The Columbia Press
8
February 4, 2022
Events
Quartet raises money for PAC
Art show features fire, light
Fire and Light: Five + Four,
a group art exhibition, can be
viewed at the Clatsop Com-
munity College Royal Ne-
beker Art Gallery.
The exhibit showcases the
talents of Clatsop Communi-
ty College faculty and a selec-
tion of local artists.
Included are faculty works
by Richard Rowland (ceram-
ics), Kristin Shauck (paint-
ing, drawing, design), David
Homer (photography), Ben
Rosenburg
(printmaking),
and Lucien Swerdloff (graph-
ic design). Local artists fea-
tured are Annie Eskelin, Glen
Herman, Peter Korchnak and
Randy McClelland.
The collection, which can
be seen through May 6, fea-
tures works of art captured in
a moment, in flashes of light.
An artists reception is
scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb 17.
The gallery reception and ex-
hibit are free and open to the
public. The gallery is at 1799
Lexington Ave., Astoria, and
is accessible by the handi-
capped.
The Oyster Crackers
The Oyster Crackers, a
harmonious folk quar-
tet with members from
Long Beach, Wash., and
Astoria, will perform a
benefit concert at 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 13, at the
Charlene Larsen Center
for the Performing Arts,
588 16th St., Astoria.
Rita Smith, Christl
Mack, Bette Lu Krause
and Phyllis Taylor per-
form with guitar, cello,
and fiddle while offering
songs of hope and inspi-
ration, an eclectic mix of
Americana, Celtic and
original music.
The group has been
together three years
and recently produced
a CD of original mu-
sic called The Oyster
Crackers “Home Grown
Pearls.”
Tickets are $17 and
available through part-
nersforthepac.org or by
calling 503-338-9132.
Seating is socially dis-
tanced, and masks and
proof of vaccination are
required.
Jackson: Even death a struggle for homeless man
Continued from Page 1
Ben Rosenberg’s “The Fisher-
man,” a watercolor
and didn’t panhandle or
bother others.
He did not like doctors, had
not been vaccinated and re-
fused medical treatment after
he developed severe COVID
symptoms two weeks ago,
Dennis Dunn said.
“We came home from
church and he was laying on
the couch. I thought he was
better because he was sleep-
ing.”
But he wasn’t sleeping. In-
stead, he’d joined the throngs
of people who have died from
an illness that has ravaged
the world.
According to the Dunns,
Jackson grew up in the fos-
ter care system. When he was
old enough, he set his sights
on joining the Army, but was
rejected.
He’d been working at Cost-
co in Tigard when everything
changed on April 17, 2007.
His girlfriend kicked him
out and he dealt with his grief
by taking a long walk to clear
his head. But then he kept on
walking – leaving his home,
his job, and all stability. With
his few belongings packed
into a Costco shopping cart,
Jackson set off on foot for
Salem, then Lincoln City,
to Florence, and then north
along the coast.
He found solace in a dug-
out at Warrenton’s Robin-
son Community Park and
lived there for several years.
Warrenton Christian Church,
where LeRoy Dunn is an el-
der, allowed Jackson to sleep,
shower and store his belong-
ings in the church basement
until the space was needed
for expanded children’s pro-
grams.
He endured prejudice both
as a homeless person and a
black man.
His favorite park bench and
dugout were vandalized with
the words “Nigger,” “Mon-
key,” and “loser,” he told
Dunn in 2014. His cart was
thrown into a ravine and his
belongings destroyed.
“Every day I say, ‘Lord, give
me strength.’ I need help to
make it every day,” Dunn
quoted Jackson in the profile.
“… When they stole my boots,
I was drained. Nowhere in
the Bible does it say, ‘Give up
now.’ But I’m tired. The fight
in this dog is gone.”
His final resting place is
in the hands of the Clatsop
County Medical Examin-
er’s Office. No services are
planned.