No romance novel could do justice to the charm and sweet storyline of the courtship of this lovely, local couple.

A handsome, hometown hero meets a beautiful girl, wins her heart, marries her, and moves her to Malin, Oregon.

Did the story mention the girl was Miss America 2002?

Tim — A Klamath Kingsley Kid

This abbreviated synopsis foretells the love story of Tim Ebner and Katie Harman Ebner on many levels: a shared love for one another, their family, for community, and for country.

Tim Ebner attended Klamath Union High School — growing up around Kingsley Field, the pilots, and the planes since he was small. His dad was one of Kingsley's very first hires and spent 45 years as a Chief in different divisions serving the base.

Tim thanks his parents for the inspiration to become an F-15 pilot.

"My parents, Charles and Kathy Ebner, had the biggest influence on my decision to become a pilot. I was pre-med in college but always had a dream of flying in the military because of my father's military service and watching the fighters fly every day in Klamath. My mother told me in my senior year of college that I had to go after my dream — and the rest was history." — Tim

A True Oregon Education and Career

Tim stayed loyal to complete a true Oregon education — attending Eastern Oregon University and Southern Oregon University — while serving as a medic in the Air National Guard and continuing his pilot training.

Tim became a fighter pilot flying F-15s. He was deployed to Poland before returning stateside to serve in training on alert missions.

Katie Harman — Miss America 2002

Across the country, a talented student and singer extraordinaire, Katie Harman of Portland, Oregon, had earned the coveted crown and title of Miss America — winning the 2002 pageant just months after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Katie's year of service as Miss America during that uniquely difficult moment in American history put her in front of audiences across the country — military families, first-responder gatherings, USO tours, schools, civic groups, and the countless community events that Miss America's year of service entails.

A Love Story That Crossed Geography

How did a Klamath Union F-15 pilot end up married to Miss America 2002?

Through the kind of relational thread that only military life and shared values can weave — phone calls, mutual friends, the patience to date long-distance during deployments and demanding professional schedules.

Tim and Katie married, and Katie made a remarkable choice — she moved to Malin, Oregon, leaving behind her metropolitan Portland connections to settle into rural Klamath County life.

A Decade in Malin

Despite possessing few skill sets in farming and animal care, their life settled into an idyllic cadence in this cherished and charming new home.

The Malin neighbors and community reached out to the Ebners — and the Ebners were an involved, integral, and valued part of country life for ten years there:

  • Active in the Merrill Presbyterian Church
  • Katie lovingly directed the music program at Malin Elementary School
  • Tim served as a volunteer firefighter and president of the Merrill Fire Department

Life was fulfilling and fun raising their young family — Tyler and Victoria — in rustic, rural Oregon.

"The kids would feed the goats, collect the eggs, and they loved running around outside in the fresh air. Living in Malin was an enriching time for our kids — it was essential in their connecting to the land, and appreciating how blessed we are to live here." — Tim

The Ebners loved the land, the people, and the pace of life in Malin.

A Move to "the City"

Yet, as the kids grew older, their activities, lessons, civic commitments, and work routinely were drawing the family into Klamath Falls.

A move to "the city" seemed imminent. Katie had opened Härman(e) Vocal Studio for private vocal instruction, and the pace of life for all the Ebners — whose children were now tweens — was increasing exponentially.

"Beautiful Humans"

"Beautiful humans" is how Katie refers to their children.

Tyler — eldest — is a senior at Crosspoint Christian School where he uses his musical genetic gifts in both band and choir — and to play in Klamath Union's Jazz Band.

Tyler won the Homecoming King crown, is active in student government and Key Club President. Even with all these extracurricular commitments, he prioritizes his time to be a stellar employee at Bullet Rentals & Sales.

Victoria — Tyler's younger sister — brings her own combination of academic, artistic, and athletic talents to the family.

Tim's Continued Service

Tim continues to serve as an F-15 pilot at Kingsley Field — one of the elite group of pilots maintaining the basin's role in American air defense.

For Klamath Falls — a town where Kingsley Field is woven into the daily life of the community — having a hometown kid grow up to be one of the base's pilots is a story worth celebrating.

Katie's Next Chapter — The Virtuosa Society

Katie's post-Miss America career has continued to evolve — including the founding of The Virtuosa Society — a creative collaboration for female artists headquartered in the old Pelican Hotel in downtown Klamath Falls (covered in this issue's Charity Spotlight).

That move — from Miss America stage to Malin music teacher to founder of a community arts organization — is exactly the kind of unexpected creative-life trajectory that makes Katie's Klamath chapter so interesting.

Faith, Family, Country

The Ebner family lives at the intersection of three commitments that thread through every story they tell:

  • Faith — Merrill Presbyterian, Klamath Falls church community, raising kids with God at the center
  • Family — each other, the kids, the extended Ebner family rooted in Klamath
  • Country — Tim's military service, Katie's year of service to America, the kind of civic-life involvement that comes from people who believe America is worth their best work

Thank You

To Tim and Katie Ebner, Tyler and Victoria, and the whole Ebner family — thank you for choosing Klamath Falls, for the service you've given to country and community, and for the beautiful family you're raising in this basin.

You make all of us proud to call Klamath home.