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Pope�s early days were far away from Cold War By Paul Fattig GRANTS PASS � John Blanchard doesn�t know anything about Edmond Pope, the American businessman convicted of espionage by a Russian court. But he does know all about Ed Pope, a Grants Pass High School buddy in the mid-1960s. "He�s a hell of a nice guy, an intelligent guy who liked to have fun," Blanchard said, later adding, "I�m just glad he�s safe." The son of Roy and Elizabeth Pope of Grants Pass, Pope arrived at his parents� home early Monday morning after being pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Pope, who had been sentenced to 20 years on Dec. 8, maintained his innocence throughout his eight-month ordeal in prison. Pope is visiting for a few days with his mother and his father, who is very ill with bone cancer. Pope plans to then return to his home in Pennsylvania, where he and his wife, Cheri, will spend the holidays with their sons. Edmond Pope also has a form of bone cancer. For his high school chums, Pope�s visit to Grants Pass brings back memories of their youth. A 1964 GPHS grad, Blanchard was a year ahead of Pope at the high school. Blanchard later attended the University of Oregon and served in the Army in Vietnam. Pope went to Oregon State University and retired from the Navy as captain. Monday found Pope�s buddies recalling those Friday nights in Grants Pass when they would pile into a car and "cruise the gut," stopping at the local drive-in for a burger and fries. It was a rite of passage for the local youth. The Cold War was far away. "We sure never talked about Russia," Blanchard said. "We mostly talked about women. "Ed had a �65 GTO," he added. "I remember it was black. It could have been dark blue." "Naw, it was dark lavender", added fellow �64 graduate Jerry Ballinger. "We would cruise around, play music," said Ballinger, who roomed for a year with Pope at OSU. Now a Grants Pass businessman, Ballinger and his wife, Patsy, drove Pope�s mother, who is 80, up to Portland Sunday night to meet Edmond Pope and his wife, who had flown into the Portland International Airport. The Ballingers and the Popes often got together during the summer to float the Rogue River and reminisce. "It�s great to see him in good spirits," Ballinger said. "He�s gone through quite a lot but he looks real good." He isn�t bitter, Ballinger observed. "He said when he was 10 minutes out of the country he put it all behind him," Ballinger said, noting that his longtime friend is just happy to be back home. Pope�s high school buddy and classmate Bud Moore, who lives in Cordova, Alaska, was also ecstatic that his friend is safely back home. "We�re all thrilled � it�s a Christmas present for all of us," Moore said. "We�re relieved this ordeal is over with. It turned out real good." As for Pope�s GTO, Moore figures it was a �64."It was a real screamer," he said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.