What the Valsetz School Bus. ( In my vision ) might look like in 2009Summer is winding down Pro Football is only a week away and the kids will be going back to School.
For many, the memories of old school days will flash by as they prepare their young for the coming school year.
There will be a lot of these kids going to the same schools, and attending the same school functions as their parents did at their age.
What if you had been told the day you graduate from High School your future children would never have a chance to see, let along attend the school you had, and loved so dear .
Your family was given notice in December telling you the same day you graduate in may you and your family must vacate your home and never return to your Home Town.
You would be leaving your home town, never again able to return or visit your town, School, Church, Theater,Restaurant or Homes of your Family,Friends or Neighbors.
Not because you were banished from your home town. But because the owner, Boise Cascade would Finish completion of razing your home town . Boise Cascade will removed your home town's existences piece by piece. Then the remanding Debris will be dozed and burned.
In December of 1983 workers and residents of Valsetz Oregon got the following notice from Boise Cascade Corp. That it would shut down the Polk County town when school ended. they citing financial losses of the company's veneer plant. The nearly 200 people who lived here then have dwindled to less than 75 most of whom remain only to see school's end.
The mill was dismantled in February. Many houses have been replaced by mud puddles and the remaining structures are expected to be torn down by the end of June
When summer turns to fall, the town, nestled in Oregon's Coast Range at end of a 16 mile gravel road, will be a tree farm.
For a 17 or 18 year old kid,in their last year of school should be having the time of their lives. To be hit right between the eyes and then have to carry this fate on their backs was just plain rotten. Not just to them but any one living in that community. Boise Cascade, I believe screwed ever one in that community.
I believe there is no way a big company like Boise Cascade would not have known long before December they were going to shut down. I feel Boise should have given at least one year notice to the community. They owed this much to such a loyal community that served them for that many years.
Some parents of this community, them-selves went to school in Valsetz and their kids were or had been students of Valsetz Schools. Some workers were in their fifties to young to retire, and at the age to find work would be very hard and time consuming.
That was the fate of nine seniors, (The Last Class to graduate from the Valsetz High School )graduation class of 1984.
In Sen. Mark Hatfield commencement speech to the nine graduating Valsetz Seniors encourages the seniors to "move ahead with change".
Tony Johnson, class valedictorian, too, spoke moving with change to "survive in this ever-changing world." But his speech was tinged with sadness.
"For many of us, this has been our only home, our security, and now it has been torn out from under us," Johnson said. "We have been forced into a situation in which we were not in favor, but had no control over. We are putting our energies forward and our past behind. so we can better contribute in our new communities and to this great nation.
The following is from interviews of seniors on there graduation day.
Tony Johnson "nobody really likes this situation" he said" but we're trying not to think about it."
Kimberly Carter,18, the only girl in the senior class, hugged her mother Norma, and both began to weep.
"I've lived here 16 years and I always thought I was going to graduate and then I could leave and come back," Kimberly said"Now I can come back up here and see the trees, but I won't. It won't be the same"
Above photo Valsetz seniors gather moments before the final graduation ceremonySchool Superintendent Bob Hanson who plans to retire, has witnessed many tearful graduations, but this he agreed was the saddest.
"Sure," he said" It's the end
Valsetz high school students watch helpless as their home town burns up around them
One interesting note! The Town went broke, but Valsetz schools had over one Million Dollars in funding at the closing of the schools! What happened to these funds?I'm not revealing this bit at this time, but promise, I will tell you in one of my future blogs.
It's been twenty five years since the closure of the last class to graduate from Valsetz High School- GO COUGARS
As I, I'm sure others all over this fine country are thinking about Their Home Town,( The town may be gone but is still in the hearts of all Valsetzers) and the time they spent in Valsetz Oregon.
CLASS OF 1984
LAST VALSETZ HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CLASS
KIM CARTER RICH GWINN DALE HOWE RON HUCTHISON
KENNY JESKE TONY JOHNSON BOBBY O'DONNELL
DEAN RECKARD JEFFREY WHEELER
Please Email me at Valsetzmail@aol.com if you were a student in Valsetz School in 1984 or was there in closing Valsetz.
1 comment:
Jerry, as you're aware, I'm one of those last 9 graduates from Valsetz. I basically lived my entire childhood life in Valsetz. There are many stories I can tell you just stemming from your blog alone. First, my class of 1984, there are 6 of us that went the entire way through Valsetz. Every year, starting with first grade thru sixth grade, the teacher that taught us left the Valsetz school. When we got into Junior High (7th grade) the teachers started leaving at least two a year. Then for the graduation, the school shuts down. Most people don't remember that, except for us kids from 1984.
Your article mentions Mr. Hanson, a man that I'll always remember in my heart. In high school, he and I developed a friendship. He often would pull me out of class and he'd talk to me about investing in the future. As a 16-17 yr old kid, I listened to him, but didn't know exactly what all he meant. One day, Valsetz school got the Timber Tax check, that one check around 1.2 million dollars. That was a big day in 1982-1983. I remember the Timber Tax refund check the school got. Mr. Hanson called me to his office. He was very proud and talked about his vision this money was going to do for our school. He handed me that check and asked me to carry it around for the day. This was early in the morning and I carried that check with me in my wallet all day long, and about maybe $3 of my own money. I showed that check off to everyone. A Million dollar plus, WOW, and I didn't really understand what I had in my hands or wallet.
Mr. Hanson had a heavy heart when the town and school closed. I recall one day when the media was coming to town and wanted to interview him and the kids from school. He called me to his office and told me that the media was coming to the school. He asked me to show them around the school and to talk to them. He told me that he was to sad to talk with them and he even shared a tear with me. This man worked to make our school more than a school, but a home for everyone. I could tell he took the closure extremely hard. I did what he asked and helped deal with the media.
After Valsetz closed, a lot of the school money went to Polk Co ESD. The Valsetz school board, including Mr. Hanson established a Valsetz scholarship. It's bitter sweet, but without that Valsetz scholarship, I honestly don't know how I or my family would have been able to afford to pay for my college degree. There are many other school staff that touched my heart, teachers, secretary's, teacher assistants, custodians and volunteers. The school was more of the town home in essence, especially in the later years of Valsetz. I recall the days of the VCR. The school got one of the first VCR's in town. So they put on movie nights at the library. Sometimes we'd have 20-30 people in the school library watching a current released movie on a small screen TV.
I could carry on and on Jerry about my stories from our Valsetz home. I guess maybe it's because I grew up there, but I still feel that my childhood town is more of a home than anywhere else I've lived. I can still recognize people from Valsetz quicker than I can recognize people from town I currenly have lived for the past 14 years.
From one younger Valsetz kid to and older Valsetz kid, please keep blogging away.
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