100 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

May 26, 1920

Pendleton Rotary Club will receive its charter at 6 o’clock this evening with Clinton Williams, district governor of the 22nd district, officiating. The new organization was founded a month ago with 25 members and the formal presentation of the charter will be witnessed by eight visitors who arrived this morning from Portland, and 25 Walla Walla Rotarians, who plan to arrive by motor at 5 o’clock. The members and their guests spent the day at Bingham Springs, where the club had luncheon at the springs and followed this with a plunge in the pool. The local organization is already headed for a place as one of the livest clubs in the district.

50 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

May 26, 1970

The White House has told Sen. Henry Jackson that Army nerve gas stored on Okinawa will not be shipped into the Pacific Northwest. The liquid gas munitions will be stockpiled at the Kodiak Naval Station in Alaska, the Seattle Times reported. The plans to move the gas to Umatilla County via the Bangor, Wash., Naval Ammunition Depot had met with strong opposition in the Northwest. It was not known how or when the gas will be shipped to Alaska, but it was reported that President Nixon personally made the decision to shift the new storage area to Kodiak Island.

25 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

May 26, 1995

Just a few years ago, when the call for help came into the fledgling Umatilla Tribal Fire Department, the chief’s voice could be heard over the scanners in reservation homes. He had to hope some volunteer firefighters would hear his message and meet him at the scene. Today, fire Chief Ken Gray laughs when he recalls the idea of using a scanner to alert his crew to an emergency. The firefighters now carry beepers at their sides, a small symbol of how far the department has come. The 3-year-old Umatilla Fire Department has grown into a full-fledged operation serving the reservation community, and ambitious volunteers have turned the station into a department known for its community involvement and life-saving contributions.