Fall Newsletter 2018

​Yoncalla Alumni Association
P. O. Box 925
Yoncalla, OR  97499
 
Autumn 2018
            Greetings from the Home of the Eagles!
            As you will recall, Yoncalla High School received two state seismic grants totaling nearly three million dollars.  Those dollars went to work over the summer beginning the seismic retrofitting process. The seismic project has been broken into two phases with phase one nearly completed over the summer.  In phase one, structural upgrades included shear walls, new windows replacing the old glass block windows on the east side of the building, expansion of the office area with a secure entrance to the main building and a new roof.  Phase two is almost set to begin and it will include structural improvements to the gym and the Little Theater.  Also, during Phase two, the “stage” area will be lowered and the shop area will be expanded.  Phase two is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2019.  The school district added district money to upgrade the building’s heating system allowing for individual classrooms to regulate their own heat.  The seismic retrofitting process has improved the appearance of the building (especially on the east side) yet the building maintains that special charm that we have all known since the early 1950’s.  The elementary building, remember, also received a $1.5M seismic grant and that work was completed about a year ago. In addition to the added safety of the building, it too significantly improved its appearance.
            The All-School reunion last August enjoyed perfect weather delighting another very nice turnout of Eagles.  The All-School reunion does not come to be without the organizing efforts of Kay VanKrevelin (60).  Kay is always interested in any assistance that we can give her . . . if you can help, please contact her at 541-672-8259.  The All-School reunions are always scheduled for the second Sunday of August, so mark your calendar today.
            As we kick-off our campaign for the solicitation of scholarship funds for next year’s graduation class, I would like to reflect upon the ongoing and growing generosity of the YHS alumni base and related family and friends.  The Yoncalla Alumni Association awarded about $16,000 in scholarship money to the Class of 2018.  Added to previous awarded scholarships, the Yoncalla Alumni Association has granted nearly $98,000 to graduating seniors, in scholarship money, during the past seven years.  Think about that . . . $98,000 . . . what an amazing and truly wonderful gift of giving back to this small community!  What other small community of similar demographics is matching this kind of generosity.  Thank you all!!  You will see on the contribution form, another Memorial scholarship added in the name of Bill Lasswell.  His family has established an annual $1,000 scholarship and welcome your contributions in Bill’s name.
            We, the Yoncalla Alumni Association, have created our own website.  You may access it through a link on the Yoncalla School District’s website or go directly to: yoncallaalumniassociation.org.  At this time, the website is not compatible with mobile devices.  We will work to correct this issue.  However, the website works fine from your PC.  You will find a current newsletter on the website.  If you are currently receiving a hard copy of the newsletter but prefer to access it on the website, please let us know to drop you from our mailing list.  As we reduce the number of hard copies of the newsletter, the more dollars we can direct into student scholarships.  This allows us to reduce our printing (the Yoncalla School District generously pays the printing costs) and mailing expenses.  The website also has a “donation” button to allow you to make your contribution online, if you prefer.  Be sure please, if you choose to make an online contribution, that you also complete the page requesting your identifying information so that we can record each contribution as it comes in and mail to you the “thank you” card.  I am looking for a smooth transition to the online contribution form but will not be surprised to have to iron out a few kinks along the way.  Please be patient with us!
                                                                                    Terry Duncan (69)
                                                                                    President, YAA
 
                                                                       Where Eagles Land
             It is time again to take a peek at some of our alumni and see what they have been up to since their graduation and give them an opportunity to reflect back on their interesting days at YHS.  We are grateful for their participation and their willingness to share some of their biographical information.  Regrettably, because of space, we are not able to include all the information that was shared with me.  To Max, Marlow and Lola, a special thank you for agreeing to being a part of the story for this newsletter edition.
 
YHS Graduate Max Norris – Class of 1970
                His entire secondary education was spent at Yoncalla High School finally culminating with a 1970 diploma for Max Norris.  A health condition prevented Max from participating in the team sports but he was looking forward to wrestling in high school only to see the sport “dropped” as he became a freshman.  During his senior year, however, Max served as a staff photographer for the Eagle yearbook.
                Exciting moments were sprinkled throughout Max’s high school days.  With his close friends, Randy Cady and Joe Gordon, Max recalls having “a boot full of firecrackers” and while in English class, one of his classmates lit one of the firecrackers and rolled it under the door surprising teacher Doug Carl.  For whatever reason (and Max didn’t share this part) Max immediately caught the ire of Mr. Carl and was instantly marched down to the principal’s office only to be saved by his loyal classmates after convincing Mr. Carl that the firecracker came from the hallway into the classroom.  Facing an assured principal imposed consequence, now spared by pardon, Max had been “sweatin bullets”!
                Max expressed his gratitude for the small classes and especially his shop classes at Yoncalla High School. He would like to give a “shout out” to the board members (while he was in high school) approving the expansion of the shop facility and the vocational curriculum.  In fact, Max told me he is pleased to see the current vocational direction at YHS.  Max counts as his post-secondary education the two years in the LCC Diesel Tech program; three years as an electrical apprentice; many different seminars; and his 45 years in the School of Hard Knocks.
                Given his training, Max worked as an equipment operator, rock crusher foreman, truck driver and as a service tech for rock crusher repair eventually becoming a self-employed crusher repairman.  His work has taken him to 45 of the 50 states, large expanses of both Canada and Mexico in addition to another half dozen foreign countries.
                Max married Angeline Scheidemantel and they have two daughters: Heather, living in Oakland, Oregon and working for the VA and Heidi, working as a nurse in Tennessee.  Their foster son, Alex, also lives in Tennessee and is employed as an auto mechanic.  Max and Angeline have returned to the nest and currently reside in Yoncalla.
 
YHS Graduates Marlow Fullbright (52) and Lola (Highley) Fullbright (56)
                Who knows . . . but if not for Marvin Highley’s friendship with Marlow, Marlow and Lola may be telling a very different story today.  Marvin’s relationship, as we can see, was the common component drawing Marlow and Lola together.
                Marlow began attending YHS in 1948 and graduated in 1952 earning the Valedictorian distinction . . . all at the age of 15!  His special friends included Reggie Powell, Marvin Highley, Sammy Latham, Bill Boucock, Pauline Rychard and Dick Kingery. Marlow fondly reflects upon his memories of YHS and counts himself fortunate to have had two exceptional teachers motivating him to do well in school – Leroy Hansen and P. Smith.  While he played baseball during his junior and senior years, Marlow was particularly active in student government during all four years of high school.
                Lola began high school in 1952and graduated in 1956 . . . never missing a day of school – four years of PERFECT ATTENDANCE!  Biology was her favorite class and she especially enjoyed the local field trips.  Their biology class would collect local Amebas, Parameciums and Algae and sometimes those field trips included a stop at her house providing a class opportunity to sample her mother’s freshly baked cookies.  Being friends with everyone, Lola was particularly close to Melba Boan, Minnie Daggs, Bonnie Ulbricht, Janice Gordon and Janette Gillum.  Lola appeared to completely immerse herself in the YHS experience being a part of student government, newspaper, cheer squads, majorette, office staff, Prom queen and a member of many different athletic teams.  Perhaps Lola’s greatest YHS disappointment occurred when funding for girls sports was withdrawn from school budgets.  Enjoying the active participation and the competitiveness induced by sports, many girls lost special athletic opportunities before Title IX.
                While neither Marlow nor Lola attended college, both attended various seminars related to their jobs.  Marlow worked for his father in the woods following his high school graduation, drove log truck and co-owned the Harvest Logging Company with Reggie Powell.  After entering equipment sales, he and Lola eventually owned their own equipment sales company.  Marlow seems to have really enjoyed this line of work for he retired three time only to reenter the sales world again and again.  Finally, Marlow retired from sales, for good, after working for the Precision-Husky Corporation serving as their western states sales manager.  Lola, in addition to her experience of owning a sales equipment company, also worked for US Bank at the Drain branch right out of high school.  Later Lola transferred to the Cottage Grove branch and eventually retired from the US Bank branch in Bend in 1987.
                After starting their adult life in Yoncalla, Marlow and Lola have also lived in Cottage Grove, Bend and Magalia, California and have returned and been living in Yoncalla since 2006.
                All three daughters for Marlow and Lola have graduated from Cottage Grove High School.  Marla Wiley lives in Yoncalla having retired from USDA while Valarie Fullbright teaches at an alternative school in Mariposa, California.  Living in Cheshire, Oregon and driving a school bus for the Bethel School District in Eugene, is Cheryl Janisch.
                                                          
                                                                  Yoncalla Alumni Association
                                                                         Board of Directors
                                                                Terry Duncan (69) – President
                                                            Carl Van Loon (75) – Vice President
                                                             Betty (Tucker) Duncan – Secretary
                                                         Stella (Rychard) Myers (70) – Treasurer
                                                           Nancy (Cox) Benzel (69) – Member
                                                                Rob Bragg (67) – Member

                                2018 Graduating Seniors Share $16,000 in YAA Scholarship Dollars
Ted Wickman (Umpqua Community College) – YAA General Scholarship; Quentin Rychard Memorial Scholarship; and Devin Duncan Memorial Scholarship
Kelli Conopa (Western Oregon University) – YAA General Scholarship
Jamie Glenn (Linn-Benton Community College) – YAA General Scholarship; Don Kingery Memorial Scholarship; J. R. Van Loon Memorial Scholarship
Olivia Cardillo (Umpqua Community College) – YAA General Scholarship
Ben Simons (Umpqua Community College) – YAA General Scholarship; Quentin Rychard Memorial Scholaship and Devin Duncan Memorial Scholarship
Nic Johnston (Oregon Technology Institute) – Don Kingery Memorial Scholarship; Quentin Rychard Memorial Scholarship; and Devin Duncan Memorial Scholarship
Aubri Timmons (Umpqua Community College) – Bill Lasswell Memorial Scholarship; Charlotte Wise Memorial Scholarship
 
                                                             Recapping All 2018 Contributions
 
Honorary Contributions:
Susan (Cowan) Skirvin (58) – Yakima, WA;   Carl and Kathy VanLoon (75) – Yoncalla;   Roy Pond (64) – Springfield;   Jim Hudson (59) – Salem;   Claudia (Bowman) Hutto (61) – Yoncalla;   Patricia (Coggswell) Kiser (62) – Lake Oswego;   Dave Clark (76) – Sparks, NV;   Barbara (LaMar) McKirdy (50) – Eugene;   George Murdock (Superintendent) – Pendleton;   Jeanette (Dodd) Crites (69) – Roseburg;   Mary (Farrell) Anderson (60) – Newberg;  Sally (Evarts) Long (71) – Yoncalla;  Boyd Duncan (73) – Montpelier, ID;  Randy and Nancy Aultman (teacher/coach/administrator) – Vernonia, OR;  Jim Metz (50) – Eugene, OR;  Pauline Kingery (74) – Yoncalla, OR;  Alma Waters (60) – Yoncalla, OR;  Dick (47) and Arlen (Fast) Gordon (51) – Yoncalla;  Frances Coggswell (55) - Roseburg
 
 
Memorials:
Bill Lasswell (51) by Cheryl (Huntington) Patterson (67) – Myrtle Creek;   Jeanette (Dodd) Crites (69) – Roseburg;   Norval Ritchey (48) – Eugene;   Crystal Hunt – Drain;   Diane Moskal – Salem;   Randy & Kathy Finley – Yoncalla;  Paul & Renota Rich – Madison, SD;   Carey & Sandy Hill – Farrisonville, MO;  Terry (69) & Bonnie (67) Duncan – Yoncalla;   Mary Ellen (Morgan) Lasswell (teacher) – Yoncalla;   Dick (47) & Arlene (Fast) (51) Gordon – Yoncalla;  
 
Harvey Bragg (45) by Doris (Kingery) Means (44) – Yoncalla;   Terry (69) & Bonnie (Dupper) (67) Duncan – Yoncalla; Holly (Fast) Bragg (47) – Yoncalla, OR; Rob Bragg (67) – Yoncalla, OR
 
Stan Snider (56) by Morris Snider (57) – Salem
 
Bill Snider (59) by Morris Snider (57) – Salem
 
Paul Allen (48) by Jim Allen (76) – Sutherlin
 
Pauline (Rychard) Allen (52) by Jim Allen (76) – Sutherlin; Don Rychard (46) - Yoncalla
 
James R. Dodd (35) by Barabra (Dodd) McIntyre (64) – Roseburg
 
Mary (Putman) Crossfield (70)   by Don Crossfield – Roseburg;   Cindy (Payne) Johnsrud (70) – Drain; Max Norris (70) – Yoncalla,
 
Bill Spelgetti (teacher/coach) by Kay VanKrevelen (60) – Roseburg; Teddy Bowman (58) – Renton, WA
 
Vicki (Crites) Duncan (71) by Nina Duncan – Yoncalla;  Rick (71) and Betty (Tucker) Duncan (75) – Yoncalla,OR;  Sally Farrell-Flores (71) – Salem;  John Duncan (75) – Nine Miles Falls, WA
 
Ray Benzel (69) by Randy Cady (70) – Alvadore; Max Norris (70) - Yoncalla
 
Kimberley Campbell (78) by Bob (54) & Lois (Parks) (55) Campbell – Yoncalla;   Deanna (Mast) Derrick (83) - Drain
 
Everett Swezey (57) by Ronald Powell (57) – Prineville;   Jim Wamsely (58) – Cottage Grove; Teddy Bowman (58) – Renton, WA
 
Walt & Sandy Speer (teacher/coach) by Steve Speer (76) – Fossil
 
Linda Speer (79) by Steve Speer (76) – Fossil
 
Roy Langdon (68) by Betty (Langdon) Sneed (70) – Lakeside;   Mary (Langdon) Johnson (69) – Wallowa;   Dorothy Langdon (74) – Yoncalla;   James Langdon (80) – Yoncalla;   Elva (Langdon) Toy (72) – Yoncalla
 
Frances Huntington (62) by Susan (Huntington) Neal (70) – Ridgefield, WA
 
Marli (Haller) Ward (87) by Deanna (Mast) Derrick (83) – Drain
 
Mary Diana (Thompson) Brady (62) by Rodney Thompson (60) – Pendleton
 
Dennis Thompson (66) by Rodney Thompson (60) – Pendleton
 
Nina (Bryant) Noffsinger (75) by Rick (71) and Betty (Tucker) Duncan (75) – Yoncalla, OR; John Duncan (75) – Nine Miles Falls, WA
 
Steve Means (75) by Rick (71) and Betty (Tucker) Duncan (75) – Yoncalla, OR; John Duncan (75) – Nine Miles Falls, WA
 
Marie (Blanchfill) Smith (75) by Rick (71) and Betty (Tucker) Duncan (75) – Yoncalla, OR; John Duncan (75) – Nine Miles Falls, WA
 
Shirley (Highley) Waters (49) by Homer Waters (51) – Yoncalla, OR
 
Claudia (Bowman) Hutto (61) by Jim Wamsley (58) – Cottage Grove, OR; Max Norris (70) – Yoncalla, OR
 
Class of 1951 by Bill LaMar (51) – Visalia, CA
 
Jerry Boan (52) by Marlow (52) and Lola (Highley) Fullbright (56) – Yoncalla, OR
 
Betty Ruth (Kruse) Smith (41) by Marlow (52 and Lola (Highley) Fullbright (56) – Yoncalla, OR; 
 
Steve Farrell (64) by Sally Farrell-Flores (71) – Salem, OR
 
Leonard Morin (57) by Teddy Bowman (58) – Renton, WA; 
 
Radine (Payne) Rychard (49) by Don Rychard (46) – Yoncalla
 
Linda (Rychard) Dunsdon (68) by Don Rychard (46) – Yoncalla
 
Max Dodd (42) by Linda (Dodd) Montgomery (68) – Eugene; Jeanette (Dodd) Crites (69) - Roseburg
 
Tomy Coggswell (64) by Terry (69) and Bonnie (Dupper) Duncan (67) - Yoncalla
 
 
                                                                Memorial Scholarships:
Charolette Wise Memorial Scholarship:  Jim Allen (76) – Sutherlin; Max Norris (70) - Yoncalla
 
Don Kingery Sr. Memorial Scholarship:  Jim Allen (76) – Sutherlin; Francis Coggswell (55) – Roseburg, OR; Pauline Kingery (75) – Yoncalla, OR
 
Quentin Rychard Memorial Scholarship:  Jim Allen (76) – Sutherlin;   Deanna (Mast) Derrick (83) – Drain; Don Rychard (46) - Yoncalla
 
J. R. VanLoon Memorial Scholarship:  Jim Allen (76) – Sutherlin
 
Devin Duncan Memorial Scholarship:  Jim Allen (76) – Sutherlin;   Don Wood – Union;   Nicole (Meewsen) Reif (95) – Buckley, WA;   Boyd Duncan (73) – Montpelier, ID;   Nina Duncan – Yoncalla;  Anthony Lopez Waste (90) – Canutillo, TX;  Randy and Nancy Aultman (teacher/coach/administrator) – Vernonia, OR;  Rick (71) and Betty (Tucker) Duncan (75) – Yoncalla, OR;  John Duncan (75) – Nine Miles Falls, WA