COMMUNITY
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH ...
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019
HERMISTON HISTORY
JAKE BACON
Principal, Highland Hills Elementary
School
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
We moved to Hermiston after joining the Hermis-
ton School District. Our experience has been so
wonderful that we moved all three kids to the dis-
trict and my wife and I both work for the district.
What is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
We love to eat at La Palma and Yo Country!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spend time with my wife and kids. We are at the
stage of life where all our spare time is taken fol-
lowing kids to their sporting events. My favorite
place to be is in the mountains or at my Grand-
ma’s place in Grant County.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
I am reminded, daily how amazing our school fam-
ily is. Our community, students, staff is truly one of
the greatest experiences I have had professionally.
I am proud to have my kids attending HSD. Our
family feels very fortunate to be in a community
that is so welcoming and supportive.
What was the last book you read/are cur-
rently reading?
I am currently reading “Rethinking Teacher
Supervision and Evaluation” by Kim Marshall
What app or website do you use most other
than Facebook or Google?
It depends upon the season. Fall – ESPN Fan-
tasy Football & Seattle Seahawks APP. Winter &
Spring – AccuWeather. Summer – ESPN & Seattle
Seahawks App. Don’t tell my wife, I hope she is not
reading this, Groupon is year-round!
If you could travel anywhere, where would
you go?
Rome, or as we are fi nally walking away from win-
ter, anywhere WARM!
What is the funniest thing that’s happened
to you?
We were holding a Highland Hills Staff gather-
ing and I accidentally emailed it out to the entire
school district, not just Highland Hills. I was the
lucky recipient to a lot of teasing by staff across
the district.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months
To win the lottery, get into shape and relax more!
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Being a father. Nothing has given me so much
grief and so much pleasure all at the same time.
Watching our children grow through the stages of
life is truly amazing.
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 113 • NUMBER 12
Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669
HH fi le photo
The Hermiston Herald ran a story on March 23, 1944 announcing an explosion at the Umatilla Ordnance Depot two days
prior.
From the archives: “Explosion of
one igloo Tuesday is fatal to six”
From the Hermiston Herald pub-
lished Thursday, March 23, 1944:
Six persons lost their lives as a
result of a terrifi c explosion about
9:30 Tuesday night at the Umatilla
Ordnance Depot when a quantity of
bombs stored in one of the igloos
exploded. One woman and fi ve men,
all civilian employees, were killed in
the only major disaster at the Ord-
nance Depot here since its construc-
tion about three years ago. The blast
was so terrifi c that, although it did
not cause any other damage of con-
sequence, it was felt as far away as
Lewiston, Idaho and other distant
points.
The victims of the explosion
were: Miss Alice Wolgamott, 20, for-
merly of Curtis, Nebraska where her
mother resides, but since employed
at the depot had lived here with her
sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and
Mrs. Peterson.
Kenneth L. Fraser, 40, of Irrigon,
leader of the crew. He is survived by
his widow and four children, two are
sophomores at Irrigon High School
and two are in the grade school there.
Lance A. Stultz, 40, of Hermis-
ton, residing in the Cox Addition.
He is survived by his widow and one
child.
Hiram Cook, 26, of Hermiston,
survived by his widow and two chil-
dren. They had resided with his par-
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Cook, in
recent months.
William Sanders, 30, Rt. 2,
Hermiston, survived by his widow
and four children, all preschool-age.
Harry Sever, 33, Ordnance, sur-
vived by his widow and two children.
Outside the above victims, no one
was injured in the worst tragedy that
has ever struck this little community.
Colonel A.S. Buyers, command-
ing offi cer at the Umatilla Ordnance
Depot, has offi cially announced var-
ious facts of information since the
blast that vary greatly from some
of the numerous rumors which usu-
ally follow this type of catastrophe.
Among these are the following:
Only one igloo exploded and
defi nitely only six persons were
killed from the blast. No one else
was injured.
Very little other damage was done
about the post by the gigantic blast.
Although several windows were
broken in the area, no damage was
done to the other igloos (U.S. Army
Engineers are receiving consider-
able mention for their planning and
locating of the various igloos, to pre-
vent further blasts by nearby igloos.
The value of the sandy conditions of
the soil which tends to kill concus-
sions has been proven).
The igloo, which was used princi-
pally for the storage of huge bombs,
such as 2,000-pound “blockbusters”
used in aerial bombing, contained
only a partial capacity of bombs.
An investigation of the explo-
sion is underway by U.S. Army offi -
cers and pending its report no fur-
ther information is available as to
the exact cause of the explosion.
There is no knowledge of any sab-
otage connected with the explosion.
Some fear that workers might
prove jittery and reluctant to go back
to work was relieved when practi-
cally all employees today proved
“good soldiers” and today opera-
tions are back to normal.
The explosion caused consider-
able excitement in the surrounding
territory. Windows were smashed
here and there and other minor dam-
ages resulted but as a whole major
damage was confi ned to the igloo
and its contents.
Several interesting stories are
being told about the blast. Workers
state that as a rule each crew is com-
posed of eight members but appar-
ently two of the crew were cleaning
up the freight car after a shipment.
At least, only six men were in the
igloo at the time of the explosion.
Miss Wolgamott had just driven to
the scene by truck.
The explosion was so terrifi c that
the entire roof of the igloo and a por-
tion of the fl oor was shattered to bits.
Several theories have been advanced
by workers as to the cause of the
blast but none are printed as facts.
Among these are that it might have
been a defective bomb, some say
a bomb might have been dropped
“just right,” and still others say it
might have been something else.
However, a thorough inves-
tigation is being held and some
announcement may be made later.
This much is known, however, that
extreme precautions have always
been taken to avert such explosions
and the entire area was placed under
strict military rule after the blast.
In Hermiston, Victory Square and
Ordnance, as well as Echo, Stanfi eld,
Umatilla, Irrigon and other places
where families of U.O.D. workers
reside, the night was a long one until
word was received that their loved
ones had escaped injury.
Several freakish instances of
damage were found the next morn-
ing. Directly across the highway at
Ordnance, the merchandise had been
knocked from the shelf but no win-
dows were broken. In many cases
doors were blown in, and in several
instances the casement went with
the door. In Hermiston where the
blast was felt quite heavily, in many
instances residents at fi rst thought
that their stoves had blown up except
for the severity of the shock.
The theory that concussion trav-
els in waves was also proven cor-
rect because that shock was not as
severe near Ordnance as it was sev-
eral miles away. A check up of bro-
ken windows also revealed that the
damage was very spotty and at times
skipped several miles. That it trav-
eled far is another certainty. At Spo-
kane a seismograph registered a
“very slight” earth disturbance.
Another item that traveled fast
is news. The Herald offi ce was
swamped with calls Wednesday
from anxious relatives far and near.
It appeared that the farther the news
went, the greater was the damage
done. One resident of Pasco stated
over the phone that “Hermiston had
been leveled.”
It is hoped that in spite of the
great tragedy, everyone will contrib-
ute much to the war effort and that
activities will not only continue on
schedule but will accelerate because
of the sacrifi ce.
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
BTW
Annie Fowler | Sports Editor • afowler@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4542
Continued from Page A1
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
equipment, such as a bro-
ken headlight, taillight and
the like.
The sheriff’s offi ce is
partnering with the Oregon
State Sheriff’s Associa-
tion and the Oregon State
Police to participate in the
program. The voucher pro-
vides a discount on auto-
motive parts to purchase,
repair or replace the defec-
tive equipment. Drivers
can redeem the vouch-
ers at the following busi-
nesses: Advance Auto
Parts, Battery Systems,
Baxter Auto Parts, Car-
quest Auto Parts, Clack-
amas Auto Parts, Milex
Complete Auto Care,
Mt. Angel Auto Body,
Napa Auto Parts, White’s
Collision.
• • •
Two members of the
Umatilla County Sher-
iff’s Offi ce will receive
awards for their efforts to
keep impaired drivers off
the road.
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Dana Tassie | Offi ce Coordinator • dtassie@eastoregonean.com • 541-564-4530
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: hermistonherald.com
The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Delivered by mail Wednesdays
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Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR.
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Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St.,
Hermiston, OR 97838.
Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2019
CORRECTIONS
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they are
discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on
the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in the
online versions of our stories.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com
or call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report errors.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the Hermiston Herald readers
to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but
longer letters should be kept to 250 words.
The sheriff’s offi ce
announced the Oregon
DUII Multi-Disciplinary
Training Task Force
selected sheriff’s Sgt.
Josh Roberts as the “2018
DUII Trainer of the Year”
and senior deputy Nathan
Rankin as the “2018 DUII
Enforcement Deputy of the
Year.”
• • •
Hermiston School Dis-
trict recently celebrated its
classifi ed staff of the year.
Those staff are: Michelle
McAllister, career and
counseling secretary at
Hermiston High School;
Kat Mayberry, campus
monitor at Hermiston High
School; Tracy Hepworth,
special programs secre-
tary at the district offi ce;
Amy Ware, administra-
tive assistant at Armand
Larive Middle School;
Carol West, special educa-
tion assistant at Sandstone
Middle School; Polly
Briscoe, library assistant at
Desert View Elementary;
Jessica Brown, kindergar-
ten assistant at Highland
Hills Elementary; Jamie
Cleaver, special education
assistant at Rocky Heights
Elementary; Leticia Bau-
tista, custodian at Sunset
Elementary and Lyndsey
McKillip, Title I assistant
at West Park Elementary.
• • •
Nolan Mills of Board-
man and several other
local farmers were recently
determined to be outstand-
ing in their fi elds by the
National Corn Growers
Association.
Mills took fi rst in the
no-till/strip-till
irrigated
category of the 2018
National Corn Yield Con-
test. Growing a DuPont
Pioneer hybrid seed, it
yielded more than 360
bushels per acre. In addi-
tion, Dean Harris of Uma-
tilla placed third in the
same category with more
than 343 bushels per acre,
also with a Pioneer hybrid.
And, at the state level,
Emily Rea of Boardman
came in third with just over
274 bushels per acre.
In the irrigated class, a
pair of local farmers placed
in the state-level contest:
Joe Taylor of Boardman
was fi rst with 315 bushels
per acre and Dan Mills of
Stanfi eld came in second
with 310.
The national and state
contest winners were rec-
ognized at the annual
Commodity Classic, held
Feb. 28 to March 2 in
Orlando, Florida. Growers
competed in six corn pro-
duction classes. For a link
to a list of all contest win-
ners, visit www.ncga.com.
• • •
The menu at the Har-
kenrider Senior Activ-
ity Center for Thursday is
a hot roast beef sandwich,
potatoes and gravy, veg-
etables and dessert. The
menu for next Tuesday is
spaghetti and garlic bread,
vegetable, tossed salad and
dessert.
———
You can submit items
for our weekly By The Way
column by emailing your
tips to editor@hermiston-
herald.com.