This story was updated at 3:10 p.m. Saturday, March 22, to remove a quote that included inaccurate references to details about Reuben Shipley's life.
Vietnam War veteran Paul J. Cochran is receiving recognition on a statewide level in Salem through the introduction of a House concurrent resolution. Just this week, Sen. Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City) and Philomath Mayor Christopher McMorran appeared before the Senate Committee on Rules to speak on the resolution.
Rep. David Gomberg (D-Otis) brought the bill forward.
Cochran, whose name is on Philomath’s new veterans park, moved to Philomath during the summer of 1964. He spent his junior and senior years at Philomath High School and was among 72 graduates in the Class of 1966. Cochran lived in the home at 1545 College St. with his grandparents.
In November 1966, Cochran enlisted in the U.S. Army and 18 months later, he was killed in action at age 20 while serving with the 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles.” His mother, Beverly Durham, later came into possession of the home at 16th and College and after her death in 2018, it was gifted to the city and is now the location of the new park.
Anderson shared the story of Cochran’s life and service along with how his mother included the land donation in her will for the establishment of a veterans park. He also detailed what the park represents and after its official opening this past November its “standing as a powerful testament to Paul’s enduring legacy which continues to resonate throughout the Philomath community.”
McMorran, a Philomath native, added his support and provided additional details.
“The other thing we’re really excited about is that this gives us the opportunity to take that next step towards adding a memorial highway sign in honor of Jeff Cochran to our Highway 20 that goes through the middle of town and continue to keep that memory alive and share that history with future generations,” McMorran said.
(In case you’re confused, Paul was his given name but he preferred his middle name and was called Jeff by family and friends).
Earlier this month, a hearing on the resolution went before the House Committee on Rules. Local resident and former mayor Eric Niemann and Cochran’s sister, Shane Fritz, were both in attendance. Niemann and McMorran spoke before the committee.
Niemann provided the members with information and visuals on Cochran’s life, his mother’s gift to the city and the local individuals and organizations that contributed to the park’s construction. The video “Philomath in Bloom” was played for the committee. Produced by King’s Glory Productions, the video includes excerpts from letters that Cochran had written to his grandmother — in one of those, he asks about spring and if the blossoms are in bloom yet.
The resolution passed out of the committee and on March 10 was adopted on the House floor.
With this week’s action in the Senate Committee on Rules, it will next move to a Senate floor vote, where it will likely receive final approval.
2. Naming of Philomath High’s softball field
The Philomath School Board listened to a proposal at its March 13 meeting to attach the name “Warrior Field” to the high school’s softball facility.
On the surface, one might think such a request would come down to a simple board vote but the matter actually has several angles to consider, which is not lost on Superintendent of Schools Susan Halliday. For example, the school district’s relationship with the Siletz tribe, which currently gives its stamp of approval for the use of Warriors as a mascot, is a major part of the conversation.
“I want to do what’s right … I still want to connect the tribe to be able to make sure that there is understanding and knowledge and a good positive relationship in that,” Halliday said.
The school district does have a policy on the naming of facilities, which gives the board the final decision and states that facilities can be named for purposes of “honoring individuals, groups, places or events” or for “recognizing sponsors.” Other examples around campus would be Terry Stephenson Field (baseball), the Paul Mariman Cross Country Course and Clemens Field (football).
Kari Jaques, the softball program’s new head coach, sent the field-naming request to Halliday in early February.
“As an Indigenous woman, I was always taught that a Warrior differs from a fighter because they remember who they fight for and why,” Jaques wrote. “The idea that we are a part of a bigger and far reaching Warrior Nation, past, present, and future, is why I would like to honor our field with the name and symbolism of ‘Warrior Field’ to honor all that walked on our field before us and who will walk on it after us.”
A five-year agreement with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians for the use of Warriors and Braves (the middle school’s nickname/mascot) will expire in November 2027. Based on the comments of Halliday and Jeff Williams, a Siletz member and PHS graduate who was in attendance at the meeting, it appears that an agreement would likely be extended.
There was brief talk of naming the facility Warrior Field on an informal basis but School Board Chair Rick Wells said he’d prefer to go through a formal process with the involvement of the Siletz. If all goes as planned, the issue will likely be revisited at the board’s April meeting.
3. Reuben Shipley resolution passes
While we’re on the subject of what’s going on up in Salem, Gomberg also co-sponsored a House resolution with Rep. Travis Nelson (D-Portland) to recognize the contributions of 19th century Black pioneer Reuben Shipley.
As many of you know from previous stories, Shipley was born into slavery and helped his owner cross the plains and mountains from Missouri to Oregon. He gained his freedom, worked hard and acquired property in Plymouth. In 1861, he and his wife donated a few acres of land for a cemetery and 11 years later, was buried there under the name R.E. Ficklin. That’s a short version — there’s a lot more to his story.
Gomberg spoke about Shipley on the House floor on March 13. The representative provided details on Shipley’s life and his impact on Oregon, including the donation of land in 1861 to establish Mount Union Cemetery — “one of the first cemeteries in the country that allowed Black people and people of other races to be buried alongside each other.”
Shipley died in 1872. His wife, Mary Jane Holmes, eventually remarried and died many years later in 1925. She is buried next to Reuben (and her second husband and children) at Mount Union Cemetery.
The House resolution was adopted on a unanimous vote of 57-0 (three absent).
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com)