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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 26, 2006 Stateside visit suffices when Grandpa can't get passport Gold Hill man had been turned down pending proof of his country of birth By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune An 87-year-old Gold Hill man may not have gotten the passport he wanted in time to visit his granddaughter in Germany, but he wants folks to know he got to see her this summer — stateside — and that he's thankful so many folks wanted to help prove his citizenship. Joe Worden, featured in a Mail Tribune article in April, was told this spring that he could not visit Germany without proof that he was born in the United States. A lifelong Oregonian, Worden was born in LaGrande, spent six years in the Navy and ran the Sportsman Tavern in Gold Hill for a half-century. Born at home when most folks didn't apply for certificates of birth, Worden was refused passport approval by the Medford post office because records of his family were destroyed in a courthouse fire when he was a child. Relatives older than him are no longer living and military service at his time of service did not reflect his birthplace. Worden's story attracted dozens of e-mails to the Mail Tribune and twice as many calls to his daughter, Judy Bowers of Central Point. Advertisement "The article on dad resulted in a lot — and I mean a lot — of people calling us up to help. It's been months and I still have people stop me on the street to ask what happened," Bowers noted. In a nutshell, a half-dozen readers did the legwork in researching 1920 and 1940 census reports. "In the one for 1920, Dad was 9 months old — it showed his parents, where they were born, all his siblings, so it was really cool," Bowers said. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Consular Affairs this spring also offered to work with Worden and confirmed that census reports could be used in cases where a birth certificate is not available. While the solution did not enable his visit to Germany when planned, Air Force Airman Holly Alvarado — Bowers' daughter and Worden's granddaughter — traveled home this summer for a friend's wedding and a lengthy visit with her grandfather. Bowers said this week she was grateful so many people wanted to help her dad and that the passport system "allowed some room for common sense in the long run." On the other hand, she voiced frustration at things taking so long. "We could have avoided all this crap and gone when we wanted to if they'd had employees who were a little empathetic," she said. "His health is not great now so he may or may not go. We're hoping to try for May if his health holds out. The positive side of this is so many people were willing to help us." Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com