Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, February 09, 2005, Page 5, Image 5

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    -W B lack H istory M onth
F e b ru a ry 9, 2 0 0 5
Page A S
Black History Month
Marion Anderson Rose in Stature in Europe
Marian Ander­
son was consid­
ered one of the
greatest singers
in U.S. history.
Escaped
constraints
of black life
in America
enabling her to deepen her under­
standing o f the languages she sang,
to m ake professional connections,
and to escape m any o f the co n ­
straints o f black life in A m erica.
A fter A m e ri­
can producer Sol
H u ro k
h ea rd
A nderson sing in
Paris, he began to
M arian A nderson w as bom Feb. represent her in
27,1897, in Philadelphia. Recogniz­ the U nited States,
ing her talent for m usic and her w here his b u si­
need to study with professional ness practices e f­
teachers, m em bers o f her com m u­ f e c tiv e ly m a d e
nity raised funds for her musical her the equal o f
training.
w hite concert art­
In that era, A m erican classical ists. O n Dec. 30,
m usicians rose in professional stat­ 1 9 3 5 , h e p r e ­
ure at hom e by studying and per­ sented A nderson at Tow n H all in
form ing in Europe. A nderson made N ew York. The concert w as a grand
her first jo u rn ey to Europe in late success and a N ew York T im es
O ctober o f 1927. In 1930, she was critic hailed A nderson as “one o f
aw arded a fellow ship that allow ed the great singers o f our tim e.”
her to study in Berlin. H er tim e
A w are o f A nderson’s grow ing
abroad w as im m ensely im portant re p u ta tio n . P re sid e n t F ra n k lin
to herem otional and artistic growth. D elano Roosevelt invited her to
sing for guests at a W hite H ouse
d in n e rp a rty in 1936.
A nderson becam e the first black
singer to ap p ear on the stage o f
N ew Y o rk ’s M etropolitan O pera
w hen in January
1955 she sang
the role o f the
sorceress Ulrica
in V erdi’s “Un
B a llo
in
M aschere.” The
follow ing year,
she published a
successful auto­
biography, “My
L o rd , W h a t a
M o rn in g .”
As she neared
the tw ilight o f her m usical career,
A nderson becam e m ore active in
politics. She perform ed at an inau­
gural ceremony for President Dw ight
D. E isenhow er’s second term and
for the inauguration o f President
John F. Kennedy. The State D epart­
ment nam ed her a goodw ill am bas­
President
Franklin Delano
Roosevelt invited
her to sing for
guests at a White
House dinner party
in 1936.
g
sador to Asia; in 1958, she was ap ­
pointed a delegate to the 13th ses­
sion o f the United Nations.
At the historic M arch on W ash­
ington for Jobs and Freedom in
A ugust 1963, A nderson again sang
at the Lincoln Memorial. The follow ­
ing D ecem ber, she was aw arded the
Presidential M edal o f Freedom .
A nderson won the U nited N a­
tions Peace Prize in 1977, and her
75th birthday was m arked by a gala
concert at Carnegie Hall, w here she
received N ew York C ity ’s H andel
M edallion and a congressional reso­
lution o f congratulations delivered
by First Lady Rosalyn Carter. M any
more honors were bestow ed upon
A nderson including the E leanor
Roosevelt H um an Rights A w ard,
and in 1991, she received a G ram m y
Award for Lifetim e A chievem ent.
A nderson died April 8, 1993, in
Portland, w here she had m oved to
be with her nephew Jam es De Priest,
Oregon Sym phony C onductor L au­
reate.
New Stamp Honors Famed Opera Singer
Pioneering Banker Dies
He later graduated from the P ort­
land School o f M usic and obtained
State Bank was to offer o pportu­ a real estate license in 1964. Booker
nities for m inorities to w ork and w as also a m em ber o f the M oose
obtain financing in the banking Lodge in C am as, W ash.
industry, som ething that w asn ’t
Beyond his w orkaholic nature,
com m on in the 1970s. He believed B ooker w as an avid fan o f disco
in tra d itio n a l b u sin e ss e th ic , dancing with his w ife on Saturday
where each client was treated with nights.
the utm ost im portance and es­
Booker is survived by his w ife,
teem. B ooker ran A m erican State Susan; m other-in-law Lily; three
Bank for 32 years, w hen he sold daughters, Amy, April and Cheryl;
his assets to A lbina C om m unity one son M ichael; daughter-in-law ,
Bank in 2000.
Rose and sons-in-law Ehrin and
Before his banking career, he John. A memorial service was held
served in W orld W ar II w ith the on Feb. 4 in the G atew ay C hapel o f
U.S. Army in England and France. the Chim es.
con tin u ed
fro m F ront
T he U.S. Postal Service c e l­ attention on her, particularly her
ebrates Black History M onth with artistry,” he said.
the M arian A nderson stam p, the
D eP reist lik en ed A n d e rso n ’s
28th in the Black H eritage co m ­ success to that o f Jackie Robinson,
m em orative stam p series.
the first black m ajor league baseball
Fam ed for her contralto voice, player.
A nderson was honored during first-
“ W hen h isto ry co llid es w ith
day-of-issue cerem onies in DAR w hat you ju st w ant to do, your
C onstitution Hall, the W ashington career, then w hat happens depends
venue w here the singer w as once on how m uch grace resides within
denied a chance to perform because you,” he said. “It w as the com bina­
o f her skin color.
tion o f talent and grace that en ­
Form er Oregon Sym phony C on­ abled both Jackie and, in the case o f
ductor Jam es DePreist, A nderson’s my aunt, not only to be able to
nephew attended the cerem ony.
handle obstacles, but to be able to
"T here is no one m ore richly handle them in such a w ay they
deserving o f such an honor,” corn- becam e inspirations.
men ted De Pre i st, c u rre nt 1 y d i rector
"The pow er o f my aunt resided
o f c o n d u c tin g at T h e Ju llia rd in the pow er o f her art," D ePreist
School in N ew York.
concluded.
“ I hope that it will give an oppor­
The initial snub at C onstitutional
tunity for there to be a focus o f Hall in 1939caused first lady Eleanor
Lean
Ground Beef
Visit Safeway's
Web site at
www.safeway.com
Available at
Safeway:
I
W ESTERN
U N IO N
13
14
P<n Ff‘»'ïi*»
Items
16-oz. container.
Serve at room temperature to
bring out their best flavor.
SAVE up to $ 3 .9 9 on 2
BUY ONE GET ONE
BUY ONE GET ONE
OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE
FREE
OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE
Safeway Club Price
Safeway Club Price
i
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
9
io
11
12
15
AHwd« t> ter Febn ■»-> 9 thru Tunda* M rjir> ’S ?00S
A prices
wv om en am
80% 20% Fat 3-b. Chub
SAVI up to $7.99 on ) I k .
Fresh
Strawberries
FREE
MONEY
TRANSFER
FEBRI UARY 2005
lue
Valu Pack.
80% Lean. 20% Fat.
SAVE up to $2.99 on 2 lbs.
■ Cook..
Internally
price : S EFFECTIVE
Sun Mon
Marian Anderson, illustrated in
this new U.S. Postal stamp,
was James DePreist's aunt.
Roosevelt to resign from the D augh­
ters o f the A m erican R evolution
and to arrange fo r A nderson to
perform before thousands at the
Lincoln M em orial.
In later years A nderson d id per­
form at the venue, including a 1942
concert to aid W orld W ar II relief
efforts, and she began her farew ell
tour there in 1964.
The 37-cent stam p show s an oil
painting o f A nderson by A lbert
Slark o f A jax, O ntario, C anada,
based on a black-and-w hite photo­
graph believed to have been m ade
by M oise Benkow in Stockholm in
the mid-1930s.
Deputy Postm aster General John
M. N olan called the stam p "a po w ­
erful rem inder o f her unprecedented
contribution to m usic and to her
great sacrifice for ju stice .”
in thia ad are available at your local
Safew ay stores N o sales to dealers, restaurants or
institutions Sales in retail quantities only
Quantities of som e items may be limited and subject
to availability Not responsible for typographical or
pictorial errors W e reserve the right to correct all
printed errors O n Buy O ne G et O ne Free
(“B O G O ") offers, customer must purchase the first
item to receive the second item free
Lucerne
Large Eggs
Tide Laundry
Detergent
Dozen. Grade AA
81 to 87-oz. Powder O r 100-oz Liquid.
Selected varieties.
SAVE up to 90<
SAVE up to $ 3 .0 0
99*
Safeway Club Price
j|9 9
Safeway Club Price
B O G O offers are not 1/2 price sales If only a
single item purchased the regular price applies
M anufacturers coupons may be used on
purchased items only - - not on free items
<52005 Safew ay Stores Inc
Now the savings are in the Card!
| ¿SSSSB,