O ctober 18, 2000
Page B2
(Die JiJo rt lattò (Observer
BMetro/Religion
Compassion Sabbath Engages Oregon Faith
Obituary
Portland activist Josiah Hill dies at age 61
Hill fought for a better life for his community
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B r EM U lSbBLKCLR
W hether battling racial p rofiling
by p o lic e o r te stin g to d d le rs for
lead po iso n in g , the co m m o n goal
o f Josiah H ill's co m
m unity activ ism w as
a b e t t e r lif e f o r
P o rtla n d ’s A fric a n
A m ericans.
So it num bed that
com m u n ity to learn
o f H i l l ’s d e a th
T h ursday, O ct. 12,
from a h eart a ttac k
he s u f fe re d w h ile
shopping at N a tu re 's
N orth w est in N o rth
east Portland, He w as
61.
“ It’s a terrible loss
for the c o m m u n ity ,”
sa id sta te R ep. Jo
A nn B ow m an, D-
P ortland. “ S om e a c tiv ists are very
co n fro n tatio n al. H e w as ju s t very
g en tle.”
F riends describe Jo siah H ill III, a
form er p hysician assistan t, as a tire
less w a rrio r k n o w n fo r the g en tle,
d isa rm in g a p p ro a ch he b ro u g h t to
a b ro ad array o f co m m u n ity c o n
cern s, ra n g in g from h e a lth care to
so c ial eq u a lity .
“ I can c lo se m y ey es now and
see h im sittin g at the ta b le an d see
his sm ile,” said L o len zo P oe, ch a ir
m an o f the C oalition for B lack M en.
“ I know as an o rg an iz atio n w e ’ 11 all
m iss h im b ec au se he w as such a
sta b ilizin g force. H e w as a w ise
eld er."
G ov. Jo h n K itzh ab er ch o se H ill
to serv e on a sta te w id e co m m ittees
studyin g en v iro n m en tal ju stic e and
racial an d e th
nic h ealth is
su e s.
A s a m em
b er o f the C o a
lition for Black
M en and a
b o ard m em ber
o f P h y sician s
for S o cial R e
s p o n s ib ility ,
H ill a n d D r.
R ic k B a y e r
p o k ed the fin
gers o f an e s ti
m ated 700 chil-
d ren to ch eck
th e ir
le a d
b lo o d le v e ls.
T he resu lts o f the free m o n th ly
sc re en in g s h elp ed the sta te H ealth
D ivisio n track lead p o iso n in g rates
in P o rtla n d ’s h ig h -risk n eig h b o r
h o o d s.
“T he day before he died, w e w ere
ta lk in g ab o u t how the goal at our
clin ic w as try in g to d riv e o u rselv es
o u t o f b u sin e ss,” B ayer said. N ow ,
B ayer is unsure w hether the screen
ings w ill c o n tin u e a fter y e a r’s end,
saying H ill’s ab sen ce “ is ju s t a big
h u rt.”
P o rtla n d P o lic e C h i e f M ark
K roeker dedicated M onday ’ s m eet
ing o f the C h ie f s Forum — a group
o f co m m u n ity lead ers w ho m eet
reg u larly w ith the p olice c h ie f — to
H ill’s m em ory. H ill w as c o -c h a ir
m an o f the forum and rec en tly sat
on the c h i e f s b lu e-rib b o n c o m m it
tee ex am in in g the issu e o f p o lice
profiling.
H ill also m en to red fo u rth - and
fifth -g rad ers at H um boldt E lem en
tary S chool and o ffe re d m ed ical
h e lp to th e N o rth w e s t A frik a n
A m erican B allet, o c c a sio n a lly ap
p ea rin g in its an n u al h eritag e c o n
ce rt as a v illag e elder.
“ It w as a p erfec t ro le fo r h im ,”
sa id his w ife, M arth a C a rte r H ill,
w h o m he m a rrie d D ec. 12, 1987.
“ H e ’s alw ay s b een so n u rtu rin g to
e v e ry b o d y .”
H ill w as b o ra Feb. 20, 1939 in
W a sh in g to n , D .C . H e grew up in
S eattle and graduated from the U ni
v ersity o f Iow a. H e w o rk ed in A l
b a n y for a y ea r b efo re jo in in g the
m ed ical team o f the M in n eso ta V i-
k ings.
H e retu rn ed to P o rtlan d in 1973
and w o rk ed as a p h y sic ia n a s sis
tan t fo r K aiser P erm an en te fo r 23
y ears, sp e cia liz in g in o rth o p ed ics
an d sp o rts and d ance m ed icin e. He
retire d in 1995 for h ealth reason s
H ill is su rv iv ed by his w ife;
m other, V irginia H um es H ill G allo
w ay; d au g h ters, E lizab eth V irginia
S im pson and D elane K en n ice H ill;
sons, Jo siah H ill IV and S hanti Bay
H ill; sisters, V ero n ica K. Jones and
Ju a n ita M. W ash in g to n ; and four
g ran d ch ild ren . A p u b lic m em orial
has not yet been sch ed u led .
‘Mama’ Served Others with Quiet Spirit
A m em o rial se rv ic es w as held
T uesday for H elen M. M cG ee, 64.
A ffec tio n a te ly ca lle d M am a by
m any, she w as b o ra on Ju ly 25.
1936 in C ro ssett, A rk., to loving
p aren ts, G eo rg e and O sie C arney.
M am a m oved w ith h e r fam ily to
P o rtlan d in 1944 an d a tte n d e d
W ashington H igh S chool.
O n M arch 4, 1954, she b ecam e
w ife and life p a rtn e r to R o b e rtest
Leo M cG ee until he w as laid to rest
in 1971.
M am a and D addy w ere b le ssed
w ith 11 children, 4 boys and 7 girls,
including tw o sets o f tw ins. O ne
son, R obertest L eo M cG ee Jr. p re
ced ed M am a in d ea th at th e ag e o f
9 m onths. A lso p reced in g h er in
death w as h er special g randson,
R ichard J. M cG ee w ho w as also
b o m on M a m a’s b irth d ay , on July
25, 1986. R ishard and M am a now
also share the sam e date o f g oing to
their etern al hom e, O ct. 4.
M am a w as a strong, living and
giv in g w om en. She serv ed others
w ith a m eek and q u iet sprit. She
striv e d to m ake a v ery deep and
spiritu al im p ressio n on h er c h il
dren, g ran d ch ild ren an d friends.
S he w as a d ev o ted m em b er o f
M t. O liv et B ap tist C h u rch w here
she to iled tire lessly as w elco m in g
and d ed ica ted m e m b e ro fth e ush er
b oard, alw ay s ex ten d in g h e r w e l
co m in g sm ile and u p lifte d hand.
She also served a c tiv e ly in o ne o f
the c h u rc h ’s cell groups. M am a
L oved the L ord and tru ly knew that
the L o rd loved her.
In 1982, M am a began her 15-year
c a re e r w ith K a ise r P e rm a n e n te
w o rk in g in v ario u s d ep a rtm en ts,
including m edical records, en viron
m ental se rv ic es, h um an reso u rce s
and fin ally o ffic e se rv ic es, from
w hich she re tire d in 1997. M am a
w as a jo y to o th e rs in th e w o rk
pate. EMO will provide resource m a
terials to participating congregations
at a cost o f $ 10 to cover copying and
postage.
“O ur sponsorship o f C om passion
Sabbath grow s out o f our conviction
that the health care system alone fails
to m eet a dying p erso n ’s need for
com panionship, understanding, and
spiritual co m fo rt,” said the Rev.
M elinda Sm ith, director o f E M O ’s
Com passionate Care and Education
Division, w ho is spearheading Com -
Long Time Resident
Dies Suddenly
Fall Revival at Allen Temple
Frank R. T hom pson - B om Oct.
19, 1957, passed aw ay suddenly o f
cardiac arrest on Oct. 7 w hile visiting
his stepdaughters and grandchildren
in Gladstone.
A long tim e resident o f the P ort
land metropolitan area, Frank enjoyed
a variety o f interests w hich included
but w ere not lim ited to his family,
church, helping others, fishing, na
ture, and camping.
He attended G rant and W ashing
ton High School and Irvington G rade
School. Frank is survived by his
m other Betty T hom pson; his com
panion o f 20 years, Em lyn Harris;
sisters Connie, G ail, and Shama;
brother-in-law Don; Stepdaughter
Ronna; nephew Julian; grandsons
D ’V ario and A m ando; grandniece
A zaesha; and a host o f uncles, aunts,
cousins, extended fam ily m em bers
and friends.
Services celebrating his life were
held at C aldw ell’s Colonial Chapel in
Portland, on Tuesday.
The family w ishes to thank every
one for their loving support, and asks
that you pray for the peaceful repose
o f his soul, and the consolation o f the
family.
♦
hind m any w ho loved, ch erish ed
and w ill m iss her, in clu d in g her
p aren ts G eo rg e and O sie C arney;
ch ild ren , H ow ard M cG ee, Jeffery
M cGee Sr., B arbara M cG uire, Janet
Rogers, Joyce M cG ee-Sm ith, Linda
M cG ee-B ran ch , A n thony G eorge
M cG ee. T ina M cG ee, Z ina W oods,
V an essa M cG ee, M arq u ita Jones
and D iana L ow ery; sisters: G eorgia
M a e A n d re w s a n d N in a R u th
S to rry ; b ro th e rs, T h eo C a rn e y ,
A lv in C arney an d M orris C arney;
aunt, M abie W oods; sister-in -law ,
B essie C u n n in g h am o f St. Louis,
M is s o u ri; a n d b r o th e r - in - la w ,
L eo n ard M cG ee.
A lso sh arin g in h er m em ory are
17 grandchildren and 6 great-grand
ch ildren. She w as also p reced ed in
d eath by h er son, R o b ertest Leo
M cG ee Jr.; b ro th er, W illiam s Lee
C a rn e y an d g ra n d so n , R ich a rd
Jam es M cG ee. M am a w ill also be
rem em b ered by a h o st o f nieces,
nep h ew s and v ery clo se friends
and d ev o ted ch u rch m em bers.
passion Sabbath. “ Faith com m uni
ties can offer significant support to
people who are dying or those who
are bereaved.”
EM O will also offer w orkshops
during O ctober on A dvanced D irec
tives and C h ild ren an d G rie f at
Hopewell House Hospice Center, 7161
S.W . Capitol Highway.
Plans are underw ay to further de
velop w orkshops for clergy to offer
them practical skills to enhance their
m inistry to people at the end o f life.
Ecum enical M inistries o f Oregon
is launching a new initiative called
C om passion Sabbath, encouraging
congregations across O regon to des
ignate tim eOct 27-29 to worship, pray,
study or discuss end-of-life issues.
C om passion Sabbath will help
people focus on the role o f the faith
com m unity in caring for those who
are term inally ill o r bereaved. M ore
than 30 Christian, Buddhist and Jew
ish congregations from B aker City to
Roseburg have registered to partici-
Funeral Tribute to
Josephine James
A fu n eral w as held T u esd ay at
R o s e C ity F u n e r a l H o m e fo r
Jo se p h in e Jam es, w ho d ied O ct. 11
at age 65.
M rs. Jam es w as b o rn M arch 19,
1935, in V ic k s b u rg , M iss. H er
m a id en n am e w as W rig h t. She
m o v ed to R ich m o n d , C alif., as a
child and w as raised there. She later
lived in Los A n g eles b efo re m o v
ing to P o rtlan d in 1969. She w as a
g rin d er for O m ark In d u stries (later
B lount Inc.) for 27 years until retir
ing in 1998. In 1972, she m arried
C u rtis Jam es.
S u rv iv o rs in clu d e h er h usband;
d au g h ter, D onna Q u in o n es; son,
K eith; m other, M arg aret T h o m p
son; sisters, V eara W rig h t, E ddie
D avis, A lyce W eb ster an d R enee
D o ck ery ; four g ran d ch ild ren ; and
th ree g rea t-g ran d ch ild ren .
In term en t w ill be in R ose C ity
C em etery.
(J efe
‘...H e shall com e unto us as the
rain, as the latter and form er rain...
H osea 6:3.”
“The Latter Rain” is the them e o f a
revival to be held over three nights,
Oct. 25-27 at 7 p.m. at the Allen Temple
CM E Church, 4236N . E. Eighth Ave.
A rea residents are invited tojoin in
the healing, deliverance and restora
tion o f G o d ’s word.
G o d ’s g ifted an o in ted h ealer,
prophetess and evangelist prophet
ess B etty Johnson o f B eaum ont,
Texas will be the guest speaker.
Form ore information, contact Pas
tor Dr. LeRoy H aynes, Jr.
B ooks L ook A t L ife
A nd E xp erien ces
Speakers Help Celebrate Month-Long Event
The Mittleman Jewish Community
C e n ter p ro u d ly sp o n so rs Jew ish
Book M onth as part o f the national
celebration o f Jewish books dem on
strating the full range o f Jew ish life
and experiences. The event is spon
sored in part by a grant from the
Regional Arts and Culture Council.
From Oct. 31-D ec. 3, the MJCC
and num erous Jew ish organizations
and synagogues, bring to Portland a
w ide range o f authors reading in ven
ues throughout the city. In addition,
B roadw ay B ooks helps turn the
MJCC lobby into the largest Judaica
bookshop in tow n for the month,
selling Judaic books from the reli
gious, to the hum orous, historical to
great Jew ish fiction. K ids books and
cookbooks, also.
Perhaps since Jews have been tra
ditionally called the “people o f the
book,” it is only fitting that this month
long national event, now held in ven
ues throughout the U nited States,
has becom e a m ajor force in the book
seller world. This y ear’s Portland
celebration features both national and
local authors.
Starting o ff Oct. 31 w ill be M im i
Sheraton, form er food critic for the
New Y ork Tim es and author o f the
new book, The Bialy Eaters. A patron
party, held at a private hom e, will
feature Ms. Sheraton. This event
costs $25 and is open to the public.
Please call the M JCC at 244-0111 for
reservations and location.
Sheraton will read for the public on
Nov. 1 at the M JCC. O ther national
authors include: M yla G oldberg, au
thor o f the highly acclaim ed novel
The Bee Season, and N om i Eve, au
thor o f the new novel The Fam ily
O rchard, Nov. 30 at C ongregation
H avurah Shalom; and author Seth
Rogovoy Nov. 28 at C ongregation
Shaarie Torah.
C oncordia C elebrates
50th C hristm as C horale
The Concordia Choir is already pre
paring for the holiday season. This year
is the 50th Anniversary o f Concordia
University’s annual Christmas Chorale.
The public is invited to come cel
ebrate Christ with the 80-voiceConcordia
University Choir and Handbells En
semble.
Selections will include traditional
Christmas carols, sung by all, as well as
musical selections forthe Advent C'hnst-
m as season com posed by D avid
Willcocks, Morten Lauridsen, John
Gardner, William Mathias, J.S. Bach
Randall Ihompson. John Rutter, and
more. Concordia alumni and staffwill be
invited tojoin the choir at the conclusion
o f the program in singing the choral
selection “E’en So Lord Jesus Quickly
Come’’byPaulManz. The concert willbe
presented at S t Michael’s Lutheran
Church at Northeast Dekum and 29th,
adjacent to the Concordia Campus, at 7
p m . Dec. 2. There isnoadmissionchaige,
but offerings will be accepted Please call
503-280-8614formore information.
aitó n 'iJ a ^ e r n a c b CPrz ten is:
place.
O u r M am a has g o n e on to an
o th e r etern al hom e an d leav es be-
PROVE GOD NOW MIRACLE CRUSADE, INCORPORATED
M edia Evangelistic M issionary O utreach
P.O.Box 12423
Portland, O regon 97212
O NE DAY
BIBLICAL FAITH MIRACLE AND
DELIVERANCE SEMINAR
k
7
Trusting God's Promises
Beyond the Instant Tangible M inute
WITH
Evangelist W. Pritchett
HQ
l
z J
1 ’/
ONE GREAT SEMINAR ON HOW TO TRUST GOD’S
PROMISES
In this sem inar, you w ill learn from G o d ’s word
H ow to exercise faith in G od so that He will fulfill His promise.
E veryone is invited!!!
SA TU R D A Y — OCTOBER 28,2000
R ed Lion Inn Coliseum
1225 North Interstate
Portland. O regon 97227
2:00pm-5:00pm
•V
& ty £ i £ O Lnnuaf Q o s p e f S o £ o ia r s £ ip
an JC£f»ar</i P ro g ra m
S a tu r d a y , O c to b e r 20^, 2000 a i
V :00pm
tfeffarson ¿ t f i y £ P & rform in y
Cftrls G a n ia r
$10 00 in advance, $11 00 at the door
Tickets available at F rid a y s E spresso and all
F a stix x outlets
F or inform ah on c all 50 3- 224-TIXX
Fridays Espresso Chapter 7 Christian Books
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