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No. 43, June 2002
Roll on Columbia
Updates and memories
by Michael Majdic
I've been asked to give a bit of an update on our Woody Guthrie project "Roll
on Columbia: Woody Guthrie and the Bonneville Power Administration." I
think it's fair to say it's been our most successful project to date.
(see http://libweb.uoregon.edu/med_svc/wguthrie/index.html)
Among the highlights:
- Broadcast on PBS affiliates nationwide, including those in
Seattle, San
Francisco, Salt Lake, Toledo, Memphis, New Orleans, Miami, Milwaukee,
Buffalo, Chicago, New York, Tampa, Detroit, Denver, and statewide in
Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
- Official selection at the Dover Film Festival in New Jersey, the
Arizona
International Film Festival in Tucson, the Ajijic Festival Internacional
de Cine in Mexico, the Green Reel Film Festival in Hollywood, the Myhelan
Indie Film Festival in New Jersey, the Telluride IndieFest 2K in
Colorado, the Northwest Film & Video Festival in Portland, the Cripple
Creek Film Festival in Colorado and the da Vinci Film & Video Festival in
Corvallis.
- Receiving a $50,000 grant from the Arkay Foundation of California to
distribute 1,000 copies to colleges and universities nationwide, (kudos
to Lynette Boone and Katy Lenn for a very nice online study guide.)
- The Museum of Broadcast Communications at the Chicago Cultural Center
in Chicago requested a copy for their archives.
- Awards include third place in the 2002 International Broadcast Education
Association Festival of Film, Video and Media Arts; Bronze Finalist
Award, Telly Awards; First Place "Gold Camera", US International
Film & Video Festival; Platinum Best of Show, Aurora Awards; Honorable
Mention, Columbus International Film & Video Festival; Award of Excellence,
Aegis Awards; Award of Distinction, Videographer Awards; Best of Oregon
Award, da Vinci Film & Video Festival; Finalist, The New York Festivals
International Film & Video Festival; and Crystal Award of Excellence,
Communicator Awards.
- Reviewed and/or interviewed for the Register-Guard, the Peoria (IL)
Times-Observer, Willamette Week , the Oregonian, "The Bill Gallagher
Show" on KPAM Portland, the Okemah (OK) News Leader, KKNG-FM Oklahoma
City, the Colorado Springs Gazette, Oregon Quarterly, Oregon Outlook, the
Green Man Review, "Civic Blues" on WNTI Hackettstown, New Jersey, on
KPLU Seattle, Mother Jones magazine, on "Northwest Passage" on KLCC,
Library Journal magazine and Voice of Youth Advocates magazine.
- Also screened at Portland Art Museum's Northwest Film Center, the
Fishtrap Writers Conference, the Woody Guthrie Free Folk Festival in
Okemah, the Hobo Rendezvous Music & Poetry Festival in Elko, the
University Film & Video Association Annual Conference in Colorado, The
Northwest Film Forum/Experience Music Project in Seattle,
the Willamette Valley Folk Festival,the Northwest Folklife Film Festival
in Seattle, the 15th Annual Visual Communication Conference and the
Washington State History Museum.
All of these honors are, of course, very nice, but I think I'll always
remember the personal moments more. Things like interviewing Studs
Terkel, discussing FDR, and then capturing him on tape saying, "but that
Truman, he was the most over-rated son-of-a-bitch we've ever had as
President." I always thought highly of Truman, but I let it pass.
Couldn't find a way to use that in the final edit, much as I'd have
liked. We should make a countdown out of that bite.
We also interviewed Herta Ware down in L.A. Yes, you do know her -- she
was married to Will Geer (grandpa on The Waltons) and they knew Woody
and Mary Guthrie during the period we were researching. She is also an
actress in her own right -- played Jack Gilford's wife in Cocoon, the
one who dies. Anyway, Denise, Andy and I were there, and we called her
from our motel to confirm before going out to her home. She said she was
still willing to be interviewed, but only if I would drive her to the
studio afterwards for a costume fitting. I agreed, of course, and we went
out to her home in Topanga Canyon. Sure enough, it was in the middle of
nowhere, somewhat unkept, and we recorded the most bizarre interview I've
ever witnessed. I mean, she was a very, very nice lady, but nothing she
said made any sense. We'd ask about Woody, and she'd tell us about the
time she got off a train in Chicago to buy a paper, accidently left her
baby on board, and the train left the station without her, (a story confirmed
by several others.) I don't even remember the question, but here's a direct
quote from her in response: "Well, we were in New York. We had been in
New York. We lived in New York. But we had come to California, so actually
we were living in California.....it was terrible, but it wasn't bad."
Huh???? It was all like that. To this day I can remember sitting there
and thinking, how long until we can leave and still be polite? Denise
was actually doing the interview, and I was running camera, and she'd
look over at me and her eyes were sceaming "help!!!!!" -- but this interview
was in another dimension. From the transcript: "You know I used to do
a whole show all by myself and I'm gonna do it again, but when you listen
to the CD I don't do it with my guitar because I have a guitar and I've
used it, but I've stopped doing it." And: "He said Will . . . oh, I called
Will Geer, my husband, I called him Bill, so you just have to get used
to that. But he said 'this person you're going to get interested in. I
know you that you will, Will.' He called him Will. 'I know that you will.'"
So finally we finish. But now I have to drive her to the studio. And as
we're rolling along the L.A. freeways, on our way to Hollywood, I'm thinking,
allright, this woman is delusional. She probably hasn't had a gig for
15 years. Nobody's expecting us, we're going to look look idiots, the
three of us escorting this crazy old woman into the studio for a job that
doesn't exist. We'll probably get arrested for trespassing somehow. But
they were indeed expecting her, and thanked us profusely for getting her
there. On the way back to her place she told me I was a great driver and
she could get me a job as a chauffeur in L.A. if I ever got tired of Oregon.
Diversity Doings
If you missed out on the May 22nd, Library Diversity
Committee-sponsored showing of the video The Way Home in the Knight
Browsing Room, you
missed out on a rare opportunity to get together with seventeen staff
members
who viewed the video and participated in a frank discussion on race and
racism afterward.
The video, produced by The Women's Video Project, featured sixty-four women
from a cross section of cultures in America and separated into councils
of Indigenous, Latina, African-American, European-American, Jewish, Multi-racial,
Asian and Arab descent. Each council of women shared their own experiences
of oppression and racism.
Watching the video left us all with mixed feelings of sadness and
anger for the situations that had left these women looking for acceptance
and
struggling with their own identities. I appreciated the candor of each
person that participated in the group discussion afterward. Each
testimony helped us learn interesting new things about each other and I
was left
with the reassurance that while we are all different people, we share a
common goal of acceptance.
If you would like to view The Way Home (VIDEOTAPE 04507) on your own,
you can check out the copy that is in the Knight Library's Reserve and
Video Room Collection.
--submitted
by Rose Thomas
FROM THE FACT FILE: ANNOUNCING THE WINNER
Naming Johnny One-Name
In our May issue, we tested your knowledge of musicians who are known by a
single, one-word name. A dozen of you correctly identified all ten of
these stars of the music world, so we had to call upon our team of File
File staffers to select one winner by lot. The winner is Audrey Lee
of Preservation and Binding, who will be receiving a $5.00 gift
certificate for purchases at the University of Oregon Bookstore. The
others who sent in perfect submissions: Bill Murray, Rick
Peterson, Debi Baker, Stacy DeHart, Audra Loyal,
Susan Stumpf, Susan Mincks, Lara Nesselroad,
Andrew R. Bonamici, Jen Lindsay, and David Landazuri (aka
"El Invisible").
Congratulations to all!
You can revisit the clues in From
the Fact
File, in the May issue of LSA News. The answers:
1. Enya
2. Tweet
3. Liberace
4. Sting
5. Jewel
6. Cher
7. Björk
8. Prince (or the Artist, formerly known as Prince)
9. Madonna
10. Bono
A Thank you to LSA
The following letter to the Library Staff Association came from the
Santiam Pass Ski Patrol at Hoodoo Ski Area:
Dear Library Staff Association Members:
On behalf of Santiam Pass Ski Patrol, I want to ackowledge and thank
you for your generous contribution in the amount of $50.00 which has
been deposited into the Terry Smith Memorial Fund. Money collected in
this fund will be used to purchase a substantial, long-lasting piece
of rescue or training equipment in Terry's name.
Your support for the activities of Santiam Pass Ski Patrol in Terry's
memory will help outdoor enthusiasts not only at Hoodoo Ski Area, but
in the greater Santiam Pass Recreational Area as well.
Sincerely,
Robert Freund
Treasurer
Santiam Pass Ski Patrol
Spring Tea Party!
 On
May 15 we honored this year's retirees and others at our annual Spring
Tea. Our retirees this year were (are) Joanne Halgren 
and Stacie Jasper  .
We also recognized Salli-Jo Osborn and Jan Roberson, who left us during
the past year. A few more faces from the past 
joined a great many well-wishers and tea-drinkers of current library
standing.
Photo album
After the tea, we received this thank-you, to share with all:
To All of you in the UO Library System:
What more can one say to such wonderful friends,
Except that the feeling of love never ends.
In living each day, while there's so much to do,
It helps warm my heart when I think of you.
I'll always remember your kindness and care,
And all of the wonderful times I had there.
And though there are times when we don't all agree,
That's the wonderful difference that makes "you" and "me."
Though life may be busy & keep us apart,
You always will be held close in my heart.
Thanks for the special attention you've shown,
I know that because of you ALL I have grown!
May life bring you treasures beyond this old earth,
May all of you realize how much you are worth!
With love and affection, it's now time to go,
Until we meet next, with love, Salli-Jo.
Adventures in Rock-Climbing
 On
May 24, several library staff attended the rock-climbing event in the
fitness center at 15th and University. Pictures can be found here.
For those who couldn't make it, here is a brief synopsis of the fun
had by all, from comments by Dave Peterson at this event:
The American Alpine Club Library:
"Established in 1916, the AAC Library is the oldest alpine research
facility in the United States -- containing one of the largest mountaineering
literary collections in the world. The Library includes current and
historical materials on mountaineering and related subjects through
book collection, journals, photographs, maps, and videos. Located in
Golden, Colorado (w/three branch collections in CA and Wyoming) the
collection has over 10,000 books devoted to mountaineering/rock climbing.
The AAC Library has subject strengths in Mount Everest and the Himalayas,
guide books, the Alps, mountaineering history, over 200 journals (many
foreign titles); a rare book collection dating from the 16th Century
and a Himalayan Library of approximately 3,000 books on the 14 highest
mountains of the world." (I have contact info if you'd like) (source
web: mountaincenter - org)
Been to an interesting conference?
For instance, a big chunk of the readership of this newsletter was
definitely at a conference a week or so ago, and while it may not seem
like if eveyone was there, there's a need to share, perhaps you went
to a particularly interesting meeting or roundtable or something, or
maybe you even had an adventure unrelated to the conference while you
were there. Anyone? Send
us a brief report for publication in the next newsletter. Thanks!
Kudos
...to Faye Chadwell on being elected the president of OLA.
...to the large contingent in Access Services who've quit smoking
in the last 6 months.
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