25 years ago this week — 1999

PENDLETON — As a young boy, Tim Kissner knew two things for sure —he wanted to move away from his hometown of Juneau, Alaska, and baseball, not a dog sled, would be his ride out.

“Baseball was always my true love,” he said.

So intense was his passion he didn’t mind playing in the all-dirt field among the snow banks.

Kissner left Juneau when he packed his bags to play left field for Mendocino Junior College before wrapping up his collegiate career at Oregon State University – where he won academic all-Pac-10 honors — and moving to Pendleton, where his family relocated in 1991.

“I knew I was a pretty good player when I was younger and I knew I had to get out (of Juneau),” Kissner said. “That was a big thing for me, and I knew that’s what I needed to do.”

His hard work and dedication to the sport he loves is uprooting him once more, even though Kissner has no true desire to leave the area.

After barely cashing in his last check from the Philadelphia Phillies, Kissner is now employed by the Cleveland Indians.

No, the 28-year-old Kissner wasn’t traded and he won’t be patrolling left field at Jacobs Field anytime soon. Instead, he will be using his skills to ensure the Indians will never run out of telnet. Kissner has been named area supervisor of scouts in Northern Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.

———

They are usually a familiar sight. The usually long and narrow, unassuming structures are most often found in small towns and at remote cultural crossroads. They are the sites of potlucks, pie socials, square dances and Extension Service meetings — a network of rural social life, and a hub of activity in many farming communities. They are the local Grange halls.

While at first glance it may appear to an outsider that the Grange is a dying institution, according to Umatilla County Grange officials that is not the case: Granges are alive and well. And not only are they still kicking, they are looking to the future to see how they can touch the next generation.

“We are up and going,” said Gail Wilson, secretary of the White Eagle Grange, located halfway between Pendleton and Pilot Rock on Highway 395.

“The Grange is the only (fraternal) organization you can belong to that you can bring your whole family. We really push family values. There’s nothing we do in the Grande that we can’t bring our kids with us.”

Even though the majority of the 87 members of the White Eagle Grange are 60 to 80 years old, Gail, 41, and her husband Roger, 46, see a bright future for the Grange there and statewide.

———

PENDLETON — Area residents could be doing impressions of their favorite Hans Christian Anderson characters by Thanksgiving if a proposal to build an ice-skating rink in Pendleton becomes a reality.

The Pendleton Millennium Celebration Committee has presented a project proposal for constructing a portable 35-foot by 100-foot ice-skating rink in the parking lot of the McCune Recreation Center.

One group that has already shown its support for the $70,000 project is the Pendleton Rotary Club, which last week committed $10,000 to the skating rink’s purchase.

“This is a good project for the city,” said Rotary President Dr. Nicholas Ramirez. “We’ll donate $10,000 now and hopefully they can’t raise the other $60,000 from other service organizations.”

Ramirez noted the television audience for international figure skating competitions has grown and a skating rink in town would provide children with a winter sports activity.

That was the goal of the Millenium Celebration Committee when members began researching portable skating rinks for use during the city’s year ending gala event.

50 years ago this week — 1974

A 29-year-old Canadian cowboy from Carseland, Alta., would like nothing better than to overcome the odds and be the all around titleist at this week’s 63rd annual Pendleton Round-Up.

Lee Phillips won the all around title at the Lewiston, Idaho, Roundup Sunday by virtue of being the only waddie to place in two events. Other cowboys made more money, but only in one event.

The odds against winning the all around crown at two consecutive rodeos are great. And the Pendleton Round-Up title, as at Lewiston, goes to the cowboy who makes the most money and places in two events.

The odds also are heightened at Pendleton by the number of entrants — a whopping 350 — for the show that opens officially at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday but technically got under way today with a go-round of timed events.

Phillips won $389 at Lewiston — $203.85 for third place in the second go-round of steer wrestling at 4185.54 for third place in the second go-round of calf roping.

Other leading money winners at Lewiston, all expected to compete at Pendleton:

Russel McCall, Myrtle Point, Ore., $639 in bareback bronc riding.

Richard Stowers, Madill, Okla., $834 in calf roping.

Dave Brock, Goodland, Kan., $611 in steer wrestling.

———

A bunch of tough steers came out ahead in the first go-round of the 63rd annual Pendleton Round-Up Tuesday. At the end of the go-round, the score stood: steers 42, cowboys 22.

Translated, that means that nearly 70 percent of the 64 steer ropers who sought a piece of the $8,550 offered in the event wound up with no time. The second go-round began this morning and will be continued during this afternoon’s show.

Among competitors who were successful, there were some good times. John Dalton of Federal, Wyo., roped his steer in 14.4 seconds to win $665. Former world champion Walt Arnold of Silverton, Texas, picked up $553 for a second-place time of 17.4

Trailing the top two were Jo Jo Talbot of Walla Walla, 18.7; Jim Moore of Midwest, Wyo., 20.3; and Charles Good of Elida, N.M., 21.1

Cohorn of Las Crusas, N.M., who clocked 10.6 seconds to earn $662. Second place and $515 Kellmer of Spokane, who was timed in 11.7

———

Twelve years ago Lou Levy, then a director of the Pendleton Round-Up, decided a way should be provided to take all the photographs they wanted of Indian maidens in their native costumes.

Out of his brainstorm came the Junior Indian Beauty pageant, held each Thursday during Round-Up week at Roy Raley Park for girls 12 and under.

Thursday Sarah Minthron, a 10-year-old beauty from Pendleton, was named the winner from a field of 64 contestants. She was awarded a Pendleton blanket and a watch.

A fifth grader at Sherwood Heights School, Sarah is the daughter of Caroline Brock and Doug Minthorn, both Pendleton.

Second place honors went to 10-year-old Babette Cowapoo, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Al Taylor, Pendleton. Third was awarded to Verna Barkley, 10, daughter of Martina Quempts, Pendleton. Both received watches.

Each contestant received a gift donated by Pendleton merchants.

Sarah is an avid reader. The past year as a member of a 4-H horsemanship club, she competed in shows at Union, Milton-Freewater and Hermiston.

The beauty contestants were judged equally on their poise and beauty, and on their outfits. Sarah’s mother attributes much of the poise she displayed in Thursday’s contest to the discipline required in the horsemanship and showmanship competitions. “They have to sit on their horse for 45 minutes at a time,” she remarked.

100 years ago this week — 1924

An alleged “bogus” organization of ex-service men, styled the National Disabled Soldier League, Inc., the principal business of which, according to the Pacific Legion, is to separate citizens from hard coin under a plea that the money for the use of disabled veterans , is said to be in Pendleton.

Several local people are said to have given money for lead pencils. An article in the September number of the Pacific Legion, the mouthpiece of the American Legion in Oregon, stated that five pencils were being sold by the league for one dollar, but the price is said to have been raised for local lead pencils, and only two are being sold for one dollar.

Following is the story that was carried by the Pacific Legion:

“John T Nolan, self-styled commander of the National Disabled Soldier League, Inc. which, to the best of our information, consists of the above-mentioned Mr. Nolan and two or three grafting confederates, are flooding the state of Oregon with appeals for money under the guise of helping disabled veterans. Accompanying a cleverly worded curricular, well designed to gain the sympathy of the unsuspecting reader, is a package of five pencils. These professional beggars who are trading on the misfortune of our wounded comrades do not ask for charity – they only ask you to send one dollar in payment for these pencils which probably cost less than five cents wholesale!”

———

For the first time in the history of Pendleton, government planes in formation flight will fly over the city when on Saturday, September 20, the final day of the 1924 Round-Up, 15 planes bearing 30 officers, will fly above local streets between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon.

The planes, 10 of which will come from Vancouver Barracks and five from Camp Lewis, will arrive here Friday afternoon and will be commanded by Lieutenant Oakley Kelly, who is in charge of the air squadron and reserves at Vancouver. Lieutenant Kelly won world-wide recognition as the first flier to make a non-stop flight from coast to coast, making the flight in company with Lieutenant McCready. Local Legionnaires are assisting in making arrangements to house the officers.

The visit of the airplanes here is not to be confused with that of commercial machines. The flights will be actual government test flights made by government planes.

———

Twelve years ago a young cowpuncher drifted into Pendleton just previous to the opening of the already famous Pendleton Round-Up. He had his boots, a pair of dungaree breeches with a portion of the seat intact, the shirt on his back, and a pair of worn chaps. Beyond that and an unlimited amount of nerve, he was “slick.” As he roosted up on the arena fence with fellow hands watching tryouts of bucking horses he wondered where dinner money was coming from, not to mention the price of entry fees in the contests of the cowland classic.

Today Hoot Gibson, now of Los Angeles, is roosting on the same arena fence he started from twelve years ago, watching the boys wrangle the bucking horses. But the years it took to bring him back to Pendleton have carried him far, and it is with fame and no small degree as a motion picture star he brought this entire company from Hollywood to help put over the cowboy competitions that made him.