COMMUNITY
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH ...
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019
HERMISTON HISTORY
JEFF KELSO
Technology Manager
Hermiston School District
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
After living my whole life on the wet side of the
state, I moved to Hermiston in May of 2017 to
become the technology manager at the Hermiston
School District.
What is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
The miso soup and sashimi at Shiki Hibachi Sushi
is very tasty! In fact, I like pretty much everything
at that restaurant.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to go fi shing with my wife and I also like to
get out and hike as often as I can. The scenery
around the Columbia River is incredible!
What surprises you about Hermiston?
I was surprised by how incredibly warm and wel-
coming everyone here has been. After living in
the suburbs of Portland my whole life (where peo-
ple often don’t know their neighbors’ fi rst names
and freeway driving is considered by many to be a
competitive sport) coming to a place where strang-
ers frequently smile and wave to each other as they
drive by in their cars has been a refreshing change
of pace. I love how open and friendly the people in
Hermiston are.
What was the last book you read/are cur-
rently reading?
I recently re-read 1984 by George Orwell. I enjoy
a good dystopian story from time to time, and 1984
is one of the best.
What app or website do you use most other
than Facebook or Google?
YouTube, by far. Any topic you’re interested in
learning about is probably covered in one or more
YouTube videos.
If you could travel anywhere, where would
you go?
I’d like to see the whole planet, but Israel is at the
top of the list. I’d love to see the land where Jesus
lived.
What is the funniest thing that’s happened
to you?
My wife had never caught a fi sh before I came to
Hermiston. Since then, we’ve gone fi shing together
on every weekend that weather and our schedules
have allowed and she’s outfi shed me every single
time. Now, I’m afraid to introduce her to any of my
other hobbies.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
In addition to the perennial “attempt physical fi t-
ness” and “lose ten pounds,” I’m determined to
read through the entire Bible this year.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Raising my three children with my wife of 23 years
is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, by far.
HH fi le photo
Richard Betz, Gerald Rains and E.A. Betz pose at the future site of a new packing shed in 1969.
25 YEARS AGO
MARCH 8, 1994
A week with absolutely no televi-
sion; some might say it’s impossible.
Many Highland Hills Elementary
School students this week, though,
plan to do just that.
The Parent Teacher Association
challenged students to meet that goal
as part of the second annual No Tele-
vision Week.
Participating students volunteered
to sign contracts last week pledging to
give up television for an entire week.
Last year, about 300 students signed
contracts and more than 200 met the
goal.
Activities were planned for each
night this week to promote alterna-
tives to watching television, including
a night at the Hermiston Skateway and
a game night.
2) The Hermiston city council
approve the sale of $450,000 in bonds
to fi nance the beginning of construc-
tion for the Regional Water Project.
The funds will be disbursed by the
Port of Umatilla when it awards the
construction bid for the intake pier at
tomorrow’s meeting.
The bonds were sold with the con-
dition that U.S. Generating pay half of
the debt.
50 YEARS AGO
MARCH 6, 1969
Approximately 40 dogs have been
impounded at the Hermiston Veteri-
nary Clinic since the clinic was des-
ignated as the pound facility for the
four west end towns of Hermiston,
Echo, Stanfi eld and Umatilla pursu-
ant to an agreement with the County
Court effective Feb. 13, say employ-
ees of the clinic.
The arrangement with the Herm-
iston Veterinary Clinic came out of
negotiations between the towns and
the county after inspectors from the
State Department of Agriculture
showed their disliked for the facilities
offered by the various towns several
months ago.
Bud Draper, mayor of Umatilla,
says, “We are checking up on licenses
that are recently expired and will soon
step up the pace in picking up stray
and unlicensed dogs.”
2) A new potato packing shed,
indicative of the accelerated trend
toward intensive farming on irrigated
ground in the West End, is due to go
into operation around July 1, says E.A.
Betz of Hermiston.
Betz, long active in potato farming
and processing in Washington, says
that Royal Pak Produce, Inc., a Wash-
ington corporation with which he
is associated, will be the legal entity
under which the packing shed will be
built and operated.
When completed, the shed will use
the unique process of sorting the pota-
toes while dry, rather than wet, with a
giant vacuum cleaner powered by a 30
horsepower motor.
75 YEARS AGO
MARCH 9, 1944
ENGLAND — The Flying For-
tress “Hard Luck” almost had to bring
back three bombs from the Berlin dis-
trict raid Saturday when they stuck in
their shackles, but Sgt. Austin Roberts
kicked them loose, one by one, right
over their targets.
Roberts, a waist gunner from
Hermiston, Ore., and Sgt. Delbert
Burns of Eureka, Kas., the other waist
gunner, noticed just before their ship
reached the target that the ball turret
was revolving continuously in one
direction.
Investigating, they soon discov-
ered Turret Gunner Sgt. George Bene-
dict of Bedford, Mich., had passed out
after his oxygen mask froze. Roberts
and Burns revived him and then saw
the three bombs still hanging in their
shackles.
Roberts made his way along the
catwalk to the bomb bay and kicked
them loose while “Hard Luck” was
still high over Berlin.
2) You just can’t keep a good
man down. Pvt. Bill Belt, son of Dr.
and Mrs. F.B. Belt, who made news
headlines a few years ago when he
announced his candidacy for United
States president in 1964, now heads
the list of the staff which publishes the
Torch and Sword, a mimeographed
sheet printed at Fordham University
where Bill is stationed with the U.S.
Army. An excellent editorial, “The
fate of the ASTP,” was printed in the
latest issue.
The little paper is very newsy and
typical of Bill Belt’s work. He was
editor of the Hermiston High School
Bulldog while attending school here.
Local friends are glad to see him in
similar work with the armed forces.
100 YEARS AGO
MARCH 8, 1919
Umatilla County has again went
over the top, her latest achievement
being an almost unanimous vote cast
at the polls Tuesday for the fl oating
of a bond issue to be used in mak-
ing good roads throughout the county
for ranchers and city folks alike. Well
might old Umatilla County feel proud
of her patriotic and progressive pop-
ulation, for in carrying the measure
an example has been set for the other
counties in the state to follow.
All the precincts in and around
Hermiston went strong for the bond
issue, also all other precincts in the
west end. The two Hermiston pre-
cincts voted 159 for and 1 against on
the east side and 81 to 6 on the west
side.
2) S.H. Boardman, after whom the
thriving little town of Boardman on
the Columbia River and the state high-
way was named, was a business vis-
itor to Hermiston on Wednesday. Mr.
Boardman is a very busy man these
days looking after the buildings of the
stretch of the Columbia Highway that
runs through Morrow County, he being
engineer in charge of construction.
OPINION
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 113 • NUMBER 10
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jayati Ramakrishnan | Reporter • jramakrishnan@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Annie Fowler | Sports Editor • afowler@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4542
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Dana Tassie | Offi ce Coordinator • dtassie@eastoregonean.com • 541-564-4530
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CORRECTIONS
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they
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Everyone wants a dollar (or more)
E
verywhere we go, we are
them too. He came out to help me put
bombarded with requests for
my groceries away. While we were
money.
talking, my dogs started barking. I
Even during everyday activities
laughed and said, “I guess I have a
— like grocery shopping or perusing built in security system.”
social media — we are confronted by
When I got home, I told my hus-
others asking for cash.
band about the incident. John sug-
It used to be that people would
gested that I go grocery shop-
hang out near parking lot
ping earlier in the day. My
exits or freeway off-ramps
thought is, I should feel safe
with a cardboard sign. If
to go any time of day or
you didn’t want to be both-
night.
ered, you could merely look
I have two German shep-
the other way.
herds who have the capac-
In the past few months,
ity to bark like big dogs.
I have heard about people
However, they don’t always
being approached in parking
make noise when I think
lots — to the level of being
they should.
T AMMY
accosted. People wanting
I decided to train them a
M ALGESINI
money have stepped it up
new
word that I can use to
COMMENT
— even knocking on car
get them to bark ferociously
windows.
on command. I was sur-
A few weeks back, I went gro-
prised by how quickly they acquired
cery shopping late at night … so
the new command, as was the unsus-
late, that the store was closing. After
pecting couple passing by the Jeep
unlocking the doors, I usually warm
during a recent training session.
up my Jeep while loading groceries
As my birthday approached last
in the back. When I noticed a couple
month, Facebook suggested I con-
of people hanging out near the front
sider conducting a fundraising effort
of my rig, I decided not to turn the
in honor of my birthday. I’m almost
engine on.
60 years old and the only people that
Honestly, I don’t know if they
acknowledge my special day beyond
were up to no good but their presence saying the cursory “happy birthday”
made me uncomfortable. The store
are my family and close friends.
employee that let me out noticed
A few days later I received a mes-
sage imploring me to “wish Chan-
ley a happy birthday by donating to
a nonprofi t.” Facebook promised to
notify him of the gift. No offense, but
I didn’t even fork out a few bucks to
buy a card and mail it to Chanley.
When Facebook fi rst instituted the
“birthday fundraisers,” they charged
a processing fee. While, they no lon-
ger do that for nonprofi ts, I think it’s
still all part of the scheme to keep
personal Facebook fundraisers on
the forefront, which they continue to
charge a processing fee.
And, honestly, I turn my head
on a lot of those grabs for cash. An
acquaintance hosted a personal fund-
raiser recently, even going as far
as erroneously suggesting that any
money given was tax-deductible.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not say-
ing don’t give at all. I just think there
are better ways to donate to ensure
that money is being used in the best
possible way. And, just to be clear,
if someone approaches me in the
parking lot, you’ll be barking up the
wrong tree.
———
Tammy Malgesini is the com-
munity editor. Her column, Inside
my Shoes, includes general mus-
ings about life. Contact her at tmal-
gesini@eastoregonian.com or
541-564-4539.