When Tom Klinski was born in 1930, he came home to Corbett and has only left once- for two years he served in the Korean War. Having two sisters, it was Tom and his father who worked long hours milking their 30 dairy cows on the family farm. The family also grew potatoes literally ALL over Corbett. The entire area of NE 365th Ave. was farm land and they rented the acreage for their potato farming as well as other areas in Corbett. During WWII there were few young men in the area, so Tom says the large home across the Stark Street Bridge was a camp for nearly 500 Hispanic boys and men. They would be picked up each morning by several Corbett farmers to help with farm chores, and returned to their camp in the evenings. Tom's family also grew daffodils, Dutch Iris and tulips, selling and shipping the bulbs all over the country! In 1948, Tom graduated from Corbett High. He was the senior class president, and had played both basketball and baseball all through school. At the time, those were the only sports available for the boys! In 1955, Tom met a beautiful young woman at church named Delta, and they married soon after. She was the secretary at Corbett Grade School for 27 years! Together, the Klinski's had three children, and just two years ago, Tom lost his only son to a heart attack at age 50. Delta had passed earlier in 2006 from cancer. Currently, his two daughters live in the general area and have given him two grandchildren. Tom is still in the "cow business" but has switched from dairy to beef production. There was "too much milk" back in 1986 and so he "bid out" to the government and made a change in cows. He also started driving a school bus for Corbett, driving from 1986-2002. When he was in the war, he had won an award for driving over 23,000 miles with any accidents! Now Tom is involved as a volunteer with "Meals on Wheels," delivering meals in the Corbett area, as well as volunteering at the Corbett Grange. Tom said he was always tempted to move to Canby because of Corbett's wind, but says he is glad he never did!
