Document 6441345

A4
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Corvallis Gazette-Times, Corvallis, Ore.
Community&Northwest
IN BRIEF
Yaquina lighthouse
getting paint job
NEWPORT
—
The
Yaquina Head Lighthouse will
close to the public next week
because the staircase and interior walls are getting a new
coat of paint.
The Bureau of Land Management says the closure
takes effect Monday and
ranger-led tours of the historic lighthouse resume Sunday, April 6.
The Yaquina Interpretive
Center will remain open from
10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. All
other areas of the park will be
open from 8 a.m. to dusk.
Portland police to
focus on 20 locations
PORTLAND — Though
the crime rate is down, the
Portland Police Bureau has
identified 20 areas of the city
that need more attention and
will receive it.
Officers will visit each of
the hotspots several times a
day, generally for 10- to 15minute spans.
Chief Michael Reese said
in a statement Tuesday the
goal of the initiative is to carve
out time for officers to “positively engage” with members
of the community who live
and work in places that have a
high volume of crime or livability concerns.
The neighborhoods that
will get more attention are located throughout the city,
from Goose Hollow and
downtown to outer southeast
and up to North Portland.
Trial set for trainer
accused of sex abuse
EUGENE — A former athletic trainer accused of sexually abusing a female student
at a Eugene high school is
scheduled to stand trial May 1.
The Register-Guard reports the date was set after
settlement talks failed Monday.
Timothy
Schley
has
pleaded not guilty. The former Willamette High trainer
was arraigned last month and
was released from jail after
posting $5,000 security and
agreeing to have no contact
with the girl.
But the 29-year-old was
booked back into the jail late
last week after he was accused of violating the agreement. Prosecutor Erik Hasselman says Schley contacted
the girl through electronic
text messages using a special
application to hide or destroy
the messages.
Schley was released from
jail Saturday night after posting an additional $15,000 in
security.
Firm looks at geothermal
potential near Vale
www.gazettetimes.com
OBITUARIES
Keith Purdy Morfitt
March 16, 1950 — March 21, 2014
Keith Morfitt, 64, died Friday at his
home in Corvallis.
Keith was born on March 16, 1950, in
Berkeley, Calif., to Robert and Becky Morfitt. He moved with his family to Corvallis
in 1965. On Dec. 29, 1972, he
married Loana “Onnie” Belnap. The couple has three
children, Klifton, Christy
and Oriana. Keith was a general contractor. He was an
ardent Beaver fan and enjoyed pitching in city-league
softball for many years. He
Morfitt
will be remembered for his
dedication to family and
friends.
Keith was preceded in death by his
mother, Becky. He is survived by his wife of
41 years, Onnie; his father, Bob; his son,
Klifton Morfitt; daughter, Christy, and her
husband, Cyrus Toretto; daughter, Oriana
Morfitt; grandchildren, Kassian and Cyree
Toretto; brothers, Brad and Butch; and sister, Becky.
A celebration of life is set for 1 to 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 30, at the family home.
Memorial donations in Keith’s name can be
directed to the Oregon State University
Foundation/Athletic Department. Please
leave your thoughts and memories for the
family at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.
Kwangjai Park
Oct. 12, 1934 — March 21, 2014
Kwangjai Park of Eugene peacefully died
on March 21, 2014, at home, in the arms of
his wife, Helen, and surrounded by loving
family and friends.
His long struggle with Parkinson’s disease, degenerative disc disease and primary
progressive aphasia is over.
He was born on Oct. 12,
1934, in Wonsan, Korea,
while the peninsula was under Japanese occupation.
At the end of World War
II, he and his family were in
Manchuria, where his father’s job had taken them. To
Park
escape the civil war erupting
in China, the family had to travel 500 miles,
mostly on foot, back to Korea. Elevenyear-old Kwangjai helped his younger siblings pass the long hours of walking by
telling them stories from books he had
read.
The family finally arrived in Seoul in
1946, but the Korean War in 1950 made
them refugees again, as they fled to Pusan
in the far south. Young Kwangjai was at the
top of his class in school, but he had to take
time out again to help support his family,
working for American GIs. He learned
enough English to serve as a translator.
F.Y.I.
One of the sergeants he worked for told
him all about America, igniting a powerful
desire in the teenage boy to go to this wonderful place. With the support of his family
and community, he was able to immigrate
in 1953, just as the war in his country was
winding down.
After graduating from Monterey High
School in California, he applied to colleges,
and was accepted with a full four-year
scholarship to Harvard, where he majored
in electrical engineering. He married and
began a family as he went on to complete a
doctorate in physics at the University of
California in Berkeley.
For a few years he worked at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, then in 1966 he came
to the University of Oregon as a professor of
physics. His first marriage came to an end
in 1973, but in 1974 he married Helen (Hodson) Park. They had a marriage of true love
for nearly 40 years.
Kwangjai’s name is composed of the
Chinese characters in Genesis 1:3 that
mean “There was light.” His study of
physics included many years of work with
optics, the study of light, although he also
made contributions in the fields of fluid
dynamics and atmospheric science. He
loved the elegance and beauty of the universe, and was delighted to conduct
“kitchen experiments” to demonstrate
some of the interesting aspects of nature.
He was a gifted teacher, and his classes
at the U of O were popular, even though he
had a reputation for giving really hard tests!
He won the Ersted Award for excellence in
teaching in 1972. He retired in 2002, and
devoted his time to travel and writing his
family history and personal memoirs.
Kwangjai is survived by his wife, Helen;
children, Aaron, Melora of Corvallis,
Meroe, Esther and John; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister
and three brothers and their families, all of
whom he loved dearly. He will be greatly
missed.
Vera F. Asbahr
Vera F. Asbahr, 89, of the Corvallis/Albany area died Friday, March 21, 2014, at
Corvallis Manor.
Arrangements are pending at Fisher Funeral Home.
Fred Price
A celebration of life for Fred Price is set
for 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 30, at Corvallis Senior Center, 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave.
Obituary guidelines: Brief obituaries, death notices
and service notices appear in the Gazette-Times as
a free public service. A fee must be paid in advance
for obituaries longer than 100 words and for a photograph. Obituaries published in the newspaper also
appear at www.gazettetimes.com. For more information or to place an obituary, contact Jane Stoltz
at news@gtconnect.com or 541-758-9524.
Man gets life in prison
for killing father, woman
EUGENE — An Oregon
man who beat his father and
his father’s girlfriend to death
nearly two years ago will
spend the rest of his life in
prison with no chance of parole, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Johan Gillette, 38, received two consecutive life
sentences following emotional testimony from victims’ relatives in Lane
County Circuit Court.
Gillette could have faced
the death penalty. But his
own family and that of the
other victim opposed execution,
and
Gillette’s
brother told his older sibling to sign a sentencing
agreement that took the
death penalty off the table
in exchange for waiving
ONTARIO — A company
that operates a geothermal
power plant west of Vale will
evaluate the potential for geothermal south of the city.
An agreement signed by
U.S.Geothermal and Malheur
County officials gives the
company the exclusive right
to explore a 133-acre property
for geothermal resources,
plus develop, produce, sell
and/or use any resource that’s
found.
The Argus Observer newspaper reports U.S. Geothermal will pay the county
$3,000 upfront, and then
$1,500 annually during a lease
that runs at least 10 years.
The county also would rePORTLAND (AP) —
ceive royalties for any geotCinthya
Garcia-Cisneros
hermal resource produced
said
she
has
two regrets
and sold for the generation of
about the October night
electric power or other uses.
when she drove through a
Jackson County sees leaf pile, striking and killing
two children she couldn’t
jump in dog licensing see.
The first is that she went
MEDFORD — The number
of licensed pets has increased out that night. The second
in Jackson County because of is that she didn’t return to
an ordinance that makes it the scene.
In her first public commandatory for veterinarians
ments since being found
to report dog rabies shots.
Animal Control sold 14,718 guilty of hit-and-run, the
dog licenses in 2013, up 16 19-year-old woman told
percent from the year before. The Oregonian she has
Officials in the southern Ore- thought about the accident
gon county estimate they’ll countless times.
sell 18,000 this year.
“It’s terrible,” GarciaThe county passed the li- Cisneros said. “It’s a terrible
censing ordinance to collect feeling.”
more money and give loose
Garcia-Cisneros
was
animals a better chance of be- sentenced to probation, but
ing returned to owners.
she faces possible deportaVeterinarians must report tion to Mexico. She’s incarvaccinations within 60 days. cerated at the U.S. ImmiOwners of unlicensed dogs gration and Customs Enare then sent a letter with a li- forcement facility in Tacocense application by the ma, Wash. An immigration
county.
judge denied bond last week
— The Associated Press for Garcia-Cisneros, deem-
some appeal rights.
A jury last week convicted Gillette of murdering his
father James Gillette, 73,
and the father’s girlfriend,
Anne McLucas, 71, at a
home south of Eugene in
September 2012.
Both died of multiple
crushing blows to the head,
delivered by what is believed to have been some
kind of wrench. The murder
weapon was never found.
Gillette maintained his
innocence Tuesday, telling
the court that “this is not a
murder case” and he believes he’ll get a new trial.
“The only tragedy in my
opinion is Anne McLucas,”
he said. “I did this agreement for others, not myself.”
He did not make eye contact with McLucas’ relatives
who addressed the court,
KVAL-TV reported.
“Johan, you murdered
my mother, beat her, left her
on the floor to die,” said Jacob Shapiro, McLucas’ son.
“She was just caught up in a
father-son argument.”
Gillette claimed he acted
in self-defense when his father reached for a gun during an argument. During the
trial, he took the stand to
describe the fight.
Prosecutors said the
younger Gillette flew into a
rage over his father’s plan to
evict Gillette and his girlfriend from a trailer on the
father’s property.
Woman awaits immigration fate after
crash that killed two children in leaf pile
ing her a danger and a flight
risk.
Garcia-Cisneros
has
lived in the U.S. since she
was 4. She had temporary
permission to be in the
country, but the criminal
conviction may change that
status.
Prosecutors said the
crash that killed two stepsisters Oct. 20 in Forest
Grove, 25 miles west of
Portland, was an accident.
The girls — 6-year-old
Anna Dieter-Eckerdt and
11-year-old Abigail Robinson — were likely concealed
by the leaves and not visible
to the driver.
F.Y.I. is a community calendar.To
accommodate demand for the
print edition, we ask that items be
brief and include time, date, place,
address, admission cost and a
contact number for publication.
Inclusion of items is at the discretion of the Gazette-Times. Further
information is available at 541758-9524 or jane.stoltz@lee.net.
Assistance
THURSDAY
Emergency food boxes, by appointment, North Corvallis Ministry Center, 5050 N.E. Elliott Circle. Appointments: 541-2201040.
AARP TaxAide, 10 a.m. to 2:30
p.m., Philomath Community Library, 1050 Applegate St., by appointment only; and 11 a.m. to 3
p.m., Corvallis Elks Lodge, walkins or appointments. Certified
counselors will prepare and e-file
tax returns for low- and moderate-income taxpayers of all ages,
free of charge. Appointments:
541-602-5829.
Stone Soup dinner, 5:30 to
6:30 p.m., gymnasium, St. Mary’s
Catholic School, 501 N.W. 25th
St. Free meal for those in need.
Events
THURSDAY
Preschool story time, 10 a.m.,
Corvallis-Benton County Public
Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave.
“Cover Oregon Have You Confused?,” 7 p.m., main meeting
room, Corvallis-Benton County
Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe
Ave. Kristi Hart of Barker-Uerlings Insurance and State Representative Jim Thompson will answer questions. The deadline for
applying for Cover Oregon is
Monday.
Government
THURSDAY
Corvallis Public Participation
Task Force, noon, Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W.
Madison Ave.
Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments Area Commission on Transportation, 5
p.m., 1400 Queen Ave. S.E., Albany.
Camp Adair Composite
Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol,
6:30 p.m., Santiam Christian
Schools, 7220 Arnold Ave., Adair
Village. Information: 541-9173370.
Organizations
THURSDAY
Heart of the Valley Runners, 6
a.m.; meet in the parking lot next
to the Midge Cramer Bike Path,
Benton County Fairgrounds, 110
S.W. 53rd St. Information:
http://hotvrunners.com.
Kiwanis Club of Corvallis —
Sunrisers, 7 a.m., Osborn Aquatic Center, 1940 N.W. Highland
Drive. Information: 541-752-2563
or mccannc@pacifier.com.
Corvallis Bicycle Collective,
noon to 4 p.m.; for location, call
541-224-6885 or go to www.cor
vallisbikes.org. The group welcomes all to volunteer or to work
on their own bikes.
Corvallis Lions Club, noon,
Papa’s Pizza, 1030 S.W. Third St.
Information: 541-752-1920.
Corvallis New Horizons Band,
6:15 p.m. Rehearsals are open to
all players. For rehearsal location,
call 541-231-0052.
Science of Mind in Corvallis, 7
p.m., Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, 420 N.W. Second St. Topic: “Practicing Nonjudgment,” followed by a guided meditation. Information: www.meetup.com.
Valley Viewfinders Camera
Club, 7 p.m., Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E. The
first monthly meeting is dedicated to print competition; the second is for electronic imaging
competition and programs to
stimulate creativity and learning
techniques. Information:
http://valleyviewfinders.org.
Plan ahead
“Write Your Legacy Letter”
class, 1 p.m. six Mondays, starting March 31, room 121, LinnBenton Community College Benton Center, 757 N.W. Polk Ave.
Learn how to write your personal
values, life lessons and hopes in
this type of letter, which is given
to family members and friends at
life transition points such as marriage, childbirth, graduation, illness, retirement and end-of-life
planning. Cost: $40. Registration:
541-757-8944 or www.linnben
ton.edu.
Support groups
THURSDAY
Alcoholics Anonymous:
•7 to 8 a.m., noon, room 111,
First Christian Church, 602 S.W.
Madison Ave.
• Noon, First United Methodist
Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave.;
room 111, First Christian Church,
602 S.W. Madison Ave.
•6:30 p.m., basement, New
Life Fellowship, 1412 Applegate
St., Philomath.
•7 p.m., Crossroads Christian
Fellowship, 2555 N.W. Highland
Drive.
•8:30 p.m., room 125, McNary
Hall, Oregon State University.
Information (24 hours): 541967-4252 or www.aa-oregon.org.
Narcotics Anonymous:
•Noon to 1 p.m., 7 p.m., room
11, First Christian Church, 602
S.W. Madison Ave.
Information (24 hours): 541967-4252 or www.aa-oregon.org.
Out-N-About, 6:30 to 8:30
p.m., room 218, First United
Methodist Church, 1165 N.W.
Monroe Ave. For high school-aged
youths who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and their
allies. Information: 541-2314440.
Alanon, 7:30 p.m., room 12,
Episcopal Church of the Good
Samaritan, 333 N.W. 35th St.
Support group for families and
friends of alcoholics. Message
center: 541-967-6262.