A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020
HERMISTON HISTORY
EDITH AGUILAR
Student
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
I grew up in Hermiston my entire life; went off to
college and moved away in 2012 and only recently
moved back to be around my family.
Where is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
Fortune Garden is a family favorite; I tend to get
the Egg Flower Soup whenever I can, no one else’s
comes close!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Watch Gordon Ramsay yell at incompetent cook/wait
staff (he has like 7 shows on Hulu alone!) or play-
ing Diablo with my boyfriend and our kitties on his
days off.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
Nothing anymore really ... It’s DEFINITELY
changed from when I was growing up, for better or
worse.
What was the last book you read?
“The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That
Lasts,” by Gary Chapman.
What website or app do you use most other
than Facebook?
I’d say a tie between WhatsApp to stay in contact
with siblings, share videos or memes and Reddit for
pretty much everything else.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you
go?
Well there’s so many places I’d love to visit in
Europe, like Greece or Iceland, but I’ve mostly
dreamed of visiting the United Kingdom like
Glasgow or London.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap-
pened to you?
Hmm, not super funny, just a funny instance, but
when I was in my blonde phase as a bartender in
Salem, I got told I looked like Marilyn Monroe,
which I thought was sweet. I think because one of my
face birthmarks just looked similar to her mole next
to her nose. Usually I’d hear it from the older crowd,
or because of my fi rst name I’ll get Archie Bunker
references; it’s interesting what pop culture reference
someone will bring up to me.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
Remain educated, even after fi nishing my schooling,
ideally at this year’s end.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
It’s a hard question to answer, but I guess I’d say
exploring and going zip lining near Monte Verde,
Costa Rica. I don’t remember how high the last line
was but we hiked for, I’d say, several hours through-
out the day so, on the last one I felt like I was fl ying
through the clouds and treetops. I still get an adren-
aline jump when I think about that feeling!
Editor’s note: Edith Aguilar recently started as a
volunteer for the Hermiston Herald, putting together
the Hermiston History feature each week.
HH fi le photo
Native Americans participate in Fort Henrietta Days in Echo in 1995.
Old Armand Larive building remodeled
25 YEARS AGO
Sept. 5, 1995
As students stream daily into
the new Sandstone Middle School,
workers toil away at the aging
Armand Larive Junior High School.
Construction crews have gutted the
administration area to make way for
the new look to what might be called
Armand Larive Middle School when
doors open next fall.
When the panel holding the words
“Armand Larive Junior High” was
removed from the face of the build-
ing recently, the structure beneath
betrayed the school’s past life as
Union High School. Oddly enough,
Union High School was built to
replace Hermiston’s fi rst school,
Sandstone.
The name of the newly remod-
eled middle school could still be up
for grabs, though. At last month’s
Hermiston School Board meeting,
the board instructed superintendent
Jer Pratton to form a committee to
examine the possibility of changing
the name. Board members said the
rationale for such a change would
be that since the sign and stationary
would have to be changed to accom-
modate “middle school,” this would
be a good time to consider a major
name change.
50 YEARS AGO
Sept. 3, 1970
Hermiston schools have a total
enrollment of 2,408 after the fi rst of
three counts on successive weeks,
according to Superintendent Armand
O. Larive. This is slightly under last
year’s record preliminary count of
2,435.
Larive attributed the drop to the
Aug. 31 opening date, two days ear-
lier than the opening date for 1969-
70. Some families with children still
were on vacation Monday, he said.
2) The fi rst ringing of school bells
this week, will offi cially end summer
for youth all over the nation, as they
return to school for the next nine
months.
In years past, Umatilla county
youngsters were called by those
bells from fi elds, forests, and gra-
naries, but now the youth no lon-
ger return from just a rural envi-
ronment. Today, more and more
youths are coming back to school
from sophisticated jobs in industry
and wanting to know a more techni-
HH fi le photo
A painter works on the former Union High School while it was being remodeled
into Armand Larive Middle School (since torn down and rebuilt across town) in
1995.
cal kind of knowledge than the 3R’s
can supply.
Then, it was just a case of “fi n-
ishin’ school so as to get out into th’
world an’ make a livin’,” but that
day is gone. When the school bells
sounded last Monday in Hermis-
ton, they carried the message of an
expanding technical knowledge, one
that has doubled in the past ten years
and promises to double again in the
next 10.
75 YEARS AGO
Sept. 6, 1945
At a time when all America is
rejoicing over fi nal Victory, it isn’t
easy to sound a somber note. But the
effects will take place gradually —
step by step. So it is with the rail-
roads … with Union Pacifi c.
Millions of men and women in
service have yet to be returned to
their homes.
And unfortunately, there will be
others whose destination will be a
hospital or rehabilitation center.
Because Union Pacifi c is a trans-
continental railroad, uniting the
East with the West Coast, a large
share of this job with fall on our
shoulders. You want these men and
women to be returned home with
utmost speed — and so do we —
but at best it will take months and
the use of a large part of our pas-
sengers equipment.
For this reason we ask the civilian
public not to expect an immediate
betterment in the transportation situ-
ation. For the railroads, as for indus-
try generally, there must be a period
of reconversion.
So we say — please be patient.
Normal peacetime operation will be
resumed as quickly as possible and,
as in the past, excellent facilities and
service.
100 YEARS AGO
Sept. 3, 1920
August F. Beisse and family
returned from an automobile trip
to Portland. They left here Friday
morning and went to Portland and
to Newport, Oregon, also about
100 miles up into Washington. Mr.
Beisse reports that 600 miles were
covered on the trip, all the roads
were very good with the exception
of a short stretch near Wasco, and
that he had no tire trouble at all until
near Arlington on the return trip. At
that point someone had inadver-
tently left a carpet tack lying in the
middle of the country road.
BY THE WAY
Land trust launches Blue Mountains documentary
The Blue Mountain Land Trust is launching the
online premiere of Blue Mountain Television’s “Secret
Life of the Forest: The Northern Blue Mountains” on
Sept. 21.
The 13-part documentary series explores the natural
history of the northern Blue Mountains of Southeastern
Washington and Northeastern Oregon.
According to a news release, “Mike Denny’s incredi-
ble knowledge of the Blue Mountains and Daniel Biggs’
photography has created an awe-inspiring account of life
in the northern Blue Mountains.”
For episode descriptions and other information, visit
Blue Mountain Land Trust website at bmlt.org/slf. The
series will be free to the public from Sept. 21 to Dec. 31.
• • •
Missing pieces from East Oregonian
may be found online
If you receive the Hermiston Herald’s sister paper
the East Oregonian — which covers additional Herm-
iston news as well as sports, crime, county, regional and
state news — you may have noticed that the comics
and some other features were missing from Tuesday’s
paper.
The Sept. 8 EO was printed in Walla Walla, Washing-
ton, after the EO’s Pendleton offi ces, which contain the
printing press for all of EO Media Group’s newspapers
on the east side of Oregon, had no electricity on the eve-
ning of Monday, Sept. 7.
Some elements did not transfer over, but can be found
in the e-edition at www.eastoregonian.com.
• • •
New series will highlight local service
clubs
The Hermiston Herald is starting a new series spot-
lighting local service organizations, such as the Rotary
Club. Look for articles about the groups and how they are
adjusting to the pandemic, written by former community
editor Tammy Malgesini, to begin appearing in the Her-
ald starting Sept. 16.
• • •
Senior lunches include stir fry, casserole
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center continues
to provide takeout and delivery meals to senior citizens
in the community.
The menu for Thursday, Aug. 10, is pork stir fry, rice,
fruit and dessert.
Tuesday, Aug. 15, will be tater tot casserole, peas and
carrots, and dessert.
For a Meals on Wheels delivery, call 541-567-3582
before 10 a.m. to place an order.
To pick up a meal from the center at 255 N.E. Second
St., call the same number before 11 a.m.
Meals are $4 and can be picked up between 11:45 a.m.
and 12:15 p.m.