PAGE A6, KEIZERTIMES, JUNE 14, 2019
Opinion
A leader from start to fi nish
Another tree in the forest of Keiz-
er leaders has fallen—Dennis Koho
passed away this week. The former
mayor and city councilor was still
active until the day he
died; he was preparing
for a small role in a the-
atrical production this
summer.
Like most good
leaders, Koho had
many fans and support-
ers. The moment his
passing was announced,
the acknowledgements
fi lled social media quickly.
The words used repeatedly in re-
membrances were funny, compas-
sionate, patient and inclusive. Yes, all
that is true. He was also a good friend
to many, including myself. Time with
Dennis was always time well spent,
one could always count on a story or
a joke from him. He enjoyed a good
prank as well as anybody.
His compassion for his communi-
ty and his fellow man were evident.
He earned his law degree from Wil-
lamette University while in his early
50s and used it to great effect. Dennis
was a good lawyer but not much of a
businessman. The pro bono work he
provided helped local organizations
achieve their goals. Of course, there
was much legal work he was paid for,
including acting as legal counsel for
some small towns in the region.
Leadership was second
nature to Dennis Koho.
He ran for a seat on the
Keizer City Council in
1990—unopposed.
Be-
ing a man who wanted
things to happen, he ran
for mayor halfway into his
four-year council term.
He narrowly won in the
a three-man race in 1992,
becoming Keizer’s third mayor. He
was re-elected twice before stepping
away in 1998.
Concentrating on his law career
in his post-mayoral years, Koho was
active in local organizations, includ-
ing the Rotary Club of Keizer and
the Keizer Chamber of Commerce.
He was elected Chamber president
in 2009.
The political itch was still strong
when the former mayor decided to
run for an open seat on the Keizer
City Council in 2012. For reasons
of health, he stepped down in 2016,
just months before his seat was up for
election. But he got the most out of
this second stint on the council: he
zaitz
writes
was voted president of the body mid-
way through his term.
Health scares left Koho hosptial-
ized for weeks. He himself said that
when he was in a coma, his late
brother appeared to him and said it
wasn’t his time to go. Koho rallied
and went home. But he wasn’t done
living, not by a long shot.
He ‘found’ a new career when
he decided to audition for Keiz-
er Homegrown Theatre, a group he
helped obtain their non-profi t status.
With cane and oxygen in hand, Koho
gave 100 percent in his role, just like
everything else in his life. At his pass-
ing, he was preparing for a small role
in this summer’s Shakespeare in the
Park.
Dennis Koho was a leader, but fi rst
he was a man, who loved his wife,
Lori—many times the butt of his
pranks, his family and his communi-
ty. Though his roots began elsewhere,
Keizer was home to Dennis and the
city received the benefi t of his expe-
rience, knowledge and passion.
There will be a big hole where
Koho was. He will be missed by many.
At press time, service arrange-
ments were pending.
(Lyndon Zaitz is publisher and ed-
itor of the Keizertimes.)
Help for the homeless
Kudos to the Keizertimes for the
piece on homelessness. Although the
numbers of these Americans wax and
wane through the months of the year,
colder climates like those of New En-
gland, with undesirable outside-living
conditions, are set in juxtaposition
with states like California, where the
climate for most of the
state is outside-worthy all
the time, it, like western
Oregon, having greatly in-
creased in homeless num-
bers in recent years.
Fact is, we Americans
have a problem that’s not
accurately reported or not
reported at all in some
states and the nation as a
whole where guesses come in at total
counts from one to two million. But
we know from the way our econo-
my moves around from good times
to recession, what economists are
now forecasting in the near future,
we should plan for what likely will be
more homeless persons.
A few years ago, while a graduate
student at the University of Oregon,
I chose to do my doctoral work with
Professor Art Pearl as my advisor. Be-
fore coming to UO, Dr. Pearl had
been active at working to correct
social injustices by teaching in Cali-
fornia prisons and been the director
of New York City’s
Department of Youth.
He had also been an
instructor at other col-
leges and universities,
wrote his New Careers
for the Poor, and been
the principal speaker at
a White House confer-
ence on Teaching the
Disadvantaged
from
which federal budgetary advantages
followed.
One program site was in Taco-
ma-Olympia, Wash. My involvement
came near its outset when the pro-
gram had vetted and appointed about
three dozen participants who came
in with the intent and dedication to
gene h.
mcintyre
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improve their lives from having been
poor, unemployed and lacking sale-
able skills. The racial mix was an even
number of Caucasians, blacks and
Hispanics. They were placed in state
agencies, like Corrections, Employ-
ment and Welfare, where they worked
at learning agency policies and proce-
dures three days a week and attended
Tacoma Community College for rele-
vant classes the other two days.
Of course, participants had prob-
lems, the fi rst and foremost was not
owning a car or access to transpor-
tation of any kind. Then there were
the inevitable baby-sitting issues,
marital problems, sickness, old habits,
recidivistic alcohol and drug prob-
lems, chronic homelessness, persistent
negative infl uences by “friends,” and
a multitude of other hinderances to
progress with which to grapple. Nev-
ertheless, by the Pearl design, success
stories became commonplace.
Six of us formed a work unit to
bring these people along. A lot of my
doctoral studies were focused on cur-
ricular design and teaching methods;
hence, I spent time devoted to making
what happened to the participants at
work by being embellished through
their studies at Tacoma Community
College. I had completed a Master’s
degree in U.S. History at UO plus my
baccalaureate studies at Pacifi c Uni-
versity in preparation for teaching cer-
tifi cation so my academic background
fi t that part to provide the participants
applicable general education classes
and specifi c skills-set foundations.
Although the experience seemed
at times equal parts heartbreak and
breakthrough, the overall success rate
was high while the effort proved over
time to bring success to lives that had
not enjoyed much of it to that point.
A phenomenon in growth, we’re en-
couraged now to fi nd ways for the
homeless to work and establish live-
lihoods. One way of proven success
is in the public sector, state, county
and city agencies, along with public
schools, that could use more trained
Americans to help other Americans.
The Pearl model could serve to bring
success while it’s up to us to infl uence
our leaders to make it happen.
(Gene H. McIntyre shares his opin-
ion regularly in the Keizertimes.)
JUMPSTART: ‘We have been
very intentional with our hiring’
(Continued from Page A1)
about every phase of your experience while you are here,” Graf said
So what's the plan for getting people back to Volcanoes Stadium?
For anyone attending a game this summer, Graf promises three things:
• A smile at every turn.
• Concession lines that move at lighting speed.
• When people leave the stadium, they will want to come back.
“People come to a game to be entertained. You have the baseball fans
that are going to come no matter what,” Graf said. “But this year, we're
trying to attract a family. A family of four that wants to be entertained for
three or four hours that might not be the biggest fans of baseball.”
For Graf, everything starts with customer service, which is why he
came in and wanted a total overhaul of last year's game day staff.
“We have been very intentional with our hiring this season. Each
employee has been selected because of their strong history of having a
serving heart and the intangible talent of making people smile,” Graf said
“You just need to take care of your customers. How hard is that?”
Volcanoes Stadium will feature seven new food vendors throughout
the concourse. Graf provides the space for free, but vendors will supply
their own staff and pay a commission that goes to the Volcanoes.
What will be much different, however, is the strategy when it comes
to concessions.
For example, the El Patron Mexican Grill food cart sold a litany of
different items at their stand last year. But this season, there will be only
three items available (tacos, burritos and taco salads) and they will be
handed to you immediately after you order.
The motivation behind this strategy is to get the customer great food
as quickly as possible so they can get back to watching the game.
“It excites me that the fan experience is going to be exponentially
better than it has been in recent memory,”
Graf said. “It's all about the fan. We got to
take care of that fan.”
“Fans are going to be absolutely blown
away by, not just the quality, but the speed,
the professionalism and the smiles that they
get no matter what line they are standing
in.”
Graf will also have what he calls
“hawkers” throughout the stadium that
will provide things like beer, hot dogs and
snack food.
While this strategy is still in its
experimental stages, Graf has already seen
early success.
At the OSAA State Baseball
Championships — which were held at
Volcanoes Stadium on May 31 and June 1
— Graf said that the Volcanoes were able
— Mitche Graf to do their highest concession numbers
Volcanoes president
ever in the 21 years of being the state
championship host.
Even though the most noticeable
changes will start with concessions, Graf
has brought in several other additions that
will enhance the fan experience.
Before this season, the Volcanoes hadn't made any changes to their
sound system since '97. But Graf decided to have 24 Major League-
quality speakers installed in the stadium to bring more energy to the
crowd. He also had the old sound system rearranged to face the parking
lot so that fans will start to feel the excitement as they arrive to the gate.
“There's not a hotspot or dead zone throughout the entire place.”
Sound is part of that fan experience,” Graf said.
Even the Volcanoes mascot, Crater, will receive upgrades to his suit to
make him more agile. Roofman, who is also a fi xture at Volcanoes games,
will be upgraded as well.
“My whole life, I've done things a little bit differently. People call me
a status quo disrupter,” Graf said.
Graf becoming the president of business operations for a professional
baseball team is defi nitely different, especially considering that he has
never worked in baseball before. But with his successful career as an
entrepreneur and business author, the Walker family had no reservations
about bringing Graf on staff and giving him the reigns to execute his
vision.
“I wasn’t looking for a job. I was perfectly happy with the lifestyle I
had … But the opportunity to run a professional sports franchise was
too big of a challenge for me to pass up,” Graf said. “I’ve always attacked
challenges head on, and this is my chance to really make a difference in
something much bigger than myself. I want to make the Volcanoes the
absolute best they can be, and hopefully we have assembled the magic
formula heading into this season.”
Fans will have a chance to see what's new this weekend as the Volcanoes
host their fi rst series of the season against the Boise Hawks. Opening
night is Friday, June 14, at 6:35 p.m. and will have a fi reworks show at
the conclusion of the game. The Volcanoes will also play on Saturday at
6:35 p.m. and Sunday at 5:05 p.m.
“My job, above all other things that I am trying to accomplish is to
change the mindset of the community. This is still professional baseball,
we're lucky to have it right here in Keizer,” Graf said. “I really believe that
if we bring the energy back and the fan experience back, the stands will
fi ll up, the energy will be there, and before you know, we're going to start
playing better and winning more games.”
“We're actually doing stuff, we're not just talking about it. If we can
nail opening weekend, it'll catch fi re and the stands will start fi lling up
like crazy and we'll go back to the olden days.”
“It excites me
that the fan
experience is
going to be
exponentially
better than
it has been
in recent
memory”
KOHO,
continued from Page A1
the Rotary Club of Keizer, a past
president of the Keizer Chamber
of Commerce. He was honored by
the Keizer Chamber of Commerce
with the President’s Award in 1998,
an award he bestowed on Chet
Patterson in 2009 as president of the
group himself.
As an attorney, with a degree
from Willamette University, he often
worked pro bono for local Keizer
organizations that benefi ted from his
knowledge.
Even
when
he
wasn’t
spearheading the charge, Koho
found ways to foster conversations
in the community. He was one of
the founders of a Facebook group
dedicated to Keizer issues that
continues to see a lot of activity.
He enlisted Carol Phillips
Zielinski to take over some the
administrative duties on the group
when he stepped away.
“I fi rst met Dennis when I was
a Keizer Rotarian in the very early
2000s. While his classifi cation badge
stated attorney, he struck me as the
embodiment of the Rotary motto
of Service Above Self. At that time I
was new to the community and
it seemed like he had been active
forever,” Zielinski said. “I appreciated
“He never
met a
meeting he
didn’t move
to adjourn.”
— Lyndon Zaitz
Longtime friend
his trust in me that I would carry on
his creation (the Facebook group)
as he hoped. I can only assume he
trusted me to carry the Rotary
principles with me as an admin on
the site.”
Keizertimes Publisher Lyndon
Zaitz said his friendship with Koho
spanned more than two decades and
many good times.
“I enjoyed his company on our
various outings, but it was his sense
of humor that I will remember the
most. That and the fact that he never
met a meeting he didn’t move to
adjourn. He was no fan of meetings
but he was a fan of getting things
done,” Zaitz said. “Regardless of any
obstacles, Dennis always faced life
with a positive, smiling attitude. He
never gave up in politics, work or
life. Just when you thought he was
done, he’d bounce back.”