A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 BOOKS: continued from page A1 ing skills.” Frink said fourth-grade teacher Erin Andreason initially posed the idea of a living wax museum after hearing about it through Storyline, a teaching meth- od used in the past where students are encouraged to come up with their own CRAWFORDS: continued from page A1 this week. LOCAL BEGINNINGS Delmer and Francine Crawford grew up in Ione together and were acquaintances for many years. The two actually didn’t start dating until after Delmer Crawford came back from serving in the Navy in World War II. He served from 1944 to 1946 and was in Oki- nawa, Japan, when the government signed the papers signifying that the war was over. Almost immediately after returning home to Ione, Crawford joined his family at a local dance the community hosted reg- ularly each week. Upon entering the room, he met eyes with his broth- er, who reconnected him with Francine. “That was the first time I had seen her in a couple of years,” he said, smiling. “She had grown up a whole bunch.” As months went by, the two started meeting more frequently, and Crawford formally started courting Francine. Delmer Craw- ford said he would pick her up, and they would go to the local themed com- munity dances. Then, on April 22, 1949, the couple took their relationship to the next level by marry- ing. “We decided that was what we ought to do,” Delmer Crawford said. A LONG LIFE TOGETHER After getting married, the Crawfords changed career paths a couple of times. At first, Delmer Crawford was work- ing for a farmer in a job that paid about $250 per month while Francine was a banker’s secretary at First National Bank in Heppner, making $100 a month. “I thought that was a lot of money back then,” Francine Crawford said. A few years later, Delmer Crawford took a job for the county road department in Heppner, followed by positions at two grain companies. Crawford then worked for a time at a family farm means of examining what is being studied. “What is great about this is it is fun and educational,” Frink said. “Each student reads four books or more and then picked their favor- ite character from one of the books they read. They came up with a speech and presented that speech with one prop.” Andreason said what is great about the activity is that it allows the students to portray their favorite char- acters in a low-stress envi- ronment. “It is a culminating ac- tivity to share what they have learned,” she said. Of the students present- ing Thursday, many said they picked their characters because they felt a person- al connection with them. Fourth-grader Lilly Men- doza said she chose char- acter Savannah Drysdale from “Swindle” because she worked with animals. “I am an animal lover, and she is a dog whisper- er,” she said. “I found to have something in com- mon with her.” Arceo said he chose his character because of shared personality traits and physical appearance. “I really loved the mov- ie and the book,” he said. “In the movie, he has the same color of skin I have … I also act a lot like him. Our personalities are simi- lar. He’s adventurous, and I am adventurous, too. He’s also a little bossy like me.” Smalley said, by watch- ing their peers portray characters from the Battle of the Books selections, she hopes other students will become motivated to read some of those books, helping them become bet- ter readers and inspiring in them a love for reading they will pursue outside of school. She said she thought Thursday’s event was a nice start. “It is quite a popular attraction,” Smalley said. “Normally libraries ar- en’t this noisy, but, in this case, it is OK.” when he and Francine de- cided to move to Hermis- ton. “Shell Oil had a bulk plant in Hermiston,” he said. “I ended up buying the owner out and took the business over on May 1, 1961. I operated that for 27 and a half years.” During that time, the Crawfords raised three daughters, Marlene, Ani- ta and Cyndee. Delmer said raising their family, as well as their undying faith, were crucial in hav- ing such a successful re- lationship. “Francine was a Sun- day school teacher for a long time,” he said. “We always attended church on Sunday. That helps you hang in there and get along.” Delmer’s career with Shell also allowed the couple to travel, taking a trip together nearly every year as a reward for doing so well in sales. The cou- ple visited Hawaii mul- tiple times, Mexico and they even won a trip that took them around Europe. The couple also took cruises, including through the Panama Canal and to Alaska, although Fran- cine enjoyed the cruises more than her husband. “On one of them, Delmer said he was going to jump over board he was so tired of it, but we had fun with them,” Francine Crawford said laughing. One of their favorite memories together comes from when they took a cruise from Florida to visit multiple locations, she said. While on the cruise, couples put to- gether a routine, and, af- ter dinner, they competed to determine who had the best show. The Crawfords and a few other couples performed a routine as “cowboys and Indians,” where they sang songs and hooped and hollered. “By golly, we won it,” Delmer Crawford said. Francine said the oc- casion was more enjoy- able than they could have imagined. “We had a ball,” she said. HARDSHIPS AND TRIALS Both have also battled health conditions. Delmer said he has had both hips replaced and a pace mak- er installed. Francine had a stroke about 10 years ago and has had a knee replacement. The cou- ple, however, haven’t let health problems keep them apart. The Crawfords said an- other thing that has made their relationship so suc- cessful is they have always worked together as part- ners in all aspects of life. While Delmer worked at Shell, Francine was his lead bookkeeper. The couple also made all of their decisions togeth- er throughout their more than 65 years of marriage. “I don’t know how to explain it,” Delmer said. “We just worked together on everything.” Even though their mar- riage has lasted longer than most, the Crawfords said their relationship hasn’t been without its trials. The Crawfords lost their daughter, Cyndee, to cancer several years ago. “It is a wound that will never heal,” Delmer said. Get Unlimited Everything. Plus $50 back. 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