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F ^ o rtía n h ffibsertier
Established In 1970
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Wednesday • October 5, 2005
‘City of Roses’
Volume XXXV. Number 41
Local Boxing Great Earns Due
New Iraq Offensive
Some 2,500 U.S. troops along with
Iraqi forces launched a second
major offensive in western Iraq in
a week Tuesday, sweeping into
three towns to take them back
from insurgents who had killed
Marines there last month. Four
troops were killed in roadside
bombs during the fighting and a
fifth was killed elsewhere.
Search for Bodies Ends
Officials ended theirdoor-to-door
sweep for bodies Monday as New
Orleans revved up efforts to re
cover from Hurricane Katrina. The
death toll Tuesday stood at 972,
eight more than Monday, the Loui
siana health department said. The
death toll probably will continue
to rise, but authorities have said
sweeps yielded fewer bodies than
feared.
New Court Pick Considered
In the face of
criticism from
the le ft and
right. President
Bush insisted
T u e sd a y that
Harriet Miers is
the best-quali
fied candidate
for the Supreme
C o u rt. M iers
could follow John Roberts to the
bench in November.
Thad Spencer in class with Muhammad Ali
by K atherine B lackmore
T he P ortland O bserver
At age 14, Thad Spencer’s Portland
family didn't think he’d end up a suc
cessful boxer when he first joined the
Knott Street Boxing Gym in 1957.
Inspired by his cousin, professional
boxer Willie Richardson, he never gave
up training in the sport. Ten years later,
he’d go on to prove his family wrong,
ranking the top heavyweight contender
in the world to the legendary Muhammad
Ali.
“If you’re going to box, you’ve got to
have a lot of heart and do a lot of hard
work,” Spencer said.
Achieving the top ranking in the world
and the many titles leading up to it has
put Spencer into the Oregon Sports Hall
of fame. The induction will take place
during a ceremony, Tuesday, Oct. 11 at
the Multnomah Athletic Club.
Spencer was an individual fighter for
the Knott Street Boxing Team of north
east Portland, which will also be in
ducted duri ng the ceremony for it' s many
championship titles between 1956 and
1972.
Before going pro, Spencer won the
Amateur Athletic Union’s Golden Boy
Award in 1960, a title only four other
Knott Street boxers eventually held.
“1 don’t know why they kept telling
me no,” Spencer said, looking back on
continued
Military Could Fight Flu
President Bush, increasingly con
cerned about a possible avian flu
pandemic, revealed Tuesday that
any part of the country where the
virus breaks out could likely be
quarantined and that he is consid
ering using the military to enforce
it.
Violation in Boat Accident
The owner o f the boat that cap
sized on Lake George, NY..killing
20 elderly tourists, could face a
fine as low as $25 for failing to
have enough crew members on
board, police said Tuesday. The
38-foot Ethan Allen needed one
crew member besides the captain
because it carried up to 48 passen
gers.
Hurricane Stan Hits Mexico
H urricane Stan barreled into
M exico’s G ulf coast Tuesday,
pummeling Veracruz, a major port
city, with heavy rain and punish
ing waves, and forcing the evacu
ation of thousands of residents
and several offshore oil platforms.
Fire Destroys Oregon Fort
A 50-year-old replica o f the fort
where the Lewis and Clark expe
dition spent the soggy w inter of
1805-1806 was destroyed by fire,
authorities said Tuesday. The
log buildings on the O regon
C oast near W arrenton had no
electricity and a cause for the
fire was suspicious.
t
on page A6
L
CAN SPENCER MATCH FRAZIER’S KO PUNCH?
_____________________
Boxing legend Thad Spencer graced the cover of Ring Magazine in 1967.
Thad Spencer today on the eve of his induction
into the Oregon Sports Hall o f Fame.
Doors Stay Open for Katrina Survivors
Hundreds already
served at former school
A Family Resource Center serving Hurricane Katrina
survivors at the former Washington High School in
southeast Portland remains open but has scaled bac«.
from 24-hour operations, one month after the natural
disaster.
The local center established by the local Red Cross
with city and state government officials, has now served
over 600 people dislocated from the G ulf Coast states by
flooding and storm damage.
The new hours of operation at the W ashington school
site at Southeast 14,b Avenue and Stark Street will be
Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Locally, the survivors are receiving assistance with
l o u s i n g , education, employment, health and mental health
^Services by staff from Multnomah County, Oregon De
p artm en t of Human Services, American Red Cross, and
3 h e Community Welcoming Committee.
~ The City of Portland. Portland Public Schools, Social
Security Administration, US Postal Service, Head Start, the
Housing Authority of Portland, and 211 -Info are among the
agencies involved in efforts to support hurricane survivors
who have arrived in the local metropolitan area.
The center provides survivors with a single location
where they can be linked to the services they need,
including acase manager. A current priority is registering
survivors with FEMA so that they can receive federal
assistance.
For information on donations and volunteering, visit
www.21linfo.org orcall 211 orl-800-SAFE-NET.
Art Studios Open
for Inside Peaks
Annual tours go behind-the-scenes
community, allowing not only for
peeks at finished individual mas
terpieces, but how those master
pieces are made.
“It’s a phenomena happening
all over the world to watch artists
at work in their natural habitats.
Y ou're not just looking at the art.
but you’re seeing things
that are half finished,”
said Bonnie Meltzer, di
rector of this year’s Port
land Open Studios Tour.
Meltzer also is one of
the many local artists
featured in this year's
event.
She and other work
Abstract landscapes where colors of green, red and yellow settle, stand, sink and flow
ing artists will show off
because of the push o f a hammer and chisel are the creation of Nho Nguyen.
the tools, techniques
other artists.
and personal secrets that allow dimension," Meltzer said.
“ It’s incredibly fun to do because you
Inspiration for subject matter ranges from
them to mold their ideas into a
get
to see your different neighborhoods,”
finished craft. Sculptors will carve social commentary about race, religion and
figures, found objects will come politics to abstract ideas about culture and Meltzer said. "It's a total multicultural expe
rience with all kinds o f art materials, all kinds
together to be marveled at, and everyday life.
“Art is a way of communication." Meltzer of techniques, all kinds of tools and all kinds
painters will brush theircanvases,
giving others a chance to see cre said. “The making of art helps you under of people. T hat’s the beauty of all of this."
Sharon Geraci is another artist opening
stand the visual world.”
ativity at work.
The tour not only strays away from the her workspace up. offering demonstrations
“It helps them understand what
Milena Matic's acrylic paintings showcase the
artists are doing. If they see the static environment of a studio, but also acts
continued
on page A6
beauty and expressions o f ordinary life.
whole picture, it brings another an avenue for mingling with neighbors and
K atherine B lackmore
T he P ortland O bserver
As a hub for artists ranging from avant-
garde to traditional, Portland is an ever
growing mecca of paintings, sculpture, pho
tography and more.
In the coming weekends, 93 studios
across the city will open their doors to the
by
4