GORDON WILSON HILDERBRAND
Sept. 16, 1928 - Sept. 11, 2009
Gordon Wilson Hilderbrand, 80, a resident of Wasco, passed away at his home on Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. Born in The Dalles, Sept. 16, 1928, the second son of Ormand G. and Lois (Barnett) Hilder-brand, he was delivered by Dr. Griffith, who had been knighted by the Queen of England. He attended Wasco High School and attended Oregon Agricultural College.
Gordon was a third generation wheat farmer, an avid ham radio operator, private pilot and history buff. He served as Wasco County Pioneer Association president, member of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, Sherman County Historical Society, Wasco school board, Wasco Trap Club, Hanford Waste Advisory Commission, 1976 Bicentennial Commission, Navy League, Wheat League and Wasco United Methodist Church. Gordon was an Elk, Mason, Shriner and Boy Scout leader.
He was very proud that his mother, Lois Marion Barnett's grandfather, John Golden, was the founder of Goldendale.
He was also very proud of his aunt, Marie Barnett Cooper, who in 1917 became the first woman bank president in Oregon and the third in the entire nation. Marie was also the first woman auto dealer in Oregon. She had a Ford dealership in Wasco in 1914. Gordon remembers accompanying his aunt Marie many times on trips to inspect her sheep around Sherman County and pastures near Mount Adams in the 1930s. Gordon was well known for his stories! One of his favorites featured Marie's sheep dog which got tired of being at the pasture in Klickitat County and on his own accord took The Dalles ferry into Oregon and went all the way back to Klondike. He remembers helping fuel the generation plant in the basement and milking cows for the cream checks. He was very pleased of the fact that the cream checks helped keep food on the table.
For nearly 50 years John and Gordon farmed both the Hilderbrand and Barnett's homesteaded wheat land in Sherman County.
In 1957, Gordon secured funding for an innovative project to bring TV to Sherman County. With financial backing and the mechanical help of his good friend, Don McDermid, Gordon constructed a brick building atop Juniper Point in Washington. There he installed an antenna and repeater instantly providing much of the Columbia Basin with its first Portland television broadcasts.
In 1968 he commissioned CH2M Hill in Corvallis to study the feasibility of a pump storage facility on the John Day River in Sherman County. His innovative idea would have generated electricity and provided irrigation water to local farmers. In the '80s Gordon worked tirelessly on an effort to bring a correctional facility to Rufus. He traveled to Texas to study their system and was set to meet with Michael Francke, Oregon's correction chief, the very day that Mr. Francke was murdered. At his hilltop house, Gordon collected wind data for over 50 years.
At the beginning of the new millennium, with his wind data in hand, Gordon was able to convince speculators from Wyoming that Sherman County was the right place for wind power. He was instrumental in the placement of the first wind turbines at Klondike. He always enjoyed touring the turbines with family and friends.
Gordon was extremely pleased to have known local historians such as Giles French and Theodore Johnston. Gordon acquired many of the William Raymond photos and became very knowledgeable of the history of Wasco and Sherman counties.
In 1997, Gordon was reading a World War II magazine article about an amazing piggyback flight involving two B-17 Flying Fortresses and 1st Lt. Bill MacNab and Capt. Glenn Rojohn. Gordon knew that his good friend, Pat MacNab, and family had never known Bill's fate during the war. Gordon contacted Capt. Rojohn and with Pat's help flew Glenn out for a hero's welcome in Sherman County.
Gordon is survived by his longtime friend, Shirlee McAllister of Wasco; his brother, John Hilderbrand and wife, Wanda; three sons, Dan Hilderbrand of Oceanside, Calif., Don Hilderbrand of Wasco and Randy Hilderbrand of Wasco; daughter, Ci ndi Hilderbrand Henley of Redmond; six grandchildren, Josh Hilderbrand, Ryan Hilderbrand, Ashley Hilderbrand, Rebecca Hilderbrand Jones, Tyler Henley and Cassie Henley; two great-grandchildren, Scott Henley and Kalob Housden; two nephews, Ormand and Jeff; and niece, Jill.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Viewing will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 19, in Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home. A funeral will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Wasco United Methodist Church with Pastor Bob Reasoner officiating. Burial will follow in Wasco Sunrise Cemetery. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home are in care of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of The Gorge, 751 Myrtle St., The Dalles, OR 97058.
Published in The Oregonian on September 17, 2009
Sept. 16, 1928 - Sept. 11, 2009
Gordon Wilson Hilderbrand, 80, a resident of Wasco, passed away at his home on Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. Born in The Dalles, Sept. 16, 1928, the second son of Ormand G. and Lois (Barnett) Hilder-brand, he was delivered by Dr. Griffith, who had been knighted by the Queen of England. He attended Wasco High School and attended Oregon Agricultural College.
Gordon was a third generation wheat farmer, an avid ham radio operator, private pilot and history buff. He served as Wasco County Pioneer Association president, member of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, Sherman County Historical Society, Wasco school board, Wasco Trap Club, Hanford Waste Advisory Commission, 1976 Bicentennial Commission, Navy League, Wheat League and Wasco United Methodist Church. Gordon was an Elk, Mason, Shriner and Boy Scout leader.
He was very proud that his mother, Lois Marion Barnett's grandfather, John Golden, was the founder of Goldendale.
He was also very proud of his aunt, Marie Barnett Cooper, who in 1917 became the first woman bank president in Oregon and the third in the entire nation. Marie was also the first woman auto dealer in Oregon. She had a Ford dealership in Wasco in 1914. Gordon remembers accompanying his aunt Marie many times on trips to inspect her sheep around Sherman County and pastures near Mount Adams in the 1930s. Gordon was well known for his stories! One of his favorites featured Marie's sheep dog which got tired of being at the pasture in Klickitat County and on his own accord took The Dalles ferry into Oregon and went all the way back to Klondike. He remembers helping fuel the generation plant in the basement and milking cows for the cream checks. He was very pleased of the fact that the cream checks helped keep food on the table.
For nearly 50 years John and Gordon farmed both the Hilderbrand and Barnett's homesteaded wheat land in Sherman County.
In 1957, Gordon secured funding for an innovative project to bring TV to Sherman County. With financial backing and the mechanical help of his good friend, Don McDermid, Gordon constructed a brick building atop Juniper Point in Washington. There he installed an antenna and repeater instantly providing much of the Columbia Basin with its first Portland television broadcasts.
In 1968 he commissioned CH2M Hill in Corvallis to study the feasibility of a pump storage facility on the John Day River in Sherman County. His innovative idea would have generated electricity and provided irrigation water to local farmers. In the '80s Gordon worked tirelessly on an effort to bring a correctional facility to Rufus. He traveled to Texas to study their system and was set to meet with Michael Francke, Oregon's correction chief, the very day that Mr. Francke was murdered. At his hilltop house, Gordon collected wind data for over 50 years.
At the beginning of the new millennium, with his wind data in hand, Gordon was able to convince speculators from Wyoming that Sherman County was the right place for wind power. He was instrumental in the placement of the first wind turbines at Klondike. He always enjoyed touring the turbines with family and friends.
Gordon was extremely pleased to have known local historians such as Giles French and Theodore Johnston. Gordon acquired many of the William Raymond photos and became very knowledgeable of the history of Wasco and Sherman counties.
In 1997, Gordon was reading a World War II magazine article about an amazing piggyback flight involving two B-17 Flying Fortresses and 1st Lt. Bill MacNab and Capt. Glenn Rojohn. Gordon knew that his good friend, Pat MacNab, and family had never known Bill's fate during the war. Gordon contacted Capt. Rojohn and with Pat's help flew Glenn out for a hero's welcome in Sherman County.
Gordon is survived by his longtime friend, Shirlee McAllister of Wasco; his brother, John Hilderbrand and wife, Wanda; three sons, Dan Hilderbrand of Oceanside, Calif., Don Hilderbrand of Wasco and Randy Hilderbrand of Wasco; daughter, Ci ndi Hilderbrand Henley of Redmond; six grandchildren, Josh Hilderbrand, Ryan Hilderbrand, Ashley Hilderbrand, Rebecca Hilderbrand Jones, Tyler Henley and Cassie Henley; two great-grandchildren, Scott Henley and Kalob Housden; two nephews, Ormand and Jeff; and niece, Jill.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Viewing will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 19, in Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home. A funeral will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Wasco United Methodist Church with Pastor Bob Reasoner officiating. Burial will follow in Wasco Sunrise Cemetery. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home are in care of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of The Gorge, 751 Myrtle St., The Dalles, OR 97058.
Published in The Oregonian on September 17, 2009
GORDON WILSON HILDERBRAND
Sept. 16, 1928 - Sept. 11, 2009
Gordon Wilson Hilderbrand, 80, a resident of Wasco, passed away at his home on Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. Born in The Dalles, Sept. 16, 1928, the second son of Ormand G. and Lois (Barnett) Hilder-brand, he was delivered by Dr. Griffith, who had been knighted by the Queen of England. He attended Wasco High School and attended Oregon Agricultural College.
Gordon was a third generation wheat farmer, an avid ham radio operator, private pilot and history buff. He served as Wasco County Pioneer Association president, member of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, Sherman County Historical Society, Wasco school board, Wasco Trap Club, Hanford Waste Advisory Commission, 1976 Bicentennial Commission, Navy League, Wheat League and Wasco United Methodist Church. Gordon was an Elk, Mason, Shriner and Boy Scout leader.
He was very proud that his mother, Lois Marion Barnett's grandfather, John Golden, was the founder of Goldendale.
He was also very proud of his aunt, Marie Barnett Cooper, who in 1917 became the first woman bank president in Oregon and the third in the entire nation. Marie was also the first woman auto dealer in Oregon. She had a Ford dealership in Wasco in 1914. Gordon remembers accompanying his aunt Marie many times on trips to inspect her sheep around Sherman County and pastures near Mount Adams in the 1930s. Gordon was well known for his stories! One of his favorites featured Marie's sheep dog which got tired of being at the pasture in Klickitat County and on his own accord took The Dalles ferry into Oregon and went all the way back to Klondike. He remembers helping fuel the generation plant in the basement and milking cows for the cream checks. He was very pleased of the fact that the cream checks helped keep food on the table.
For nearly 50 years John and Gordon farmed both the Hilderbrand and Barnett's homesteaded wheat land in Sherman County.
In 1957, Gordon secured funding for an innovative project to bring TV to Sherman County. With financial backing and the mechanical help of his good friend, Don McDermid, Gordon constructed a brick building atop Juniper Point in Washington. There he installed an antenna and repeater instantly providing much of the Columbia Basin with its first Portland television broadcasts.
In 1968 he commissioned CH2M Hill in Corvallis to study the feasibility of a pump storage facility on the John Day River in Sherman County. His innovative idea would have generated electricity and provided irrigation water to local farmers. In the '80s Gordon worked tirelessly on an effort to bring a correctional facility to Rufus. He traveled to Texas to study their system and was set to meet with Michael Francke, Oregon's correction chief, the very day that Mr. Francke was murdered. At his hilltop house, Gordon collected wind data for over 50 years.
At the beginning of the new millennium, with his wind data in hand, Gordon was able to convince speculators from Wyoming that Sherman County was the right place for wind power. He was instrumental in the placement of the first wind turbines at Klondike. He always enjoyed touring the turbines with family and friends.
Gordon was extremely pleased to have known local historians such as Giles French and Theodore Johnston. Gordon acquired many of the William Raymond photos and became very knowledgeable of the history of Wasco and Sherman counties.
In 1997, Gordon was reading a World War II magazine article about an amazing piggyback flight involving two B-17 Flying Fortresses and 1st Lt. Bill MacNab and Capt. Glenn Rojohn. Gordon knew that his good friend, Pat MacNab, and family had never known Bill's fate during the war. Gordon contacted Capt. Rojohn and with Pat's help flew Glenn out for a hero's welcome in Sherman County.
Gordon is survived by his longtime friend, Shirlee McAllister of Wasco; his brother, John Hilderbrand and wife, Wanda; three sons, Dan Hilderbrand of Oceanside, Calif., Don Hilderbrand of Wasco and Randy Hilderbrand of Wasco; daughter, Ci ndi Hilderbrand Henley of Redmond; six grandchildren, Josh Hilderbrand, Ryan Hilderbrand, Ashley Hilderbrand, Rebecca Hilderbrand Jones, Tyler Henley and Cassie Henley; two great-grandchildren, Scott Henley and Kalob Housden; two nephews, Ormand and Jeff; and niece, Jill.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Viewing will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 19, in Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home. A funeral will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Wasco United Methodist Church with Pastor Bob Reasoner officiating. Burial will follow in Wasco Sunrise Cemetery. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home are in care of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of The Gorge, 751 Myrtle St., The Dalles, OR 97058.
Published in The Oregonian on September 17, 2009
Sept. 16, 1928 - Sept. 11, 2009
Gordon Wilson Hilderbrand, 80, a resident of Wasco, passed away at his home on Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. Born in The Dalles, Sept. 16, 1928, the second son of Ormand G. and Lois (Barnett) Hilder-brand, he was delivered by Dr. Griffith, who had been knighted by the Queen of England. He attended Wasco High School and attended Oregon Agricultural College.
Gordon was a third generation wheat farmer, an avid ham radio operator, private pilot and history buff. He served as Wasco County Pioneer Association president, member of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, Sherman County Historical Society, Wasco school board, Wasco Trap Club, Hanford Waste Advisory Commission, 1976 Bicentennial Commission, Navy League, Wheat League and Wasco United Methodist Church. Gordon was an Elk, Mason, Shriner and Boy Scout leader.
He was very proud that his mother, Lois Marion Barnett's grandfather, John Golden, was the founder of Goldendale.
He was also very proud of his aunt, Marie Barnett Cooper, who in 1917 became the first woman bank president in Oregon and the third in the entire nation. Marie was also the first woman auto dealer in Oregon. She had a Ford dealership in Wasco in 1914. Gordon remembers accompanying his aunt Marie many times on trips to inspect her sheep around Sherman County and pastures near Mount Adams in the 1930s. Gordon was well known for his stories! One of his favorites featured Marie's sheep dog which got tired of being at the pasture in Klickitat County and on his own accord took The Dalles ferry into Oregon and went all the way back to Klondike. He remembers helping fuel the generation plant in the basement and milking cows for the cream checks. He was very pleased of the fact that the cream checks helped keep food on the table.
For nearly 50 years John and Gordon farmed both the Hilderbrand and Barnett's homesteaded wheat land in Sherman County.
In 1957, Gordon secured funding for an innovative project to bring TV to Sherman County. With financial backing and the mechanical help of his good friend, Don McDermid, Gordon constructed a brick building atop Juniper Point in Washington. There he installed an antenna and repeater instantly providing much of the Columbia Basin with its first Portland television broadcasts.
In 1968 he commissioned CH2M Hill in Corvallis to study the feasibility of a pump storage facility on the John Day River in Sherman County. His innovative idea would have generated electricity and provided irrigation water to local farmers. In the '80s Gordon worked tirelessly on an effort to bring a correctional facility to Rufus. He traveled to Texas to study their system and was set to meet with Michael Francke, Oregon's correction chief, the very day that Mr. Francke was murdered. At his hilltop house, Gordon collected wind data for over 50 years.
At the beginning of the new millennium, with his wind data in hand, Gordon was able to convince speculators from Wyoming that Sherman County was the right place for wind power. He was instrumental in the placement of the first wind turbines at Klondike. He always enjoyed touring the turbines with family and friends.
Gordon was extremely pleased to have known local historians such as Giles French and Theodore Johnston. Gordon acquired many of the William Raymond photos and became very knowledgeable of the history of Wasco and Sherman counties.
In 1997, Gordon was reading a World War II magazine article about an amazing piggyback flight involving two B-17 Flying Fortresses and 1st Lt. Bill MacNab and Capt. Glenn Rojohn. Gordon knew that his good friend, Pat MacNab, and family had never known Bill's fate during the war. Gordon contacted Capt. Rojohn and with Pat's help flew Glenn out for a hero's welcome in Sherman County.
Gordon is survived by his longtime friend, Shirlee McAllister of Wasco; his brother, John Hilderbrand and wife, Wanda; three sons, Dan Hilderbrand of Oceanside, Calif., Don Hilderbrand of Wasco and Randy Hilderbrand of Wasco; daughter, Ci ndi Hilderbrand Henley of Redmond; six grandchildren, Josh Hilderbrand, Ryan Hilderbrand, Ashley Hilderbrand, Rebecca Hilderbrand Jones, Tyler Henley and Cassie Henley; two great-grandchildren, Scott Henley and Kalob Housden; two nephews, Ormand and Jeff; and niece, Jill.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Viewing will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 19, in Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home. A funeral will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Wasco United Methodist Church with Pastor Bob Reasoner officiating. Burial will follow in Wasco Sunrise Cemetery. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home are in care of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of The Gorge, 751 Myrtle St., The Dalles, OR 97058.
Published in The Oregonian on September 17, 2009
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