Page 4
2002 Vernonia Friendship Jamboree
Grand Marshal Bill Hawkins stays close to his home town’s needs
When Bill Hawkins says he’s
a Vernonia native, he means
that he was born in Vernonia,
not simply that his family lived
here at the time he was born.
And, though he no longer lives
here, in many ways, he’s never
left.
Bill lived in Vernonia from
1951, when he was born, until
1960, when his father was
transferred to Tillamook. He
graduated from Tillamook High
School in 1989, then earned
two Bachelor of Science
degrees, in business adminis
tration and in economics.
He returned to Vernonia in
1975, when he bought Ralph
Keasey’s saw shop. He contin
ued to operate the saw shop
and added the NAPA Auto
Parts store, which he operated
until selling it 1988.
During all of those years, he
played softball and worked for
better facilities for local softball
players. Hawkins was one of
the first volunteers to work on
Spencer Field and, over the
years, he has contributed what
he calls “some" equipment.
What he doesn’t say is that he
has really contributed a lot of
time, effort, materials and
money for local softball players.
Most recently, he supplied the
Bill Hawkins
Citizen of the Year Barney Phillips
Barney Phillips
Barney Phillips retired in
1971, at least he sort of semi
retired. He spent many of his
working years as a contractor
specializing
in
residential
subdivisions, where he was
responsible for design, bidding
and building.
A widower, Barney was
exposed to Vernonia in 1994,
when he came out to help a
niece who had bought a home
here.
“I liked what I saw,” he said,
so he moved to Vernonia and
started a cabinet shop in a
rented building. Then, in 1996,
he bought the building where
Sam Hearing had operated a
grocery store for several
decades, and started remodel
ing it into a mini-mall, an
endeavor that never stops.
He also started an annual
visit from Santa Claus, with
treats for every child, an event
he continues to enjoy, along
with the children.
He maintains an office in the
mall, one without doors, and
also sells candy and office
supplies. You can find him most
days at the Bridge Street Mall
and, as he says, people stop by
all the time. He still isn’t retired,
but really doesn’t care.
“I have no regrets,” Barney
says of his decision to start a
major project after the age of
retirement.
Spar
Jamboree
B B -Q
Join cs at The Spar Tree for
a gooa oKriasraonea i s it
July 31 - flag. 4
Thu. 6am-8pm • Fri-Sat 6am-9pm Sun. 7am-6pm
62467 Nehalem Hwy. N, Vernonia
new backstops at Spencer
Field.
He also started the Jam
boree softball tournament 28
years ago, with four men’s
teams. By 1981, the tourna
ment had expanded to include
eight men’s teams and eight
women’s teams. What pleases
Bill most, though, is that of the
16 teams playing in 1981, only
four of them are not still in the
tournament.
“We’ve grown up together,”
Bill says, “and watched our
families grow. Now our kids are
playing and we are playing
less.” How much longer will he
keep playing? He thinks he’ll
probably quit in two more
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Helping the community is
something Bill learned at home.
Hawkins Park is named for his
father, Glen, in appreciation for
his many efforts on behalf of
the community. Glen Hawkins
.worked for Crown Zellerbach.
Bill is now in business with
his brother, Glenn, in North
Plains. Another brother, Byron,
lives in Wisconsin. He and
Mary, his wife of 28 years, have
three grown children. Niki
teaches high school in Beaver
ton, Stan has a specialty
automotive
business, and
Lindsay is studying broadcast
journalism in London, England.
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292 Bridge Street, Vernonia • 503-429-2311
W e K eep A merica R unning