On this day, May 5, 1903, James Beard, US culinary expert, author (Delights & Prejudices), was born in Portland, Ore.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing Mrs. Elsie Mitchell, the pregnant wife of a minister, and five children after they attempted to drag it out the woods in Lakeview, Oregon. The balloon was armed, and exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They became the 1st and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental US during World War II.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, Bly minister Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie, and five children from Mitchell's Sunday school class were on a Saturday morning picnic. Thirteen miles northeast of Bly, or about sixty miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Mitchell parked the car, and Elsie and the children headed to Leonard Creek. Mitchell later remembered: "As I got out of the car to bring the lunch, the others were not far away and called to me they had found something that looked like a balloon. I heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it. But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there--and they were all dead." It was a Japanese balloon bomb. They were 70 feet tall with a 33-foot diameter paper canopy connected to the main device by shroud lines. Balloons inflated with hydrogen followed the jet stream at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
Kate Brown names Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie as Director
Oregon's Governor Kate Brown has now appointed Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie (Tawk Sawn-o-lay Gilespee) as director of the newly established Governor’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement.
In June 2021, the Legislature passed
SB 778, which approved the creation of the new office for statewide immigrant and refugee programs and organizations.
Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie’s appointment is effective March 7.
“In Oregon, we have a long tradition of welcoming refugees and immigrants from around the world into our communities,†said Governor Brown. “The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, with Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie as director, will help Oregon continue to be an inclusive place for all who call our state home – including and especially our immigrant and refugee communities. Toc’s long history of social justice advocacy work and refugee resettlement combined with her lived experience as a refugee will serve Oregonians very well. I also would like to thank Senator Kayse Jama for his continued advocacy of refugee and immigrant families, and working tirelessly across the aisle to pass Senate Bill 778."
Soneoulay-Gillespie claims to be a social justice advocate.
She was a refugee from Laos who resettled to the United States with her parents.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Soneoulay-Gillespie currently serves as the Director of Community Health for Health Share of Oregon.
She was a council member on the Governor’s Behavioral Health Advisory Council from 2019-2021 and is currently a Commissioner on the Oregon Commission on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs. Prior to this, she worked as a social services manager for CareOregon.
From 2013 to 2017, Soneoulay-Gillespie worked as the Director of Refugee Resettlement for Catholic Charities. Prior to that, she was the Program Manager of Youth and Family Services for Impact NW. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology/sociology from Eastern Oregon University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Alaska Anchorage.
--Bruce Armstrong| Post Date: 2022-03-05 12:33:17 | Last Update: 2022-03-05 13:09:48 |
