The SANDBOX
Great American Conversations
With The Alumni of RHS
Issue 119 ~ January 17, 2001
"All words are pegs to hang ideas on."
-Henry Ward Beecher-
Catching Up:
The SANDBOX is back after a short timeout enabling your
moderator to catch up on a number of essential business
and family matters with very positive results. (Yes,
Virginia, I do have another life, and am enjoying it
thoroughly!) Your invitation to share with all of us your
ideas, opinions and personal experience continues! May I
extend my apologies to those whose entries have been kept
on hold during the interim. It will take a few issues to
get caught up on all your valuable contributions. Even if
inspired by events since past, your thoughts are no less
worthy now. May they, as well as you, long endure the
inevitable test(s) of time.
Alumnily yours,
Al Parker
Your Sandbox Host
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Contents:
Nuclear Energy
by Sandra Genoway (Jeneaué-Spruksts) ('62)
My Final Word on the Subject
by Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76)
The Bomber Name
by: Ray Stein (64)
Crap Still Flows; Fish Still Swim
by: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54
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Subj: Nuclear Energy
From: Sandra Genoway (Jeneaué-Spruksts) ('62)
fashdes@prodigy.net
Re: Power Plants
With the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Oregon and the
WPPSS Plants Nos. 3 & 4 at Satsop in Washington State
closed down, and with too few new power plants or sources
developed in California in the past ten to twenty years,
we are now having to pay exorbitant prices for electrical
energy. I do not quite understand why natural gas energy
has gone up, first. Of course, some of our energy costs
increases this year here in the Pacific NW is due to lack
of sufficient rain fall to fill up the rivers where the
electrical producing-dams are located.
Perhaps we should contact our legislators in Olympia and
ask them if it would not be prudent to try to attract
more clean energy-producing industries to come to
Washington State (and, also, start up the Satsop plants).
We could ask for legislation that would be more favorable
to these types of industries and businesses in the form
of tax reform, etc. Or, I guess we could all do a rain
dance, and pray, a lot!
-Sandra Genoway ('62)-
~~~~
Subj: My Final Word on the Subject
From: Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76)
KATHLUC@aol.com
To Marc Franco (66) re Issue 115
Geesh, this is getting out of hand. The original reason
for my entering the Sandbox fray in the first place was
to address the tone of certain letters, specifically,
your Issue 102 entry re Mary Ray Henslee's remarks about
jet planes running out of fuel. Granted, it is hard to
read expression in the written word, but I felt the
sarcasm oozing from some of your statements and you
accused Mary of hysteria. I simply replied that Mary had
a valid point and that contradictory evidence exists in
the question of global warming. I never said that we
need do nothing about it, I merely questioned foregone
conclusion. I called your tone hysterical, not your
arguments. In your Sandbox entry of Issue 108, you,
yourself, commented that you sounded hysterical. In my
Sandbox entry of Issue 109, I stated that steps have been
and are being taken by the United States to reduce and
hopefully eventually eliminate potential global warming
contributions, but asked exactly how drastic of measures
should be taken at this point, when we have only a 60%
consensus of the scientific community that global warming
is probably taking place, but have no proof. That said,
I reiterate that I never stated that we need be doing
nothing, as you have implied. I also dispute the premise
that previous Administrations have done nothing to
address the problem. The question is not whether we take
any steps at all to reduce global warming, it is how big
and fast of steps to take.
I rather enjoy some of the Sandbox entries as
informative, but more and more seem to digress into
personal hostility. I chose to jump into the fray when
you accused Mary of an hysterical diatribe, but also
chose to stay plumb out of Harry Potter (talk about
hostile!) and Homosexuality. My only point was that one
shouldn't accuse another of something that they
themselves are displaying. The environmental discussion
was a side issue, but while we're on the subject.... Some
recommended reading for the better informed:
"The Heated Rhetoric of Global Warming" by
Jerry Taylor, Cato Institute "Climate of Fear: Why
We Shouldn't Worry About Global Warming" by
Thomas Gale Moore, "Global Warming: The
Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific
Consensus" by Richard S. Lindzen, MIT, "Hot Air
on Global Warming," Detroit News Online,
11/29/00, "A Decade of Hot Air" by Patrick J.
Michaels, Cato Institute "Greenhouse Warming:
Fact, Hypothesis or Myth? by Douglas V Hoyt,
"Global Warming Research Still Rife with
Uncertainties," American Institute of Physics,
"Greenhouse Forecasting Still Cloudy," Science,
5/16/00, and "Trashing the Planet" by Dixie Lee
Ray, (my favorite Democrat),
Again, I do not contend that global warming does not
exist, I merely question the extent to which we should
act (read: panic). I rest my case.
--Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76)
~~~~
Subj: The Bomber Name
From: Ray Stein (64)
raystein@uswest.net (Ray Stein)
To Robert Shipp (64) and Burt Pierard (59)
Thanks to both of you for your inputs to the Sandstorm
regarding the origins of the name "Bombers". In Robert's
article, Dale Gier goes public with his recollection that
the name came from the Day's Pay plane. I know from the
Sandstorm that other alum from that time period (i.e.
Mary Triem Mowery (47)) are just as adamant that the name
"Bombers" refers to the atomic bomb. Burt's submission
refers to a Villager article (9/13/45) that says the
Bomber football team will be called the "Atomizers" or
the "Bombers." Burt also refers to the 45'-46' Col-Hi
yearbook as further evidence that the namers had the
atomic bomb in mind.
Now part of me says lets not start this up again, there's
too many people that get all fired up about this topic
and want to toss in a discussion of the mushroom cloud as
well. But, Robert and Burt have set a very calm and
factual tone, so I thought I would give some of my
opinions as well.
The first time I saw the Day's Pay mural, I was at a
class reunion function. I remember talking with my old
neighbor Jim Vache (64). Our conversation went something
like this: "Where did this Day's Pay plane come from?",
"The Bomber name came from the atomic bomb," "Who is
rewriting history?," "Are they trying to sanitize the
past?"
I held that opinion until 3 yrs. ago when I talked to a
friend of mine, who happened to be a Col-Hi Alum. I
asked Pat Green (48) about the Bomber name, and she
related a story similar to what Dale Gier said, that is,
the name was changed during the 44'-45' school year as a
result of the contributions of Hanford workers to buy a
plane. I asked her if she had any yearbooks and she
showed me annuals from 45'-46,' 46'-47.' and 47'-48.'
There was no 44'-45' annual, just a collection of
pictures that were copied and put together years later.
Now, Burt is correct, the theme of the 45'-46' annual is
the atomic bomb. There are drawings of atoms and such,
as well as a drawing of a plane. Also true however, is
the fact that there is absolutely no mention of a name
change from Beavers to Bombers. There is a page that
chronicles the events of the 45'-46' school year, but no
mention of the name change. There is a section that
talks about the atomic bomb and Hanford, but nothing that
says the name "Bombers" is derived from the atomic bomb.
So if the name change occurred in the 45'-46' school
year, why was it completely ignored in the annual? Since
the theme of the annual was the atomic bomb, wouldn't you
think there would be some mention of a Bombers-Atomic
Bomb connection? I must say that there is also no
mention of a Bombers-Plane connection either. I looked
at the 46'-47' and the 47'-48' annuals and I found
references to coaches as "pilots" (count one for the
plane); but also there was, I believe, the first picture
of our beloved bomb (count one for the bomb).
Now, I certainly don't want to disparage the memories of
any alums. I know my classmates (64) and I couldn't even
remember whether we graduated indoors or outdoors (till
we saw the pictures). I like what Robert Shipp said,
that he doesn't care what the origins of the name, he'll
always be proud to be a Bomber - me too! I plan to look
at the Villager microfilms when I get to Richland,
especially the article from 9/13/45. So call me
skeptical, call me "plane" stupid, but remember an old
60's tune that said, "There ain't no good guy, there
ain't no bad guy, there's just you and me and we just
disagree."
With Bomber pride inside,
--Ray Stein (64)
~~~~~
Subj: Crap Still Flows; Fish Still Swim
From: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54
Albany, Oregon
bobsown1@hotmail.com
In issue 116, fellow classmate, Ray Wells (54), posed
two questions. I will pose two answers, they may not be
the right ones, and they may flow against the tide.
Anyway, here goes.
1. Yes, Ray, the crap does flow from the Willamette
into the Columbia, where it is no doubt joined by the
crap from Camas-Washougal, all of which joins the crap
from Longview-Kelso and Saint Helens. Surprisingly,
salmon do seem to be able to swim past. At least some of
them do, if the count at Bonneville is anything to go by.
It is probably not too healthy for them, but they do
survive. I have heard that spawning salmon don't care
too much about eating along the way. This may be an old
fisherman's tale to explain why he didn't catch any.
Some progress has been made, but unfortunately, from
about Oregon City to the mouth things happen to the river
that have been going on for at least three decades and
maybe longer. Attempts are still being made to clean the
river up, and in parts it is in fair shape; not as
pristine as it was before Lewis and Clark, but not too
bad.
2. Probably the reason "Doctor John, Governor Man"
doesn't do much about cleaning up his own river is that
the subject is a political hot potato. It is in his own
back yard, so to speak, whereas the Snake River dams he
doesn't like are mainly in Washington. On the other
hand, with the exception of Tom McCall, no governor of
the state has taken up the challenge of cleaning up the
Willamette. They do give lip service to the idea, but
they don't want to get on the bad side of anyone who
opposes the idea. Most of those in opposition are either
the big paper mills or some of the bigger farmers in the
valley.
During Tom McCall's tenure a "greenway" project was
established for the purpose of restoring the river. It
still functions, but not without a struggle to remain
alive in a war against those mentioned above and the
legislature (who don't see any political good).
Oh yes, the current "Guv" is a doctor, licensed and
all that. But when his term runs out, be very careful
when traveling through the Klamath Falls area. He used
to work in the emergency room in a hospital in that area.
Rumor has it that he was asked not to hang around when
any medical emergency greater than "terminal hangnail"
happened.
Hope these answers give you some insight into local
problems here in the state where Beavers rule and Ducks
suck.
That's my opinion and I'm welcome to it.
--Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 - Albany, OR
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That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please
include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable),
in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may
also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy
to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send
your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the
Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington,
AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942
through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website.
Al Parker (53)
Shippenville, PA
Your SANDBOX Host
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~119~