THE FOUNDER of the Jacksonville Boosters Club, Robbie Collins, had a simple adage: “It does not matter who gets credit as long as the work gets done,” and indeed the work of the Boosters Club continues to be impressive. Collins was the main force in what some refer to as “the […]
ON APRIL 14, 1939, fifteen civic-minded ladies gathered at the Fellowship Hall of the Jacksonville Presbyterian Church to start a Jacksonville Garden Club, and 85 years later this organization is thriving and proving that the past is simply prologue. As the oldest continuous service organization in Jacksonville, the club continues to […]
On August 8, 2022, the community was devastated by the news that Jacksonville City Councilor Jim Lewis had unexpectedly passed away. For many of us, Jim was a mentor, a rock, a friend, a model citizen and the embodiment of a gentleman. In his honor, we are re-running Mike McClain’s “Sensational […]
Like many of you I had many reasons to approach this Christmas season with angst and disappointment, especially given the ravages of Covid-19 and a United States divided like we have not seen since the Civil War (why it was called civil, I will never know). What changed all of this for me and renewed […]
The Jacksonville City Council has identified emergency preparedness for wildfire as a key focus this year. The Council is working on several steps including revision of the Emergency Operations Plan, a review of the Britt Evacuation Plan and the development of a set of emergency protocols including exit routes, warning […]
Margaret Lyon was born in Wray, Colorado on October 5, 1937 and left this world in Jacksonville, Oregon on December 27, 2020. After attending school for twelve years in Wray, Margaret headed off to the University of Colorado in Boulder where she majored in English and French. She would laugh remembering […]
In 2009, Sue Miler and her, husband, Dave Doi, moved across country from Washington, D.C. to an active retirement life in Jacksonville. Like all featured Sensational Seniors, she has a compelling life story that began on October 27, 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was born into a large Catholic family, and […]
When I arrived at the home of Bruce Gieg, my October “Sensational Seniors” subject, I found him in his shop, sitting in a folding chair and repairing the power take-off mechanism of a Valley View Vineyard tractor. After walking to his nearby home and getting most of the grease off his […]
When I first met Gene and Glenda Cossette twelve years ago, I commented to my wife, “They look like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine,” as they were both stylishly dressed and walked with confidence and poise. Not much has changed in the past twelve years for this well-known […]
Lorin Severson has experienced Jacksonville, off and on, for over 70 years, so like the Farmers Insurance ad goes, “He has seen a thing or two.” That he’s here in Jacksonville and able to sit for an interview is a bit of a miracle given his rocky start in life. Lorin […]
“Sensational Seniors” subject, Donna Schatz, let me know at the beginning of my interview that she finds little value in biographical dates but, other than that, was full of interesting biographical information. Donna was born in Burns, Oregon and progressed through the Burns school system before going to the University of […]
This March’s “Sensational Seniors” article features Jacksonville resident, Steve Carlson, who spent 38 years in the entertainment business, most as a Hollywood actor. Steve’s beginning came on May 24, 1943 in Columbus, Mississippi, but he was only there the first six weeks of his life as his Air Force-pilot father was […]
My main purpose in writing “Sensational Seniors” articles is to honor the richness of the lives of people of Jacksonville who have been active and productive citizens of our fair town. However, for this, my 33rd article, it was I who was honored with the rare opportunity to spend part of […]
“When I was a kid, I just wanted to play baseball, but I kept getting blamed for Pearl Harbor… and this was the climate I grew up in.” This quote from Jacksonville resident, Dave Doi, struck me as particularly poignant given the racial divide that our country still struggles with […]
When I first asked long-time Jacksonville resident, Barbara Oakes, to consent to being interviewed for “Sensational Seniors,” she replied, “Oh gosh, I have never done anything that was sensational.” Hopefully, this article will prove how wrong her initial assessment was.
Born on May 21, 1944 in Santa Ana, California, her father was […]
This “Sensational Seniors” article features much-loved dentist, Bill Brodie, who retired in 2011 after 37 years of operating a dental clinic in Jacksonville. A native Oregonian, Bill was born on May 15, 1945 in the Belle Knife Hospital in Coquille, Oregon—a small hospital that his grandmother, a nurse, had started. While […]
The subject of the August “Sensational Seniors” article, Carolyn Kingsnorth, has the most extensive and varied career resume of anyone I have ever met. I will only be able to touch on some aspects of her vita; hopefully, it will give the flavor of this statement. Carolyn was […]
My interview with the July “Sensational Seniors,” Steve and Susan Casaleggio, took place at their Jacksonville home off Third Street. It was emblematic of their high energy, for one would make a statement and then jump up to ponder the next thought while the other took over and […]
This month’s “Sensational Seniors” article focuses on four retired men who dedicate hours each week doing “hands on” work at Jacksonville’s Forest Park, a 1,460-acre gem one mile out of Jacksonville. This hardy foursome, made up of a miner and three retired school teachers, acknowledges their senior advisor, […]
The May “Sensational Seniors” article features Stan and Judie Lyon. Both native Californians, Stan was born in San Diego on April 15, 1939. Stan’s mother oversaw the home while his father had a long career as an electrician with Rohr Aircraft. Stan and his younger brother were especially […]
This edition features longtime Jacksonville city official, Jim Lewis, whose dedication to service is a model for us all. Jim was born in Wray, Colorado on May 8, 1945; his father was a career Naval officer and a decorated World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veteran. Jim’s mother was […]
“Jacksonville is such a delightful place to live. Good people come here to live and then do great things for our little town.” This was how my interview started with long-time Jacksonville resident, Lyn Boening, this month’s “Sensational Senior.” Like all Sensational Seniors, Lyn has an interesting life story to tell […]
The First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville (JPC) hosted a large gathering on October 21 to say thank you and bon voyage to their pastor, Larry Jung and his wife, Sally, for their 33-years of service to their church and the community of Jacksonville. Larry has easily been the longest serving […]
Jacksonville resident, Dave Mills, has a compelling story about how hard work, determination and a supportive spouse will allow anyone to be successful. Dave Mills is proof of this—while in high school, he started as a “lot boy” for the Medford Skinner-Butler Cadillac dealership and just recently retired as the co-owner […]
This month’s “Sensational Seniors” subjects are well-known Jacksonville residents Terry and Paula Block Erdmann. While their monthly Jacksonville Review column “The Unfettered Critic” provides insight into their Hollywood days, it touches only the surface of this intriguing couple. My two-hour interview with them covered their wonderful journey through the backdoor of […]
The “Sensational Senior” candidate for this month is arguably Jacksonville’s best known and loved citizen, who through 51 years of teaching has positively impacted thousands of young lives. As always, my approach is to start from the beginning, and in Larry’s case, his was on July 3, 1940 when he and […]
My Sensational Seniors feature for this issue of the Jacksonville Review, Linda Graham, just gets under the wire as a senior, but she had a compelling story to tell. A native Oregonian, her life began on April 7, 1956 at the old Sacred Heart Hospital in Medford. Her parents were Jim […]
In this month’s “Sensational Seniors” article, I honor the spirit of two well-known and well-loved Jacksonville ladies, Lou McBride and Donna McNurlen, known by their business name as the “Two Macs.” It’s only fitting that these two long-time friends and self-motivated and hard-working entrepreneurs both passed away in January of 2018. […]
Jerry and Nell Mathern have lived in their 5th Street Jacksonville home for 46 years and, in those years, have endeared themselves to many of us who call Jacksonville home. Jerry’s life started in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on June 22, 1939. Jerry’s father tried his hand at a number of […]
When my wife and I moved to Jacksonville six years ago, we met numerous fine Jacksonville citizens and in so doing several names were frequently mentioned; among them were Pete Dahl, Lee Lewis, John Braislin and Jerry Ferronato. Unfortunately, I missed out on the opportunity to meet Pete, Lee and John […]
This “Sensational Seniors” article features the engaging personality of Paul Parker, who celebrated his 95th birthday on December 21, 2017. Paul resides in Pioneer Village and is a Jacksonville treasure, and is one of our few surviving World War II veterans. Paul has a story to tell, beginning with his birth […]
This December “Sensational Seniors” article features well-known and involved former Jacksonville citizen, Carl Nelson, whose 36-year career with Hughes Aircraft is a story in of itself. First, however, it is important to start at the beginning, and in Carl’s case this begins on October 22, 1928 in the remote farming […]
One of the first things Joan Long showed me in her Pioneer Village living room was a small book by Deidra Riggs, Every Little Thing. Joan said the book’s theme, that one can make a positive difference wherever they are, has been her lifelong goal.
To understand how this has played out […]
Editor’s note: Since starting this column, “Sensational Seniors” back in 2016, Mike McClain has featured many of Jacksonville’s most respected and admired citizens. This month, in honor of Mike’s writing success, his dear friend, Mira Wingfield, thought it was time to […]
The first 30 minutes of my interview with Mac and Peggy Peffley was spent touring their expansive Singler Lane home to see their extensive eclectic art and southwestern pottery collection, which reflects their world travels and experiences. Then it was time to get busy with the life stories of two more […]
Robert Atkinson, known in Jacksonville as “Bo,” first moved here in 2000 with his effervescent wife, Iris, and the two immediately became a popular and well-known couple around town. Bo’s quiet and unassuming manner belies the fact that he had a distinguished career in the army as a helicopter pilot and […]
When I entered Mary Ann Byrne’s stately historic Jacksonville home on California Street to begin my “Sensational Seniors” interview, I was greeted with, “I have always lived in and loved older homes and, while they take a good deal of tender care and are expensive to maintain, they help define who […]
I had just started my interview with Lou Mayersky, my June “Sensational Seniors” candidate, when he had me look at several tall fir trees outside his dining room. “You know,” started, “too many people want to improve their view by cutting trees down. That is a terrible waste of the beauty […]
In 2012, a college friend of mine from over 50 years ago co-authored a book on how men can achieve true friendship and set the tone in the introduction by penning, “Whereas women very naturally share themselves with friends through acceptance and self-revealing conversations, men shy away from intimacy.” For this […]
Jacksonville Mayor Paul Becker’s transition from New York City to our small village is a story of finding one’s place in the world and is replete with the usual ups and downs, triumphs, defeats, sadness and elation. Paul was born in 1929 on the upper West Side of New York City. […]
Marge Wall, the owner of Country Quilts here in Jacksonville, decided to take it a little easier this January and close on Sundays. So now, instead of operating her quilt store seven days a week, she cut back to six. And this is a woman who will turn 83 this April. […]
I knew when I scheduled my “Sensational Seniors” interview with Tony Hess that I should allow ample time for it…I wasn’t disappointed! And while I thought I already knew quite a bit about Tony, I quickly realized that I’d just scratched the surface.
Eighty-one year old Tony Hess was born in Toledo, […]
For this month’s column, I only needed to cross the street to interview our close neighbors and friends, Jim and Georgene Van Orsow, another senior couple living a rich and varied life here in Jacksonville. Jim was born in Fairbault, Minnesota but moved to Oregon at age 2, so considers […]
Jerry Evans and his wife, Linda, have owned the Jacksonville Inn for over 40 years. In that time, Jerry has stayed home a total of 173 days or, to put it another way, he has averaged less than 5 days a year at home during the past 40 years. This must […]
Because Jacksonville is replete with “Sensational Seniors,” I only needed to walk to the end of Shafer Lane to interview my good friends and neighbors, Russ and Margaret Lyon, of the well-known Daisy Creek Vineyard, for this column.
Their life story is one of determination and overcoming obstacles, while maintaining a finely-tuned […]
There have been many positive aspects of our move to Jacksonville some four years ago. For a village of 2,800 people, it offers a host of outstanding restaurants and watering holes, it is a walkable town with miles of trails and there is a spirit of volunteerism that surpasses anything I’ve […]