Eshelmans celebrate 75 years together
John Mitchell
For The Sentinel
Wayne and Katherine Eshelman, long-time Klickitat County residents, celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary at the Ida Culver House in Seattle surrounded by a large contingent of family and friends. They were married Aug. 4, 1934, in Ellensburg and have lived the majority of their life in Klickitat County.
Wayne grew up in Centerville and Katherine in Ellensburg. Primarily ranchers, they successfully ranched in Horseshoe Bend (1937-1960), Centerville (1937-1960), Okanogan (1960-1963) and High Prairie (1965-1979), before retiring in the Goldendale area.
Wayne has self-published a book entitled Change, My Life as it Was, with special emphasis on the part he played in changing the beef cattle industry. He also made a major point in his book when discussing the ranch operation in High Prairie. The kids had all moved on and Katherine became his co-worker-she was the best he ever had.
During a short program that was part of their wedding-anniversary celebration, Wayne and Katherine were praised and thanked for their many contributions to the community where they lived, particularly Centerville and Goldendale. These included: leaders in the Centerville Church, the Weed Control Board, the Maryhill Museum Ranch Committee, and restart of 4-H in the late '30s as leaders of a home economics club and a livestock club. The latter became the largest livestock club in the state. Wayne also was very active with the Klickitat County Historical Museum, co-founder and treasurer of the Golden View Terrace assisted living facility, Master of both the Centerville Grange (three times) and Klickitat County Pomona Grange, Chair on two occasions of the Klickitat County Republican Central Committee, a teacher at Centerville School, and motivator to change the Centerville phone system from hand crank to dial.
In 1943 Wayne was a director on the Centerville School Board. The state legislature had enacted a law allowing district voters of two adjoining districts to decide if the smaller school district should be a part of the larger district. Wayne not only wrote letters to The Sentinel editor, he canvassed the majority of the voters of the larger district (Goldendale) explaining why they should vote no on the proposal. Thus, the Centerville old timers give him significant credit for Centerville School existing today.
In addition, Wayne was a driving force for the establishment of the Klickitat Valley Education Trust, a non-profit corporation, to exclusively receive donations to financially help students with their education after graduation from Goldendale High School. This trust is a great venue for individuals who want to make a significant difference for students needing assistance to attend any form of accredited post-secondary education. Most recently, the Trust has been notified it will receive $650,000 from the Pearl Shepherd Estate.
What do family and friends attribute to the phenomenal life the Eshelman couple have? Among the attributes commonly cited: they have been great business people, often thought "outside the box," had the fortitude to stick the course they believed was right, and were a great partnership that worked together and shared ideas together.
Wayne and Katherine each spoke for several minutes, thanking their family and friends for taking the time to share in their celebration. Wayne also spoke about many of the details supporting his belief that cattle should be raised to produce meat and not raised to just look good. He is recognized nationwide as the "Father of Production Testing" in the beef cattle industry.
When asked what does he credit with being able to reach their 75th wedding anniversary, Wayne responded without hesitation: "Pick the right girl, keep your marriage vows, and don't die."
Swim for lifeguard draws support
Michael Hodges Mains, one of the life guards at the swimming pool in Goldendale, was diagnosed with leukemia in June 2009. His fellow lifeguards have organized a special swim effort to support his fight against the disease.
The 24 Hour Swim for Michael is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 7, starting at 3 p.m. running until 3 p.m. on Saturday. The swim is similar to the relays for life program. The lifeguards have formed one big team and will have at least one guard swimming at a time for the entire 24-hour period.
Various community members are also forming a community team. If you are interested in joining the community team, call Lori Anderson at the swimming pool at 773-0506 or Rev. Kimberly Meinecke at 773-5750. Team members can swim a few minutes, a few hours, or more. Many team members will be swimming half-hour or hour-long sessions throughout the 24-hour period, while many will simply stop by and swim for a few minutes. If you are interested in forming your own team, contact the swimming pool with your team information.
For those interesting in watching the 24 hour swim for Michael, the pool will be open for regular business hours on Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8. You are also welcome to stop by when the pool is closed (9 p.m. Friday until 1 p.m. on Saturday), but you will not be allowed to swim during those hours unless you are part of a team.
Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., the lifeguards will be serving a pancake breakfast to the community, and all donations will be given directly to Michael. Throughout Friday afternoon and evening, and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., hot dogs will be available by donation.
To sponsor a swimmer, a team, or simply donate to Michael, you may drop off your donation at the swimming pool during regular business hours or take it to Riverview Bank. Checks may be made payable to Michael Hodges Mains. All funds will go directly to Michael and his family to assist with the various expenses associated with his fight against leukemia. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the swimming pool at 773-0506, or Lori Anderson at 773-2352 during the day. |
