Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2003)
The INDEPENDENT. October 16. 2003 beat the competition at national spelling bee Vernonia residents Carol Sawyer and Tobie Finzel placed first and third, respec tively at the eighth annual finals of the National Senior Spelling Bee in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Sept. 20. Sawyer became the second UNLIMITED 56K INTERNET F o r in fo r m a tio n call 503-429-2701 w w w .a g a lis.n e t Vemonian to win first prize in the event, following in the foot steps of Audeen Wagner, who took top honors in 2000. The second place winner was David Lerner of Wyoming. In fact, the last four contestants were the two Oregon women and two Wyoming men, all of whom enjoyed kidding about an inter-state rivalry. After placing second in state competition in 1999, Wagner decided to try again, and won the national championship. She was hooked and, in 2001, initi ated a spelling bee at the Ver- D aily S pecials P lus ... F riday F ish S pecial on A dvance O rder O pen 6 d a ys a w eek 9 A .M . - 9 P.M C lo s e d T u e s d a y 6 2 4 6 5 N e h a le m Hwy. N, V e rn o n ia 503-429-0191 family. After her children were grown, she worked as a med ical transcriptionist. Sawyer grew up in oil camps in Latin America, was sent to a boarding school in Arizona when she was 14, has traveled extensively and lived in several countries. She is divorced, homes are filled with books, they consider dictionaries a ne cessity and they all like to play with language. Audeen Wagner when Sawyer won after a long tie-breaking session with Finzel, who took first this year. After the local contests, con testants may go-to state com petition, if they wish. The selec tion process is informal be cause the event is meant to be enjoyable, not stressful. Until contestants place first, they may continue to enter the con tests. Once having placed first, they may no longer compete at that level, though they may en ter higher level competitions. The three women have very different backgrounds: Wagner was born and raised in eastern Oregon and studied medical technology in college, then left school to marry and raise a The Spar Tree P ies T o G o nonia Senior Center. The first year was fun; the second year was more fun, Tobie Finzel Carol Sawyer teaches adult classes in Span ish and writing, and is a free lance editor. Finzel, a third generation Oregonian, grew up in Port land, attended Portland State University with a major in Cen tral European Studies and earned a degree in Russian. She has also traveled a lot. She is married and free-lances as a consultant on computer securi ty for financial institutions. But what makes a speller? Do these three have any thing in common? Oh, yes! They all read — a lot; their Crossword puzzles are a com m on denom inator: Saw yer's favorite is the Saturday Stinker, Finzel does them whenever she has time and Wagner says a day “doesn’t start without a crossword.” They all play Scrabble — with varying degrees of compe tency — sometimes playing for points and sometimes playing with the words. They all love music, too...es pecially the genre called “jazz," which, like language, has inter woven intricacies. A n d th e y can spell solilo quizer, bourgeois, glossolalia and interdigitation. Forest Resources Directory MIKE PIHL LOGGING CO., INC. CPORK SPECIALIZING IN PRIVATE TIMBER FREE ESTIMATES 34515 S W Tualatin Valley Hwy • Cornelius 503-648-1254 • Fax 503-640-5858 503-429-1470 Mobile: 503-789-1268 • Fax: 503-429-0252 k 1010 Bridge Street • P.O. Box 321 Vernonia, OR 97064 B anks L umber C o . L ocally O wned & O perated D an P hillips L og B uyer 162 Commerce P. O. Box 8 Banks, OR 97106 Ofc: (503) 324-2681 Cell: (503) 702-2560 Fax: (503) 324-1782 www.tvipowerandsports.com TVI is your equipment headquarters offering sales, parts and services for all your power equipment needs. TOKO £7 S T IH L ® ' TURNER LOGGING, INC. SPECIALIZING IN THINNING OPERATIONS _ 503-324-2786 Office Chip Yard 503-728-2817 503-324-2787 F ax F ax 503-728-2627 P.O. Box 369 • B anks , OR 97106 JONSERED • HU8QVARNA • TROY-BILT Sales & Service Saws • Mowers • Trimmers • Tillers Accessories & Logger Supplies 503-429-1011 717 Rose Ave., V e rn o n ia F red B ergerson L ogging OREGON PROFESSIONAL LOGGER No job too big No job too small We log ’em all Thinning Specialist Your Timber M anaged to Your Needs 43995 NW Caldwell Ln. Banks, OR 97106 5 0 3 -3 2 4 -0 2 2 9 5 0 3 -4 2 9 -6 7 8 3 L. JEPSON & SONS, L.L.C C ontract L ogging H auling • R oad B uilding TRIPLE 8 SERVICE 5 0 3 -4 2 9 -8 1 8 0 13794 Clear Creek Road, Vernonia, OR 97064 B IG H O R N L O G G IN G CORPORATION L O G G IN G CO., INC. SINCE 1981 ROAD BUILDING • RIGHT OF WAYS LOGGING IN OREGON & WASHINGTON WE BUY TIMBER 854 Grant Ave. • P.O. Box 127 • Vernonia, OR 97064 • 503-324-2422 VERNONIA, OREGON
