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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1978)
Portland Observer Thursday, December 7, 1978 Page 3 by Kathryn H. Bogle One o f the pace-setting families in the early Portland Black community was the C urry fam ily, headed by James W illiam Curry and his wife V io la Shaw C u rry . We recently showed a picture to you o f Viola who is living still in California at the age o f 103 years. James W. Curry (1906). The C urry’s were ambitious, in dustrious, outgoing people who brought up their children (there were three girls: Maybelle Shaw, Frieta Shaw and Clothilde Curry) to give the best o f themselves every day and to set high goals for their futures. “ Go ahead and be ‘ Somebody,’ ” was an admonishment the girls often heard from their mother. “ Don’ t let anybody turn you around — you are somebody — so be somebody” she always said. Maybelle died in young womanhood but her life and the lives o f her sisters reflected this maternal advice and parental care. A t another tim e we can leaf through another album to tell you about Frieta and Clo. James Curry and Viola McElroy Shaw were married in Portland in 1905. Born in Urbana, Ohio in 1867, James migrated to St. Paul, M in nesota which was a busy railroad terminal even then when James was a young man. James hired himself out as a railroad man and was given a run from St. Paul to a number o f destinations, among them Billings, Montana. Eventually be found him self coming to Portland and he liked it here. It was in Billings that James met Viola Shaw, a dainty little lady with gray blue eyes. A widow she was, with two little girls, Maybelle and Frieta. The children’ s father had died in a small pox epidemic and Viola, young and without sufficient resources had turned fo r help in caring fo r her children to an o r phanage on an Indian Reservation in nearby Twin Bridges. In Billings, Viola set about learn ing how to take care o f herself and family. She learned how to prepare tasty and attractive foods for large numbers o f people; she learned how to set a table and how to serve with finesse and she liked doing what she learned. She also began to dream dreams for her daughters. They must never be as helpless as she had been, she th o u g h t. The g irls must be prepared to take care o f themselves. Viola's dreams and ambitions for a successful future were fed when she met matching ambitions in the tall, tan and handsome James Curry. The day came when she gathered her children up, swept out o f the or phanage with them, paid her passage to Portland and married her good looking man in the derby hat and handlebar mustache. The C urry’s settled on the West side o f Portland, up on N.W. 21st Street somewhere between Irving and Couch. They sent the elder two girls to Couch School. Mrs. Curry then began to build a clientele as a cateress among the cir cles o f wealthy white folk in Nob H ill and thereabouts. Sometimes Viola w orked w ith another popular cateress o f those times, Ada McGill. (Fred Thomas was also well-known as a waiter-caterer in the town. He later added a catering supply service, building it all into a very substantial, brisk and respected business which he conducted from his property on N .E . Shaver Street near U n io n Avenue.) The C urry’s made themselves an integral part o f the community life by contributing their time and con siderable talent to church and com m u n ity events. T h e ir daughter, Clothilde, born in Portland, showed an early talent as a violinist and was in frequent demand to “ play on the p ro g ra m ” fo r many events. Daughter Frieta Shaw was a musical phenomenon possessed as she was with a rich, full singing voice like a great pipe organ. Frieta actually entertained a crowd o f shoppers gathered around her baby buggy when she was eleven months old. The im p ro m p tu sidewalk performance embarassed Viola, the proper little mother who could not explain how this baby, this infant, could have such a tremen dous, big voice, who sang notes and who applauded herself, patting her dim pled hands together sm iling broadly and contentedly afterwards. To nurture this talent Frieta was encouraged by her parents to first > •'1 >J Curry's Tents at Seaside, Oregon. Viola Shaw (Mrs. James) Curry (1907 or 1908). Oregon’ s prohibitive laws on the books at that time) and he advised this to all. In his work, James Curry had been assigned as waiter-porter on an ob servation car run to Seaside, Oregon at one period. He knew that beach houses were available now and then to be rented to vacationers, but basically houses were scarce and were hardly ever available to Black families. M r. Curry bought several acres o f wooded land in Seaside near the beach front, cleared a few locations, and put up house tents to rent by day or week. the University o f California at Los Angeles for her summer vacations, M r. C u rry entertained fo r his daugh ter’ s pleasure, and invited many o f her friends to the beach. We show a picture o f such a group in about 1925 at the Curry Cottages: left to right: Edward Watson, Ada M cGill (standing), Jennie Grayson W agoner, C lo th ild e , M r. C urry, Helen Logan M elker, Lenore © Family Album Northwest 1978 l K I Th« Friend I i««t | Stores In Town Since 1 9 M help herself. Frieta was taught to serve parties and how to look after the children o f the affluent to help pay for the expensive vocal lessons she took from Mdme Lucia Volair. Mdme Volair trained the voices o f the wealthy but she took a real in terest in Freita. Freita sang everywhere and often. Mdme V olair, recognizing an im pressive talent and natural g ift teamed with Freita’s apparently in domitable spirit, helped to make it possible for Freita to go for study in Paris at the Sorbonne. So as soon as Freita was graduated from Jefferson High School, o ff she went to Paris. By this time M r. Curry had bought two different homes for his family on the East side and Clothilde at tended E lio t School. M r. C u rry developed strong feelings that Blacks should own property (in spite o f TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 7:30 P . M . = For a reservation call: Samantha Hicks: 777-5846 City of Portland Development Commission f 6 4 1 1 5 .1 . M i l w a u k i e a | 4 th 5 5 t h A l a s t B u r n s id e e 3 3 rd 1 3 2 n d A N . l O lis o n e 3 9 th N L o m b a rd a t G r e e le y • 3 3 r d R a l e i g h H ills R l a i o e Lake l S 2 n d a t S I D iv is io n • K in g • O o k G ro v e • a i m s is or u m i t i o r e o c i t t A S I M o r r is o n A N .l. H ancock A S I . D iv is io n A W e s t B u r n s id e O sw ego B A ve C ity Exquisite Q u a lity ” Special with this coupon $30 any car It soon became very p opula r among the Black community to pic nic or weekend at the C u rry “ places.” The accom odations became “ C urry’ s Sunflower Camp” as M r. C urry acquired additional fram e dwellings. Eventually they were known as “ C urry’s Housekeep ing Tents and Cottages.” When Clothilde came home from Leather & Vinyl Repair 213 N. KILLINGSWORTH 249-8111 Super Shopping Centers Help Lower Your Cost of Living . . . Your nearby Fred Meyer Super Shopping Center is filled with "People-Pleasing" services to make your shopping more pleasant. Wide, spacious aisles, friendly helpful clerks and un dercover parcel loading are just some of the "People-Pleasing" services to you. Plus . . . everyday low prices on thousands of items you use and need everyday help lower your cost of living. Because we're open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, including Sunday, you can shop when you WANT to, not when you HAVE to. Come in anytime and "funshop" in a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere. HOW TO BUY A LOW-COST “RECYCLE” HOUSE • How to determine how much money you need for the monthly payments • Down payment required • How to qualify to buy a “ Recycle” house • • • • • • Body Side Molding A WORKSHOP ON THE WORKSHOP WILL COVER: FOR B R A N D S you k n o w V A R IE TIES you lik e SIZES you w a n t SERVICE COMPANY It ANNOUNCING PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE CASCADE CENTER, CAFETERIA 705 N KILLINGSWORTH SHOP II lENOW'S r James Curry and daughter Clothilde enjoy a game of croquet. Edward Watson, Ada McGill (ded), Jennie Dora Grayson Wagoner, Clothilde Curry Woodward, Mr. Curry, Helen Logan Melker, Lenore Freeman Gaskin, Leon Wharton West, and Barbara Hubbard Sullivan (dcd.l, enjoy a picnic at the Curry's beach property. Freeman Gaskin, Leon W harton West and Barbara H ubbard Sullivan. M r. Curry died in 1942 at age 75. M rs. C u rry Dunn lives on, a remarkable lady at 103 years o f age. The fa m ily m u ltip lie s , w orks, thrives and carries on its old families traditions in a new setting. "Y o u are somebody. Be somebody.” Three ‘’Recycle” houses are now available for sale to owner-occupants by the City of Portland Development Commission. More will be available These are houses which were vacant or a b a n d o n e d and p u rc h a s e d and re h a b ilita te d by the D e ve lo p m e n t Commission under a federally funded program. They will be sold to low and moderate income families who meet the city income guidelines and qualify for financing Average cost is $32,000 A 5% downpayment will be required Houses are located at 128 N.E Morris, 75 N E Ivy and 88N.E Ivy Date of showing will be announced at the workshop I Walnut Park „ .E. Kllllngsworth at Union Interstate „ . Lombard at Intarsiata Peninsula Lombard Plenty of Free and Easy Parking Open 9 am to 10 pm daily, including Sunday.
