25 YEARS AGO

Feb. 11, 1997

The Norrises decided to retire after serving five terms in the Oregon Legislature, and they are excited for a change in pace.

Chuck Norris was the Oregon State representative for District 57. Always at his side was wife and helper Betty Lou Norris. “We’ve worked shoulder to shoulder; she has been an essential part of everything,” Chuck said.

Once they have finished sorting through and filing papers, the couple intends to vacation and visit family.

“I want to travel through the Panama Canal, take a cruise up the Alaska coast line, go see the New England states and go see the battlefields of Virginia,” Betty said.

After all those years of work, the Norrises can’t simply stop working, though. Both plan to become engaged in the community — Betty with the Good Shepherd Community Hospital Auxiliary and Chuck serving on the Umatilla Soil and Water Conservation District.

50 YEARS AGO

Feb. 10, 1972

The Miss Umatilla County Beauty Pageant will be held on Feb. 19, 1972, and the names of the six contestants have been released.

Clara Wassom graduated from Granger High School, Utah, in 1968. She is a sophomore at Blue Mountain Community College and plans to continue her education at Brigham Young University. Wassom stands 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 112 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair. The talent she will perform for the contest will be a storybook display of dress designing.

Krista Loftus, a 1971 Hermiston High School graduate, is attending Eastern Oregon University and she plans to attend Bassit Fashion Institute to become an interior designer. She is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 120 pounds, has green eyes and has brown hair. Loftus will entertain the judges with an original comical skit.

Kathleen Hansell graduated from McEwen High School in 1970 and is an Oregon State University sophomore. She stands 5 foot 7 inches tall, weighs 128 pounds, has blue eyes and has brown hair. She will perform a modern dance.

Barbara Browning is a 1970 Pendleton High School graduate, in her second year at BMCC, with plans to attend the University of Oregon. Browning stands 5 foot 7 inches tall, weighs 154 pounds and has blue-gray eyes and brown hair. She will sing “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head” at the contest.

Holly Beers is a BMCC freshman, who is planning to attend Southern Oregon College to become a juvenile counselor. The 1971 Pilot Rock graduate is 5 feet 6 inches tall, 124 pounds and has green eyes and red hair. She will perform either a song or baton-twirling routine.

The last and youngest contestant, Teresa Jones, is a Pilot Rock senior who is planning to attend BMCC in the fall. The 5 feet 9 inches tall, 135-pound, blue-eyed blonde will play the flute for the judges.

Check the paper in two weeks to learn of the winner.

75 YEARS AGO

Feb. 13, 1947

Despite the fact that a war has hindered the availability of construction supplies, homes in Hermiston are being built at a rapid rate.

There are many houses currently being constructed, with numerous tracts being planned for the near future. W.W. Felthouse has been the major contributor of these residences, having built and remodeled about 60 houses within the last three years. A recent survey revealed a total of 41 new homes are under construction — 31 to the east and 10 to the west of the railroad tracks. To make this figure even more impressive is the fact that recently occupied homes weren’t even taken into account.

90 YEARS AGO

Feb. 11, 1932

For those who love to travel, the Union Pacific Railroad is holding their popular “cent-a-mile” deal in honor of George Washington’s birthday.

From Feb. 19-22, reduced price tickets can be purchased and are valid through March 1. These special fares apply between all points over most of the Western United States, as local Union Pacific agent F.C. Woughter announced that his company would be working with connecting lines in the Northwest. This means that if someone left on Feb. 19, they could have up to twelve days of vacation — to places such as Salt Lake City, San Francisco or Los Angeles — at a very small price.

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McKenzie Rose, a sophomore at Echo High School, searched Hermiston Herald archives to compile these article summaries.