03/20/2026
~Stanley Pendergrass~
Stan was born on a Saturday in 1949. He had amazing parents and four siblings. He was the middle child as he had two older brothers and two younger sisters. They lived in Corvallis (he rattled the address off the top of his head). His mom was a stay-at-home mom. She did lots of canning as she had a large garden. She took really good care of their home and children. She made patchwork quilts for darn near everyone in the family, even distant family. She literally made hundreds of them. To this day, Stan has the quilt she made him in his bedroom at the foot of his bed. He says it reminds him of her. Stan's dad was a timber faller and made a good living for his family. His dad came from Oklahoma. He brought his entire family to Oregon with him. As a young child, Stan remembers working in the bean and cornfields This was to earn money for school clothes and contribute to the household. The family would remain in Corvallis until the end of Stan's third grade year.
Stan started his fourth grade year in Mapleton, Oregon. They had a 5-acre farm there. Stan helped with a farm as the older boys were too busy. Stan would wake up extremely early, while it was still dark to milk the cow. His mom would come in every morning and say " rise and shine ". This is a memory that has stuck with him and makes him smile when he thinks about it. The cow produced approximately 3.5 gallons of milk daily. Stan's dad milk the cow every evening. The family kept and used what they needed and they would take the excess to church with them every Sunday and sell it. Stan got to keep all of the money from the milk minus the grain he needed for the cow. He also picked strawberries, bucked hay and chopped wood. Great exercise for a young boy.
At mableton high School, Stan began wrestling. He took 2nd in state in his junior year and 4th in state in his senior year. He was awarded a full scholarship to U of O. He later transferred to OSU where he graduated. But we'll get back to that later.
In 1971, Stan went on a motorcycle trip with his brother, Bill. They went to San Francisco. On their way back, on Peoria road, Stan's life changed forever. The motorcycle his brother was riding was struck. Stan was the passenger. He was very badly hurt. His collarbone and legs were broken to list a couple. In fact, he broke so many bones that he had to be hung in traction in his hospital room. But it wasn't all bad because he met the love of his life.
One day, a nurse's aide came in. Her name was Cornelia, nicknamed corny. She was beautiful and stand fell for her. Actually, they fell for each other. Soon they were making plans for their future. They moved in together upon his release from the hospital and continued to plan their future. It took a long time for Stan to heal. His last cast was removed a year after his accident.
Stan and corny decided to get married. Along with another couple, they went to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to elope. The other couple eloped also but they had separate ceremonies. They had their reception at Whitaker Creek on the Siuslaw.
Stan graduated OSU with a degree in forestry, minoring in business. He and corny moved to mapleton. Stan purchased a 22-acre property where they raised one son, Eli. He was born in 1976. Stan built a 175 footbridge where a trolley had been across the river. He was still healing from the accident so the forestry department gave him a job manning the last lookout tower. He had been working for the forestry department for years.
Stand did a lot of fishing. He had his own drift boat and would take it through Whitewater. At Chicken Rock, others would get out because the river was too rough. But not Stan, the fishing magician. He would make it through with flying colors. He spent so much time on the river. He says he makes the best smoked salmon, hands down. He loved being outdoors and Mrs hunting and fishing so much. He said he has got 10 different elk tags in his only brought home three elk. One of which was a four-point. He was really proud of this one.
After 20 years, Stan and corny decided to get a divorce. At that moment, Stan says he became homeless. He worked a full-time job but didn't get his own place. He had friends that he would stay with, couchsurfing. He would trade chopped firewood and/or salmon as rent. At some point, it became easier to be homeless as opposed to couchsurfing. Stan would remain homeless for the next 16 years.
In 2021, Stan had a stroke and was taken to the hospital. Upon his release, he realized that his girlfriend at the time had stolen his debit card. He had no money to purchase food. He went to a food bank where they were handing out sandwiches and such. He met a 90-year-old woman named Alice Carter. She started asking him questions about his social security and being homeless. She said she could help him and she did just that. It is because of her that Stan is here at Meadowlark. She is his angel. She has been a missionary her entire life and has been all over the world. Before meeting her, Stan was sleeping under a park bench with a tarp over it to block the elements. He would find a spot under the bridge where the rain wouldn't get to him. He is so grateful for Alice, his angel. She has been here many times to visit him.
Stan is such a special person. He would do anything for anyone. He always has a positive attitude and is well liked by others in the community.
I hope you have enjoyed learning more about Stan.
