Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
Mothers Day News By Leanne Italie Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Moms. Everybody has one. Not everybody remembers to thank them when it’s well deserved. In time for Mother’s Day, Lisa Erspamer takes care of that in her third “letter” book, a series of collected missives that has already covered some written by death of her dad that inspired her to put together “A Letter to My Mom,” out April 7 from Crown Arche- type. “My father died many, many years ago and when he was on his death bed he wrote all of us letters. After he passed, my mother gave them to us. It’s just a really powerful thing to get,” she said. “I realized the one thing we don’t get from ‘I think of moms as our first love. They are the first person that we bond with’ – Lisa Erspamer humans to their dogs and cats. The former TV executive and a team from her Los Angeles production compa- ny decided on 64 letters balanced between everyday sons and daughters and celebrities. She told The Associated Press in a recent interview it was actually the people often is how they really feel.” Besides, she added: “I think of moms as our first love. They are the first per- son that we bond with.” Enjoy these excerpts from some of the book’s celebrity kids to the women who raised them: Will.I.Am Of Mom Debra Cain Thank you for designing me ... Thank you for program- ming me ... Thank you for developing me ... Thank you for installing morals in my system ... Monica Lewinsky Of Mom Marcia Straus If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t still be here. It’s true. Without your love and support during the mael- strom of 1998, I don’t think I would have made it through the Starr investigation and the long shadow of the debilitating aftermath. To be sure, survival those first few weeks — drowning in a sea of fear, humiliation and dev- astation — would have been unimaginable had you not tended to me as only a mother could — as only you could. Dr. Phil Mcgraw Of His Late Mom Geraldine Mcgraw In my entire life, there was never a single day that my dad told me he was proud of me and not a single day that you didn’t tell me. ... I still do my best to not disappoint you. Not that I ever really could. People often joked that I could set the house on fire and you’d jump in to say, ‘Oh, he probably just a needs a nap. It’s OK!’ Cat Cora Of Mom Virginia Lee Cora You dragged us to church every single Sunday when I know we obnoxiously whined, you dyed red Greek Orthodox eggs on Easter when all the other kids had pastels, and you always told us the truth even when it meant you had to deal with our backlash. And you never let us quit. Although I do wish you would have let me quit piano because all I could play was ‘Music Box Dancer’ after 7 years of les- sons. I guess you made up for it with all the cooking lessons. Josh Groban Of Mom Lindy Groban Raising me wasn’t easy. I was odd, I was hyper, and sometimes I spoke in my PHOTO BY CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP, FILE Dr. Phil to Cat Cora: Celebs thank their Moms In Letters In a Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 file photo, Will.i.am arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby theatre in Los Angeles. Will.i.am is a contributor to a Mothers Day book of letters from celebrity kids to the women who raised them, by Lisa Erspamer. the former tV executive and a team from her Los Angeles production company decided on 64 letters balanced between everyday sons and daughters and celebrities. native Martian tongue. But you were ever-patient, ever- loving and emotionally connected to me in that way that was telekinetic. As an art teacher and art lover you exposed me to a world I now feel fortunate to call my home. As a realist you never let me dream without the steadfastness and work ethic to back it up. Sunday Parkways Begins on Mother’s Day The City of Portland Sunday Parkways presented by Kaiser Permanente begins the season with a traffic-free route in East Portland for bicycling, strolling and playing in the streets this Sunday, Moth- er’s Day, May 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This family-friendly free event also is the kick off to Active Transportation Week, which the Portland City Council has designated to be celebrated from May 10 to 16. The council proclamation, introduced by Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick, recognizes Portland as a platinum-rated bicycle- friendly city and the role bicycling plays in the city’s and people’s health. Active Transportation Week encourages all Portlanders regardless of age, income, ability or location to enjoy a healthy active lifestyle by walking, strolling, bicycling and otherwise using human power to travel and play. The East Portland Sunday Parkways route runs along some of the City’s newest neighborhood greenways, resi- dential streets with low speed limits that are marked with bicycle symbols on the pavement. Sunday Parkways is a series of five free community events opening the city’s largest public space – its streets – for people to walk, bike, roll and discover See PARKWAYS on page 10 May 6, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 9
