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1HRCS-1311-02-19 Rev. 4/3/19
Retiree Newsletter
When Bob Dylan wrote those lyrics in 1963, times were indeed changing, and 56 years later, they still are. In this issue, you will learn that Editor Sylvia Handris is retiring, NewsLine is going digital and how you can help make the Retiree Newsletter more relevant to you and win a prize too!
“The times they are a’changin . .”
But some things are still the same! This is the 40th year of …
The annual PGE retiree spring luncheon!
Thursday, May 23 Monarch Hotel 12566 SE 93rd Avenue, Clackamas (close to the Clackamas Town Center Mall on I-205)
Doors open at 11 a.m.; lunch is served at noon.
Invitations will be mailed in mid-April. It’s a popular event, and space is limited, so send in your response as soon as you get your invitation. The deadline to register is Friday, May 17. Check your mailbox (the real one — not your email) for your invitation!
A brief survey about the newsletter will be on the back of your invitation. Enter the drawing and you could win a prize! PGE is very good with prizes, and this is the 40th anniversary of the luncheon, so who knows what you might win! It’s easy to enter! Fill out the survey on the back of your invitation and return it with your luncheon response in the enclosed envelope! Thank you, and good luck!
In other luncheon news, if you know any retirees who like to entertain a crowd, Terry Judkins is looking for entertainment at the PGE luncheons. If you have any ideas, contact Terry at 503-804-8870 or [email protected].
Spring 2019Volume No. 269 Sylvia Handris, Editor 503-518-1182 [email protected]
What’s InsideSpring luncheon(See page 1)
An update about NewsLine(See page 2)
Board meeting(See page 2)
Events(See page 2)
President’s corner(See page 3)
Blood drive(See page 3)
Breakfast and lunch groups(See page 3)
Driver safety classes(See page 4)
Spring into Action — Volunteer!(See page 5)
Golf(See page 5)
Retirements and remembering colleagues(See page 6)
Notes from the editor(See page 6)
Things to know(See page 7)
One hundred years ago in 1919(See page 8)
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An update about NewsLineNewsLine and Headline News (articles posted on the myPGE website) are being combined into a single digital-only publication. There are several reasons for this change — cost savings is one and reducing environmental impact is another. However, the primary reason is to provide a centralized and streamlined news source to employees in a way for them to focus their attention on timely information they need to know.
This means there will not be a paper version, so you won’t receive any more issues of NewsLine in your mailbox. However, retirements, memoriams, volunteer opportunities and retiree announcements will continue to be a vital part of the Retiree Newsletter. We’ll occasionally include feature articles from NewsLine that may be of interest to you. We are working closely with the NewsLine editor and your HR liaisons to make sure you are in the loop.
In addition to the PGE Retiree Newsletter, the PGE Retiree Group on Facebook and the retiree website (http://pgeretirees.org/), you can follow PGE on:
• Facebook: Facebook.com/PortlandGeneralElectric
• Instagram: Instagram.com/PortlandGeneral
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/company/Portland-General-Electric
• Twitter: Twitter.com/PortlandGeneral
• YouTube: YouTube.com/PortlandGeneralElec
Date Event and Location ContactSign-Up Deadline
Thursday, April 18 TMK Creamery, Canby, with Tod Koch Tod, 503-705-2550 NowTuesday, May 14 Candy Basket, Gresham, with Norman
(CJ) BennettCJ, 503-666-2000 TBD
Thursday, May 23 Annual Spring Luncheon at the Monarch Hotel
RSVP to Dede Jensen, [email protected], 503-464-7272
May 17
Saturday, June 8 Portland Rose Festival Terry TBDThursday, June 20 PGE Wind Farm Tour Terry TBD
The best way to receive up-to-date information about retiree events is in your email inbox. Send your email address to Terry Judkins, and he will add you to his retiree database. Don’t worry — he won’t share it! It stays in his computer, and he only uses it for retiree announcements.
Events
The next board meetings is Monday, April 8, 9:30 a.m.
at the Oregon City Service Center
Conference Room 209 Warner Milne Rd
Oregon City OR 97045
All retirees, spouses and significant others are welcome to attend.
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President’s cornerby Stan Chiotti
Climate Change can be a wonderful thing, you can blame just about anything on it. Since the local weathermen were predicting snow and ice, I used it to cancel the February Retiree Board Meeting. I did not want to worry about any of our retirees getting stuck for a meeting, a cup of coffee and a donut. Forecasters also kept me from helping at the February blood drive. Mother Nature was quite fickle this winter. I only worked one midnight–4 a.m. shift at our local warming
center, and I usually do at least nine. If you have a warming center in your neighborhood, I highly recommend you try to support it. You never know what the weather will be — though hopefully it’s warmer by the time you receive this newsletter!
I hope to see you this year!
Wednesdays, June 5, Aug. 28, Nov. 6 8 a.m.–2 p.m. 2WTC Plaza Conference Room 121 SW Salmon Street, Portland
Thanks to all our donors and volunteers, 41 units of blood were collected at the February Blood Drive, with three first-time donors and only three deferrals —saving about 141 lives!
See the most common reasons people may not be able to give blood at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
For more information — or to volunteer because the more volunteers the better — contact Denise Baldwin at [email protected].
You can also contact any of the following:
• Linda Peerenboom (volunteer coordinator): 503-810-1914 or [email protected]
• Stan Chiotti: 503-397-0805 or [email protected]
• Jeanette Mullins: 503-397-3348 or [email protected]
• Linda Reed: 503-256-7903 or [email protected]
• Jim Rodman: 503-407-6053 or [email protected]
• Bob Steele: 503-282-3646 or [email protected]
Blood drive
Breakfast and lunch groupsThese wonderful groups meet at designated restaurants, enjoying each other’s company as well as the food. If you have any pictures, please forward them to any member of the board, and we will include them in the next newsletter. Remember to include information about the photo — who, when and where!
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Location of retiree breakfasts/lunches Time DateRetired union employees: Union Hall 17200 SE Sacramento (off 182nd Avenue)
11:30 a.m. Fourth Monday of every month; potluck
Village Inn 10301 SE Stark Street
8:30 a.m. First Tuesday of even-numbered months
Black Bear Diner 237 SW 4th Street, Madras
8:30 a.m. First Wednesday of each month; contact Dave Gibson, 503-708-8364, for information
Village Inn Columbia River Hwy, St. Helens
9:00 a.m. First Wednesday of each month
Hale’s Restaurant 17502 SE McLoughlin Blvd
9:00 a.m. First Wednesday of each month
Elmer’s Restaurant 390 SW Adams Street, Hillsboro
9:00 a.m. Every Wednesday
Retired Customer Service employees:
Wichita Bar and Grill 19140 Molalla Avenue, Oregon City
9:00 a.m. First Thursday of each month
Guest House 4850 Portland Road NE, Salem
7:30 a.m. Every Thursday
McDonald’s 192nd Avenue and TV Highway
9:30 a.m. Every Thursday
J’s Restaurant 2017 Portland Road, Newberg
11:30 a.m. Second Friday of every month
Breakfast and lunch groups (cont’d)
Dates: Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18 Wednesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 16
When: 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. each day
Where: Providence Willamette Falls Community Center 519 15th Street Oregon City
Call Providence at 503-574-6595 to register.
Driver safety classes for seniors
Happy you went to the Food Bank?
I YAM!
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SportsGolfSign up now for any or all of these golf adventures — spouses, guests, family and friends are all welcome. Send an email or text to [email protected] or call him at 503-799-2527.
Friday, June 21: Lewis River Golf Course, Woodland, Washington (www.lewisrivergolf.com)
Play golf on the summer solstice. The first tee time is 8:54 a.m., the official time and day of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.
Friday July 19: Florence Golf Links Oregon Coast (www.florencegolflinks.com)
Play on “one of the premier courses in the Northwest” according to Golf Digest. Built on the Oregon sand dunes, Golf Digest rates it as one of the best places to play golf in the U.S.
Tuesday, Aug. 6: Charbonneau Golf Club, Wilsonville (www.charbonneaugolfclub.com)
This course is perfect for me (the older I get, the shorter I hit), as well as for golfers who want to play a course that doesn’t have 500+ yard Par 5s. This is a beautifully maintained course that rewards “accuracy” rather than big hitters.
Join us for Spring into Action — volunteerWe encourage you to Spring Into Action and volunteer! Discover new nonprofits and events to support during this volunteer initiative. See the many opportunities you have to volunteer on the myCommunity website. Go to www.portlandgeneral.com/mycommunity, click on Volunteer; then click on Search Opportunities.
Here is a story about one volunteer:
At the Oregon Food Bank in the frigid February weather, volunteers helped sort and pack 13,314 pounds of sometimes mushy and sometimes nasty sweet potatoes to help feed people in our local communities.
One of those volunteers was Duncan Howatt, a PGE retiree. When Duncan isn’t volunteering at the Food Bank, he’s probably volunteering with the Red Cross Disaster Services. In 2018 alone, he volunteered in several states, including North Carolina, California and Florida and has accumulated
many, many hours of service. In his spare time (!),
he helps out at the quilt store owned by his wife and daughter.
Duncan’s story is just one that shows what help and dedication to our fellow man is all about and how one person can make a difference.
Thank you, Duncan — and to all who volunteer.
Judy Francis (in middle) and her sisters, Becky (left) and Anne (right)
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Retirements and remembering colleaguesMarch, April and May retirements and remembering colleagues will be included in the next issue.
Note from the editorHello fellow Retirees,
The Spring Luncheon is fast approaching, so please make every effort to attend. A lot of work goes into preparing this event, and we have well over 2,000 retirees! Show your support and have fun too!
With a heavy heart, I have to step down as your Retiree Newsletter editor. I do so reluctantly, but my health has forced this decision. I thank everyone who helped me with all the news from very energetic retirees; please stay on track and continue to bring the PGE family together.
Remember that this newsletter is for you — the hard-working PGE retirees — so please participate and contribute to its survival. There are many fun and informative events for your enjoyment; try not to pass them by. Your ideas and contributions are always welcome.
Thanks and ‘til we meet again, Sylvia
And finally, a note from Judy Francis, the “for-the-time-being” newsletter editor:
Hello, fellow retirees. You know me from PGE history photos and “Blast From the Past,” and those will continue as, for a while anyway, I fill the role of editor of this newsletter. It reminds me of my preretirement days in HR Communications.
This is a good time to let us know what you think about the newsletter. What do you want to see in it? What don’t you want to see in it? Send your thoughts, ideas and recommendations to me at [email protected].
To those in far-away places, I hope to hear from you! To those of you in not-so-far-away places, I hope to see you at the Spring Luncheon!
Judy
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PGE retirees websitehttp://pgeretirees.org/
Check out the link that connects you to the PGE myCommunity site where you can record your volunteer hours or find NewsLines, Retiree Bulletins and some history of PGE.
If you want something posted or have a question, contact Retiree Webmaster Linh Huynh at 503-328-7915 or [email protected].
Brighten the day of a retiree! Barbara Beck, our Sunshine Chair, sent cards to several of our retirees and their spouses. Because of privacy concerns, we will no longer be sharing the names of those receiving cards, but Barbara is still sending them!
If you know of someone who isn’t feeling well, has suffered a personal loss or has a birthday, anniversary or a special occasion, contact Barbara Beck at 503-775-9236 or [email protected].
Things to knowStay Current– Join the PGE Retiree Group on Facebook!The PGE Retirees Group Facebook page is the most up-to-date way to find out about what’s going on in the world of PGE retirees. It is more secure than a normal Facebook membership because it is a “closed” group; you can’t see any of the information it contains unless you are a member.
To join or if have questions email Mark Lander at [email protected].
Did you move? Get a new phone number?You and your family (or beneficiaries) don’t want to miss important information, so let PGE know if you have changed your address or phone number. Contact HR Connect at 503-464-7250 or [email protected].
Volunteer on myCommunitywww.portlandgeneral.com/mycommunity is PGE’s website for volunteering and employee/retiree giving. The interactive site helps you find and post volunteer projects, record your volunteer hours and earn money for your favorite charities.
For information or if you have forgotten your employee number or don’t have a computer, contact Whitney Welsh at 503-464-2916 or [email protected]
Constructing River Mill Hydro Generating Plant, 1911 Train to Oaks Park, 1915
Oaks Park was a favorite destination, so the train from Portland to Oaks Park was very popular. PGE’s predecessor
companies owned and operated the city and interurban trolleys and the 268 miles
of track they rolled on until 1946.
PGE pole derrick and crew, 1918
Raising a pole in 1919 was hard work. Holes were hand dug. The horses that pulled the derrick also provided the power on the block and tackle that raised the pole to an upright position.
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In January, a storage tank exploded in Boston, and a wave of molasses swept through the city.
In February, Oregon placed a “1 cent per gallon” tax on gasoline and became the first state to levy a gas tax. The national average price of gasoline was 25 cents per gallon.
In March, the Stanley Cup final series was tied 2-2 between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans. However, the last game was cancelled when players on both teams were too sick with the Spanish flu to play. The final game was never played, so the 1919 title was undecided.
And what could you do with one kW/hr of electricity? You could:
• Saw 300 ft of timber.
• Keep your feet warm for five hours and warm all the beds in the house with a warming pan for two weeks.
• Clip five horses.• Warm your shaving water every morning for a
month and your curling tongs for three minutes every day of the year.
• Run an electric clock for 10 years.• Knead eight sacks of flour into dough and boil nine
kettles of water, each holding two pints.• Run an electric piano for 10 hours and supply all
the air required by a church organ for one service.• Fill and cork 250 dozen pint bottles.
One hundred years ago in 1919
By 1920, PGE had spent two decades building hydro generating plants and running streetcars.
By 1920, electricity was evolving from a luxury to a necessity, and things at PGE were getting very interesting. More in the next issue!
