ClarkWhitmanRoyer

Clark Whitman Royer was born 19 May 1915 in Rushmore, Nobles, Minnesota, and died 29 Jul 1994 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon. He married Elizabeth Jean Whitcomb 14 Sep 1940 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon. She was born 08 Jun 1922 in Foster, Linn County, Oregon, and died 27 Aug 1997 in Lebanon, Oregon.

Clark “Bill” Whitman Royer

May 15, 1915 – July 29, 1994

“Grandpa Remembers”

I was born in Bimigie, Minnesota in 1915 on May 19. I was 9 years old when my family first came from Minnesota to Portland, Oregon, staying with my Aunt Rachel for a time.

Then, we went to Bordman, Oregon on the Columbia River. Mom ran a restaurant and Dad was a Flagman when the road was first oiled between Umatilla and Arlington. I used to sit with him on his night shift and maybe only 2 cars would pass. We dug a pit, poured some road tar; lit it to have a fire to keep warm. This took place around 1923 or ’24 in the wintertime.

From Bordman, we moved to Parkdale where Mom ran a laundry and Dad worked in a warehouse. I went to school (3rd grade). We moved to Veronia from Parkdale. My Dad worked in a creamery, and then opened a barbershop. He got his training as a barber in Iowa; also working in the Post Office there. He lost his latter position because of being color-blind; something even he hadn’t been aware of.

We moved from Veronia when my sister Maye had her leg amputated because of cancer caused from a skating accident. In later years, she got around very well, using crutches; and she even swam well with only one leg.

The family spent about 17 months “fruit tramping” (working in different orchards, harvesting fruit for wages). This activity was mostly done in Oregon after Maye’s surgery. Then in the fall of 1929, we went to California, working in fields there in fruit and cotton. After that, we went to Washington again. From apple orchards there, we shipped 12 boxes of apples to Lacomb, Oregon, our next destination. We used an old model T in all of our traveling.

We landed in Lacomb, Oregon, early in April 1930 when the Nation’s Depression was at its worst. We camped out at different places until my Dad and I built a three room log house were we lived for the next five years, “fruit tramping” every summer. We got $15 worth of lumber on credit from the Ford Sawmill to build our house. We also used wood from logs on the land; using what money we had to buy nails. We dug a well by hand. I hunted small game for Mom’s stew pot.

My folks moved to a house in Lebanon while I was away working in the Civilian Conservation Corps. I joined the CCC, a program established by President Roosevelt. Army personnel ran the camp. We had the same discipline as in the army and a bugle sounded every scheduled activity throughout each day. We lived in bunkhouses, ate in the Mess Hall (good food) and had a Recreation Hall. I didn’t gamble, or buy candy or cigarettes like others. I saved my money. I earned $30 at first; but when I became a “straw-boss” (assistant to the foreman) after our first fire practice (we made fire trails on Moose Creek) because they discovered I was quick, understood instructions and helped show the other fellows what to do and how. Then I was paid $36 a month, sending #30 home to my folks and keeping $6 for myself.

In the fall of 1935, I took a fire crew of 25 men to Coos Bay, Oregon to the little town of Towers where we built a fire trail around the town. This was during the big fir that burned the whole town of Bandon down to the ground.

During my stay in the CCC, the men and I also built four parks: Long Bow, Trout Creek, Fernview and House Rock. We went to Snow Creek to obtain cedar logs to saw up for tabletops, benches, etc., using a Chinese sawmill at Snow Creek. In the Chinese method, the log to be sawed is stood on end—vertical instead of the usual horizontal—with an iron pin on all four sides connecting four corner poles, slanting upward from the log, fastened to the square framework of the “mill”.

Two men stand across from each other on “laddered” planks. As they saw downward they move their planks to the next rung down. They use a whipsaw with teeth set for “ripping” differing from a regular crosscut saw.

Referring back to the time of our log home in Lacomb; we lived like early pioneers; existing on our apples from Washington State and whatever game (rabbits, pheasants or grouse) I shot with my 22 rifle. There was over a two-mile walk to the Lacomb Store where we got NRA flour (government free to all affected by the depression).

While I was in the CCC, we also built bridge abutments, doing lots of rockwork. In order to do this I bought a set of Audel’s books on Masonry; buying other Audel “how to do” books later which helped me in all my construction work—like my own homes later that I built from the ground up.

I met Betty Whitcomb at a dance at the United Worker’s League Hall that was located above the then old Penney Store in Lebanon. I went to work for a time for Snow Peak Logging Company in 1938 and 1939. Betty and I got engaged while she was a sophomore in High School. We were married the year she graduation on September 14, 1940.

I built our first home while still working at Snow Peak. We stayed at her parents’ home while they were on Green Peter Lookout “plane spotting”. This was the period when the country was uneasy about the war that was spreading in Europe.

I learned a little about carpentering from my Dad; but learned more when working in Kellenberger’s Cabinet and Building Supply Shop in Lebanon, Oregon. When building our first home on Tangent Street, a neighbor showed me how to cut “rafters and valleys” for our “hip roof”.

Referring back to other things done in the CCC, I worked as Assistant “Powder Monkey”; doing all the heavy work; using a long steel rod jammed down (pounded) under stumps, making a hole for ra small amount of dynamite to be exploded in to make a big enough pocked too put the main charge in. In blasting rock, a jackhammer had to be used to make a big enough pocked. We “shot” stumps on the highway right-of-way on Canyon Creek and Moose Creek.

While working on remodeling Forest Service office at the CCC Camp in the wintertime, I caught plural pneumonia; spending the next six months in two hospitals and undergoing two operations; one in the Lebanon Hospital and on in Vancouver Barracks Station Hospital (Army Hospital). I went down in weight from 190 lbs. To 98 lbs. An acquaintance of my folks told them I’d never make it.I was honorably discharged from the CCC while still in Vancouver hospital in April 1937. I was discharged (alive) from the hospital on July 1937 with instructions not to work for two years. In two weeks, I got a job unloading cement trucks at $12 a week.

I added two bedrooms and a bath to the home my sister-in-law Doris and her husband were building. Also added a dining room to my in-laws home, and built a “flue” and roofed my father-in-law’s shop. I was always willing and able to help in all construction work that my folks, sisters and their husbands needed done. I like working with wood.

I became an apprentice plumber and electrician when working at Kellenberger’s local building and supply company; also learned tinsmith work and cabinet building; including frames and doors. I rebuilt two furnaces and a cyclone system for Joe McPherson’s sawmill. I built all the gutters for Langmack’s Hospital in Sweet Home. There were special oversize gutters.

The above are just a few “construction activities” accomplished during the time I worked for Kellenberger’s. My main building skills were learned from books (some still in my possession). I had no trouble understanding written instructions and pictures. I have often been called a “Jack of all trades”. Being a “handy man” certainly has saved us money over the years.

I worked awhile at Snow Peak Logging Company when first married; then for a Warren Northwest when they were blacktopping Pacific Boulevard in Albany, Oregon.

I started work at the Lebanon Cascade Plywood Plant in March 1941, spending 37 ¾ years there before retiring because of health problems. While working there over the years, I contributed many innovations that enabled production increases. Of course, the foremen took all the credit and I never received any monetary gains from creative inventions.

My older son, Michael worked a few months at the Plywood Plant, after the time he spend attending a Seattle Art School with whatever help I could give him. He actually supported himself while in Seattle by working as a bus boy in a local restaurant. Betty worked a few weeks at the Plywood Plant too.

Because of financial difficulties, we moved into a home out of town on E. Highway 20, not far from the Plywood Plant, in 1942. I built this, our second home, where we lived during the war years, until moving back to town in 1950 to the first home when having an opportunity to buy it back. Our second son, David, was born while we lived in this “in the country place”. It was here that I built two boats. The first, a 16 foot Cruiser, that was initiated on Suttle Lake, when holding 11 people (in the boat, on the front and on top). The second was an 8-foot semi-flat bottom boat that was launched at River Park near Grover Street Bridge in Lebanon. (Suttle Lake was on Century Drive in Eastern Oregon). David took his first boat ride with me in this 8-foot boat. I remember a fellow who had been watching us asked to take the boat for a spin. What he did was take a spill, losing his wallet in the river. I don’t think he ever got it, even after diving for it a few times.

We moved back to town. I started building fishing boats for different people, gradually establishing “Bill’s Boat Shop”. I had previously been a member of the Lebanon Boat Club; but some of my friends and I formed our own club, LORA (Lebanon Outboard Racing Association). I consequently built over 60 boats in my shop; fishing and racing boats including Hydroplane and Utility Racers.

I spent many years of weekends racing my own boats in Intercity Meets. Son David, born in 1946, eventually joined me in this sport. He was about 11 years old in his first race, riding with an older man. He spent many years “solo” racing. We were often in competition. We both won trophies over the years. All of this boating activity was done while working in the Plywood Plant (Before I got into the “music business”.)

My father-in-law joined in the racing meets with a utility racer we had built together. He also won trophies. In fact, he was the terror of the river, as he never looked at any boat trying to cut him off from the side; he just looked straight ahead, really revving the motor. Other racers would try to slow him down, or get him to pincer movement. After a few bent bows, they gave him distance. He just didn’t play the game of being faked out. He, David and myself all quit the activity around 1970.

About 15 of those years before my Plywood retirement, I established a music group “The Royer Rythmnaries”. We became very popular, playing for many dances and dance clubs – all in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. We were a group of four: two “boys” and two “girls”. I bought a sound system that worked fine; but later we got a better one with more coverage.

We were 1/3 good quality sound; 1/3 “classy” appearance—boys in jazzy matched tuxedos, girls in matched sparkling show biz dresses—and 1/3 talent. We rehearsed a lot in the Royer home, learning all the currently popular tunes off the recordings.

The first drummer of “The Royer Rythmnaries” was our son, David. We lost him t a piano player who wanted him as his partner in Reno, Nevada, where he worked in “Harold’s Club” for fourteen months. He had to return because of illness, having his infected tonsils removed at the Lebanon Community Hospital (a new one from the one I spent some time in many years ago).

We missed David but found another drummer who became an integral part of the group. However, our “new” drummer, after years working with us, died of a massive heart attack. Our girl singer, Joanie, had to leave our combo because of heart problems (she alter had heart surgery) and I developed a painful heart condition. This had probably been coming on for years as I had a series of health problems over all my life since the Plural Pneumonia hospital experience. I had heart surgery- two by passes—really could have had four but the doctor’s elected not to as they thought they had “lost” me once during the operation already. (In later years had problems with two “iffy” ones but medicine helped solve them.) My heart surgery took place at Saint Vincent’s Hospital on Portland, Oregon.

I had an interesting out of body experience while my surgery team got worried. It changed a lot of my thinking, and perhaps, some of those I told about it.

“The Royer Rythmnaries” (down to two) retired from professional work before I decided to have surgery, having to cancel almost a year-ahead “booking”. We had worked a few months as a duo, Betty handling two pianos- one electric, one standard—and also a “side-man”, and electronic drummer. This latter didn’t smoke or spill liquor or anything. Sometimes we used David’s then wife, Laura, as a singer. This really helped the overall performance. She sang very well. We missed the work for a while as we had got so in the habit of being busy this way on weekends, and often on Sundays for a special Dance Club.

When there were four of us, we really had my station wagon packed “just so” with all of our equipment. Everyone was supposed to help unload an pack things into wherever we needed to set up for our night’s work. Sometimes, Betty and I had to do the most of it. I controlled the power head that kept the sound balanced through our “mikes” and the speakers. We did have great clarity of sound. I was proud of the overall effect.

The first few years after retirement, Betty worked for different groups every now and then, keeping practiced and earning extra money.

After recovering from heart surgery, we had our weekends free for other things. That was when a lot of “wilderness” travel trailering took place.

I made a lot of large wood Aggravation boards for other people and for myself. We had had a lot of eight-play tournament games with adult players and rules. Even though often frustrating, they have provided for lots of action and fun. I’ve made boards for three players and four, five, six and for eight.

Another favorite game when together with friends is called “Sequence”. Betty had made quite a few of these boards that involve lots of little decks of cards and glue. This game can be more of a brain-strain than Aggravation. (Although both are aggravating).

Thinking back, when I was 16, my family and I worked at some strawberry fields in Gresham during our “fruit tramping”. We worked for a woman who wanted to help out my family. She wanted to adopt me, liking me and worried for fear that I might not get a proper education. Of course my folks refused. But if they hadn’t, I would never have met Betty, or had sons, named Michael and David—and – can’t finish the thought—but you, a special part of this family, understand.