside o f Lexington in
1950.
Kilkenny has been an
a c tiv e m e m b e r o f th e
com m unity for years. His has
been a m em ber o f the Elks
Lodge for over 50 years, he is
a m em b e r o f th e O re g o n
W heat G row ers League and
the Farm B ureau and is a
strong supporter o f school
sports. Kilkenny almost never
m is s e s
one
of
h is
g r a n d c h ild r e n ’s s p o rtin g
events and enjoys traveling
with his family. A w hile back
the fam ily was able to travel
to N orte Dam e and catch a
football game o f the Fighting
Irish. Kilkenny has also had the
great opportunity to travel
back to Ireland three tim es to
visit family members still living
there.
All five o f Kilkenny’s
c h ild r e n g r a d u a te d fro m
H eppner High School and all
graduated from University o f
Oregon. He is proud to be the
father o f five Ducks.
K ilkenny is proud to
represent “the old Irish” during
the St. Pat’s festivities, and can
be seen in the back o f his
M odel-T during the parade.
A n o th e r e x c itin g
a s p e c t o f th e S t. P a t ’s
C elebration for K ilkenny is
that all five children will be
com ing home to celebrate.
Below is an article
w r itte n by K ilk e n n y ’s
granddaughter, Hannah Hale.
In the article she shares o f the
history o f the Kilkenny family;
how they cam e from Ireland
and w here they are now.
The Ancestry and
Life of Robert J.
Kilkenny: a piece of
Irish Heritage
By Hannah Kilkenny Hale
“ M ay the road rise to
meet you
M ay th e w in d be
alw ays at your back
M ay the sun shine
warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon
your fields
A nd until w e m eet
again
M ay God hold you in
the hollow o f His hand “
I rem e m b e r as a
young child m aking the long
jo u rn ey to my gran d fath er's
farm in H eppner, O regon.
U pon m y arriv al, grandpa
always greeted me outside the
front door and thereafter we
m ade our w ay into the living
room to chat. It w as in this
room that I first read this old
Irish poem a n d o v e r tim e
le a rn e d
about
my
g ran d fath er’s ancestry. I am
proud to be related to this Irish
family and to share grandpa’s
story w ith you.
To u n d e rs ta n d m y
g r a n d f a t h e r ’s
Iris h
background, one should first
k n o w m o re a b o u t h is
ancestors. His m aternal great
grandmother was bom in 1828
in the county o f Tipperary,
Ireland and his grandfather
was bom in 1830 in the county
o f K ilkenny, Irelan d . His
grandfather, Michael Summers
came to America in 1856 while
his grandm other, M ary Ellen
M c C o r m ic k , m a d e th e
arduous trip to A m erica in
1856. Michael and Mary Ellen
later m et in Iowa and w ere
m arried in 1858. The tw o
eventually had five children:
M ary E lle n , K ate, D elia,
Em m ett and M ichael. A fter
m a n y y e a r s , th e c o u p le
decided to m ove w est and
w h ile en r o u te M ic h a e l
S u m m e rs d ie d at F o rt
Wingate, New' Mexico during
the year o f 1880. H ow ever,
not w illing to give up, M ary
Ellen continued on her way to
O regon w here she settled in
M atney Flat, Gilliam County.
A t the tim e she had three
children w ith her and later the
other two settled in Oregon as
well. She passed on in 1899
while still living on the farm.
Kate Sum m ers, the
child o f M ichael and M ary
Ellen Summers, met her future
husband, William Russell while
both worked on the Railroad.
Interestingly, William Russell
was bom in 1849 in Belfast,
Ire la n d . A fte r m o v in g to
America, he served in the civ il
w ar with his father and two
b r o th e r s , b u t s a d ly b o th
brothers were killed in action.
William was also the first man
to drive a six mule team in the
county when he hauled wool
to Arlington. They married in
1883 in Boise, Idaho w here
they settled down. After their
m arriage, Kate and W illiam
had four children: Eddie, Sudie,
M argaret, and Lottie. L.ottie
w o u ld late r g iv e b irth to
Robert Kilkenny. William died
in 1909 in C ondon, O regon,
but Kate and her son Eddie
c o n tin u e d to w ork on the
ranch.
R obert's father, John
Kilkenny, bom in 1870 in the
county ofLeitrim, Ireland, was
one o f ten children bom o f
P e te r a n d M a ry A nn
(Sheridan). A fter his chi Idhood
in Ireland, John m ade the
j o u r n e y to A m e ric a a n d
ultimately landed in Umatilla,
O regon. U pon his arrival he
w alked three days with his
friend J im Carty to w hat would
la te r b e c o m e k n o w n as
Heppner, Oregon. It was here
that John met his first wife Rose
Ann Curran and together they
had six children Rose, John,
Bill, Sara, Maryanne and Mae.
R ose A nn died in a tragic
accident at a young age, and
after this John rem arried to
Lottie Russell. They had four
c h ild re n : Ile n e , C o lle e n ,
Russell, and my grandfather,
Robert.
A fter a childhood in
H ep p n er, O reg o n , R obert
K ilk e n n y m a r r ie d V esta
Cutsforth with w hom he had
four children: Russell, Patrick,
John, and Kelly. Subsequently,
R obert rem arried to M ary
Em ert and together they had
one child, Kevin. Robert also
helped raise M ary’s children
Earl and Kelly. All o f his
c h ild r e n g ra d u a te d fro m
college at the U niversity o f
O reg o n . T oday the o ld est
child, Russell, lives in Portland,
O re g o n w ith his c h ild re n
Taylor, Shelby and W hitney
where he practices law. He is
currently engaged to Jeanine
Erskine. Patrick lives in San
D ieg o w h e re he ru n s his
insurance co m pany called
A rrow head G eneral. Kevin
w orks for Patrick and also
lives in San Diego. John lives
on the home place in Heppner
with wife Diane and their three
children: Conor, Rory, and
K atie. K elly w orks in the
investment business and lives
in Portland with her husband
B o b H a le a n d d a u g h te r
H an n ah . G ra n d p a is now
m arried to Eva W ilkins and
they live on a ranch north o f
Lexington where he has lived
for over fifty years.
People in H eppner
k n o w g ra n d p a as w a rm ,
caring, and w itty. I am proud
to call him my grandpa. I have
enjoyed learning about m y
Irish ancestors from him over
the years. A lthough I will be
u n a b le to a tte n d th e S t.
Patrick’s Day celebration this
year, I will be there in heart
and spirit. No one deserves the
honor o f Grand Marshall more
than grandpa. And I know he
w ill serve the community with
h o n o r. H av e a g re a t d a y
grandpa, you deserve it.
—
-
22nd Annual
A Wee Bit O ’ Ireland
March 11-14
Information Page 6
See complete
schedule o f
events in next
week's paper
ALL D A N N E R B O O T S
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