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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1996)
• 1- ■» » * £• » ''P - i ' t ì w “ ■ v M ä « -;■ A Á U ■*■■ ' * î c it ^ . . --. • ! * ft4 s î-A » Volume XXVI, Number? Committed to cultural diversity. January 10, 1996 Œljr Jlnrtlanfi ©bserliEr SECTION Local Company Manufactures New Park Cover 'aagm eester, Incorporated, a W Wallpapers On Review Wallpapers by intemationally-recog- I nized designer Bradbury and Bradbury w illgoondisplay inabenefit,Feb. lO from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m at Trinity Episcopal Church, 147 N.W. 19th. Gene Harris Performs The Gene Harris Quartet performs Fri- | day and Saturday at the 8 p.m. at Red Lion/ Downtown The quartet w ith Dennis [ Springer, Marc Fendel and Nola Bogle w ill perform Sunday 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at | the Benson Hotel. Meeting Honors Activist A public meeting celebrating the life o f I Gloria Martin, 79, author, civil rights ac tivist and leader o f the women’s move ment, w ill be held Saturday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. at the Koinonia House, 633 S.W. I Montgomery St. Martin died Nov. 22 o f | I cancer. second-generation company lo cated on N ortheast A lberta, soon will com plete one of its largest structures-a cover for the tension struc ture over Cathedral Park ’s stage. Thanks to the firm ’s expertise and generosity and donations from a granting com m it tee and an other local company, a brand- new, heavy-duty waterproof canopy will be installed for the first of a series of free concerts in the park this summer. Concert Series Chair Clarice White re cently received the last installment from Metro t entrai Enhancement Committee, which gave $10,500 toward the purchase. David Berg from Simpson Timber’s Oregon Overlay Division also presented Simpson’s contribu tion of$2,380 to company President and Co owner Steve Waagmeester. While the canopy manufacture was in progress at Waagmeester’s large pieces o f the heavy material were spread over the shop flo o r. Len Breazeale, sewer, and K urt Waagmeester, awning manufacturer, two o f the firm ’s 12 employees, were marking the outline o f one o f four huge sections for the cover, which consumed more than 150 yards o f eight-foot-wide material. For the past seven years, musicians and vocalists from every style o f music have pei formed in Cathedral Park under a disinte grating coverthat let in the wind and rain, was an eyesore and a security risk,” says White. “ The dark stage area under the old orange All-Teen Dance Is Friday S T ^ agm,eGSter' l6ft' StitChGS thG heavy du<y waterproof material for Cathedral p Park s new stage cover, which will be raised for the park series' first concert on Y f CheTC hking his P^Sress is David Berg. Environmental Health and Safety Manager for The Oregon Overlay Division o f Simpson Timber Company a major contributor to the massive project. P y' canopy encouraged vandalism and vagrancy while the canopy was up and made it d iffic u lt to see the performers. "Fortunately for those o f us who love North Portland’s Cathedral Park, five enti ties came together to rectify these problems.” First, Waagmeester agreed to give Friends o f Cathedral Park neighborhood Association and in-kind contribution that amounted to an $8,000 savings. Then, Portland Parks and Recreation Supervisor Jim Gardiner and Deputy Director David Judd agreed to install the canopy free for the FCPNA series each year for five years, provided the association raised the rest o f the money for the project. The Metro Central Enhancement Com mittee donated $ 10,500 with the proviso that W h ite ’ s group obtain m atching funds. "Simpson Tim ber came through in thenick o f time with a grant o f $2,380,” White savs exactly wha, we needed to complete the project.” White and Berg watched Waagmeester’s co-owner stitching the beautiful material with a 7-31 class sewing machine used by his father. Bud, when he began the company in 1945 in his basement The father, Winfred Waagmeester, was a sail maker’s mate in the Navy, whose parents came over from Am sterdam in the late 1880s. “ We use 1/8” diameter needles," Steve Waagmeester told White. “ This machine is so strong it could literally sew two pieces o f 1/4” plywood together.” I his fall, after Waagmeester’s busiest sea son, he arranged to have Parks & Recreation bring the old, disintegrating canopy to the covered outdoor basketball court at Alberta Park. “ They were great,” Waagmeester said o f the parks maintenance people, “ they were there early, and they would not allow us near while they o ft loaded the cover without hard hats (very conscientious).” Waagmeester cut the old canopy apart in one day to build a pattern, but the toughest part for the company was getting started, Waagmeester says. “ Our space in here was lull o f boats, and this has been our busiest off-season’ ever. This fall we did a cover for live steam generators and the reactor from I rojan to help with transport o f the pieces for decommissioning at Hanford,” he explained. " I told them I would manufacture the cover Continued to page A4 A drug-free “ all-city teen dance” w ill be held Friday at Memorial Coliseum for youth, ages 14 to 18 with student I.D. Portland DJ M ix Masta K.D. w ill keep the | music ju m p in ’ . Gauguin Art On Display Art works by Paul Gauguin, Emile Ber nard and 19 other artists from the turn o f the century are on display through Sunday | at the Portland A rt Museum. Joan Baez Tickets On Sale Tickets are now on sale for a Portland I concert with Joan Baez and Dar Williams. The Feb. 5 event w ill be begin at 8 p.m. at | C ivic Auditorium. Semi-Formal At Shenanigan’s A semi-formal dinner and fashion show featuring A ff ican dance, singing and poem reading w ill be held Friday, Jan 26 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Shenanigan’s, 4575 N. Channel. Cost is $25 per person. Call 335- 8091 for information. Living Legends Opens Tuesday “ Living Legends” American Indians To day” opens Tuesday in the Children's M u seum at 3037 S.W. Second Ave. Kids and adults w ill experience the diversity o f American Indians and the contributions they’ve made to other cultures. Senior Volunteers Sought Seniors 55 and older are encouraged to consider sharing their skills o f a lifetime with a not-for-profit organization. Call Helen Wahl at the Multnomah County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program at 415-7787 for more information. Tree Disposal Offered Christmas tree recycling is offered Sat urday from 9 a m. to 4 p.m. from the St. Andrew parking lot at Northeast Eighth and Alberta behind the community center A $3 or $4 donations w ill benefit a low- income housing program. SUBMISSIONS: Community Calendar information will he given priority if dated two weeks before the event date. Nola Bogle ene Harris, proclaimed “one of Fred Buckman (left), president o f PacificCorp, joined recently with community volunteers to plant trees on Alberta Street as part o f Pacific Power's new GreenStreets program. "GreenStreets ’ is designed to give commercial streets an environmental and economic boost. The tree planting event on Alberta Street was sponsored by Pacific Power. Friends o f Trees, and local neighborhood associations. o f the Benson Hotel, The Gene I larris Quar the g reatest blues pianists in tet w ill be joined by an amazing array o f | the world” by the Wall Street local talent, including the Dennis Springer Journal, will headline the jazz Society Quartet, the Marc Fendel Quartet, and the of Oregon's First Jazz 9 6 in January. Nola Bogle Quintet. Doors open at 2pm, Friday and Saturday, January 12 & 13, music is from 3pnt to 9:30pm. the Gene Harris Quartet w ill play in a club Tickets-Friday & Saturday: $ 15 advance, setting at the Club Max, Red Lion/Down- $ 17 door; Sunday: $20 advance, $22 at door. town, 8pm. Call Fastixx: 224-JIX X. For information, Sunday, January 14, in the Mayfair Room contact the Jazz Society ofOregon 234-1332. G 1949 Cotton Bowl Team Were ‘Heroes hey were all heroes-those gal line. lant young men and their coach- Then North Carolina turned down the es-in December of 1 9 4 8 when Cotton Bowl match against Southern Meth the Oregon Ducks flew south to odist the University and Cotton Bowl officials 1 9 4 9 Cotton Bowl game in Dallas. began flirtin g seriously with Oregon. The Co-champions and undefeated in Pacific Duck team even scheduled a meeting to vote Coast Conference play, the Oregon Ducks’ on whethci lu accept the Cotton Bowl invita- dreams o f roses evaporated when Rose Bowl tio n -if it arrived. News reports at the time officials instead picked California, Pacific said the Duck fans were “ju b ila n t.” Coast co-champions who were also unde But three young black men were not smil- feated in conference play. ing-Chester Daniels, Duck guard and place Invited to h alf a dozen m inor bowls. Duck kick expert; Woodley Lewis, starting left Head Coach Jim Aikens was holding out for half; and Win Wright, end. These three Duck a major bowl bid-Cotton, Sugar, O range- athletes were very aware o f Texas segrega even though it then took special permission tion laws. In 1949 it was till illegal for blacks from the Pacific Coast Conference to play a and whites to complete in the same game Or major bowl elsewhere. eat in the same restaurants. Or stay in the The clock was ticking. The sports world same hotels. was watching. Duck fans were holding their "The three asked for a meeting with Coach breath. Reputations and careers were on the Jim Aikens," relates UO archivist Keith Ri T chard ” f f we go (to the Cotton Bowl), we play and not sit on the bench,’ the trio insist ed. Without a pause, the coach answered. “ I f you can’t play, we all stay home,” Aikens promised. The invitation arrived SM U agreed to play against the integrated Duck team and the Cotton Bowl directors said the black players could play. The Oregon Ducks-all the Oregon Ducks football team-were on the field in Dallas, Jan I, 1949 The precedent had been set the year before when Pennsylvania State University put two black players on the field against SMU in the 1948 Cotton Bowl. Segregation laws were just beginning to unravel around the edges even though it would be another dozen years or so before U.S. marshalls helped the first African-American children integrate Little Rock, Ark, schools. Like Penn State’s black players in 1948, Oregon’s Ducks still could not stay in the team 's hotel or cat in most public restaurants. Daniels, W right and Lewis 47 years ago were guest in “ the home o f a wealthy Negro Physician," according to news reports at the time. But, they did eat most o f their meals with the team in a special dining room at the Melrose Hotel-team headquarters. In 1949, the final score was SM U 21, Ducks 13. But the Ducks did n ’t lose that day. Thisyearallm em bersofthe Duck football team w ill stay in the same hotel, eat together and line up-togethcr-on New Year’s Day in Dallas, thanks in part to the 1949 Duck Cotton Bowl team. Given the hopes, the stakes and the context of those times, "Ih e y were heroes,” says Richard