A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
PATTY
FEHRENBACHER
Hermiston
How many great-grandchildren do you have?
We have 17.
When you have so many, how do you keep
track of them?
I do a lot of video on my phone. Our kids are really
good about sending pictures of all of our grandchil-
dren. They keep us up to date.
Is being a great-grandmother diff erent than
being a grandmother?
I think when you’re just a grandmother, you have
more energy. When you’re a great-grandmother, you
don’t have the energy that it takes to sometimes play
and cope with them.
How is that diff erent from being a mother?
Being a mother, there’s a lot of work to do. Hav-
ing more children leaves you with even more work.
But the love for each child, each grandchild, each
great-grandchild is the same.
What are some of your favorite things?
I love my yard. I have a big yard. You’ll have to see
it in a month or so. I’ll have hundreds of daff odils. I
love the daff odils. I used to have roses, but the deer
would come. They loved the roses even more than
I did. So I gave up on roses. The deer don’t like the
daff odils.
You see a lot of deer near your home, then?
Yes. I think there’s some sort of cougar or bobcat
that’s spooking them out here. Just recently, there
were a hundred here in a straight line.
Have you ever been confronted by a wild
animal?
No, and I’m not really afraid of that. If I were, I’d
holler for Douglas (my husband). He keeps me safe.
I’ve seen a fox, and I know there have been bobcats
in the area. I’m a sensible old lady though, so I keep
safe.
Do you like to read?
I love reading. Right now, I’m reading the Old Tes-
tament. I wasn’t very good about reading the Old
Testament, but I read Ezekiel, and I’m in Jeremiah.
That’s heavy reading.
COMMUNITY
HERMISTON HISTORY
Joyce Hensley/Hermiston Herald, File
One of Bill Walker’s many astounding rock creations in 1997 was “The Flintstones.”
Stanfi eld man creates art from found rocks
25 YEARS AGO
Feb. 18, 1997
Bill Walker of Stanfi eld is a rock
star, literally. Walker, 72, turns river
rocks into beautiful fi gurines.
After fi nding them along nearby
rivers, he packs the cracks with plas-
tic wood-fi ll and sands them to get
the shape desired. Next comes the
decorating. He uses oil-based hobby
paints, attaches wire and other mate-
rials and then fi nishes them off with
other adornments.
Products this unique and magnif-
icent do not go unnoticed for long.
Walker’s collection was featured in
“Country Magazine,” a reporter from
a television station came to Stanfi eld
just to shoot a video of him at work,
Channel 12 fi lmed a short segment
featuring him for its “On Our Town”
series and he’s gotten phone calls
requesting orders from all over.
“I had orders from places back east
like Florida and Missouri,” he said.
Some of his most famous creations
include Johnny Carson, the Flint-
stones, the Statue of Liberty, Uncle
Sam, Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Shot-
gun Red, Alf and several Garfi eld fi g-
ures. Some of these miniature master-
pieces have taken him over 30 hours
to create — but he loves it.
50 YEARS AGO
Feb. 17, 1972
The city of Echo was a bit shocked
to hear that their mayor was stepping
down, but adjustments were quickly
made and the position has been fi lled.
First elected to the council in 1957,
E.B. Wattenburger Jr., 44, became
mayor in February of 1969 upon the
Do you have any favorite Bible stories?
One of my favorite chapters is John 14. I memorized
that as a young girl, out in the country. That whole
chapter means a great deal to me. Jesus was talking
to his disciples, and said, “I’m going to go and pre-
pare a place for you. And I will come again and take
you upon myself.” I’ve always believed every bit of
that.
Do you get a lot of peace and enjoyment from
your faith?
I do. I really do. When I got an infection in my chest
from this COVID, there was about a month when I
didn’t believe I was going to make it. The doctors
looked, and they couldn’t see anything, but I knew I
was going downhill. When you can’t breathe, things
are pretty scary. I was OK with that. I fi gured if it
was my time to go, it was my time to go, and that
was OK. I’m feeling much better now, so I’m glad
I’m still here.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2022
Hermiston Herald, File
Mayor L.P. Gray of Hermiston signs the proclamation designating Feb. 20-26,
1972, as “Future Farmers of America Week.” Surrounding him are FFA members,
from left, Phil Walchli, reporter and FFA Week chairman; Merrell Stoddard,
secretary; Terry Roberts, assistant reporter and FFA Week co-chairman; and Nick
Broun, president.
death of Mayor William O’Brien.
Mayor Wattenburger announced his
resignation just three days ago, claim-
ing he would soon disqualify himself
from the offi ce by relocating to But-
tercreek Ranch — which is outside of
city limits. He recently purchased it
from his father.
In response, the city council elected
Council President Irvine Howard as
mayor and Councilman Ervin C. Wil-
liams as council president.
Howard, 63, has lived in Echo for
most of his life and been a member
of the city council since 1969. Not-
ing that Williams is an expert of sewer
systems, Howard nominated him
for mayor. Williams rejected, how-
ever, claiming he was too new to the
city government, having just joined
when Councilman Kenneth Dunham
resigned in January.
75 YEARS AGO
Feb. 20, 1947
Hermiston Herald, File
The new Mayor of Echo in 1972 was
Irvine Howard.
At a recent Hermiston City Coun-
cil meeting, it was decided that park-
ing on Main Street would be changed
from diagonal to parallel — but just
by one vote.
This issue has been the topic of
discussion at many council meetings
since parking meters were installed
on Main Street between Third and
First streets. A survey taken prior to
the meeting showed that business
people were evenly divided and the
council seemed to be in favor of con-
tinued diagonal parking.
But when it actually came time
for the vote, three members were in
support of the proposal — J.G. Pear-
son, Hugh B. Fraser and L.C. Kim-
sey. Two were against — A.F. Rohr-
man and W.W. Felthouse. Now the
only Hermiston street with diagonal
parking is on Second Street a half
block each way from Main Street.
90 YEARS AGO
Feb. 18, 1932
Miss Lucy A. Case, nutritional
specialist at Oregon State College,
emphasizes the importance of proper
nutrition in school lunches.
“Make the lunch as complete a
meal as possible,” she said, recom-
mending whole grain sandwiches
with a protein, vegetables, fruit and
a dessert.
In addition to promoting nutri-
tious food, Case stresses the impor-
tance of having enough time to eat
and making the food appetizing. She
advises wrapping food in waxed
paper to prevent mixture of fl avors
and drying out, and a lunch time of
45 minutes to an hour so kids have
the opportunity to both eat and play.
“A simple, balanced school lunch,
with adequate time for consuming it,
is an important factor in the econ-
omy of health, and it is daily receiv-
ing more attention from both parents
and teachers,” she said.
———
McKenzie Rose, a sophomore
at Echo High School, searched
Hermiston Herald archives to com-
pile these article summaries.
BY THE WAY
AARP Tax-Aide program off ers free help fi ling forms
If things aren’t adding up, the AARP Foundation
Tax-Aide program can help. Taxpayers can receive
assistance with fi ling their 2021 tax forms from
IRS-certifi ed volunteers. You do not have to be an
AARP member.
While the focus is to provide help to those who are
50 and older with low- to moderate-income, others may
utilize the program. Services are provided in English
and Spanish.
Appointments, which are required, are available on
designated days from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Local sites:
New Hope Community Church, 1350 S. Highway
395, Hermiston (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays
through April 14); and the Port of Morrow, 2 Marine
Drive, Boardman (Mondays through April 11).
To register, call 541-612-1307. For more informa-
tion, visit www.aarp.org/money/taxes.
• • •
If you and your youngsters are in the mood for a
magical tale, the Hermiston Public Library might
have something just right for you. The library will host
Family Movie Night on Saturday, Feb. 19, 3 p.m.
This month’s film is ”Clifford: The Big Red Dog”
and tells the story of a middle-schooler who receives
the gift of a little, red puppy who grows into a big,
red dog.
• • •
If you haven’t already done so, be sure to mark
your calendar for the annual Desert View Parent
Club auction and raffle. The family-friendly evening
also features a chance to play games (tickets are five
for $6 or 26 for $20).
Join the fun while helping raise money to bene-
fit students and the school. The event is Thursday,
Feb. 24, 5-7 p.m. at Desert View Elementary School,
1225 S.W. Ninth St., Hermiston.
To view photos of raffle prizes (tickets are $2 each
or three for $5) and items on the auction block, search
Facebook for the parent club page. To donate an item
for the silent auction, email dvparentclub@gmail.
com or stop by the school.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu for
Thursday, Feb. 17, is salisbury steak, potatoes, veg-
etables and dessert. The menu for Tuesday, Feb. 22,
is barbecue chicken, macaroni salad, baked beans and
dessert.
In-house meals will be served from noon to
12:30 p.m. People planning 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 is open for dine-in
lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon at 100 Tatone
St. Meals are $4 for seniors and $5 for others. Take-out
lunches are available by calling 541-481-3257.