By Jerry Herbage
Several years ago, while in employment of Curry County, a small group of Curry County employees and I received two weeks of Management Training from Paul and Jan Weber at a ranch with a pool located in Pistol River. At lunch time, following the end of morning classes, we would typically gather around the outdoor pool. On one of those days, I used a net to rescue a mouse that was seen struggling to stay afloat in the pool. On the following day, the mouse was back in the pool, but on the bottom, motionless. I then said to my classmates, “At least I don’t have to give him mouth to mouse resuscitation.” But I digress…
As the new President of the Curry County Master Gardener Association (CCMGA), it is appropriate for me to let you know a bit about myself, just as I would like to know each of our members better. So, if you would, stop by to say hello the next time you see me on the street, or at your convenience, or hopefully at the next CCMGA meeting!
Now, I will give you a brief biography… I am a native Oregonian, having been born and raised in Roseburg, Oregon, along with my seven brothers and sisters. I am number 4. My siblings and I were close then and remain close to this day as we do a conference call every Sunday (except on holidays) and have regular reunions. My father co-owned a manufacturing plant and machine shop, and my mother was a nurse. I met my future wife, Cathy, in the second grade at St. Joseph Grade School. (That year she asked me out on a date, and I said no.) However, we did start dating later in high school, and then through college. Cathy and I both attended Oregon State University (with respective majors in Anthropology and History), and then the University of Oregon to study law. We got married at the end of our first semester in law school. For our wedding, we sent out about 150 invitations, and approximately 450 people showed up for the service and festivities! Time flies because we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary next year!
After we graduated and passed the Oregon State Bar Exam, after a short stay in Roseburg, we moved to Gold Beach where we have resided for nearly 45 years. I started out my career as a Deputy District Attorney, and I will never forget my first trial as a prosecutor. It was a Driving Under the Influence (DUII) trial, with the defendant’s name being Jim Beam. I think it was his name that caused the conviction.
I ended up working for Curry County for over 34 years, with the bulk of the time serving as a County Counsel and assisting in the management of the County. After retiring in November of 2015, I did a bit of Deputy DA work for Curry County District Attorney Everett Dial, and then worked for Lincoln County as an Assistant County Counsel for over 6 years, at which time I permanently retired from the practice of law.
Cathy and I have been blessed to have 4 girls who are now all grown up and have their own families. It was not always easy raising the kids. I remember one of them chewing on an electric cord; I had to ground her. (Bad Dad Joke.)
My activities have included membership and offices on the Curry Public Library Board (since 1989), the Board of the Central Curry School District, Rotary, Friends of the Library, organizations related to St. Charles, and of course, CCMGA. My hobbies include hiking, biking, jogging, sports, caring for our pet cats and bunnies, and most of all, gardening.
To that end, following my retirement, I signed up and took the CCMGA class in 2023. Since then, I have spent a significant amount of time helping with the plant sales, and with the Riley Creek Garden project that Lori Phelan masterfully oversees. In addition to CCMGA activities, each year I grow approximately 350 dahlias plants representing approximately 100 varieties. Cathy and I also maintain gardens at our homes in both Gold Beach and Philomath. The Philomath climate allows us to successfully grow grapes and a variety of fruit and nut trees.
Before taking over as President of the CCMGA, Paul Maree and the future and past officers of CCMGA met on December 2, 2025, at First Chapter Coffee House to brainstorm how to better serve our members. Some of our priorities included encouraging better attendance at business meetings, shortening meetings, making business meetings more enjoyable, including an educational component in our meetings, and increasing attendance at other activities. To that end we decided to limit business meetings to 1 hour, to have a 15-minute educational talk each meeting, to see that there are refreshments and a opportunity for socializing and networking at our business meetings, and to make these meetings more entertaining by having door prizes, trivia and humor. This is something of an experiment, so your feedback on this direction will be appreciated. I hope to see you at the next CCMGA meeting. Until then, take care.
