Editor has his say with President Kennedy over lunch

Over the next few weeks this column will highlight the contact Columbia Basin Herald Editor Ned Thomas had with the White House and President John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s. Today we continue with Thomas' own account.

Telling the President

If you had the ear of the President of the United States, what would you tell him?

I had that rare chance Friday, Oct. 23, 1961, when 17 newspaper executives of this state had lunch with Mr. Kennedy in the White House.

Our invitations read that the President wanted an exchange of views with us on state, regional and national problems. The conversation, however, was mostly on foreign affairs.

Finally we got around to Northwest problems. I looked at my watch and discovered it was 2:40 o'clock. We'd been with the President for an hour and 25 minutes, and we'd been told the luncheon discussion would break up at 3:15. Only 35 minutes to go.

There was a slight pause in the conversation, and I figured if I ever was to tell the President of the United States anything, this was the time.

"Mr. President," I said, with that swimming sensation that goes with talking out loud, in front of other people, to a famous person.

I told him I had two matters on my mind. I tried to be brief to conserve time, but I'm proud to report that I did make two points I had decided to make before I went in there.

For the life of me, I can't recall my exact words. They kind of tumbled out. Thank goodness I'd rehearsed mentally for three days.

My first point was a compliment to Secretary Udall and Undersecretary Carr of the Interior Department for the forthright manner in which they had undertaken to settle the repayment contract controversy in the Columbia Basin Reclamation Project.

The President was looking right at me and so was every other pair of eyes around the big table.

I told the President that negotiations now are under way between the Bureau of Reclamation and the three irrigation districts in the project and that it appeared they were making good progress.

The President nodded.

Then I gave him my second observation. It was about the Federal Housing and Home Finance Agency, which I called a misnomer because the agency gets into federal aid to airports, schools and several other things besides housing.

I told the President our City of Moses Lake has been working with this agency for several years, first on aid for low-rent housing, then on municipal airport aid.

Now, I told him, the FHHFA has informed our city that it will have to do two more things to qualify for further federal aid: First, adopt a housing ordinance. Designed to prevent blighted areas, this ordinance is one under which the city could tell a property owner he has to paint his building, under penalty of prosecution. I said Moses Lake, a new town, has no need for such an extreme measure.

Second, have a permanent citizens' advisory committee on duty at all times. I told Mr. Kennedy our community has found it works better to appoint a citizens committee to tackle a specific problem, complete its job and go out of business. This works fine for our community, I said.

I commented that here is a federal agency trying to tell a city how to run its business, and reported that city officials are in the mood to refuse to comply with the FHHFA requirements even though it may mean a loss of federal aid. I told him this is the kind of thing that makes people suspicious of federal aid to education.

The President made no comment, but nodded across the table to his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, who was keeping notes. This meant I was to write a memo to Salinger explaining my comments in detail.

Well, I had my chance to say something to the President, and I said it.

The Grant County Historical Society has compiled several volumes of Grant County history. The books are available for purchase at the Historical Society Museum gift shop in Ephrata.

I bought the series in 2009 and secured permission to relay some of the history through this column. Memories of Grant County, compiled from taped interviews by the Grant County Historical Society.

Today we continue the story of Wilson Creek by Cris Mordhorst, recorded Feb. 10, 1976:

I'd like to first tell you that when we came to Wilson Creek there was an old cowboy there who had had cattle and I think through a blizzard he had lost them. His name was Jim Popple.

He used to come in on a sorrel horse and I don't know, but the barbers said that when he got in the chair for a shave and he thought he had sat in the chair long enough he'd just get up and leave, so they kept wiping the lather off his face as they shaved him so he wouldn't run out in the street with a lot of lather on his face because they could never finish the shave on him to suit the barber.

Anyway, sometimes he'd come by our home and throw us kids a dime or something, and we'd have a chance to get some candy which was one of our only chances.

We thought quite a bit of him and after my mother was dead, my older sister found out when his birthday was and she'd make a birthday cake and one of my younger sisters and I were supposed to walk out and take it to him.

It was quite an experience going to Magpie Canyon to take this cake, about one and a half to two miles from town, I think. He got so he couldn't hear very good. We did this annually as near as I can remember until he passed away.

Wilson Creek area history

The Rev. David H. Crawford compiled and published a history of families in and surrounding Wilson Creek titled, "Family Memories of Wilson Creek Area." The book was printed in 1978, which was the 75th anniversary of the town. David's son, John Crawford, has given permission for those memories to be a part of this column.

Today we begin the story of The Lindblad family by Frank Lindblad:

Otto Lindblad was born in Sweden on May 13, 1851, and while a young man came to the United States with his parents, three brothers, and one sister. His father's name was Peter and his mother's name was Greta.

Caroline Nelson was also a native of Sweden, having been born at Fryks Ende on the 17th of September, 1858. When she was 11 years old she migrated to this country with her family. Her parents were John and Carrie Nelson.

They came from Sweden on a sailboat, the trip taking nine weeks on the ocean and then four weeks on land to reach their new home in Cokato, Minnesota.

Otto and Caroline met in Minnesota, were married March 17, 1879, ·and settled in Kerkhoven where their nine youngsters were born.

Otto died in Spokane, Sept. 8, 1934, and is buried at Fairmount Cemetery. Caroline expired June 5, 1910, and lies buried at the Wilson Creek Cemetery.