On July 26 I received from my stepmother, Joyce Hoffman, a copy of the article your paper ran announcing the building of the second Cellular Plus at S.W. Ninth and Dorion Ave.

The line I found interesting was the location of the new construction being situated on the lot formerly occupied by an old gas station that had been torn down. Interesting phraseology to describe a business that from 1950-1975 was an integral part of Pendleton, the business community, sporting events, Round-Up and all the people involved over all those years.

My father, Johnnie Hoffman, was the owner/manager of that old gas station. In that there are few, if any, of his contemporaries around to represent those years, allow me to briefly breathe some life into the old gas station phrase.

I am his son, Jack Hoffman (PHS 1953). My brother, Ron Hoffman (PHS 1963) and I grew up working in that station. Both of us can safely say that the old gas station was the key financial linchpin helping to get us through college.

During those years my father served a large part of the community with his service-driven business. He cared about his customers, which included at one time or another the police chief, fire chief and the head Indian chief Clarence Burke.

Dad also had the state police account along with state and local offices. He dealt with farmers and ranchers as well as PGG, Cunningham Sheep Company and the Brown logging trucks. Over the 25 years there were many more businesses along with the hundreds of individual customers, young and old, who knew doing business with my father insured the care of their automobiles.

Each September the station became a parking lot for many of the cowboys entered in the Round-Up. It was also at the station that one day, when they shot the flag up to announce the days opening, the flag landed on the station roof and no, I did not get it. While running for the ladder some guy jumped on top of one of the pumps and on to the roof to claim that coveted prize.

In 1938 our family moved to Pendleton from Wallace, Idaho, where Dad played baseball in the mining league. During those hard times, his ability to play the game kept food on our table and the wolf away from the door. Dad was recruited by a committee from Pendleton who wanted to start a baseball team. Dad accepted with his playing ball for the Elks or a city team for the next 15 years. In conjunction with his ball-playing years Dad made many friends from surrounding communities and the Umatilla Indian Reservation, with many of these becoming customers. That old gas station was the place to get your car gassed, serviced and talk baseball.

In those days the highway from Portland to Boise ran down Dorion through the middle of town, past the Alta theater and police station, up the old viaduct and on to Cabbage Hill. Pendleton was the natural first gas stop from Portland. I remember many people who, on a regular basis, made that trip stopping to gas up and see Johnnie.

Each elk and deer season the hunters were lined up for a block to get gas and propane. Again, many of the same out-of-town customers were repeats year after year.

The bottom line: When an elderly person passes away you dont dismiss the death with: old man dies, soon to be replaced by a new one. Pendleton is a town of history and the people who made it so. Yes buildings, businesses come and go. That is the way of it, but when each goes some history also goes with it along with the folks who were involved in being a part of that passing.

Last lesson. It was not a gas station, but rather a service station.

All ghosts have been exorcised. Cellular Plus can safely move into their new building, but they should not be surprised if, from time to time, they hear the words, Regular or Ethyl followed by the running of a pump.

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Jack J. Hoffman now lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho.