Twenty-five years ago, Tyler Watson, center, with parents Lorry and Erwin, proudly displayed his $50 reward for returning a lost $631 bill.

25 YEARS AGO

June 17, 1997

Doing the right thing can be hard, especially when money is involved. But 8-year-old Tyler Watson showed no hesitation with the $631 he found on the ground.

Tyler Watson was walking with his father, Erwin Watson, when he saw a billfold lying on the sidewalk in front of the Hermiston Fire Department.

Erwin Watson reasoned this was the perfect time to teach his son about conscience and morals. “I said to him, ‘Hey Tyler, we should just keep the money and not tell your mom because she’ll just make us give it back,’” he recalled. “Tyler looked at me kind of funny and said we couldn’t do that. So he passed the test.”

Inside the billfold, they found a savings account number and the name Monica Jasperson and began their mission to contact her. According to Tyler Watson, when Jasperson stopped by to pick up the money, “She said ‘Thank you, thank you,’ and gave me a $50 bill.”

The pure heart of this youth did not stop there. When asked what he planned to do with his reward, Tyler Watson replied, “I’m going to buy something for my mom.”

50 YEARS AGO

June 15, 1972

Local 4-H member Valerie Madison joined other teens from all over the U.S. in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore Europe as part of the 1972 People to People program.

Madison, Echo, would join 91 other 4-H associated Citizen Ambassadors and 16-20 year olds at the nation’s capital for an orientation before the journey. The program stretched wide, with people from Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Iowa, Indiana, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida participating.

Planned to last 43 days, the trip would include England, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, East and West Berlin, Denmark, Russia and The Netherlands.

Travelers were divided into four groups, each with their own chaperone. Madison’s group would be led by other Oregon residents. These lucky folks would travel by bus and air as they experienced homestays with host families, visited with European 4-H and other youth groups, tour historical sights and meet people from vastly different cultures and backgrounds.

75 YEARS AGO

June 19, 1947

To help kids learn how to drive responsibly and safely, many high schools were implementing driving classes. But first, the teachers needed their own training.

Secretary of State Robert S. Farrell, Jr. announced Oregon’s first course for high school driver education teachers would be held in Portland in August. It would be taught by Professor Amos Neyhart, the acclaimed driving instructor who started numerous driver education programs across the U.S.

During the five-day course, teachers would cover both the mental and physical phases of developing driver education, in addition to important aspects of behind-the-wheel practice.

“With over 60 high schools planning to teach driving next fall, this course is coming in at exactly the right time,” Farrell said.

90 YEARS AGO

June 16, 1932

With their newly-installed 1200-pound-

capacity churner, the Umatilla Cooperative Creamery was about to exponentially increase its production.

One of the most advanced churns manufactured, it was claimed to be perfectly balanced and hence required less power. In addition, to prevent friction and promote smoothness, all of its cog wheels were boxed and ran in oil.

The “Crano Churn” had the ability to thoroughly and evenly churn 400 gallons of cream in one churning, with the cream passing through two sets of rollers twice during every revolution. The creamery’s production had increased by nearly double since it started operating a year prior, thanks to new equipment like the Crano churner. Other projects, such as the refrigeration storage expanded by relocating the bin of brines to the top, also made such production possible.

The “quality over quantity” rule was not forgotten, though, as this creamery recently exceeded the state creamery test average of 35.5 with a 35.87.