MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015
The Observer
Flashback
o erreunite wi
au ter By Casey Parks The Oregonian
For 50 years, Zella Jackson Price believed her daughter had died. Melanie Gilmore grew up thinking her mother had given her away. On Thursday, mother and daughtercame face toface for the first time in a suburb of St. Louis. Neither Gilmore — a longtime Eugene resident — nor Price is exactly sure what happened at Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis in November 1965. Gilmorehad been born three months premature and weighed less than a pound. Price said someone told her that her daughter hadn't survived beyond a few hours. Another couple adopted Gilmore, who eventually made her way to Oregon and raised four children ofher own. She works as a dishwasher and kitchen aide at an assisted living facility. Price, now 76, raised six other children and became an accomplishedgospel singer. Earlier this year, one of her songs, "I'm His Child," was performed on "Glee." Gilmore was 20 when her adoptive mother died. She moved toOregon with a relative and began looking for her biological mother soon after. Gilmore found her mother's name on her own birth certificate. She made some calls, her daughter Mehiska Jackson said, but was toldrepeatedly that Price had died. Mehiska Jackson, 22, said she and her twin sister always had a feeling their grandmother was alive. Last year, as they began planning their mother's 50th birthday party, they decided to look again. In February, Jackson found Price on Facebook. They messaged back and forth,and Price agreed to a DNA test.
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The test results came back in March:"It was a 99.9997 percent match," Jackson wrote on YouTube. Jackson and her siblings told Gilmore the news last month. A video of the reveal has been viewed more than 1.7 million times on Facebook. Gilmoreisdeaf,so her children signed as they spoke that March day. ''We found your mom," they said. They explained the DNA process, the overwhelming results. "She's alive," Gilmore's son Sam, 20, told her.
The kids pulled a laptop toward Gilmore. Price was on the screen, waiting just a little longer to see her girl. Gilmoredoubled over, sobbing. Finally, she got one word out. "Mommy." "I love you," Price re-
sponded. Gilmore held her pinky and her index finger up. Her thumb stuck out. "I love you," she said. Price spoke so quickly, Gilmore had to ask her to slow down. She knew that after 50 years they had much to tell each other. But first, Gilmore wanted to tell her mother again. "I love you." "I love you." "I love you." W hen you've waited half a century years to say it, once is not enough. Mother and daughter repeated it in unison. "I forgive you," Gilmore sald. "Mom," Gilmore's daughter interrupted. "It's not her fault." 'You could see how much joy she felt," Jackson said. "She's been lost and confused for so long. That next morning, she looked at peace with herself." The family told the Fox TV station in St. Louis that they did not know what led totheir separation that day in 1965. Price said she
ears wants to find out and plans to investi gate. Before desegregation, Homer G. Phillips was the only hospital accessible to African Americans in that Missouri city; it once trained the largest number of black doctors and nurses in the world. The facility closed in 1979 and reopened as an apartment complex for seniors in 2003. Gilmore's family spent the past month raising money to make the trip to St. Louis. They named their GoFundMe campaign "Our Time — Our Happily Ever After." Donors from across the country chipped in
$7,855. "(God) has given me everything the devil has taken from me," Price told a Fox news affiliate. "I'm getting it back. I'm getting my baby
back." On Thursday, Gilmore and her children pulled up to Price's home in Olivette, Missouri. Price whooped with joy as the white SUV came to a stop. She screamed as her daughter stepped out. She screamed as they hugged for the first time. As they pulled apart, Price caught her daughter's eye. She didn't plan to lose her again. "I'll be flying to Oregon a lot," she said. Price plans to visit in June, when Jackson graduates from the University of Oregon. But Gilmore's kids are already brainstorming ways to move their mother to Missouri. Since arriving in the Midwest on Thursday afternoon, Gilmore has met many cousins and aunts, but that's only half the family, Price told her. "She needs to know who her family is," Jackson said. "She has missed out on these years. Visits are not going to cut it. She's always wanted this. She's so happy. This is the first time I have ever seen her in my entire
life happy."
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Do you remember this7 If so, write us your recollection — context, date, namesand we'll run it in a subsequent "Flashback" (100 words or less, please). Answers can be emailed to ckaechele C lagrandeobserver.com, dropped off at 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, or called in to 541-963-3161. "Flashback" is a weekly feature in the La Grande Observer.
MILESTONES Snou — Huffmyer Ariana Marie Snow and Jeflrey John HuSnyer were married March 22 in Kailua, Hawaii. A 2010 graduate of Imbler High School, the brideiscurrently a doctoral student in marine biology and public education at the University of HawaiiManoa in Honolulu. She is the daughter of Michael and Marlene Snow of Summerville. The groom, a 2009 graduate of Bayfield High School, earned a bachelor's degree and Linda HuSnyer of in kinesiology from ColoBayfield, Colorado. rado Mesa University and The wedding was officicurrently works for Mid ated by the groom's grandPacific Testing and Inspec- father, John Huflmyer from tion in Honolulu. Farmington, New Mexico. He is the son of Mark The intimate beach wed-
ding was attended by close family and friends. A celebration of the marriage will be held later this year at the Snow family home in Summerville. The couple resides in Honolulu.
BRIEFLY Local host families sought for highschoolexchange students
The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, ASSE International Student Exchange accident and liability insurance. ASSE stuPrograms is looking for local families to host dentsare selected based on academics and boys and girls between the ages of 15 and personality, and host families can choose 18 from a variety of countries, including their student from a wide variety ofbackN orway, Denmark, Spain, Italy and grounds, countries and personal interests. Japan. To become an ASSE host family, call the ASSE students are enthusiastic and exASSE Western Regional Oflice at 1-800733-2773 or go to www.host.asse.com. cited to experience American culture while they practice their English. They also love to Treasures to be found at share their own culture and language with rummage sale on Saturday their host families. Host families welcome these students The La Grande First Presbyterian into their family not as a guest, but as a Church will have a rummage sale from family member, giving everyone involved a 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the corner of rich cultural experience. Spring Street and Sixth streets.
Deferral program may help seniors citizens on their taxes The Associated Press
New applicants and those who need to recertify their eligibility for the disabled or senior citizen property tax deferralprograms have less than one week left to file their paperwork. For their taxes to be paid in November, taxpayers need to meet the April 15 deadline, explained Bronson Rueda, deferral program manager at the Department of Revenue. This applies to participants who received recertification forms by mail in February and new applicants fordeferral. "If we don't get their forms by the deadline,
theglberesponsible forpaying theirprop-
erty taxes this year," Rueda said. The deferral program allows eligible senior citizens and people with disabilities to have the state pay property taxes on their behalf until they move, sell their home, or die. A lien is placed on their home, and all taxes, interest,and feesmust berepaid before the lien isremoved. Oregon'sdeferralprograms have approximately 6,300 active participants. Program participants must meet all of the following criteria: Be either atleast62 yearsold ora disabled citizen receiving or eligible to receive federal Social Security disability benefits.
Own or be in the process ofbuying the property, have a recorded deed or sales contractin their name, orhave arevocable trust, and havelived on the property foratleast five years. May not have a life estate interest, which enablesa person to reside on theproperty, but automatically transfers ownership upon death. Carry homeowners insurance. Have a household income ofless than $43,000. This includes all taxable and non-taxable income for the applicant(s) and
spouse(s).
Have a net worth of$500,000 orless,not including the value of the home in the program or personal property. Either have no reverse mortgage, or, if they have a reverse mortgage, they need to have been in the deferralprogram priorto 2011. Recertification forms need to be returned to the department. New applications should be sent to the assessor's office for the county in which the property is located. Applications areavailable atwww.oregon.gov/dor/deferral. Questions about deferrals can be emailed to deferral.unit@oregon.gov. Taxpayers can alsocall503-945-8348 for more information.
Let's celebrate life — and cherry pie — while there's still a pulse he little girls, ages 7 and 4, had just finished a rousing rendition of"Jesus Loves Me" when Wonder, my wife of three-plus years, squeezed my hand. I was hoping she wouldn't ask me to speak. About 125 people packed the Lions Hall for her father's celebrationoflife serviceon a recent Saturday. Ihave suffered a deathly fear of publi cspeaking even before scientist sdiscovered the shy gene. The scientists would have found the shy gene earlier, but it was hiding behind two other genes. Wonder, though, had another thought to convey. "I wish Dad could be here now to see this tremendous outpouring and love and support," she whispered.
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ON SECOND THOUGHT JEFF PETERSEN Dad, 82, had died six weeks earlier as the result of an auto accident. Holding a celebration oflife while the guest ofhonor is still living is a terrific idea — and not just because Wonder is my wife. It makes sense. Only once have I heard of such an event. That was the celebration oflife for acclaimed La Grande photographer Fred Hill. Friends wanted to make sure Hill, then in his early 90s, could see, in person, just what he meant to the community. Two years later, Hill is still going strong,
making new memories, wearing out more cameras. Such an event should take place while the guest of honor is still healthy enough to enjoy the celebration. Perhaps those organizing the event could look at life expectancy charts and then hold the celebrationoflifeperhaps adecade beforethe expected demise. Sure, it might cut into funeral home business at the end of the trail, or,ifthatbeyond-death service was deemed necessary for "closure," to say goodbye, to shed a bucketoftears,itcould lead to double the amount of potlucks than are currently held. Some of us would not object. More deviled eggs. Pulled pork sandwiches. Cherry pie.
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What's not to like? At any rate, my father-in-law's celebration oflife and ensuing potluck extravaganza turned out amazing. Wonder, with little experience pontificating before gathering throngs — she is no senator, after all — was on her A game. She told stories. One was of her first fishing trip with Dad. Wonder, herself then about the age of the "Jesus Loves Me" singers, was excited to hook and land her first trout. Her dad measured the fish at 5-V2 inches and said, "Sorry, Honey, but we have to throw it back in the stream. It has to be 6 inches to
keep." W onder real ly,desperately,cravingly wanted that fish.
"Can't we just stretch it?" she
pleaded. Wonder also told a story about her dad, the parts man, on a typical day on the job. ''What kind of car do you drive?" he'd ask a customer. "A brown one," came the reply. "OK, what brand?" he'd say.
"A Chevy." "Let's just walk out in the parking lotand have a look,"herdad would say. Once outside, he'd find a Ford. Dad would have enjoyed seeing his favorite, and only, daughter, bring down the house with laughter.He would have enjoyed being the center of attention. And he always did love a good potluck and the cherry pie.
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