To the editor:
I have loved Yachats for 55 years. I’ve seen many beautiful places in the world and now live on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, but I can honestly call Yachats the home of my heart.
Part of my connection to Yachats comes from former residents Jack and Ellie Ewan. They passed away about a decade ago and I still see so much of what they loved here, and some challenges to parts they held so dear. They lived for about 30 years in the westernmost home on Ocean View Drive, just before Yachats State Park.
Before retiring, Jack was a professor in the journalism school at the University of Oregon. Before that he had several public relations jobs, including, a stint at General Electric. You may remember the slogan “at GE Progress is our Most Important Product.” That was Jack.
Ellie was a tiny, energetic woman who in later life called herself a “retired housewife” although that scarcely described her busy life. The Ewans raised three children while living in Eugene. Jack began to show signs of a disease like multiple sclerosis when the kids were teenagers and coped with the disease the rest of his life. When the kids were grown and Jack and Ellie could manage it, they moved to Yachats.
I met them in 1964 when we both were “newcomer” families at the UO. Our friendship grew over 15 years, and when I moved away in 1979 we remained close. Several years later they bought a simple building on their home site. Jack and Ellie started improvements to add space and manage Jack’s illness.
Ellie was instrumental in reclaiming the old log church from decay and repairing its landscaping. Then Ellie did years of landscaping for the little swampy garden with commemorative benches that is not far from the church. A plaque now indicates the “Ellie and Jack Ewan Boardwalk.” She also was Jack’s primary nurse and support as he aged and his disease worsened. Before he passed she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Neighbors were wonderfully kind and a few times the fire department responded to help get Jack out of bed. This was a wonderful place for them to live.
Jack was involved in many civic projects. He served at least one term on the Yachats Planning Commission and the board of The Little Log Church. Because of his illness he was a used a mobility scooter that he called his “little rascal.” And he was a good public speaker and proactive for handicapped accessibility in Yachats. He acted as a greeter in both Log Church and the Visitors Center. As his disease progressed he got great enjoyment from sitting on their front porch to meet and greet everyone who visited Yachats and to make friends.
On their behalf, I truly hope that the boardwalk and the church will be preserved as the natural, peaceful places that they are today. In my old age I’ve learned how valuable older volunteers are in giving love and care to the land and the community, just as they love their children and grandchildren. But old age too has chapters and eventually we simply age out of that useful role. But new doers and thinkers can emerge to fill the void.
Yachats is a very special place. If you live here and are home now, you have a very special privilege and gift. Hold on to it.
Julia Gaff, Lusby, Maryland
