4A | FEBRUARY 13, 2020 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. Sixth St.
Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424
NED HICKSON , MANAGING EDITOR |
Opinion
541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM
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ongress shall make no law respect-
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Political/Election Letters:
LETTERS
Thanks for Hearts on
Main support
You have probably seen the
hearts on Main Street. This was for
Main Street Cottage Grove’s Hearts
on Main fundraiser. We would like
to give a huge Thank You to our
wonderful donors:
Michele Lyn Rose, Alisha Slate,
Danny Solesbee, Simone Johnson,
Amanda Ferguson, Candace Soles-
bee, Shane May, Ruth Linoz, Chal-
ice Savage, Jim Gilroy, Judy Smith,
Marnie Steber, Melanie Stuhlmill-
er, Eddie Bock, Joyce Cameron,
Carmen Dowell, Shanti Rios, Tracy
Laub, Shauna Neigh, Richard Mey-
ers, George Devine, Mandy Bie-
hler, Melany Klemmer, Mike Cum-
mings, Debbie Chalmers, and the
Cottage Grove Police Department.
The funds raised will support the
Main Street Program activities and
events. The Main Street Program
works to ensure that Cottage Grove
has a thriving local economy, is rich
in character and features inviting
public spaces that invoke a feeling
of belonging among residents and
visitors alike.
The program was implemented
to revitalize downtowns that had
fallen into decline.
The interstate system and the
creation of shopping malls had an
adverse effect on our downtowns.
Thanks to the Main Street Pro-
gram, downtowns across America
are springing back to life, and our
community is one of them.
We appreciate the generous do-
nation to the Main Street Program
and support to the revitalization of
Cottage Grove.
—Molly Murai
Main Street Program
Th e message of Rufus Valentine
As I’ve mentioned be-
fore, I lived in the South for
10 years, with six of those
years spent in the suburbs
of Atlanta. In the early
1990s, I was a restaurant
chef operating in one of
Georgia’s largest shopping
malls three stories of glass,
sale banners and merchants
spanning six football fields’
worth of mall space.
As you can imagine, I’ve
dealt with as many person-
alities as there are seats in a
280-capacity dining room.
The fact that Rufus Valen-
tine dug such a deep groove
in my memory should
tell you a little something
about the man’s character .
The first time I saw Ru-
fus Valentine was during
the Braves’ heyday in Feb-
ruary of 1992, when all of
Atlanta was anticipating
the spring and a run at the
World Series. Essentially,
you could be completely
naked; but as long as you
had a Braves cap on you
were considered properly
attired by most Atlantans.
So, when Rufus appeared
in his red tights, heart-
shaped wings and Braves
cap at the west entrance
of the Lenox Square mall
Valentine’s Day weekend,
like most people I assumed
he was there to express his
love for Atlanta’s baseball
team.
At least until I saw the
bow and arrows. But even
then, I could see that he
was harmless; the arrows in
his quiver were tipped with
foam rubber red, of course
and in the shape of hearts.
Considering the date,
I made the connection
and realized we had a
Braves-loving Cupid on
our hands.
I’d dealt with worse
things.
The complaints started
soon after we opened. Since
our restaurant was situated
closest to the mall entrance,
we got the brunt of unhap-
py mall dwellers.
“Hey, there’s some guy
shooting people with rub-
ber arrows out there,” one
of them said, brandishing
the arrow in question and
rubbing his cheek.
With security nowhere
to be found, I decided to
settle the matter myself and
noticed that his black hands
were worn and callused.
His fingernails had dried
to the point of splitting.
He gave me an appreciative
nod and sipped, then blurt-
ed “fettuccini Alfredo.”
He laid the menu down
and pointed to the item, as
if I wouldn’t know it other-
wise.
“Coming right up,” I
said, and took the menu.
As I turned to ring in his
order, I saw him reach for
his quiver.
“Hey,” I said, one hand
on his drawing arm. “Here’s
the deal. No matchmaking
until after lunch.”
From the Editor's Desk
Ned Hickson
strode out the door and
was immediately tagged.
“Got you! Spread the
love, brother,” Rufus said,
as if he’d tossed me a box of
chocolates instead of nail-
ing me with a rubber arrow.
“Excuse me, but you’ll
have to stop with the ar-
rows. My customers are
complaining,” I said.
In that same instant, he
plugged a passerby who
turned and gave me a dirty
look, spouting something
about restaurant promo-
tions getting out of hand.
A sudden ebb in the
shopping current allowed
me to grab his attention.
“Hey, it’s almost noon. How
about lunch on me?”
“What’cha got?”
“Come in and find out,”
I said, ushering him inside
and up to the counter in
hopes of containing him
through the lunch rush.
Sitting there at one of the
stools, his wings protrud-
ing from either side of the
chair back, he drew more
than a few stares.
Handing him a soda, I
He studied me for a mo-
ment, then set his bow on
the counter. “I’m no match-
maker. I’m just tryin’ to
spread the love one brother,
one sister at a time.”
“That’s a nice sentiment;
just don’t do it in here,
OK?” I said, and released
his arm.
I think everyone has
said things they wish they
hadn’t. In the top 10 of
my own regrettable phras-
es, that one ranks right up
there. First, because of my
tactics to control him.
Second, because he
called me on it.
And third, because I
wouldn’t get the chance to
take it back.
With the smell of parme-
san and cream sauce in the
air, this obviously hungry
man stood from the count-
er, grabbed his bow and
quiver, and left the counter.
“People need love more
than I needed fettuccini
Alfredo,” he said, and ex-
ited the restaurant. When
he kept going, I considered
myself lucky.
He could become some-
one else’s headache.
Unfortunately for Rufus
Valentine, that’s exactly
what happened.
When my shift ended,
it was near dusk. Along
the sidewalks, automated
lamps had started hum-
ming to life.
As I approached the
parking tower, I noticed
flashes of red and blue
spilling from the shadows
of the underground level
where I was parked.
The closer I got, the
more patrol cars I saw. At
the edge of the drive, yel-
low crime scene tape had
been strung. Taking a spot
among a crowd of onlook-
ers, I saw a white sheet and,
portruding from beneath
it, the callused hand of Ru-
fus Valentine.
Next to him, his wings
lay in a crumpled pile.
I later learned that Ru-
fus Valentine born Rufus
Jones in 1936 had left the
mall that day and taken
his message to the parking
garage. It was there that he
encountered a street gang
and attempted to “spread
the love.”
He met the faces of prej-
udice and hatred instead.
With the approach of
Valentine’s Day and the
reflection on our nation’s
history of racisim during
Black History Month, he
always comes to mind.
And also, no small mea-
sure of guilt. Had I left him
alone to do his work or
brought him lunch instead,
things might have turned
out differently.
Even though he’s no lon-
ger here to sling his arrows,
I hope we can take his mes-
sage to heart particularly in
these times and spread the
love:
One brother, one sister at
a time.
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the above criteria.
Send letters to:
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
Oregon federal
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@
state.or.us
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• Rep. Cedric Hayden
Republican District 7 State
Representative
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301
Phone: 503-986-1407
Website: www.leg.state.or.
us/hayden
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
state.or.us
• Sen. Ron Wyden
405 East 8th Ave., Suite
2020
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: wyden.senate.gov
Phone: (541) 431-0229
• Sen. Jeff Merkley
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone: 541-465-6750
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