^ 'lîo rtla n h (Observer CAREERS&EDUCATIONSperia/ Edition
Page A2
A patchwork quilt o f graduating seniors and the many cultures reflected in
their faces is a gift to the Jefferson High Class of 2006.
May 17, 2006
Lois Jackson (from left), Mrs. Isaac Wasson and Cleveland Smith sew patches for a community quilt to give to the
Jefferson High School Class o f 2006.
C u ltu r e H o n o r e d 1 h r o u g h A r t o f Q u ilt in g
Patchwork a gift for Jefferson graduates
T he Jefferson H igh School C lass of
,2006 w ill receive a special graduation
gift - a patchw ork quilt depicting the
pictures o f grad u atin g seniors, d e p ic t­
ing m any cu ltu res sew n throughout eth ­
nic fabrics.
T he quilt is n ear co m pletion, and will
hang in the m ain hall briefly, and will
then be auctioned at their first class
reunion. T he funds w ill go back into the
p roject for another quilt.
Je n n ife r D oncan, the C om m unity
Q uilt P ro je ct’s cre ato r and coordinator,
said she looked for a w ay fam ilies and
edu cato rs could visibly d em onstrate, in
a very co n crete w ay, the love and faith
they have in th eir stu d en ts.
“ I w anted stu d en ts to have a visual
r e p re s e n ta tio n o f th e ric h n e s s and
beauty o f the m any c u ltu res reflected in
the faces o f th e ir p ee rs,” D oncan said.
“ I w anted them to see and feel o u r c o l­
lective spirits and energy that is sew n
into this very A m erican p ro d u ct that
co n tain s eth n ic fab rics selected by d i­
verse students w ho co m e from m any
cultures, co u n tries and co n tin e n ts.”
T he p roject is u nder the g u id an ce o f
L ois Jackson w ho took th e lead, w ith
help from Isaac W asson and C lev elan d
S m ith, A driene C ruz and m om . B eryl,
and M yree W illiam s.
L ead se w e r M rs. L ois Jack so n is the
d au g h ter o f a seam stress, and has been
sew in g sin ce she w as eig h t y ears old.
Jackson has m ade m any quilts for fam ily
and frien d s, and the hom es o f her four
d au g h ters resem b le sh o w cases fo r her
crafts. O ne o f her q u ilts w as au ctio n ed
at o v er $ 3 ,0 0 0 in 2004, and m any o f her
q u ilts are also on d isp lay at the S elf
E n h an cem en t, Inc., co m m u n ity cen ter
at 3 9 2 0 N. K erby A ve.
M rs. Isaac W asson began q u iltin g
and cra ft m aking w hen she retired and
her fiv e sib lin g s d ied , 10 y ears ago.
W asson, a sin g le m om , sew s fo r her
fam ily, and has m ore than 15 w all h an g ­
ings and m ore than 4 0 pillow s, as w ell as
refin ish e d fu rn itu re and o th e r crafts.
Chapter 72
Sponsors Park
Traveling Wall
Honors Vietnam Vets
Veterans for Peace C hapter 72 is the sponsor
o f Peace M emorial Park where a large peace
sym bol has been carved into the landscape
near the Steel Bridge and Rose Quarter. We
regret that the unit num ber was incorrect in a
story about the park in last w eek’s issue.
In 1982, thousands o f m em bers o f the U.S. A rm ed
Forces were duly honored at the nation’s capitol, with
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or simply “The W all” .
A traveling version o f the m em orial will arrive in
Portland on Tuesday, May 23 and be open to the
public through Sunday, May 28 at Lincoln M emorial
Mr. C leveland Sm ith is originally from
M ississip p i, and m oved here after high
school in 1961. Sm ith d ev elo p ed a love
for qu ilt m aking w hen a m an trav elin g
from Chicago was offering $ 165 for quilts
that w om en w ere m aking. T hough w o rk ­
ing full tim e, the in d u strio u s C lev elan d
w anted the ex tra cash and d ecid ed to
m ake three in a w eek. He d id n ’t m ake his
goal, but help from his m o th er and a
w om an from a fab ric sto re, he w ent to
sew ing fu ll-siz e d q u ilts-fro m one block,
to one p iece by han d , to a full size quilt.
He has show n pieces in northeast Port­
land shops, including Stellar-C offee (now
Coffee-People) and Reflections.
A d rie n e C ru z is a n o th e r o f th e
p ro je c t’s cre ativ e co n trib u to rs. C ruz,
Park, 11801 S.E. Mt. Scott BIvd.
The im pressive traveling Dignity M em orial V iet­
nam W all, tow ering eight feet and spanning m ore than
240 feet, is a three-quarter-scale replica o f the V ietnam
V eterans M emorial in W ashington, D.C.
The m onum ents m em orialize the servicem en and
w om en w ho eith erd ied or remain classified as missing
in action and has been described as a “w ound that is
closed and healing.”
Dignity M em orial funeral, crem ation and cem etery
w h o is from N ew Y ork by w ay o f J a ­
m aica, w as in flu en ced g reatly by her
m other, B eryl C ru se, and her g en ero u s
use and d isp lay o f rich, v ib ran t co lo rs.
H er fam ous w orks have been seen at
the K illin g sw o rth L ig h t Rail S tatio n ,
E x te rio r d esig n o f the N o rth east H ealth
C e n te r (K illin g sw o rth and M L K ), a m u ­
ral in S tarb u ck s and at sev eral ex h ib its,
in clu d in g the In terstate F ireh o u se C u l­
tural C enter. She has n o ex h ib its planned
in the near fu tu re, but m ore in fo rm atio n
ab o u t h er w ork can be found on her
w ebsite, w w w .ad rie n ecru z .co m .
O th ers w ho o ffered th eir help include
M yree W illiam s, a n ativ e o f M ississip p i
and o w n er o f “T im e to S ew ” Q u iltin g
S up p ly C en ter, 6 5 11 N. In terstate A ve.
providers created the traveling m em orial as a service
to those w ho may never visit the nation’s capital to see
"T he W all” firsthand. The exhibit crisscrosses the
country each year, allow ing m illions o f visitors to see
and touch the black, m irror-like surface inscribed with
the nam es o f more than 58,(XX) A m ericans w ho died or
are m issing in Vietnam.
The faux-granite replica honors all U.S. veterans
and is dedicated to Vietnam veterans. A dm ission to
the wall is free. Formore information, call 503-771 - 1 117.
Portland State University is a nationally acclaimed leader in eommunity-based learniny.
Teaching, research, diversity, and service from the cornerstone of Oregon's only public urban university. We offer more
than 100 undergraduates. Master's and doctoral degrees, as well as graduate certificates, continuing education and
distance learning programs.
The PSD campus is located along the tree-lined South Park Blocks of downtown Portland, in the heart of the city’s
population, economic, industrial, and cultural center. With a current enrollment of approximately 25,000 students,
Portland State is Oregon's largest and most diverse university, serving more students and conferring more graduate
degrees annually than any other university in the state.
PSU recognizes that diversity in faculty, staff, and students within a university setting enriches the educational
experience, promotes personal growth, strengthens communities and the workplace, and enhances an individual's
personal and professional opportunities. As a public university we constantly strive for equity and social justice, in
order to make our programs and activities truly accessible to our diverse constituents.
PSU values diversity and prohibits discrimination in the recruitment and hiring of new employees, as well as in the
treatment of current employees. We enthusiastically encourage members of historically underrepresented groups to
apply for open positions.
Portland State University invites you to v ie w current openings on our website at w w w .hrc.pdx.edu.
Portland State University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity institution and, in keeping with the President’s
diversity initiative, welcomes applications from diverse candidates and candidates who support diversity.
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