TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing, LLC and entered as periodical matter at the
Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage
paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-
9228. Fax (541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.
net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner
Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $30 in
Morrow County; $24 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $36
elsewhere; $30 student subscriptions.
David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher
Andrea Di Salvo ............................................................................................ Editor
All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.
For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5 per
column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to
100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $5.75 per column inch.
For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for pub-
lication must be specified. Affidavits must be required at the time of submission. Affidavits
require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be
specified if required).
For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to
meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines
or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space
for the obituary.
For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner
GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone
number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not
responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will
be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Local churches to
offer Lenten study,
worship series
Several local churches
will present a Lenten study,
“The God We Can Know,”
over the coming weeks.
This Lenten study in-
cludes a soup supper, as
well as a book study and
a short service centered on
the “I Am” sayings of Jesus.
Everyone is welcome.
Pastors Patty Nance of
Heppner United Methodist
Church and Katy Anderson
of the Shared Ministry of
Hope Lutheran and All
Saints Episcopal explain
that in the Gospel of John,
Jesus gives us the “I Am”
sayings, meaningful im-
ages to reveal his mission
and purpose. One by one,
the “I Am” statements not
only grab our imagination
about Jesus’ identity, but
also help us experience
God, who spoke the first “I
Am” to Moses.
The series schedule is
as follows:
Feb.18 (Ash Wednes-
day), 6 p.m., Hope Lutheran
Church
Feb. 25, 6 p.m., United
Methodist Church
March 4, 6 p.m., All
Saints Episcopal Church
March 18, 6 p.m., Hope
Lutheran Church
March 25, 6 p.m., Unit-
ed Methodist Church
To register for this book
study or for more informa-
tion, call the Shared Min-
istries of Hope Lutheran
and All Saints Episcopal
Churches, 541-676-9970,
or contact the United Meth-
odist Church, heppnero-
regonmethodists@gmail.
com.
HUMC this week
What does it take to
become a truly spiritual
person? The Apostle Paul
teaches that true spiritual-
ity is achieved not only by
how good you are but by
how good you are to oth-
ers. Pastor Patty Nance will
talk about this and more
when she presents “Master-
ing True Spirituality” this
Sunday at Heppner United
Methodist Church. Liturgist
BonnaRae Miller will read
from the books of Deuter-
onomy, Corinthians and
Mark. Hymns will include
“Fairest Lord Jesus,” “We
Sing Your Glory,” “As A
Fire Is Meant For Burning,”
“Let Us Break Bread To-
gether” and “I Come With
Joy” with Carley Drake as
accompanist.
A fellowship time will
be held in the community
room following the service.
Service begins at 10:30
a.m. All are welcome. The
Heppner United Methodist
Church is located at 175
West Church St. For more
information call 541-676-
9224 or e-mail heppnero-
regonmethodists@gmail.
com.
Driver indicted in crash
that killed Hermiston man
Monday, a Klamath County Grand Jury indicted
Guage Lee Gray, 22, on charges related to the Dec. 28,
2014 fatal crash that killed Hermiston resident Garrett
Zimmer.
Gray was charged with two counts of Manslaughter
in the First Degree, two counts of Manslaughter in the
Second Degree and Driving Under the Influence of In-
toxicants (DUII).
A warrant issued for his arrest was served when an
OSP trooper located him and arrested him without inci-
dent. Gray was lodged in the Klamath County Jail.
VETERANS
Health Care Transportation
TOWN HALL
Thursday, February 12th
11:30am Heppner Senior Center
Free Spaghetti Lunch served to veterans
who pre-register. Call 541-922-6420
Obituaries
Shirlee A. Sweigart
Shirlee A. Sweigart, 71,
of Heppner, died January
21, 2015, at Oregon Health
& Science University in
Portland. Services are pend-
ing.
Mrs. Sweigart was
born December 15, 1943
to Harold Gains and Jean-
nie Dobbs of Heppner. She
was born in Portland, al-
though the family lived in
Heppner. The doctor who
delivered her was her uncle
Ben Houston, who grew
up on Heppner. She grew
up on Eightmile where her
grandparents, the Houstons,
ranched. She attended Hep-
pner High School and was a
stay-at-home mom after the
birth of her first child.
After high school she
attended Blue Mountain
Community College, study-
ing business, and then start-
ed her career in mental
health administration. She
worked for the Morrow/
Umatilla mental health
clinic.
After marrying her hus-
band, Jim Sweigart, they
moved to Mesa, AZ, where
they lived for 25 years.
They returned to Heppner
around 2006.
She enjoyed visiting
with her friends, and her
last years had been espe-
cially meaningful because
she could reconnect with
her friends in Heppner.
She also enjoyed house
painting.
Survivors include: her
husband, Jim Sweigart;
daughter Tawnie Gray, Fair-
view, OR; son Treve Gray,
Pendleton, OR; stepson,
Jimmy Sweigart, Salem;
stepdaughter Karen Oeser,
Greenville, SC; brother
Bobby Dobbs, Chandler,
AZ; and nine grandchil-
dren.
In lieu of flowers, dona-
tions may be made to the St.
Patrick’s Senior Center.
Betty Jean Way
Betty Jean Way, 86, a
longtime resident of The
Dalles, OR, for-
merly of the Hep-
pner area, passed
away peacefully
at a care facility in
The Dalles on the
evening of January
18, 2015. A local B e t t y
graveside service Way
was held in Lexing-
ton on Saturday, January
24.
Betty was born to Frans
(Frank) Martin Lovgren
and Hannah Marie (Er-
ickson) Lovgren August
29, 1928 on their farm at
Eightmile, OR, between
Condon and Heppner. She
was the 12 th of 13 brothers
and sisters.
She grew up in eastern
Oregon and was the Vale-
dictorian of her Heppner
graduating class of 1946.
She had excellent horse-
womanship skills and was
chosen as a princess for the
Heppner rodeo in 1946.
She worked during and
after her high school years
at “Scotty’s” and at a bank
in Heppner.
Betty married Joseph
Daniel Way, from the Lex-
ington area, after his World
War II service in the Navy,
on September 15, 1950 in
Ketchikan, AK. While in
Alaska they lived on An-
nette Island. The young
couple moved from there
to Las Vegas, NV, then to
Salt Lake City, UT, then
to Fort Jones, CA. While
living in Fort Jones, a son
and a daughter were born.
The family then moved to
Yreka, CA and then finally
to The Dalles, OR in 1971,
where they enjoyed many
happy years.
Betty was her daugh-
ter’s Girl Scout Brownie
troop leader, and many
fun times were had. Some
of her favorite times were
when she was watching her
granddaughters and great-
granddaughters at their
sporting events.
Betty was active in
sewing, embroidery and
crocheting. She made many
sets of Barbie and Ken
doll clothes and
even entered them
in the fair. Besides
the many quilts she
made especially for
her family, many of
her quilts and af-
J e a n ghans were made to
be donated to vari-
ous senior organiza-
tions and care facilities in
and around The Dalles.
Betty never saw a baby
that she didn’t want to hold
and cuddle. Her grand-
daughters and great-grand-
daughters were the light
of her life, causing many
smiles, laughs and lots of
hugs.
Betty was preceded
in death by her husband,
Joseph; and her sisters
and brothers, Erma Chris-
tina Lovgren Keithley,
Victor Arthur Lovgren,
Helen Irene Lovgren Hor-
ton Stradley Nevis, Al-
fred Lawrence Lovgren,
Edna Josephine Lovgren
Harshman, Frances Marie
Lovgren, Frank Martin
(Tim) Lovgren Jr., James
Calvert Lovgren, Marshall
Lovgren, Marion Lovgren
and Robert Lee Lovgren.
She is survived by her
sister, Gladys May Lovgren
Alderman of Heppner; her
son, Dane Way and his
wife Darlene of The Dalles;
her daughter, Janna Way
Thorp and husband Ran-
dy of Corvallis, OR; her
granddaughters, Karissa
Way Hamm and husband
Eric of The Dalles, and
Elizabeth Way Wheeler
and husband Christopher
of Monmouth, OR; and
her great-granddaughters,
Drew, Lillian and Josephine
Hamm, and Charlotte and
Esmé Wheeler.
The family wishes that
in lieu of flowers, donations
be made to either your lo-
cal hospice organization
in Betty’s name or Heart
of Hospice, 508 Washing-
ton Street, The Dalles, OR
97058.
Death Notice
Cecil O. Barlow—Cecil O. Barlow, 83, of Heppner,
died Sunday, January 25, 2015 at a care facility in Herm-
iston. He was born December 19, 1931 at Elgin, OR.
Arrangements are pending at Sweeney Mortuary of
Heppner.
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following
criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name
of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you
provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The
address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be
printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the
right to edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in
letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under
“Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Happy birthday, Colt
Basketball
I lived in Heppner for nine years, seven of which were
spent as band director. I was involved in organizing many
activities for kids back in my young and energetic years.
Some of those activities included a junior bowling league,
putting on dances, community movies, putting on shows
to raise scholarship money, etc. However, the organiza-
tion of which I am most proud is Colt Basketball. Over
the years, it has come to my attention that most people
don’t realize how it started. Since this is a landmark year,
I thought I would pass on the story.
I began teaching in Heppner in the fall of 1973. I
developed a special bond with my first beginning band.
I was a new teacher and they were new to band. I still
remember that there were 23 kids in that band and can
still name most of them. When they were in sixth grade
(‘74-‘75 school year), I thought it would be great to get
them started in basketball. At that time, there were no
organized teams until seventh grade. I asked the boys if
they would like to form a team. They were very excited
about this and we proceeded...a team with no opponents,
no uniforms and no name. Bill Buckendorf was a new
choir teacher that year and he came on board as an as-
sistant coach.
We began to practice and word got out that there was
a new team in town. I was approached by a community
member who had connections with Jesse Jones, the man
that ran the youth basketball program on the Umatilla Res-
ervation east of Pendleton. We were invited to participate
in their annual youth tournament that spring. Since the
school season was completed, we were able to borrow
the seventh-grade uniforms.
We needed a team name. Teams already in existence
were Mustangs, Fillies and Ponies. It was obvious that
we had to have a younger horse. I honestly admit that
the first name that popped into my head was “Foal.” I
immediately realized that this was a very “lame” name
for an athletic team. After a bit of thinking, another name
popped into my head...Colt. I went to the kids and asked
them if they liked the name. They thought it was great
and Colt Basketball was born.
We were blown out in the tournament. Teams came
from as far away as Neah Bay, Washington and those
kids played all year long. However, people at the tour-
nament loved our spirit and effort and we were awarded
the Sportsmanship award. I still have that trophy with the
names of the very first Colt Basketball players engraved
upon it. Some of those guys still live in the Heppner area.
The names are: Rick Cole, John Bier, Tony Currin, Jim
Launer, Pat Clark, Ian Cate, Brian Thompson, Robert
Servi, Rick Smith, Kenny Stookey and Jim Angell. These
are the “pioneers” of Colt Basketball.
I had a new group of sixth-grade boys the following
year and we again went to the Umatilla tournament with
the same results. In the ‘76-’77 school year, we had a new
high school basketball coach that wanted to get involved
in the program. His name was Chris Borgen. He was
only there for one year, but he should get some credit for
expanding Colt Basketball. We decided to open it up to
all third through sixth graders (boys and girls), everyone
getting their own T-shirt. I believe we had eight teams.
Chris was gone the following year and we decided
to change our format to fourth through sixth grade, boys
and girls mixed. We had six teams, formed our own little
league and got “real” uniforms. This system continued for
the next five years until I left the area and handed over the
reins to Dave Gunderson. The teams were: Lions, Tigers,
Bears, Hawks, Eagles and Colts. I can still visualize the
colors of each team uniform. I also did the laundry of those
uniforms every weekend of the season for five years. At
one point, the county got a special grant and they became
involved in giving the coaches a few bucks for their time
and expenses.
I didn’t keep up on Colt Basketball after I left, so I
don’t know about changes that have taken place over the
years. But, I do know that it continues to this day. I hadn’t
been back to visit Heppner for around 15 years when I was
invited to a birthday party. I also heard that the district
had put up new buildings. On that visit a number of years
ago, I first went by my old house on Gilmore and then
proceeded down Court Street to the school. The tennis
court was there, but the old gym and band room were
gone. I drove around to the front and got a good look at
the new building as well as the sign that read: “Home of
the CoIts.” The school had taken on the name. I got quite
emotional at that moment, visualizing all the hundreds of
faces I had worked with under the name Colt. I realize that
the number of kids having now gone through the program
is probably in the thousands. I can visualize being at the
1986 state tournament and seeing the Fillies win the state
title...all those graduates of Colt Basketball. Look at what
a powerhouse Heppner High School has been over these
past decades and how many of those kids went through
the program. Think of all the volunteers that have given
their time to keep Colt Basketball going.
On behalf of all present and past players, coaches
and parents that have participated in the program over
the years, I say: “Happy 40 th Birthday, Colt Basketball.”
Sincerely,
Jim Ackley, Mulino, OR
Join Us For A Valentine's Day Banquet
Hosted by
Morrow County Veterans Services
& Walla Walla VA Medical Center
Questions? Contact Veterans Services
541-922-6420
~ Letters to the Editor ~
Saturday Evening, February 14th at 6:15 P.M.
Cost: FREE - Tickets REQUIRED!
On Thursday, February 12th
Heppner and Ione Wheatland
offices will be closing at 3:30 pm
Mexican Dinner & Entertainment
A drawing for a romantic couple’s basket
Heppner SDA Church
560 N Minor, Heppner
R.S.V.P. by February 10th to
(541) 922-8697 or ecwenberg@gmail.com