Looking Back: A Glimpse Through The Chronicle's Files page B4 March 11, 2007 20 Years Ago, March 11, 1987 A man who was convicted of attempting to kill a city police officer here in the spring of 1985 has escaped from the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem where he was serving a 20-year-term. John Kenneth Bockerich, also known as John Kenneth McNeal and John Trader, was found guilty of attempted aggravated murder, second degree assault, assault on a public safety officer and second degree theft. All of the charges were combined before a court trail [sic] before Judge H.V. Garrabrand and the judge ruled that Bockerich must serve a minimum of five years. Bockerich walked away from a penitentiary farm annex Tuesday afternoon and two other men went with him. A 39-year-old woman was found dead in her home on East Eighth Street about 3 p.m. Tuesday and her death is still under investigation today. She was identified as Catherine Cree Medicine Ruby. District Attorney Bernie Smith said newspaper carriers noticed her body on the floor of her home where she apparently lived alone. 40 Years Ago, March 11, 1967 The new highs school for Hood River County will be built on the Orcutt site near Windmaster Corner about three miles southwest of Hood River, on the basis of unofficial returns in a preference ballot in Hood River on Friday. But the victory margin for the Orcutt site over the one near Wy'east High School was slender, only 30 votes. One of five third place awards for school newspapers in Oregon high schools from large to small was garnered by the Dufur High School student newspaper. Barbara Thompson is the journalism teacher at Dufur and adviser for the student newspaper. The awards were announced at sessions of the annual Newspaper Magazine Convention at Columbia University in New York City. Jack Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Miller, was recently selected a member of Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honor society. The Dalles youth is a junior at the University of Washington. 60 Years Ago, March 11, 1947 With the exception of Second street and a few other restricted points motorists will be able to park for a maximum time of two hours at a cost of 10 cents when the new parking meters are installed this spring. That was the decision of the city council last night after discussion brought out sentiment predominantly in favor of "maximum leniency" for the public when the parking meter experiment is begun here. Formal organization of the Deschutes River council of sportsmen's clubs was completed last night at a meeting at Madras attended by four delegates each from Bend and Dufur, three from Maupin and two from Redmond, Prineville, Tygh Valley and The Dalles. Duncan McKay of Bend was named council president. John Walter Mails, a veteran of both world wars and famed as a major league baseball star, will be in The Dalles March 13 and 14 in connection with the current finance campaign by the American Red Cross. 80 Years Ago, March 11, 1927 The Morning Oregonian today quoted C.A. Howard, state superintendent of public instruction, to the effect that more than 70 percent of the 268 state high school students who participated in the state Bible study examination in January failed. Despite this fact, 90 percent of the high school students taking the examination in The Dalles passed according to Rev. Charles A. Edwards who has taught Bible study for the last three years in the local school. Mr. Edwards said last year but three students failed out of a class of 44. Jim Addington, 60, found guilty of selling denatured alcohol to Dick Coltas, an Indian, was fined $100 and sentenced to 30 days in the city jail by Recorder D.L. Cates yesterday. The fine and sentence were suspended on Addington's promise to leave town and never return. 100 Years Ago, March 11, 1907 Twenty three members of the various granges of Wasco county met in the county court room in The Dalles Saturday afternoon and discussed questions of great to the farmers of the county, and therefore to the county at large. The county convention, which is held ostensibly for the purpose of choosing delegates to the state grange, is composed of three delegates from each grange. Wasco County has eleven granges within its borders. On No. 2, which passed through about 1 o'clock today, was Governor George Chamberlain and G.W. Steel, state treasurer, who with Secretary of State Benson, form the Portage board. The later, being ill at Newport was unable to make the trip. They proceeded [sic] to Celilo, where they expect to meet Lieutenant Colonel Roessler, government engineer, and inspect the portage road and investigate the improvements made necessary by damage to the wharf boat at Big Eddy, as well as other preparations which must be made before the seasons traffic begins. Incoming and Outgoing messages protected by Trend Micro PC-cillin program