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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2015)
4 • The Southwest Portland Post FEATURES October 2015 Look forward to high-tech time travel at the VintageTEK museum By Jack Rubinger The Southwest Portland Post The VintageTEK museum, located at 4820A SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, Oscilloscopes, used to observe the change of an electrical signal over time, can be found at the VintageTEK museum. (Post photo by Jack Rubinger) employee, about a string of buildings he owns on Southwest Beaverton- Hillsdale Highway. “Ed put substance into the plan,” explained Griffiths. “We talked to Gary about renting the space and forming a 501(c) 3 organization. Oregon laws are friendly to 501(c) 3 organizations. While we pay a pittance on the rent, Gary gets a rebate on his property taxes.” The museum founder ’s goals are to share knowledge of history and resources to “pique the interest of young people in science and technology,” and to challenge them to become the technologists of the next millennium. Griffiths said he hopes to provide a scholarship based training program u s i n g Vi n t a g e T E K Stan Griffiths at VintageTEK museum on Beaverton- Museum volunteers, Hillsdale Highway. (Post photo by Jack Rubinger) facilities, and equipment machines? “The period of 1945-1985 to teach science and technology subjects encompassed some of the greatest to middle school students. years of technological advancement at Volunteer Bruce Baur said, “One Tektronix. These advancements lead of the best moments at the museum to many companies which spun off was when a gal brought in her two from Tektronix forming what we call homeschooled kids. We hooked a the Silicon Forest,” explained Griffiths. microphone up to an oscilloscope to “To honor and learn from that period, watch what happens when you make we have a group of regular volunteers a tone with your mouth. The kids who repair and refurbish instruments were blown away, which led to a great and bench test equipment, organize discussion about why a piano sounds our inventory, maintain [information like a piano and why a trumpet sounds technology] resources, and organize our like a trumpet.” library resources.” Why the devotion to a bunch of old In the early days, Tektronix was located on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and 7th Avenue. It was in the mid-1960s when expansion drove the company out to the Beaverton area near where Cedar Hills Boulevard and Walker Road intersect. Community of It was an era of analog oscilloscopes, Ss Brendan and cathode ray tubes, electron microscopes Brigid and television equipment for studios — all of which required extensive A congregation documentation, product catalogs in the Catholic and manuals. A real coup was the acquisition of the Tek photography Tradition department housing more than 13,000 negatives. Meeting at One of the quirkiest collections in the 2201 SW Vermont, Portland museum are the coffee cups. It’s fun to www.catholicswithadifference.com see the variety of colors and styles going back to the 1960s. Another unusual item is a framed photo of uncashed checks addressed to engineer John Kobbe who introduced a number of patents and was rewarded with checks for $1 and $5. While most visitors will enjoy the front of the museum, it’s in the cramped back that machines are organized and reconditioned on workbenches donated by Tektronix. There are thousands of tiny screws, nuts, bolts, plugs, switches and other components neatly stored. While the museum would not exist without Tektronix, the company today, now owned by Danaher, has no official role in the museum. “That’s by design,” explained Griffiths. “We didn’t want our museum www.oakandolivepdx.com to be located on Tek’s campus because 503-246-4098 we wanted security from today’s Tek managers and the independence to 8a—9p every day showcase what we want to showcase.” 6369 SW Capitol Highway, Portland 97239 F o r m o re i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t vintageTEK, contact Griffiths at w7ni@ comcast.net. is packed from floor to ceiling with Tektronix memorabilia, machines, and memories from the 1940s to the 1980s. Founded by Stan Griffiths, 76, and Ed Sinclair, 72, six years ago to preserve the roots of the Silicon Forest, the museum is staffed by former employees who lived, loved, and labored at Tektronix. Open only on Fridays and Saturdays, the oscilloscopes, cathode ray tubes, and high resolution graphic monitors have that Cold War/science fiction movie look, but most of them work just fine and the staff of volunteers are happy to turn them on and explain what they do. Education was a tradition at Tektronix. “Tek got a lot of other companies started and had a really good education system,” explained Griffiths. Like many museums, VintageTEK was first a collection of more than 1,000 instruments Stan Griffiths housed at his place in Aloha. His buddy, Ed Sinclair, came up with the idea of creating a museum. Together, they approached Gary H o s e l t o n , a n o t h e r f o r m e r Te k Catholic Means Everyone! Change Your Routine. Summer’s over! The seasons are changing. The leaves are turning... it’s time for a new routine. In the morning, come by for breakfast every day— and grab dinner on your way home (including a bottle of wine from our great retail selection).