A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020
HERMISTON HISTORY
Gas station crash spills 440 gallons of fuel
BEN LONERGAN
East Oregonian and
Hermiston Herald
photographer
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
Although I don’t live in Hermiston, I moved to Pend-
leton to work at the East Oregonian in June 2019
and I work in Hermiston several times a week tak-
ing photos for both the East Oregonian and Hermis-
ton Herald.
Where is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
While I don’t eat many meals in Hermiston, I enjoy
grabbing lunch at Southern Twain BBQ on occasion.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I enjoy shooting photographs and
exploring the Eastern Oregon countryside.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
I am always surprised by the tight-knit community
in Hermiston and the surrounding Eastern Oregon
towns. Having come from a large city, I admire how
closely people can work together and support each
other.
What was the last book you read?
The last book I read cover to cover was Ernest L.
Crockatt’s book “The Murder of Til Taylor: A Great
Western Sheriff,” while researching for the East
Oregonian‘s Til Taylor special section earlier this
summer.
What website or app do you use most other
than Facebook?
In addition to Facebook and other social media
sites, my most commonly used application is most
likely Photoshop.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you
go?
I love traveling through the national parks and
would love to continue to explore the National Park
system.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
I would love to get the chance to get outside and
hike more often and continue to learn the intriguing
details that make Eastern Oregon what it is.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I have always been interested in pursuing photog-
raphy as a career and my proudest accomplishment
was getting the opportunity to join the East Orego-
nian and work as a photographer day in and day out
covering Eastern Oregon and the people that live
here.
Hermiston Herald, File
Firefi ghters keep an eye on a gasoline spill at Jerry’s Fuel Shop outside Umatilla in 1995.
25 YEARS AGO
Nov. 14, 1995
Two Umatilla businesses were
closed when a van ran into a gaso-
line pump, spilling more than 440
gallons of fuel at the intersections of
Highways 395 and 730 Saturday.
Karen Strong, operator of Jerry’s
Fuel Stop at the intersection, had
gone out to the pumps to fi ll an older
GMC van with regular.
However, Strong said the driver
went past the pump. She said she
asked him to back up so the nozzle
could reach. He did so, but turned
into the pump, knocking it from its
foundation, she said.
The automatic shutoff valve built
into the pump did not work, and gas
began to fl ow onto the ground.
“From the bottom, it was pouring
like a gusher,” Strong said.
She asked the driver, Vincente
Flores Rodriguez, 57, for his license
and insurance information.
“The only good thing is the guy
has got insurance,” she said.
She then called her husband, Jerry
Flores, then the fi re department. The
gas was shut of in about 15 minutes.
By then, it had mixed with rain pud-
dles that were standing throughout
the property.
Hermiston Herald, File
Students from Bob Mansfi eld’s life science class at Clara Brownell Middle School
in Umatilla learn about aquatic insects on a fi eld trip in 1995.
on two buildings in Ocean Lake,
Oregon.
Comm. Designer Hugh Cook,
recently released as a lieutenant
commander from the Navy, will
work in cooperation with the con-
struction fi rm.
Associated with Hugh Cook will
be Laurence C. Wiggins, who will
handle the contract and fi nancial end
of the business. Beveridge and Hart
plan to visit Hermiston and other
cities in the vicinity of the McNary
Dam site within the next two weeks.
They will study needs for both hous-
ing and commercial structures.
50 YEARS AGO
Nov. 19, 1970
Opening of the Golden Manor,
a 50-unit housing project for the
elderly at 980 Hermiston Ave.,
is scheduled for Sunday between
2-4 p.m.
The fi rst turnkey project ever in
Umatilla County, the low-rent quar-
ters include 22 effi ciency units, 26
one-bedroom units and two two-bed-
room units.
2) Two persons were injured Sat-
urday morning when the house in
which they were staying became
one of three objects in the Hermis-
ton area to be destroyed by fi re in the
past week.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Conner
were occupying the Stewart resi-
dence, just off Diagonal Boulevard,
when a propane explosion began to
engulf it at 5:45 a.m.
According to Assistant Fire Chief
Bill Hibbard, Conner said he smelled
gas and heard a hissing sound, arose
and shut off one valve adjoining the
furnace. The pilot light to the range
apparently was still on, however, and
the gas soon ignited.
Mrs. Conner is in Good Shepherd
Hospital recovering from severe
burns received in the fi re. Hibbard
Hermiston Herald, File
Amy Johnson, 18, of Milton-
Freewater, holds her 2-month-old
daughter, Karen, at a Teen Parent
Summit in 1995 in Hermiston.
quoted her as saying she was burned
because she stayed inside to tele-
phone the fi re department instead
of escaping as soon as the explosion
had occurred.
Conner broke a toe in the process
of running out of the house, Hibbard
said.
75 YEARS AGO
Nov. 15, 1945
Beveridge-Hart Construction Co.,
a new fi rm which will specialize in
the erection of commercial stores
and structures, has been incorpo-
rated at Salem and becomes the fi rst
construction company to publicly
announce intentions of gunning for
building contracts in the potential
boom area of the proposed $87 mil-
lion McNary Dam near Umatilla.
The fi rm will soon start work
100 YEARS AGO
Nov. 19, 1920
All in all, Saturday was a red
letter day for the Hermiston High
School, for they demonstrated that
they were the liveliest, most hospi-
table school in the county, and this
impression was carried away by the
Pendleton boys. The following is a
short squib from the East Oregonian
printed about the game:
Pendleton’s high school’s second
team football men came home from
Hermiston Saturday evening feel-
ing mighty friendly toward the high
school folks of the west end city for
their hospitality.
After taking a 13 to 7 defeat from
the local boys, the Hermistonians
entertained at a banquet which was
served at the local hall by the girls
and their mothers. A dance was also
held that evening, but most of the
local boys had to come home early
in order to get transportation.
Talk at the Pendleton high school
today centers about the good spirit
displayed by the west end people.
BY THE WAY
Echo Thanksgiving meal canceled because of fl ooding
The community dinner planned for Saturday, Nov. 28,
at Echo Community Church has been canceled due to
fl ooding at the church.
For more information, call Jerry Gaunt at
541-571-4419.
Hermiston will still be offering drive-thru pickup of
free Thanksgiving meals for the annual Community Fel-
lowship Dinner at Hermiston High School on Thurs-
day, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
People who are picking up meals are required to stay
in their vehicle and wear a face covering.
• • •
Kayak Public Transit’s bus routes, including the
Hermiston Hopper and the HART in Hermiston, will
be closed on Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, for Thanks-
giving. Buses will resume normal operations on Nov. 28.
For updates on bus routes, particularly during inclem-
ent weather, visit the Kayak Public Transit Facebook
page or call the dispatch line at 541-429-7519 Monday
through Friday from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• • •
The Hermiston Herald will be delivered on its usual
Wednesday delivery date during the week of Thanksgiv-
ing, but will be printed a day early, on Monday, Nov. 23,
instead of Tuesday, Nov. 24.
As a result, letters to the editor, press releases and sub-
missions should be submitted by 5 p.m. the Friday prior,
and the obituary deadline for the week will be noon on
Nov. 23.
The East Oregonian’s Thursday edition will
be delivered on Wednesday, Nov. 25, instead of on
Thanksgiving.
• • •
Umatilla County Fire District #1 has had a busy
year, according to its report for the fi rst three quarters of
2020 presented at the Hermiston Rotary Club recently.
The report shows 5,517 calls for service so far this
year, at an average of 15.11 calls per shift, compared with
11.54 calls in 2016.
The year has included 197 fi re calls, 3,339 emer-
gency medical transports, 31 hazardous materials calls,
215 calls for extraction/rescue and various other calls for
service.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center’s takeout
and delivery menu for Thursday, Nov. 19, is baked fi sh,
coleslaw, rice pilaf and dessert. The menu for Tuesday,
Nov. 24, is turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, vegeta-
bles and dessert.
The senior center will be closed on Nov. 26, for
Thanksgiving.
For a Meals on Wheels delivery in Hermiston, 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.
The Boardman Senior Center is now providing meal
delivery. Meals are $4 paid upon delivery. Call 541-481-
3257 to order.