Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 2025)
SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 12, 2025 Heppner Town & Country awards banquet -Continued from PAGE ONE (Top) A packed house waits for the presentations. (L) KC Anderson, 2025 Morrow County Fair and Rodeo Queen. (R) Joe Lindsay entertains the crowd. -Photo by Brooke Christy Photography Gerry presented the Citi- zen-Educator of the Year award to Ken Grieb. Grieb received the honor because of his 11 years of being the “Swiss army knife” at the high school. “Ken has always said, ‘I can help,’ whenever something needs done,” said Gerry. He summed up Grieb’s commitment to the school in the words, “Ken will do it.” “We need someone to referee and coach a JV bas- ketball game—Ken will do it. We need a Type 20 fueled in Lexington—Ken will do it,” said Gerry. “Anyone needs an auctioneer—Ken will do it. Anyone needs an announcer—Ken will do it.” T h i s y e a r ’s Yo u t h Award winner, Katie Spiv- ey, was honored not only for being an outstanding student athlete, but also for her involvement in many clubs, including FFA and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Her award was also presented Sup er ch row County Health District, was honored for his work with South Morrow Coun- ty Seniors Matter and the monthly veteran’s lunches. “Jerry has a love for helping others, as a hospice chaplain and an advocate for seniors,” Rhonda Win- ters wrote in her nomina- tion letter. Dennis Wiser wrote in his nomination, “Jerry has consistently demonstrat- ed exceptional leadership, unwavering commitment to Heppner and Morrow County, and a profound positive impact on the lives of those around him.” Kay Rene Qualls, Chairman of the Board for Heppner Housing Authori- ty, listed accomplishments that included programs for education about demen- tia, grief classes, beginner computer classes and exer- cise classes, among many others. “Jerry is very kind and is putting humanity ahead of his own needs,” wrote Qualls. “Jerry is a true rural community builder,” wrote K’Lynn Lane of the Ford Family Foundation, “some- one who has dedicated his life to the betterment of others.” Gar Aviation received the Business of the Year award from Rich Harper. Gar Aviation owners John and Kelly Boyer were cho- sen for the honor because of the company’s 40-plus years of agriculture flying and dedication to the com- munity. Kay Proctor wrote that the Boyers have been fi- nancial supporters of local sports, 4-H and other caus- es and fundraisers. They have also been involved in 4-H and booster club (Kelly) and as a basketball coach (John). “In the past when there was a fire in fields or our local countryside, John would fill up his plane and drop water to help put it out,” wrote Proctor. “Flying a crop-dusting plane is not for the faint-hearted, and to do so as long as John has is exceptional.” Corey Sweeney also pointed to John Boyer’s help during fires, as well as his willingness to use his plane to search for lost cattle. “Gar Aviation is more than just a business; it is a lifeline for our communi- ty,” wrote Sweeney. “They exude what it means to be members of a community,” Rick and Shelli Britt wrote. Heppner Jr/Sr High School Principal Ryan by Ryan Gerry. “Katie is a competitor in every sense of the word. Whether it is on the court, on the field, or in the class- room, Katie is working hard and putting her best foot forward,” said Gerry. “If you looked up intensity in the dictionary, Katie Spiv- ey’s photo would be there. Though she has a strong competitive spirit, she is also kind, considerate, and compassionate.” The crowning moment of the night came when long-time Heppner health- care provider Sheridan Tar- nasky received the Lifetime Achievement for her ser- vice as a nurse and physi- cian’s assistant, as well as an active church volunteer in the Heppner community. Dr. Russ Nichols and Dr. Emily Jack presented Tar- nasky with her award. Janet Greenup summed up Tarnasky’s qualifica- tions for the award in three words: “Faith, family and community are most im- portant to Sheridan Wyman Tarnasky,” she wrote. “She has shared her talents and passion with an immeasurable number of people in different capac- ities,” wrote nurse Susie Thompson. Born Sheridan Wyman, Tarnasky was born and raised in Heppner, gradu- ating from Heppner High School in 1966. She at- tended nursing school in Portland, where she met husband Ed Tarnasky. The couple moved to Heppner in 1972, where Tarnasky worked tirelessly in local healthcare until her retire- ment in 2016. In 1977, she was hired by the Tri-County Health Initiative to establish the first-ever home health agen- cy in Morrow, Gilliam and Wheeler counties. She worked at Pioneer Memorial Hospital as a nurse, and then PMH Di- rector of Nurses from 1990 until 1996. In 1996, she entered the Oregon State University Hospital Phy- sician Assistant program. After two years of hard work, she returned to serve WWW.HEPPNER.NET Heppner as a physician’s assistant. She also found time to serve on the advisory boards for Morrow Coun- ty Behavioral Health and Morrow County School District. She is also a dedicated member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish, where she has taught confirma- tion classes, served on the church council and spent nearly 25 years as the wed- ding coordinator. “I believe it would be very hard to find some- one in the community who hasn’t been touched by Sheridan’s knowledgeable, generous, kind and caring personality,” wrote nurse Shelly Rietmann. “I would be hard-pressed to come up with someone I admire more.” Submit News, Advertising & Announcements Letters To The Editor Send Us Photos Start A New Subscription Lunch & Dinner Menu 2/13 - 2/19 Thursday - Meatball sub with salad Friday - hot corn beef dip with potato salad Saturday - sausage and egg English muffin with hashbrown Patty Monday - corn & poblano chowder with a grilled ham and cheese on sourdough Tuesday - rodeo burger with jojos Tuesday night - 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos Wednesday - tuna melt with French fries Library district shares dreams -Continued from PAGE ONE cilities in it. told the library district that revision or expansion of the existing Heppner building would be problematic for many reasons, but primarily for safety reasons. “It was a safety con- cern, in their opinion,” said Street. Most people already know that building sites in Heppner are difficult to come by. The best option for OTLD appears to be building a new facility next to the existing one. “The one place that it made the most sense to do it is putting the building right next to the building that’s already there,” Kuhn said. Since that space is cur- rently Heppner City Park, Kuhn and Street said they wanted to approach the council to see if it would even be an option or if they need to look elsewhere. Since it would take away part of the city park, they also said their project could include new features for the park, such as a stage with built-in wiring or a covered pavilion with fa- “Again, conceptual ideas, but you can work together with the city to improve both the park and put in a new library facili- ty,” said Kuhn. It would also free up space in the existing build- ing for the museum to ex- pand. The museum might even be willing to relocate the old school building, Kuhn said. “It would be a place Heppner could be proud of and that would be used, a lot,” Street said. All that hinged, though, on getting the city’s nod to proceed. “Our purpose in com- ing to the meeting tonight is to see if this is even an idea that could float a little,” said Street. “Or if we need to not think about it at all and look at other spots.” While city council members were enthusiastic in support of the library dis- trict’s dreams of expansion, they were more hesitant about giving any kind of formal approval without more details. Heppner Mayor Co- rey Sweeney said the city could work with OTLD on whether the site was even viable for building, but the idea raised questions about preserving open space in Heppner, loss of old trees and how the building would fit into the city’s compre- hensive plan. “As long as it’s concep- tual, we have a lot to figure out,” said Sweeney. With a full agenda at the Feb. 10 meeting, the council decided not to dis- cuss it in depth, but rather to ask for a conceptual design and possible foot- print. Sweeney said the city would pursue “continued dialogue” with the library district and see where it went from there. WWW.HEPPNER.NET Submit News, Advertising & Announcements Letters To The Editor Send Us Photos Start A New Subscription connection r u yo e rks g o r w t e a ain N t n u o lue M B h t i w F d ee p S - igh H t e n r e t n I iber Act today and get a SPECIAL OFFER for New Residential Fiber Customers Dear Future BMN Customer, Imagine downloading, streaming and surfing the web at speeds that only fiber internet can provide. As a welcome to the Blue Mountain Networks fiber network, we’re thrilled to announce a special offer to new customers getting fiber internet for their home! Don’t miss out. Call or email now and let us show you the future of amazing internet connectivity! Call us at 541-370-3093 or visit us online at bluemountainnet.com/sales today to claim this limited time offer! Why Choose BMN? - Locally Owned & Operated - Ultra-fast speeds to stream movies and browse - The most reliable Internet connection around - A special, limited-time offer! Your Fast & Reliable Internet Awaits! (541) 370-3091 bluemountainnet.com/sales bmnsales@bluemountainnet.com Offer valid for new residential fiber customers only, not valid for Commercial or Business customers or BMN existing customers. Terms and conditions apply. View full BMN Terms & Conditions of Service online at https://bluemountainnet.com/terms-conditions-of-service. Only valid in select markets.Services are subject to availability, please contact Blue Mountain Networks for details. Offer applies to first-time residential customers only. Former Blue Mountain Networks accounts previously not in good standing or who have disconnected service in the past 60 days are not eligible. Equipment rental is not included in the standard monthly fee and will be billed at an additional monthly rate. Taxes, surcharges and fees not included. Equipment must be returned to Blue Mountain upon service termination, otherwise Unreturned Equipment Fees will apply. Actual Internet speeds based on a wired connection. Offer expires 08/31/2024. Other restrictions may apply.
