COMMUNITY
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH ...
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2019
HERMISTON HISTORY
TALAN WILHELM
Street performer
and construction fl agger
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
I’m kind of from all over. I actually wasn’t going to
be stopping through here, honestly. On Wednesday,
I was heading to Portland from Utah to pick up a
friend, and I noticed one of my tires is bald. So I’m
raising money to get that replaced, and trying to
make it to Spokane to see my sister by Christmas,
but I don’t know if that will happen.
What is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
The Union Club has good coffee, and they’ve been
kind to me.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to fi sh, but I only am licensed in Utah. It’s
been a while since I caught anything along the
Columbia River.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
There’s not much of a surprise here for me, I hav-
en’t really explored past downtown yet. The peo-
ple are nice.
What was the last book you read?
Do you really want me to remember that far back?
What website or app do you use most other
than Facebook?
I use weather apps. It’s kind of a ‘tool’ for when
you’re traveling, I need to fi gure out what the
weather’s like where I’m headed.
If you could travel anywhere, where would
you go?
Germany. My last name is Wilhelm, and I want to
see the Wilhelm Castle.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap-
pened to you?
When I got Muffen, my cat (pictured above), I had
no idea what to name her. I bought a banana nut
muffi n at a coffee shop, set it down on a table out-
side and warned her not to touch it. I went inside
and when I came back out, there was a crowd of
people around my table because she’d eaten the
whole thing. She was so little back then. That’s
how she got her name.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
I don’t really think that far ahead. I’ve got a job
lined up in Utah for March. This is kind of a
mini-vacation for me.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Getting my RV, and keeping it running is an every-
day achievement. This RV is technically my fi rst
home.
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 113 • NUMBER 52
Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jessica Pollard | Reporter • jpollard@eastoregonian.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
Dawn Hendricks | Circulation assistant • dhendricks@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4530
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
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• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
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The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
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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.
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.
HH fi le photo
Gov. John Kitzhaber, Rep. Chuck Norris, Rep. Ray Baum and Sen. Gordon Smith listen to Eastern Oregon mayors discuss
cities’ funding needs in Pendleton in December 1994.
25 YEARS AGO
Dec. 27, 1994
About a dozen members of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers took part in an informational
picket north of Union Pacifi c’s Hin-
kle Rail Yard Wednesday.
The “just practicing” picket,
one of 72 nationwide, marked the
union’s presentation of items they’d
like to see in the new engineer’s
contract to Union Pacifi c manage-
ment in Omaha, Nebraska.
The current contract expires Dec.
31.
Among the union’s demands are
an annual 15 percent raise, paid hol-
idays, personal leave, mandatory
time away from the workplace and
a meal period on the job.
2) A single mother and her four
children found out yesterday how
much members of the Hermiston
community care.
Opening their heart to Linda Pfel
and her family, left destitute by a fi re
that destroyed their home, commu-
nity members, churches, businesses,
the Hermiston police and fi re depart-
ments, Agape House and the Red
Cross jumped in to help.
“I think it’s great; I really appreci-
ate it,” Pfel said. “We lost everything.”
Christmas wrapping paper stuffed
into a wood stove overheated the
chimney pipe, causing the ceiling
of the single wide mobile home to
catch on fi re. The blaze consequently
spread throughout the mobile home,
destroying the structure in a matter of
minutes.
50 YEARS AGO
Dec. 25, 1969
From the front page stories that
have been printed and television and
radio programs that have been aired
during the past week in connection
with Hermiston, the Army Depot and
nerve gas, it would appear that a lit-
tle “anti-nerve” gas might be in order
for the rest of the state.
If such a thing is available it would
be welcomed by most everyone.
Maybe just a couple of tranquilizers!
In the past seven days and appar-
ent security test was made at the
Depot with the results turning out a
little embarrassing for the Army and
giving opponents of the gas ship-
ments a lot of ammunition for more
news stories.
Opponents have claimed publicly
that because of their actions, the
Army has delayed the planned ship-
ments. The Pentagon immediately
denied the claim made by a Wash-
ington Senator.
Hermiston people have been inter-
viewed by representatives for CBS,
ABC and NBC television and radio,
United Press International, Associ-
ated Press, a Eugene television sta-
tion, all local newspapers and radio
stations, and a few more.
HH fi le photo
Firefi ghters attempt to put out a mobile home in fl ames on Christmas Day in
Hermiston in 1994.
75 YEARS AGO
Dec. 28, 1944
Mr and Mrs. Fred J. Estle have
received the Award of the Purple
Heart and certifi cate of the son, Rob-
ert Clair Estle, Gunner’s Mate Third
Class, U.S. Naval Reserve, who was
killed in action some time ago. A let-
ter was received, potions of which
follow:
“Our ship, the U.S.S. St. Lo, was
one of a group of six CVS’s which,
with our escorts, engaged in air and
surface action with a strong force of
the Japanese fl eet for several hours on
Oct. 25. The enemy fi nally turned and
retired to the northward, badly dam-
aged, and having had two heavy cruis-
ers and at least one destroyer sunk.
“After some time following the
end of the surface engagement during
an air attack, a Japanese bomb pene-
trated to our hangar deck spaces and
exploded. This was followed by a
series of violent explosions which
caused such damage that the ship sunk
in a short time. Your son received seri-
ous injuries from one of the explo-
sions, but nonetheless during the
abandoning of the ship, distinguished
himself by clearing away life rafts on
the port gun gallery forward.
“His actions without doubt saved
the lives of many shipmates. He then
abandoned ship, reached a raft, and
was rescued by the destroyer, Heer-
mann, but died on board that vessel
as a result of his wounds on the night
of Oct. 27, and was buried at sea on
Oct. 28. The burial was attended by all
survivors on board who were not too
badly wounded.”
100 YEARS AGO
Dec. 27, 1919
Luella McCoy, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. J.O. McCoy of Hermiston,
sprang a surprise on her high school
friends and teachers last week by
HH fi le photo
Members of the Brotherhood of
Locomotives picket at Hinkle Rail Yard
in Hermiston in 1994.
announcing her marriage the day after
her sixteenth birthday. The groom,
Walter Mead, is a rancher of Lexing-
ton and will take his bride to that place,
where they will make their home.
2) At noon Wednesday, Hermis-
ton came within an ace of experienc-
ing serious damage from water, and
probably would have been partially
fl ooded had it not been for prompt
action on the part of Superinten-
dent of Irrigation Maurice Scroggs.
The danger came through a huge ice
gorge forming at the bridge over the
feed canal south of town, which had
backed the water up until at the time
of discovery was on the verge of run-
ning over and washing out the banks.
Assembling a crew of men in a
hurry, Mr. Scroggs hustled them to
the large fl at some distance south of
town that had been used as a spill-
way on one former occasion when a
happening like the above occurred.
On arrival there they dynamited the
bank and loosed the water and slush
ice, thus saving the town from further
danger.
Community banking board elects
BEO president as offi cer
HERMISTON HERALD
Jeff Bailey, pres-
ident and CEO of
Bank of Eastern Ore-
gon, was recently
elected as secre-
tary/treasurer of the
Community Banks
of Oregon board of
Bailey
directors.
A native Orego-
nian, Bailey has spent more than
two decades with the Bank of East-
ern Oregon. He’s also active in the
Heppner Chamber of Commerce
and Willow Creek Economic Devel-
opment Group.
Other board offi cers elected to
the CBO are Ron Green, chair (Ore-
gon Pacifi c Bank, Florence), and
Kenneth D. Trautman Jr., immedi-
ate past president (People’s Bank
of Commerce, Medford). Also, new
four-year directors elected Dec.
6 include Randy Compton, Kate
Salyers and Jim Schlotfeldt. Those
re-elected to new four-year terms
were Trey Maust and Joseph J. Pos-
tlewait. Others currently serving on
the board are Jarrett Stuchlik and
Craig Wanichek.
“Oregon’s community banks are
fortunate to have this accomplished
group of bankers leading the Com-
munity Banks of Oregon. Their
commitment and passion for com-
munity banking will be invaluable to
our organization and the communi-
ties we serve,” said Linda Navarro,
president and chief executive offi -
cer of CBO and the Oregon Bankers
Association.
The Bank of Eastern Ore-
gon recently opened a full-service
branch in Hermiston. It’s located at
1475 N. First St. For more informa-
tion, call 541-303-8274.