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 Member
Profile:
Herb Hamann
You could say that Herb Hamann's life has been
for the birds. Or, at least with them. From the time he was a South Dakota farm
kid, Herb has had an abiding interest in winged things. It all started,
he recalls, when he and his brother clambered atop a rickety step stool to spy
on young screech owls in their nest. Nearly 80 years later, he can still
visualize their snapping little beaks. He's not sure whether they were snapping
to protest human invasion or in eagerness for more grub.
Not long thereafter, Herb's interest in birds became
decidedly more predatory. After all, farm kids have responsibilities. Herb and
his brothers learned to shoot at an early age and, during the Great Depression,
the skill to hunt became a necessity. And it wasn't just pheasants and pigeons
that graced the Hamann dinner table. "We ate a lot of things I wouldn't eat
today," he said, "including rabbit and squirrel." Besides hunting, Herb also
managed a trap line (skunk, weasel and badger) and became a certified
taxidermist. "We did what we could to make a few extra dollars," he said.
For the past 25 years, Herb has had a very different
relationship with birds. If there's been any shooting at all, it has been with
a spotting scope or camera. The trees around his West Salem home are decorated
with multicolored homes he's built for dozens of feathered families. In fact,
last year he built 420 such homes in his basement shop. The local Audubon
Society provides him the wood; Herb cuts the pieces from templates and then
puts them together. As he inched his way between piles of cut pieces, he read
the names of some of the local, soon to be recipients: everything from wrens
and robins to bats, butterflies, kestrels, and yes, even his old pals the
screech owls. The birdhouses are on sale through the Audubon, at Mission
Mill.
In the intervening years, Herb has busied himself
with many other activities. During the Second World War, for example, he
enlisted in the Air Force. Most of the time, he was on the ground as a crew
chief for air base repair depots in North Africa and India. After the war, he
put his knowledge of birds and bees to work, got married and raised two
children with his wife, Helen.
Herb has called Oregon home since 1940, though it
wasn't until after the war that he really got started on his own career and
family. The skills he learned on the farm and in the Air Force served him well.
The inventive spirit he showed in the Depression continued perking along in
Salem. He moved to a house near his parents, bought a tractor and began
contracting with area farmers who needed their fields plowed. He also found
work as a carpenter. Then he was hired by a local cannery. From 1959 to 1980,
when he retired, Herb worked as the maintenance chief for Oregon Fruit
Products.
While he brought home the paycheck, Helen mothered
the children and volunteered at the state mental hospital and the blind
school. A self-taught wood carver and musician, Helen also visited
retirement homes, conducting sing-a-longs for the residents. After their
own retirement, but before Helen succumbed to cancer in 1989, Herb and Helen
drove through 49 U.S. states plus Mexico and Canada in one of several motor
homes they owned. It was on those trips that Herb picked up another of
his abiding interests: lapidary work. Now he teaches at the Salem Senior
Center, helping others make clocks, picture frames and jewelry (like the tie
he's wearing here) from wonderful slices of stone.
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KNOW HOW TO STAY COOL.
DO YOU?
It's the summer months, when the temperatures are
rising, and you need to work extra hard to stay cool.
Don't forget about the Salem Electric Heat Pump
Program...cool in the summer, warm in the winter.
We offer a 5% interest loan to install an energy
efficient heat pump.
If you have permanently installed electric heat,
call Member Services at 362-3601.
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Salem Electric Loses Two Friends
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Dave Marth passed away May 3, 1998 at the age of
62, and 87 year-old Frank Graham passed away on June 7, 1998.
Dave was elected to the Salem Electric board in 1968, serving as
Secretary/Treasurer until 1975. He completed the remainder of his term as
President of the Board through 1982.
Frank, Salem Electric's first retiree, retired in
1973 after 30 years as a lineman.
The board and staff express our deepest sympathies
to the families of Dave and Frank
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Beat the Heat
Don't wait for those high summer temperatures to
think about cooling off, start shopping now for ways to cool your home. There
are a number of things you can do to keep your cool:
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Cover your windows, east facing in the morning, south
facing during the day, and west facing in the late afternoon. If you can, keep
the sun from hitting the windows by using an awning or an outside shade. If
that's not an option, at least close your drapes or blinds.
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Circulate air throughout the house by using fans. During
the hottest part of the day, keep windows closed and use fans to circulate air
throughout the house. Air that's moving feels cooler than air that's still.
Remember to check your fans for frayed cords or broken plugs. Follow the
manufacturer's recommendations when operating a fan and only use them on a
stable surface.
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Use thermometers to keep track of indoor and outdoor
temperatures. When the outdoor temperatures fall below the indoor, it's time to
open windows. Two-story homes cool quicker by opening windows upstairs and
downstairs. This allows the warmer air to escape from the higher windows,
drawing in cooler air through the lower windows by natural air flow.
Single-story homes may need a boost from fans to move air out of the house.
Without any wind outside an open window doesn't necessarily mean there will be
air movement to the inside of the house.
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Consider air conditioning (AC), either a whole house
system, using ductwork to cool the entire house, or individual units to cool
specific rooms or "zones." Your AC unit should be properly sized to cool the
space efficiently.
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A whole house exhaust fan is another option. These fans
exhaust warm air out of your house through the attic and bring in cooler
outside air through an open window.
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A heat pump may be the best solution for your cooling and
heating needs. Heat pump advantages:
1) Generally costs less to operate than all other types of heating systems.
2) Operates at a high efficiency with no flames, fumes or chimneys.
3) Provides a constant even temperature.
4) Maintains comfortable temperatures year around
5) Transfers heat already in the environment.
You can qualify for the Salem Electric Heat Pump
Program if:
The program offers a 5% interest loan to pay for the
system up to $5,000. Contact our Member Services Department for more
details.
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