Indian Education Program Parent Committee Applicants Sought

Applications are being taken through April 9 for the Lincoln County School District’s Indian Education Program Parent Committee. Ballots will be counted on Wednesday, April 11. Staff and current parent committee members nominated LCSD parents, high school students, a teacher, and a high school counselor to be placed on the ballot. Parents of Native American students enrolled in school may submit nominations to add to the ballot by calling Patty Paul at 541-444-1100 or by sending an e-mail to Pat Whetstone at pwhetstone@q.com by April 9. Of the nominees, those with the most votes will be elected to serve in the two-year positions. The LCSD Indian Education Program serves all Native American students enrolled in the district. The program is designed to meet the special educational and culturally-related academic needs of Indian students. The objective of the parent committee is to assist the school district in bringing about the most effective Indian Education program possible and achieving program objectives. Elections are held annually, with the parent committee having nine to 18 members.

All parents/guardians of Native American youth, teachers, classified staff (except Indian Education staff), and enrolled Indian Education high school students are eligible to serve on the committee and vote in the election. Ballots will be available at the Siletz School Library on April 11. If you are eligible to vote but cannot get to the Siletz School Library on April 11, contact the Indian Education Specialist for your school to get a ballot. For Toledo Junior/Senior High and all Newport and Waldport schools, contact Ann Goddard at 541-265-9281 or ann.goddard@lincoln.k12.or.us. For all Lincoln City schools, contact Juanita Whitebear at 541-996-2115 or Juanita.whitebear@lincoln.k12.or.us. For all other schools, contact Patty Socha-Paul at 541-444-1100 or patty.socha@lincoln.k12.or.us. In order for ballots to be counted, they must be returned to your Indian Education Specialist before 2 p.m. on April 11. For more information, contact Patty Paul at 541-444-1100 or Clint Raever, Toledo Junior/Senior principal and Indian Education program administrator at 541-336-5104.

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Obituary for Kathleen Joyner of Toledo

Kathleen P. Joyner, 69, of Toledo died of cancer March 16 at her home. She was born Oct. 25, 1942, to David Phillip Porterfield Jr. and Jean Davis Porterfield in Falls Church, Va. Kathleen received her degree in English from Radford College for Women and then taught high school. In 1966, she married Larry H. Joyner and gave birth to John David and Christopher Michael. The family moved to Kansas, where Kathleen was co-owner of Vichee’s Restaurant with her husband. She was preceded in death by her mother and father; and her mother-in-law, Claudia M. Joyner. She is survived by her husband; sons; grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and father-in-law, Andrew F. Joyner. She was a member of the Toledo Church of Christ. Arrangements by Bateman Funeral Home.

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Two Appointed to Council as Third Vacancy Created

Larry Davis and Terri Strom take their seats on the Toledo City Council as Mark Camara (R) prepares to leave

Terri Strom and Larry Davis were appointed to fill two vacancies on the Toledo City Council Wednesday. Meanwhile, the longest serving member of the council, Mark Camara, announced his resignation, in preparation for taking new employment overseas. The vacancies filled April 4 were created by the council’s appointment of Councilor Ralph Grutzmacher as Mayor February 15 following the resignation for health reasons of Mayor Monica Lyons. Grutzmacher was originally appointed to council September 15, 2010, to fill the seat vacated by Mary Young, who moved out of the city limits. The other vacancy was created by the surprise resignation of Franki Trujillo-Dalbey the same night. She had been elected to a four-term term in November 2010.

Strom is the owner of Toledo Ace Hardware and is currently in her third term as President of the Toledo Planning Commission. She was first appointed in 2008. She also serves as President of the Toledo Main Street board of directors. A Toledo native, Strom said in her application she believes the council would be strengthened by having a life-time resident of the city among its members. “As a member of the Main Street program, I believe that maintaining a ‘hometown feel’ is important” and wants also to ensure that residents are “well-informed and prepared for the changes ahead.” During an interview session before the appointments, Strom told the council,  ”I have learned if you want to make a difference you have to get involved,” something she said she learned from her father, Larry Hart, who was City Manager for 20 years.

Davis is a member of the city’s Public Utilities Commission, and a 20-year veteran at Georgia-Pacific, where he works as an engineering manager. He has been a resident of Toledo for 19 years, and is active in Boy Scout Troop 30 and the Toledo Arts Guild. Davis said he would “like to help the council make decisions that can optimize and improve the City of Toledo.” Also, during his interview, Davis said his work as an engineer will help bring additional diversity to the council. “When you have a diverse group of people you are able to draw on different experiences,” he said.

With Camara’s pending resignation, the council is left with only two of its members serving by having stood for election, Jack Dunaway in 2010 and Nancy Lynne  in 2008. The other members, and the Mayor, are all appointees, through a process required under city charter when vacancies occur. Davis was appointed to the seat that expires in December 2012, Strom to the seat that expires in December 2014.

(Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Strom’s first name)

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Historical Society Needs Clues on Mystery Photos

Photo: Lincoln County Historical Society

Steve Wyatt, executive director of the Lincoln County Historical Society, is trying to solve a “history mystery” and is asking the public for help. On a recent visit to the Newport Post Office, a clerk handed Wyatt a World War II era photo album page that someone had left in the post office lobby four months earlier. No one had come back to claim it, and postal workers were not sure what to do with it. Wyatt said because there is no apparent local connection, the album page may not fit into the Society’s collection mission. However. “We would collect something like this…if it could be documented that it belonged to a local person who served in the war,” Wyatt said.

Photo: Lincoln County Historical Society

His research leads him to think the photos were probably taken shortly after World War II, most likely at the liberation of the notorious Mauthausen-Gusin concentration camp in Passau, Lower Bavaria, Germany.

The clue was a snapshot of what appears to be a uniformed US soldier next to a directional street sign for “Passau” and “Deggendorf.” Other pictures show a mass funeral with two long rows of simple wooden caskets on freshly dug dirt. “This page should either go back to its rightful owner or to a museum that is focused on World War II, concentration camps, or the history of this region of Germany,” Wyatt said. Anyone with information on or questions about this album page should contact Wyatt at the Lincoln County Historical Society, 541-265-7509.

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Obituary for James Neal of Newport

James B. Neal, 84, of Newport, died April 1, 2012. He was born July 13, 1927 to James and Helen Neal. His family said, “As a youngster, James helped his family take care of their farm in Logsden. When he was 18 years old, James joined the Army and served for two years. Upon his return to Oregon, he met and married Mary Jones. James was a logger, working in remote camps in Oregon and Alaska. His favorite memories were of his days logging in Alaska and he would share those memories over and over with family and friends. The extended Neal family would grow to include people from Alaska to Oregon, his 2nd Family at the Timbers Restaurant, and many others.” James was preceded in death by his brother Ernie, his sisters Patty and Edith, his daughter Patricia, and three grandchildren; Danelle, Jimmy and Cody. James is survived by his wife of 65 years Mary; his sons Mike (Pat) Neal, Bill (Kathy) Neal, Jerry (Anne) Neal, his daughters Linda (Jesse) Cave, Donna (Eugene) Roggenstein, Denise (Tom) Runions, Michelle Duty, Julie Skelly, Dorothy Neal, Tracy (Larry Silkett) Neal, Kelly (Herb) Smith, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A celebration of James’ life will be held at the Newport Visual Arts Center in Nye Beach on Saturday, April 7, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

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