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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 OPINION Canine kids are Harkenrider’s support appreciated doggone special by Bighaus, former sports editor exhibits symptoms of ob- sessive-compulsive disor- der or maybe even autism. We sang a rousing My friends laugh when I round of “Happy Birth- say that, but think about day” Monday morning in it, dogs get other “human” celebration of Lucifer’s diseases. The General will only eighth birthday. drink out of certain While we didn’t dishes. When he throw a big party was about 9 months and invite all the old, a paper towel neighborhood dogs, fell into his water we did give Luci- bowl by the daybed. fer and the General He jumped down some canned dog and stared at it. food. They get the “Take care of good stuff on spe- Tammy Malgesini that,” he seemed cial occasions. The INSIDE MY to be saying. So, I following morning, SHOES squeezed the water I swear the General looked at me like, “What out of the paper towel and gives!?” when I placed a threw it away. He had a look on his bowl of regular food at his face like, “That’s it, that’s feet. While both of our dogs all you’re going to do.” are part of the Malgesini Honesty, I don’t know pack, Lucifer, a black Ger- what more I could do. man shepherd, is John’s But he never drank out dog and the General, a of that bowl again. He 5-year-old tan/black Ger- would jump over it, run downstairs and get a drink man shepherd, is mine. After having Jeter, my and then come back up- 13-year-old German shep- stairs. After several more herd, put down in April weeks, I finally removed 2012, I was initially hes- the bowl. And, playing hide-and- itant to get another dog. I didn’t think I wanted to seek is hilarious. When I go through the difficulty peer out and see him run- of losing another canine ning frantically looking kid. Lucifer helped me for me, I want to yell out, through the grief process “Dude, use your sense of and I’m grateful the Gen- smell!” What’s even more en- eral joined our pack. I can’t imagine life without tertaining is when Lucifer hides with John. Serious- my sweet boy. The General is definite- ly, this 95-pound dog will ly the most intelligent dog stand perfectly still in the shadows. I swear some- I’ve ever had. However, he has issues. times Lucifer even flashes I used to think it was an eye-roll while watch- pretty amazing that he ing his brother searching never had an accident for them. John and I readily admit in the house. Serious- ly, house training was a our canine kids have us breeze. But later, it be- wrapped around their dew came apparent he had claws. It’s all good — the some quirks when it came boys always happily greet to going to the bathroom, us when we come home, which I shared about in a they rarely talk back and as long as they have food, past column. The goofy guy also has water and the occasional tactile issues. I think he belly rub, they’re happy. By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR By BILL BIGHAUS GUEST COMMENT I spent a few moments the other day rummaging through boxes in my ga- rage trying to find one of the squeeze coin purses Frank Harkenrider gave to me in the late 1970s. You know the one, pur- ple and gold in color, made from plastic or rubber, adver- tising Frank’s Union Oil busi- ness and carry- ing the football schedule of his beloved Herm- iston Bulldogs. Many people in Hermiston, no doubt, still Bighaus have one or two of the small, old-fashioned relics tucked away in a shoebox or junk drawer. I couldn’t immediately find mine, I think I have one from 1977 or 1978, but I enjoyed the pursuit. It helped bring back a lot of wonderful memo- ries about hanging with my friend “Harkie,” while also mourning his recent passing. I don’t think there is a person on the planet who loved “Hermy” more than Frank Harkenrider, but he was more than just Herm- iston’s No. 1 sports fan to me. As the young sports editor of The Hermiston Herald in the late 1970s, I, too, loved sports and Frank was one of my early supporters. I am grateful that his encouragement, knowl- edge and friendship helped make my new job and new community seem a lot less scary. There was no one more loyal to me. He always called me “Billy,” and was a tremen- dous guy to have in my corner as I embarked on what was quite a learning experience in the newspa- per business. And, in the end, Frank definitely helped make my stay in Hermiston, from 1976-85, some of the best years of my life. We immediately bond- ed over sports, and had a lot of terrific visits and conversations. He would talk Hermiston sports with anyone who would listen. Sometimes I felt he just want- ed to know if I knew something he didn’t. Chances are I didn’t. Frank, with his unbridled pas- sion and complete devotion to high school athletics, was ev- erywhere and at every- thing sports-related during my time at The Herald. With his loud voice, in- fectious smile and laugh, and outgoing personality, he was definitely a big part of the ballpark experience. It didn’t matter if that park was in Hermiston, Boardman or Echo. Frank, wearing that Union Oil shirt and hat, was rarely sitting down, always mingling with friends and fans no matter the sport, and usually giv- ing the umpires/referees a hard time. For decades, win or lose, he always kept com- ing back. He had a detailed mem- ory of seasons, good and bad, going back to his days as a Hermiston High School student in the early 1940s. Sadly, with Frank’s death in late July at age 90, the sports scene in Hermiston just won’t be the same anymore. He will be saluted by the community on Satur- day, Sept. 9, with a cele- bration of life set for 11:15 a.m. at Hermiston High. One of my favorite “Harkie” moments came in the aftermath of Herm- iston’s history-making football win at Pendleton in 1984. After the Bulldogs scored their first victory over the Buckaroos since 1922, Frank and his bud- dy, Dan Rodriguez, met at midfield of the Round- Up Grounds and toasted the 27-14 win by sipping warm champagne they had smuggled into the stadium in a plastic jug. They were simply two of the happiest sports fans I’ve ever seen. Cheerleader, super fan, community favorite, venerable public servant, Frank will be forever a Bulldog. I never did get a chance to tell him he also had a positive impact on my life as a sports writer. His amazing support early on helped launch me on a nearly 41-year career in the newspaper business, and I can’t thank Frank enough for what he did for me when I was first start- ing out. He always had Hermis- ton’s back – and mine. His personal touch helped inspire me and I will always cherish my re- lationship with him. Now, maybe we all should be working on building a statue of him somewhere in return for his fervent support of all things “Hermy” and for leaving us a trail of memo- ries behind. First things first, though, I’ve got to go find that coin purse. Bill Bighaus was the sports editor for the Hermiston Herald from 1976 to 1985 and is now semi-retired from journal- ism and living in Billings, Montana. WORSHIP COMMUNITY 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 Seventh-day Adventist Church Saturdays Sabbath School........9:30 a.m. Worship Service......11:00 a.m. English & Spanish Services 567-8241 855 W. Highland • Hermiston ENERGY SAVINGS ARE IN YOUR FUTURE THREE WAYS YOU CAN COMMAND YOUR HOME ENERGY DESTINY LIGHTING ELECTRONICS HEATING Install ENERGY STAR® LED bulbs to cut your energy use by as much as 85 percent. LEDs are available in many styles to fit all the rooms in your home and you’ll save even more in the long run because they’ll last up to 20 times longer than standard bulbs. Unplug battery chargers for mobile phones, tablets, laptops and other devices when not in use—they use energy even when they’re not actively charging anything. Group your electronics together on power strips so you can switch them off when you’re done using everything. Save on heating costs by lowering the thermostat to 65-68 degrees when you’re home, and to 58-60 degrees at night or when you’re away. Upgrade to a smart thermostat to make these kinds of energy-saving changes automatically. St. Johns Episcopal Church Join Us On Our Journey With Jesus. Scripture, Tradition and Reason Family service 9am Sunday N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston t. PH: 567-6672 We are an all inclusive Church who welcomes all. LANDMARK BAPTIST CHURCH 125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232 Pastor David Dever Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm www.hermistonlmbc.com Grace Baptist Church 21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR 555 SW 11th, Hermiston 567-9497 Phone: (541) 376-8108 Sunday School • 9:30am Worship • 10:45am Children’s Church • 11:15am Potluck & Communion ~ First Sunday of the Month 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” Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church First Christian Church 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 “Proclaiming the Message of Hope, Living the Gospel of Love” Coffee and Mingle Time 9:15 am Worship Gathering 10:00 am Children’s Church 10:00 am 567-3013 775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston First United Methodist Church Hermiston 191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR Worship 10:00 AM “come as you are” Get more from your energy. Call us at 1.866.368.7878 or visit www.energytrust.org/homes. Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. 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 Echo Community Church 1255 Hwy. 395 S. • 567-5834 oasisvineyard.us + The Full Gospel Home Church 1520 W ORCHARD AVE Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE, SERVING PEOPLE www.hermistonnazarene.org Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002 Nursery available Check us out on Face Book Worship Livestream at herfumc.com Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor To share your worship times call 541-278-2678