A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016
Elephants provide support for women in herd
I
don’t drink coffee, but
I’m part of an informal
coffee klatch that meets
periodically to socialize and
offer support to one another.
Known as “The Herd,”
people might notice most
of the women in our group
haYe an af¿nity for elephants
— sporting elephant tattoos,
owning elephant jewelry or
possessing elephant art or
stuffed animals. The name
came about when some
friends and I learned about
the behavior of female ele-
phants in the wild.
As described by the World
Wildlife Fund, female ele-
phants are part of a complex
social structure. While adult
male elephants live mostly in
isolation, the females share
in the rearing and protec-
tion of the youngest or most
vulnerable members of the
herd. They take special care
in knowing each member’s
whereabouts when the herd
is traveling or approaching
danger.
We grabbed onto that
and over the years it has
grown. It’s hard to even say
how many belong to The
Herd. But, I know if I called
one of them, they’d show
up — and probably with a
is the color of hope for Relay
few more in tow.
Shopping for gifts is pretty for Life.
That was the ¿rst elephant
easy with others in The Herd
Judy had received.
— whenever a special
It, and the “Elephant
occasion comes up,
Story,” as she called
an elephant is always
it, became a source of
an appropriate pres-
strength for her as she
ent. Such was the case
battled cancer.
during a Christmas
Right before start-
gathering with four
ing
chemotherapy,
friends back in 2010.
Judy
got
an elephant
I found four ceramic Tammy
Malgesini
tattoo with a little red
marble elephant statues INSIDE MY
heart. A number of
at T.J. Maxx. The one I SHOES
her family members
gave Judy Hayes was
purple, which turned out to followed suit — joining her
be quite appropriate — about herd.
“You will always be the
18 months later, she was di-
agnosed with cancer. Purple loved one who taught me
about the strength of the herd.
I will always love you for
that,” she sent in a text several
years ago. “The herd contin-
ues to surround me & I am
very blessed.”
During the last year of her
life, Judy sent two cards with
similar thanks about introduc-
ing her to the “Elephant Sto-
ry.” She shared what it meant
to her and how it spread to
former co-workers at Two
Rivers Correctional Insti-
tution, churches and prayer
chains, as her friends and ex-
tended family shared the sto-
ry across the country.
My eyes ¿lled with tears
this past weekend as several
members of The Herd met for
coffee at Starbucks. As part of
her ¿nal will and testament,
Judy directed that the purple
elephant be returned to me.
A simple gift — costing
maybe $15 — is now price-
less because of what it did for
my friend while she battled
cancer. Rest in peace Judy
Hayes.
Tammy Malgesini is
the community editor. Her
column, Inside my Shoes,
includes general musings
about life. Contact her at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4539.
HERMISTON HISTORY
City has changed
is ‘brand’ before
By JENNIFER COLTON
Staff Writer
The watermelon has
been a symbol of Herm-
iston for decades, but it
hasn’t always been on the
city of Hermiston’s of¿cial
documents.
Dating back at least to
10, through 1, of¿-
cial city documents show
either a minimalist “City of
Hermiston” letterhead or an
image of the McNary Dam
as the branding for the city.
When a logo was adopt-
ed by the city, it resembled
a seal: a circle divided in
four quadrants, each show-
ing a different piece of
Hermiston’s economy. That
logo was used until the city
adopted the watermelon
“splash” logo in 2000, tak-
ing advantage of the water-
melon as Hermiston’s sym-
bol and adding the green
and red colors to the logo.
When exactly the logo
was adopted is a bit of a
mystery. Although the city
codes — available online
— track resolutions and
ordinances back to 1955,
none of them mention a
logo, branding or seal.
The city’s current brand-
ing — You Can GROW
Here — was adopted in
2013, although the splash
watermelon logo is still
used for many city publica-
tions.
The city is currently ask-
ing for the public’s input on
one of two new proposed
logos as part of a rebrand-
ing process. A committee
of 25 local residents, in-
cluding Hermiston High
School students, worked to
develop the brand identity
concepts before launch-
ing a community survey.
The survey on was open
through March 31, and an
independent contractor is
now working to consolidate
survey replies.
Do you know more about
the history of the logos for
the City of Hermiston or
other interesting tidbits of
Hermiston’s history? Let us
know by emailing jcolton@
hermistonherald.com.
Left: “Seal”
logo used by
the city of
Hermiston
through the
1990s.
Far Top Left:
Hermiston’s
100th
Anniversary
logo
Far Bottom left:
Current logo
for the city of
Hermiston,
adopted in the
early 2000s.
Paperwork.
Letterhead from 1960
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OREGON DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM
PUBLIC NOTICE
Record of Decision
The U.S. Navy, in cooperation with the National Guard Bureau
and Oregon National Guard, has announced its decision to
implement its Preferred Alternative (Alternative 2) to increase the
types and number of certain training activities at NWSTF Boardman;
develop and enhance training facilities at NWSTF Boardman; and
create additional special use airspace to support existing aircraft
training. The Navy made its decision after carefully considering the
potential impacts training and testing activities may have on the
human, natural and cultural environment and comments from the
public on the proposal and environmental analysis. The Proposed
Action is needed to provide a training environment at
NWSTF Boardman – including ranges, training areas and
instrumentation – to better support current and future
unit and personnel training requirements.
The Navy’s Record of Decision and Final EIS are available online at
www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com, and at the following public
libraries: Multnomah County Central, Salem Central,
West Salem, Oregon Trail Heppner, Oregon Trail Boardman
and the Stafford Hansell Government Center.
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