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P“Ke 6 • Portland, Observer • M artin Luther King, Jr. Special Edition • January 10, 1990
Samuel Pierce: An Unsung Hero
The Locker Room
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
He also spent three years doing
research in c a n ce r and lipid b io ­
chem istry. He is currently w o rk ­
ing on a M asters deg ree in A lter­
native E d u catio n A dm inistration
at U n iversity o f P ortland. A lso,
before m o v in g into public service
four y ears ago, as an adm inistra-
tiv e/m an ag er, Pierce d e v elo p ed
his skills through several y ears o f
c o rp o rate m an ag em en t e x p e ri­
Johnnie Davis:
“The Dayton Flash ”
ence.
Johnnie Davis is beginning his sixth
year with the Atlanta Hawks organization
as a player and director of Community
Affairs. This year may turn out to be the
sweetest as a Hawk. Recently, he was pro­
moted to VP/Basketball Operations, where
he will be involved in more basketball and
less community activities.
" I ’m helping out in the area of player
personnel and helping the team with the
evaluation of other teams throughout the
N.B.A. as well as internationally, so, its a
great opportunity. One that I look forward
to and that I embrace. It keeps me in the
game of basketball and allows me the chance
to make management decisions. I’m going
to help determine what type of players we
want or even the style we might want to
play. I'm real excited."
Though this basketball season might
turn out to be a “ sw eet’ ’ one for his future
in management with the Hawks, Davis, at
34, is quick to note that winning the NBA
(1977) Championship as a rookie in Port­
land was ultimate experience.
"Portland was probably the greatest
single year I’ve had in my basketball life or
career,” said Davis. “ I certainly treasure
the memories and the fondness of the fans,
the support, and I can truly say that they
were our sixth man that year. Portland is a
wonderful town, Oregon’s a wonderful state,
(Story Will He Contined Next Week)
by K athy M artin
July 14, 1989 m arked nineteen
years that S am uel Pierce arrived
in Portland. T he cross-country
trip from F lorida ab o ard a G re y ­
hound c ru iselin er had been trying,
but n evertheless, an exciting o n e .(
W ith the urging o f his o ld er
b ro th er, Pierce had finally heeded
the call to "go W est young m an."
H av in g spent all o f his m oney and
G re y h o u n d having lost m ost o f
his c lo th e s, P ierce arrived in
P ortland w ith little m ore than w hat
he had on his back.
3962 Martin LutherKing, Jr. Blvd.
288-9438
SO U L FOOD
2 4 HOURS
ir n n d p fflll
th lT W S
are going well for him. We had a lot of fun
that year.” Davis finished his N.B.A. ca­
reer with a 12.9 scoring average and 9,710
points. He played in Cleveland, Atlanta,
and Portland.
When questioned about blacks in man­
agement around the N.B.A., Davis, who
completed his college degree at Georgia
State University in 1987 (Business & Com­
munity Development), said that the league
is far beyond other sports in terms of hiring
minorities.
" I f you look carefully, you’ll see that
the N.B.A. has been in the forefront in
hiring minorities. We have black coaches,
general managers, and vice presidents, now
owners. I don’t sec any participation prob­
lems in this league at all for m inorities..
« ♦ *♦ ♦ ♦ **♦ **» **♦
about the entire experience. I ’m very thank­
ful and blessed for the opportunity.”
Davis, who attended Dayton Univer­
sity, was a key element because of his
quickness and outside shooting. He was a
favorite of Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas.
"Johnnie contributed a great deal to
the success of the 77 team, like many oth­
ers d id ," said Lucas. "H e was, still is, a
I ’ m o la d to know things
Short Shakes: I picked the Knicks to
win it all! Patrick Ewing is Player of the
Year if writers selected today . . . Former
Blazer Adrain Branch was waived out of
the league, again, by the Minnesota Tim-
berwolves. Portland people, keep praying
for Ramon Ramos. His family appreciates
the kindness and love you demonstrated in
their time of struggle.
Correction: Jacque Butterfield and Lori
(LORI) A. Wilson were the contributors
names spelled incorrectly recently. Thank
you for your contributions to a needy fam­
ily at Christmas.
T o d ay , sitting in his three-story
hom e in N orth P ortland w ith
A frican art and c o astal paintings
scattered about, the past nineteen
years seem s like light years aw ay.
In those nineteen years Sam Pierce
has a m m a sse d som e im p ressiv e
achievm ents. H ow ever, c o n c ern ­
ing his a c h iev em en ts, Pierce is
so m ew h at reserv ed and m odest.
W hen ask ed w hy, he sim ply says,
“ I believe that an in d iv id u a l’s
w orks should speak fo r him . It
d o e s n ’t m atter m uch w hat one
has d o n e in the past, but w hat he
is d o in g rig h t now . W h at c h a l­
len g es he is w illin g to u n dertake.
Our buyer negotiated a SPECIAL COST REDUCTION
for a limited time only on these fantastic appliances-
W hat v isio n s he has the courage
to see through to c o m p le tio n .”
YOU WIN AGAIN!
B ut if o n e ’s past is to be v iew ed
w ith any m erit at all, then Sam
P ie rc e ’s has been one o f w inning
against o v e rw h e lm in g odds. H is
c h a llen g e s and v isio n s started
early in his life. S tricken w ith a
bleeding d iso rd e r that took the
life o f is b ro th er before, he m ade
it through “ w ith the help o f his
m o th e r’s p ray ers.” A s if that
w a s n ’t en o u g h , he had the furth er
c h a llen g e o f grow ing up p oor in
G e o rg ia d u ring the 1950’s in a
fam ily o f seventeen brothers and
sisters!
A ccording to Pierce,
EXCLUSIVE DUAL ACTION
AGITATOR GETS LARGE LOADS
UNIFORMLY CLEAN AND FRESH
“ these w ere the m ost significant
y ears o f m y life. W e grew up
ab o u t sixty m iles from Dr. K ing
and his influence on m y life has
lasted until no w .” Pierce said,
“ we w ere so poor, that we thought
p eo p le w h o co u ld afford bologna
w ere rich! S erio u sly !”
EASY LOADER O O O R -N O N E
LARGER IN THE INDUSTRY
LARGE
CAPACITY PAIR
JUST ONE OF
THE GREAT
BUYS YOU'LL FIND!
tim es he subm erged h im self in
books and m usic. In doing so he
found som ething that he was good
at. H e soon discovered that d e ­
v e lo p in g o n e ’s in te lle c t and
G o d -g iv en talents w as som ething
even a poor boy from G eo rg ia
co u ld do.
WASHER
S am uel Pierce has gone on to
ach iev e som e very im portant
p ersonal and hum an goals. F or
starters, he is a veteran o f the U.S.
DRYER
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S in ce these hum ble beginnings,
so ld iers) d u ring his m ilitary train­
ing. In addition, he graduated
w ith hon o rs in Pre-m ed Science
from O regon State U niv ersity —
lacking about forty hours fo r a
second d eg ree in M icrobiology.
4 TEMPS. INCLUDING SOFT
HEAT PLUS WRINKLE-GUARD •
FEATURE TO FIGHT WRINKLING
5 TEM PER A TU RES-PLUS
3 SOIL SETTINGS.
3 WATER LEVELS
T o escap e the hardship o f these
A rm y and served w ith distinction
as a p aratro o p er w ith the 82nd
A irb o u m e D ivision during the
V ietn am W ar era. H e graduated
at the top o f his class (out o f 5000
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Sears. Roebuck and Co 1990
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