Archive for personalities

Interviewing Ursula Le Guin

The death of Ursula Le Guin on January 22 made me sad over our loss of the doyenne of Portland writers, but also put me in a nostalgic mood for the day in 1991 that I interviewed her for a People magazine profile. My story ran on November 18 of that year.

She invited me to her home on Northwest Thurman Street, where we sat outside and talked about her childhood. Raised by anthropologists who were particularly interested in nearly extinct Native American tribes, Ursula remembered a home that was full of activity from her three brothers and from a constant stream of Indians, one of whom, Ishi, was the subject of her mother’s famous book, Ishi in Two Worlds.

She showed me where she usually sat to write, on her porch overlooking the Willamette River. She wrote longhand on tablets and later entered her writing onto her computer in her office, which was on the top floor of the sprawling house.

As we parted, I asked if there was someone from whom she would like me to request a quote. She answered, “Joyce Carol Oates.” I gulped, said, “No problem,” and later panicked. I had no idea how to reach her. Fortunately, at the same time that I was a People correspondent, I was also a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s Leisure & Arts Page. I called my editor there, Ray Sokolov.

No problem, he said. He and Joyce were currently both on a Pulitzer Prize judging panel and he could give me her home number. “Don’t tell her where you got the number,” he said.

Later I called Ursula to tell her how enthusiastic Ms. Oates had been about her. She was very pleased, but confessed, “I haven’t read a single thing by her!” As an afterthought, she said, “Don’t tell anybody!”

Shortly before the article was to be published, I got a frantic call from a People magazine copy editor. The photographer hadn’t provided much information about where he had photographed Ursula, and they were wondering the name of the “huge mountain” Ursula was sitting near. I knew that she had taken the photographer to her cabin at Cannon Beach, but nobody had said anything to me about going to the mountains for photos.

That was before the Internet, however, so the editor couldn’t share the photo with me electronically. I had to wait until the magazine hit the stands. I hurried to Rich’s Cigar Store, opened a copy and saw Ursula sitting in front of . . . Haystack Rock.

As Ursula would have said, with a sad shake of her head, “Those Easterners!”

Farewell, Thomas Vaughan

Thomas Vaughan caricature

Thomas Vaughan caricature

Yesterday I attended the memorial service for Tom Vaughan, who was the director of the Oregon Historical Society for 35 years. The service was held just across the street from OHS, at the First Congregational Church. Vaughan died December 6, at the age of 89.

The guest list was a regular Who’s Who of powerful Oregonians, including Governor John Kitzhaber. They had rubbed shoulders regularly with Vaughan, who made sure that Oregon’s history was everyone’s business. One of the speakers was Jack Ohman, former editorial cartoonist at The Oregonian and now at the Sacramento Bee. A caricature he made of his friend Vaughan before Ohman departed for California was on display in the lobby of the Oregon Historical Society. The voice bubble had Vaughan saying, “I am a man of few words.” And then a second bubble: “. . . Let me elaborate.”

Kerry Tymchuk, OHS Director, at memorial

Kerry Tymchuk, OHS Director, speaking at memorial

Vaughan was famous for his conversation skills and his very deep and very slow voice. He was definitely a card-carrying member of the S.T.O.A., the association invented in an old Bob & Ray comedy routine, the Slow Talkers of America. I interviewed him many years ago for a column I did for The Oregonian’s short-lived Kids’ Page. I hope a lot of kids did read the interview. He really brought the Lewis & Clark Expedition alive, talking about the fact that most of the members of the Corps of Discovery were mere boys having the greatest adventure of their lives.

Later, after Vaughan retired from OHS and was succeeded by a man who was, to put it succinctly, a poor fit, I wrote a cover story for the Northwest Magazine about the state of trauma that prevailed at the Oregon Historical Society after Vaughan’s long tenure came to a close. He was a true gentleman in that, although I’m sure he had strong feelings about the shortcomings of his successor, he declined to be interviewed for my article.

It’s hard to imagine a man who is a better symbol of the spirit of Oregon, unless it is Dr. John McLoughlin, who is known as the Father of Oregon. I say, let there be two Fathers of Oregon!