COMMUNITY
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH ...
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2019
HERMISTON HISTORY
ROB SCHAEFER
Owner,
Horace Mann Insurance
in Hermiston
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
My parents moved us here when I was fi ve and I’ve
been here basically ever since, except some time I
spent in the Air Force.
HH fi le photo
Police help a pedestrian hit by a car on Main Street in Hermiston in 1969.
What is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
Probably La Palma and Walker’s Farm Kitchen.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Well, I spend a lot of time with my family. I like to
golf when I can.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
The community is a welcoming community. People
support each other here. We’re unique that way.
You see the same people every day, and I’ve grown
up here so I know most people.
What was the last book you read?
I don’t have a lot of time to read, but I would have
to say parts of the Bible.
What website or app do you use most other
than Facebook?
I use Google. We were in Iceland and I wanted to
know where the closest restaurant was, and I Goo-
gled and it took me right there.
If you could travel anywhere, where would
you go?
I would love to go to Thailand someday. I’ve seen
pictures of the beaches and that’s something I look
forward to.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap-
pened to you?
I’m sure if you asked my wife that question she
could answer it.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
I have a daughter who is going to be a senior. I
guess my goal is to get her graduated and spend
more time with family.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Other than my kids, and my family, I would have
to say building this business over the last 15 years.
It’s been my greatest achievement. I was inducted
into my company’s hall of fame a little while ago
too, and that was a great achievement.
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 113 • NUMBER 27
Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Annie Fowler | Sports Editor • afowler@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4542
Jessica Pollard | Reporter • jpollard@eastoregonian.com, 541-564-4534
25 YEARS AGO
JULY 12, 1994
Eugene attorney Ken Morrow said
his client, John Crespin, was under
extreme emotional distress when he
shot and killed Joe Perez.
However, Judge Warner Wasley
appeared not to buy Morrow’s argu-
ment and ordered Crespin held with-
out bail until his trail Oct. 24.
Perez and Dale Crespin had
allegedly been romantically involved
four years ago in Idaho. They briefl y
resumed their relationship in the
month Perez lived with the Crespins,
prior to his death.
After learning more about their
guest, the Crespins sought to remove
Perez from their house by alerting
Umatilla County Sheriff’s deputies
to his location. The morning of the
shooting, Perez had allegedly forced
Darla at knifepoint to drive him
around Hermiston. She escaped and
reported the incident to Hermiston
Police, but not before Perez threat-
ened her and her family.
It was in a rage response to all of
this that John Crespin shot Perez,
Morrow said, and therefore is guilty
of manslaughter and not murder.
“The diffi cultly I saw in that argu-
ment is that he chased the guy all
over town for hours,” deputy district
attorney Robert Hill said. “Obvi-
ously, he was angry. If anger was
a defense, we wouldn’t prosecute
many murders.”
50 YEARS AGO
JULY 3, 1969
Two young people playing with
homemade smoke bombs Tuesday
afternoon set fi re to a car belonging
to David Lieve on East Punkin Cen-
ter Road. The older model vehicle
was considered a total loss.
2) A Vancouver, Wash. woman
has enlisted the help of the Herm-
iston Herald in trying to locate her
mother and grandmother, who may
be in the area.
Mrs. Claudia Johnson said the last
communication she had from either
of them was a Christmas card from
her mother, Mrs. Vada Doyle, at the
time living in Stanfi eld.
Mrs. Johnson said her grand-
mother has married and she does not
know her new name and it is also
possible, she stated, that her mother
has since married also.
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
75 YEARS AGO
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
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Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
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JULY 6, 1944
An argument which started “over
nothing” early Sunday morning
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
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.
No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. The Hermiston Herald
reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content.
Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers. Anonymous letters
will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be
reached for questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
resulted in the fatal shooting of Ron-
ald L. Coffman, 32, on Second Street
near Hermiston Transfer & Storage.
In the hospital is Francis A. Flynn,
39, a truck foreman at the Uma-
tilla Ordnance Depot suffering from
severe facial and head bruises as a
result of the fi ght.
The entire affair began as a socia-
ble evening. Witnesses at the hearing
Wednesday stated that everyone was
having a fi ne time until Mr. Flynn and
Mr. Coffman began to “have some
words” in the kitchen. When asked by
District Attorney A.C. McIntyre what
the argument was over, the witness
declared, “Over nothing.” The debate
became more heated, however, and
Flynn, Coffman and Mr. Russell D.
Patton went to the back door of the
Flynn home.
Coffman attempted to strike
Flynn, only tearing his shirt. Patton
attempted to settle the argument but
was only knocked down by Coffman
for his efforts. Soon after Mr. Clifford
Bice attempted to make peace but he
was also beaten down for interfering.
Flynn was attempting to get Coff-
man to leave his premises because of
the trouble he was causing. Coffman,
who was brandishing a gin bottle over
his head, dared anyone to make him
leave. The argument became rougher
with several blows being struck.
After several more minutes of
heated words, with both sides sling-
ing a heavy board at each other, Phil-
lips was struck down by the timber
during the fray. At this time Coffman
struck Flynn a solid blow with the
bottle and the latter opened fi re with
his pistol which had been in evidence
for several minutes.
100 YEAR AGO
JULY 5, 1919
W.T. Roberts, well known rancher
north of town, is pining for a sum-
mer vacation on the seashore, but
being strong and healthy can’t fi nd
any excuse to go on such an outing.
He feels, however, that if he could
only beg, borrow or steal for this sea-
son only one of the “complaints” that
make people hike for the beach this
time of years he could make the jour-
ney alright. If there is anyone hav-
ing such a disease that they would be
willing to lend him by means of inoc-
ulation for a month of six weeks, he
promises to return it in as good con-
dition as possible on his return home
from the outing.
BTW
BTW
Continued from Page A1
CORRECTIONS
HH fi le photo
Jason Richardson performs bicycle tricks at Spudfest in downtown Hermiston in
1994.
ers Correctional Institu-
tion in Umatilla last week.
Sherry Isles, the pris-
on’s public information
offi cer, said the problem
was caused cut line in the
area owned by Centu-
rylink, which provides
service to the prison.
Ingoing and outgoing
calls were disrupted from
Monday through Thursday
afternoon. Inmates were
still able to make calls
using Telmate services.
• • •
The Hermiston Herald
offi ces will close at 3 p.m.
on Wednesday and be
closed all day on Thursday
to celebrate the Fourth of
July holiday. Our report-
ing staff will still cover
holiday activities taking
place in Hermiston and
Stanfi eld on Thursday,
however, so keep an eye
on www.hermistonherald.
com for photos.
We are also excited to
announce that we are pre-
paring to launch a mobile
phone app for the Herm-
iston Herald soon, featur-
ing faster download times,
customizable newsfeeds
and other perks. Check out
the East Oregonian’s new
app, which went live this
week in app stores across
platforms, for an idea of
what the new app will
offer.
• • •
The Hermiston Herald
received a follow-up let-
ter from a student in Ms.
Lyons‘ class at The Lang-
ley School in McLean,
Virginia.
Andrei
expressed
appreciation
for
the
response to her request to
send items and information
about the state of Oregon
for her school project. She
was pleasantly surprised to
hear from 16 people.
“I was so excited when
packages started arriv-
ing from different places
in Oregon! I received a
China plate, brochures and
maps,” Andrei said. “This
project could not have
been the success that it
was without YOU! I am so
grateful.”
• • •
Hermiston’s
annual
Funfest is changing its
name back to the original
title of Spudfest this year.
The
family-friendly
downtown
celebration,
which will include a vari-
ety of vendors and enter-
tainment, will take place
throughout the day on
July 13. See next week’s
Hermiston Herald for
more information.
• • •
Harkenrider
The
Senior Activity Cen-
ter will be closed Thurs-
day and Friday for the
Fourth of July holiday.
The menu for Monday is
salad bar, dinner roll and
dessert. Tuesday is pulled
BBQ chicken, broccoli
salad and granola parfait.
Next Wednesday is tuna or
grilled cheese sandwich,
salad and dessert.
———You can submit
items for our weekly By
The Way column by email-
ing your tips to editor@
hermistonherald.com.