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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2020)
NEWS Wednesday, February 19, 2020 HerMIsTOnHeraLd.COM • A7 From Hermiston High to Capitol Hill Vasquez, Hermiston High school Class of 1968, was honored Feb. 12 as distinguished alumnus of the year By JESSICA POLLARD sTaFF WrITer Victor Vasquez was born in Texas. He’s been around the world: to Guam, to Tur- key and plenty of places in between for work. But as the 2020 Hermiston High School Distinguished Alum- nus, he’ll always consider Eastern Oregon his home. “I do believe that Herm- iston has produced a lot of really good leaders. Even now, Hermiston behaves like a village,” he said. “I always tell people I’m from Hermiston.” Vasquez was born in 1949. His father, a World War II veteran from Mex- ico and for some time a sin- gle parent, took up migrant farm work to keep their fam- ily afloat. It took Vasquez and his siblings all over the Pacific Northwest. And when their father landed a job at the Uma- tilla Chemical Depot, they enrolled in the Hermiston School District. Vasquez was a first grader. “They called us monolin- guals. I didn’t know a single word of English,” he said. He may have started his education speaking only Spanish, but credits the school district with teach- ing him to speak and read English at an early age. “I had absolutely no accent. That really comes from some of the early edu- cation I got,” he said. Vasquez was far from a star student back in high school. “We were relatively low-income. I worked when I was in school,” he said. “I didn’t excel.” But he said that’s one rea- son why he was so honored to received this year’s Dis- tinguished Alumni award at the Distinguished Citizens Awards early February. “You can’t judge yourself by how you’re doing in high school,” he said. Vasquez didn’t, and it brought him a long way. Nearing graduation in the late 1960s, his school coun- selor urged him to head to trade school instead of a university. But Vasquez wanted to go to college, like his art teacher had encouraged him to do. He just wasn’t sure how to afford it. So he joined the military in the midst of the Vietnam War. “It was quite a risk for anyone to volunteer then,” he said. “But when you don’t have money it’s the only option.” He served for two years, and was honorably dis- charged after the then-pres- ident of Blue Mountain Community College wrote a letter requesting it, which allowed Vasquez to gain his associates degree. He focused in on getting good grades. After he got his bache- lor’s degree at University of Oregon, Vasquez eventu- ally attended the Kennedy Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Victor Vasquez, left, is awarded the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award by Hermiston School District Superintendent Tricia Mooney at the 50th Annual Distinguished Citizens Awards in Hermiston Wednesday night. School of Harvard to study organizational development. He said initially, the school sent him an invita- tion to apply but he didn’t take the opportunity because he thought finances would be an issue. Eventually, an administrator convinced him. “It wasn’t something I planned on. It was in front of me, and I ended up taking it,” he said. From there Vasquez’s professional success bloomed. For six years, he worked for the State of Ore- gon, including under Gover- nor Barbara Roberts doing work with rural counties. Later, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a deputy administrator for the USDA and again to serve as a deputy assistant secre- tary under the Department of Defense. Vasquez takes the word “servant” in public servant quite seriously. “How much can I do while I’m here?” he asks.“We’re only there tem- porarily. This is something that’s been granted to us, we’re here to serve.” During his time with the USDA in the 1990s, he spearheaded economic development programs for rural areas. His proudest accom- plishment from the job was launching the Rural Empow- erment Zone and Enterprise Communities program. “I worked in some of the poorest communities of the country. It was grassroots economic development,” he said. “ In a lot of areas we reduced the poverty level, it was very impactful.” After some time outside of Washington D.C, he was appointed as deputy under- secretary for USDA Rural Development in 2009, by President Barack Obama. He remained in the posi- tion until he fell in love and got married to a woman in south Texas in 2011. “When you’re in love you’ll do anything. She didn’t want to go to D.C,” he said. “So I went to Texas.” Vasquez started a con- sulting firm there. And while he still lives in Texas today, he’s currently taking on a role as interim director of a Salem-based organization called MERIT, which aids people in small business development. He lives with family in Keizer. Vasquez has plenty of positive Hermiston mem- ories. He has only missed two high school reunions, and can still remember when Main Street got its first street light. But he said that growing up, he faced his own challenges and for that he has advice for young Hermistonians. First and foremost, stay in touch with family. “Whether you believe it or not you’ll get a lot from your family,” he said. “People aren’t always welcoming,” he added. “Don’t let it affect who you are. When you need help, ask for help. Pay attention to the lessons you’re learn- ing now.” Vasquez, from the Class of 1968, will give a key- note speech at the Hermis- ton High School Graduation on June 4 this year. Suspended driver’s licenses create hardships By JADE MCDOWELL neWs edITOr When Sheena Tarvin got a ticket for not wearing her seat belt in 1998, she had no idea the profound con- sequences it would have on her life. “I was only 18 years old, and no one ever told me that if I didn’t pay the ticket right away, they could sus- pend my license,” Tarvin said. That’s what happened after her fine got sent to col- lections, however. At age 42, the Hermiston resident has yet to get her driving privileges back. Oregonians can get their license suspended or revoked for dozens of reasons. Most of them are driv- ing-related crimes, such as driving while under the influence of intoxicants, hit- and-run, eluding police or assault with a motor vehi- cle. People can also get their license suspended for driving unsafely — drivers will have their license sus- pended for 30 to 90 days if convicted of driving more than 100 miles per hour, for example, or can get their license restricted for hav- ing too many crashes and/or tickets within a certain time period. Some reasons for sus- pending a driver’s license HH file photo The Department of Motor Vehicles office in Hermiston. are based more on finances than driving record, however. Currently, the state can suspend a license indef- initely for failure to pay child support, or for up to 20 years for not paying traf- fic tickets. In Tarvin’s case, after the bill got sent to a collections agency, her daughter was born prematurely, and she couldn’t pay the steep hos- pital bills. Those became the prior- ity for collections, and the BEST OF HAWAII FOUR-ISLAND TOUR to the bill she hasn’t been able to finish paying off yet. “I’m not trying to make excuses,” she said. “I know I messed up over the years. But this is the timeline.” After she separated from her husband three years ago, she could no longer depend on him for rides. She has a club foot that doesn’t allow her to walk 2,249 1,999 * $ 1-877-840-6119 Promo code N7017 *Prices are per person based on double occupancy plus $ 299 taxes & fees. Single supplement and seasonal surcharges may apply. Add-on airfare available. Offers apply to new bookings only, made by 3/31/20. Other terms and conditions may apply. Ask your Travel Consultant for details. One solution for oxygen at home, away, and for travel prevent situations like Tarvin’s in the future by removing the state’s ability to suspend licenses solely on the basis of unpaid traffic tickets. As currently writ- ten, it would not undo cur- rent suspensions, however. “It’s definitely been a hinderance in my life not to have it,” Tarvin said. “I can’t catch up. I’ve felt like a failure my whole adult life because of it.” Jason Estle, who works with Hermiston’s down- and-out at Desert Rose Ministries, said he has seen many cases like Tarvin’s over the years. “It makes it very diffi- cult to keep a job, because they’re always trying to find a ride,” he said. “... It’s something we see com- monly in our ministry, guys struggling to keep a job when they’re on foot. It’s not very convenient.” He said when people are getting their life back on track, moving beyond a for- mer “lifestyle of irresponsi- bility,” there’s a fine line between being too soft or too hard on them. However, he said taking someone’s driver’s license can be a real hinderance to taking on other responsibilities. HAVE YOU BEEN AFFECTED BY THE FLOODS? FROM $ 13 days, departs year-round TM months stretched into years without progress paying off her traffic ticket. As many in her situation do, Tarvin eventually found herself in a position where she felt like she had to drive to work even though she didn’t have a license. And when she did, she got a ticket for driving with a suspended license, adding long distances, and a bus ride to the grocery store and back is a two-hour round trip. Her story includes home- lessness, a drug addiction and jail time. She said her life is back on track now — she’s living in a trailer, done with probation and is com- ing up on a year sober in March. But all of that was made far more difficult by the fact that she couldn’t drive herself to court dates, drug tests, classes, counsel- ing and other parts of her recovery process. “All of these things, I have to get there,” she said. “I try every day. I went through treatment, but had it not been for people in the community, there is no way I could have done it.” The state does allow for hardship permits in some cases, giving people with suspended licenses permis- sion to drive to work, doc- tors appointments and other essential trips. However, applying for a hardship permit costs $125, and the permits aren’t available for all types of suspensions. House Bill 4065, intro- duced during the current legislative session, would DON’T GO BREAKIN’ YOUR HEART Monday - February 24 Worried about your well water? Let us test it for you! Anytime between 10:00am - 2:00pm Introducing the INOGEN ONE – It’s oxygen therapy on your terms No more tanks to refi ll. No more deliveries. 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