INSIDE
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Hermiston
Herald
HermistonHerald.com
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017
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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
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