CULTURE
pril showers bring May. .. desserts?
T hat’s right. O n May 21, the Bill and
Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund
will celebrate the 10th anniversary of
A Class Act, its music and dessert fund-raiser
extravaganza.
The fund, administered by Equity Founda
tion, offers scholarships to third- and fourth-
year law students dedicated to fighting bigotry
and discrimination. Bill and Ann Shepherd
were known for many years as the “mom and
dad” of Oregon’s sexual minorities. Bill Shep
herd, a civil rights attorney who died in 1995,
exemplified the kind of scrupled lawyer the
scholarship fund hopes to engender.
“Practicing law was his passion,” says his
lesbian daughter, Susie Shepherd, who herself
is a legal assistant.
Bill and Ann Shepherd co-founded the
Portland chapter of Parents, Families and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays in 1977. The
couple’s kitchen table became the site of innu
merable meetings with members of the sexual
minorities community who the Shepherds
treated as their own children.
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Marilyn De Vault owns Piece of Cake bakery
Sweets for the sweet
Event benefits law students
who vow to fight discrimination
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In addition to their passion for justice and
equality, the Shepherds were devoted fans of
the symphony. Susie, one of five daughters,
remembers falling asleep to the sound of classi
cal music each night in her youth. She says her
mother also loved daffodils and decadent
desserts.
T hus...the inspiration. Held at The Old
Church, this year’s benefit performance features
celebrated Northwest musicians Michael Allen
Harrison and Julianne Johnson. Nosh for the
dessert reception is provided by Holiday
Essence Quality Cake Shop, Joseph’s Dessert
Company and Piece of Cake.
Queer folklore has it that the desserts at
A Class A ct are the best in town. Susie con
firms that “there are people who come only for
the desserts.”
Not that she’s condoning such philistine
motives. “Let your soul be swept away by the
music first, then your body can catch up at the
reception,” she advises.
oseph Vasquez, the gay owner of Joseph’s
Dessert Company, has been donating to
the event for more than five years. He’s
been told that people go “gaga” over his petits
fours. This year’s two-bite morsels include rasp
berry decadence, orange almond cake, lemon
curd tarts, caramel walnut, mocha cups and
chocolate cherry cups.
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eg
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Also on the menu for the evening will he
custard-filled and choco
late-covered baby eclairs
from gay-owned Holiday
Essence. Like the oth
ers, owner Brad Smith
says Susie is the reason
behind his support of
A Class Act.
“She is a wonderful
person,” says Smith.
.
“She’s always going
■ \ out of her way for
other people.”
/
Susie is commit
tee chairwoman of the
scholarship fund and pro
ducer of the benefit. She says her
parents taught her volumes about civic service
and compassion.
“They taught us it was important to give
back to God the gifts he has given us,” she
shares. “They encouraged us to leave the world
a little better when we leave.”
As the scholarship fund turns 10 years old,
Susie is preparing to pass on resources to young
people who did not have the opportunity to
meet her parents. She will act as the conduit
for her parents’ ideals.
“If I can continue on the legacy they left
me,” she says, “it will be the greatest privilege
of my life.” JH
V
aly
Don't be late for the coveted annual dessert
reception .following the music of A Class Act
“I’m glad we’re a part of it,” says Vasquez.
“Susie is a great lady, and her mother was a
wonderful person.”
Marilyn DeVault, owner of Piece of Cake,
says that Susie and her mother were customers
for years and that Susie continues to be a
patron and friend. De Vault says Ann, who died
in 2003, “had energy like you never met.”
De Vault is donating all manner of dessert bars
for the event. Not for the fainthearted, her fudge
like chocolate brownie is as sweet as they come. %
Though her Class Act contributions will be
of the old-fashioned nondiet variety, De Vault has
made a name for herself as one of the few cake
shops in the nation to make vegan, wheat-free
vegan and gluten-ffee cakes. De Vault says she
has fun creating cakes for people’s special needs.
A C lass A c t starts 8 p.m . May 21 at The Old
Church, 1422 S.W. 11th Ave. Tickets are $25 from
Balloons on Broadway or Gay-Pied. Bill and Ann
Shepherd Legal Scholarship applications for 2004 are
available online at www.equityfoundadon.org. The
deadline is June 30.
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