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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
INSIDE POOL SEASON IS HERE! FIND THE SCHEDULES FOR AREA POOLS ON PAGE A9 Hermiston Herald HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017 $1.00 INSIDE VETERANS, LOVED ONES REMEMBERED ON AVENUE OF FLAGS TIGERS DONE STANFIELD KNOCKED OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS IN SEMIFINALS WITH LOSS TO ST. MARY’S. FOR MORE ON THE GAME VISIT WWW.HERMISTONHERALD.COM SHOOTING A MAN WAS KILLED SATURDAY AND POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR A PERSON OF INTEREST PAGE A3 LEAVE A PENNY WHAT MEMORIAL DAY TRADI- TION OF PLACING CHANGE ON GRAVES REALLY MEANS PAGE A4 FAIR MUSIC TICKETS GO ON SALE FOR MUSIC ACTS AT 2017 COUNTY FAIR PAGE A10 STAFF PHOTO BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN The annual Avenue of the Flags ceremony at Hermiston Cemetery was Monday morning, and included between 700 and 800 flags installed around the grounds. STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN and JADE MCDOWELL Staff Writers t was a picture-perfect Memorial Day for the annual Avenue of the Flags at the Hermiston Cemetery. About 50 people gathered at the cemetery’s cov- ered pavilion Monday to honor those who died serv- ing in the military. The presentation, organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4750, American Le- gion Post 37 and the U.S. Army Honor Guard, included a short speech by VFW member Ron Jardine reading the names of all local veterans who died in the past year, the playing of “Taps” and the presentation of the colors. Several Gold Star Mothers were also recognized at the event. June Spearman, Shirley Huston, Jane Poole and Paula Trueax were named in honor of their children who died during military service. Spearman and Huston were present at the event. “Today we pay a tribute of respect to our fallen com- rades,” Jardine said. “The self was forgotten in cause of the greater good.” The names of 71 local veterans who passed away this year were read during the roll call. Throughout the morn- ing people roamed the cemetery grounds, putting down flowers, or setting up chairs and chatting near the graves of loved ones. The almost 800 full-sized flags lining the cemetery’s walkways and rows of graves were put up Friday after- noon by the Hermiston High School football team. The players and coaches — plus some alumni and in- coming players — participated in the annual team tradi- tion of helping the VFW ready the Avenue of Flags. “We preach family and brotherhood, and this is in re- membrance of the guys who paid the ultimate price for them to go out and play on Friday nights and attend safe schools,” said David Faaeteete, head coach of the Bull- dogs. He said he appreciated the tradition, which started before he arrived in Hermiston, as an opportunity to build a sense of citizenship in his players and give them perspective on their lives. Each flag they put up memorializes a different veteran from the area who died. Thinking about those individuals’ sacrifices See FLAGS, A16 Members of the Hermiston High School football team put together a flag pole for the Avenue of Flags at Hermiston Cemetery. STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL Hermiston High School football players set up the Avenue of Flags at the Hermiston Cemetery. STAFF PHOTO BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN A member of the U.S. Army Honor Guard plays “Taps” during the Avenue of the Flags ceremony at Hermiston Cemetery on Memorial Day. STAFF PHOTO BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN Two members of the U.S. Army Honor Guard present the colors in honor of Alvin “Bruce” Christopher, who died April 27, 2017. Christopher, who was 71, served in the U.S. Army. BY THE WAY Look for a melon float at Floral Parade Hermiston will be repre- sented in Portland’s Grand Floral Parade for the Rose Festival on June 10. The city will have a mini-float, built around a golf cart in the shape of a watermelon, in the parade driven by Hermiston Police Department officer Victor Gutierrez and accompa- nied by members of the city’s Rose Festival float committee. Committee member Karie Walchli presented photos and an update to the Hermiston city council on May 22. According to the parade’s rules, the floats must be made entirely out of organic materials. Herm- iston’s watermelon float will include moss, rice dyed red and fresh flowers. ••• Hermiston High School seniors were celebrated on Thursday as they prepared for their lives after gradu- ation. All graduating stu- dents going on to universi- See BTW, A16 Seniors share stories of path to graduation By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN Staff Writer Hundreds of seniors will toss their caps in the air in the coming weeks as they celebrate their high school graduation. Umatilla County students will go off to college, the military, work and trade school. Many students graduating this week have overcome a lot to get to this milestone. Below are profiles of four students whose teachers felt they stood out. Jahayra Garcia-Sandoval Hermiston High School Being a Ford Schol- ar is an accomplish- ment only a handful of Oregon students ever know, but Jahayra Garcia-Sandoval is one of Hermiston’s Sandoval two this year. “Because of that, I’ll be able to go to the University of Portland,” Garcia-Sandoval said. Garcia-Sandoval made it through several rounds of interviews and ap- plications, and was one of 105 stu- dents selected from an original pool of about 6,000 applicants. The Herm- iston High School senior will now graduate, and plans to study business at University of Portland in the fall. Hard work has defined Gar- cia-Sandoval’s high school career. She has spent time volunteering for school clubs and groups — her favor- ite, she said, was working as a coun- selor at Outdoor School. She joined the College Savings Group and the Generation College program as a sophomore to learn about what steps she should take after high school, and how to earn money for college. She also worked at Atkinson Staffing during the summers, and at American Printing, a local print shop, during the school year. See GRADUATION, A16 Hermiston Offi ce: Pendleton Offi ce: GLENN SCOTT JENNIFER OLSON Veteran's Service Offi cer • 435 E Newport Ave. Veteran’s Service Offi cer • 17 SW Frazer Ph: 541.667.3125 • Cell: 541.848.8120 Ph.541.278.5482 glenn.scott@umatillacounty.net jennifer.olson@umatillacounty.net VETERANS SERVING VETERANS NS LET US ASSIST YOU WITH YOUR BENEFITS LE
