Minneapolis banker Delroy Getchell arrived in Medford, Ore., on a sparkling day in January 1909, seeking a mild climate for retirement. He liked the looks of the place.
Retirement did not suit him, however, and by 1912 he invested in and became president of the Farmers and Fruit Growers Bank. Getchell ran the bank for 27 years and guided it through the Great Depression. He backed good public water and transportation systems, participated in many social organizations and promoted the Rogue Valley. Getchell was well-read and for many years wrote poetry that was used in programs or published in the newspaper. One poem, titled “Old Timer,” goes like this:
“While now as I follow
Where Old Timer led,
I smile at the shadows
That fall on my head.”
“I flee from depression,
Filled up by despair,
To roam where the vistas,
Are pleasing and fair.”
…
“So, when you have trouble,
Forget it awhile:
In flight of your fancy,
Forget it and smile.”
Sources: "Delroy Getchell." Medford Pioneers, edited by Ben Truwe, id.mind.net/~truwe/tina/getchell.html. Accessed 18 Sept. 2017. N.d. MS 2006.27.1, M51C1 Known Poems of Delroy Getchell. Southern Oregon Historical Society, n.p.
