Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Family reunion sparks return home























Posted: Friday, July 1, 2009 12:00 am

As of today, EDDIE SEEBORG, pictured, bottom, 95, is in Astoria for the Seeborg family reunion. A little bird (actually his son, LARRY SEEBORG) called to tell the Ear about it. Eddie, who attended the Taylor School, was in the first class of seventh graders at Capt. Robert Gray Elementary School and graduated from Astoria High School in 1931, has seen a lot of Astoria history first-hand. He told his story to Larry who, with LIISA PENNER's help, published the story in CUMTUX, "Edward F. Seeborg: A Uniontown Boy from Astoria" in 2007.

Born in Astoria, Eddie was one of 14 children of Finnish immigrants Victor and Fanny Seeborg, who owned a three-story house at 249 Columbia Ave., which is now W. Exchange Street. The house is still in the family, owned by Vic and Fanny Seeborg's granddaughter, VICKI GASSER, and her husband, DAVE.

The Cumtux story mentions Eddie's family being on the fringe of the great flu epidemic of 1918-1919, when a man who rented a room later died of the flu. Eddie recalled that the ambulance couldn't make it up the steep road, so the roomer had to be carried out, and then the house had to be fumigated by burning sulfur in every room.

Eddie also witnessed the Astoria fire of 1922, and scavenged the ashes for "anything useful at home or for play." He also recalls the reconstruction after the fire, filling in the areas of the city that had been built on pilings, and the dedication of the Astoria Column on July 22, 1926.

He married fellow AHS student LAURA TERHO in 1934. She died in February, two months before their 75th anniversary.

After working for many years in the Foreign Agricultural Service division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Eddie retired in 1974. He currently lives in Sandy, Utah.

When Eddie was 92, Larry said, "He passed a full driver's test just a month or so before his 93rd birthday on Oct. 22, 2006. He was so happy about passing the test that he bought the car (a Toyota Camry hybrid) as a birthday present to himself," pictured above, top

Larry says Eddie would greatly enjoy having old friends contact him while he's here. He is staying at Astoria's Holiday Inn Express through Monday. The number is (503) 325-6222.

Elleda Wilson

Reprinted with permission of The Daily Astorian of Astoria, Oregon.

No clowning around: Fastest man on stilts crosses bridge


















Posted: Friday, October 16, 2009 12:00 am

Yes, it's true, he did the whole bridge walk on stilts. He showed the Ear the backs of his calves, and it still hurts to think about it. The stilts are held on with rachet-type straps and can be tightened to make a snug fit so the stilts don't slip.

Pictured above left, in a photo courtesy of Jonathan Lingel/Westwind Graphics, you can see Kerbrat, on stilts and dressed as DO DO THE CLOWN. He towered above the crowd at about 8-feet-2-inches-tall, as he and his three sisters headed down the bridge ramp in the last leg of the race. His time was 1:21:09.

Kerbrat, a member of the ASTORIA CLOWNS and the president of the group this year, says he is the only member who does the bridge run. After all, the bridge has a special place in Astoria Clown history, since they led the way for the bridge to be built. When the bridge opened, the Astoria Clowns drove the first car to cross the bridge, Kerbrat said, and also drove the last car to go through the toll.

This is the seventh year Kerbrat has participated in the bridge crossing event. He has been sponsored for the last three years by the Chamber of Commerce, who gave him the No. 1 bib to wear this year for the race. Kerbrat is very thankful for both the sponsorship and the medal. "The event was such a joy," he said. "It is an honor. It is fun. I'll be back next year."

Elleda Wilson

Reprinted with permission of The Daily Astorian of Astoria, Oregon.

Local artist is revealed in full color






















Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010 12:00 am

Back in October 2009, the Ear ran a story about local artist JO BROWN's attempts to rescue a sign at the Astoria Senior Center painted by the late ARVID WUONOLA, who had a sign painting business in town for 56 years (The Ear was curious, and wanted to know more about him).

JON WESTERHOLM called about the story, and recalled that his mother graduated from high school with Wuonola , and was "well known in Knappa, could draw like mad and enjoyed doing it."

Pictured above, top left, Arvid Wuonola in 1985; bottom left, during World War II; and bottom right, painting a window in Astoria.

Out of the blue, EDITH UUNILA TAYLOR of Texas wrote to the Ear and sent contact information for MARK WUONOLA, Ph.D., pictured above, right, Arvid's son, who lives in Massachusetts. In an e-mail, Mark graciously wrote about his father, whom he "loved, respected and admired greatly."

"It was unusual growing up in a small town with the added feature of one's father being recognized by all, and known and beloved by many," Mark wrote. "He was a businessman, but his first love was the people he worked with. He was one of those people with the blessing that he loved his work. He had struggled when he started his business in the depth of the Great Depression, 1932, after an apprenticeship at Oregon Sign and Neon in Portland. Before that, he had practiced and learned brush lettering during high school at Knappa-Svensen High School."

"He never took shortcuts," Mark said. "If the piece of wood for a sign would have looked good enough for most sign painters to letter the sign onto, 'good enough' wasn't good enough for him. An extra coat of paint it was. I worked for him Saturdays and summers during junior high, high school and the first few years of college, and remember how he scrutinized my work. And, I should add, his own.

"He enjoyed working with the film crews when they were in town ... he liked meeting the people. He was a people guy, and generally ended up being introduced to the stars because he was larger than life himself - his warmth, his smile, his genuineness."

"His business was very successful," Mark added. "He loved to work," and "greatly admired the 'Abraham Lincoln of legend.' Even though some of the stories of 'Honest Abe' were probably more fiction than fact, Arvid Wuonola believed them as if they were gospel. And what is important is that he lived them. He gave his customers 150 percent."

Elleda Wilson

Reprinted with permission of The Daily Astorian of Astoria, Oregon.

Fishermen never forget

























Posted: Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 12:00 am

Pictured above, two photos from the Web site. The top photo is Astoria's Elmore Cannery in 1908; bottom, a group of men seine for fish.

The Ear called Norgaard, who now lives near Longview, Wash. Calling the Web site his "labor of love," Norgaard says he's "loved boats, fishing and fishermen all my life." He got his inspiration for the project when he was driving back to Astoria one day and realized that "if I had grandchildren, I had no way to show them them what I love." There were "too many good things, and a way of life - people were positive and joyous - it's all gone." With the Web site, he hopes to "bring it all back, preserve the history of the industry and make sure that everybody is remembered."

Where did he get all those photos? Norgaard fished the West Coast for years, and has conversed with old timers from Alaska to San Diego. "It fed itself," Norgaard said. Once fishermen found out another fisherman was doing this project, more and more photos came rolling in.

"We have had many requests for photos from the History Channel, Discovery Channel, people writing books, families putting together family histories, etc." added Holmstedt, who built the site and has been working with Norgaard for six or seven years. "It really has blossomed into quite a project."

When the project started, Norgaard didn't even know how to turn a computer on. The Ear asked him how many images have been scanned and are online right now, and he said, "It's still 11, 245 - but who's counting?"

Elleda Wilson

Reprinted with permission of The Daily Astorian of Astoria, Oregon.


















Jean-Marie Chapman creates a painting of Elliott Hearing and his favorite horse, Midnight, from a photo.

Elliott's portrait is a gift of love

Posted: Friday, May 8, 2009 12:00 am

Last November, Jean-Marie Chapman, a Lake Oswego portrait artist (www.jeanmarieportraits.com), met Cannon Beach resident Cynthia Elliott, who lost her 16-year-old son, Elliott Hearing, in a drowning accident in 2007. Cynthia wanted Chapman to do a portrait of Elliott, but since such a commission was beyond her means, Chapman generously decided to do the painting as a gift.

"Elliott and Midnight Remembered" was inspired by a photo of a moment shared by Elliott and the horse he loved, Midnight, owned by the Sea Ranch RV Park & Stables in Cannon Beach. Born at midnight, the horse was jet black, but turned white as he got older. Elliott worried when the horse went out to winter pasture, so he would go check on him. The photo was taken on one such visit. Sadly, Midnight also died in 2007, during the Great Coastal Gale.

The portrait was unveiled last Saturday at the Cannon Beach Hotel to a large group that included Cynthia, Elliott's sisters, Maria, Faitha and Valeena Hearing, his grandparents, Don and Grace Elliott, his father, Merrit Hearing, an aunt, uncle and cousins.

"I will just tell you that I was greatly relieved and moved by the reaction of the family to the portrait," Chapman said. "The family sat up close as I told the process of creating the portrait of Elliott. I knew they were hoping for something, an essence of Elliott, and I was wanting that for them with all of my heart. I spent six months with the portrait of Elliott prior to the unveiling. I'd never met this boy, but when I finished the portrait I felt I'd known him for many years."

Everyone was crying at the unveiling, Cynthia said, but she was so amazed she couldn't cry. "I looked at him with wonderment," Cynthia said. "I think it's stunning."

Cynthia says she goes to visit the painting, which will be on display for a month, all the time. "It's like he's standing in the room with me," she said. "It's a joyous portrait, and not what I was expecting at all."

Elleda Wilson

Reprinted with permission of The Daily Astorian of Astoria, Oregon.