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Committed to Cultural Diversity
lune 25. 2OOH
Airmen Want Accurate Portrayal
M etro
Members o f the famous Tuskegee Airmen
work with Director George Lewis on his
new film about the all-black fliers
See story, page B3
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SECTION
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/c o m m u n ity
1 e n d a r
African Drumming & Jazz
Michael Beasley, a star
player on Kansas' NCAA
championship team and
a future No. 1 NBA draft
selection, relaxes during
a practice filmed for the
documentary “Gunnin ’
for that #1 Spot. ” Lake
Oswego’s Kevin Love
and Medford's Kyle
Singler also are profiled
in the movie that follows
a group o f high school
players on the fast track
to the NBA. opening
Friday, June 27 at the
Regal Fox Tower.
Saturday, June 28, at 7 p.m., Warner Pa­
cific College McGuire Auditorium, 2219
S.E. 68 Ave., will host a night where
Ghanaian drumming, dancing and Ameri­
can jazz, featuring Chata Addy & the
Mosaique Band. For tickets, call Beth at
503-348-4306.
Digital Camera Class
Saturday, June 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a
one-day class instructing techniques to
take advantage of all the advanced fea­
tures of your digital camera will be avail­
able at Mt. Hood Community College;
$50 fee. For more information, visit
mhcc.edu.
Community Gardens
Saturday, June 28, Rigler Community
Garden, NE 52 and NE Prescott St., will
host a winter gardening class and work
party from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and on
Saturday, July 12, the John's Community
Garden at N. Edison and N Johns, will
host a garden clean-up and work party
from 9a.m .to 11:30 a.m.
“Introduction to
Digital Photography”
Tuesday, July 8, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
MHCC will offer a course to instruct
prospective photographers the nuances
of selecting the right digital camera and
equipment, topics include white balance,
image quality and resolution; $24 fee, to
registercall 503-491 -7572.
Student Exchange Host Needed
The nonprofit international student ex­
change program, AFS-USA is currently
seeking local volunteers to host students
in high school, volunteers are also needed
as liaisons to work locally with families
and their hosted students; to learn more
visit afs.org/usa/hostfamily.
‘Viva La Raza’ Rebel Reading Circle
Wednesdays, July 2 thru July 30, at 7 p.m.
at the Bread & Roses Center, 819 N.
Killingsworth St., discover the stolen
history of defiant organizing by farm
workers, students and Chicana feminists
in the telling of their dramatic story; for
more information call 503-240-4462.
Camp SCRAP
July 7thruJuly 11,children ages6-10will
learn new skills from local artist at Camp
SCRAP; activities include tile mosaics,
bike part wind chimes, and reuse art
projects all week, with field trips to sev­
eral local rccyclers. Call 503-294-0763 for
discounts and scholarships.
Re-tilling the Soil
Saturday, July 12 the People of Purpose
and Associates will host the celebration of
community spirit and pride to rejuvenate
and reawaken the neglected soil of NE
Portland; for more information contact Larry
Collins at503-839-8676or503-823*4575.
“G unnin’ for that #1 Spot
Film trails players
on the fast track
On the corner of 155th Street and
Frederick Douglas Boulevard in New
York's Harlem lies Rucker Park.
By appearances, the green concrete
pavement, anchored on one side by its run
down slab bleachers, is no different than
any other basketball court in the city, but
this is the place where nicknames are in­
delibly branded, and legends are born.
On Sept. I, 2006, the top 24 high
school basketball players in the nation
stepped out on this same court that
once saw the likes o f W ilt Cham berlain,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Dr. J tocom -
pete in the first annual Boost Mobile
Elite 24 Hoops Classic.
"G unnin' for that #1 Spot," a new
docum entary, follows eight of these
players as they show case their skills at
the most legendary playground in the
world - one th at’s as intense an experi­
ence for NBA professionals as for bud-
ding young talent.
The players include Lake Oswego’s
Kevin Love and M edford's Kyle Singler
along with Jerryd Bayless, M ichael
Beasley, Tyreke Evans, Donte Greene,
Brandon Jennings and Lance Stephenson.
The film trails these players on the fast
continued
on page B4
Bush’s Dentist Comes Home
Navy retiree gives back
by R aymond R endi . eman
T he P ortland O bserver
It would be an understatement to say that Jim
Smith has had an exceptional life.
After graduating from Jefferson High School in
1973, Smith went into the military, later serving in the
Persian Gulf War on an aircraft carrier and becoming
one of the dentists for President George W. Bush.
Now practicing at Kaiser Permanente’s Gresham
Dental Office, the 53-year-old Smith iscommitted to
serving the diverse outer neighborhoods' low-in­
come populations for many years to come.
Sm ith's '81 degree from OHSU’s School of Den­
tistry has been a ticket for a journey that the young
Jefferson grad never thought possible.
Signing on with the Navy, he had considered the
military simply as a way to explore the East Coast.
However, his first duty station placed him with
Marines on the edge of the Mojave Desert in south­
ern California.
Smith did eventually get to settle down for his
family on the East Coast, but in the meantime he
traveled through many other parts of Asia, Europe
and the U.S.
Called onto one of the five aircraft carriers sent to
the Persian Gulf in 1990, Smith had the most difficult,
but professionally rewarding, assignment of his life.
There were four dentists for a crew of about 5,500,
many of whom had a myriad of dental needs volun­
teering from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I had to work very, very hard for six and a half
days a week,” he says.
His opportunity to care for President Bush came
while teaching dentistry at the Bethesda Naval
Hospital. He would make regular trips to Camp
David, where he would see to dental issues of
anyone stationed there.
He graduated high school at the height of Presi­
dent Nixon's Watergate scandal, joined U.S. armed
continued
on page B4
Dr. Jim Smith, who served in the Gulf War
and was one of President George W.
Bush's dentists at Camp David, practices
out o f the Kaiser Permanente Gresham
Dental Office.
photo by S haron O ’K eeee
Advantage Basketball Camp
The Advantage Basketball camp is now
accepting registration for the summer
break camp, the camp will be held July 14-
18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Cedar Park
Middle School, 11100S.W. Parkway St.
For more information, call 800-670-0013.
Buffalo Soldiers Club
The National Association of Buffalo
Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club
is starting a new Portland chapter. The
club promotes family values, community
involvement and educates the public of
the proud history of the 9th and I Oth
Calvary, known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
For more information, call 503-602-4313.
Student Summer Jobs
Portland Public Schools has positions
open for high school students to work as
custouiai helpers. For information, call
503-916-3544 or visit hr.pps.k 12.or.us.
Interstate Farmers Market
The Interstate Farmers Market with its
rich variety of quality fresh local pro­
duce, baked goods, cut (lowers, artisan
cheese, meat and fish, is held each
Wednesday through Sept. 24 from 3 p.m.
to 7 p.m. just off Interstate Avenue be­
tween Overlook Park and the Interstate
Kaiser West Building.
Learn to Swim
Swimming lessons for ages 8 months and
up will be available at the Mt. Hood
Community Col lege Aquatic Center; adult
classes are also available in water aero­
bics, swimming lessons and more; for
more information visit mhcc.edu.
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Ockley Green Revitalization Project
A 16-foot-long vinyl banner for
Ockley Green School on North Inter­
state Avenue had been ripped and
drooping for some time. Community
members decided to look at the need for
a new sign as an opportunity to send a
positive message.
The goal of the Ockley Green Sign
Project is to work with students and the
community to create an artistic sign
that celebrates the school, in addition
to raising awareness of the environ­
mental and social conditions of every­
day places.
Students created a temporary sign
installation this month while taking
down the old vinyl sign amidst an airof
celebration.
For the temporary sign installation,
students have written “Ockley Green
School" using a reflective material on
10-inch-tall letters. The letters reflect
light and color, and also metaphori­
cally arc reflections of the greater com­
munity. Also attached to the backstop,
spinning in the wind, are recycled plas­
tic strips with the hopes and dreams of
students and the community drawn
and written on them.
The permanent steel sign. “Ockley
Green School of Arts and Technol­
ogy." should be ready to be installed in
early summer.
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Northeast Portland artist Peg Butler takes down an old banner for Ockley Green School on North Interstate Avenue
with students Kenny Urom and Olivia Morris. Students and community members also worked on mosaic and
drawing projects at the site.
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