Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 24, 1989)
Feature THE CLACKAMAS PRINT May 24,1989 Page 6 Marx uses talent for art of creating gardens by Staci Beard Staff Writer Putting together a garden may be just a lot of hard work to some people, but to one person on cam pus it is like putting together a piece of art Richard Marx has been involved for two years in developing the Pauling Center courtyard garden. Marx has been interested in gardening since high school par tially due to his parents’ attitude toward nature. “I used to have a rock garden. I would experiment on my own and see how different plants would grow. “I learned from my parents to appreciate nature. My father did a lot of domestic gardening. Plus I think I have a naturalistic instinct,” commented Marx. Marx developed a special in terest in the botany classes he took from Bob Misely, so he began to work on the garden. He wants to improve it but doesn’t want to change it “The garden had some plants native to Oregon and some na tive ground cover but it needed more. So I worked to develop the different sections-areas that are like southwest Oregon and an other part that resembles the Willamette Valley,” explained Marx. Spending all this time on the Pauling Center’s garden has not left Marx with a lot of free time to spend on his own garden. “I am so involved here that I really don’t have the time needed to have my own garden at home, but I hope to start another rock garden in the near future,” ex plained Marx. Art also holds a special in terest for Marx and he has found that it works well with garden ing. “I like to combine the two. What I learn in art class I can apply to the garden,” stated Marx Marx feels that Clackamas is a really good place to learn and teach others about the environ ment “I am especially interested in nature and the environment It is just an excellent place to teach. I enjoy looking at the Environmental Learning Center-it is a good place to go over and sketch,” declared Marx. Besides the individual art and botany classes, Marx is taking a class through Northwest Art Museum in botanic sketching. It gives him a chance to explore nature more. Although not sure where he is going to take his skills in art and gardening, Marx would like to have the two combined in a career. “I may go into landscape archi tecture, or maybe do some teach ing. Right now I am a teaching assistant for Misely. But as of now I am just not sure exactly where I want to go,” expressed Marx. photo by Jillian Porter Richard Marx would like to combine his two main Interests, art and gardening, when he goes Into a career. Maughmer enjoys putting percussion skills to work photo by Tars Powers In addition to being a student here at Clackamas, Ben Maughmer also shares his skills with others as a teacher. He has taught at Marshall and Grant High Schools and Is currently an Instructor at Centennial High School. By Tim Jones Staff Writer He practices hard everyday, playing with precision and a sense of rhythm. Ben Maughmer is not an athlete, he is a music major who plays several percussion in struments: drums, tympany, and vibes. Maughmer began playing drums in high school. “I was just starting high school at Jefferson and all my best friends played drums. We couldn’t drive so we just sat around all day and practiced playing drums.” Maughmer picked up on what it took to become a good drum mer. He practiced many hours a day and pointed out that he prac ticed playing slowas well as fast in order to improve. “At Jefferson, music is taken very seriously by students,” said Maughmer. He played in Jeffer son’s Drum and Bugle Corps, say ing that it was a way of life for him summer program for school age children \; Where: Camp Fire community Child Cara Center on the Clackamas Community College campus, 19600 S. Molalla Avenue, Oregon City rhea: June 14 - September 1 7 a.a. - 6 p.m. who: Boys and girls ages 6-10 Crafts, hikes, songs, skits, outdoor adventures, field trips and special events. CALL MARY AT 657-6683 while going to high school. One of Maughmer’s teachers at Jefferson High School was David Bryan, who attended Clackamas Community College. Bryan is now the jazz band director at Jefferson and was featured on trombone on an album that Clackamas’'Music Department made a few years back Being involved in the drum and bugle corps in high school has given Maughmer the opportunity to teach others his skills as a drum mer. He has taught specialized classes for drummers and started a group called the Marching Drum Corps. He recruited other students to join the group. They started playing at school football and basketball games and around the community. The group did a spe cial event for a Nike fashion show and sported a new pair of Nike shoes for their performance. Maughmer likes teaching others. At the age of nineteen his list of positions held in instruct ing others is impressive. He has taught a clinic at Marshall High School, and has been a percussion instructor at Grant High School. Right now he is currently a per cussion instructor at Centennial High School with twenty five stu dents in an orchestral and march ing ensemble. “I like teaching because you’re learning how to communicate and learn with the students,” said Maughmer. After playing at Clackamas Community College with Jeffer son’s Jazz Band he was offered a full tuition waiver by the music department at the college. “I have enjoyed learning (here at Clacka mas) and I have gained a broader view on life,” said Maughmer about the college. He plans on transfer ring to the University, of Texas to continue his education. - ' ’ “It has one of the best, if not the best, percussion departments in the nation,” said Maughmer. A stateof the art music department, along with a very competitive environment, attracted Maughmer to the school. Traveling with the Drum Corps Maughmer has seen New York, Dallas and many other of our nation’s cities. “It seems like I have been to most of the fifty states,” said Maughmer. In his spare time Maughmer said he liked to shoot hoops and play with computers, but drum ming was first on his list of things he liked to do. His advice to music students is that they should be able to play a piece slow as well as fast, and that they should be accurate along with having style,. “Students should practice in a constructive manner...playing any instrument takes time and you have to practice the right things to improve,” said Maughmer. He has studied with Mel Brown, who plays on Donna Summers albums and lives herein Portland. Brown is one of the original MoTown recording art ists and has a long list of accom plishments in the music profes sion. “He taught me so much that I couldn’t practice everything he showed me before the next les son.” Maughmer credited Mel Brown and his friend Jeffery Pay ton as his greatest influences. Ben Maughmer has taken his musical career as a challenge to educate himself and others in music. Being a musician, teacher and student has brightened his future and the possibilities of success in the future are opened wide for him.