What
do Dallas (Oregon) High School and Linfield have in common?
Answer:
Ron August and Paul and Judee Ward, all Linfield grads and all with a
connection to Dallas High.
=The
football field at Dallas High was named in 2021 for Linfielder Ron August
(Linfield Class of 1964 died 2012), scroll down and read story from a 2012
edition of the Polk Cunty Itemizer-Observer.
=The
track around August Field was named in 2022 (Sept. 9, 2022) for Linfielders
Paul Ward (Linfield Class of 1959) and his late wife, Judee Ward (Linfield
Class of 1959, died 2022). Their donation paid for a new track. Another donation by the Wards funded an amazing electronic
scoreboard at the field. Scroll down and read two stories (one from 2008 and
other from 2022) from the Polk County
Itemizer-Observer.
And
the stadium? It’s Gallaspy Stadium named for Mel and Bea Gallaspy, both deceased. Although the Gallaspys apparently had no Linfield connections, they certainly deserve attention here. And they get it! Scroll down to read stories.
Richard “Tuk” Hoffman -- Dallas High
Class of 1968 and Linfield Class of 1972 -- explains that “Mel Gillaspy purchased
new football lights for the stadium for which he was a major financial
contributor for its construction. The stadium is named for Mel and his wife,
Bea. The stadium was built with all volunteer labor and materials. Willamette
Industries and Caterpillar “were also big donors by providing wood and
materials. I remember in the summer of 1966 helping build the stadium by hammering
nails there. The first football game with the new stadium was versus Tigard
High to start the 1966 season. In about 2019, community donations funded
installing FieldTurf. The new track was installed after that.”
:::::
Lasting Legacy: Dallas football field to be named
after legendary coach Ron August
Polk County Itemizer-Observer June 20, 2012
DALLAS -- Betty August remembers it all like
yesterday.
The nail-biting wins, the packed stands, the
community support and a first -- and last, thus far -- for Dallas High: a
football state title.
"The community was just rabid -- they
were so hungry," August said of the town's atmosphere.
It was 1986, and at the center of it all was
man, teacher and coach that has not been forgotten -- the late Ron August,
Betty's husband of 50 years.
"To some of us, it was `Whew, we did it,
the pressure was off,'" August recalled of the Dragons 34-8 win over Sweet
Home in the Class 2A state championship game.
"Oh, it was amazing, because that was the
first championship that Dallas (football) had ever had."
So when the proposal to honor Ron August, who
passed away Jan. 28 at the age of 70 due to cancer, was brought to the
attention to the Dallas School Board on June 11, it didn't take long to come to
an agreement.
The man who dedicated 25 years of his life as
a teacher and coach at Dallas will have his name live on in perhaps the most
appropriate place, as the board approved the request to name the school's
football field "Ron August Field."
A different time
After graduation from Linfield College --
where his football career was cut short due to a knee injury -- August began
his teaching career at Dallas in 1964. He started as an assistant for both the
football and track and field teams, before taking over the football program as
head coach in 1970 -- and an era began.
"It's kind of hard for people to
comprehend the type of support that Dallas football had," said Dyan
Tallon, one of August's three daughters -- Dana and Denise, the other two. All
three are DHS graduates.
"During football games, you couldn't find
a place to sit, even on the visitor's side. If you came to see the game, you
had to come at least two hours before, otherwise you weren't going to see
it," Tallon added.
All of that support came to fruition in 1986,
when Dallas -- which had recently moved down from Class 3A to 2A because of
enrollment -- rolled to its first football title.
The Dragons won their final four playoff games
by an average of 27.5 points per contest.
"The excellence that he demanded in terms
of execution, it really translated into some great success throughout the
80's," Grant Boustead, Sr., a current DHS teacher who spent 17 years as an
assistant for August, said of his former colleague.
"Once you develop a program that has
success year after year, then it becomes a thing of community pride. And our
community supported our football program and all our athletes through that time
period... We packed the place for 15 years or so. It was the place to be on
Friday nights."
`He lived and breathed football'
August demanded success -- but only because
his own effort ensured it.
"Coaches, they have a passion for their
sports," Betty August said. "Some of us that aren't as competitive,
we think that it's just a game, it's fun to play, fun to do well, and you
should do as best as you can on the court or the field or wherever you are.
"But coaches, they have this passion and
they want the very best for their players. They want to prepare them to be at
their absolute most."
That's what her husband did every day.
Whether it was his meticulous scouting reports,
hours spent watching game tape, or even time spent preparing his own coaches,
August made sure his teams were ready come Friday night.
"The day of the VCR -- we never watched
TV then, because Dad was coming home and he was reviewing film," Tallon
recalled with a laugh.
"And then Dad would do his scouting
reports, and we would take turns entering in (the computer) what we needed in
order to make it print, and we would print it for like the whole weekend.
"We had a certain time that we had to
enter it by to make sure that the playbook was ready for the Sunday night
coaches' meeting."
August spent time preparing off the field too,
in an area that built the foundation of trust for his teams.
"He was the kind of person that just
established great relationships with kids," Boustead said.
"Through the relationships that he built,
he really got the kids to buy into his program. Every kid was valued and that
really made the program successful, and he did the same thing with the
coaches."
Tallon said it wasn't uncommon for players to
come over for dinner, advice, or even stay with her family if things weren't
going well in their own lives.
"He just took the extra time for the kids
-- those kids that he saw headed down the wrong path in life, he would pick
them out and say, `Look, you have some choices, you can either take this
aggression that you have and you can come out with us and use it on the
football field or you can keep making the bad choices that you're
making.'"
Life-long coach
August compiled a record of 135-60 during his
19 years as head coach at Dallas, including three league titles. In 1988, the
Dragons reached the title game again, where they fell to Philomath.
August moved on to become the head coach at
McKay after that, staying for seven seasons before retiring from teaching and
coaching in 1996 due to health reasons.
He didn't stay retired long.
"Pitiful," Betty August said with a
chuckle, referring to his return to the game just a few months later, as he
began his 12-year tenure as an assistant coach for the Linfield College
football program.
Ron August
"He felt it was a mistake three days
after he retired."
In 2004, Ron August was part of one more
championship when Linfield captured the NCAA Division III title.
"There's only one thing that can compare
(to the 1986 state title) and that's the national championship that we
experienced in 2004," Betty August said.
"How can we be so lucky to have both? It
was wonderful."
After stepping down from Linfield in 2007,
August -- a member of both the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame as well as the DHS
Athletics Hall of Fame -- continued to teach on the football field,
volunteering as an assistant football coach for McKay, Santiam Christian and in
2011, he coached Dallas' special teams.
Leaving a legacy
The naming of the facility process -- for most
-- is new in Dallas athletics history. The only other athletic facility bearing
a name is the football stadium, titled Gallaspy Stadium after former Pedee Mill
owner Mel Gallaspy, who was instrumental in its construction in 1965.
"Well, when you go year after year and
the thought doesn't even enter anyone's mind to name a facility or a field
after someone, and when someone like Ron, who had built this program to the
level of prominence that it had -- to me, it was a no-brainer to honor the man
that really brought that strong tradition to our community," said
Boustead, a member of the proposal committee.
A ceremony unveliing the naming -- which has
not been finalized in terms of where Ron August Field will appear -- will be
held this coming football season at halftime of Dallas' homecoming football
game against Woodburn Oct. 5.
Betty August now resides in Salem, where she
and Ron lived since 1991.
But she's adamant that Dallas -- where she and
her family spent 27 years -- is her home.
"It's just so unbelievable -- you just
don't realize that something like this would ever happen to your loved
one," August said of the naming.
"To have it come to fruition and to know
that the townspeople loved your loved one, and to give him this honor -- it's
so overwhelming."
RON AUGUST 1941-2012
Football coaching stops:
Dallas High 1964-1988 (head coach from
1970-1988); McKay High (head coach) 1989-1995; Linfield College (assistant)
1996-2007; Volunteered as an assistant at McKay, Santiam Christian and Dallas
(2007-2011).
NOTABLE NUMBERS
135-60 -- August's head coaching mark at
Dallas, the program's record for all-time wins.
25 -Years he spent at Dallas as a teacher and
coach, which also included a stint as an assistant track and field coach.
16 -- Consecutive playoff appearances for
August's teams of Dallas and McKay, where he totaled a career win-loss record
of 183-75.
:::::
Dallas High School names track honoring supporters
Paul and Judee Ward
By Steve Brandon Polk
County Itemizer-Observer June 8, 2022
A special night is only three months away for
a couple that has been very special to Dallas High athletics.
On Sept. 9, when Dallas plays host to McKay in
football, the school will make this an official name: Paul and Judee Ward
Track.
Having gained school board approval, the
athletic department and Dallas supporters will show their appreciation for the
Wards by naming the track in their honor.
There’s a long, long list of things the Wards
have done for the school and its athletes over the years.
“There was nothing they didn’t do,” said Kathy
Voves, one of those spearheading the track name decision and planning for Sept.
9.
Paul Ward came to Dallas as the head track
coach and, while serving in that role, did numerous other tasks for the
Dragons. He coached football as the head man, as a varsity assistant and as the
junior varsity coach. He also has volunteered for Kids, Inc., and broadcast
Dallas football games on radio and television.
Wife Judee has been a central and regular
figure at Dallas sports events, as well, helping in a variety of ways.
The Wards have supported fundraisers,
supplying crab and fish for meals, and helped sponsor benefit golf tournaments,
with Judee planning and coordinating meals.
“Paul and Judee have dedicated their whole
life to the kids in Dallas and to Dallas athletics,” Voves said. “Anytime
anything needs to be done, they always step up.”
The Wards have helped the Dallas Booster Club
and been key to the success of major projects, such as track improvements, a
scoreboard and a baseball pitching machine.
The words “Paul and Judee Ward Track” will go
in one of the lanes on the high school track, and a bronze plaque with their
photo will be placed on an elevated bench at the north end of the track.
On Sept. 9, the festivities will begin at 5:30
p.m., with a social time and snacks and drinks in the cafeteria. A handful of
people will speak about the Wards, and an open mike will allow others to
comment on the Wards’ impact.
The dedication will take place during
halftime, with more speakers.
::::
Scoreboard donation an all-around winner: The sale of Paul and Judee Ward's boat is
Dallas' gain.
Polk County Itemizer-Observer July 17, 2008
DALLAS, Oregon -- Longtime Dallas residents Paul and
Judee Ward recently donated about $100,000 to help replace the high school's
aging scoreboard at Gallaspy Field.
The generous gesture can be viewed as a
win-win situation because the school gets to replace a scoreboard that's
clearly past its prime and the Wards get a significant tax break with the
Internal Revenue Service.
Upon closer inspection, though, the move could
be called a win-win-win-win situation.
First of all, it's likely no one will enjoy
the new scoreboard more than Paul Ward, a former DHS coach who now serves as a
commentator for radio and television broadcasts of Dallas football games.
"The thing I like is that it'll upgrade
football and it'll upgrade track meets," Paul Ward said. "It helps
the public, and it helps me because I get to watch it. Where the scoreboard is
now, you have to stick your head out of the window (of the press box) to see it.
Now, we'll be able to see it. You should have some home-field advantages."
And the money for the gift came from the sale
of an 83-foot commercial fishing vessel -- the Grumpy J -- that will not be
missed.
"It was becoming a bigger headache every
year with all the restrictions and requirements they put you through,"
Paul Ward said. "They got a good deal on the boat. I got a good deal
because it's out of my hair, and I got way more than I paid for it."
The new scoreboard will be similar to the one
at Linfield's Maxwell Field. It will have a screen capable of showing video
(but not in-game replays) and various statistics. It will display the usual
information -- score, down, etc., -- and will be topped by a fire-breathing
rendition of Dexter the Dragon.
For track and field, the board is capable of
showing places, names and times. The school, though, will have to come up with
an additional $5,000-$10,000 for an automated timing system to make the
scoreboard fully functional.
"We knew this was something that's been
needed for a long time," Judee Ward said. "It's really evident during
the track season. Basically, all the other schools in our league have
scoreboards that show times and everything. This is going to be modern technology
at its best. It's going to be exciting. Go Dragons go."
The new scoreboard will be situated in the
southeast corner of the field rather than the southwest, which will make it
easier to see from the home side of the field.
Athletic director Grant Boustead said the
installation will begin in late August. It's unknown whether the new scoreboard
will be ready for the Aug. 29 season opener against Springfield.
The old scoreboard, installed sometime in the
early 1980s, will remain in place until the new one is operational.
"Obviously, their generosity is just
amazing," Boustead said of the Wards. "But they've been longtime
devoted Dallas backers so it isn't surprising they would step up and make this
kind of contribution. We depend a lot on people like the Wards when we have big
needs the school district cannot cover."
And the Wards were happy to trade in the boat
named "J" for Judee (who isn't really grumpy) for a new scoreboard.
But they are a bit miffed the new owners painted it blue instead of the black and
orange (Dallas colors) they favored.
"Paul's heart is in it, and mine is
too," Judee Ward said of the couple's ties to Dallas High School.
"Why donate it when you're dead? Having been in the teaching field, I can
tell you two years after you're gone, nobody knows who you are."
Beatrice Lillian Gallaspy
Salem
Statesman-Journal; January 22, 1981
DALLAS – Beatrice Lillian Gallaspy, 78, of 348 W. Ellendale
Ave., died Tuesday in the Dallas Nursing Home.
They married April 23, 1927.
Born in Bell Center Wisc., she grew up in Fresno, Calif., She
later moved to Klamath Falls and in 1947 to Salem, here her husband purchased Arrow
Mils.
They came to Dallas in 1949 and bought the L&L Planing
Mill which later was moved to Pedee and became the Pedee Lumber Co.
She and her husband. Melvin, established the Bernice L. Gallaspy
Foundation.
Survivors besides her husband include a daughter, Ann, Scotts
Mills; brothers Justin Anderson, Fresno, and Gene Anderson, Monmouth; and
sister Elizabeth Stockdale, Fresno.
Services will be 10am Saturday in the Assembly of God Church
under the direction of AAsum mortuary. Internment in Twin Oaks Memorial Garden. The
family suggests contributions to the Drift Creek Mennonite Camp.
FROM FIND-A-GRAVE
Beatrice
Lillian Gallaspy
Birth
Date: 28 Sep 1901
Birth Place: Bell Center, Crawford County, Wisconsin
Death
Date: 20 Jan 1981
Death
Place: Polk County, Oregon
Cemetery: Restlawn Memory Gardens
Burial: West Salem, Polk
County, Oregon
Spouse: Melvin George
Gallaspy
LUMBERMAN GALLASPY DEAD AT 79
Salem Statesman-Journal Wed., August 12, 1981
DALLAS, Oregon –Dallas lumberman
and philanthropist Melvin G. Gallaspy, 550 SW River Drive, died Monday at age
79 in St. Vincent Hospital in Portland.
Born in Chopin, Louisiana,
he came to this area in 1947 and bought an interest in Arrow Mills, Salem. IN
1949 he bought the Dallas Planing Mill, changing the name to Pedee Lumber Co.
after moving it to Pedee. He sold the mill to the Ostrom Lumber Co., in 1979.
Known as “Mr. Donor,” by Dallas
citizens, he helped finance church parking lots, rest home meals, and football
field improvements. He was instrumental in building the Dallas football
stadium, which was named for him. Earnings from the fund will be used for
scholarships for Dallas High graduates.
He created the $100,000
Beatrice K. Gallaspy Foundation in honor of his wife, Bea, who died in January.
He received the Dallas Samaritan
award in 1975, and in 1980 was named Dallas First Citizen of the Year.
FROM FIND-A-GRAVE
Melvin
George Gallaspy
Birth
Date: 11 Jul 1902
Birth
Place: Mansfield, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
Death
Date: 10 Aug 1981
Death
Place: Washington County, Oregon
Cemetery: Restlawn Memory Gardens
Burial: West Salem, Polk County, Oregon
Spouse: Beatrice Linnian Gallaspy
ANN GALLASPY, DAUGHTER OF MEL and BEATRICE GALLASPY
Salem
Statesman-Journal, April 19-20, 2013.
Scotts Mills lost one of its most colorful and generous hearted
residents when Ann Gallaspy passed
from this world at her home November 18, 2012.
Ann, the only child of Melvin G. Gallaspy and his wife Beatrice
L. Gallaspy (nee Anderson) was born April 17, 1935 in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
She had a privileged upbringing in pre and post- World War II Oregon as the
daughter of a successful timber man. She displayed early talents in music and
art.
Following her youth and teen years in Pedee, Oregon Ann
matriculated at Arizona State University where she obtained a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree. Her career in the field of fashion and design took her to the
whirl of New York and Chicago in the 50's and 60's. Her jobs ran the gamut from
modeling to fashion merchandising to textile design.
Ann returned to Oregon in the early 70's and gravitated to the
emerging creative, artistic, and counter cultural community in Silverton and
Scotts Mills where she lovingly became known by various sobriquets including
"Abiqua Annie". Her local contemporaries and lifelong friends
included John Seltz, "the Yieldo Bandido" and "Abiqua Bill"
who both predeceased her. At various times during this period she also became a
beloved caretaker, confidant or mentor to a number of young people who thrived
under her influence including Annabelle Spotted Eagle and Sinaloa Brier. At
other times Ann also provided a home and comfort for adults who needed a safe,
sober or healing environment.
Ann's devotion to the peace movement and deep interest in Native
American culture brought her to become acquainted with Austin Two Moons, an
elder and spiritual leader of the Northern Cheyenne Nation who became, perhaps,
the most influential teacher in her life. She devoted much energy, time, and
financial support to Two Moons' "Peace through Unity Foundation" and
the creation of a memorial monument at the Little Bighorn Battle Field to
encourage peace among people of all races. Her relationship with Austin Two
Moons, his wife Hilda Hart Two Moons, and their descendants became so
meaningful to Ann that she came to consider herself an adopted sister and
auntie in their band. She was never happier than when she was surrounded at her
home in the Scotts Mills hills by members of the extended Two Moons' family who
visited from Rosebud County, Montana.
Ann became widely known in the area for her giving ceremonies
and practices. She bestowed her largesse not only on friends but on
disadvantaged individuals she encountered in her travels. Many have furniture,
blankets, quilts, linens or cookware in their homes as evidence of Ann's
benevolence. Many received lovely garments Ann specially selected with her
impeccable eye for fine fabric, design, and color.
In her later years Ann's generosity reached an apex when she
single handedly endowed and assembled an entire children's library collection
consisting of more than 4,000 books and DVDs. This collection is located within
the Dr. John Woodenlegs Memorial Library on the Chief Dull Knife College campus
in Lame Deer Montana. Ann dedicated this collection known as the Two Moons
Children's Collection as a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Two Moons who preceded her
in death and who in life shared Ann's desire to expose children living on the
Northern Cheyenne Reservation to works of Native American literature and art.
Ann would have wanted any contributions in her memory to be directed to ongoing
funding of this special collection.
Ann's survivors include her first cousin Dorothy Malkie and her
daughter Kathleen Malkie both of West Virginia
A memorial gathering honoring Ann's passage on "Grandmother
Earth" will be held at Ann's home Sunday, April 21 at 2 pm. If you require directions, please telephone 1-503-888-3194 or 503-873-7277. Bring a song, a
verse, a photo or a special memory to share in Ann's honor. A potluck meal will
follow.
SCHOLARSHIPS FUNDED BY THE GALLASPYS
Based on stories in the May 14, 1980. Salem Capital
Journal and the May 14, 1980, Oregon Statesman of Salem
Melvin Gallaspy is donating $100,000
in honor of his wife, Beatrice L. Gallaspy. His wife has been ill and in a
Dallas nursing home for some time. The money will be deposited in to an account
at the Oregon Bank said Superintendent Gordon Kunke of the Dallas School
District.
A trust fund has been
established to provide two four-year scholarships each year for graduating
Dallas High School seniors.
This year’s scholarships will
be somewhat less than future grants since they will be based on about six months’
interest rather than a full year, he said.
He expects the recipients
will receive quarterly payments for the term in which they are in school, but
that has not been formerly decided.
Recipients will be chosen on
the basis of scholarship, citizenship, respect for law and order and a desired
to continue on to college.
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