PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 26, No. 4
THE
FREE
INDEPENDENT
The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years
February 17, 2011
February, 1996, before flood waters crested at full height.
Mayor Josette Mitchell presents Certificate of Appreciation to tireless volunteer Donna Webb.
Webb honored for many volunteer hours
Donna Webb was given a
certificate of appreciation by
the City of Vernonia at the Feb-
ruary 7 City Council meeting.
Webb has been involved in
many projects and committees
over the years.
Webb moved to Vernonia in
1994. She says she was a shy
sort then, with kids in kinder-
garten and preschool. Her first
volunteer effort was in her
daughter’s first grade class
when she helped the teacher
with work she (Webb) could do
at home. Webb has been a full-
time employee of Providence
Health & Services for the past
30 years, some of the time
working from home.
Next, Webb helped with kids
t-ball and softball teams. She
says her first “public” volunteer
job was as secretary for the
Vernonia Boosters. She said, “I
can sympathize with newcom-
ers to town, as I was one of
them. I used to hear things like,
‘Send it to the usual list’ or
‘Mike can do that or Bill does
that.’ The point being there
were names and lists that I did-
n’t know as a newcomer. It was
very frustrating.”
Every year, Webb took her
daughters with her to “Clean Up
Day”. Once while attending a
fundraiser for Vernonia Pride,
Genny Fisher greeted her very
kindly and commented that she
had noticed Webb and her
daughters in the community.
Webb was flattered and accept-
ed Fisher’s invitation to work on
a Vernonia Pride project – a
float in the local parade. Webb
says, “I went, and the rest is
history. She hooked me in be-
cause she asked me in person
and gave me value. I will never
forget Genny and the wonderful
things she did for me and this
community. I then met many
wonderful ladies including Enid
Parrow, Audeen Wagner, Car-
olyn Keasey, Shirlee Daughtry,
and Dorothy Hass.”
Webb became close to Par-
row, who took over as Vernonia
Pride president when Fisher
moved out of town. Parrow got
Webb involved with the muse-
um where she and Parrow,
“spent many wonderful hours
together, laughing and showing
one another artifacts at the mu-
seum as we cleaned and or-
ganized. Volunteering was, and
should be, rewarding.” Webb
later became museum presi-
dent.
With her children still in
school, Webb joined the high
school site council and worked
on many different school
February, 2011, demolition crew carefully dismantles café.
Landmark café will feed no more
The Country Kitchen restau-
rant, across the street from Ver-
nonia High School, closed after
severe flooding in December,
2007, and never opened again.
Before it became the Coun-
try Kitchen, it was Mario’s, and
before that it was the Pine
Cone Café. It may have had
other names throughout the
years, but that was unimpor-
tant. It fed generations of stu-
dents who grabbed a quick
lunch there, loggers came in for
an early breakfast, oldtimers
gabbed over coffee, and
housewives met for a little con-
versation without kids.
Now it’s gone; memories re-
main, the school will be moved,
and the community looks to the
future.
fundraisers.
Her contact with Daughtry,
from Vernonia Pride, led her to
serve on the board of the Scout
Cabin, where she volunteered
for many years; helping with
decisions and cleaning.
Webb also credits past Ver-
nonia City Administrator Mike
Sykes for recognizing her ea-
gerness to help and “taking her
in” and helping her find scholar-
ships and training through Rur-
al Development Initiatives. Also
as a result, she began to serve
on city committees and says
she learned a great deal there,
See Volunteer on page 5