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Member Profile:
George & Maryan Roe
"The
one who dies with the most toys wins." Most of us have probably heard that
hollow testimony to consumerism. George and Maryan Roe have another one - a bit
healthier in spirit: "The ones who accumulate the most varied experiences and
interests will live happily to the end." The Roes are certain contenders for
that prize.
Maryan is a 3rd generation Oregonian from Albany who
graduated from the University of Oregon in Journalism. She grew up in a family
newspaper business and with her brother, Jim Howard, continued running the two
weeklies in Albany and Corvallis until 1979. The saying "mind your p's and
q's," Maryan said, "stems from the days that printers set type by hand. The p's
and q's and b's and d's were easily confused since letters were set upside
down, and read upside down and backwards. We learned handsetting as
youngsters." Maryan and her brother also started Linn County's first travel
agency, operating it from 1959 to 1979.
George moved to Oregon at age five and homesteaded
near Alsea, before moving to the Lebanon area. Coming as he does from a long
line of warriors (one of his ancestors was a spy in George Washington's army),
George saw plenty of action in WWII as a gunners mate/demolition in the South
Pacific. In 1948, he signed on for another tour with the Navy, this time as an
aviation ordnance (weapons) instructor. By then, he had picked up two very
distinct hobbies: flying and playing the bagpipes.
By 1957, the year the Roes were married, George had
his own plane (an Aeronca Champ) and had started the Albany Scottish Bagpipe
Band. He had also attended Oregon Technical Institute (in gunsmithing), and had
held jobs in a plywood mill and one of the west's first VW dealerships. Later
he became a journeyman carpenter. This led him to building code work for
municipal, county and state governments, retiring in 1987. The Roes, with
daughter Laurie, moved here from Albany in 1967. George helped organize
volunteers to save the dilapidated Deepwood House.
George's love of flying led him, aided by friends,
to build a one-seater Smith Miniplane (17-foot wingspan, 125-hp Lycoming
engine), which he owned until selling it in 1975. His love of bagpipes caused
him to form the Oregon State Defense Force Bagpipe Band, which represented 11
western states in President Reagan's Inaugural Parade in 1981. He is now band
director and has attained the rank of Colonel with the State Defense Force.
Maryan's love of travel had taken them to many parts
of the globe, for pleasure and for family research. Since retiring, she began
in earnest a hobby in genealogy (she's linked to seven Oregon pioneer
families), and has traced hers and George's roots back to colonial days and
overseas. They've discovered they have many Scottish clans! They also like the
Senior Center activities.
"Retirees often comment they don't know how they
ever found time to work," Maryan said. As a result, some people try to reduce
their interests. The Roes, in that respect, haven't retired and probably never
will. Genealogy, gardening, bagpipe band, lapidary work and travel still
comprise the better part of each busy week.
Among the few big toys belonging to the Roes is a
Rube Goldberg-type amphibious houseboat, genius-built around a small
camper-trailer, a set of 25-foot pontoons, mechanical arms and a small
hydraulic system. Towing it down the road, with the pontoons perched atop the
"Trailer-float" like weird antlers, they get lots of astonished looks. The
disbelief turns to awe as the trailer unfolds into a sturdy houseboat and the
couple motors away. Summertime finds them on Green Peter Reservoir, where
George trolls for kokanee and Maryan relaxes by reading, another favorite hobby
of theirs.
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 SE Loses A Friend
Jim
Hughes, a Salem Electric retiree, passed away on May 8 at the age of 62,
following a serious illness.
Jim retired from Salem Electric in July of 1998
after over 16 years as Salem Electric's Line Superintendent. His positive
attitude, humor and ever-present greeting "It's a fine day," will be missed by
us all.
The board and staff express our deepest sympathy to
Jim's family.
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The Best Time to Help is Now
Despite
urbanization and development, Salem area streams are home to several native
trout and salmon species. For example, cutthroat trout can be found in most
waters including Glenn Creek, Rickreall Creek, Claggett Creek and even Pringle
Creek, which flows right through downtown Salem. Rickreall Creek is home to
winter steelhead as well. The number of these fish, however, would be higher if
not for the toll that development and pollution have taken on their habitat. As
habitat has been lost and water quality has worsened, the fish have found it
more difficult to survive.
The good news is that more and more people are
getting involved in improving salmon habitat and water quality. Watershed
organizations in the Salem area have worked with schools and community groups
to plant trees, add vegetation to stream banks, and educate citizens. Salem
Electric wants to make sure these groups can continue their work for years to
come, ensuring a future with salmon and better water quality for both fish and
people.
We are starting the Salmon Friendly Campaign in
October-a completely voluntary program that will give our customers the
opportunity to donate to local salmon recovery efforts. For more information
about this voluntary donation program, call us at 362-3601.
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Voluntary Contributions Can Help
Save Salmon
Salem Electric is starting a voluntary program in
October that will give you an opportunity to donate to local salmon recovery
efforts when you pay your bill. Sign-up forms for the Salmon-Friendly Program
will be available soon. Donations will be completely voluntary. For more
information, call 362-3601.
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South Salem Student
Selected for Washington, D.C.
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Kellon
Hassenstab has been selected as Salem Electric's 1999 National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association Youth Tour delegate! He is a junior at South Salem High
School and the son of David & Paula Hassenstab of West Salem. As
contestants, students who are high school juniors or seniors living in the
Salem Electric service area must submit an application and essay. Kellon was
selected based on his essay.
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As the 1999 Youth Tour delegate, Kellon and several other students representing
Oregon cooperatives will join over 1,000 high school students from all over the
country in Washington, D.C. the week of June 19-23. Throughout the week,
students will learn about government, cooperatives, and rural electrification.
They will meet with members of the Oregon congressional delegation, attend
educational seminars, and visit the numerous historical sites throughout the
city, including: Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, U.S. Capitol,
the Smithsonian, and many others.
Kellon's hobbies include: basketball, weight
lifting, playing the piano, and serving as the Cultural Diversity Director for
the Latino Club at South. His future plans include a career in communications
as either a newspaper reporter or a Spanish interpreter. As an 8th grader at
Walker Middle School, Kellon was the first editor of the Walker Talker (the
school's newspaper), which, he says, fostered his interest in writing and
communications.
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