Yesteryears -- Dec. 15, 2015

2010 – A projected shortfall in expected revenue in the Willamina School District meant the possible end of a school in Grand Ronde. Cuts on the order of $450,000 were needed to keep the district solvent and Superintendent Mark Jeffery proposed closing the middle school in Grand Ronde and transporting students to the Oaken Hills campus in Willamina.

2005 – Tribal Elder Beryle Contreras was reunited with Wilma Mankiller, who she met when they both participated in the Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay in late 1969. Contreras lived three months on the island, going back and forth to take care of her business.

2000 – The Tribe’s first attorney, Don Wharton, returned to Grand Ronde to visit with fellow Restoration figures Kathryn Harrison and Jackie Whisler. “It’s nice to know that people remember you from the days when you worked together and the work that you did together,” he said. “There is a certain kind of bond that comes out of people who share struggles.”

1995 – Francis Somday (Colville) was hired as the Tribe’s new chief executive officer. Former CEO Jim Willis worked for the Tribe for more than 10 years.

1990 – Tribal Council voted to hold future General Council meetings before eating lunch because there had been problems with children making a mess while the adults were meeting in the school gym. “Tribal Council asks for parents to keep their children under control while they are in the cafeteria,” Smoke Signals stated. “We need to be aware that the school district has the discretion to prohibit the Tribe’s use of the school facilities if any major damage is done.”

1985 – The annual Christmas Party was set for Dec. 14 in the cafeteria at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. The potluck dinner was also seeking donations of door prizes, as well as volunteers to help with decorations and kitchen duty.

Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year increments through the pages of Smoke Signals.