Portland Observer, April 10, 1965, Page 3
METROPOLITAN
Shopkeeper caters to Indian immigrants
by Robert Lothian
John J. Devi Dess has done a lot
in his 36 years.
He was born and grew up in the
Fiji Islands in the South Pacific. His
parents had moved there from India,
drawn by programs o f the British
colonial government to develop >he
islands.
As a boy he developed an interest in
movies. He has made one movie al
ready in India and plans to make
two more soon.
A t a young age, he left the islands
as a merchant seaman. He traveled to
New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan.
India and C anada before settling in
Portland 16 years ago.
He speaks H indi, the language o f
India; English; F iji; and Urdu, which
is spoken in Pakistan.
Somewhere along the way. he be
came a journeyman boilermaker.
Night finds him repairing ships at the
Swan Island shipyards.
During the day he can be found at
his small store, F iji Island Groceries
— House o f India, which he has oper
ated since 1978 at 3964 N. Interstate.
It's the only store in Portland cater
ing to immigrants from India. About
2,000 people o f Indian extraction live
in Portland, according to Dass.
He knows most o f them. “ M y cus
tomers, if they don’t see me for a cou
ple o f days, they start looking for
me,” he said.
About 50 percent o f his business is
John J. Davi Dass behind the counter of hie Fiji lele Grocery
(Photo Richard J. Brown)
with Southeast Asian refugees, he
said.
Dass enjoys the cross-cultural ex
periences afforded by his store, his
travels to India and his work in the
shipyards. " I like to meet people from
all around the w o rld ," he said.
The small store, a former gas sta
tion, is filled with the aroma o f im
ported teas and spices, especially
curry. He sells canned vegetables
from India, canned mutton (sheep
meat) from Australia and “ papa
d am " — deep-fried rice cakes popu
lar with Indians and Orientals
Illustrations o f Indian gods and
goddesses line the walls ol his tiny
office. One is the “ god o f money,"
he said, smiling.
A color photograph shows Dass
with India’s top movie star, Amita
bah Bacchan. A copy o f Screen inaga
nne lies on his desk.
Dass said movies have been his
hobby since boyhood The movie he
made in India, " A Story o f M id
n ig h t," is a fam ily drama about a
cataclysmic monsoon flood and how
it affects an Indian family.
He plans to return to India this
summer to make two more "sad
movies," as he calls them. “ Indians
like tearjerkcrs," he said.
It is unlikely, however, that In
dia's top movie star will be in Dass'
movies because he has gone into p oli
tics. Dass predicts he w ill be prime
minister within ten years.
On the store's back wall is a unique
collection o f H indi and Urdu lan
guage video tapes His is the only
store in Oregon which carries the
tapes, said Dass.
Some o f the videos have English
subtitles One, “ G irl From In d ia ," is
good for Americans who want to
learn about Indian culture, he said.
Dass also operates a travel agency
and a small ship supply company out
o f his store,
fie is a member o f the local Indian
Association, which each year puts on
a fall festival called “ Dipa W a lli,”
with music, dancing and food
Dass looks forward to the success
o f his two movies, and returning to
Portland to build a Hindu temple.
People from India in Portland don't
have a temple n o w ," he said.
Volunteers vital to Bess Kaiser programs
Velma Stowe, a 74-year-old dyna
mo, and Tracy Wilson, a 14-ycar-old
Roosevelt High School student, have
been named Bess Kaiser Hospital's
adult and student volunteers o f the
year.
Stowe, who lives in Northeast
Portland, has been volunteering her
energies and talents at the hospital
following an extended hospitalization
there seven years ago. Today, she
heads up the volunteer effort o f as
sembling blank charts, sits on the
volunteer’s budget committee, and
takes photographs o f the hospital and
staff and special occasions. Fast year,
she was featured on a K O IN -T V hero
segment.
"Velm a Stowe is a rare, special
in dividual," says Betty Perkins, d i
rector o f volunteers. It was Perkins
who first got Stowe interested in vol-
Velma Stowe. 74. is Bess Kaiser
Medical Center’s volunteer of the
year
untccring. “ I was desperate to have
someone lo help with ihe paneni
mail, so I asked a patient silling in a
wailing room if she would like lo
help. She's been here ever since,
radiating energy, optimism, and
friendliness,"
A North Portland rcsidcnl, Wilson
enjoys swimming, cooking, sewing,
and niosi schtxil classes While vol
unteering at the hospital she visits
pahenis, gives shamptxis, collates
charts, and generally helps where
needed "She's wonderful with pa
tients,” comments Perkins. Since
the tall, Wilson has donated approxi
mately 157 hours at the hospital.
In 1984, 93 adults volunteered
29,844 hours while 59 sludents shared
5,123 hours with the hospital Re
ceiving special recognition for thou
sands o f hours o f dedicated service
were (o r a Lou DiPietro <R.(XK)
hours), Clare Inglcsby (7,(XXI hours);
Jean Rider (6,(XX) hours); Lots
Hughes (5.IXX) hours); and Virginia
Schrunk, (4,(XX) hours).
Bess Kaiser Medical (enter is one
o f two nonprofit, community hos
pitals providing hospital care to ap
proximately 280,(XX) members o f
Kaiser Pcrinanenie, a group practice
prepaymeni health plan serving peo
ple in Portland and Salem in Oregon
and Vancouver and Longview-Kelso
in Washington.
Tracy Wilson, 14-ysar old Roosevelt High School student, and Bess
Kaiser Medical Center's student volunteer of the year
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for»19 75
SAM BROOKS
C e m ilin A m en ta
Brooks becomes PCC director
Sam Brooks, S. Brooks and Asso
ciates, Inc., has been selected as act
ing consulting director for the P ort
land Community College Cascade
Business Center Corporation.
In making the announcement.
Executive Dean Burdett Emery com
mented, "B rooks was selected to
step in on an interim basis because o f
his own skill in the small business area
and his fam iliarity with our program.”
Brooks replaces Andy Delaney who
resigned from the position fo r per
sonal reasons.
Brooks was on the original hoard
when the corporation was established
two years ago. serves on the state
Small Business Advisory Council and
is very active in the neighborhood
served by the Corporation.
The Corporation utilizes space
available at the Cascade Campus to
help give small businesses a start. Not
only do they rent at rales below mar
ket value, but the business ventures
receive counseling, instruction and
support services.
" I was pleased to be asked to do
the jo b ," Brooks said, "although it
won’t be easy to take over in this
manner. I consider myself a small
business generalist, especially gixxJ at
organizat ional w o rk.''
In that capacity Brooks plans to
put together a system so anyone can
operate the program. "W e w ill have
files for each applicant and occupant
that includes the application, accept
ance form , needs assessment and
management development plan,”
Brooks explained.
Brooks also serves on the Port
land Private Industry Council, the
OM SI council, and is present o f the
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