A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
HERMISTON HISTORY
Hermiston elementary
schools overcrowded in 1946
MICHAEL THOMAS
Hermiston High School assistant principal
How long have you lived in Hermiston?
I’m starting my sixth year.
What makes Hermiston so sweet?
I appreciate the people I work with. They are
professionals.
Do you belong to any clubs?
I don’t right now. I’ve looked at some, and I proba-
bly will join one soon.
What’s your favorite restaurant?
Delish Bistro. They’re not open right now, and it’s
driving me crazy.
What’s your favorite place to relax in the
area?
I love getting out on the river. I have some kayaks.
What’s your favorite hobby?
I like to read. That’s probably my favorite thing
to do. I also like backpacking. I love getting into
mountain lakes. That’s a lot of fun. If I want to
relax, a mountain lake is where I want to be.
What’s your favorite book?
That’s a tough one, because there are so many of
them. I like Orson Scott Card. “Ender’s Game” is a
great book. I’ve read a lot of Tom Clancy and Louis
L’Amour. “The Walking Drum” by Louis L’Amour
is a great book.
25 YEARS AGO
Sept. 3, 1996
After about 33 years of being a
Hermiston barber, Gene Wicks put
away his clippers and razors for the
last time at Gene’s West Side Bar-
ber Shop. His career began in 1963
when he moved from Pilot Rock to
Hermiston, following his graduation
from barber school two years prior.
He worked alongside Larry
Montgomery, who owned the shop
at the time. In 1967, Wicks bought
out Montgomery and made some
upgrades to the shop he described as
“a little hole in the wall.”
Ed Parkins, who had his hair cut
by Wicks for nearly 20 years, joked
that Wicks’ retirement might impact
him, too. “I’ll have to buy a gui-
tar and join a rock ’n’ roll band, I
guess.” Parkins was one of Wicks’
last customers.
Although Wicks is looking for-
ward to more time for activities he
enjoys, like fi shing and camping, he
said he would miss life as a barber.
“You really get to know your cus-
tomers. When they walk in the door,
you know exactly what they want,”
he said. “You meet a lot of nice peo-
ple and make a lot of nice friends.”
50 YEARS AGO
Sept. 2, 1971
An ambitious recycling project
began as nearly 20 tons of shredded
garbage was dumped at a six-acre
test plot near Boardman. Several
weeks ago, the Boeing Company
and Columbia Processors Coopera-
tive of Portland announced its plan
to recycle garbage from the Portland
area onto 100,000 acres they plan to
irrigate with the Columbia River.
Elton Weeks, assistant proj-
ect engineer for Boeing’s Board-
man Project, said the purpose of the
plots would be to study the eff ects of
waste applied at diff erent depths and
amounts. Boeing engineers, in coop-
eration with Oregon State Univer-
sity, will be experimenting with this
fi rst batch until the spring. “We’ll
take detailed tests of the chemical
and physical reactions to help deter-
mine whether our approach is sound,
and whether there will be any eff ects
in the ecology of the area.”
Cliff Schiel, chairman of the Met-
ropolitan Disposal Committee, said
they received complete approval
from all government agencies —
Hermiston Herald, File
Gene Wicks, who operated Gene’s West Side Barber Shop in Hermiston for
33 years, uses a straight-edge razor on Ed Parkins, one of the barber’s last
customers before retiring Aug. 30, 1996.
from “the governor on down” —
with the exception of the Metro-
politan Service District offi cials
(the governing body of the Tri-Cit-
ies area) who said they’d withhold
judgement until after the tests.
According to Schiel, the cost
and local reaction are considerably
favorable. He also said the project is
comparatively odorless and reduces
leaching problems. “There are tre-
mendous advantages to the method
and we haven’t found any disadvan-
tages yet.”
75 YEARS AGO
Sept. 5, 1946
Though the Hermistonians of
1946 weren’t dealing with a pan-
demic at the time, it seems their ele-
mentary schools were just as over-
whelmed. In grades one through
eight, there were 693 students — a
47 student increase from the 646 of
last year. Specifi cally, the fi rst grade
student count topped all others and
set a record at 106 students.
To accommodate this great
increase, there will be three full fi rst
grade sections in town and 23 fi rst
graders combined with second grad-
ers at Ordnance. In addition, sev-
eral upper grade students who live
in town will have to be shifted to the
other sections that begin at 8 a.m.
Another portion of the project
plan to ease overcrowded conditions
is to add another teacher in the inter-
mediate grades. Principal Cliff Nor-
ris is still working through this prob-
What’s the best thing about working around
kids?
The opportunity to get them headed the right direc-
tion. This age, a lot of kids are making the decisions
that will aff ect the rest of their lives. I try to infl u-
ence them and make them productive members of
society.
What is the best piece of advice you have
given to one of your students?
There is a line. This line can be a lot of diff erent
things. It could be passing classes or failing classes.
The closer you are to the line, the more likely you
are to fall over the line. The further you stay away
from the line, the easier to not fall over the line.
An “A” or “B” is a long way from failing. A “D”
is closer to failing, and a bad day could put you
over the line. The trick in life is to stay away from
the line.
Hermiston Herald, File
“It doesn’t smell so bad,” said Cliff Schiel, chairman of the Tri-County
Metropolitan Disposal Commission. Schiel and project assistant manager Elton
Weeks were on site in late August 1971 for the fi rst test truckload of garbage for
Boeing’s Boardman recycling project.
lem and hopes to provide relief to the
overloaded teachers by the begin-
ning of next week.
100 YEARS AGO
Sept. 1, 1921
In 1921, the Pendleton Round-Up
boasted quite an array of famous fi g-
ures. Among those expected are A.
Phimister Proctor, a sculptor who
recently completed an equestrian
statue of President Roosevelt to be
Hermiston Herald, File
A. J. George fi shes for “anything that
bites,” said his grandfather, Tony
George of Umatilla. The two were
fi shing in one of the small streams in
the McNary Wildlife Nature Area in
late August 1996.
presented to the city of Portland by
Dr. Waldo Coe; editor of the Cosmo-
politan, Verne H. Porter; well-known
author Mary Roberta Rinehart; and
popular screen favorite Bebe Dan-
iels. They’ll take their seats in the
grandstand at this 12th annual show.
Being a community aff air con-
ducted on a nonprofi t basis by the
Round-Up Association (which is
made up of prominent Pendleton
citizens), the Pendleton Round-Up
hence attracts thousands of visi-
tors. An additional attraction this
year is the Northwest Grain and
Hay Show, to be held in Pendleton
during Round-Up week. The show is
open to the public and a $1,500 pre-
mium list, the greatest ever off ered
for such products in the northwest, is
also capturing the interests of wheat
growers and others.
———
McKenzie Rose, a sophomore at
Echo High School, searched Herm-
iston Herald archives to compile
these article summaries.
BY THE WAY
Hermiston Chamber of Commerce to search for new CEO
The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce announced
last week that Kristina Olivas, its chief executive offi -
cer since March, will return to her previous job at the
Walmart Distribution Center. Her last day with the
chamber is Sept. 10.
Kris Bennett, the chamber’s board of directors chair,
said Olivas’ skills and energy have been instrumental in
reconnecting with its membership, as well as remodeling
the chamber’s new digs at 630 S. Highway 395. While a
date hasn’t been set, Bennett said the chamber is gearing
up for the move.
Val Hoxie, recently hired chamber executive assistant,
is taking on administrative duties and will move forward
with existing programs while the chamber searches for a
new CEO. Hoxie, who moved to Hermiston in October
2020, most recently worked as human resources/opera-
tions manager for Ponzi Vineyards in Sherwood.
• • •
Larry Fetter is calling it day.
Fetter has served as the Hermiston Parks and Rec-
reation director for 10 years and announced he is retiring
after a total of 37 years in public service.
Brandon Artz will be interim director as the city looks
to replace the position after Sept. 3.
“It is time for me to explore new trails, new challenges
and new adventures in the wild west,” Fetter stated in
the announcement. “My wife and I have property north
of Spokane, and we need to get moved before the snow
falls.”
He also said overseeing Hermiston’s parks and recre-
ation were “the very best 10 years of my career. “
To commemorate Fetter’s departure, there is a “Fare-
well Fiesta” on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 4-7 p.m., at the
Harkenrider Senior Activity Center, 255 N.E. Sec-
ond St., Hermiston, complete with with food, music and
celebration.
• • •
Speaking for Hermiston Parks and Recreation, Sept. 1
is registration day for the city’s youth fl ag football and
volleyball. For more information, visit www.hermiston.
or.us/parksrec, and on the left side of the page, open
Activities & Recreation and click the link for Youth sports.
• • •
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. During
the month, the Hermiston Public Library will off er
incentives to community members who don’t already
have a card. Library staff encourage people to come and
check out all the great things a library card can provide
access to at no charge.
The library is at 235 E. Gladys Ave. It’s open Monday
through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday/Sat-
urday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit
www.hermiston.or.us/library or call 541-567-2882.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu for
Thursday, Sept. 2, is taco casserole, garlic bread, fruit
and dessert. The menu for Tuesday, Sept. 7, is pork loin,
scalloped potatoes, vegetables and dessert. (In-house
meals will be served from noon to 12:30 p.m. People plan-
ning to dine in are asked to call by 11 a.m.)
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
before 11 a.m. Meals are $5 and can be picked up between
11:30 a.m. and noon.
• • •
The Boardman Senior Center now is providing meal
delivery. Meals are $4 paid upon delivery. Call 541-481-
3257 to order.