WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
COMMENTARY
Two of Main Street’s leading lights go out
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
Bill Bighaus, a former sports editor for the Hermiston
Herald from 1976 to 1985, poses for a photo in front of the
current Herald and East Oregonian offices during a visit to
town in July 2015.
Reed encouraged
staff to flourish at
Hermiston Herald
Paper’s owner,
Hermiston
community built
character for a
starting journalist
By BILL BIGHAUS
For the Hermiston Herald
I didn’t know it at the
time, but I was lucky that
my first newspaper boss
turned out to be Jerry
Reed.
As a 22-year-old re-
porter, fresh out of college
in 1976, working at the
Hermiston Herald was a
huge opportunity for me.
The community was
thriving, and Reed, who
owned the paper, had al-
ready assembled a great
staff by the time I got
there as a sports writer.
With our notepads and
cameras, we had free rein
on a weekly basis as we
focused strictly on local
news, features and sports
and used our competitive
zeal in going up against
two daily newspapers.
Reed, who mostly
managed advertising and
business duties, trusted us,
believed in us and gave us
the flexibility to carry out
our mission.
He let me cover as
many games as possible,
home and away, but I was
still motivated by the fear
of messing up.
With his booming
voice, status as a commu-
nity leader and sometimes
gruff disposition, I was a
bit intimidated by him in
the beginning.
This was, after all, his
newspaper.
And Reed, who was defi-
nitely a little more hands-on
when it came to sports cov-
erage, was emphatic about
getting as many names and
faces in the sports section as
possible.
That’s what sells news-
papers, he always said,
so the only time he ever
yelled at me was when he
thought I was spending
too much time at my desk.
I quickly learned my
lesson about responsibil-
ity and expectations, and
have continued to hustle
after those names and fac-
es throughout my 40 years
in the newspaper business.
In looking back, af-
ter receiving word of his
death, I thought The Her-
ald, under Reed, offered a
wide-ranging reflection of
everyday life in Hermis-
ton during the late 1970s.
The paper was loaded
with news and advertis-
ing, and also played a sig-
nificant role in boosting
and promoting the bus-
tling community.
The award-winning pa-
per touched many lives.
Al Donnelly was a ter-
rific editor during those
early years. He also was
an integral part of the pa-
per’s success, along with
an impressive array of
young news reporters.
We all grew and flour-
ished together, with The
Herald reigning as the
state’s best weekly news-
paper in 1977 and 1978.
Hermiston, where I
spent nine years, still
ranks as my favorite place
to be a journalist. It’s the
place that built character
in me and where I have
the best memories.
Over the years, I got to
know Reed’s close-knit
family, including daughter
Shannon, who is still em-
ployed by The Herald.
I still fondly recall
catching papers as they
came off the press, help-
ing unload huge rolls of
newsprint into the back
shop and developing my
own film after games.
I got to drive the com-
pany car, a bright red
Ford Pinto, to out of-town
events, with press oper-
ator Jack McGraw as my
sidekick.
And I have all of those
lasting memories of the
athletes I covered and the
games they played.
No question, the best
part of working at a small-
town newspaper is the
people.
Jerry Reed, my first
boss, was one of best.
Bill Bighaus is a most-
ly retired sportswriter
for the Billings Gazette
and set the mold for local
sports coverage that gen-
erations of sports writers
and editors have been
measured against since
his time as sports editor
of the Hermiston Herald
in the late 1970s through
the mid 1980s.
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was short lived. In the fall
of 1992, Jerry invited me
for coffee at the Cozy Cor-
ner Tavern across the street
from the then offices of the
Herald. I don’t think I even
got to my first sip of coffee
before Jerry told me he was
letting me go.
Not too long after that,
Jerry announced the sale
erry Reed’s story, or part of the Herald to Western
of it at least, is a familiar Communications out of
one in Hermiston. Bend. I always suspected
He wasn’t born here. But my dismissal was somehow
he saw opportunity here, related to the pending sale.
came here for work, and it But Jerry helped me land
my next job in Coos Bay
became his home.
Hermiston, mostly, just by serving as a reference,
cares if you contribute which stunned my new em-
through your work, your ployers who couldn’t quite
fathom why my old
service to the com-
boss who had fired
munity and help build
me would give me a
the community.
positive job referral.
Jerry certainly did
A few months
his part, as owner
ago, Jerry and I
or part owner of the
were having lunch
Hermiston Herald for
at The Pheasant. We
more than 20 years,
were just catching
as a business and Gary
L. West
up, swapping stories
civic leader, as one SHADES
about Hermiston and
of the early members OF GRAY
the old days. But I
of the Hermiston De-
velopment Corporation and had a question I intended
to ask him. I knew Jerry
even as a baseball coach.
He cared about Herm- was in declining health
iston, nurturing its growth, and our opportunities for
when the “city” was just a those lunches were fading.
shadow of its current self in I thought that would be the
terms of population. There day I would ask, “So, why
is little doubt that Hermis- did you fire me all those
ton would not be what it is years ago?”
As the check came and
today without the contribu-
tions of Jerry and his con- the table was cleared I de-
temporaries, and the work cided not to pose my ques-
they did 40-plus years ago. tion. It no longer mattered.
Jerry was an ad man. A I have worked many places
newspaper man. A busi- and held many titles since
ness man. He was a leader, then. I was back home, in
rough around the edges, but Hermiston, editor of the
with a tender spot for fam- Herald once again. May-
ily, friends and his adopted be the story in my mind of
hometown, if you took the what happened wasn’t quite
true or the whole story. But
time to look.
Jerry gave me my first the whys of 1992 seemed
shot to be an editor at the less important in 2016. It
tender age of 26 in 1992. I had just been business and
came to work at the Herald we had both moved on.
Jerry wasn’t always the
in just my third job after
college. I had been working easiest guy to be friends
down the street at the East with, particularly if you
Oregonian (in the building were on the more painful
the EO and Herald now end of his business deci-
share), and the Herald had sions. But I will relish the
a reporter spot open in late fact that we became friends,
1991. I think Jerry liked the broke bread and shared
idea of stealing a reporter some laughs along the way.
Besides, it makes for a
from the daily paper.
I liked that he offered to more interesting story that
pay me more money than way.
•••
I was making at the EO.
Reed’s death was just
I had become a father in
1991 and a pay raise sound- one blow to the greater
Hermiston area and the
ed like a good thing.
A few months later, the close-knit Main Street busi-
editor’s job at the Herald ness community last week.
Former I.J. Gems owner
was vacant and I threw my
hat in the ring. Jerry pro- Jacqueline Mack Hill died
moted me, although look- Saturday night, ending a
ing back, I’m not sure I was nearly 5-year-long battle
as ready as my 26-year-old with cancer.
Jacque and her moth-
ego thought I was. But it
changed the course of my er, Irene, opened the store
career and I’ve worked as in 1983 and Jacque and
an editor of one sort or an- the store were Main Street
fixtures for more than 30
other ever since.
That first editing job years. Jacque closed the
J
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Office closed Friday
The Hermiston offices for
the Hermiston Herald and East
Oregonian will be closed Friday
afternoon, Nov. 11, to mark Jerry
Reed’s passing and to allow staff
members to attend Reed’s funeral.
Some staff members may also
be unavailable on Thursday to
attend Jacqueline Mack Hill’s
memorial services as well.
We appreciate your patience
and understanding.
store in 2014 to focus on
family, her battle with stage
4 ovarian cancer and as she
bluntly referred to it at the
time, her “bucket list.”
Jacque, too, came from
out of town, carrying on
her family’s tradition in the
jewelry business and seized
the business opportunity
that existed at the time.
Jerry and Jacque were
important figures on Main
Street and to the greater
Hermiston community —
and important, personally,
in my life. They died one
day apart. They’ll be laid to
rest one day apart.
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
567-8241
855 W. Highland • Hermiston
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
541-567-4063
Ric Jones,
BC-HIS
Verna Taylor,
HAS
Forrest Cahill,
HAS
541-215-1888
246 SW Dorion, Pendleton
S T U D EN T
O F TH E
W EEK
Nixyaawii Community School
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
The Full Gospel
Home Church
235 SW 3rd
Phone 567-7678
Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker
Sunday:
Sunday School........10:00 am
Worship...................11:00 am
Evening Service........7:00 pm
Wednesday Service..7:00 pm
“Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.”
1 Pet. 5:7
Grace Baptist Church
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Nursery provided for all services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 pm
Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
Echo
405 N. 1st St., Suite #107,
Hermiston
Their styles were very
different, their businesses
different, but they served
the same community in
their own unique ways.
Both of them touched
our staff as they were lit-
erally, or figuratively, part
of our family. We join our
neighbors, families and
friends in mourning their
passing.
Today, Main Street is
a little darker and a little
less colorful that it was a
week ago, and it’s not just
because of the return to
Standard Time. It is darker
because two of the lead-
ing lights that provided the
ideas and the energy that
make our community vi-
brant have winked out. But
may their contributions to
our city glow on, far after
our grief has faded.
Gary L. West is editor
of the Hermiston Herald
and Hermiston editor for
the East Oregonian. Reach
him at gwest@hermiston-
herald.com or follow him
on Twitter @GaryLWest
or on Facebook at www.
facebook.com/journalist.
glwest.
Worship
Community Church
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Nov. 1
Over the weekend,
Hermiston lost two
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Phone: (541) 376-8108
Sunday School • 9:30am
Worship • 10:45am
Children’s Church • 11:15am
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Our Lady of Angels
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565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday
...............................English 7:00 am
Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm
SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm
...............................Spanish 7:00 pm
SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am
..........................Bilingual 11:00 am
..............................Spanish 1:00 pm
Offi ce..............................567-5812
First Christian
Church
“Proclaiming the Message of
Hope, Living the Gospel of Love”
Sunday Worship 10:40am
Bible Class 9:30am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church
& Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
541-567-8441
Nixyaawii Community School would like
to recognize Kyle Close as our student
of the week. Kyle is a 10 th grader, he
was nominated by the principal for this
honor. Kyle has maintained great
attendance and earned a 4.0 for the
first quarter. Kyle is well liked by his
peers, shows great character, and a
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541-567-2011
253 W. Hermiston Avenue, Hermiston
2801 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton, OR • 541-276-5121
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541-278-2678
