Surnames: Picton, Odell, Taylor, Hughitt, Wilfong John Odell Picton, 78, a resident of The Dalles, died at the local hospital on Wednesday, February 13, 2002. He was born March 1, 1923, in Mildred, Montana, the middle son of three to Paul Oliver and Lillie Ruth (Odell) Picton. He grew up in Montana and North Dakota, graduating from high school in 1941, in Dickinson, North Dakota. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, 832nd Engineer Aviation Battalion, in the European Theater during World War II. He married Mildred Taylor on July 18, 1946, in Red Lodge, Montana. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Education from Dickinson State College in 1948. He completed his M.S. in education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1951 and his Doctorate in Education at Montana State University in Bozemen, Montana in 1962. He was a retired educator, serving as public school administrator in Montana and Wyoming, teaching at Rocky Mountain College, Billings, Montana; Montana State University, Portland State University (Oregon), and was president of Alaska Methodist University, Anchorage (Alaska). He helped found the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory in Portland and was a research and development specialist there. He also established and operated a management consultant business based in Beaverton (Oregon). He moved to The Dalles in 1987, following his retirement from Montana State University. He was a member of The Dalles First United Methodist Church and had served on the Wasco County Citizen Review Board, Wasco County Commission on Children and Families and its predecessor, Wasco County Children and Youth Services Commission. He was involved with the grant writing for the Discovery Center, Mural Society and the Children's Center. He was also involved in the placement of the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles and had worked with The Dalles School District and ESD. He was the 1996 recipient of the Wasco County Klahre Award, which annually recognizes work on children's issues. He is survived by his wife, Mildred, his daughter, Linda Hughitt and her husband, Bill and their children, Steven, Robert and Brian Hughitt, all of The Dalles; adopted granddaughter Jolee Wilfong, Timber Lake; brother, Harold Picton and his wife, Irene, Bozeman (Montana); his sister-in-law, Ethel Picton, Dillon, Montana; nieces and nephews, Margaret, Todd, Deric, Lance and Cindy Picton. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Paul O. Picton, Jr., and grandson, Patrick Hughitt. Memorial graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 16, at The Dalles Parklawn Cemetery. Private cremation was held at The Dalles Win-quatt Crematory with Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 305 East 10th Street, The Dalles, Oregon 97058 or charity of choice. The Dalles Chronicle February 14, 2002 Written permission to reprint obituary given by The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles, Oregon. Copied and submitted by Earline Wasser