In the News: The Shepard of 99W

For Newberg resident Ann Rader, 35 years of service began with a simple school flyer. Dundee Elementary School needed a crossing guard.

That commitment came to a close June 13, the final day of school, as she guided the last of what has been thousands of students over the years from the north side of Highway 99W to the relatively small neighborhood on the south.

Rader won’t be back in the fall because caring for her husband, Larry, who suffered a stroke during the school year, is now her top priority.

Although it took up about 30 minutes of her day each afternoon, she suspects she’s going to miss her daily interactions with the young learners.

“I’m going to be very bored,” Rader joked. “I really enjoy it. It’s nice to talk to the kids and see what they’re  doing.”

The Raders moved to Newberg from Portland 40 years ago and sent their children to Dundee Elementary, at which point there was no traffic light at the corner of 99W and Fifth Street. Back then, she used a simple rule to ensure the safety of the town’s children: wait until the road was clear for half a block in each direction, or for courteous drivers to stop, before starting out.
   
“I figured when the light came in that was the end of that, but it wasn’t,” Rader said. “The parents called because the kids would push the button and run. That’s the reason I’m still here.”

Rader had just five children, including a family with three students, to shepherd this year, down from 30 a year ago after a large group of fifth-grade students moved on to middle school. She was recognized for her dedication at the school district’s year-end awards ceremony Friday.

“She’s been out there rain or shine, in all kinds of weather, really doing a good job providing safety for kids as they cross 99W,” Principal Lesley Carsley said.

Story by Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic