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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 2012)
®*!* ^Portiani» ©baeruer July 25. 2012 Page 9 vancouver East County Beaverton Alberta North Portland Instructor Plays Pivotal Role Oregon Music Hall Honors Calvin Walker by T eresa L ane The Oregon Music Hall of Fame will honor Mt. Hood Community College’s Calvin Walker for his pivotal role in the Portland music scene. A local musician since the late 1960s, Walker I « now works in the Academic Advising and Transfer Center at MHCC, where he helps students reach their goals. Walker is a jazz musician and plays key board, drums and trumpet and sings with various groups throughout the area. He has played with Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Com pany, Cruise Control, Shirley Nanette and in his own band first called Calvin and the Conquerors O rches tra. He has opened for the innovative trum pet player Miles Davis, as well as the Tem p tations and Lou Rawls. “It’s a great honor to be inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame,” says Walker. “With all the thousands of musicians in Or egon, just to be recognized is really cool.” The induction ceremony and concert will take place Oct. 6,7 p.m. at the Aladdin Theatre. Walker will perform with an all-star band that Future Oregon Music Hall of Famer Calvin Walker helps students reach their evening. For the past nine years, Walker has been on goals as an adviser at Mt. Hood Community College. staff at MHCC, first as the developmental direc tor for the KM HD 89.1 jazz radio station, and then as a student adviser. O f his current position. W alker says, “My favorite thing is when a student is ready to graduate. You couldn’t ask for a greater re ward than that.” He likens the feeling to the standing ovations he received as a perform er. Though the two appear different. Walker says he finds similarities between music and advising. "In each one of them you give,” he states. “There’s just so much more satisfaction in seeing some one satisfied than sitting around waiting to be satisfied yourself.” Through his travels as a musician, Walker played at jazz clubs and music festivals across the Northwest. He was the first person to perform at the refurbished and renamed Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. He even had the opportunity to play at the Vortex music festival in 1970, Portland’s answer to the 1969 Woodstock festival. “It was all crazy at that time,” he reminisces of his time on the road. At 60 years old, music is still a large part of his life. In between the rewarding experiences at M HCC and his garden at home, he continues to play music and produce recordings and videos through his company Nacawana Projects Pro ductions. “I’ve been blessed enough to play all these years,” he says. Walker joins the ranks of other musicians from MHCC who have been inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, including Patrick Lamb, a saxophone player and music business consult ant. Charles Jordan Center Dedicated « Charles Jordan, a former Portland Parks and Recreation Director and City Commissioner, was honored Sunday when the University Park Community Center in north Portland was officially renamed in his honor. The Portland City Council voted unanimously on June 6 to rename the facility for Jordan, a nationally-renowned African-American leader. “Charles Jordan is a champion who’s connected generations of children and families to their parks. One of his most memorable sayings is, ‘W e’re more than fun and games’ - reminding us all of the importance that recreation programs play in building good citizens and thriving communi ties,” said City Commissioner Nick Fish. Decades ago, Jordan won voter approval to turn the run-down building - which had been built to house shipyard workers in the former Vanport in the 1940s - into a thriving center for community life. Today, the center bears his name as one of the best and most-visited community centers in Portland. “I draw great inspiration from this amazing man,” says current Parks and Recreation Director Mike Abbaté. “I am humbled to follow in his footsteps.” Fernando Fantroy o f Portland Parks and Recreation shows off his fine work, the sign for the Charles Jordan Community Center. . . .
