NEWS
A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021
George Fenton honored by Oregon House
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
A former Umatilla super-
intendent and city councilor
was honored in the Oregon
House of Representatives
recently.
The House voted unani-
mously to adopt House Con-
current Resolution 13, hon-
oring George I. Fenton, who
died in November 2019 at
the age of 88. The resolution
is headed to the Senate for a
vote there.
Kristle Wyant, Fenton’s
daughter, said it meant a lot
to her to hear state legisla-
tors praise her father’s life
work on the House fl oor.
“It’s nice knowing peo-
ple held him in such great
respect,” she said.
The resolution states Fen-
ton “will be forever remem-
bered as a dedicated educator
and a gentleman statesman
who touched countless lives
and made his community a
better place.”
Wyant said that after her
father passed away, many
teachers in Umatilla School
District told her stories
about his kindness during
their job interview, or how
he let them stay with the
family while they tried to
fi nd housing, or even gave
them a loan when they were
struggling fi nancially.
Contributed Photo
George
Fenton,
a
former
Umatilla
school
superintendent,
was
honored by the state House
of Representatives.
“There was so much I
learned about my dad after
he passed away, that I had
no idea because I went off
to college and left,” she said.
According to Wyant and
the resolution, Fenton was
born in 1931 in Harper, Ore-
gon, and graduated from
the nearby high school in
Ontario. He lost both his
parents by the age of 14 and
worked hard from a young
age, doing everything from
shining shoes to digging
graves.
He attended one term at
the University of Oregon
before being drafted into the
Korean War, serving in the
Army, mostly in France, for
about two years. Afterward,
he used his GI Bill benefi ts
to go to what is now East-
ern Oregon University. He
met his wife, Joyce Kroen-
lien, who was also majoring
in education at the college.
They both taught school
in Halfway until moving to
Umatilla in 1978 after Fen-
ton was hired as principal of
the high school and junior
high. He eventually became
superintendent, from 1978
to 1996, and after retirement
Fenton served on the Uma-
tilla City Council from 1997
to 2015.
Wyant said that before
and after his retirement, her
father was heavily involved
in the surrounding commu-
nities, through the VFW,
First United Methodist
church, Elks Club, Lions
Club, Kiwanis Club and
other organizations. He was
also known as a snappy
dresser, she said, who used
to have contests with other
men at church about who
could dress the best.
“You didn’t see him with-
out a suit and tie very often,”
she said.
Wyant, who still lives in
Umatilla, ended up going
into education and was
hired by her father to teach
in Umatilla six years before
his retirement. Her sis-
ter also eventually became
a teacher, although nei-
ther had originally planned
to follow in their parents’
footsteps.
“Mom would come home
and tell stories and I would
say, ‘I never want to do
that!’ ” Wyant said.
Her family set up a schol-
arship at Eastern Oregon
University in memory of
Fenton.
Wyant’s son, Jacob Van-
dever, works for Rep. Chris-
tine Drazen, R-Canby, who
introduced the resolution.
“Strong communities are
the backbone of our society
and strong leaders are built
by leaders like George Fen-
ton Jr.,” Dranzen told repre-
sentatives before the vote.
Representatives
Greg
Smith, R-Heppner, and
Bobby Levy, R-Echo, both
testifi ed in favor of the res-
olution as well, sharing their
memories of Fenton. Smith
said Fenton will go down
in history as a “statesman,
a visionary and a leader of
Umatilla.”
Levy said she went to
church with Fenton for a
time, and she appreciated the
advice and encouragement
he gave her before she got
married and his kind note of
condolence he sent her when
her ex-husband died.
Mosquito control program underway
Eff orts target areas of
standing water where
mosquito larvae thrive
HERMISTON HERALD
The West Umatilla Mos-
quito Control District has
started implementing its
2021 mosquito control pro-
gram, according to a press
release.
The district serves a
525-square-mile area in
western Umatilla County,
including the towns of
Hermiston, Umatilla, Stan-
fi eld and Echo, and will tar-
get areas of standing water
where mosquito larvae
thrive. Large water bodies
will be sprayed with a heli-
copter, while smaller areas
will be treated by hand. To
control adult mosquitoes,
the district plans to make
treatments using truck-
mounted ultra low volume
sprayers, which will be done
after sunset in areas of the
district that have large pop-
ulations of adult mosquitoes.
In rural areas, the district
Hermiston Herald, File
A helicopter is used to disperse the larvicide VectoBac G over wetlands in the Power City
Wildlife Area to control mosquito populations in 2018 north of Hermiston. The helicopter is
contracted by the West Umatilla Mosquito Control District.
will begin aerial spraying
to control adult mosquitoes
when mosquito trap collec-
tions indicate the need for
large scale spraying. Aerial
spraying for adult mosqui-
toes will be done in the early
evening hours just after sun-
set, the release said.
Of the 45 species of mos-
quitoes found in Oregon,
the district commonly sees
12 species of mosquitoes,
including two that are pos-
sible carriers of West Nile
virus.
During the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, the
district is continuing to take
measures to keep the public
and its employees as safe as
possible while achieving its
goal of protecting the pub-
lic from mosquito-borne
disease.
If residents do not wish to
have their property sprayed,
call the district at 541-567-
5201 and ask to be placed on
the no-spray list.
HERMISTON HERALD
A Baby Bottle Campaign
continues through mid-June
to help raise money for Tru-
Care Pregnancy Clinic.
TruCare is celebrat-
ing moms and mother fi g-
ures throughout the month
of May. People are invited
to fi ll baby bottles with
cash in honor or memory of
someone special. Honored
recipients will receive per-
sonalized notes and recog-
nition on social media. The
campaign will run through
Father’s Day, which is June
20.
People can also “fi ll” a
bottle virtually online via
www.myegiving.com/App/
Giving/tcpc by making a
$25 donation for one bottle,
$50 for two or other custom
amounts. Financial con-
tributions provide help in
funding pregnancy testing,
ultrasounds and pregnancy
support in the community.
A nonprofi t organiza-
tion, TruCare was orig-
inally founded as Preg-
nancy Care Services in
1993 in Pendleton, opening
a Hermiston offi ce in May
2011. In early 2018, Tru-
Care became an indepen-
dent entity from the center
in Pendleton.
TruCare provides free
and confi dential services
Hermiston’s lack of
traffi c is one of its top
strengths, according to a
recent survey.
The survey was part of
the regular “fl ash” surveys
the city emails to residents
who have signed up for the
program. The recent sur-
vey had 217 participants.
The fi rst question on the
survey off ered eight options
in answering the question,
“Which of the following
do you think is a strength
for Hermiston?” Ease of
getting around the city
was the most commonly
chosen answer, at 46.5%
of respondents marking it
as a strength, followed by
physical
safety/security
and availability of jobs.
The least-chosen answer
was shopping and restau-
rant options, at only 5.8%.
When asked what is
most important to resi-
dents, 69.1% of residents
said safety and security
was one of their top four
most important concerns,
followed by shopping and
restaurant options, and
housing availability and
aff ordability. Least chosen
was the appearance of pub-
lic property, at 22.4%.
A third question men-
tioned the $3.6 million the
city expects to receive from
MORE IDEAS
The city also asked
people to write in
suggestions of projects
under $10,000 they
would most like to see
the city complete. The
93 write-in answers
included these ideas:
• Add a dog drinking
fountain to the dog
park
• Add bike paths or
more pedestrian trails
• Turn grass at Eastern
Oregon Trade and
Event Center into a
lacrosse fi eld
• Put historic murals or
statues downtown
• Add benches at bus
stops
• Fix potholes and re-
paint lines on roads
• Increase water pres-
sure in town
• Plant fruit trees
around town that peo-
ple could pick
the American Rescue Plan
over the next two years,
and asked if that money
was represented by $100,
how residents would spend
it. Grants for local busi-
nesses was the top answer,
with an average of $27.15.
Next was investing in infra-
structure, such as roads and
water lines, at $22.65.
CHURCH
DIRECTORY
Community Worship
Featured this Week:
NEW BEGINNINGS
541-567-8441
PET OF THE W EEK
MEET MAX
Max is a senior-ish boy who loves
his person. Does fine with cats and
dogs but wants to be right next to
you as much as he can.
Does fine on a leash. Loves to sleep
in bed with his people.
He recently had a dental and had
several teeth removed.
Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Robert Thonney, DVM • Jana Parks, DVM, cVMA
Small and Large Animal Care
541.567.1138
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church & Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
in English and Spanish. It
provides options counsel-
ing, community referrals
and parenting classes. Par-
ents also can obtain needed
baby supplies through the
center.
The facility is located at
140 S.W. 11th St., Herm-
iston. For more informa-
tion, contact 541-567-2393,
kristi@trucareprc.com or
visit www.trucareprc.com.
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
Local residents
provide feedback
on city projects
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Pregnancy clinic
fundraiser underway
TruCare is asking people
to fi ll baby bottles with
cash donations
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File
Ease of getting around town was one of the top answers
people marked when asked about Hermiston’s strengths.
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application.
If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com
or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
Iglesia Católica Nuestra
Señora de los Ángeles
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
Hermiston Christian
Center & School
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Sunday Gathering: 10:00 AM
Nursery care is available 3 years & under
Kids Club available 4 years-5th grade
Sunday Prayer Gathering: 6:00 PM
NEED PRAYER? CONTACT US!
1825 W. Highland Ave.
541-567-3480 | hcc4u.org
hcc4u2020@gmail.com
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
Us
Join
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Join us on ZOOM 9:00 AM Sunday
Email: chuckb@eotnet.net for link
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
541-567-8241
855 W. Highland Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
First Christian Church
“Grow Your Faith Through God”
Sunday School...9:00 am
Worship Service...10:30 am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
To advertise in the Church Directory,
please contact Audra Workman
541-564-4538 or email
aworkman@eastoregonian.com
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com