Sensational Seniors – June 2020

“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 Oregon where she was to receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on accounting.

Her parents were originally from the Seattle, Washington area, but her father, who suffered from chronic asthma, was advised to seek a drier climate and, after a stint in California, moved to Burns where his health improved immensely. Her father had left home at fifteen and found work as a logger but, once in Burns, he utilized some of his acquired craft skills and opened a saddle making shop in downtown Burns. Donna remembers, “My dad built saddles in the back of the shop and in the front supplemented our family income by selling cowboy and logging boots and other rugged outside gear.” He built a special saddle for the Burns area cowboys. “Many of our cowboys had back problems, so Dad got what were called ‘Society Seat’ trees from Denver and put extra padding in his saddles to make for a more comfortable ride.”

Attending the University of Oregon was not the norm at the time for a young woman from Eastern Oregon, but Donna’s older sister was at the University, so it made for an easy transition. While at Oregon, Donna took accounting classes with young Fred Schatz who eventually became her husband after they graduated. While Fred secured a job in a private accounting firm in Salem, Oregon, Donna found her niche with a CPA firm, auditing the Marion and Polk counties’ cities and school districts. Their son was born in Salem, but, when he was one and a half, Fred accepted a job with Sweed Machinery in Gold Hill, and their Southern Oregon adventure began. As Donna relates, “This was a rather hectic move with a toddler and then, five weeks after we arrived in Jackson County, our daughter was born.

Originally, the young family settled in Medford with the intent of building a home, but Medford wasn’t to be. “Both Fred and I loved trees and Medford at the time didn’t have many. Jacksonville, on the other hand did, so we started looking for property to purchase. After a year and a half search, we finally were able to purchase a lot from Dick and Helen Hein on Mary Ann Drive in the recently-opened Pair-A-Dice housing development.” They moved into their new home in 1967, making Donna a 53-year resident. Like the Farmers Insurance commercial, “She knows a thing or two.”

While the Schatz family was enjoying their new home, with Fred busy at Sweed Machinery and Donna running a home with two young children, she was pleasantly surprised when the audit firm she had worked for in Salem contacted her about conducting an audit for them in Southern Oregon which would save them the expense of sending someone down from Salem. She remembers, “The firm sent me boxes of financial information for small Oregon school districts and, since the firm had no office in Jackson County, I was able to work at home which was a perfect set up for me with my kids.” Working at home had a big appeal for Donna and, when the school audits were completed, she started looking for a permanent job that she could do at home. This led her to start a home-based income tax practice. She took the Oregon exam to become a licensed tax consultant which led to the Federal Enrolled Agents exam.

Donna’s busy home and tax life got even busier when she was approached by two Jacksonville City Council members who were clients of hers. Due to a resignation of the Mayor which resulted in the Council President, Jim Lewis, assuming the mayoral duties, there was a vacancy on the City Council. The two Council members thought it would be advantageous to appoint Donna to fill the remainder of the term, because she had a working knowledge of small city budget and finances, having conducted numerous audits for them. She was to end up serving on the Council for almost seventeen years. Reflecting on her time on the Jacksonville City Council she relates, “I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Council. I was able to meet and work with some nice people, people who came from different backgrounds than me but were willing to work together for the good of Jacksonville. I would have stayed on the Council had it not been for Fred’s deteriorating health which required me to be home with him until his passing.”

As is normal for city councils, contentious issues occasionally emerge—Donna remembers three. The first was the seven-year battle over issuing a building permit for the new Jacksonville Presbyterian Church. “This was a back-and-forth affair and was surrounded by a good deal of debate. I believe the final decision to allow the church to build was the right decision and what an asset it has been to our community. The church’s recent series of seminars on the multiple aspects of aging that was opened to the entire community is a good example of this.”

The second issue was the years-long discussion and study of what to do with the Jacksonville watershed acreage complicated by the potential of a serious accident on city-owned land used by the Motorcycle Riders Association (MRA). While Donna was somewhat uncomfortable with the selling of city property to the MRA, she believes the eventual creation of Forest Park has been very positive.

She smiles when remembering the other issue which involved the possible creation of a distillery in Jacksonville. “We were approached by a developer from Canada and a local investor asking the Council to grant a business license for a distillery business in Jacksonville. No one on the Council, including myself, knew anything about a distillery, so we tabled the item for a future meeting.” Donna had a niece who was married to a distillery owner in Joseph, Oregon, Stein Distillery. She called Dan Stein and learned that the city had no business granting a license until all federal requirements were met. Needless to say, the distillery business never happened. (As a side note, Dan Stein was a former student of mine.)

Donna’s second phase of her volunteer life came about through her City Council experience when she was appointed as the Jacksonville Seniors’ liaison and was immediately asked to help them obtain non-profit status. Donna wrote the final determination letters, and they received the 501 (C) 3 status in 1998. By 1998 there was a growing interest on the part of many of the Seniors to create a separate non-profit with the goal of obtaining or building a Jacksonville Community Center. A major part of this was to locate a place for a community center. The steering committee looked at eight locations, including Bigham Knoll, property behind the lumber yard and a piece of property that the Seniors owned on Applegate Street. Their answer came when the City was gifted the small Sampson home next to the then-City Hall. Eventually the City granted the Community Center a 50-year lease on the property at $1 per year.

From the onset, it was clear that the remodeled Sampson building did not have adequate square footage for a community center, and the decision was made to build an attached building that could hold up to 100 people. A lot line adjustment was made which allowed for an addition to the existing building, and this provided the momentum to launch a $700,000 fundraising campaign for the Community Center. Through the efforts of many individuals, grants and local service clubs, the funds were raised, and in 2018 the Jacksonville Community Center became a reality. Donna was an integral part of this effort at every step and currently serves as the treasurer of the organization.

Reflecting on her 53-year Jacksonville experience, she does so fondly. “One of the things I have so enjoyed about Jacksonville is that it is about the same size as the city I grew up in. I really appreciate the people of Jacksonville who have always been so friendly which may be the main reason why newcomers arrive and stay.”

Most mornings of the week, Donna can be found at the Community Center. If the mood strikes you, stop by and let her know how much you appreciate her years of service to our village.