Harriet sent in the correct answer this morning, Saturday: Vera Bryant Werner. Thank you for joining us in our 24th week of a feature to celebrate Orofino's 100th birthday and the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery trek through Clearwater County. Vera Bryant Werner was an Orofino area native born at Gilbert Sept. 1, 1910. She was the third child of homesteaders, John M. "Jack" and Lydia Lavina Stearns Bryant. The family moved to Orofino when she was 3 years old. Her father ran a livery stable and later a hardware store which was sold to the Crockett family and is now Orofino Builders Supply. She and here siblings attended Orofino schools. She worked at the soda fountain at the Owl Drug during her high school years. She graduated from Orofino High School in 1927 and from the University of Idaho in Moscow in 1931. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and Mortar Board. After graduation she moved to southern Idaho to teach commercial courses in typing and shorthand at Burley High School. While there she met Robert D. Werner, a journalist for the Burley Bulletin. They were married June 6, 1936, at Albion. The couple moved to Twin Falls, where they lived for six years while he was the regional bureau chief for the Salt Lake Tribune. Vera's Orofino roots eventually brought them here when in 1942 they purchased the Clearwater Tribune from L.L. Johnson. The couple ran the newspaper and combined commercial printing firm until he retired in 1969. After retirement, they enjoyed traveling in their RV. For six months in 1948, the family lived in Washington, D.C., while Bob was the administrative assistant to U.S. Senator Henry Dworshak. That spring came devasting floods in the Clearwater region and there were 22 inches of water in the Tribune offices and printing plant. The staff, Julian Dahl, and Hans Wetter (whose homes were also flooded) and Wally Rugg took up all the motors so they wouldn't be soaked, saving a significant expense from the flood. The big stacks of sheeted newsprint could not be moved and were lost to water damage. She was active in many community affairs and was a founding member of the Clearwater Hospital Auxiliary and the Orofino Golf Club. She was a member of the American Association of University Women, the Methodist Church, and was a 57-year member of the P.E.O. sisterhood, joining first in Twin Falls. Monday: This person's parents were early day homesteaders. Tuesday: This person had three sisters and two brothers. They all attended Orofino schools. Wednesday: This person's father ran a livery stable and later partnered in a hardware store, a successor to one that still functions. Thursday: This person took the train to the University of Idaho to attend school. Friday: After graduating from University of Idaho, this person taught "commercial" (typing, shorthand) high school courses in Burley. |
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Window on the Clearwater P.O. Box 2444 Orofino, ID 83544 208-476-0733 Fax: 208-476-3407 |