Don Rea to be honored Sept. 5 for 47 years of volunteer service Don Rea ALBANY – Don Rea, a longtime Albany resident, will be honored Thursday, Sept. 5, for his 47 years of volunteer service in the community. The Don Rea Appreciation Day Ice Cream Social will start at 6:30 that evening at First Christian Church, 432 Ferry Street S.W., where Rea has been a member since 1973. Doors open at 6 p.m. Rea, 94, will be recognized for his volunteer and leadership roles with Fish of Albany, Waverly Elementary School, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Club of Albany, Friendship Force, Albany Peace Seekers, Albany Kiwanis Club, Jackson Street Youth Services and the church. Rea grew up in Aberdeen, Wash., and served in the Navy during World War II. He graduated in 1949 from Linfield College with a bachelor’s degree in social studies. He married Elizabeth "Betty" Neumann on Sept. 6, 1952, in Negaunee, Mich. They raised four sons, Brent, Matt, Kirby and Joel. Betty died in 2014. Rea has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The family moved in 1972 from Kirkland, Wash., to Albany, where Rea served as associate director and later executive director of the Mid-Willamette Family YMCA. He worked for Ransom and Smith Real Estate from 1975 until his retirement in 1986. In addition to his continuing volunteer work, Rea is known for his unwavering dedication to peace and justice. The Sept. 5 ice cream social will also include a number Rea’s favorite songs. The sing-alongs will be led by Paul Pritchard, First Christian member, and Jim Asleson, recently retired YMCA executive director. For more information, contact First Christian Church, 541-926-8606. Please note: The Linn Dems monthly general meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Sept. 10, so people can attend the Don Rea Appreciation Day Ice Cream Social on Sept. 5. The Sept. 10 Dems meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E. A social time with light refreshments begins at 6. They're cowering while our country is dyingBy Sen. Jeff Merkeley
This weekend, we saw two mass shootings within 24 hours of each other. Like you, I've just had it. America doesn't have markedly more mental illness or poverty or more violent video games than other countries. What we do have? Way more guns. And violent white nationalism being encouraged from the White House. It's a toxic combination. Assault rifles are weapons of war. A semi-automatic rifle and high-capacity magazines are designed for carnage. The Dayton shooter killed and wounded three dozen people in only 30 seconds. We need to get these weapons off the street. We need to close the loopholes that let dangerous people arm themselves. These steps might not end all killings, but it's an NRA argument that if we can't stop all shootings, we shouldn't try to stop any. And that's really what it comes down to: Will Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, and others in Washington ever decide that the lives of Americans take priority over the NRA? And will other Republicans ever denounce white nationalism and commit the same kind of focused effort at fighting white nationalist terrorism that they're so eager to do when the terrorists come from the Middle East? I'm tired of the empty rhetoric and hollow promises. We need leaders who will put address this national crisis, and it they're not willing to, they need to go. Join me on Facebook. Say no more to this awfulness and commit to voting each and every person responsible out of office in 2020. Jeff |
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