Page 3 - September 2009

3 Honoring our Elders: Curtis Levi DuPuis, Sr. “..loves to visit with his children and his grandchildren...” My name is Curtis Levi DuPuis. I was born in 1944. Except for ten years when I was in the Army and going to college, I have been a life-time resident of the Chehalis Reservation. My parents are Hazel Pete and Joe DuPuis (a Prairie Band Potawatomie Indian from Kansas) and my grandparents are Harriet and Frank Pete. My wife (married June 24, 1973) is Judy (Wilson) of Aberdeen and we are now in our 37 year of marriage. Our th children are twins, Mary and Marla, who each work at SPIPA, and Nesh-kie who works at the Lucky Eagle Casino. My surviving sisters are Janet Camp from Enid Oklahoma, Yvonne Peterson, Trudy Curtis enjoys visiting with his grandson, Remy Garrety, at the Senior Birthday Marcelley, Henrietta Boyd and Donna Choke. My brothers are Pete Richardson, Mo Dinner at the Lucky Eagle Casino Steak DuPuis and David DuPuis. Several brothers and sisters have passed away. House. Gardens, Livestock and Fish (Granny Annie), Jimmy and Maynard Jones We played all the reservation teams. Canning Food, Smoking Fish Some of my earliest memories are from (their mother is Katherine (Jones) Barr and We once traveled to Lapwai, Idaho, and it Judy and I enjoy keeping busy, raising a the early 1950s. The roads were not paved their father is Jim Jones). took all day to get there. Every summer we garden and livestock and preparing for the and there was no electricity. I remember The older reservation kids who I spent travelled to Warm Springs, Yakima, and winter months. We have fower, herb, and there was a blue van that delivered bread time with at school and community events Umatilla, and it was so hot, we could barely vegetable gardens, and an orchard with twice a week, and an ice truck that delivered were Lorilee, Edna, Clara and Marvin play the games. 20-some fruit trees. We are raising 17 blocks of ice two or three times a week in (Mutt) Youckton; Raymond and Roy turkeys and four pigs this year. the summer for the ice refrigerators that Secena; Gunny Pickernell, Lawerence (Fat Serving in Vietnam Also, I smoke salmon. When I pretend every house had. Man) Hall, Dolly, Joan and Dan Gleason. I attended and graduated from Rochester I am old, I smoke smelt, razor and steamer Back then, everyone had a garden, George (Chops) and Mel Youckton were in public schools in 1962. I continued my clams, sturgeon, fsh heads, backbones, and orchard and livestock like beef and milk the Navy. Martin Revay was in the Army, education and went to college: frst at oysters. In 1953 I learned how to flet fsh cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and horses. and Dan Gleason was in the Air Force. Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma from Harriet Pete. I remember being brought Every lady was a cook and canner. Nancy Ray Secena was my best friend and from, 1962 to 1964. Then I went to Los home from school, and taught how to flet. Secena baked bread and pies weekly. Mena he was very patient teaching me to play Angeles City College in Hollywood, The adults were leaving and I was put in Klatush and Elsie Simmons were always baseball and basketball, and hunt deer, California. charge of flleting and smoking about 50 canning fruits and vegetables. Will Sanders, ducks, and pheasants. We’d also go fshing I was in the Army from June 1964 to May fsh. I’ve been doing it ever since. Johnny Benn, and Irene Thompson raised for trout and salmon at the nearby rivers and 1967 serving in the Fifth Special Forces I have a lot more memories in my mind and raced horses. creeks, camping overnight for several days. (Green Berets) in Vietnam. I was offered a and maybe I will be invited to write again. It seemed like we fshed for salmon from Ray was a very special friend. Second Lieutenant battlefeld commission, Labor Day until the end of February or but I declined, stating Vietnam was a risky March. We did not have quotas or fshing Strikeout With a Reason place: You could get killed over there. Plus, time like we have now. But this was before In my early days with the Tomahawks I could see we would be in Vietnam for Judge Boldt, and we never caught that many baseball team, Dale and Jimmy Klatush, two or three more years. In a fsh, either. Robert Beckwith, Danny Newton and Percy military sense, I There were three ways to sell your fsh: Youckton were just ending their baseball speak, read and Take them up to Garrard Creek to a fsh playing years. The baseball players my write Vietnamese buyer named Blacky, who, by the way, had age were Mo DuPuis, Elmer James, Ellery better than I the frst television, so everyone could visit Choke, David Pickernell, David Youckton, speak, read, and and watch TV; put your fsh is a fsh box in Mike Simmons, Larry Sasticum, Jack write the Chehalis your driveway for the fsh buyer, who would Young, Pete Richardson, Ray Secena, Mutt Language! weigh them and leave money in a coffee Youckton, Gary Neely (white kid who lived After the army, can or quart jar, or; pedal the fsh to anyone. with Ray Secena) and many others. Lyle I attended and Everyone canned or smoked salmon to save Secena was my frst baseball coach to be graduated from for the winter months. succeeded by Gordy Klatush. Georgia State We played against teams like Bucoda, University, Atlanta, Good Friends Oakville town team, and the Grays Harbor Georgia in 1970 The reservation kids who I knew and Pavers, a semi-pro team from Aberdeen. with a Business played with were Sidney, Gary, Eileen, They had the future New York Yankees Administration (BA) and Art Smith, who lived with their pitcher Mel Stottlemyer on their team. degree. It was tough grandmother, Edith Heck; Janice (Beckwith) When we played against the Pavers, Mel working full-time and Latch, Lorraine (Klatush) Goldman; Elmer Stottlemyer was pitching and I was the frst attending school full- and Ruby James, whose father is Frances batter: The frst pitch looked like it was time, and getting only This 1940s photo was taken during a family trip to Colorado (Frenchy) James; Dennis (Denny) Thomas; going to hit me in the ribs, so I jumped back. four hours a night sleep Lee and Amil Starr (their parents are Ben (It was a curve ball and a strike). The second for 30 months. But it Springs. Top Row L-R: Joe Dupuis, Hazel Pete, Mo, Curtis. and Violet Starr, and they frst lived on pitch was a fast ball. As I started my swing, was worth it to receive Bottom Row L-R: Henrietta and Yvonne. Moon Road across from the Stanley Johnson the catcher had already caught the ball. I my college degree. house); and my cousins Raymond, Annie don’t remember the third pitch, but I struck out. Kendall Medina Jonathan is 14.His parents Meet the 2009 “Junior” Jack, are Theresa Jr., is 15. His Youckton and Summer Youth Workers parents are Tony Medina. He Carla Thomas worked in the and Jon Jack, clinic. He learned Deidra Hawkes is Sarah Quilt is Sr., He worked how to be quiet, 14. Her parents are 15 . Her parents at EOT I and for answer phones, Diana Pickernell are Sharon and the Headstart and pull charts. and Harold Hawkes. Edmond Quilt. Program. He She worked in Head She worked with learned to stock shelves. His favorite Micheal Boyd Start and at the groundskeeping. job was working with the children. is15. His parents youth center. She She enjoyed are Loi Sifinna enjoyed working keeping busy Gabriel and Tammy with the children and learning Higheagle is 16. Boyd. He worked in both programs. landscaping and His parents are with ground She learned that maintenance. Billy and Tony maintenance, work can be fun. Higheagle. He and learned how worked with the to assemble Skylar Bracero Whitney Lewis is newsletter and products. is 16. Her 16. Her parents fisheries and parents are Gail are Walter learned about Ann Marie Whiteeagle and Lewis and Tracy measurements, Youckton is 17. the late Rene’ Morrison. She and the Her parents are Bracero. She was assigned importance of Jerry Youckton worked in the I.T. to be the B.C.’s and Kim Brown- Department, and assistant. She math to be a fisheries biologist. Photo by Whitney Lewis. Starr. She with the Elders. enjoyed learning worked with the Her favorite job about the clerical TELO Program was cooking for duties of a Jacinda Medina is learning to tutor the Elders. secretary. Photo by 17. Her parents are children. Whitney Lewis. Theresa Youckton Monica and Steve Medina. Ricky Sutterlict Lopez is 17. She worked with is 17. His Her parents Shelby the grounds parents are are Charlotte McCrory is maintenance Elaine McCloud Youckton- 17. Her mother crew and natural and the Lopez and Ray is Joyce resources. This late Bennie Lopez, Sr. She Thomas. She allowed her to work Sutterlict. He worked with worked in outdoors. worked with the Events accounting, the newsletter Coordinator learning the and learned helping to plan meaning of all Alexa Strotter is 14. Her mother is interviewing and events. the numbers. Lindsey Fern. She was assigned to work photography. at the Youth Center. No photo available.