Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 26,2004 - THREE
Obituaries
Clayton A. Shaw
C layton A. Shaw,
84, of Corvallis, died May
21,2004.
A priv ate fam ily
service was held May 25 at
F irst U nited M ethodist
Church in Corvallis.
Shaw was bom July
28,1919, in Yakima, WA, to
A lbert S. and A nna Rae
M cC ulley
Shaw.
He
graduated from Walla Walla
High School in 1937 and
from Oregon State College,
class of 1941.
W hile at O regon
State, he was a member of
the Sigma Nu Fraternity and
was active in intercollegiate
sports o f basketball and
baseball.
He w as c alled to
activ e A rm y duty in
December 1941, and spent
39 months of World War II
in Northern Australia, New
G uinea, The N etherlands
E ast Indies and the
P h ilip p in e Islan d s o f
Mindoro and Mindanao.
He returned to the
United States in July 1945,
and on A ug. 5, 1945,
married Harriet Elizabeth
Hager in Heppner.
In 1946, he accepted
a commission in the regular
Army and from then until
the summer of 1969 spent
tours of duty, accompanied
by his family when possible,
in various continental Army
posts, Korea and Germany.
He concluded his military
service as the Professor of
Military Science at Oregon
State University in August
1969; w hereupon
he
accepted the position of
assistant registrar and served
until July 1981.
He is survived by his
wife, Harriet; son, Steven M
Shaw; brother, Robert D.
Shaw ;
and
four
g ra n d c h ild re n . He was
preceded in death by son,
Robert W. Shaw, infant son,
Kevin James and brother,
Wesley R. Shaw.
M e m o r i a l
contributions may be made
to the R obert W. Shaw
M em orial S ch o larsh ip
Fund, d o OSU Foundation.
Michael “Scott”
Strouse
M ichael “ S c o tt”
Strouse, 47, of Heppner,
died Monday, May 17,2004,
at his home of cancer.
A memorial service
was held M ay 24 at the
Church of Jesus Christ of
L atter-d ay
S aints
in
Lexington. A gathering for
fam ily and friends w ill
follow at the Heppner Elks
Lodge.
Strouse was born
Dec. 31,1956, at Woodbum,
to Harry R. and Burma Gass
Strouse. He attended Baker
City Grade School for two
y ears then finished his
ed u catio n in H arrisburg
where he graduated from
high school.
He enlisted in the
Army and served for four
years, then, following an
ho norable d ischarge, he
went to work for the Oregon
State Highway Department
in 1980.
On Dec. 2, 1980, he
married Celita L. West at
Eugene.
He had worked at
several locations throughout
the state before settling in
Heppner in 1992.
He enjoyed hunting
deer and elk and took an
active role in coaching a
Little League softball team.
He had been a
member of the Elks Lodge
and Willow Creek Country
Club at Heppner.
Survivors include
his wife, Celita Strouse; son,
Elliot and daughters, Aleea
and Kathryn, all of Heppner;
parents, Harry R. and Burma
Strouse of Pahrump, NV;
brothers, Harry J. Strouse
and Robert Strouse, both of
Santiam Junction; and sister,
Denise Likens of Roseburg.
M e m o r i a l
contributions may be made
to the A m erican C ancer
Society, Oregon Division,
0330 S.W. Curry, Portland,
OR 97201.
Sweeney Mortuary
of Heppner is in charge of
arrangements.
Virgil Ray
Pettigrew
V irgil
Ray
Pettigrew, 60, a longtime
B oardm an b usinessm an,
died Sunday, May 16, 2004,
at Good Shepherd Medical
Center in Hermiston from
complications of diabetes.
A graveside service
was held M ay 20, at
R iverview C em etery in
Boardman with a gathering
for family and friends held
at the family home.
He was born Dec.
11, 1943, at G lenw ood
Springs, CO, to Virgil C. and
Helen Robertson Pettigrew.
Survivors include
his wife of 42 years, Karen;
daughter, Brenda Dobbins,
and husband Mark, and their
c h ild re n
Tatum
and
C am eron; son, A nthony
P ettigrew , and
w ife,
Rachelle, and their children,
Colton and McKenzie; and
by his brother, Walt and
sister, Peggy. He was
preceded in death by his
parents and a younger sister.
M e m o r i a l
contributions may be made
to the Boardman Ambulance
Service or Morrow County
Hospice.
Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston is in charge of
arrangements.
Students at HES
are wild about
learning
Heppner Elementary
S c h o o l’s annual Awards
N ight is set for Tuesday,
June 8 at 6:30 p.m. The
event will be held in the
HES gym and a ju n g le
them e proves th at the
students are surely wild
about learning.
A w ards w ill be
presented to students in
g rad es K -6. The final
presentations of the evening
will be the highly anticipated
P resid e n tia l A cadem ic
Awards to students in sixth
grade.
F ollow in g
the
e v e n in g ’s celeb ratio n of
HES stu d en ts and th eir
accomplishment, guests are
in v ited
to
enjoy
re fre sh m en ts
in
the
c a fe te ria . The pu b lic is
encouraged to attend.
In the footsteps of his father
By Mark Morical of The
Bulletin
April 27,2004
the most interest in him,
[E d ito r’s N ote: W ally
Backman, Jr. is the grandson
of Sam and Ida Backman of
lone. The story about Wally
Jr., was published April 27,
2004 in The B u lletin ,
located in Bend.]
W hat’s in a name?
S o m e t i m e s
ev ery th in g . S o m etim es
nothing.
It’s strange, though,
how we’re often defined by
our names. How we see a
person’s name and make
im m ediate ju d g m en ts o f
who that person is and what
he or she is like.
H e re ’s a nam e:
Wally Backman.
To many, it may
have no m eaning. To a
baseball fan or major-league
sco u t, i t ’s the scrappy
second baseman who won a
World Series with the New
York Mets in 1986 and also
played for M innesota,
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and
Seattle in a 16-year major
league career.
So when a scout is
looking at a high school
prospect with that very same
name, he is bound to do a
double take.
Wally Backman Jr.
has made numerous scouts
do double takes. His name
gets the scout through the
door, his numbers and talent
make the scout stay.
The
y o u n g er
Backman is having a stellar
senior season as a shortstop
and clo sin g p itc h e r for
Crook County High School,
batting .490 with 13 runs
batted in, six stolen bases
and five saves on the mound
w ith a 1.47 earn ed run
av erag e. H e ’s led the
Cowboys to a 10-3 record
and a tie for second place in
the
In term o u n tain
Conference.
“ I t ’s fu n n y ,” the
younger Backman says. “I
don’t know if I get a lot more
attention because of my dad.
But a lot of people (scouts)
get on the subject about him
and we hit it off from there.
It has had a big impact on
my life. I feel fortunate.”
The elder Backman
is currently managing in the
m inors, h ead in g up the
Lancaster JetH aw ks- the
A rizona D iam o n d b ack s’
entry in the C lass A
California League.
In 1977, W ally
Backm an Sr. was in the
same place his son is now,
being drooled over by scouts
and aw aitin g b a se b a ll’s
amateur draft in early June.
He was the Mets’ No. 1 pick,
the 13th selection overall.
He says his son could be a
high draft pick as well.
“I feel he’s going to
go pretty high from the
things I’ve heard through the
grapevine in a lot of different
organizations,” the elder
Backman says.
The clubs showing
according to his father, are
the
D odgers,
D iam ondbacks,
C ubs,
Royals and Rangers.
S couts love the
younger Backman’s strong,
6-foot-3-inch, 205-pound
frame, and they’re eyeing his
p o ten tial as a fiv e-to o l
shortstop- one who hits for
average and with power, and
who has foot speed, solid
arm strength and defensive
prowess.
“He has the ability,”
Backman, the father, says.
“Not because I’m his dad,
but if I was looking at him
as a scout. He has the tools
and his dad has nothing to
do w ith that, oth er than
giving him good genes.”
The
y o u n g er
B ackm an has lived as
“Wally Backman’s son” his
entire 18 years. He says
baseball is the only career
path he’s ever considered.
He admits the pressure of
being his old man’s son has
g otten the best o f him
before, but now at one of the
most critical junctures of his
young career- he is trying to
forget about who his father
is and ju st help lead the
Cowboys to the IMC title
and the state playoffs.
“I used to be like, ‘I
have to prove to everybody
I ’m as good as my dad
w as,” ’ Backman says. “I
know my dad was good. But
this year... I have to put that
stuff aside and I gotta play
my own game.”
“There’s days when
he’s thinking too much, and
we try to put it back in
perspective,” says Crook
County coach Dean Stiles.
“His dad has schooled him
well in everything else.”
Stiles says he feels
fortunate to have a player of
young Backman’s talents-
and strength- on his team.
He mentions how his star
often squeezes tennis balls
to build his forearms, and
apparently it works.
“I ’ve never seen a
kid or man with forearms
like his,” Stiles says. “It’s
like tapping on a two-by-
four.”
But Stiles is also
quick to d iscu ss young
B ack m an ’s
extrem e
dedication to the game and
strong c h arac te r as a
p erso n ab le high school
stu d en t and com m itted
leader on the squad.
“ H e’s
a
real
gregarious, outgoing kid,”
Stiles says. “He has a lot of
talent, and realizes that, but
he’s not content. He always
wants early work, late work,
extra batting practice. That
becomes infectious to the
other kids. I had to kick them
off the field the other night.
I was tired o f h itting
fungoes.”
The
younger
Backman probably gets his
drive from his father, who is
remembered as a hustling,
gritty, hard-working second
lone United Church of Christ
42nd ANNUAL AUCTION & BARBECUE
C U ST O M
B A N N E R S
basem an. W ally S r.’s
managing duties require him
to be gone from home in
P rin ev ille from M arch
th ro u g h Septem ber, but
during the winter he spends
countless hours with his son,
teaching him the intricacies
of the game that allowed
him to m ain tain a long
career in the big leagues.
“In the off-season,
we have long chats,” Wally
Jr. says. “ W e’ll break
everything down piece by
piece and spend hours on it.”
But one thing his
father taught him can’t be
measured by statistics or by
a scout’s stopwatch or radar
gun.
“He always told me,
‘It’s all in the heart,” ’ the
younger Backman recalls.
“He always played the game
with his heart, and that’s
what he taught me.”
College is another
optio n for the younger
Backman, and several major
universities are interested in
him , including A rizona,
Arizona State, Oregon State,
W ashington and UCLA,
according to his father and
Stiles.
If he d o e sn ’t get
drafted as high as he’d like,
then college will become
more enticing.
“I would advise him
to go to co lleg e if h e ’s
drafted low, but the ultimate
decision is his,” Wally Sr.
says.
His son is just happy
that his father is there to help
him with the decision.
“I’m trying to do the
right thing,” Wally Jr. says.
“I’m glad I have my dad for
that. He knows what the
right thing is going to be.
H e’s keeping my options
pretty open for me.”
Father and son are
extrem ely supportive o f
each other at this time in
their Lives, talking on the
phone two to three times a
day. The son is trying to
make it to the big leagues,
and so is the father, as a
m anager. W hile they
encourage each other now, if
they ever end up in opposing
dugouts, it could be trouble.
“We always joke,”
says Wally Sr. “I’ll tell him,
‘I’ll manage against you, and
the first time you come up
I’m gonna have my pitcher
drill y o u .’ We have that
rivalry.”
But before he can
get such a m ajor-league
welcome from his dad, the
younger Backman knows he
has much work ahead of
him. He says if he does get
drafted and plays in the
minors, he’ll have to work
that much harder knowing
there’s somebody behind
him trying to take his place.
Along the way, he’ll lean on
his father, whose major-
league career was built on
hard work, dedication and
just plain love of the game.
“ I w ant to play
baseball fo rev e r,” says
Wally Jr. “It’d be so nice to
do something you love your
whole life and then retire.
Playing
b a se b a ll’s
something I want to do for
the rest of my life.”
O f course it is. Just
look at his name.
Over the Tee Cup
The ladies of Willow
C reek C ountry C lub
gathered in windy, rainy
conditions on Tuesday, May
18 for O ver the Tee Cup
play.
Pat Edmundson took
low gross o f the field .
Lorrene Montgomery, Loa
H enderson and B etty
Carlson tied for low net of
the field. Least putts of the
field w ent to B etty
Christman.
In flig h t A, Jan
Paustain took low gross,
Corol Mitchell took low net;
and Virginia Grant took least
putts.
In flight B, Luvilla
Sonstegard took low gross.
In flight C, Kandy
Boyd took low gross; Pat
Doherty took low net and
Dorris Graves took least
putts.
Christman also had a
birdie and a KP on hole 13.
»¿»it
» U ilj'M U
Heppner Babe
Ruth Baseball
Golf Tournament
The Heppner Babe
Ruth
B aseb all
G o lf
Tournament will be held on
Sunday, May 30 at Willow
Creek Country Club. It is a
four-man/woman scramble.
The cost is $25 per person.
The caddie auction
will be held at 8 a.m. and
g olfing starts at 9 a.m.
Lunch will be provided.
'(Selceme Ta Tfie
Annual
\
§ g ra y
■ y x i1
Saturday & Sunday, May 29th • 30th
cpatur&ay, ¿Day
S9 tfr.
Buckeroo Breakfast from 6 a.m.-12 noon
Eastern Oregon Half-Marathon begins at 8 a.m.
Rodeo Parade starts at 11 a.m.
RODEO BEGINS AT 1 p.m.
$un9ay,
¿Day 5<9frt:
Buckeroo Breakfast from 6 a.m.-12 noon
Cowboy Church Service at 9 a.m. (rodeo grandstands)
RODEO BEGINS AT 1 p.m.
TrtonA £/ou T a Q ur Tallowing fy o n to r t:
- (Sflute fyontor $lgnt -
Lone Elk (Spray) T Willow Bend (Spray) i Kim berly C enter (Kim berly)
River Bend Retreat (Spray) i Real Estate Outback (Spray)
River Bend Motel (Spray) i Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo (H eppner)
Western Ranch Custom Leather and W oodwork (Redm ond)
- Tence R e n te r §lgnt -
Prineville Menis Wear (Prineville) I Colum bia Power C o-O p (M onum ent)
Les Schwab Tire Center (Heppner) I Morrow County G rain Growers (Lexington)
Eckman Construction, Inc (Heppner) T G ardner Enterprises. Inc (John Day)
Fossil General Mercantile (Fossil) i Tyrhotan Big R. Inc (Klam ath Falls)
Roger Britt Excavating (Heppner) I W oodpecker Truck (Pendleton)
Ted Britt Logging (Heppner) I M ichaels ot O regon (O regon City)
Fossil Fuel (Fossil) T Wilson Retreat (Fossil) i Century Tel Phone Com pany
Bucknume Tavern (Heppner) i Service C reek Stage Stop
Lary WoM Resort (Spray) i Trails End Farm Supplies (Condon)
Wheeler County Fair and Rodeo i Pettyjohn is Building Supply (Heppner)
~ Avert
ontort -
Team Roping • Stanley Ranch LLC (Fossil)
Breakaway Roping - Bank ot Eastern Oregon
Heppner Gazette
676-9228
- Tlag
lone School District Board Vacancy
F aith , Fun & Fellow ship!
Persons living in lone, Oregon interested in
serving on the lone School Board of Directors,
please contact Tami Peterson, 2001 S.W. Nye,
Pendleton, OR 97801 or call 1-800-522-8396
ext. 3102, for an application. This position will
run through June 30, 2005. Applications must
be received at above address by 4:30 p.m. on
June 16, 2004.
S a t u r d a y , J u n e 5th
Willows Grange Hall, lone, OR
Country S tore A A ntiques 1 0 A M
&
AUCTION 10:30 AM
PH Bmrbmquw B — f D in n e r 12:30 P M
Adults $6 00
6-12 Years $3 00
Pn-School Fnol
ontort ~
Pendleton Grain Growers i Jim Doherty Construction (Spray)
Willow Bend Espresso and Gifts (Spray) i Bank of Eastern Oregon (H eppner)
Wheeler County News (Spray) i Las Schwab (H eppner) T Corncob Ranch (Spray)
JAZ River Shuttles (Spray) i M ichaels of O regon (O regon C ity)
- 6ucWe
ontort -
Les Schwab (John Day ) T W ilson R etreat (Fossil)
Lone Elk Market and Deli (Spray) i M ichaels of Oregon (O regon C ity)
River Bend Retreat and M otel (Spray) i Stanley Ranch LLC (Fossil)
Chet Petersen Ins (Pnnevtlle) i W heeler County Fair and Rodeo
- fWI-faouni $adHt —
O R Johnson Lum ber Co and 4J Ranch
ALSO THANK YOU TO radio six Hors KJ0Y (John Oay). KRCO
(Pnnvevda). Beal Country fHemxdon) and KCMB-KWBL (LaGranda).
and Dodga Dealer FronHar Motors m LaGranda