The Applegater

2 Summer 2023 Applegater OBITUARIES Rick Levine January 10, 1943 - April 24, 2023 I was saddened to hear of the passing of Rick L e v i n e , a n Ap p l e g a t e luminary and good friend, on April 24, 2023, after a 12-year battle with cancer. R i c k a n d h i s w i f e , Ellen, lived on Slagle Creek for many years, growing grapes and working in education. Rick was first the business manager for the newly minted Rogue Community College (RCC) in the 1970s, then moved north and served as vice president at Chemeketa Community College before returning to the Applegate and serving as president of RCC. WHOW is looking for a few good women! BY BECKIE ELGIN " We d o e v e r y t h i n g . Un l e s s i t's dangerous." ese are the words of alia Truesdell, the originator and enduring force behind Women Helping Other Women, fondly known as WHOW. Thalia started the group in the 1990s after moving to the Applegate Valley. She understood the benefit of having both physical and moral support when tackling chores at her Applegate property. With the rarity of extended family these days, finding the help and camaraderie of others takes networking and organization, and WHOW has proven to fit the bill. The types of chores performed by the WHOW team are virtually limitless, excluding anything dangerous, of course. As a recent inductee into the organization, I've pulled weeds out of a garden bed, teased twists of honeysuckle from the trunks of trees, built burn piles, and on my own property, helped erect a field fence and painted a kitchen wall. Other tasks I've heard about are window washing, computer help, building a retaining wall, digging out blackberries, and plastering a straw-bale cottage. We are also involved in community activities, including helping neighbors in need and putting in hours at the recent gardening project at the Applegate Country Club. Several years ago, WHOW adopted Humbug Creek Road as their litter project through the County Roads Department. Anything that needs doing can be done easier and better with a group of determined women. In my short time with WHOW, I've learned a ton and had just as much fun. We meet monthly for a social hour that includes a potluck, always a delicious array of food, and then we plan for work parties. Members accrue points by helping others in the group and then use these points for assistance in their own lives. It's a simple system, kept with pen and paper, and the overall atmosphere of the group is inclusive, relaxed, and friendly. Work parties last for three hours and typically include three workers plus the hostess. Light refreshments are served halfway through the party. Around our birthday we are gifted with a WHOWETTE, a mini party that lasts an hour and is something to look forward to. For this special occasion, as many members as possible arrive, carrying shovels, Windex, a chain saw, or whatever may be needed to perform the task determined by the hostess. My birthday is in December so I'm considering some inside chores that will need doing. Might be time for a deep cleaning, which I'm all too happy to put off. Most of the WHOW women live in the Applegate Valley. Some have been on properties for years and have developed carpentry, plumbing, painting, land stewardship, and other skills that they eagerly share with members. ey also have a large array of tools and equipment to bring to the work parties. ere is a wide range of ages in the group. While some of the women are single, others are partnered. A WHOW member can live in the country or in town. e only requirement is to pitch in and do your share and have a good time doing so. While our group is going strong, we welcome new members. If you would like to learn more, please call alia Truesdell at 541-899-8741. WHOW reminds us that dreams can be made a reality, with the skills, muscles, ingenuity, and kindness of others. Beckie Elgin • 541-292-6207 is June, the Williams World Music Choir will be sharing our summer program with the community at the Dorothy Gales Event Center in Provolt on Friday, June 2, at 7:45 pm, and Sunday, June 4, at 4:45 pm. is program will feature a wonderful variety of vocal mixtures and groups. e suggested donation for the show is $5-$25, with no one turned away for lack of funds, and children under 12 may attend for free. Please come out for a wonderful show and hear what your friends and neighbors have been working on since February! More information can be found on our new Facebook page. You can also email harmonysue23@gmail.com. Gospel Summer Session returns! Starting Monday, July 10, from 6:30- 8 pm at the Williams Grange, rehearsals will begin for this year's Gospel Summer Session. is session will last eight weeks, and we will perform our set at the end of the summer (locations to be announced). ere is a minimal class fee to join the choir classes each session. About the choir and director e Williams World Music Choir was started in September 2016 in order to offer vocal instruction and harmonizing t h r o u g h t h e forum of World Music, singing "country songs f r o m o t h e r c o u n t r i e s , " a s o n e o f Harmony's friends so eloquently put it. Harmony was a member of the Rogue World Ensemble in Ashland at the time and had been able to teach that choir a few songs. But she realized that she wanted to teach full-time and needed her own local choir. Over the years, many members of the community have joined the choir, for one season or many, and most have found the learning curve steep…and so worthwhile! Harmony has been singing in choirs since the age of five, when she was drafted by her mother into church choir. She has found that teaching others how to sing in harmony is the best thing she could ever possibly do with her abundant energy, and her love of the music she teaches is very evident in the smiles of the choir members when they perform. Harmony Sue Haynie harmonysue23@gmail.com Rick dipped his toe in politics but was diagnosed with cancer during the campaign. He and Ellen moved to Portland to be close to Oregon Health Sciences University where he could get quality care. His sur vival this long is a lesson in courage and graciousness. I'm sure more tributes will come in, but if you want to provide a shor t testimonial, send it to me at shanachie@hughes.net, and I'll include it in a longer article next issue. Jack Duggan shanachie@hughes.net I am very sad to share that my brother William " Bi f " T h o m a s W i l l s III, of Applegate, passed a w a y o n M a r c h 2 6 , 2023. He transcended peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family, friends, and loving care. T h e re i s s o m u c h to be said about my brother, as he was an extraordinary human. Bif, Biff, Biffy, Bill, William—however he was known to others—lived to the beat of his own drum. He lived simply, and on his own terms. He was a deep thinker, very creative, and had many talents and skills. Bif enjoyed and respected the great outdoors, liked to hang with the boys and the pretty girls, drink some beer, and always have a good laugh. Through his life journey, traveling the US, north, east, south, and west, he William 'Bif' Thomas Wills III June 27, 1957 - March 26, 2023 touched so many of us along the way. T o k n o w a n d understand Biffy was to really see him. Without a doubt, he was a "one and only"! M y b r o t h e r w a s a d i a m o n d i n t h e rough, and his humble b r i l l i a n c e w i l l s h i n e f o r e v e r. H e w i l l b e greatly missed, never forgotten—and always in our hearts. He was loved by many. Stay "Warm + Dry, Fat + Happy" big bro, until we meet again. A life celebration will be held near his home in Oregon at the end of June. Direct message me (Cherie N. John Lhotsky) on Facebook Messenger for Oregon details— all are welcome. Cherie Lhotsky clhotsky@hotmail.com WHOW members picking up litter on Humbug Creek Road. From left to right, Julie Wheeler, Karen Giese, Jeri Gleiter, and Heidi Martins. • • • If you are looking for another wonderful performance by our local ree Rivers Community Orchestra (TRCO), we will be having our Spring Concert at 3 pm Sunday, June 4, at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center, which is in Grants Pass High School. We are so excited to be newly under the conducting of Stuart Potter. He is the band and choir director at Lincoln Savage Middle School in the ree Rivers School District and is pursuing a doctor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Stuart has extensive experience conducting at both the secondary and university levels and is doing his doctoral thesis on community orchestras. He started conducting the ree Rivers Community Orchestra in January of this year. For our June concert we will be joined by three local choirs, e ree Rivers Chorale, RCC (Rogue Community College) Choir, and the Rogue Singers, as well as by other singers from our community. We will be performing "Edelweiss," from e Sound of Music; "Ode to Joy," by Beethoven; and "Dry Your Tears, Afrika," by John Williams. The concert is free, but donations will be gladly accepted. We will also be performing Rhapsody in Blue, by Gershwin, to celebrate his Centennial Year, with our ultra-talented pianist Trevor Clements. is concert will also include such titles as Symphony No. 8 in B Minor (the "Unfinished Symphony"), by Schubert, and selections from West Side Story by Bernstein. Our musicians are all from the local area and love classical music. We meet on ursday nights from 6:30-8:30 pm at either South or North Middle School and are looking for musicians of orchestral instruments who are passionate about sharing music with others. If you have questions, feel free to contact Colleen Kirkland, secretary for TRCO board, at 541-476-0860. Colleen Kirkland kirklands@q.com Three Rivers Community Orchestra Spring concert on June 4 BY COLLEEN KIRKLAND Summer performances of World Music Choir BY HARMONY SUE HAYNIE Harmony Sue Haynie

• Cover