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     The following people have made a significant contribution to the Curry Anadromous Fishermen or the Indian Creek Hatchery. If you have any additional information about these individuals, please send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ray



Kathy Moore - May 11, 1941 – July 19, 2005


      Kathy Moore and her husband Ralph started attending CAF meetings regularly as soon as they arrived in Gold Beach in 1995. She immediately saw a need and filled it. Kathy felt if people received training they were more likely to feel comfortable volunteering at the hatchery. She saw training and coordination as a necessity and took the ball and created her position as Volunteer Coordinator. This position opened up so many opportunities for people and resulted in obtaining new members. One of her first contributions was the scheduling and training of the feeders. Kathy was responsible for putting together much of the training manual which is still being used today. There was barely a CAF event that Kathy wasn’t in the forefront. Kathy enjoyed giving hatchery tours to all ages, especially the children who were fascinated by her knowledge. Kathy trained hundreds of volunteers in the spawning, raising and releasing of 150,000 eggs each year. Kathy was known for keeping the refrigerator at the hatchery stocked with cookies and supplying work parties with tasty meals. And she loved those BBQ’s where everyone pitched in and helped. For her dedication at the hatchery, she received many awards including Volunteer of the Year several times. Kathy appreciated her volunteers and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Kathy Moore was special: she changed lives, she became a role model to many, she believed in living life with fullness and zest. Her generous spirit and sense of fun will remain in the hearts of all who knew her. A beautiful lady who gave so much to the little fish she called her “babies”. She will be missed.



Les Richey


      In 1989, Les helped build the new hatchery facility on Jack Leith’s property on Hunter Creek. Les Richey was one of the mentors at the hatchery in the mid 90’s. He was a gentle man who could say more with his hands and his smile than he could by speaking. He knew how to handle every aspect of the hatchery. After he had a tracheotomy, he learned to teach by touch and demonstration. In 1990, Les became one of the first board members. He helped with everything from BBQ’s at the County Fair to rummage sales. He was kind and understanding and much loved by everyone.
 
 

Robert Myron Knox and Charles Knox

Robert September 7, 1901 – April 1, 1986

      Robert was born in PeEll, Washington. He worked as county extension agent in Lewis County, Washington and Coos and Curry Counties, Oregon for more than 20 years. He operated ranches in Wedderburn for more than 50 years.

      Robert and Charles Knox started stocking salmon fry in Indian Creek in the late 1970’s. In 1980 the Knox family had a hatch box on the back porch of Grant’s Pancake House (now the Indian Creek Cafe) on Indian Creek. They added two more hatch boxes the next year and two more the year after that. Besides providing fed-fry to Indian Creek, the hatch boxes were an educational opportunity for the customers. In 1983 the Knox family, (Bob, Charles and Scott), built a hatchery building by the earthen pond they had dug many years earlier. The water came from and an old wood flume which had been the secondary water supply for Gold Beach. They received approximately 200,000 “eyed” eggs from the Cole River Hatchery. These eggs were hatched in the building and the young fish were then placed in the pond and in commercial “Doughboy” liners reinforced by cedar boards. Half of the salmon were released as pre-smolts and the other half as smolts. When the salmon were ready to be released, they just opened the valve and sent the smolts through a pipe into Indian Creek. This operation was completely financed by the Knox family. When the salmon returned, some pairs were kept at the hatchery, some were transported further up Indian Creek, and others were transported to various creeks feeding the lower Rogue River


      The biggest year for the Knoxes was 1987 when they received 265,000 eyed eggs. Returning salmon flooded Indian Creek and drew huge crowds to watch the spectacle. Over 2500 adult salmon returned in one year, probably the highest rate of return in the state.


      They continued to raise Fall Chinook until the Curry Anadromous Fishermen took over the operation in 1988.


Eugene ( Gene ) Valentine Rizzi - April 1, 1913 – July 24, 2001


      Gene was born in Austria to Eugenio and Anna Maria Rizzi. Gene was a graduate of the Music Conservatory in Vienna, Austria. He served in the US Army between 1942 and 1945 in the 396th Signal Company in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre. He was an professional violinist, actor and a sales executive with Brown and Bigelow. He moved to Gold Beach in 1977 and, later, moved to Eugene in 1992. Gene was an avid fly fisherman, a fish conservationist for Oregon working with the Salmon & Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) and a volunteer with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.


      Working with other volunteers at the Indian Creek Fish Hatchery, Gene suggested they name the group, Curry Anadromous Fishermen. In 1989, he was the project coordinator for all the work at the hatchery


Robert ( Bob )F. Stansell - March 19, 1927 - December 6, 1996

Vice President 1988

      Bob was born in Hillsboro Oregon to Allen and Hazel Stansell. He moved to Gold Beach in 1942. After high school, he joined the army and was stationed with the occupation army in Germany. He retired from Coos-Curry Electric Co-op in 1987.

      Bob developed a mini hatchery on his property and maintained several hatch boxes on the Pistol River.


      He released several thousand Fall Chinook Salmon into the Pistol River. In 1989, he released 20,000 smolts, helped built a facility on Hunter Creek and personally finclipped 5,700 fingerlings for Hunter Creek. In 1990, he initiated the Watson Creek project. In 1991, he received the National Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Conservation Award for work with the Curry Anadromous Fishermen.


Albert ( Al ) Norman Fowler - September 13, 1936 -July 21, 2000


President
 

     Family members note that Al was a great fire fighter and a man of compassion, a man with an awesome sense of humor, and a helpful friend to many. His hobbies included growing garlic, dedication to the Oakland Raiders and total enjoyment of life by the ocean.



Clayton A. ( Clay ) Fox - September 10, 1920 November 27, 1999


President 1987

Long term board member

     Clay was born in Flint Michigan to Floyd and Flora Fox. He was raised in Lonepine, Montana and moved with his parents to Oregon where he worked with his father in the timber industry near McMinnville. During World War II, he served in the Coast Guard. Clay moved to Gold Beach in 1964 where he worked in the timber and wood products industry. He joined the USFS in 1965, working as a Timber Sales Administrator, retiring in 1980.

      Clay was the first President of Curry Anadromous Fishermen and the Chairman of the Hunter Creek project in 1989. Clay was the Stream Chairman for Hunter Creek and always helped with rummage and bake sales. Clay was a life-long sports fisherman and had several favorite fishing holes along the Rogue River. He always had a friendly smile and words of encouragement for friends and fellow fishermen he met on his river.
Irmadean L. Roberts - November 4, 1926 April 28, 1999

      Irmadean was born in Greybull, Wyoming and moved to Gold Beach in 1991. She was a member of many organizations including the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Curry Anadromous Fishermen and Elder of the Presbyterian Church.


Mike Okie - May 10, 1938 to June 11, 2003


      Mike was born Michael John Okoniewski, of Polish parents Mel Choir Vincent Okoniewski and Helen Frances (Torkowska) Okoniewski in Buffalo, New York. He was an only child. His dad was a surgeon in a small town in upstate New York. He and a friend owned a small plane that his parents bought for them when he was about 15 years old. He loved to fish the streams of N.Y. He moved to California in 1964. He was in the service for a while when McDonnell Douglas ask the Government to let him work for them as an engineer and test pilot. He owned Race Cars and sponsored or helped with the races. He also attended and participated in the Westminster Dog Shows in New York.


      Mike moved to Gold Beach in 1994 after his retirement from McDonnell Douglas. He obtained three college degrees, including a degree in botany. He was an avid fisherman and made most of his fishing rods as well as his lures. He also made a wooden drift boat and used it on the Rogue and Pistol Rivers as well as Hunter Creek. Mike was a dedicated volunteer and friend of the Indian Creek Hatchery for over six years. As a member of CAF, he served on the board of directors, on the nominations committee, and trained many volunteers over the years in spawning techniques. His engineering skills enabled the hatchery to improve the plumbing and electrical systems. His wry sense of humor was enjoyed by all who knew him. Many a stormy night he and Glenn Miller would check to be sure the waterlines were clear. In addition, Mike was an active member of the Curry Historical Society.




Jim Stoops


President 1993 & 1994
 

Jim Sutton

     Jim was a tall soft-spoken fellow that only raised his voice when necessary. He was a unifying force in CAF and handled varied personalities with ease. As president he worked to improve both the organizational and hatchery procedures. Jim had great rapport with everyone in town, sold a lot of raffle tickets and spread goodwill. He was a great storyteller and we often enjoyed his yarns. Jim spoke of having George Foreman as an inmate when he worked at the youth facility in Pendleton. He was a true gentleman and was always one of the first guys to greet you when you arrived at the hatchery. He would have a pot of coffee going and ask if anyone wanted a cup. His job was to bleed the female fish before spawning them and he always brought a sharp knife. ( It was his job and everyone let him do it. ) He was always aware of new volunteers and greeted them in an effort to recruit them as new members of CAF. He made them feel comfortable. He would religiously wear the black CAF coat around town and would always make an effort to recruit new volunteers.