>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Wayne Herron

It was Wolfe who wrote “You Can’t Go Home Again.” Herron is about to try, and if his past professional success is any indication, he will do it easily.

Herron, 47, a teacher at Union High School since 1987, has been named the new principal of Elgin High School.

The selection means Herron’s school career is coming full circle.

“I’m excited to be back,’’ Herron said. “It is going to be a good fit for me.’’

He said he knows many of the staff members at EHS, respects them tremendously and is looking forward to working with them.

Herron will succeed Larry Glaze as principal. Glaze served as Elgin School District superintendent and high school principal in 2007-08. He stepped down at the end of June to take a position as the La Grande School District’s new superintendent.

Herron is beginning his first stint as a school administrator but not his first as a leader — far from it.

He served as the UHS head football coach for 14 years and its head girls basketball coach for 11 years during his tenure in Union. He was also the project manager for the $1.2 million Bobcat Community Athletic Complex west of Union High School, completed in 2004.

Years ago the site was a long-abandoned junk-strewn piece of property the Union School District had obtained. Today it has a lighted football field, an eight-lane track, baseball, softball and soccer fields, a covered grandstand for the football field and track and a 4,000-square-foot building that has locker rooms, a meeting room and a concession area.

The athletic complex project received $750,000 in donated services and materials. Herron poured his heart and soul into it.

“It was all consuming for 12 years of my life,’’ he said.

His efforts were not unrecognized. Herron was named Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year for Union, Wallowa and Baker counties in large part because of his work in making the athletic complex dream a reality. He also won the prestigious U.S. Forest Service 1999-2000 Rural Community Assistance National Leadership Award, which he shared with Cindy Whitlock of Union because of his work in developing the athletic complex.

In 2006 Herron was recognized again for his efforts in developing the athletic complex, receiving the City of Union’s lifetime achievement award.

At Elgin High School Herron will be putting the wisdom of many people he worked with at UHS to use. He credits faculty like the late Doug Squire, the now-retired Tom Hayes, Gayle Rickman and Scott Schroeder and current UHS teacher Dennis Clark with helping his development as an educator.

Herron also cites individuals like former UHS principal Bruce Mulvany and Jim Taylor, who served as UHS principal the past 10 years before moving to Montana, with teaching him valuable lessons.

Herron admired the good rapport Taylor had with students and his efforts to be visible on campus.

“The students always knew he was around to take care of problems,’’ Herron said. “He would foresee problems before they were problems.’’

The educator also respected the way Taylor made an effort to attend as many school events, including games, plays and concerts, as possible. Herron plans to do the same at EHS because he wants students to know he has a genuine interest in what they are doing.

“It is important for students to know that their principal cares about them,’’ Herron said.

Maintaining a regular presence at EHS events will be time consuming, but Herron believes he is up to the challenge. The educator noted that as a coach he often put in long hours.

“I was always at school. That will not be a huge transition for me,’’ Herron said.

To maintain a stronger presence in Elgin, Herron will move there from Union. His wife Patty, the Union School District librarian, will continue to work in Union.

The Herrons have a son and a daughter, Chelsea and Jadon. Chelsea is a junior at EOU. Jadon, who graduated from UHS in May, will be a freshman at Eastern this fall.

Chelsea and Jadon will be adding to family tradition. Both their parents are EOU graduates. Wayne was a football star at Eastern, playing for the Mountaineers from 1979 to 1982. A linebacker, Herron was named the team’s most valuable player in 1982. He was also named Eastern’s outstanding senior athlete in 1983. Herron was inducted into Eastern’s athletic hall of fame in 2002.

Herron has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in secondary education from EOU. He earned his administration credentials from Lewis and Clark University in Portland.

He started his education career in 1984 at McKenzie High School in Blue River. He then taught at Powder Valley High School in North Powder for two years before moving to UHS.

In Elgin, Herron will work under Larry Christman, the district’s new superintendent. Christman earlier served as superintendent of the Enterprise School District for many years. Herron said he is looking forward to having Christman as a mentor, noting that he has long admired his commitment and skills.

The many familiar faces Herron will be greeted by in Elgin also include Bud Scoubes, a school board member. Herron played football at EHS under Scoubes during a time when the Huskies had enormous success on the gridiron. Herron has high regard for Scoubes and is looking forward to working with him and other members of the board.

Herron’s career in Union started with help from Mark Wing, a current school board member. Wing was on the board in 1987 when it hired Herron at UHS.

“I’ve always admired Wayne’s ability to relate to kids,’’ Wing said. “It has been a real joy to watch his career.

He’s going to do a wonderful job at Elgin.’’