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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2017)
6A • September 29, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com Drumheller was a hospitality industry leader ‘Tom was the most hospitable person to anyone, whether it be a housekeeper at one of our hotels, or… a billionaire developer.’ Key fi gure in South County tourism By R.J. Marx and Brenna Visser Patrick Nofi eld, president of Escape Lodging Seaside Signal Tom Drumheller, chief executive offi cer of Escape Lodging and co-owner of Tom’s Fish & Chips, died on Sept. 10 at his home in Cannon Beach after a short illness. He was 64. Drumheller, a former chair- man of the city’s Tourism and Arts Commission, played a key role in the region’s hos- pitality industry and beyond, serving on the board of direc- tors of Travel Portland and most recently as founder of the 62,773-square-foot Colum- bia Point Hotel in Tri-Cities, Washington. “I’ve known Tom for 30 years, and we’ve been business partners since 1999,” Patrick Nofi eld, the president of Escape Lodging, said . “There’s nobody like him. It’s a huge void — not just for those who loved him, but for our community, and the people of eastern Washington where he grew up.” According to Nofi eld, Drumheller was diagnosed with metastasized colon can- SUBMITTED P HOTO Tom Drumheller, a key fi gure in Cannon Beach tourism, died on Sunday, Sept. 10. cer in August . “When they were in the hospital they found cancer was all over his body,” Nofi eld said. “It was totally unexpected.” Nofi eld said Drumheller did not want to spend his last days in the hospital, so he re- turned to home hospice in Cannon Beach. He had friends and family members come from all over the Northwest, Nofi eld said. “For the last week of his life it was like one continuous party. Tom was greeting everyone, engaging people, meeting with employees, sharing stories, sharing humor.” Career in hospitality John Thomas Drumheller, known as “Tom,” was born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington, on Aug. 15, 1953. Drumheller’s family worked in the hardware business for generations. Growing up, he watched how his father used humor and respect to develop strong rela- tionships with customers. That set the foundation of his philosophy toward the hotel and restaurant industry, where he worked for 25 years before establishing his own business. A key experience came when Tom turned 9; he was hit by a baseball, Nofi eld said. The ball concaved his skull and he lost all ability to talk. “They were able to do surgery and put the skull where it need- ed to be, but he had to reteach himself to talk,” Nofi eld said. His mother, a schoolteach- er, read him the Dr. Seuss clas- sic, “Thidwick, the Big-Heart- ed Moose.” The incident inspired Drumheller’s future career di- rection, Nofi eld said. “Thidwick always wanted to take care of his guests, and of all the people I have ever met, Tom was the most hospi- table person to anyone, wheth- er it be a housekeeper at one of our hotels, or whether it be a billionaire developer,” No- fi eld said. “He treats them all the same. All with love and all with encouragement.” Escape Lodging After graduation from the Carson College of Business at Washington State Universi- ty, Drumheller participated in the Hyatt Hotel management training program before es- tablishing Escape Lodging of Cannon Beach as its chief ex- ecutive offi cer in 2001. Escape Lodging also owns the Ocean Lodge, The Inn at Cannon Beach and other lodg- ing properties and restaurants in Oregon and Washington state. Drumheller served on the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association Board of Directors, Washington State University Hotel and Restau- rant Advisory Board of Direc- City Council honors fi rst responders Responders from Page 1A R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL Mayor Jay Barber and Police Chief Dave Ham at Monday’s City Council meeting. The mayor delivered a proclamation recognizing the contributions of fi rst responders. him to a safe environment to get the help he needed.” Ongoing training is con- sidered one of the depart- ment’s highest priorities. The city’s proclamation, read by Councilor Randy Frank, recognized the state’s career and fi rst responders, including law enforcement offi cers, fi refi ghters, emer- gency medical technicians, 911 dispatchers and rescue personnel. The proclamation de- clared Sept. 25-30 First Re- sponder Appreciation Week and recognized the role of fi rst responders in times in crisis and as volunteers for schools and community or- ganizations. “Acts of kindness and ap- preciation from citizens pro- vide fi rst responders needed encouragement and support to confront the dangerous and uncertain situations they face every day,” states the proclamation. “A great way to express that is to, when you encoun- ter fi rst responders, to tell them how much you appre- ciate that service,” Barber added. tors and Travel Portland Board of Directors. In 2014, Drumheller and Tom Krueger teamed to open Tom’s Fish & Chips restaurant at 240 N. Hemlock St. Drumheller said in a 2014 interview his goal was to “try to make it really, really cozy, especially during the off season for the locals.” Drumheller and Krueger opened a second location in Seaside this summer. “I was very fortunate to have some great mentors I admired and learned a great deal from,” Drumheller said in an alumni magazine profi le. “When one of them passed away, it spurred me, along with my future business part- ner, to take what I had learned and start my own company. It was both very scary and excit- ing. The risk-to-reward ratio has been better than I could have imagined.” This spring he was induct- ed into the inaugural class of the Carson College of Busi- ness Hall of Fame. The city mourns Friends and family gath- ered in his last days to salute the man they had grown to know and love. Robin Risley was among the founding members of the arts commission when Drum- heller served as chairman. “He was such a fun person to have at the meeting,” Ris- ley said. “He did things with a sense of humor. We didn’t all come from the same place, but he was so inclusive that most of the decisions were made were fair and forward think- ing. I just appreciated him so much. He always had such a twinkle in his eye.” Cannon Beach Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn knew Drumheller as a member of the Tourism Advisory Committee. “When I started with the city fi ve years ago, the city manager at the time said, ‘There’s a list of people you need to meet,’ and he was at the top of the list, ” Schermer- horn said. “He always had a smile on his face, and very generous when he gave back to the community.” “He was a huge rock here in Cannon Beach,” said Court Carrier, the executive director of the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce . “He was im- portant — a hospitality execu- tive for decades.” Drumheller and his wife, Christy Lynn, have two adult daughters, Brook Burnett and Britney Drumheller. A memorial service will be scheduled . DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: GEARHART SEASIDE CANNON BEACH Rescued olive ridley turtles get second chance Trio is returned to the ocean By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal Three olive ridley turtles discovered comatose along the Oregon and Washing- ton state c oasts after winter storms returned to ocean wa- ters in early September. Solstice, Tucker and Lightning returned to the ocean after treatment at Sea- World in San Diego. Olive ridley sea turtles are listed on the federal endangered spe- cies list as threatened. SEAWORLD SAN DIEGO Underwater photo of the turtle named Solstice. Tucker, a male olive rid- ley turtle between 15 to 20 years old , was found at Cannon Beach after storms in December 2015. He had a 40-degree body tem- perature when rescued. Staff at the Seaside Aquarium rescued the male olive rid- ley sea turtle after it washed ashore south of Tolovana , likely pushed into colder wa- ters by strong winds, aquar- ium a dministrative a ssistant Tiffany Boothe said at the time. Juvenile olive ridleys sometimes travel in warm currents offshore. Tucker developed severe pneumonia and had to be treated in a hyperbaric cham- ber because he developed air in his tissue and a buoyancy problem. He was transferred to the Seattle Aquarium after his initial care then fl own to SeaWorld San Diego by the Coast Guard in April 2016. Lightning is a female olive ridley turtle that was stranded in Pacifi c City, suf- fering from hypothermia, buoyancy issues and injuries to both eyes. After treatment at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Lightning, along with Thun- der, an olive ridley found in Gearhart, were escorted by the Coast Guard and a reha- bilitation team to SeaWorld . Thunder died while complet- ing her fi nal rehabilitation stage before release into the wild. Hundreds of volunteers in the South County came to Cannon Beach, Gearhart and Seaside beaches Satur- day, Sept. 23, for the annual SOLVE Beach and Riverside Cleanup, presented by the Or- egon Lottery. More than 4,600 volunteers • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Lighter appetite menu • Junior Something for Everyone menu Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight All Oregon Lottery products available BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! 1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am MAZATLAN Annual beach cleanup hauls in about 36 tons of trash Seaside Signal WANNA KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T joined for the event, which collected an estimated 72,000 pounds of trash and marine debris were collected from 140 project sites including rivers, neighborhoods, parks, historic cemeteries, and other natural areas across the state. According to SOLVE, cleanups took place along all 362 miles of the Oregon Coast. Phone 503-738-9678 1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside NATIONALLY FAMOUS CLAM CHOWDER • FRESH OREGON SEAFOOD R E STAU R A N T S Join Us for the Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild 2017 Quilt Show Quilting for the Art of It Oct 6, 10 am - 7 pm Oct 7,10 am to 4 pm $5 Admission CANNON BEACH powered by Youth & Family LINK 907 Douglas Avenue, Longview, WA Ocean Front at Tolovana Park www.moschowder.com Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Demos Tuffets Country Store Raffle Quilt Bed Turning Vendors Great Great Great Homemade Breakfast, lunch and pasta, Clam but that’s dinner steaks & Chowder, not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! Proceeds Support FISH Food Bank and Local Veterans Join Ladies of the Lake on Facebook! Additional information at: www.lolquiltguild.org 503-436-1111 music fi rst Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144