1998 — Electrician apprentice Fritz Stubenraunch of Irrigon tests a compressor circuit under the watchful eye of electrician Roger Schneider of Stanfeild at Hermiston Foods near Hermiston.

25 years ago this week — 1998

The disappearance of Dr. Leroy MeHarry took an even more mysterious twist when the doctor returned to his home in Umatilla Friday afternoon.

MeHarry, 67, was reported missing after failing to show up at his office at the Umatilla Clinic Tuesday morning. A patient of the doctor’s reported seeing MeHarry en route to his office around 7 a.m., but the doctor never arrived.

Investigative efforts coordinated by Umatilla County Sheriff John Trumbo, including an aerial search of the Columbia River in the Umatilla and Boardman areas, failed to turn up any trace of the physician or his vehicle.

MeHarry’s wife, Cathay, said the doctor was very disoriented and confused when he arrived at their residence Friday, and told her he wasn’t certain what had happened.

“When he went off the work Tuesday morning he wasn’t feeling well, but that’s nothing too unusual. He told me he drove to (Good Shepherd Community) hospital to pick up his mail, and the next thing he remembers is waking up in a motel room in Troutdale,” she said. “We don’t know what is going on. For the past five weeks someone has been trying to extort money from us, and I’m thinking my husband may have been drugged somehow.”

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The women are coming.

Within the week, women inmates will arrive at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution for the first time in it’s all-male history.

Desegregating a prison poses challenges. The female inmates must be separated from the male population at all times — even visually.

That has led to an almost complete overhaul of an entire building behind EOCI’s walls. One building, known as the H Unit ,will house the women, their work, their meals, their education and even their exercise room.

It’s amazing, the changes that have come on in such a short time,” said H Unit Manager Lisa Large.

“Really, this does look better than it did a month ago,” said Sgt. Robbery Hutch, who was overseeing male inmates’ work in the H Unit Friday. “They’ve done a great job.”

“We don’t have any space dedicated to any particular use — everything will be multi-use,” explained Pat McKeone, assistant superintendent of program services. “We’re doing everything in two spaces, pretty much.”

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When a group of Hermiston High School students decided to make a point about the effects of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, they wanted it to be dramatic.

And to anyone who saw the Grim Reapers and ghosts haunting classes and hallways at the school Tuesday, it seemed the students succeeded in their aim.

Members of the school’s chapter of Oregon Student Safety on the Move (OSSOM — pronounced “awesome”) held the event, which drew quizzical looks and questions from many students.

Today, in a follow-up assembly about preventing student drinking and substance abuse, everyone found out exactly what those morbidly dressed students represented.

“Someone dies in a car accident where alcohol and drugs were involved every 11 minutes in the United States. That’s 38 people during a school day, so we pulled 38 people out of classes,” said Jan Levy, a Hermiston High counselor and advisor to the OSSOM group.

50 years ago this week — 1973

Frank Tubbs of Adams was reelected president of the Pendleton Round-Up Association at the annual meeting of the association Tuesday night.

The financial report revealed that a net operating profit of $19,636, considerably under the profit of $42,931 in 1972. Reasons for the lower profit included expenditures of $4,800 more for capital improvements in 1973 than the previous year and a loss of $3,523 in a fire that destroyed livestock barns at the Round-Up grounds a month before the 1973 show.

Directors reelected were Bill Fletcher, Don Hawkins and Quentin Rugg. John Williams was elected a director.

Certificates given to non-paid help who have served Round-Up 25 years went to Robert Michael, Jim Michael, Joe B. Green, Glenn Simpson, Marvin Bond, Fred Hill and Bob Howland.

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Remember way back this summer when the tomato plants dried up?

You had better keep a note of that, because as far as the record goes, this year is going down as one of the wettest ever.

The whole thing seems ridiculous since in August and September there were rumblings that the year could be the driest. Rivers were mere mud puddles and creek beds were dry gulches.

But today, after nearly an inch of rain in the last 24-hours, Pendleton has its third wettest growing season on record, according to the National Weather Service at the Pendleton Airport. The wettest year, which seems to be in imminent danger of being surpassed, weathermen say, was in 1899 when the Sept. 1 to Dec. 31 period recorded 8.57 inches.

Rainfall as of 10 a.m. today was 8.19 inches, tying the third all-time mark established in 1897. The second highest rainfall was recorded in 1921 when 8.32 inches fell.

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“I know it is,” said Tom Tucker when asked if inflation was affecting him and his family.

Tucker, 25, cited things from less meat to the cost of Levis to long hair as outgrowths of inflation.

A grain inspector for the State Department of Agriculture, Tucker said he doesn’t do nearly as much for recreation as he did a year ago.

“We have two small kids and my wife doesn’t work. When we do something now it is usually when I get paid.”

“Food is what really put the crimp in it for us. We eat a lot less meat, probably about half as much as we used to. We eat a lot more hamburger and lots of it is in spaghetti or mixed with other food. We rarely eat steaks anymore. A few years ago we used to barbecue quite a bit.”

Tucker also cited the cost of milk. He said with two small children his family goes through about six gallons of milk a week.

Tucker’s main hobbies are hunting and fishing. Asked if that helps the food bill he said, “At certain times.”

Citing steelhead fishing, Tucker said, “Fish is so expensive, when you catch a six or seven-pound steelhead you know you’ve got something.

“I don’t know if it outweighs what you spend on it or not, but it helps some.”

100 years ago this week — 1923

The annual Christmas Turkey Shoot of the Pendleton Rod and Gun club will be held at Collins Park, December 23. This was the decision reached at last night’s meeting of the cloud and at which all arrangements for the big shoot were perfected.

The report of the finance committee showed a profit for the Thanksgiving shoot and those present at last night’s meeting expressed the belief that the Christman shoot would be as successful. The chairman of the house committee was instructed to secure some seats and otherwise provide for the comfort of lady guests at the club house during the progress of the conteste which is expected to last from 10 o’clock in the morning until dark.

An endorsement of the public shooting grounds bill was voted after an extended discussion of the matter. This bill is to be presented to the new congress and as it has been changed to meet the objections of some members of congress who voted against it at the last session, it is believed it will be enacted into a law this time.

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Between 175 and 200 are expected to be present at the monthly membership meeting of the Pendleton Commercial association which will be held tonight in the Elks lodge room. A sinner at 6:30 o’clock sharp will be the first event of the evening and an address by Dr. W. J. Kerr, president of Oregon Agricultural college will feature the evening activities.

The relations that should exist between business men of the county whose business is agricultural and the businessmen of the towns will be discussed under the title, “Town and Country.”

Musical numbers will intersperse the other talks of the evening. A report on the 1925 Happy Canyon show will be given by Rudolph Mollner, business managers, and Roy Raley will speak briefly on the plans of the Pendleton Public Parks commission. The presidents and secretaries of the various commercial organizations of the county have been invited to attend and a number of acceptances have been received.

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Who was the woman whose body was found November 4 in the Columbia River not far from Wallula.

She was not Edna Rogers Pitman, formerly of Richland, Oregon, now a resident of Los Angeles, because photographs taken of her in Los Angeles and reviewed here yesterday have been positively identified. The identity was established when Deputy Sheriff T. B. Buffinton took the photographs to Echo where Mrs. Claude Scrivner and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Markham positively identified them as being likenesses of the Edman Pitman who lived at Echo a year ago.

After the fact has been established that Edma Pitman is alive and that therefore her husband, Elgin Pitman, could not be guilty of her murder, orders were sent from here yesterday by telegraph by Deputy Sheriff Buffington to Los Angeles for the release of Pitman from jail were he has been held for a week or more on a charge of his wife’s murder.

The remains of the women that were taken from the river have been held here by the coroner, but District Attorney R. I. Keator said this morning that he intended to instruct the coroner to inter the body.