^ÏJnrtiauî» (jobscruer Black History Month
Page A6
February 28. 2007
What Went Wrong
continued
P hoto by S arah B un nt /T iie P ortland O bserver
Steve Anderson's career at John Adams included serving as an
‘agency director, ’ social studies teacher and freshman boy’s
baseball coach. Anderson rem em bers coaching a female player
on the team, one o f many o f Adams ’ distinctions from other area
high schools.
from Front
Did Adams close because of
declining enrollment, once the last
of the baby boomers reached col­
lege age?
Was it ahead of its time with its
“school within a school” model,
one that modern educational sys­
tems are now catching up with?
Was it that families in north and
northeast Portland were not politi­
cally vocal, or politically astute
enough, to act as advocates for
their children’s school?
Did the construction of the
building hinder its future? (The
sleek, energy-efficient and drum-
tight building, without opening
windows, led to a dooming envi­
ronmental hazard.)
Did Adams fail as an experiment
because it tried to test too many
variables at the same time?
The answer is all of the above.
Looking back, it’s hard to place the
blame on any one issue. In the
1970’s the times were still a
changin.’ And with change comes
a wide margin of error.
Practicality vs. idealism
Jefferson High School Alumni Luncheon
To understand what happened
to Adams, you have to understand
that the root of most of its problems
occurred in the very beginning.
The cause o f its dem ise
comcquickly, but the effect took
just over a dozen years to play out.
The Portland Public School Dis­
trict needed to ease overcrowding
at north and northeast high schools
like Madison, Jefferson and Grant.
Meanwhile, a social conscious
movement was taking place na­
tionwide. Citizens were encour­
aged by civil rights to question
public institutions, which placed
an emphasis on educational reform.
This movement, coupled with a
district’s need, connected an ide­
alistic notion from an East Coast
institution with a growing city in
Oregon.
A typical Adams stu d en t with his “The Harvards”
The Adams educational style
Afro haircut is photographed by
was conceived by the minds of
N ew sw eek Magazine.
seven Ph.D candidates at Harvard
Portland was experiencing a Graduate School of Education.
growth in population in 1968, at the
In 1967 they set up an experi­
same time post-war baby boomers mental high school combining a
were entering high school.
new curriculum with teacher train-
A Dream lïirns to Dust
continued
Dream • Believe • Succeed
Dr. W. G. Hardy
Rev. Renee Ward
Mistress of Ceremonies
Keynote Speaker
Music by The Sound of Jefferson with The Kirk Green Ensemble
FREE ADMISSION
J.H.S. Alumni and former faculty are welcome.
Ages 18 and over only please.
Who should attend?
Community Partners & Business Boosters
Highlights
Alumni Rally
Past and current students
Jefferson High School Fund Raiser
Area Director's Achievement Group
R.S.V.P. Lorrie at 503-916- 5415 or E-mail Iborigo@pps.k12.or.us
from Front
year, including three for larceny,
one burglary and three
vandalisms.
The property also was the
scene of a death on Saturday,
Feb. 10, when Portland resident
Richard Hinshaw, 56, was found
dead amid the rubble.
Schmautz said no violent or
criminal activity was reported in
Hinshaw’s death from either
natural causes or an drug over­
dose.
Devers said the district keeps
the property fenced and locked at
night with at least one security
guard conducting random on-site
inspections after hours, but that
additional security measures are
the responsibility of the abate­
ment contractor.
Once the demolition is com­
plete, Devers said the goal is to
save a portion of property for a
potential new middle school.
which the school board may decide
to build as district boundaries
change.
The district will then begin ac­
cepting Requests for Proposals
from parties interested in develop­
ing the remainder of the land.
“The process will be similar to
Washington High School, where
public comment is involved, in­
cluding the Concordia Neighbor­
hood Association,” Devers said.
In the past the neighborhood
group had expressed interest in
more affordable housing at the
school’s site, but board chair Katie
Ugolini said they are now inter­
ested in a proposal from Concordia
University, another party involved
in talks.
The university, in the midst of
significant campus expansion from
their location at N.E. 28th and
Holman, is pursuing the possibility
of developing an indoor sports
arena and community center at the
Adams-Whitaker site.
“ W e’re
excited
about
Concordia’s proposal to develop
an indoor activity center for the
collegiate level but also available
for community use,” Ugolini said.
“We want to see if it would be
feasible.”
CNA will meet with neighbors
on March 6 at the Kennedy School
to discuss Concordia’s expansion.
As the building comes down
piece by piece, former students
recall theirexperiences within the
towering white structure that was
barely visible from the surround­
ing neighborhood.
F o rm er O reg o n ian Bill
Murray, who attended Adams
High School from 1972 to 1973,
said he was sad to know there
was no way of saving the build­
ing, with the wrecking ball de­
stroying any chance of him walk­
ing the halls one last time.
“I would like to see at least
some memorial to Adams,” he said,
“maybe a statue of a Patriot?”
...... .......................... I..... .
Jonathan Jasper
W right is elected to
the South Carolina
Supreme Court. He
is the first African
American to hold a
m ajor judicial
position.
Figure skater Debi
Thomas became
the first African
American to w in
the Women's
Singles of the U.S.
National Figure
Skating
Cham pionship.
On this day Henry
Lewis becomes the
first African
American to lead
a sym phony
orchestra in the
United States.
Inventor Edmond
Berger patented
the spark plug.
Novelist Alice
Walker was born in
Eatonton, Georgia.
On this day
Bessie Smith makes
her first recording,
"D ow n Hearted
Blues," w hich sells
800,000 copies for
Colum bia Records.
Former Saint Louis
Cardinals first base-
man Bill W hite is
named president
of the National
League.
Rosa Parks (born
Roas Louise
McCauley) was
born on this day in
Tuskegee, Alabama.
Clifton R. W harton Sr.
confirm ed as
m inister to
Rumania. The first
Black to head a U.S.
embassy in Europe.
Walter E. Fauntroy
was born in Wash­
ington, D.C. He
w e nt on to
become a District
of Colum bia del­
egate to the House
of Representatives.
Southern Christian
Leadership Confer­
ence organized at a
New Orleans
m eeting w ith M ar­
tin Luther King Jr.
as president.
Possible birthday
of Frederick
Douglass, aboli­
tionist and orator.
Born in to slavery,
Douglass w ent
on to become the (
greatest a b o litio n ­
ist of his time.
Otis Boykin,
inventor, patented
the Electrical
Resistor, the device
used in all guided
missiles and IBM
com puters, plus
26 other electronic
devices.
A uthor Ralph
Ellison's novel
Invisible Man wins
the National Book
Award.
Future Nobel Peace
Prize w inner Nelson
Mandela is
released from
prison in South
Africa.
NAACP founded
The National
Association for
The Advancem ent
of Colored
People by 60 black
and w h ite citizens.
Opera singer Marian
Anderson born in
Philadelphia. She
was entered in the
New York Philhar­
m onic C o m pe ti­
tion at age 1 7 and
placed first over 299
other singers.
On this day Toni
M orrison (Chloe
A nthony W offord),
w h o w ill w in the
Pulitzer Prize for
her novel Beloved,
is born in
Lorain, Ohio.
Pan-African
Congress,
organized by
W.E.B. Du Bois, m et
at the Grand Hotel,
Paris. There were
57 delegates.
Death of Frederick
Douglass (78),
Anacostia Heights,
D.C. Douglass was
the leading Black
spokesman for
almost fifty years.
Fifteenth Am end­
m ent guaranteeing
the right to vote
sent to the states
for ratification.
Figure skater Debi
Thomas becomes
the first African
American to w in a
medal (bronze) at
the w in te r O lym pic
Games.
Carter G. W oodson
creates Negro
History Week and it
is observed for the
first tim e. In 1976
it became Black
History M onth.
____________________________J
Eighty leaders of
a bus b o yco tt in
M ontgom ery, Ala.
are charged w ith
consipiracy.
Arrested are Rosa
Parks and M artin
Luther King, Jr.
Baseball catcher
Elston Gene Howard
was born in St. Louis,
Missouri. In 1965,
Howard signed a
$70,000 contract
w ith the NY Yankees.
Rebecca Lee
became the first
black w om an to
receive an M .D.
degree.
Hirm an R. Revels
of Mississippi was
sworn in as first
black U.S. Sena­
to r and first black
Representative in
Congress.
Richard Spikes
invented/patented
the autom atic gear
shift.
February, Black History M onth, highlights only some o f the m any accom plishm ents and contributions o f A frican-A m erican citizens.
Learn m ore about African A m erican History. Libraries, the internet, bookstores, and historical societies are great sources ol inform ation.
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Imrsfine m I'orthind's k mure
PDC
P O R T IA N D D F V E LO P M F N T C O M M IS S IO N
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