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July 27. 2011
Community Leader Fondly Remembered
‘Doc’ Lewis
broke barriers in
adoptive state
degree from the M eharry M edical
C ollege School o f D entistry in 1948.
In that same year, he married Em ma L.
R ucker and from this union three
children were bom . Em m a passed
aw ay in 1972.
Dr. Booker T. Lewis Jr. died on July
A ffectionately know n as B ooker
20,2011 in Portland at the age o f 88. o r 'Doc' to his m any friends and fam
Bom on July 2, 1923 in Cleveland, ily, he opened his first dental practice
O hio to B ooker T. Sr. and A lice E. in Detroit, Mich., however, Uncle Sam
Lewis, he spent his early years in had other plans and he was called
Buffalo, N.Y. w here he attended el into service with the U nited States
em entary and high school.
Army. Dr. Lew is was the post dentist
He received his B achelor o f Sci at Fort C arson in Colorado, where he
ence degree from Fisk University and reached the rank o f Captain prior to
later earned his D octor o f Dentistry being honorably discharged.
Dr. Booker T. Lewis Jr.
■ t- «
In 1955, Dr. Lew is m oved to Port
land and established a successful
practice. Indeed, he becam e one o f
the pioneers o f m edicine and den
tistry in his new ly adopted state. As
one o f the first black dentists in O r
egon, he served his com m unity until
his retirem ent in 2001.
In 1976, Dr. Lewis m arried G ladys
Lew is and five stepchildren were
added to the fam ily unit. G ladys pre
ceded him in death.
Dr. Lew is m arried D orothy Spen
cer in 1984. The tw o o f them enjoyed
a lovely life together. During their 27
year union, they were devoted to
each other at hom e, in the com m u
nity, and through their love o f the
Lord. As lovely as D orothy's singing
voice is for her church fam ily. Dr.
Lew is had been equally dedicated to
his faith. A sa m em ber o f St. Philip the
D eacon Episcopal Parish since 1955,
he served as a m em ber o f the vestry,
and was a senior w arden, treasurer
and loyal m em ber o f the church usher
board.
Dr. Lewis was actively involved
with num erous civic organizations,
com m unity initiatives and clubs. He
was a true trailblazer. Just to m ention
a few o f his accom plishm ents, he was
the first black m em ber o f the Portland
City Club, the first black j udge for the
R ose Festival Court, and the first
black m em ber o f Portland's U niver
sity Club.
IMPOSS
The h a rd e s t p a rt a b o u t g o in g to c o lle g e is g e ttin g s ta rte d . Learning
a b o u t the steps needed, a ffo rd a b ility and ultim a tely reaching your
career goals can, at first, seem a little unrealistic. But
now it's easier than ever to g e t started. That's because
there are counselors available to assist you w ith
e ve ryth in g from the process o f enrollin g to financial
aid o p tio n s and career guidance.
Call O regon's to ll-fre e C ollege Line at 1-877-848-4669
or visit the State o f O regon w ebsite at w w w .O re g o n O p p o rtu n itie s .
g o v to g e t the resources to help adu lt learners access training or
degree program s at O regon colleges and universities. A nd help make
your dream o f g oing to college a reality.
College. It's possible now.
Sponsored by the State of Oregon
Dr. Lewis was also one o f the
founders and board m em bers o f
O regon's first black bank, A m erican
State B ank (form erly Freedom Bank
o f Finance). Also, he was one o f the
founders o f the O regon chapter o f
V
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O m ega PSI PH I fraternity.
A n avid golfer, Dr. Lew is w on
m any g o lf tournam ents across the
country. He also was a m em ber o f the
Leisure H our G o lf C lub w here he
served as a m entor to encourage
youth to enjoy the gam e he loved so
much. In addition, Dr. Lew is w as a
m em ber o f the O regon - W ashington
Football C lub and was honored by
the Portland Trail Blazers during Black
History M onth in 2006. He was, also,
a m em ber o f Friends o f Chri stians and
Jews.
A m ong the w onderful attributes
for w hich Dr. Lew is has been know n
throughout his lifetim e are that he is
well regarded as a man who was com
passionate, good-natured and alw ays
a gentlem an. M oreover, his kindness,
great sense o f hum or, and m arvelous
dedication to justice tow ard every
one in his com m unity and through
out the w orld will be fondly rem em
bered.
Left to cherish his m em ory are his
wife D orothy S. Lew is, sister Helen
H arris, daughters R osalind C urry
(Cicero) and Patricia A. Lew is, son
Fredrick M. Lewis, five stepchildren,
six grandchildren, three great grand
children, a nephew — w ho is also a
fellow dentist— Dr. C lyde H arris
(Kim), and a host o f nieces, nephew s,
cousins and dear friends.
A funeral will be held at 10 a.m.,
Thursday, July 28, at St. Philip the
D eacon Episcopal C hurch, 120 N.E.
Knott St., with the interment to follow
at W illamette National Cemetery. The
view ing will be at Rose City Funeral
H om e on W ednesday, July 27 from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
a
_ Week in
The Review
Wu Resigns from Congress
U.S. Rep. D avid W u, a
D em ocrat from O regon,
said Tuesday that he will
resign after seven-term s
from Congress after alle
gations that he had unw anted sexual
contact with a teenage girl. A lthough
W u said he will fight the serious
allegations, he announced his resig
nation will take place as soon as the
debt ceiling fight in W ashington
com es to an end. Rep. N ancy Pelosi
o f C alifornia called for an ethics in
vestigation on M onday.
Mass Killer Admits Guilt
The self-described per
petrator o f m ass killings
in N orw ay told authori
ties that he expects to
spend the rest o f his life
in prison. A nders Behring Breivik
has admitted bombing N orw ay'scapi-
tal and opening fire on a political
youth group retreat killing at least 76
people, but he entered a plea o f not
guilty, saying he acted to save E u
rope from M uslim immigration.
Plastic Bags Banned
In an effort to curb pollution, the
Portland City Council approved an
o rd in a n c e on T h u rsd a y b an n in g
m ost plastic bags at m ajor grocery
stores and big box outlets. Proposed
by M ayor Sam A dam s, the ban goes
into effect Oct. 15. Exem pt are plastic
bags for produce, m eat and bulk food,
as well as dispensing medicine.
Arrested for Bias Crime
P ortland Police arrested
a 21 -y ear-o ld m an S u n
day after tw o m ales with
arm s around each other
w ere insulted w ith a n ti
gay slurs at L ovejoy Park, d o w n
tow n. D illan Joseph C ashm an was
ch arg ed w ith intim idation and a s
sault. P olice say one o f the victim s
ap p ro ach ed C ashm an to tell him his
rem arks w ere ou t o f line, w hich is
w hen C ashm an is accused o f a s
saulting him .
Amy Winehouse Dead
A funeral w as held on T u esday to
co m m em o rate the life o f soul-jazz
diva A m y W inehouse, w ho w as
found dead on S aturday at h er hom e
in northern L ondon after struggling
w ith addiction. A n au to p sy held
M onday failed to d eterm ine w hat
cau sed h er death