The INDEPENDENT, March 17,1999
Lotters to the Editor
Botwoon the Bookonds
The April issue of Header’s Digest contains
an article written by author Chris Bohjalian (Mid
wives and The Law of Similars) about the after-
math of the flooding in his hometown of Lincoln,
Vermont. No one was hurt in the town of 1000,
but homes and businesses were flooded and
bridges were swept away. (Does this sound fa
miliar?) In this town, unlike Vernonia, the library
was flooded, with 80 percent of the collection
being lost. The citizens who gathered to sort
through the mess were stunned. They had nev
er seen so many ruined books—books saturat
ed with water and coated with mud. Bohjalian
says he doesn’t know if the immediate shock at
the first sight of the ruined books was worse, or
if the coming summer with the reality of life -
without a library - hit the residents even harder.
This library, like those in other small towns -
Vernonia included, had been much more than a
source of books. It was a gathering place, a
community center, a place where newcomers
get to know their neighbors, a magnet for human
contact. Lincoln isn’t a rich community, but it has
hopes of building a new library and restocking
the collection. Even though its residents can use
libraries in neighboring communities, they real
ize that there is something magical about shar
ing books that have been savored and read and
literally touched by one’s neighbors and that,
even though school, work, classes, and clubs
may separate us, libraries remain one of the few
places that still bring us together.
Vernonia’s library is so much like this. Just
think of how many times you have looked at a
card only to realize your neighbor or best friend
has just read the book, or how many times you
have met an acquaintance or made a new one
in the library. Think of the times you have at
tended, or your child or grandchild has attended
a story time or summer reading program at the
library and visited with or made a new friend. Li
braries are truly one of the few places that bring
us together in our daily lives as Vernonia’s does
and will continue to do. The new library will pro
vide more space, more books in the collection
and more hours for patrons to make use of its fa
cilities...and we can hardly wait.
Although no actual construction has begun on
the library/city hall buildings, the concrete has all
been poured and there is now in place an office
for Marvin L. Cole, the contractor who has been
awarded the bid to build. Any progress on the
site is exciting! Just keep watching and this col
umn will contain any news related to the new li
brary building. At present the library board is
making recommendations regarding the
arrangement of the interior of the library, the
shelving and furniture that will be needed, the
best ways to purchase these materials and the
potential hours of operation when the new li
brary opens.
Speaking of the library board, Diane Waltrip is
the newest member, joining Barbara Studevant,
Larry Doppke, Mary Tolonen, and Judy
Thiringer. Diane is completing the term that was
held by Jan Miyasaki. In appreciation for Jan’s
service to the library as aboard member, the
book, More than Petticoats, has been added to
the library’s collection. This is an interesting col
lection of biographies of some of Oregon’s un
discovered pioneers and is the latest book dedi
cated to a retiring library board member. This
has become a tradition and has resulted in some
really nice selections chosen with the personali
ty and interests of the individual board members
in mind.
Written by Gayle Shirley, More than Petti
coats tells about ten extraordinary women from
Oregon’s past, including missionary Anna Maria
Pittman Lee and suffragist Abigail Scott Duni-
way. Mary Leonard, one of Oregon’s first female
lawyers, Lola Greene Baldwin, the nation’s first
policewoman, Alice Day Pratt, an early home
steader near the town of Post in Central Oregon,
and Bethenia Owens-Adair, “a doctor in petti
coats” are some of the women featured in this
book, women who were born before the twenti
eth century and who triumphed over incredible
challenges.
Other new books include While I Was Gone
by Sue Miller, Tara Hoad by Maeve Binchy, Mys
tic Sweet Communion by Jane Kirkpatrick, Ash
es to Ashes by Tami Hoag, Vector by Robin
Cook, and Hiver’s End by Nora Roberts. Planet
of the Elind, Stephen Kuusisto's memoir, is the
latest of The Oregonian book club picks and is
also a new acquisition in the library.
A novel that has been highly recommended
by library patrons is Ann Tatlock’s, A Hoorn of My
Own. This is a story of youthful dreams of ro
mance and love set against the dramatic back
drop of the 1930s. Readers have commented
that the descriptions of the depression years
have been exceptionally well done in this novel
and I, too, am looking forward to reading it.
Two novels that I have recently finished are Kate
Wilhelm’s Defense for the Devil and Kristin Han
nah’s On Mystic Lake. Wilhelm, who lives in Eu
gene, uses Oregon as the backdrop for these
mysteries. References to places in the Eugene
area (Skinner’s Butte, the MacKenzie River,
Springfield, etc. and along the Oregon coast
(Mo’s on Newport’s waterfront) are fun to find in
a novel and certainly personalize them for the
reader. This is Wilhelm’s fourth Barbara Hol
loway legal thriller and is typical of the previous
books in that Barbara, with help from her father,
Frank, takes a seemingly hopeless case, sur
vives threats to her life, and triumphs in a rivet
ing courtroom drama. I enjoyed this book, but
had a little difficulty keeping all the plots and
subplots separated and think that Wilhelm could
have provided a more background on the Hol
loways and their personal lives, especially be
cause it has been several years since the last in
this series was published.
Rather hesitantly, I admit that my favorite
book this month was a love story, Kristin Han
nah’s On Mystic Lake. It begins on the day that
Annie Colwater’s only child leaves for school
abroad and her husband of twenty years tells
her he loves someone else. Annie, left alone, re
alizes she has been slowly disappearing as a
person in her own right and returns to the small
Washington town where she grew up, hoping
she can find the woman she once was. In Mys
tic, she is reunited with her first love, Nick
Delacroix, who is unable to cope with his six-
year-old daughter and her grief over the loss of
her mother. As the three of them begin to love
and heal and Annie thinks she has found a sec
ond chance at happiness, something happens to
force Annie to make the most difficult decision of
her life. If you are looking for a good romance,
this is it.
If you haven’t been in the library, make it a
point to do so. Our goal, like Lincoln’s, is to pro
vide the community with reading material in a
friendly, pleasant atmosphere — to be a “gath
ering place.”
Vernonia Library 919 Bridge Street.
Hours: Mon. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m.-7
p.m, Fri. 1-5 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Phone: (503)429-1818
.......... .......... ..........................................
Titus wins 47J seat, Roberts to VFD, Grant at M-B
In final results of the March
9 Special Districts election, Tim
Titus was elected to Position 3
on the Vernonia District 47J
school board, winning easily
over newcomer Colleen Posley
for an open position.
Incumbents Carla Strand
and Debbie Johnston were re
elected to the school board
without opposition.
The only other contested
races in the upper Nehalem
Page 3
Valley were in fire districts.
Steve Roberts, a newcomer,
slipped past first term director
Joe Batty to win a seat on the
Vernonia Fire District board of
directors by 13 votes. Incum
bent Douglas Grant retained
his seat in the Mist-Birkenfeld
Fire District, staving off a chal
lenge by Laurie Benes.
Running uncontested, in
cumbents Don Webb, Don
Skinner and Frazier Rohm
were returned to the Vernonia
Fire District board.
Also running without opposi
tion, Susan Miller was reelect
ed to the Mist-Birkenfeld Fire
District board.
Incumbents were returned in
two additional uncontested
races.
Kathy Denckla will serve an
other term on the 9-1-1 Com
munications District board and
Candace Cole will continue to
Thanks for getting
involved in barn fire
To the Editor:
Concerning the barn fire on
Airport Way, I want to express
my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Fred
Bergerson for taking the time
to stop and get involved
enough not only to call the fire
department but to rescue the
chickens and turn off the elec
tricity to the barn that was on
fire. It is not every day we hear
about people who take the time
to get involved. This action I’m
sure not only saved the house
but the other buildings around
it. Thank you very much!
I also want to thank the Ver
nonia Fire Department for their
quick response and dedication
in putting out the barn fire.
Sincerely,
Tamorah Sook
Vernonia
Did name confusion
elect candidate?
To the Editor:
Did the right Steve Roberts
win the election? Often enough
in a small town, people vote for
a name that is familiar to them.
In this case we have two
Steve Robertses, one is the
son of an old time resident that
helped build Vernonia and
served as city councilman and
in many other organizations
and presently is a broker at
Vernonia Realty. This Steve
Roberts also has a brother
named Kevin, who served
many years as a volunteer on
the fire department and won
many awards for his service
and accomplishments. This
family name is extremely well
known by old timers and Ver
nonia residents.
The other Steve Roberts is
a newcomer to the area, the
one who took over the lease of
the Treharne Cafe from Gerrie
Reynolds. He served as a vol
unteer for a short time with the
Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters
and created a lot of bad feel
ings with fellow volunteers.
We, as volunteers of the
Fire Department, spoke with
several voters and found that
they thought the Steve Roberts
they voted for was Kevin’s
brother and did not know any
other Steve Roberts.
Correction
The student pictured with
Washington Grade School
teacher Rosemary Laridon,
in the March 3 issue of The
INDEPENDENT, was incor
rectly identified. Christina
Smith was in the photo and
was responsible for entering
Laridon’s name in the State
Farm Insurance program.
represent Zone 2 in the NW
Regional ESD.
Portland Community Col
lege incumbent Harold W il
liams beat challenger Carole
Smith of St. Helens. Smith car
ried Columbia County but
couldn’t overcome Williams in
the metropolitan area.
It is our opinion that this
election was won under false
pretenses. With the history and
criticism from the Steve
Roberts that won the election
we only see the breaking down
of our department. We feel the
candidate ran only to get even
and not for the betterment of
the department.
We, the Fire Department
Volunteers, would like to see a
fair election and at this writing
are checking to see what can
be done.
Mario Leonetti
Volunteer Firefighters for
a Fair Election
Vernonia
Rites of Spring may
lead to problems
To the Editor:
The rites of spring for some
Oregon Liquor Control Com
mission (OLCC) inspectors in
clude a trip to Seaside and
maybe a visit to a party at a lo
cal home, a riverside gathering
spot or a secluded location.
Their trip to Seaside won’t
include salt water taffy or rides
on the bumper cars. The par
ties they attend won’t be men
tioned in the latest happenings
of society columns.
But each occasion will mark
OLCC’s efforts to curtail what
some term as rites of passage
for young Oregonians — drink
ing beer or maybe hard liquor
or wine and partying. Our in-
pectors will cite minors for pos
sessing, drinking and attempt
ing to buy alcohol. They may
confiscate fake identification,
the beer and other alcohol.
You can help make our work
easier by being aware of or
asking about the spring break
and springtime activities that
your teenage sons and daugh
ters are planning. We’re count
ing on you to be aware that
"just hanging out” may have
serious implications on the
welfare and safety of your sons
and daughters if alcohol is in
volved.
Help us ensure that all Ore
gonians can enjoy the tender
budding and blooming rites of
spring.
Linda Ignowski, Director
OLCC Regulatory Program
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