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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2018)
Peterson mans the store for over 59 years HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 137 NO. 50 8 Pages Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Knowles third in National Finals Rodeo average, 10 th in world Blake Knowles of Heppner competes in steer wrestling at the National Finals Rodeo. Blake Knowles, Hep- pner, is currently sitting third in the average for steer wrestling at the Wran- gler National Finals Ro- deo (NFR) in Las Vegas. At press time he was sit- ting 10 th in the steer wres- tling world standings with earnings of $119,515.41. Knowles, the son of Butch and Mary Knowles, previ- ously qualified and compet- ed in the NFR in 2009, 2011 and 2015, making 2018 his fourth qualifying year. Rodeo runs in the fam- ily, with Blake following in his dad’s footsteps. Butch, a rodeo broadcaster, was the saddle bronc riding champi- on in the 1987 NFR. Fellow steer wrestler and Blake’s cousin from Mount Vernon, OR, Trevor Knowles, is Blake’s traveling compan- ion and has qualified for the NFR 12 times. Blake was born in 1982 and graduated from Hep- pner High School. He lives with his wife Whitney and daughter Lydia on the fam- ily ranch in Heppner. He competes in the steer wres- tling events astride his 10 year old mare, Fab. Since joining the Professional Ro- deo Cowboys Association (PRCA) in 2002, his report- ed earnings are $693,145. To qualify for the 2018 NFR, he won the Farm City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston; the Saddle Club Rodeo in Oakdale, CA; the La Fiesta Blake Knowles De Los Vaqueros in Tucson, AZ; the Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo in Central Point, OR; the Crooked River Roundup in Prineville, OR; the Kansas Biggest Rodeo in Phillipsburg, KS and was co-champion at the Fiesta Days Rodeo in Spanish Fork, UT. His NFR total score of 24.90 has him currently sitting in third place in the average after five rounds in the steer wrestling event. He placed second in round one with 3.80 and tied for third/fourth in round four with 3.80. His time in round two was 4.40, 4.80 in round three and 8.10 in the fifth round. The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the sea- son-ending championship event for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associa- tion and is widely acknowl- edged to be the world’s premier rodeo. Held annu- ally since 1959 – and since 1985, every December at the Thomas & Mack Center G-T Trophy Corner Clare Osmin, daughter of Der- ek Osmin (pictured), Hermis- ton, took this forked horn in October on the Osmin Ranch on Balm Fork. Clare is the granddaughter of Frank and Cara Osmin, Heppner. -Con- tributed photo DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5PM in Las Vegas – the Wrangler NFR is Pro Rodeo’s richest and most prestigious rodeo, and it showcases the very best cowboys, barrel racers and livestock in the world. At the conclusion of the Wrangler NFR, the sport’s world champions are deter- mined based on total season earnings – what they win during the Wrangler NFR added to what they won during the regular season, before the Wrangler NFR. The Wrangler NFR consists of 10 rounds – one round on each of 10 consec- utive days; each contestant competes once each day. Cowboys and barrel racers earn money by placing first through sixth in any round, and pick up more money by placing first through eighth in the average (cumula- tive times or points earned during the 10 rounds). At the end of each Wrangler NFR, there are two cham- pions in each event (four for team roping): the aver- age winner, who won the Wrangler NFR by having the best cumulative time or score for that event over the 10 rounds, and the world champion, who finished the year with the most money (including what he or she earned at the Wrangler NFR). For each event, the average winner and world champion may be the same person or different people. The Heppner Ga- zette-Times wants to see pictures of your trophy animals from this hunting season. Stop by to have your picture taken, drop off photos, mail them to PO Box 337 in Heppner, email them to editor@ rapidserve. net or text cell phone photos to 541-980-6674. Randall Peterson helping out a new client, little Delilah, whose family recently purchased her very first necklace at Peterson’s A tiny, but satisfied customer. Jewelers. Peterson’s Jewelry, Heppner’s long-standing treasure trove, was estab- lished in 1928 by John Oscar, “J.O.” Peterson. And the man who has been be- hind the store for more than 59 years is J.O.’s son and the community’s beloved jeweler, Randall Peterson. Randall started work- ing at the store cleaning up as a young boy. He said that during World War II, the store was selling what they called $1 watches, which actually cost $5 to $10. The watches were so inex- pensive that they were used until they stopped working. But after WWII, the quality of watches improved and he began repairing watches for his father when he was 12 years old. He laughs that while his friends were out playing, he was in the store fixing watches. J.O. first established the store down the street on Main Street in Heppner near where the Bank of Eastern Oregon is now. Initially the store was established in conjunction with other businesses, an insurance office, a barbershop and lat- er, restaurants. In the 1930s Randall remembers that the store stayed open until 9 p.m. on Saturday nights. Peterson’s Jewelry moved to its current location in 1941 and in 1971, the store was doubled in size. During the Korean War, in the 1950s, Randall was drafted into the service, not to Korea, but to Augsberg, Germany, where he was stationed during reconstruc- tion in Europe. While in the service, he traveled not only to Germany, but to Switzer- land, France, Sweden and Denmark. After two years in the service he returned to Heppner and went back to work at the store. In 1959, Randall’s fa- ther was in poor health and Randall, an only child, took over operation of the store. His father passed away the next year, in 1960. His mother, Bertha, also helped out at the store. John Oscar, born in 1892 of Swedish ancestry, was originally from Ana- conda, MN. At that time, he worked for the railroad. He then went to watchmaking school in Pennsylvania and got a job at Pomeroy, WA, where he met Randall’s mother, Bertha Lewis Pe- terson, who was born in Pomeroy. She passed away in 1970. That year Marlene Bergstrom started work- ing at the store. They had known each other in high school and both graduated from HHS. Randall lettered all four years in football at HHS. He attributes starting at center on the football team as a freshman to Tad Miller of Heppner. “Tad was center, he enlisted in the Navy and I got to take his place,” said Randall, who then became tackle for the last three years of his high school football career. He also played “a little bas- ketball and a little baseball” in high school, graduating in 1947. In addition to high school sports, he loved wa- ter skiing. In December of 1971, he and Marlene married and she became a vital part of the store’s operation. “She liked people and she knew what people liked,” said Randall. “She was just a people person.” They were married for 43 years before she died in 2014. “She worked right up until she passed,” said Randall. Randall and Marlene lived in Randall’s child- hood home on Gale St. in Heppner where he had lived since he was six years old. Randall, an accomplished carpenter, remodeled and added on to the house over the next 25 years. “Marlene always decided what she wanted,” he said, with a new kitchen at the top of the list and then insulation, new sheet rock, plumbing and electrical. “It’s com- fortable,” says Randall, modestly. He admits to not being much of a cook, instead relying on the “can opener, microwave and oven.” While work is the top priority of Randall’s life, he is active in the Odd Fellows, of which he has been a member since he was 21 years old, the Elks Club, which he joined at around 25, and the Amer- ican Cancer Society. He has to pass an annual test to belong to the ACS and has attended the American Cancer Society conclave numerous times, traveling to Washington, D.C., Mon- treal and New Orleans, among others. Randall says that a cou- ple things have contributed to his long-standing success as a jeweler, those being treating his clientele well and being discrete. He says that many customers find themselves returning to Peterson’s Jewelers after being mistreated at other out-of-town jewelry stores. “It makes a difference if you work with your custom- er,” he said. He still gives customers Heppner High School sports schedules at the store. Randall says that work is his favorite thing to do and, at 89, he has no plans to retire, enjoying both the people and the merchandise he works with. Randall with Delilah. Delilah is the daughter of Julie Wat- kins, granddaughter of Barb and Gary Watkins and the great-granddaughter of Cal and Bev Sherman and Floss and the late R.G. Watkins, all of Heppner. Morrow County MORROW COUNTY GRAI Grain Growers GROWE Lexington 541-989-8221 350 MAIN STRE LEXINGTON, Offers vary by model. Offers valid on select new 2016 – 2019 Polaris snowmobiles. 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