Last month, we featured a story about Jessi Thorne and her fight to obtain a potentially life-saving brain surgery. The response from Tualatin Life Readers has been overwhelming, but there’s still more work to do. Jessi checks in with an update:
Red Robin Opening in Nyberg Rivers This Week
Red Robin is set to Open This Week in the Nyberg Rivers Shopping Center, near Cabela’s. While many have voiced concerns about the proximity of other Red Robin locations, a CenterCal (Property Manager) representative told me that since Cabela’s is a destination draw, and people travel from far and wide to go there, that location is ideal for those shoppers who might not know the area as well and want to dine there before or after shopping. I get the feeling that many locals will enjoy it as well.
Term Limit Initiative Gathers Enough Signatures to Qualify for Ballot
While the Tualatin City Council Term Limit Initiative qualified for the ballot, voters must wait a full year before they can vote on it.
Mae Heide, Chief Petitioner, was notified November 2nd by the City of Tualatin that the voter signatures submitted on October 23rd qualified the Charter Amendment Establishing Term Limits for the Tualatin City Council for the November 2016 election.
Love May Make the World Go Round, but Commerce Greased Old Time Tualatin’s Wheel
Over the many decades that have elapsed since Tualatin’s beginning in 1887, many entrepreneurs made their living selling goods and services in the Tualatin area. Pictured are some of those businesses.
In 1879 George Saum built a water powered sawmill on Saum Creek and supplied lumber from local forests for many settlers to replace their log cabins with fine homes. Local lore tells that his oxen were so well trained he could direct them by saying “gee” or “haw.”
December 2015
I’ve challenged this community many times, and in each instance it rises to the occasion. Last month when I shared Jessi Thorne’s story about her need for funding to get lifesaving brain surgery and asked readers for help by either donating money or sharing her story, I had no idea how responsive our community would be, but it didn’t disappoint.
Of the staggering 22,000 people that viewed her story on our Facebook page, 175 different people shared her story, over 200 ‘Liked’ it, donations skyrocketed and many others reached out to her directly. I’d have to say the response was overwhelming. Her donations went from $3k to nearly $20k in less than three weeks. Her story was picked up by other media and word is spreading. Others have taken it upon themselves to organize fundraisers, offer advice, offer meals, take care of her son and the list goes on. I had numerous people drop checks to my office for her, some as large as $1,000. Her first-hand account of this experience is below and it is gratifying and worth the read.
Tualatin has rallied around Jessi in a way that is meaningful and sincere. If there was ever any doubt about the sense of community that exists in Tualatin, I think it is obvious that we are a caring, tight-knit community. Much is made of the Holiday Spirit, but nothing I’ve seen exemplifies it more than our support of Jessi during this very difficult time. We might not be able to solve all the World’s problems, but we can certainly take care of one of our own.
Since we are now in the midst of the Holiday Season, Tualatin has some unique offerings that you might want to try this year. If you check out our December Events listings on page 10, you’ll find info on Starry Nights and Holiday Lights, which takes place at the Commons. It’s really fun for young families to see the lighting of Tualatin’s Floating Holiday Tree and enjoy the hours of live entertainment. There are also many other local performances listed throughout the season and even info on one of the best Christmas light shows in town.
Our new Tualatin River Greenway Trail is nearly complete (photos page 20) and it will be another means for locals to enjoy our natural beauty along the Tualatin River on bikes or on foot.
Happy Holidays and please support our advertisers who bring you this paper.
Philippine School Receives Books from Byrom Elementary
It took three months in transit, but Camp Lapu-lapu Elementary school is happy to report that books from Byrom Elementary School are now in the hands of the students.
The project was initiated by Philippine-based Ging Baylon of Bright Start Cebu, with the support of local Tualatin resident Marem Flores. Marem moved to Tualatin from Cebu 8 years ago. “Now the books have a second life based on the glowing smiles of the children of Cebu!” Tualatin resident Laura Stewart, volunteer librarian of Byrom Elementary School, played a big role in collecting the books. The project has created a bond between the two schools based on books and the joy of reading.
Meet aHs!
My name is Michal Parcher and in all likelihood you and I don’t know one another, but chances are we touch each other’s lives every day. For the past 15 years I’ve lived in Tualatin. I’ve worked alongside you, we’ve shopped in the same stores, and perhaps attended the same movie together on more than one occasion.
Tualatin Purple Heart recipient shot down on an Army Birddog flight in Vietnam while on a Sniffer Mission.
Army Chemical Staff Specialist, Sargent Herbert Smith, and his wife Beverley just loved military life. He initially joined the Coast Guard in 1952, serving three years. He was a civilian for nine months before enlisting in the Army, reporting to Fort Ord, California for basic training. They were married on July 11, 1955 and she moved to Kentucky to be near him while he received basic airborne training at Fort Campbell. Next they went to Germany where Herbert had a parachute accident. Bev said he wasn’t seriously hurt but for a while developed hives every time he jumped.
A Story of Inspiration
Evelyn still lay awake in bed that damp, chilly fall night. She stared at the ceiling, not satisfied with our simple, routine prayer, a prayer for the hungry to find a meal tonight; a prayer for the kids without beds to have soft place to lay their heads; a request and a hope that everyone would find comfort and warmth tonight.
Full Story
Tualatin Purple Heart recipient shot down on an Army Birddog flight in Vietnam while on a Sniffer Mission. His widow remains active in veteran support activities
Army Chemical Staff Specialist, Sargent Herbert Smith, and his wife Beverley just loved military life. He initially joined the Coast Guard in 1952, serving three years. He was a civilian for nine months before enlisting in the Army, reporting to Fort Ord, California for basic training. They were married on July 11, 1955 and she moved to Kentucky to be near him while he received basic airborne training at Fort Campbell. Next they went to Germany where Herbert had a parachute accident. Bev said he wasn’t seriously hurt but for a while developed hives every time he jumped.
After Herbert completed his enlistment, his family missed being in the military. This time he was only out 60 days before re-enlisting, deciding to make the Army his career. They enjoyed moving around the world and the comradery with their many military friends. After a number of assignments including three more years in Germany, Herbert volunteered for a one year Vietnam tour with the 173rd Airborne Brigade so he could get orders back to Germany. Beverley said they were really looking forward to returning to Germany. But she explained, ‘Herbert was shot down on February 11, 1969 while flying through a valley in a birddog on a sniffer mission.” Severely injured, Herbert crawled out of the burning aircraft and then rolled down into a nearby creek. While looking up from the water, he saw a helicopter hovering over him, with a crewmember coming down a rope.
After learning that Herbert was being treated in a hospital in Japan, Bev tracked down the phone number. But when she called, he was groggy and wasn’t sure who she was. She thought, “Oh my gosh, he doesn’t want to talk to me.” But then she learned he was recovering from surgery. He was eventually transferred to the Madigan Hospital in Tacoma for a long convalescence period so Beverley moved their family nearby. Her schedule for six months was to get the kids off to school and then go to Herbert’s hospital. She said it was understaffed for the many wounded there. She helped until time to go home to prepare dinner for the kids. Her oldest daughter was 13 so after setting the kids for the evening, drove back to the hospital to see Herbert for a short evening visit. Herbert retired on August 26, 1971. He earned Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation, Vietnam Service, Republic of Vietnam Campaign, and Air Crewman Medals.
The family moved to Portland before settling in Tualatin in 1980. Although physically handicapped, Herbert co-founded a drywall company and oversaw all the administrative work. He passed away in Puerto Rico on October 26, 2009, while on a South American cruise with Beverley.
Beverley gives a lot of herself to veteran support organizations. She is a high energy person and when talking, quickly gets to heart of situations. She is the President of the local Military Order of Purple Heart Auxiliary. She volunteers three days a week at the Portland Regional Veteran’s Administration hospital where she staffs the information booth from 7am to 4pm. She has received several awards for her volunteer work, including VAVS Volunteer of the Quarter (third quarter) for 2012. She was named the 2014 Volunteer of the Year and on June 4, received a certificate for 3,750 hours of volunteer service.
If you are in a war, you have to be able to locate the enemy. The heavy forests covering Vietnam’s mountainous regions made that difficult. Also, guerillas had dug many miles of underground tunnels which allowed the enemy to disappear while in battle. To help find the enemy, a Navy machine was redesigned that had previously swept the ocean to smell for submerged submarine exhaust fumes. Instead of diesel, it smelled the air for indicators of human presence; including ammonia particles from urine and condensation nuclei from sweat and campfires. It soon was nicknamed the sniffer. One climate factor, humidity, helped when rain washed away background scents. Reportedly, guerilla’s hung buckets of urine on tree limbs. Also, high winds, nearby civilian villages and recent firefight remains could bring false readings. High machine readings could call in air strikes, troops or artillery to force the enemy out of hiding. One crewman reported flying over a tree containing 40 or more large bird nests. The sniffer electronically sent a strong reading to a control center. The signal wasn’t corrected and the next day, a B-52 bombed the tree. It wasn’t perfect but the sniffer was the best tool our military had in that environment. Today we use satellites, drones and other high tech equipment to locate and track enemy activity; equipment that does not put our military lives at risk.
Sgt Smith at Paratrooper School. 
Sgt Smith operated Sniffer machine in a Birddog. Birddog flew 50 feet above tree tops to detect enemy location and track movement. 
Bronze Star.