OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JULY 24, 2017
Founded in 1873
DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
JEREMY FELDMAN, Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
Searching for clues to
the death of a bandleader
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Participants in the ‘Shop the Dock’ event in Warrenton this mon-
thon Friday tour the Skipanon Brand Seafood processing facility
after a visit to the local marina. The event was held to inform the
public about how to purchase local seafood from local merchants.
Warrenton makes
savvy investment in
marina upgrades
W
arrenton’s and Hammond’s marinas are endlessly fas-
cinating small-town spectacles — portholes opening
into an intriguing culture of commercial and recre-
ational fishing. There can be few better ways to spend a morning
than admiring the pragmatic but elegant lines of vessels, talking
with fishermen, listening to seabirds, breathing the crisp marine
air and fantasizing about sailing over the horizon in pursuit of
adventure.
A century ago, hope was lavished on the idea that a full-
scale international metropolis might be coaxed into existence
on Clatsop County’s northwestern tip. So far at least, this vision
hasn’t materialized. But with a newly renovated dock and related
facilities within easy reach of Pacific and Columbia crabbing
grounds, Warrenton has a legitimate claim on becoming the cap-
ital of fresh, gourmet-quality seafood. This prospect was greatly
strengthened by the city’s Urban Renewal Agency’s $2.1 million
investment in its main marina.
Pacific Coast Seafood’s reconstruction of its processing plant,
along with ongoing operations other seafood and maritime busi-
nesses, is a validation of Warrenton’s expenditure. So too are
new “Shop the Dock” tours of the marina and the Skipanon
Brand Seafood facility. For the sake of future tours and the ongo-
ing waterfront economy, Amanda Gladics of Oregon Sea Grant
is planning to connect with fishermen who want to take part in
Oregon’s recent rule revisions allowing fish sales directly from
local vessels.
All this adds up to a river town maturing and learning how
best to capitalize on some of its best and most unique assets. It’s
also a significant validation of Warrenton’s model of operating
port facilities under the umbrella of municipal government. The
combined Warrenton-Hammond municipality is doing a good
job of melding town and waterfront in ways that can be benefi-
cial to all.
There can be risks to this. The sinking of the abandoned fish-
ing boat Western Skies, with associated diesel cleanup costs
and the potential of much more expense to dispose of wood that
may be saturated with hazardous materials, could amount to a
substantial bill. There may be another nine boats with similar
risks in the marina, taken in before the harbor imposed stricter
proof-of-ownership and insurance requirements for moored ves-
sels. As Warrenton apparently understands, marinas are a com-
plex blend of business and government agency: It’s vital to have
knowledgeable experts minding the helm.
Warrenton is increasingly well positioned to benefit as north-
west Oregon’s population grows. With its marina investments, it
is poised for continuing prosperity, with a reputation as a sophis-
ticated place to live, visit and enjoy a premium natural lifestyle
and menu.
While rapid commercial development along U.S. Highway
101 has turned Warrenton into the region’s big-box consum-
er-shopping hub, stewardship of its marinas and miles of sea-
shore and riverbank could ultimately be even more crucial to its
long-term success.
The “Shop the Dock” tours sound like lots of fun — a chance
to learn to ways to incorporate fresh, healthy, locally landed fish
in our diets.
The next 90-minute tours are Sept. 15, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Reserve a spot at least three days in advance by calling Oregon
Sea Grant at 503-325-8573. The tours meet in the Warrenton
Marina at 550 N.E. Harbor Place. Organizers recommend attend-
ees wear comfortable walking shoes and arrive 15 minutes early.
Space is limited.
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
eet Ron Herd, a Memphis,
Tennessee, native and
founder of the Jimmie
Lunceford Jamboree Festival in
2007. Herd, 37, of course never
knew Lunceford — along with
Count Basie and Duke Ellington,
among the most renowned and
best-selling jazz musicians of the
1930s and ’40s.
But as a student
at Washington
University in St.
Louis, Herd was
turned on to jazz
and jazz history.
After reading
a journalist’s account of the music
scene known as the “Chitlin’
Circuit” in 2007, Herd wondered
why Lunceford wasn’t better
remembered. “I thought something
should be done about honoring this
guy.”
He did just that. Herd founded
the “Official Jimmie Lunceford
Jamboree” website with salutes to
Lunceford, memorials and events,
including a June jam session and
wreath-laying, this year in honor of
what would have been Lunceford’s
115th birthday.
Herd plans on using the infor-
mation and footage gathered for a
feature-length documentary about
Lunceford, which will be available
in 2018. The Jimmie Lunceford
Jamboree Festival returns in
October.
M
Lunceford’s legacy
As an athletics instructor at
Manassas High School in Mem-
phis, Lunceford organized a stu-
dent band, the Chickasaw Synco-
pators, whose name was changed
to the Jimmie Lunceford Orches-
tra. Under the new name, the band
started its professional career in
1929, and made its first recordings
in 1930.
Manassas was the first black
public high school in Shelby
County, and Lunceford was the first
public high school band director in
Memphis, Herd said.
In 1934, Lunceford and his
orchestra took over the prestigious
role as the house band at the Cotton
Club in New York City’s Harlem,
following in the footsteps of Duke
Ellington and Cab Calloway. While
Lunceford was the most popu-
lar bandleader among black audi-
ences — selling more records than
Ellington and Count Basie — his
hits like “Margie,” “Rhythm is Our
Business” and “My Blue Heaven”
crossed all racial barriers.
A commitment to education
continued even as his popularity
grew.
“No matter how big he got he
was always starting education pro-
grams,” Herd said. “Wherever he
went, he used to come back from
Memphis, he always gave free con-
certs to Manassas High School stu-
dents and gave lessons to young
musicians who wanted to learn
more about their instruments.”
Under the baton of Lunceford
protegé Emerson Able Jr., Manas-
sas High School trained countless
musicians, including Motown star
Isaac Hayes.
Death in Seaside
Lunceford’s death at age 45 was
a shock to bandmates and friends.
Lunceford collapsed while signing
records for fans at Seaside Radio
Rebecca Herren/The Daily Astorian
Ron Herd pays a visit to the Signal offices.
and Record Shop on Broadway.
Lunceford, a teetotaler, was “a
perfectly healthy man who had
boxed, run track and played soft-
ball,” according to trumpeter Joe
Wilder in a 2012 biography of
Lunceford. “It was one of the sad-
dest days of my life.”
In “Rhythm is My Business,”
author Eddie Determeyer posits
that Lunceford may have been poi-
soned by tainted meat deliberately
served by a racist restaurant owner
in Seaside.
The Clatsop County Coroner
declared Lunceford died of “coro-
nary occlusion, due to thrombosis
of anterior coronary artery due to
arteriosclerosis” — in other words,
a heart attack caused by a blockage.
Jazz historian Lewis Porter sug-
gests that Wilder — a member of
the Lunceford band — remem-
bers the racist restaurant owner
as having been in Portland, not in
Seaside.
“Further, Wilder was present
when Lunceford collapsed and he
remembers nothing about bad food
beforehand,” Porter said.
Botulism is not a poison and
cannot be “manufactured” or
“planted,” Porter said. “It’s sim-
ply a severe form of food poisoning
that can occur in, for example, rot-
ten meat. But he (Lunceford) died
from a heart attack — nothing to
do with the food! He’s not the first
guy to die suddenly at a relatively
young age from unsuspected heart
trouble, especially in those days.”
On the other hand, Porter said,
Wilder, who had a very sharp mem-
ory, confirmed that the Seaside
venue tried to exclude blacks from
that evening’s concert.
Determeyer, contacted in 2015
at his home in Holland, acknowl-
edged there was little hard evidence
of poisoning.
“Let’s hope there will be an
aftermath, and hopefully some new
clues,” Determeyer said.
Seaside connection
Herd was in Seaside this month
to expand his research, replete with
visits to the Seaside Signal, the
Seaside Museum and Historical
Society and interviews with jazz
fans and folks who remember the
days when the city was a hub of big
bands and jazz music.
“Engaging strangers on the 70th
anniversary of his tragic death at the
key spots that played a pivotal role
in his last moments was emotionally
and spiritually moving,” Herd said.
During his visit, Herd revisited
the sites of the landmarks of the
past: 10 Downing Street, the restau-
rant Lunceford ate; the Bungalow,
the venue where Lunceford’s band
played on, even after their lead-
er’s death; and Seaside Radio and
Record Shop.
Herd met with Tita Montero and
other representatives of the Seaside
Museum and Historical Society, and
talked with Gloria Linkey, author of
“A Town Called Seaside.”
“I could tell in her voice that
she had a lot of respect and admi-
ration for Jimmie Lunceford and
his music,” Herd said of Linkey.
“I always appreciate when I meet
someone who is really a fan of Jim-
mie Lunceford because they can
never hide their enthusiasm for this
particular unsung music genius. It
was very insightful, entertaining and
helpful. All were very grateful for
the food for thought I provided.”
He met jazz lovers from near and
far, including fans from Kazakh-
stan and a bar owner who “pho-
to-bombed” the presentation.
Herd played his trumpet near
the site of Lunceford’s death, and
filmed a short commentary about
the significance on “why people
should never forget the man or his
music.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed Seaside in
particular and Oregon in general,”
Herd wrote upon his return to Mem-
phis. “I really did not know what to
expect. Being a black man from the
American South I am no stranger to
racism, both covert and overt.
“The Pacific Northwest has a
reputation for being a home and
breeding ground for white suprem-
acists,” he continued. “Oregon’s
actual history as a Jim Crow state
did not help either. Given that per-
ception, I could easily see a scenario
where Jimmie Lunceford might
have been killed by a devout white
supremacist in Seaside due to the
fact he was a proud and confident
black man who did not settle for
second-class treatment by anyone,
regardless of color.”
Seventy years after his death,
Lunceford’s death in Seaside
remains clouded.
“To paraphrase William Faulk-
ner, “The past is never past,” Herd
wrote.
R.J. Marx is The Daily Astori-
an’s South County reporter and edi-
tor of the Seaside Signal and Cannon
Beach Gazette.