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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1983)
Portland Observer. November 16.1963 Page 7 OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SIDELINES by Kathryn Hall B o tk 4 IL L A W D O R S E Y , soprano. Oregon’s First Lady o f Gospel Song, who sings her gospel around ihe world, will be heard live in Portland at the H ilton Hotel this week. Dorsey will be the featured soloist for M ultnom ah County Commissioner Gladys M cC oy’s annual meeting o f the Association o f Oregon Counties. Countless Oregonians hear W ill« Dorsey's songs over K G W -T V on a late-late Sunday night program just before the station signs o ff. “ I t ’s an on-going program.*' the station's programmer says. “ I t ’s been run ning a long time— five, six, seven years,” the programmer estimated. “ There are no plans to alter any thing about it. It's called 'Joy of my Soul.’ " Some famous Oregonians are among her T V fans. Neil G old schmidt listens. Governor Victor Atiyeh is a fan. Senator Hatfield, City Commissioner M ildred Schwab, as well as Ctiy Com m is sioner Charles Jordan are also D o r sey fans. A traveler, Hubert D il worth, business and personal manager for Leontyne Price, caught her 3:00 a m. broadcast and was fascinated by the Dorsey sound. " I t helped me to relax and to unwind after a hectic day in airports and travel," he said as he joyfully met W illa Dorsey backstage after the re cent Price concert performances with James DePriest and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. “ I ’ve been at K G W for ten years," Dorsey said as she trod the carpeted corridors o f "h er” studio. " I'v e been here every Sunday night for ten years— on film clips, if not live. I ’ve also sung at Neighbor Fair for seven years.” “ I came to Portland first in 1963. I was a guest on Kirby Brumfield's show on K A T U . A t that time we were living in Los Angeles and I ap preciated the good air of this state. The smog was not good for the voice and I quickly accepted a schol arship I had been awarded to con- certize and to study at Warner Paci- fic College. 1 had been singing all my life— since I was two years old, and knew this was what I wanted to do. I am 50 years old now and sing ing. “ He Arose” was my first song. “ M y father and my mother were both singers in Atlanta where I was brought up,” Dorsey said as we set tled into her comfortable studio quarters at K G W . " M y father taught me to memorize three or four stanzas of those songs they sang at that time. We started singing gospel when I was just out o f high school. I attended Clark College which is a part o f the Atlanta University sys tem. I became a member o f the A t lanta Philharmonic Society and I still hold a membership there. " M y professional boost came from Dale Evans through the H o lly wood Christian Group which met with movie stars in Hollywood each month. It was Dale Evans who a r ranged for me to sing at the New York Worlds Fair in 1964. That was Symbolic fast gives support to Food Bank The sixth annual "Fast for the H u n gry" lakes place on Thursday, November 17, to help support the work o f the Interagency Food Bank. Several events are planned this week to support the Food Bank’s "Fast for the H u n g ry," including a sym bolic soupline on Tuesday in front o f the Portland Building, a delivery o f bread and water to the Portland C ity Council on Wednesday m orn ing, and a Celebrity Fast no-food lunch at 12 noon on the day o f the Fast, Thursday, November 17, in the Portland Building. According to D r. Lendon Smith, a Portland pediatrician who is serving as Honorary Chairperson of the Fast for the Hungry for 1983, "T h e basic idea o f the Fast is that we are asking people to join with us in skipping a meal or fasting the whole day on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, November 17, and donating the money you would have spent on food to the Food Bank at 3939 S.E. 26th in Portland (97202).“ Both Oregon Governor Victor Atiyeh and Portland M ayor Frank Ivancie have declared N o vember 17 “ Fast for the Hungry my 'launching pad,' and I have not stopped running since.” The Dorsey career is managed, produced, and performed by W illa Dorsey. Dorsey does her own musical ar rangements. The orchestrations are worked out with an arranger-friend in Dallas. Texas. “ I sing awhile, he w rites," Dorsey explains. Dorsey plays both piano and or gan and frequently accompanies herself on one— or both. On tape, Dorsey has been known to play both by "o ver-d ub " methods, and sing, too. “ I do have a sense o f business and I do my own booking for concerts, radio and T V , and I have contracts drawn legally. A c tu a lly ," Dorsey paused and grew reflective, “ actual ly. the Lord is my booking agent. 1984 is booked nearly solid n o w ." Dorsey, from her launching pad. has completed 10 tours to the Orient and has made 32 trips to Europe, sometimes with her adult son, some times with an organization but, cus tomarily, she travels alone. H u n gary, Poland. Leningrad. Moscow, Israel. Japan, and Taiwan all have been on the Dorsey beat. She sings in 14 different languages including N o fooling! No fooling, Regular Checking at Far West is absolutely free And it's just one of five options from which you can chobse the checking account that s best for you There are many checking account extras, too Like Mr Moneybags* and the Exchange 24-hour teller machines throughout Oregon and Washington. Merchant Check Guarantee and Overdraft Protection through MasterCard or VISA And with a Far West checking account you can get MasterCard and or VISA at a reduced annual fee of just $8 00 Come to any Far West office now for free checking-no fooling1 Oregon's first lady of Gospel. W illa Doraey. w ill belt out her beet to Portland fana thia week Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and Swa hili. Dorsey says, “ Every place in the world likes gospel. After we touch Jesus, we reach out and (ouch our neighbors to make this world a bet ter place Spirituals are not forgot ten and I shall be singing them to o ." It's the FAR IVEST w ay >FAR FSL1C >M/EST ^FEDERALI M A M OFFIC E SW 5th & Washmgton Portiarxl O e g o o T»4»pfxxw224 4444 61 convergent offices throughout Oregon *SM< ' » M l # ttol»ft»|lB«<<i Look for some important phone ä essages inyour mailbox. On Januaiy 1,1984, the court-ordered breakup (divestiture) of the Bell System will occur. The breakup will directly affect how we will repair your telephone equipment; how we will bill you; and how we will handle your other telephone service needs. Changes Affecting You On November 21. In order to make the breakup as prob lem-free as possible, we will begin making some of these changes on November 21, 1983. Two changes will directly affect you: First, you'll have new numbers to call for telephone service and repair. Second, your telephone bill will have a completely new format. T t’s in the mail? Well be using a variety of ways to inform you of all the details of these changes. So be sure to watch your mailbox during the next few weeks for our announcements (letters, bill inserts, booklets, etc.). This information will include the new numbers to call for service and repair; and a detailed explanation of 1800 555-5000 Ex' the new telephone bill format. Meanwhile, if you have any ques ink*' tions, call us for the answers. Or send for your free “For Your Information" booklet describing all the changes oc- curing at the phone company. Because at Pacific Northwest Bell, we want to keep you in touch. To get « free For Your Inform ation h « A k t fill oui the ci »upi »n and send it to f«< Your Inform ation Pn«gram Pacife: N o n b u rst Hell P O B«»t R »n la nt I < >R » r j * And if \o u have more ipjesiii *ns call our it41 free info rm ad or number P k .i v venti m e the hot A k t for □ residence s e n n e □ huunesa t e n n e © Pacific Northwest Bell (('; 1983 IV c / k Northwest H dl
