Recognize worth of hard-working immigrant neighbors
By Ron Friesen / Herald Forum
Growing up in the Medford, Ore., area in the 1950s and ’60s was much like growing up in many parts of Eastern Washington. Agriculture dominated the economy. A major employer was Bear Creek which owned huge pear and peach orchards. They also had a huge packing plant that also serviced independent orchard owners. If you ever got a gift basket from them, you would remember!
The other giant was the timber industry. Logging trucks were on our roads year around. It was big business.
I benefited from the skills I learned, and the jobs I got provided the money I needed to go to college. Many of my peers stayed and built their lives in that economy. But something was off, which made it hard for me to stay.
Remember in 1971, when the billboard following huge layoffs at Boeing read, “Will the last person leaving Seattle turn out the lights”? The summer before was after my sophomore year at college. I worked at a lumber mill each summer and made good money. But that summer, the mills were shut down. I had to go job hunting. The pear orchards needed pickers, so I signed up. It was grueling work in 90 to 100 degree temperatures. I did this for two months before the mills reopened. I got quite a lesson.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/forum-recognize-worth-of-hard-working-immigrant-neighbors/