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Established in 1970
www.portlandobserver.com
Volume XXXXI, Number 6
Wednesday • February 9, 2011
Of
ice
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Concordia’s Big Step
University gets
home team
advantage, finally
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
by
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P orti . and O bserver
Concordia University Athletic Director Matt English (right), steps into the construction zone with his student-athletes Odie
Hollingshed (from left), Facundo Dipascuale and Indigo Recker. The northeast Portland college has continued on a
sustained path of expansion by breaking ground this month on a new athletic complex and playing fields.
Within the last few years, community
members, faculty, and the 2,500 students
of Concordia University have watched
their campus bloom into a new and ex­
panded being of higher education. This
month, the northeast Portland university
breaks ground on a long-awaited Com­
munity Athletic Complex, which upon
completion will feature a well-lit, year-
round turf field and facilities for clubs,
camps, kids, and student-athletes.
“I view Concordia as a local gathering
place for the community,” says college
athletic director, Matt English, compar­
ing last year’s opening of Concordia’s
George R. White Library and Learning
Center with the addition of the athletic
complex.
“With the library, people can use the
coffee shop, sign up for library cards, check
out books, and use our conference rooms
for meetings and a place to gather. That’s
continued
on page 25
Activist, Political Leader Writes Memoir
♦
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Avel Gordly isn’t
done with public life
C liff P fenning
T he P ortland O bserver
by
When Avel Gordly retired from the Oregon
Senate in 2009 after nearly two decades in the
state Legislature, she didn’t fully retire from
public life.
As an associate professor in the Portland
State University Black Studies Program, Gordly’s
worked to encourage more minority teachers in
public schools; and next month she will see her
biography published as part of the series Women
and Politics in the Pacific Northwest.
The memoir, “Remembering the Power of
Words: The Life of an Oregon Activist, Legisla­
tor, and Community Leader” recounts the chal­
lenges and struggles Gordly faced growing up in
the 1950s and ‘60s in Portland and her successes
as a college student, professional and public
servant.
That words have power is a constant under­
current in Gordly’s book and a truth she learned
early in life. The publication can be pre-ordered
through amazon.com.
Gordly moved toward public life following the
1988 drive-by killing of Joseph “Ray Ray” W in­
ston, when she became the program director of
the House of Umoja’s local chapter, working to
help at-risk youth. At the same time, she worked
to get civic and political attention for the growing
problem of gang violence in north and northeast
Portland.
In 1992, she ran as a Democrat and was elected
to the Oregon House for District 19, raising a
stunning total of nearly $70,000 for her campaign.
A fter two term s in the House, she won
election to the Senate for District 23, needing
to raise far less for her cam paign. During her
leg islativ e career, she raised m ore than
$ 140,000, although only one contribution was
continued
on page 25