A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2022
HERMISTON HISTORY
Local mother stands out 25
years ago for her caring heart
25 YEARS AGO
May 6, 1997
JACKIE WYCKOFF
Hermiston
How long have you lived in Hermiston?
Forty-seven years. I retired from Lamb Weston two
years ago. I worked there 44 years and 3.5 months.
How do you feel about Lamb?
They changed. I’m just glad I’m not there. They have
12-hour shifts. Personally, I don’t think you can do
quality as well when you do it that way.
Are you enjoying your retirement?
I retired in January 2020, and COVID hit in March, so
I haven’t been able to do a lot. I’m my mother’s care-
giver now, and she’s 88. We’ve always done things in
our community. We’ve helped with the fair — she was
the supervisor of the whole building and I did clothing
for a long time. We’ve done a lot in town. I’m just glad
I’m not working now, with the prices there are right
now and not being able to get ahold of things. Quar-
ters, water, baby milk… it just worries me about the
trouble you can have getting things. The way every-
thing is going, it just worries me.
Are there any other big issues that bother you?
There’s the war in Ukraine. It really bothers me. You
read the paper, and you see what’s going on. It’s got-
ten to where I don’t like watching the news anymore.
COVID may soon get better. Do you think
you’ll travel?
I’d like to, but it depends on how my mom is doing.
Mom recently had two emergency surgeries, one in
December and one in January. We had to cancel
a trip to Hawaii, but we’re hoping to see my sister
in Alaska, if everything calms down, and prices for
planes don’t go up any higher than they have been.
I’m keeping my fi ngers crossed. And there’s gas
prices. They go up, and we spend more and more.
That might make it so we aren’t going anywhere but
our own state, but I guess that’ll be fi ne.
Where is the nicest place you have already
been?
I’ve been to Hawaii twice. I’ve been to Alaska. As a
matter of fact, we’ve been on the Kennicott on the
marine highway, and we loved doing that. We came
back at night, though, and you shouldn’t do that. You
couldn’t see and it was scary. But I’ve been to Italy.
During the bicentennial, I had a nephew who was in
the service over there. I went over to see him. So I’ve
been to some places, but I really like it here. Hermis-
ton is a good place with a nice community.
You’re thankful to be in Hermiston, then?
I am. I have a lot of family here, so many nieces
and nephews. I’m glad that many of them got their
houses before the price hike.
What are some of the places you like to visit in
Hermiston and the surrounding area?
I like the senior center. I take mom there. We love the
fair and going to shows. There are diff erent restau-
rants that we like going to. We like to go to Echo for
the H & P (Cafe). We like to go into Hale’s (Restau-
rant) and The Pheasant (Blue Collar Bar & Grill).
The bowling alley (Desert Lanes Family Fun Cen-
ter) is a real nice place now for dining, especially
for Fridays when it has prime rib. And of course,
Nookie’s (Restaurant & Brewery). This place has
changed a lot in the last 45 years.
There are a lot more people.
Oh, yeah. It was 10,000 people when I fi rst moved
here, now it’s almost 20,000. I don’t like the big cit-
ies like Portland and I hope we don’t turn into that.
Mother’s Day reminds us to rec-
ognize and thank all that mothers
do.
Even in trying circumstances,
the care mothers give is plain out-
standing. Take Lori Masterson as a
prime example.
Lori and her husband Mike were
the proud parents of 8-year-old
Melissa and 5-year-old Eric. At the
age of four, Melissa was diagnosed
with aplastic anemia, a rare and typ-
ically fatal disease that destroys red
and white blood cells in the blood
and bone marrow.
Although Melissa coped with
the illness, she developed uncon-
trollable emotional outbreaks that
required powerful medication and
emergency runs to the Oregon Uni-
versity Health Science Hospital.
“I never know when I’ll have to
go to Portland. We just live day to
day,” Lori said.
On top of that, Eric battled a
severe case of ADHD and vocal
tics from Tourette’s Syndrome. His
compulsive behavior was stabilized
through medications, but periodic
incidents still occurred.
When asked how she managed to
stay so kind and positive throughout
such tough situations, Lori replied,
“A doctor told me once that God
only gives these types of children
to those who can handle them. We
both have the inner strength to do
what it takes.”
Hermiston Herald, File
Lori, Eric and Melissa Masterson were looking forward to Mother’s Day in 1997.
Hermiston Herald, File
Contestants for the 1997 Miss Hispanic Contest line up for the judges and the
crowd at McKenzie Park. Pictured here are Sandra Luz Aguilar, Monica Perches,
Carla Rodriguez and Elsa Bedolla.
50 YEARS AGO
May 4, 1972
Lots of good news was shared at
the recent Good News Club Rally,
where local children won awards
for competing in several evangelis-
tic contests.
Entitled, “How the Bible Can
Change Our Country,” this nation-
wide contest featured numerous
categories like artwork, literature,
memorization and more.
Kim Neuff er and Karen Wheel-
house won in the poster division
and enjoyed the honor of having
their posters on display at Adam’s
Art and Stationary and Hector’s
Family Shoes. Joining them at the
top of this contest was Cheryle
Muldoon, who won the essay
portion.
Other competitions occurred,
including Bible reading, of which
Cheryle and Jody Watson tied for
fi rst place. Awards were also given
for diff erent aspects of youth clubs,
including perfect attendance, with
Cheryle once again taking the title.
75 YEARS AGO
May 8, 1947
With a vote of 4 to 3, the Herm-
iston City Council decided to
spend $250 on a trial to eliminate
mosquitoes in this area.
As spring drew to a close and
temperatures began their upward
climb, pesky mosquitoes came out
in full force and made themselves
a signifi cant item on the council’s
agenda.
Dr. Eagleston of the Columbia
Laboratories in Portland and Mr.
Roth of the Department of Agri-
culture outlined a program that
had achieved relative success in
other areas. Eagleston estimated a
cost of $473, which included DDT
dust and spraying equipment. He
Hermiston Herald, File
In 1972, U.S. Senator Mark Hatfi eld meets with Hermiston High School student
body offi cers Nancy Bird, Mike Wick and Rick Estle.
stressed his opinion that the cost
would be worth it and was backed
up by the large delegation of inter-
ested people, headed by the Busi-
ness and Professional Women’s
club, who had come in support.
After a considerable debate,
the council decided to try it out
— after all, the worrisome amount
of mosquito larva found in nearby
swamps and ponds forecasted a
very itchy summer.
90 YEARS AGO
May 5, 1932
As students can attest, getting
good grades is tough. Nearly a
century ago, 20 students made
it happen by achieving perfect
grades at Oregon State College.
Ernest Sears of Rickreall led all
other OSU students with straight
A’s for his tenth term. In fact,
he obtained the highest possible
grades in every term except two
courses in his underclass days
where he “fell down” to a B. If
grades are any indication of suc-
cess, Sears was also awarded
the coveted graduate assistant-
ship in plant genetics at Harvard
University.
Following Sears was Alison
Comish of Corvallis, with A’s in
every course during her five terms
at OSU.
Next on the list of scholarly
excellence, with their fourth term
of perfect grades, were Donald M.
Arant of Forest Grove, Adolph
Menscheidt of Tillamook and
David Wiley of Portland.
Rounding out the high marks
by being on scholastic roll for
the previous term were Walter
Ott, Hermiston; Donald Prentiss,
Gladys Whitlock, Lawrence Dar-
lington and Helen Whitelaw, Cor-
vallis; James Weatherspoon, Elgin;
Alan Cobb, Kenneth Eldredge and
Miles Drake, Portland; Therald
Moeller, Toledo; Wallace Fergu-
son and Andrew Thomas, Marsh-
field; Ruth DeArmond, Sitka,
Alaska; Alice Fisher, Albany; and
Robert Evenden, Warrenton.
█
McKenzie Rose, a sophomore at Echo High School,
searched Hermiston Herald archives to compile
these article summaries.
BY THE WAY
2022 Rock & Gem Show is scheduled for EOTEC May 14-15
Attention, rock hounds! The 2022 Rock & Gem Show
Nature’s Treasures Under Foot is this weekend at the
Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, 1705 E. Air-
port Road, Hermiston. Times are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat-
urday, May 14 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 15.
The show includes a kids’ corner with games and
prizes. A silent auction is scheduled for both days. Also,
there is a door prize drawing every half hour.
The event is hosted by Hatrockhounds Gem & Min-
eral Society. Admission is $3, free for children 12 and
under when accompanied by an adult and $2 for anyone
over 60.
• • •
The 2022 Booster Bash is an opportunity to help the Riv-
erside Jr./Sr. High School Booster Club as it supports local
kids. The event is Saturday, May 14, 5-9 p.m. at the Port of
Morrow Riverfront Center, 2 Marine Drive N.E., Boardman.
For $25, people will be able to enjoy a brisket dinner with
sides and a drink. Raffl es, door prizes, dessert auction, live and
silent auction and more are planned, too.
Tickets can be purchased at Riverside Jr./Sr. High School,
210 Boardman Ave. N.E., Boardman, but be quick. Only 150
tickets will be sold to this exclusive 21-or-over event.
• • •
Visit the Umatilla Public Library, 700 Sixth St.,
for Planting and Painting. Open to ages 11-18, attend-
ees may paint a pot and plant a fl ower for some cheerful
spring decor. The event is Friday, May 13, 2-4:30 p.m.
Call 541-922-5704 on Wednesday, May 11 to request
a succulent or cactus.
• • •
Bring your appetites and prepare to meet with kindly
local businesspeople. The Irrigon Chamber of Com-
merce is planning its monthly Chamber Luncheon. It
is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11, 12 p.m., at Stokes
Landing Senior Center, 195 Opal Place, Irrigon. Cost is
$10 for members and $12 for guests.
• • •
We hope your calendar is not too bee-zy for an upcom-
ing presentation at the the Hermiston Public Library,
235 E. Gladys Ave. Beekeeper Ron Hendrickson is plan-
ning to present his trade on Thursday, May 19, 6-8 p.m.
He will bring a live bee display.
• • •
In-person Story Time is back at the Hermiston Pub-
lic Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave. It is Tuesday, May 17,
10:30 a.m.
• • •
School’s in for summer! The Hermiston School Dis-
trict announced its middle school summer program for
currently enrolled fi fth to seventh graders.
It is June 20 to July 1, 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for session
1. Session 2 is July 18 to July 29, 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu for
Thursday, May 12, is pork loin, stuffi ng, vegetables and
dessert. The menu for Tuesday, May 17, is baked fi sh, scal-
lop potatoes, coleslaw 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.
—Hermiston Herald