Books: The witches of Salem,local librarians’ reads,Northwest releases 12C

It was 65 years ago,deep in the Idaho wilder-ness, when one womantook poetry, turned itinto music, and recordedit. Her collection of songsand poems lives on tothis day, thanks in part toone dogged researcherand a librarian, both ofwhom wanted to sharethis special music withthe world.About eight years ago,

song historian Gary Ellergot a call out of the bluefrom a woman in Black-foot. She said she founda dozen homemade re-cordings at a garage salethat were made in Cas-cade in 1950. Eller fig-ured they were probablyjust popular records, anddidn’t think much more

about it.“After a year or two I

got over there andlooked at them and wow,it was this lady who hadone of those homemaderecorders where youcould put a blank plasticdisc on, sing into themicrophone and it wouldcut the groves into therecord,” says Eller.Ione Love Thielke

would take poems, turnthem into songs andrecord them. Eller wasfascinated, and aftersome research, hetracked down Thielke’sstepson, who is now adentist in Seattle. Histiming was perfect.“And he said, interest-

ing you called me. I wasabout to haul these 24boxes of recordings tothe dump. So I said,‘Don’t do that!’”Eller got a hold of the

boxes and ended up with278 records and 22 reel-to-reel recordings. Alto-

Provided by Boise State University Special Collections and Archives

Ione Love Thielke was the musical poem recorder ofCascade.

IDAHO HISTORY

Musician cuther records— literally.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Decades on, a researcherand a librarian saved herpriceless music... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BY SAMANTHAWRIGHT

Boise State Public Radio

SEE THIELKE, 5D

It’s funny. I can drive astretch of road every daybut still spot something Inever knew was there.And curiosity about whatlies off the road has ledme to many story ideas.Last Sunday, photog-

rapher Drew Nash and Ishared the tales and pho-tos from the first half ofour late-August road tripon U.S. 93 from Jackpot,Nev., to the Montanaborder. Today, we’ll takeyou the rest of the way.Today, the tale of our

road trip resumes be-tween Carey and Arco, at

one of those fascinatingroadside signs.

MILE 218.2: DIFFICULT

PASSAGE

A sign explaining Good-ale’s Cutoff invites to-day’s travelers to looktoward the mountainswhere a trail made bytrappers and NativeAmericans offered anoption for emigrants west-bound in wagons.In the 1850s, armed

skirmishes broke outbetween Shoshone Indi-

DREW NASH (Twin Falls) Times-News

A cliff above Arco displays painted numbers representing graduating classes on Aug.19 — the second day of two (Twin-Falls) Times-News journalists’ road trip along U.S.93’s entire route through Idaho, from Jackpot to the Montana border.

U.S. 93 ROAD TRIP PART 2

Highway winds throughlava and mountains.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Craters: Where you can ‘walk on the moon’.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mackay: Visit the ‘Top of Idaho’.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hunt for the elusive fracture from the 1983 earthquake.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TETONA DUNLAP

tdunlap@magicvalley.com

SEE IDAHO, 9D

52 years ago, so there wasno medical treatment.There were no correctivesurgeries, no physicaltherapy. She couldn’t

Before Van Tranwas old enoughto have even herfirst childhood

memories — when shewas 5 or 6 months old —

she contracted polio. Shesurvived, but without theuse of her right leg andwith little use of her leftleg. This was in Vietnam

walk very much. And thatwas that.In those days, and even

now in Vietnam, thisdisability would prettymuch have defined herlife.She says: “Society

doesn’t consider you as awhole person. You neverhave a chance for an edu-cation, never a chance fora job, never a chance for afamily of your own — nevera chance for anything. Youjust don’t do anything.Your family takes care ofyou.”That was just not Van,

even as a little girl. Shewatched as her brothersand sisters went off toschool every day.“And I’m just home.

Home with my mom.”The nuns in the Catho-

lic convent next doortaught her to read andwrite and do some math,and when she was 9 yearsold, she thought throughthe logistics of a schoolday.“I say, I can do this.”And that, in a phrase, is

the story of Van’s life.• • •

Van (whose name ispronounced Von) startedschool in second grade,thanks to the nuns. Hersisters helped. She fin-ished third grade and wasready for fourth.In 1974, when she was

10, Van was eligible formedical treatment from aGerman group helpingVietnamese children whohad disabilities or warinjuries. Van went to Ger-many, where she lived atFriedensdorf, or PeaceVillage, for eight months,she and more than 100

KATHERINE JONES kjones@idahostatesman.com

Life gives you challenges, says Van Tran, above, but it also gives you opportunities.“And love and support.” Her family fled Vietnam before the fall of Saigon, but theywere welcomed to the United States, were able to go to school and college and getgood jobs. In spite of having polio, she, too, has been equally successful.

HEART OF THE TREASURE VALLEY

Determinedand grateful

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Even as a little girl, she was determined to live her lifeand not be defined by ‘disability’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Although her life had lots of challenges, she saw themas opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She and her sister created a nonprofit to help orphansin Vietnam as a way of giving back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BY KATHERINE JONES

kjones@idahostatesman.com

‘‘FROM THERE, YOUALWAYS GIVING.PEOPLE (HAVEALWAYS BEEN) SOGENEROUS TOYOU, I ALWAYSBELIEVE IN PAYINGFORWARD. YOUNEED TO GIVEBACK —WHATEVER WAYIT IS.Van Tran

SEE HEART, 6D

Religion:Jesus said,he willreturn 5C

Explore THERE’S PLENTY

OF ROOM FOR

THE FAMILY 8C

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We love you, Michelle, Justin, Morgan and Carley

others. Their ages rangedfrom young adults in their20s to children as youngas 1 or 2 years old — theirdisabilities from polio toburns to spinal cord andwar injuries.Van had surgery, got

braces, learned to walk.And that wasn’t even themost important part.“At the Peace Village, we

never look at each other ashaving disability or beingdisabled. …“I just loved that people

see you as who you are.And yes, you do havedreams. You do have hopes.And many people withdisabilities can do things. Isee the older young adultswith disabilities working,supporting themselves,doing all these things thatable bodies do.“And I say: ‘That’s what

I want.’”• • •Full of ideas of self-

sufficiency and hope forher future, Van returnedto her home in SouthVietnam. But history in-tervened; her return wasjust two months beforethe war ended.“Our town is far enough

(away), but we can alwayshear fighting. You can hearit in the distance. … I stillremember those scenes —the people begging, thepeople hungry, people aredying; you see so manysuffering people on thestreets … people movingand migrating into ourtown, telling stories. …“I was young then but

old enough to understandwar. … And then one day itactually happens and youare in the midst of it, youare a part of it, you witnessthat, you lived throughthat. You become part ofhistory and it becomes apart of who you are.”Van’s family fled to a

tiny island offshore onemorning; by noon, theirtown was overtaken byNorth Vietnamese. Fromtheir island, they watchedthe city burn. Van’s fatherwas a civilian in the pro-vincial government, so itwas not safe for any ofthem to return.Her father paid a boat

captain to take the familyto open seas where theyhitchhiked a ride on acommercial ship going toSaigon. It was a grueling

two-day ordeal, and tothis day, Van dislikesboats. But her five broth-ers were old enough to bedrafted, so her father wasdesperate.“Luckily, when we live in

(my hometown) … whenpeople come and need helpin our town, my mom anddad were strongly believedin helping. They sharedwhat they had. And sowhen we got to Saigon …these people, we meet upwith them again. They justsaid, ‘You help my familytrying to survive at thetime, so now we’re going tohelp you.’ We were luckythat way.”Their luck held; with no

money and a piece ofpaper vouching for them,the family was able to getto the airport. They wereairlifted four or five daysbefore the fall of Saigonand landed in Arkansas,where they stayed for 72

days at Fort Chaffee.There, they learned En-glish, how to fill out jobapplications, filed forgreen cards. In thosedays, more than 100,000Vietnamese refugeescame to the United States.Van, however, was able

to be evacuated back toGermany with the staffand some children fromthe Peace Village. She wasthere for six months,which reinforced hergrowing sense of inde-pendence (and gave hersome fluency in German).But when she joined herfamily in Tulsa, wherethey had been sponsored,her transition was a tangleof old and new expecta-tions and the tremendouseffort to simply survive inAmerica.“You always have this

sense of lost. … ”Her first year in school,

Van just learned English.The second time throughseventh grade, she wasable to study the subjectsand she went from there.That was school. Sociallife was a different story.“My sisters and brothers,

they all have friends. Butbecause I have a disability,I never really have friends.People don’t see me. I’malways someone else’s sis-ter. Activities-wise, every-body gets invited, but notme. I’m always home unlessI do things with the family.They would go to moviesand shopping and stuff and

I was never asked to gowith them. …“I don’t resent it, it just

is what it is. Looking back,it’s painful when you thinkabout it, but at the timeeverybody was trying toassimilate and adjust.”When Van was 15, she

had had major surgery onher legs. That didn’t helpin her effort to fit in, but itdid give her a sense ofdirection.“I received a lot of ther-

apy and that’s when I learnwhat I want to do: I wantto be a therapist. … I knowexactly what I want.”For her senior year, Van

moved to California tolive with a brother and hiswife to get residency —her strategy for affordingjunior college, which, atthat time, was free forCalifornia residents. Shefollowed a science track.“After I graduated, (my

parents) say, ‘OK, now it’stime for you to come home.You don’t need to studyany more.’ … I told them,‘Mmmm, that was not inmy plan.’”Her parents were very

supportive of her, she isquick to point out, butthey were also protectiveand worried about her.Van lived with sistersduring occupational ther-apy school, and it wasn’tuntil she got her first job— in Boise — that shelived alone. And she’snever looked back.“Life is never fair, but

yet it is what it is. You havechoices. You either take itand run with it, or you stayput, which means you don’tgo anywhere. I choose notto stay put.”In Boise — single, new

job, new city, new life —she took voice lessons andguitar lessons to fill hertime. She discovered twooutdoor groups for peoplewith disabilities andsigned up.“(Even) if you don’t have

a disability, some peopledon’t get to do some of thethings that I have done. … Imove up here and I ski …and I race in local funevents and do all kinds ofthings. … Some of mybrothers and sisters havenever been on a ski hill —and here I have done all ofthat.”It was on an Alternative

Mobility Adventure Seek-ers (AMAS) outing thatVan met her future hus-band, John Schiff. He wasdoing a documentaryabout AMAS and she waspart of a group that flewinto the Frank ChurchRiver of No Return Wil-derness with volunteerpilots. They were marriedtwo years later; they justcelebrated their 22ndanniversary.“It’s like anybody’s

dream. … I want to have afamily … but I know if Ilived in Vietnam or wasstill there, that would never

FROM PAGE 1D

HEART

Provided by Children ofVinh Son Orphanage Inc.

Van Tran’ssister, MarieTran, right, wholives in Seattle,firstvolunteered atthe Vinh SonOrphanages in2010. “My sisteris suchhands-on,” saysVan Tran. “Sheloves tovolunteer there.She says that’sthe best part —being with thekids. ... Itdoesn’t matterif it’s here orthere, they areall human lives.We just want todo what wecan.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Want to help?

Check out the website anddonate online:

VinhSonOrphanage.org

The Idaho nonprofit hostsa fundraiser once a year inthe fall. Stay tuned for nextyear.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SEE HEART, 8D

8D SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1 2015Explore IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

happen. I know that if I …lived with my parents, thatprobably wouldn’t happeneither.“But being on my own,

and taking the risk andtaking all the opportunitiesthat come up that I am ableto do, I met wonderful peo-ple. I make good friends. (Ifall in love; I get married.) Itwas a dream come true forme.”Today, Van is an occupa-

tional therapist with St.Luke’s Orthopedics Handand Wrist Clinic, specializ-ing in hand therapy. Be-cause of some post-poliohealth issues, she now usesa power wheelchair andworks four days a week.And she is happy.“You will be challenged,

but if you live and do whatis right, you will be blessedand you will overcome thechallenges. I do have a reallystrong faith in believingthat.”Not that this faith makes

life easy by a long shot.“I have strong faith, but I

still have a disability. Hav-ing faith doesn’t meanthings don’t happen. It stillhappens, but faith helpsanswer how do you survive?How do you overcome? …“My parents gave up

everything they work forbecause they don’t want usto live under the communistregime and we don’t havethe opportunity there. Wehave strong faith — but westill have to leave everythingand lose everything.“We come here — but

guess what? We were blessedwith opportunities, we havegood health, we have goodfamily base, we stay togeth-er. …“For me, I measure suc-

cess in the life and valuesthat I have — blessed withlove of family and friends,good health, a wonderful

career; the ability to giveback and pay forward atthis time in my life. Andmost of all, to find peacewithin myself …“That’s worth more than

anything.”• • •

In 2010, Van’s sister,Marie Tran, who lives inSeattle, volunteered at anorphanage in central Viet-nam next to the border ofCambodia. Every day,she’d feed the babies,teach kids English, helpout. She and Van talked viacomputer or Skype twice aday.“She said, ‘I went into the

storage and there was noth-ing left.’ They had run outof food for the kids. And sheask the sisters, ‘What do youdo?’ and the sisters say,‘Pray.’”Marie, for her part, went

shopping. Van, in Boise,felt moved to do some-thing as well, so she and agroup of friends organizeda fundraiser. Marie cameto Boise and spoke andshowed slides and theyraised $3,000. Even after-wards, money still trickledin.“I kept saying, if we just

stop here, what happenswhen these few thousanddollars run out?”The result was an Idaho-

based nonprofit calledChildren of Vinh SonOrphanage Inc., thatraises, between grants anddonations, about $25,000each year for six orphanag-es that serve more than700 ethnic minority chil-dren.“The poorest of the poor.”The nonprofit fills the

pantries twice a year withfood staples, funds a dentalprogram, provides milkand $5,000 a year forschool supplies. For theLunar New Year in 2015,

each child got a mosquitonet, a pillow, towel, blanketand a straw mat.“Just like anybody else, we

all have dreams, we havegoals. It’s hard to see — evenhere in the States I see peoplewith broken dreams, notable to make it. It breaks myheart. I just want to go outand help them, do what Ican to give them support.“It’s the same with these

kids. You always keep pray-ing that opportunities comeup for them.”Van supports local Boise

charities as well, but thesechildren have a specialplace in her heart.“I always want to give

back. My sisters and I al-ways say we are very, veryfortunate and blessed — wewere taken care of when wefirst came here to the coun-try. The people, the UnitedStates, welcomed us withopen arms and give us theopportunity, the love andsupport to be where we aretoday.“And we always want to

be giving back in some way.Doesn’t matter which groupor who, but we always want-ed to give back, somehow.”About once a year, Marie

returns to the orphanages— Van and her husbandhope to go someday — andsends back photos of smil-ing kids.“I don’t know (the kids)

at all, I have never metthem. But through the pic-tures … the kids are veryhappy. I say if I can, in someway, some how, give themthat smile — that’s justworth everything.”

Know someone living "fromthe heart"? Idaho Statesmanphotojournalist KatherineJones spotlights someone inthe Treasure Valley whoinfluences our lives not onlyby what they do, but howand why they do it. Do youknow someone we shouldknow? Call 377-6414 oremail kjones@idahostatesman.com.

FROM PAGE 6D

HEART

This beautiful familyhome features modernamenities inside, like themain-floor master suiteand the spacious islandkitchen. The placement ofthe cooktop on the kitch-en island lets you faceyour guests while cooking;they can have a seat at thesnack bar or nearby in thebreakfast nook. At night,relax in the master suite’sluxurious bathroom,where you’ll find a step-up tub, large shower, andtwo sinks. Two additionalbedrooms upstairs share ahall bath (with two sinks,so there’s no waiting tobrush teeth) and a largebonus space.Order a set of construc-

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ft.Total: 2,193 sq. ft.Bonus Space: 402 sq.

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HOME DESIGN

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To roast pumpkinseeds, clean them andplace in a clean bowl;dsome olive oil over them– a teaspoon or so per halfcup. Mix well to makesure the seeds are coated,then apply one of theseasoning mixes. Spreadseasoned seeds onto aparchment-lined bakingsheet and roast in a 300-degree oven for about 20or 25 minutes. Keep aclose eye on the seeds tomake sure they don’t

burn; trust your nose.Chili lime: To the bowl,

add 1 tablespoon hotsauce, ½ tablespoon chilipowder, 2 teaspoonsfreshly squeezed limejuice and a pinch of salt,and toss.Cinnamon and sugar:

You’ll want to watch theseas they cook to make surethe sugar doesn’t burn.Mix ½ teaspoon cinna-mon and 1 tablespoonbrown sugar in a smallbowl, then add mixture tothe bowl of pumpkinseeds. Finish off with apinch of salt, and toss

again.Sweet and spicy: Mix 1

tablespoon brown sugar-Recipe from backtoher-roots.com.Pumpkin spice: To the

bowl of pumpkin seedsdrizzled with olive oil, add1 teaspoon pumpkin piespice. Or, alternatively,mix ½ teaspoon cinna-mon, ¼ teaspoon nutmegand ¼ teaspoon groundcloves in a small bowl,and add to pumpkinseeds. Toss thoroughly.Salt and pepper: Simple

yet strangely addicting,this classic pairing lets thenuttiness of the seedsshine. To the bowl ofpumpkin seeds drizzledwith olive oil, add 1 teas-poon sea salt and 1 teas-poon freshly ground blackpepper and toss.

RECIPE

Ideas for flavoringroasted pumpkin seeds

BYMICHELLE STARK

Tampa Bay Times