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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1979)
Portland Observer Thursday. April 19. 1979 Page 7 Portland Profile by Linda Thompson “ The PROOUCf CBNTIR a t PORTLAND GEORGE BENSON G ram m s»! (gdJJBI by Allen Junes THE LINKS PRESENT EBONY FASHION FAIR 79' Back io G lam or" was the theme for this year’ s Ebony Fashion Fair. As the theme suggests, dressing up and not down is exactly what your favorite de signer has in store for the fashion conscious public for the next two years. W het her you like it or not! I f you detect a note o f sarcasm you’ re right. In view o f Sunday night’ s presentation at Civic Auditorium , I couldn’t help but revert back to the four years 1 spent in retail and wholesale fashion in L.A. 1 worked for Zeidlcr & Zeidler Men’s Store. We catered to entertainers, would- be executives, pimps and players (an education in itself). I was subsequently terminated by the Twin Brothers (genetically), because I wasn’t aggressive enough, or you could say 1 wasn’t a ’ high-pressure’ salesman. From there it was uphill all the way. Sy Amber in Sherman Oaks, The May C ompany (a subsidy o f Meier & Frank) and finally Scmour Phillips and Associates — the big time wholesale and retailer, who can go in and buy a clothing store that is in financial trouble and buy it lock, stock and barrel. They then overstock the store with fasions from last year and this year, hire top sales people, run an extensive advertising campaign and gross $10,000 in one day! I wo months later, sell the store lock, stock and barrel to an unsuspecting buyer at twice the price paid and move on to the next one. You’ re probably asking w hat this has to do with the Ebony Fashion Fair? It would o f course depend on your point ol view — all I ’ m saying is that fashions play a very important role in everyday life, regardless o f who you are, and what your station in life may be. Try wearing a zoot suit to work tomorrow and see what happens (smile). The ‘79 Fashion Fair was a very good show. Personally I only liked a third of ' the fashions presented because they complimented the model sd Well, the model is Von G. Shepard. An international organization o f Black women — The Links, Inc. should be congratulated for their efforts in putting together this year’ s show. I think a combination o f the Benson concert and people just wanting to stay at home on Easter curbed ticket sales to a degree. The show was very good. Maybe I ’ll be there next year wearing a zoot suit!! AN EVENING WITH BENSON It’ s not often that a major star comes to Portland (or any city for that mat ter), who has the artistic status to build up such an emotional anticipation prior to arrival like George Benson. In the past four years Benson has reached a plateau that the average entertainer can only fantasize about! He caught our attention by playing double octaves on the guitar. Similar to the late master Wes Montgomery — later projecting the same uniqueness in song. An unbeatable combination by anyones standard. Benson, a gifted musician since the age o f five, contributes his success to God (he’s a Jehova Witness) and his family. That too is an unbeatable combination. Benson is thoroughly a professional when it comes to business — making music. I f you happen to have been one o f the lucky 6,000 people who attended one o f the two concerts presented last Friday evening at the Civic Auditorium — you’ re probably inclined to agree. George Benson is the best there is at what he does and that’ s all there is to it! I f you've been keeping up with me over the years, you may remember a bio graphical profile (Spectrum in Blue) that I did on the opening act for Benson — Seawind — in August o f ‘76. As a matter o f fact, singer Gene Diamond made me aware o f this group because he spent a month in Hawaii doing some arranging and writing for their first album. 1 don’ t think there is any question about the groups potential. When you’ re a relatively new group playing behind someone like Benson in front of a capacity audience, that’ s when it’ s d ifficult to grasp anyones attention. On the other hand, i f you weren’ t good, you wouldn’ t be there playing with Benson in the first place. CHECK IT OUTIII W ally Amos, Founder/Prcsident o f the Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Corporation, will be in Portland A pril 24th on a tour to promote his famous chocolate chip cookie. Fred's Place 2511 NE Union Little Frankie Lee Our scale o f justice stands proudly in our court houses throughout the land. It symbolizes the equality o f the American Justice System. O ur Black role model fo r this week, Vera Poole, believes that the scales can be assisted in carrying out its judicial responsibility by working w ith in and close to the Justice System. A graduate o f Grant High School, Mrs. Poole moved to Portland in 1961 from her hometown, Green wood, Mississippi. Her educational achievements in clude an associate degree from PCC; a B.A. degree, a Master/Education and a Master/Science in C rim inal Justice from the University o f Port land. M rs. Poole is m arried (John Poole) and is the m other o f a vivacious daughter Shena, who hap pens to be a Pisces. Our role model’ s warm smile and mild manner cannot be labeled as qualities o f a passive person, at least not in this case. As you continue to read her profile you w ill see the persistency and deter mination o f what my grandmother would call “ a strong and caring woman.” It is not an easy task to hold down an eight hour job and be a wife and mother. To couple this with an edu cational pursuit is indeed what many would consider an impossible task. Impossible it is not and was not, for Mrs. Poole held an eight hour job during her entire educational career (graduate and undergraduate). For five years she was employed as a dietician aide (delivering meals and washing carts) fo r the Veteran’ s H o sp ita l. In 1970 she le ft the hospital and became an employee o f Multnomah County as a correctional officer for Rocky Butte Jail. In 1975 she was promoted to her present position as Supervisor o f Correc tions at Argow Women’ s Facility where she supervises a staff o f thir teen. The stylist Mrs. Poole is a member o f the Am erican Business Asso cia tio n . M t. Hood C hapter; and a member o f women’ s International Bowling Congress. She loves travel ing and bowling, and has an interest NAVEL ORANGES < t a ...'S 4 S X * TANGELOS •5 *1 X in real estate. Mrs. Poole has this to say about her success and how one goes about gaining success: “ My success, I credited it to being m otivated, determ ined and self- assured that all goals are achievable. I ’ ve encountered many obstacles during my educational and profes sional career. However, those en counters did not obstruct my attempts. I was optimistic more than ever to utilize my potential effectively, if my goals were to become a reality. “ One has to set goals, conform and adhere to them i f the end is going to be successful, w hether it be in education or occupation. I did not achieve my goal by being passive or submissive. I employed what tools were necessary for me as a female, in terms o f advancement and progres sive development. Goal o f achieve ment is something one should be proud of. However, performance is a substantial accomplishment.” As my interview with the highly re spected Mrs. Poole ended the very warm and human qualities surfaced and she said, “ I don’ t think people should ever forget where they came from — I hope I never do. A ll o f us are potentials for the unemployment line. What I have tried to do is to prepare myself so I can seek employ ment in other professions if the need arrives.” U n til next week remember: A lover is one that can truly love one mate successfully fo r a m arried lifetime. can developments. A frica is impor tant to America for several reasons; economic because A frica is rich in N atural resources and a growing m arket fo r our goods; p o litic a l because we cannot afford to allow this strategic area to be dominated by foreign influence; and moral because by tradition our country is commit ted to the principles o f self-determi nation o f nations and the human rights o f individuals. “ The Africans” is an extraordi nary opportunity to learn about this rapidly developing continent. “ The Africans” concentrates, in depth, on specific areas from which certain generalizations and com parisons with other parts o f A frica can be made. The area chosen was that colonized by the British — South Africa, Rhodesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zam bia and N igeria — English- speaking states whose cultural back ground make them much closer and more accessible to American view ers. Most valuable o f all, however, is that the series centers on people, let ting Africans speak for themselves and explain how they see events shaping the new Africa. The program will be presented by KO IN -TV (Channel 6), each Wed nesday evening at 8:00 p.m., begin ning A p ril 18th. The A pril 18th segment featured Rhodesia. The schedule is as follows: A pril 25th — “ New Faces o f A fr i ca” — portraits o f how life is chang ing fo r the better; M ay 2nd — “ South Africa — W ithout Love” ; May 9th — “ Soweto — The Secret City” ; May 16th — “ Africa In Search Itself” ; and May 23rd — “ Making Up For Last Time.” STIDDS BROTH Beef sr a* •4J» £ R |r — Also: Black V e lv e t Cheddar Cheese Medium 1 2-lh. * LOAF 10 lbs. or Riera lets thee 1 0 lh c ....lh .* 1 M 4.U00 Water Chestnuts Pacific Bread GROUND VEAL gsM $459 IN PKCS. OF PAPAYAS ; ™ $100? It IM IO DINNER FRANKS ’I” 1 PRICES GOOD THRU SAT., APRIL 21, 1979 SHERIDAN FRUIT Co. 5 E U N IO N & OAK 2 3 5 -9 3 5 3 Come Today and h o m e fu r n is h in g s fa m o u s, to p - q u a lity Whirlpool Automatic Range Buy! FULL-WIDTH. SPACIOUS REMOVABLE STORAGE DRAWER Stock No. 10-140 WINDOW OVEN Loaded with quality features that make cooking a joy and clean-up easy. SPILLGUARD cooktop has raised edge all around to help contain spillovers. Removable surface units and one-piece chrome reflector bowls also make for easy cleaning. Shop now and save on this quality Whirlpool range. SPECIAL SMITH PRICE: 298 W ITH TRADE Plenty off Offf-Street Parking . . . EASY TERMS we give you more ... ¡¿IT From U zbekistan, Soviet C entral Asia The Bakhur Folk Dance Ensemble in concert at Banaon High School Wednesday, M ay 2nd, 8:00 p.m. D irect fro m O akland Two shows nightly Monday-Sunday ■ TI« w ith B ob by & his T a lk in g G uitar LOCALLY CROWN Baades Chichee ( RHUBARB 89* CHILE L A K I SANAHAN .79* CRAPES frem VERA POOLE T V series explores A frica For most Americans, Africa today seems a bewildering collection o f new states with unfam iliar names and complex problems. Part o f the reason for this is the sheer size and cultural variety o f the continent, the world’s second largest. W ith an area almost 3'/z times that o f the United States, Africa is simply too diverse in geography, history and political or ganization to lend its e lf to easy generalizations. The contrasts often seem strikingly more apparent than any kind o f continental unity. Gone are the images and stereo types o f the past: the mythical Dark Continent described by the early ex plorers and the legends o f Empire spun by the colonial exploiters who followed. They were replaced in a single generation by the strong currents o f independence, o f diverse peoples united in the struggle to win "A fric a for the Africans.” Now that this has been achieved for the most part, individual African governments are troubled by economic difficulties and internal dissension in their efforts at nation building. Since I960, there have been over four dozen coupes d ’etat in Africa in vo lvin g the assassination o f a dozen heads o f state. The instability o f some African states, as well as the liberation movements in the last bas tions o f empire on the continent, have made Africa the focal point o f w orld politics. It has become in creasingly an area o f c o n fro n ta tion between East and West as each side has tried to take advantage of power vacuums created by economic crisis and internal unrest. The United States is much con cerned and involved in current A fri- 5 .s1°° L A R G Ì SIZE fre m CALIF. Tickets: $5 in advance, $6 at door Order From: P.O. Box 6541, Portland 97228 Sponsored by Oregon Council American-Soviet Friendship A Women's international League f o r Peace A Freedom. Ö E D home furnishings 3Cti: and S.E. Division 234-9351 S h o p 9 to 9 T u e s d a y thru F rid a y S a tu rd a y 9 to 6 (C lo s e d S u n d a y a n d M o n d a y ) L I
