OLSON 50th

Alton and Doris (Haney) Olson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 23, 2014, at a reception hosted by their children.

They met while attending the same church and junior academy in Pendleton, Ore. Their first date was in September 1963 to the Pendleton Round-Up Dress-Up Parade. They became engaged in February and married Aug. 23, 1964, in the Pendleton Church.

After the wedding, they moved to Salem, Ore., where Doris attended Merritt Davis School of Commerce and received an associate degree in secretarial science while Alton worked various jobs to make ends meet. 

Upon Doris’ graduation in the summer of 1965, they moved to Corvallis, Ore., where she worked as office secretary in the campus photography shop and Alton attended Oregon State University to pursue a teaching degree in industrial education. 

In the summer of 1966, they moved to College Place, Wash., for Alton to continue his degree in industrial education at Walla Walla College (now Walla Walla University). During their stay in College Place, Doris worked as secretary for an attorney and spent her spare time typing term papers for Alton until he graduated in 1968.

After Alton’s graduation, the pair moved to Woodburn, Ore. Alton got his first teaching position at Woodburn Middle School and later transferred to Woodburn High School, where he continued to teach for 11 years.

During these years, they added two children to their family (son, Tracy and daughter, Melanie). Alton began working on his master’s degree, and Doris became a stay-at-home mom, again occupying her spare time typing term papers. She later utilized her skills as head secretary at Woodburn High School. Alton and Doris moved their family to Pendleton in 1979 to take over the family farm after Alton's father was killed in a farm accident.

For the next 29 years, Alton was employed by Echo School District teaching industrial technology (IT) and career education. During that time, he and his IT class started a car club that focused on providing community service. The club started a car show (consisting of five cars), which has become an annual Echo event and has grown to nearly 200 cars from around the Northwest.

Alton retired from teaching in 2009 and immediately began coordinating the construction of an industrial technology building on the campus of the local Harris Junior Academy, where he has volunteered for the last five years teaching IT classes and has headed up the maintenance of the school building.

For Doris, the past 35 years has consisted of working four years for the City of Pendleton and 19 years at Umatilla-Morrow Education Service District as career education department secretary, retiring in 2003. After a brief retirement, she purchased Whitey’s Caramel Corn and Sweet Shop to hone her candy-making skills. After selling the shop in 2008, she began volunteering at Harris Junior Academy as the school secretary.

In addition to their fulfilling careers, Alton and Doris have spent the past 35 years supporting various church ministries such youth department leaders, adult Sabbath School coordinators, elder, and music and worship coordinator, to name a few. As they have grown in their love of the Lord, the Pendleton Church has become a treasured extension of their family as members have shown their love and support on a daily basis. 

Their pride and joy is their family who includes Tracy and Jennifer Olson of Pendleton, Ore.; Dinn and Melanie (Olson) Lawson of Meridian, Idaho; 8 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.