Portland observer., May 20, 1976, Page 7, Image 7

Portland Observer
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DON CUNNINGHAM AND COMPANY -
FEATURING ALICIA RODRIQUEZ •••
Dun Cunningham, as of yet. ia not nationally known to the average listener of
musir. Hut when viewing hia polished performance, somehow you just know its
inevitable that his star will get bigger and brighter as time goes on. Cunningham
is the type of entertainer that entertainer's envy because of his natural talent and
ability. Being that he worked with Johnny Mathis during his lean years, it's quite
understandable that he has a hint of the Mathis flavor in his singing.
Cunningham has been in musir since he was a kid in St. le w is , and continued in
lx»s Angeles where he learned to play the vibes, steel drums, saxophone, drums,
rnngos and a few other instruments that he plays during his performance. Being a
perfectionist, Cunningham demands equally as much from his Company, and th<
lovely Alicia Kodriquex, as he would of himself.
And as witnessed the other night, they definately deliver!
The Company
consisting of: Fred Mooney on bass guitar; G ilbert Rodriquez on guitar; dyno-mite
drummer Bobby White; and pianist Rick Bulden worked together like a well oiled
machine. Their individual performances were most impressive. Alicia Rodriquez, a
graduate of musir, sings with emotion, clarity and a lot of style. After the show I
had asked her if she would be offended if I told her she sounded a bit like Ella
Fitzgerald. She said no, “As a matter of fact, Ella is my favorite singer." She got
into “Good Morning Heart Ache" and I thought I might have to carry George
Hankins out of the club. Her phrasing and timing is impeccable. She and Don got
together on "Where Is A lo v e," that would have made Donny Hathaway and
Hntx rta Flack bhish with approval. They also sang: “W on't Last A Day," “I ’ve Got
It Bad." "I lo v e You More Today," "Cloud Burst," a classic by Iom bert, Hendricks
and Ross. The "scattin" was out of-sight,
Cunningham also did a few tunes from his new album, entitled: "Presenting....
Don Cunningham and Company" on Hendon Records. I ’ve got it and it's bad! It
would be pointless for me to say Don Cunningham is going to be a star someday,
but it's easy to say. he'll be a bigger star - tomorrow!!!
COUNT BASIE •••
When addressing people in the complex world of music, they are often referred
to as stars or super stars, depending mostly on their popularity, their latest hit
record and their visability. Sut for some reason, when you talk about people like
Count Basie the word "greatness" is more appropriate - don't you think?
It's not often that you get a chance to see the great ones, but for the “sold out"
audience at the Paramount Sunday it was a treat that won't be forgotten. Maestro
Basie struck up the orchestra and got standing ovations all night long Claaatcs like:
“I Don't Get Around Much Any More," “A Train," "Easy Living," “Black Velvet,"
and many others. I noticed that Basie let all seventeen musicians do their own
thing. Richard Fuller on trumpet; Butch Miles on drums; "Jimmy Forest" with his
own composition "Bag of Dreams" on saxophone; Howard Dixon on tenor
saxophone, just to name a few. Along with a singer, who sounds so much like Joe
Williams it's unbelievable, by the name of Rill Caffee. He did two numbers at the
end of the concert, "I’ve Got A Girl," and a bluezy number railed, “I Hate You
Baby." As a lady so aptly put it after the concert, "H e’s great - just great!”
COMMISSIONER JORDAN - WINE SIP
Mr and
afternoon,
was out in
me be the
Mrs. Lee Brown hosted a Wine Sip for Commissioner Jordan Sunday
and the reception was most impressive. The who’s who around town
full support of Commissioner Jordan in the up and coming elections. Let
first to congratulate you Commissioner,
CHECK IT OUT
This weeks column is dedicated to two of the nicest people I know, Toni and
Winzel Hamilton, Stay as nice as you are.
peare and Emerson to Fromm and Mas
low to make her point: that the lack of a
loving atmosphere in the classroom is
the root of most learning problems
among American children.
For Dr. Clay the theory is more than
an academic exercise; she says she has
seen it work in her own classrooms,
from Inner city schools in Washington,
D.C., to suburban schools in Jackson,
Mississippi. “I've been given classes of
students that other teachers called 'un­
manageable' and have seen them work­
ing together happily, loving school and
each other, by the end of the year,"
she says.
A t first, after receiving a degree from
Jackson S ta te U n iv e rs ity in social
science. Dr. Clay had no desire to teach.
“I didn't like what I saw in the schools,"
she says.
Her background, furthermore, was
not in education; she was the first Black
woman to serve at the Pentagon, and as
a member of the U.S, A ir Force she
served in Europe during the Korean
conflict. “I came back to the U.S. a
woman with a purpose," she recalls,
"and went to school on the G .I. Bill."
But after getting her degree and
working for a while as a secretary,
Albirda Clay accepted a teaching job
and took on a class of ISO “hard-to-
manage" students in the Jackson public
schools.
“I decided right away,” she recalls,
“that I could only teach them if they
knew I respected them. I decided to
teach them for when they weren't in the
classroom, to teach them for indepen­
dence.
“We talked about life, what it was
like for them.
We began with their
names - names are very important to
people."
She was always willing to bend the
schedule in order to listen to student»,
she adds. "When someone came burst­
ing in wanting to tell the class about a
new baby brother, we stopped what we
were doing and talked for a while about
what having a new baby in the family
means."
Compassion is v ita l for successful
teaching. Dr. Clay believes, “There are
students who can't read," she says.
“You don’t embarrass them by pointing
it out to everyone. You find something
they can do. The children wanted a
classroom with respect, and that's what
we had. I taught, and respected, the
bootlegger's kid and the president's kid
just the same."
And, for her, loving students meant
not turning it off when the school day
ended. "I had an understanding with
my students," she says.
" If you're
hungry, I feed you. We don’t need to
•alk about it to anyone else."
Dr. Clay has some specific sugges
bong for teachers who want to see love
and learning blossom in their class
rooms:
• Stop teaching just for the future
and show students how to appreciate
life now, because education should en
hance the present as well az prepare for
the future.
• Stop depending on grades, because
grades can set the stage for failure at a
very early age and can become equated
with good behavior.
• Teach children to be empathetic as
well at to know when to detach them
selves from the problems of others.
• Impart a healthy attitude toward
the physical and em otional changes
which occur in life.
• Foster a community life in the
classroom with democratic interaction
and cooperation.
• Make discipline intrins.c to the si­
tuation, not teacher - imposed.
« Make wholesome play an integral
part of the setting.
• Focus on the training which can
take plate in the channels of everyday
living, using the child’s own environ­
ment as a medium for teaching.
• Accept every child as he or she is.
No child should have an experience in
school which makes that child think less
of himself.
Ivancie
The Ivancie for Mayor Committee
4225 N E Sandy Blvd . Portland,
Michael White, Treas paid for this message
Keep
neighborhood
schools
open.
tC i.
K í- L .
S ta te S e
H o r - 14»>■ r-rrr-'
HOWARD 2
D e m o c ra t
B allot No. 3 9 Norm H o w ard
D istrict* 7
|x ]
Re-Elect a proven, d e p e n d a b le le a d e r
to the Legislature
Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Norm Howard, 5230 SE 37th,
Portland, Oregon 97202, Norman Hilson, Treas.
Re-elect Senator Betty Roberts
Dem ocrat, District 10
K eep her
Proven Leadership
M a tu re Judgm ent
W ashington High
E xperience
develops p a rk
Portland's Washington High has been
awarded a $2,500 Bicentennial Grant to
help fund the development of Pauling
Park, adjacent to the school. Funds from
the grant will be used for trees, plantings
and topsoil. The park also will include a
bronze statue of a pioneer woman as well
as several raised planters, benches, trees
and shrubbery.
The statue is the work of H arriette
Franklin, Artist-in-R -sidenee and Wash
ington High Students. Other portions of
the Pauling Park Project will be accom
plished through the cooperabve efforts of
students from Green Thumb, a special
horticultural program of the District;
Benson High and the Washington High
Dad's Club.
V ita lity
C o u rag e
W o rk in g fo r you!
Betty Roberts has been a legislative leader for twelve years in both the
House of Representatives and the Senate.
Betty Roberts is a concerned citizen who works for those who need a
voice in the Legislature.
Betty Roberts has a record of service to better our communities and
State both economically and envirt-m entally.
Betty Roberts has a sensitive concern for her own family and the
problems facing families in today’s society.
Paid for by the Re-Elect Betty Roberts Committee, Candy Weatherby,
Treasurer.
More about Judge Schwab:
Oregon Bar Poll Results:
Votes for Chief Judge Schwab: 2,373
Votes for his opponent:
406
“Chief Judge Herbert M. Schwab is seeking re-election
to the Court of Appeals. His leadership on the court
which he has headed since its foundation in 1969. has
won respect and admiration. His opponent...is out­
classed in this contest?
The Oregonian
April 25
“Schwab has been outstanding as Chief Judge of the
Court since it was created seven years ago and definitely
deserves election...Schwab is intellectually sharp, has
courage and has guided the Court of Appeals to become
one of the most efficient court operations around?
The East Oregonian — Pendleton
May 4
Mayor,
Pag» 7
Black Professor advocates
love in education
“Back to bu.Ua' is the current catch­
phrase in the movement to reshape
education in the U.8. and provide stu­
dents with the skills they need to
succeed.
But an Oregon State University pro­
fessor believes there is something even
more basic to education than reading,
w ritin g and a rith m e tic
and th a t
"something” is love.
Dr. Albirda Clay, associate professor
of education at OSU, says children who
do not receive love often cannot learn at
all. When they are provided with love,
she believes, both their learning capa­
city and their enjoyment of learning will
increase. And if children are not re­
ceiving love at home, she contends,
teachers must supply it in the class­
room.
Dr. Clay, who supervises the elemen­
tary student teaching program at Ore­
gon State, is planning a workshop on
“Love in Education" for the first two
weeks in August on the OSU campus.
The workshop will demonstrate for
teachers how they can put into effect
her thesis that unselfish love has enor
mous creative and therapeutic potential
and is essential for physical, mental and
moral health.
The thesis is not entirely her own. of
course; in her doctoral dissertation on
the subject she marshals quotations by
w riters and philosophers from Shakes
DON CUNNINGHAM AND ALICIA RODRIQUEZ
Thursday, May 20, 187«
“Chief Judge Herbert M. Schwab of the Oregon Court
of Appeals is an outstanding member of the judiciary.
“Schwab is brilliant, incisive and scholarly. And his
administrative skill matches his ability as a judge. As
Chief Judge. Schwab administers a court which has
experienced a tripling of its caseload in five years. De­
spite the heavy workload, the court has no backlog.The
credit for that goes to Schwab?
“Re-elect Judge Schwab”
The Capital Journal— Salem
M ay 10
“We heartily endorse the re-election of Chief Judge
Herbert Schwab to the Court of Appeals. He has been
an excellent administrator and a wise and productive
jurist. As a result of Schwab's guidance, the Court of
Appeals today handles more than four times as many
cases in less than half the time per case than it did in
1970.”
Willamette Week
For the week ending May 17th
P»ld. He elect Judge Schwab Comm ittee (Htsitlon *3 , Court of Appeal«)
Leslie M Robert». Treasurer. 1107 Commonwealth Building, ftjrtland. Oregon 97205