The INDEPENDENT, March 21, 2001
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Lattars ta the Editor
Jamboree Committee
seeks participation
To the Editor:
This year’s Vernonia Friend
ship Jamboree will be August
3, 4 and 5. The next meeting of
the Vernonia Friendship Jam
boree will be on March 22 at
7:00 p.m. in the Lew’s Place
meeting room.
The agenda will include
election of President and Vice
President, theme contest for
2001 Jamboree, Grand Mar
shall and Citizen of the Year
Nominations, committee as
signments and new business
from the floor.
The Jamboree Committee is
inviting all businesses that di
rectly benefit from the Jam
boree to have an active role in
planning and execution of this
year’s festivities. We are also
inviting civic groups and other
interested parties to take on an
active role.
Last year, some of the pro
ceeds of the Jamboree were
distributed to Vernonia Cares
and Vernonia Toy & Joy. We
are confident we will be able to
distribute more back into the
community, with your help, and
are looking forward to seeing
you at the next meeting. If you
are unable to attend, please
call and let us know you are in
terested in participating this
year.
If you would like to enter the
Jamboree Theme Contest,
mail your suggestion to The
Vernonia Friendship Jam
boree, P O Box 244, Vernonia,
OR 97064. The winning entry
will receive a $50.00 savings
bond from U.S. Bank. The win
ning theme will be announced
in the May 2 issue of The Inde
pendent.
Randy Parrow
Vernonia
Airing
differences
politely is good policy
To the Editor:
I must confess that in the re
cent ballyhooed case of the
“ A nonym ous S chool Board
Election Pitch” I have absolute
ly no first-hand knowledge. No
copy of the infamous document
ever darkened my door. On this
score at least, its efficacy is
suspect.
Some heresay evidence had
come to me, that it’s current le
gality is the result of an Oregon
Supreme Court decision in fa
vor of free, though anonymous,
speech. I doubted this, as it
seemed relevant information,
yet had not been published. It’s
always possible that I need
better glasses. If that informa
tion is so, however, some con
cerns lately voiced would cer
tainly seem a bit less unfound
ed, perhaps even a trifle ger
mane.
Of greater concern than this
maneuver’s legality, I suspect,
should be its wisdom. On some
occasions, acting on anony
mous tips is conceivably ap
propriate. The selection of
overseers for our community’s
largest and most expensive
government agency does not,
to me, seem such an occasion.
In this case I should expect that
consideration of the source
would be paramount, practical
ly a requirement to avoid in
stant dismissal.
As ever, I am heartened to
find myself in a community
where such a difference is
aired politely and with consid
eration. Kierkegaard reminds
us that our spirit is as Pegasus
paired with the frail plow nag of
human perception, to our con
Batwaon the Bookends
By Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
Most of us hear, speak, and write words every
day of our lives, but how many of us really focus
on the words themselves? If we hear a word that
is unfamiliar to us, do we question its meaning or
its spelling? Do we keep a dictionary close at
hand to find the meaning of unknown words or
to check for correct spelling? Spell check on
computers is a wonderful aid, but do most of us
really commit the correct spelling to memory?
The Spelling Bee for Seniors held March 16,
gave some of us the opportunity to spend a
pleasant afternoon finding just how much or how
little word-power we actually had committed to
memory and to disprove the fallacy that Seniors
have lost their acumen. Noni Andersen’s knowl
edge of words proved to be excellent, earning
her a much deserved first place trophy. Barbara
Sturdevant, an avid reader of many types of lit
erature, is to be commended for her second
place. The gentleman earning third place,
George Gans, misspelled only one more word
than did Barbara, and is also to be highly com
mended. Audeen Wagner did a terrific job of or
ganizing the event and choosing the 100 words
that comprised the list. All in all, it was a great af
ternoon and at least some of us will find our
selves trying to be more aware of the words we
read, write and speak on a daily basis.
Authors, of course, make their living with
words. A good author brings his characters, their
surroundings and their circumstances to life with
words. This is just what John Grisham has done
in his latest novel, The Painted House. Set in
rural Arkansas in 1952, it’s harvest time on the
Chandler farm and the family has hired a family
of “hill people” and a crew of migrant Mexicans
to pick their 80 acres of cotton. The narrator of
the story is 7-year-old, Luke, who says, “I would
pick cotton, tearing the fluffy bolls from the stalks
at a steady pace, stuffing them into the heavy
sack, afraid to look down the row and be re
minded of how endless it was, afraid to slow
down because someone would notice.” As ten
sions simmer between the Mexicans and the hill
people, Luke becomes privy to more secrets
than anyone should be expected to keep. As this
novel builds to its conclusion, the reader can vi
sualize the farm, the town, and the plights of
Luke, his family, and the workers. I enjoyed this
non-legal novel by Grisham very much.
Kristen Hannah writes for a different audi
ence, but also is an author that I would highly
recommend. Her latest novel, Summer Island,
takes place in the serene San Juan Islands.
Since Hannah is a native of that area of Wash
ington, her descriptions are especially effective.
This is a love story, but first and foremost, it is
the story of a mother-daughter relationship, one
that must be resolved before the happily ever-af-
ter love story can take place.
The other author I recommend this month is
Kent Krueger. Krueger has previously published
two novels with Cork O’Connor as the protago
nist. Highlighting the luminance of Aurora, Min
nesota, Krueger’s latest novel of suspense is ti
tled Purgatory Ridge.
Other new acquisitions to nourish the mind
are The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan,
From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz, 1st
to Die by James Patterson, and Over Tumbled
Graves by Jess Walters.
A new format available for circulation is being
supplemented in the library. Thanks to Judy
Thiringer, music CDs are being added on a reg
ular basis.
Tom Brokaw’s, The Greatest Generation and
The Greatest Generation Speaks are available
in cassette form. The Vernonia Study Club re
cently donated these to the library’s collection of
audiocassettes.
Automation is progressing with a vengeance.
To date, 8,045 titles and 8,354 copies have been
catalogued and are ready to be searched and
checked out electronically.
Orissa’s craft/story sessions continue to be
well-attended and enjoyed by youngsters as well
as adults. These are held on Monday afternoons
at 3:30 on days when school is in session.
Mark your calendar for the next meeting of
The Friends of the Library to be held April 10, at
1:00 p.m. in the library. Their campaign to recruit
members is just beginning. Ideas for fund raising
projects and members to accomplish the goals
associated with these projects will be needed to
make this organization a success.
(For the Seniors who participated in the
spelling bee, seven of the words on the spelling
list have been included in this article. See if you
can find them.)
Vernonia Library 701 Weed Avenue
Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tues., Thur. 2 p.m.-7 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Preschool Story Time, Mondays, 10:30 a.m.
Phone: (503)429-1818
stant and universal bedevil
ment.
Wayne Acton
Vernonia
Appropriate displays
are appreciated
To the Editor:
This may be a short letter to
the Editor, but what it reads is
truly from our hearts!
We appreciate the business
es in Vernonia that do not show
or sell items that degrade peo
ple, ie., pornographic material,
whether it be in videos or prod
ucts and inappropriate lan
guage displayed on products.
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Huntington
Birkenfeld
Identifying spouses
as teachers not fair
To the Editor:
Thomas Jones has every
right to be upset with The Inde
pendent as he and Randy
Hansen were the only two can
didates who had their wives
mentioned as teachers while
the other candidates spouses
were not identified. In my opin
ion The Independent made it
seem like these two young
men had an axe to grind.
In regards to Independent
Opinion February 21 suggest
ing too bad someone from the
Mist-Birkenfeld area didn’t
show interest in running for the
board last fall. (There are three
candidates from the Mist-
Birkenfeld area that chose to
run at this time.) That seems to
imply that they didn’t stand a
chance at this election. It is
their prerogative to run for a
position when they feel ready.
About the candidate flyer
that was circulated, I was con
cerned enough to find out who
had paid for the flyer, as I first
thought it came from the school
district. I wondered at the time
what other tax paying citizens
were thinking. It was explained
in the letters to the editor
March 7 edition, but that was
after some voters had sent in
their ballots.
George Bellingham
Vernonia
(Reminder: Spouses were not
identified; only that they were
teachers. None of the other spous
es was connected to education.)
Candidate
thanks
supporters, family
To the Editor:
I first want to express my
gratitude to my husband and
daughters for their unfailing
support of my efforts on the
Vernonia school board and as
a candidate. My extended fam
ily of Gwins and Keaseys also
actively supported and encour
aged my bid for election to the
Vernonia School Board. There
are many others who helped
whose efforts are greatly ap
preciated. I would also like to
thank the board of directors for
the honor and opportunity to
serve these eight months on
the board, particularly for the
chance to begin to understand
the state legislature. I have
been w arm ed and de ep ly
touched by the expression of
support from people whom I re
spect and admire.
My work, however, has nev
er been about the power and
influence of the board of direc
tors. I have worked harder and
longer that anyone else in the
district to develop and maintain
the Site Council, the one place
where the community can have
direct influence on the imple
mentation of state mandated
changes in education, in an at
tempt to preserve our way of
doing things. I will certainly
continue to do so. Like my fa
ther, who sometimes knew his
PCC students better than his
children, and my aunt and un
cle, who have devoted count
less hours to School District
47J, I am compelled to contin
ue to pursue excellence in edu
cation.
There is much work to be
done. I sincerely hope that Mr.
Hobart can work effectively to
accomplish the business of the
district and that he will find that
work as satisfying and fulfilling
as I have found it.
For the children,
Schanri Nelson
Vernonia
Speaker will discuss
health topics
To the Editor:
Hormones, menopause and
breast cancer are topics that
are on all of our minds from
time to time. From young
women wondering about birth
control to older women reach
ing pre-menopause, or those of
us who have had surgery. Hor
mones control our very lives
and when hormones are bal
anced, we are healthy and feel
good. Hormones that are out of
balance can contribute to many
conditions from PMS to en
dometriosis, ovarian cysts, fi
brocystic breast and, yes,
breast cancer and prostate
cancer, just to mention a few.
Poor diet, stress and environ
ment have been known to ef
fect one’s ability to produce
hormones.
Every one of us in our life
time will know somebody who
will get breast cancer, either
mom, grandmother, sister,
aunt, daughter or a good
friend. Studies say that one in
eight women will get some
form of breast cancer. A large
percentage of breast and
prostate cancer is caused by
hormone imbalances.
Dr. David Zava, internation
ally known speaker, will be pre
senting his lecture on hormone
imbalances and breast cancer.
Dr. Zava is an expert on the
subject of hormones and
breast cancer, and is tireless in
his effort to educate people in
the dangers of hormone imbal
ances. He has agreed to come
to Vernonia and present his in
formation (not to mention he’s
my boss and I’ve asked him to
come). Watch in the next is
sues of this paper for the exact
time and location.
Dr. David Zava, internation
ally known speaker, will be pre-
Please see page 16