Front Street Weekly; 317

The following program is a rebroadcast of Front Street Weekly which aired earlier this year. Oregon Public Broadcasting presents Front Street Weekly, a television magazine featuring news and arts coverage from an Oregon perspective with ?Winnith Gamble? and Jim Swinson. Good evening. I'm with ?Gwinnith? Campbell welcome to Front Street Weekly.

I'm Jim Swanson and here's a preview of some of tonight's stories. Oregon ranked 6th in the nation in total bank robberies and third nationally per capita. Tonight we'll investigate why that rate is so high and what's being done to change it. I couldn't do anything else that I could think of to get any money and survive on. I had some friends who are also fugitives so I teamed up with them to rob banks. One of the most progressive Indian reservations in the country is located in Warm Springs. Many dramatic changes are taking place there in the past 50 years. Changes that have vaulted these Indians from poverty to prosperity. We'll visit two of the Oregonians nationally known editorial cartoonists past and present. A lot of their work is drenched in acid. They draw blood. They scrape your skin and they make you angry. And if you're feeling under the weather in ?Yancala? chances are you'll go see ?Lydia? Amery one of Oregon's more unusual doctors.

Song of the earth a unique publication created by Oregonians is receiving praise nationwide. Meet an innovative group of people who set out to prove that high quality printing is an art form. And finally we'll find out what keeps kids coming to an old time kiddie show. Oregon's bank robbery rate is now running among the highest in the nation. In spite of both traditional and innovative solutions to solve the problem. Tonight we take a look at the reasons behind the unenviable statistics. I can. Do anything else I could think to get any money to survive on. Had some friends who are also fugitives So I teamed up with them to rob banks. Most of us don't resort to such extreme measures to get money, but there seem to be many who do. And their numbers are growing in Oregon. Attention all units we have a 91 new Far West Federal Hollywood branch We have a description of a white male 5'11, 6 foot, slender build 145 who was wearing a red stocking mask plaid

shirt blue jeans white tennis shoes. He was armed with a small silver revolver and last seen on foot. Bank robberies in the state are now at an all time high. Some call it an epidemic. Oregon ranked sixth in the nation in the number of bank robberies and third per capita. Obviously something has happened over the years because in 1950 to 1955 there were no bank robberies in the state of Oregon. We've gone from that period of time in five years with no robberies up to 243 in the year 1983. Well let's put it this way, I don't like to rob people. And most of the people I know don't like to rob people my muggers. People with on little stories because you're taking their money from them. And banks, it's the government's money. The government is the people that have been. Tormenting me all my life. So I don't feel any qualms about taking their money.

But why are people like Forrester robbing banks in Oregon in record numbers. There are different theories. Just generally and this may be true of other areas as well. There are many many branch banks that probably don't have real good security. And this may offenders also know that they will. They won't meet with any resistance in the event they attempt to rob a bank. There are probably a number of factors one being that the criminal justice system in Oregon does not seem to be that restrictive that difficult. And I think that word gets around. I think the criminals know that our courts are not punishing them severely. The problem it's not that the money is there and it's being given away. The problem is that people are out there that come and take it and we have to address that problem I think as much as we can. The people we deal with have past- prior, either federal or state convictions. And I think that pretty well speaks for itself as to the effectiveness of the

justice system. It's just not getting the job done. And why are people with past criminal records back out of prison and robbing banks. FBI agent Dorwin Shrader has his own theory of some of the controlling factors may be in the penal system in Oregon recent years has not had room, nor the facilities, to detain convicted felons that have been involved in robberies in the past. And then they seem to graduate to two bank robberies and we've seen them over and over again like most other bank robbers. This isn't Forresters first time in prison. He's had a long history of crimes in the state of Oregon including two charges of first degree robbery and a charge of possession of heroin. Well first time I went to see if. I could check. Came here first time for. Burglary, restaurant. And then I

then I came back here for robbing a Safeway store. And then again in Lane county for possession of heroin charge. Also like most other bank robbers, Forster was a fugitive when he robbed this U.S. National Bank on April 30th 1980. He was a member of the notorious Steven Michael Kestler gang, a group of professional bank robbers. All of the robbers were armed. They had three handguns and a submachine gun, a smoke bomb. They had gloves, masks, and they were heavily disguised. They carried bags they robbed all of the tellers, the drive in window, and they tried to get into the vault. Forester is currently serving time in Oregon state prison for his state robbery conviction and then will be moved to a federal facility for the rest of his sentence. But Turner admits that Forester is typical, he'll be out on the streets and likely committing the same crime again within two to six years despite a sentence of over 13 years.

So I'm not so concerned about the amount of time it's imposed as I am about the amount of time that serves both in the federal system and the state system that's something that the prosecutor can't control. The parole board determines the release of those who have been convicted. And as I indicated before we continue to see those people in our system over and over again both the state and federal sides. Well I don't know what their alternative is, I think the taxpayer has to decide which way they want it. They want people locked up for a longer period of time but they thus far been to pass bond measures to build additional prisons. So if they want these folks to be locked up longer there's going to have to be some financial resources to accomplish that. But the courts are doing the best they can, Gilbert says, handing out sentences last year averaging 16 years to 38 bank robbers. Although repeat offenders like Forester are the most frustrating type of case for officials like Gilbert and Turner,

they're not the only ones committing these crimes. Recently we've had a different kind of bank robber. We've had a rash of very young people in their late teens in early 20s who have had no appreciable prior criminal record. The sentences in those cases is not going to be as severe as it would be in the case of a parolee who had a significant prior criminal record. Bank robbers are after one thing of course, money, but law enforcement officers say their motivation has little to do with the need to pay rent or put food on the table. And 90 percent of the robberies in my opinion are narcotic related in that the motive for committing the bank robbery is to sustain a narcotic habit and in particular we're finding a great deal of the people who are committing the robberies seem to be doing it to support the cocaine habit. The legal merry-go-round has law enforcement officers frustrated. It seems like you know the FBI and the police departments arrest

one - two bank robbers, somebody else is taking the place. So you know it's like the dog chasing his tail and just keeps going and going. So it becomes discouraging. David Forster's case is one of thousands of bank robbery cases that have been solved over the years and now among these in the FBI's closed file room. In the last few years, however, with the jump in the robbery numbers in the state. The FBI solution rate has dropped as little as five years ago. The FBI says they were running up to a 90 percent solution rate on bank robberies but that's not the case today. The last two three years were one 55 to 60 percent. I don't see any changes in it as our robberies increase, our solution is just going to go down. I just see that as being a fact that we're going to have to deal with. But officials say crime still doesn't pay. The odds are against the bank robber with an average take of less than a thousand dollars which they rarely get to spend. Nevertheless they do keep trying. The number of robberies at first interstate bank of Oregon for example went up

70 percent from 1982 to 1983. George Balcombe director of securities says banks need to make robbery unattractive. We have to make bank robbery unprofitable and I think the first step in doing that is to make sure you don't give them a lot of money. Banks now have strict cash control and typically a teller won't have more than a thousand dollars in the cash drawer. Extra security measures like alarms and surveillance cameras are frequently used are work well. Security guards, although effective, are rarely used because of their extra cost. Although First Interstate does have guards and several of their branches, they're only at those branches which have some specific problems. Bochum says the banks are doing everything they can to minimize losses and most hope that stronger measures that might alarm the customers won't have to be taken. I know that there are additional measures that they can go to, but they might include what they call bandit barriers in some cities back east Detroit for one. Tellers were placed behind Plexiglass

barriers. We haven't, in the west, gone to making fortresses out of banks, yet, and I hope that's not necessary. There's one good piece of news in all of this victim injuries during bank robberies are way down. Much of the credit for that officials say goes to these kinds of instructional films, part of the new educational process for bank tellers. They're taught about cash control, what to do if confronted with a bank robber and how to identify a suspect. They're also taught not to resist a bank robber. Our statistics show we're not losing that much money and we lose a lot more money through other criminal methods than we do bank robbery. The problem with a bank robber or a bank robbery is that it's a very frightening situation. That fright is being turned into action in many communities where local law enforcement is starting cash in a crook reward programs sponsored by the financial institutions security task force. It offers up to one thousand dollars for information leading to the arrest

and conviction of bank robbers. But the new get tough attitude is come face to face with parole boards and overcrowded prisons. Still there are many who say that nothing should stand in the way of stiffer penalties. Once that person has been prosecuted and convicted I would like to see him serve a longer period of time. We need to concentrate on the career criminal and we know from the matter as a matter of empirical evidence that a small number of people are either causing or committing a large proportion of the crimes in this jurisdiction. While law enforcement officials say that Oregon has become a popular place for bank robberies, they're also quick to point out that the robbers almost always get caught. Someone should be aware here in Oregon, that your chances of being caught are very good and the chances of going to prison are even greater, yet these people continue to rob banks. They're either not very bright or they're not very rational. Like I say I'm not by nature a robber.

I would rather do anything, just about anything else than crime to survive. I resort to crime as a desperation move. So far this year officials say there doesn't seem to be any significant decrease in the robbery statistics. The latest economic report for Jefferson County explains that businesses run by the confederated Indian tribes are a key factor in the continued growth of that region. That represents quite a change from what life was like just 50 years ago and the warm springs reservation. We are not just a resort we are another culture. KahNeeTa has another culture to sell and that of course is the American Indian, the Native American. The confederated tribes of the warm springs Indian Reservation have taken the plunge into the white man's business world and life on the reservation will never be quite the same again. The gross revenues of the resort overall are going to probably exceed 4 million this year which is a substantial sum. That's a

large operation. That's only part of the picture. The confederated tribes operate several businesses on the reservation making it the largest employer in Jefferson County. KahNeeTa Hot Springs Resort and its money making companion Warm Springs forest products industries are two of the reasons and these operations are not just hobbies to occupy the Wasco Warm Springs in Paiute Indians who live here in north central Oregon. They are sophisticated, million dollar enterprises. This mill and plywood offers over 300 jobs to both Indians and non-Indians and the KahNeeTa hotsprings resort provides more than 200 jobs in the summer months. It grew from a small village in secluded hotsprings to a multimillion dollar tourist attraction complete with Lodge and Convention Center. And there's more to the success story. During the past months and especially after seeing the project today I have to tell

you that I'm not really surprised that the confederated tried the warm springs on the first tribes anywhere in this nation to build a hydro generation project at this type. Two years ago officials from across the state came here to honor another achievement by the confederated tribes. [clapping] When this dam was dedicated in June of 1982 it became the first hydro electric project ever built by Indians and mark the first time a license had ever been granted to Indians by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Harnessing the rushing waters of the Deschutes and Matolios rivers has proven to be a wise business decision for the confederated tribes. The electricity generated here is being sold to Pacific Power and Light for its customers throughout the north west. And the tribes said the project will be paid for completely and turning a profit within 20 years. All these business ventures have brought some much needed improvements to the reservation itself

as new community center now and several housing projects have been developed and all were envisioned by the tribal council in the 60s. Well before the state of Oregon had a comprehensive land use plan of its own. In terms of the governing body the tribal council is the representation of the people. They are voted in, we have 11 members on our tribal council. Eight are elected and three that serve lifetime, that are chiefs of our three different tribes. The tribal council was created after Congress recognized the Indians right to self-government in 1934. The new council established its own constitution and bylaws, and in a farsighted move that is now paying off, the council applied for a corporate charter allowing it to direct business enterprises on the reservation. The corporate charter is a document that guides us in the business world. It allows us to get into business ventures, obtain loans from

banks, states or whomever. And uh, in that sense then turns around and is eventually income to our people so, it provides jobs. [Gwyneth] To understand just how far the confederated tribes have come you'd have to look at how these Indians lived just 50 years ago. [Chanting and drums] [Wallulatum] They pretty much lived off of Mother Nature, you know, digging roots and going to the mountains gathering berries, and then the annual trek to the Columbia River to gather fish, so they lived pretty much off of just which what nature provided. [Gwyneth] Chief Wallulatum remembers when life was harder for the tribes after they were forced to leave the Columbia River land they had called home and moved to the reservation. Early Indian families depended on Columbia River salmon for food and for their religious ceremonies. But they were forced to leave the Columbia and move south after the Treaty of 1855 was signed.

[Wallulatum] And when we did our calendars in those days, from what I understand, the calendar was worked out with the fish in mind and any other foods around that. So. when you peel a part of the calendar out in that sense, it changes the life and people have to adjust. [Woodwind music] This is the land to which the Indians had to adjust. It's the Oregon high desert and it's an area no white man wanted to settle. Cut off from the Columbia River and their main source of food, the Indians struggled to live off reservation land. [music continues] [Wallulatum] Of course there was a lot of mortality in the infant and the elders because of not being in, having the best medical facilities. We didn't have the best housing and all that, but they got along the best

they could. [Gwyneth] Today these Indians are no longer just getting by. The Confederated Tribes have taken the straw they were handed and weaved it into gold, making the jump from poverty to prosperity in a single generation. But this rapid change to the White man's way of life has brought on a whole new set of problems and frustrations in areas like education. There is a high dropout rate. If we were to take one freshman class and follow them through high school we found that probably 20 to 30 percent of them will finish. The others will have veered off to some other direction during that time. [Gwyneth] This is Madras Senior High. Fifteen miles from Warm Springs, The Confederated tribes send their children here because they can't afford to build their own high school for the relatively small number of students on the reservation. [Doctor] OK, I'd like to get Karen in here and get her blood pressure checked. We went ahead and refilled... [Gwyneth] Medical

treatment on the reservation is another major concern. Studies have shown that the health clinic here is too small to handle the growing Indian population. I think probably health is one of the areas that we really need to work on. Time. studies show that we need, we need a newer facility. [Gwyneth] And a recent baby boom on the reservation is straining the services that can be provided. Since the late '70s, the number of babies being born here has jumped from 60 a year to over 100. You run a lot more demands on your system with young children. There's a lot more colds, a lot more routine illnesses. But in the young population, that ties up a lot of your time and energy. [Gwyneth] But health and education problems aren't the only thing worrying the tribal council these days. The new prosperity has brought with it an unexpected threat, as The Confederated Tribes embrace the outside world to survive they are slowly losing the very

traditions and heritage that set them apart. Indian children aren't being taught the traditional languages and the religious practices too, are in danger of being forgotten. In fact Nelson Wallulatum admits having a hard time finding a young Indian interested in replacing him as Chief. [Wallulatum] I see the ways are changing because of the necessity of, you know, being on a job to earn a living. I guess that's one thing. And then them going away from knowing how to live off the land. [Background chanting] People are more job-oriented now, you know and they don't have time to stop a lot of times to consider traditional ways. [Chanting continues] [Gwyneth] Even with all their progress, The Confederated Tribes fight for survival isn't over yet. [Drums] Two-thirds of the people who work in tribally run businesses come from off the reservation.

For that reason, the continued prosperity of Indian enterprises at Warm Springs is important to Jefferson County and other neighboring municipalities. A vital component of any daily newspaper is its editorial section, an important expression of this section lies with the editorial cartoon. The Oregonian believe strongly that its readers deserve a local perspective in editorial cartoons. Thus, it has ensured this commitment by hiring one of the nation's top editorial cartoonists to replace another. The news we read about is seldom funny, but at least one person in the news profession believes in the art of serious humor. His function is to provoke, clarify, entice and elate. He's the editorial cartoonist for The Oregonian.

Art Bimrose held that job for 34 years until his retirement in September of '83. He is succeeded by one of the most talented and youngest cartoonists in the United States today, 23-year-old Jack Ohman. Both share a rare talent for turning complex issues or events into black and white images that make us think. Most American cartoonists are biting. They seem at least skeptical, often cynical. A lot of their work is drenched in acid. They draw blood. They scrape your skin. They make you angry. But they are, underneath it all, extreme optimists because with their craft they're saying if I get people angry enough, if I spur debate, I can affect change. Originally I was hired to do photo retouching and as time went on I learned to do layouts and picked up a little

cartooning as I went along, and it all kind of evolved into editorial cartooning after about 10 years. One of Art's favorite cartoons is a character he calls John Q. Public who symbolizes the common man's reaction to issues and events. When I depict him in a cartoon I am probably expressing a lot of people's feelings and attitudes, and if I get a little humor into it, maybe they can laugh at themselves too. With three and a half decades and 8500 cartoons, Art has captured some of history through his craft. That morning at the paper we heard the news that Kennedy had been shot. But we didn't know whether he had died or not, and kept waiting and waiting, and I didn't know what kind of cartoon to draw or whether he died or not. I knew I'd have to draw something on it if he did die. So finally about 30 minutes before my deadline we heard he died. So I

threw this together in just half an hour to make it into the paper. When Walt Disney died we drew a little tribute to him. I think the whole world missed him. When we finally pulled out of Vietnam, that's President Ford, took down the flag and leaving the country. As Art approached retirement the paper began looking for a replacement. Although the Oregonian is one of the few newspapers in the nation which employs its own staff cartoonist, there was never a question of closing the position and relying solely on syndicated cartoons. Fred still believes very strongly that we should have a local presence in editorial cartooning. That it's one of the items that distinguishes The Oregonian from the common herd of newspapers in this country.

After a lengthy search, Jack was hired by The Oregonian last October from the Detroit Free Press. He first began working as a cartoonist at the University of Minnesota to help pay for his education. I had done some high school, cartooning in high school, and I was you know fairly knowledgeable about politics so I got the job on the Minnesota Daily. But never.. the first year I was working as a cartoonist I don't think I ever really seriously had the intention of becoming a cartoonist. It was more a way to put myself through school than anything else. And then some friends of mine suggested that maybe I would want to, hey, you know, your stuff's pretty good, maybe you should start sending it around. And so I decided well, maybe I can make some more money this way. So I sent the cartoons around. I sent one to Newsweek and Newsweek printed the first one that I'd ever drawn. The first one that I'd ever sent to them when I was 19 at the time. A few months

later, Jack became the youngest syndicated cartoonist in the country. Soon after this accomplishment he left school to concentrate on cartooning full time. Two years later Jack became nationally syndicated, and in addition to Newsweek his work began appearing regularly in Time, U.S. News and World Report, and most major newspapers. Jack's age hasn't hindered his career but even his editor admits to some initial hesitation. Very candidly one of my concerns early on was, if we have a cartoonist who is 22 or 23 years old, will we have periodic plunges into sophomore-ism? Well, went back through three years of his work, and Jack does not do that. I think his age is an irrelevantcy. He is really bright. That's the key item. He is very mature. And I don't say that

in term.. I don't deal with that as a function of age. He has time and miles of experience and.. .. that's coupled, Landauer says with a willingness to be controversial. If you don't hear from people you're not doing your job. If you're not making people mad you're not doing your job right. My job is to provoke and if people are responding in that way then I'm being provocative. I get a lot of complaints about the way I draw Reagan, you know, make him took too old, or that I'm not patriotic, or things like. Why am I always criticizing the president? You know, why can't you say anything nice? Why don't you ever say anything positive? It's not.. I don't really see my role as a political cartoonist as a, as an advocate, as a force to make somebody look good. My job isn't to, to just reaffirm what another politician has already said. My job is

to clarify it or criticize it. While Jack has established a name for himself as a promising young cartoonist, he does not want to limit his options. I just want to become a better cartoonist. At this point I would think that I would be a cartoon for a long time to come, but I don't, I'm not going to box myself into it at age 23. I mean, 20 years from now maybe I want to do something else. I think it would be pretty pathetic if I were 23 years old and had no further goals. I mean there's a long, long ways to go for me, I would think. Despite the different styles both Jack and Art have towards their trade they do agree on a fundamental point. I think people will always look at a picture first. So I always keep that in mind and I try to keep the cartoon simplified, and as simple as possible. Put a little humor in it. And at the same time convey a message of some sort. You can make a statement a lot more quickly with a political cartoon

than you can with an editorial, because people like humor, people like to look at cartoons, people like pictures. Although Art has retired he's not going to stay away from cartooning. In addition to working on a book which includes his collections, he will, from time to time, continue to submit cartoons to the Oregonian. And as for Jack, we'll be able to see his cartoons daily in the paper. You can also watch for his work in national magazines, especially interesting with 1984 being a presidential election year. And they are great cartoons. Well do you remember when medical care didn't cost a small fortune? I'm not sure I do, but apparently that's still the case in Yoncalla, about 30 miles north of Roseburg. Rhonda Barton and cameraman Matt Hartman prepared this report. A visit to Yoncalla, Oregon is like a trip back in time, to the kind of place Norman Rockwell painted on the covers of the Saturday Evening Post. It's a place where Main Street only stretches for a few blocks, where the post office is the busiest spot in town, and where the feed store is the biggest business. It's a town of a little

more than 800 people with whitewashed churches, and birds that make more noise than the traffic. It's also where you can find a small town institution that's almost disappeared. The old-fashioned family doctor. Meet Lydia Emory. Everyone affectionately calls her doctor Lydia. Now, hold your head up. Now can you breathe through your mouth just like this. [panting sound] For 35 years she's been practicing here, dispensing medical advice and motherly care from a sunny corner of her front parlor, often under the watchful eyes of family pet. I looked in your mouth and now I'm going to look in your ears. Besides her unconventional examining room, there are other things that make Dr. Lydia unusual. She's one of the few women in Oregon who's over 70 and practicing medicine today. And she may be the only doctor anywhere who still charges the same rates as when she first

set up shop in 1949. That's one dollar for office visits, two dollars for house calls. We were all poor together, you know. We were all struggling at the start. And I thought well, when I set up a real office, by then I would charge office calls. But as long as I'm doing it here at home, I'm just charge them a dollar. And a dollar in those days was a lot more than it is now. And then then I saw that I was going to be boohooing that I was probably..going to be unnecessary to set up an office and I liked the kind of practice I was doing, and I liked having people think that they, that they can come in and they can talk [iaudible] and it isn't going to upset my office routine or it's not that formal, or something. Dr. Lidia's informal style and her interest in medicine were influenced in part by her grandmother. The kind of woman who kept a horse and buggy hitched up for sick calls. They would call her in to help with the sick. Where

If there was a new baby or where there was going to be a baby. She was not really a midwife but she was just somebody that could help. I mean, she hadn't had training. The fact that relatively few women did get medical training in those days didn't worry young Lydia, who grew up on a farm in Iowa. She saw her two older brothers get PhDs, and two younger brothers become medical doctors. She set her sights on the same goal, even though she was a little afraid of what her father, a strict Mennonite, would say. I hadn't told him I was taking Pre-Med. And when hearing of it he said are you taking, are you planning to go into medicine? I said, well, I'm taking Pre-Med, but they don't take everybody in medical school. Everyone isn't accepted, and especially if you're a girl you might not be, and he thought about it a little bit and he said well, I guess you're as good as anyone, and that was it. Graduating from University of Iowa medical school in 1941,

Dr. Lydia found professional opportunities opened up by the war. She completed a residency in pediatrics, and then joined the service herself. In 1942, the Navy put out a call for, I think 600 women doctors. Somebody told me they got about fifty, but I don't know if that was true [laughs] but I was, I was, I felt that I wasn't leaving a civilian practice. And I had finished a residency and that I would be, it would be a good time for me. At Camp Lejeune the doctor met Clifford Emory, a Marine whose friends nicknamed him Jeep. After the war the two got married and Jeep brought Lydia to Yoncalla, where his brothers and sister had settled. Jeep found work at the sawmill. Lydia, the only doctor in town, found herself with a busy practice. And you saw lots of measles and complications of measles and other kinds of

communicable diseases. In the summertime polio was a big threat. And now, with immunizations, why, we don't see that at all. Nowadays patients come to Dr. Lydia mostly for routine things. More complicated cases are referred to better equipped clinics in Roseburg and Cottage Grove. Well, it's 154, I guess that's where it was a little bit high.. Some people simply come for free advice, and to ask if they need to see a doctor in the big city. Some people think that I should maybe be offended if someone comes here and asks me whether I think they should go to a doctor. But that doesn't bother me in the least because then I know that they trust you. Trust is the word Pam Adams uses to describe how she feels about the woman who treated her as a little girl, and now treats her daughter. There's been times like one Sunday morning my daughter was real, real sick and I would have had to take her to the emergency, and I knew all she needed was a prescription. I brought her over here and she checked her

and gave me a prescription and you know, that's all it was. Saved me lots of mileage and lots money. You know, but that's not why we love her. I remember one time at church, they had a Mother-Daughter banquet and they honored her as being the favorite mother and grandmother and great-grandmother, even though she had no children, because that's what she was to us. The good works of both Dr. Lydia and Jeep have been recognized by the community. A playground shelter at the grade school bears testimony to the 10 years Jeep put in on the school board and Budget Committee, and the free medical care Lydia has given to the town's youngsters. Other testimonials come from the many people whose lives they touched. Dr. Lydia conducts the choir, we wouldn't have a choir without her. Jeep works with little kids in Sunday school. Anything from just toddlers to about five or six-year-olds, he works with them. He's really good with kids. They're kind of a focal point and I think everyone likes them, and everyone values their opinions, and everyone

admires them for all of the community work and church work they do. There are people who truly live by the words. It's a gift to be simple. Dr. Emery, who is 74, says she has no immediate plans to retire. And as long as her health holds up, she'll continue seeing patients at her home and volunteer two days a week at a Roseberg mental health clinic. In the publication business every printer dreams of someday doing a very high quality piece of work. Well, our next story shows the process that one company went through in order to create a free publication. One which exports the idea that fine printing and publishing is

available in Oregon. Song of the Earth, a free publication printed by a group of local craftsmen, has created quite a stir in Oregon's artistic and business community. The idea started with nature photographer Ron Cronin. For a long time Cronin has been having a love affair with nature. His style of work is not affected by gimmicks or trendy techniques. He is a meticulous craftsman. Basically I want nature to be able to speak to the people through the agency of my camera. So I tend, in a place like this, simply to wander around and allow whichever compositions or species of plant or animal to simply grab my attention, and then I want to record its beauty with as much possible accuracy as I can, so that the people who see those pictures and experience the scene or the plant or animal as if they are actually there. I would prefer them to feel that they've had a nature

experience more than they have seen some kind of interesting photograph. So really, I simply want to be nature's middleman. Ron's work is also influenced by a love of music, shared by his wife Maria. A concert singer, Maria is keenly aware of both sounds in nature and music based on natural harmonies. When Ron was considering doing a brochure to market his skills, he had the idea of doing a series of photographs based on music. A romantic German composer was the inspiration for what became a book: Song of the Earth. Well, the title was literally meant to mean the sounds and the song of the earth itself. Gustav Mahler, toward the end of his life, wrote a piece called Das Lied Von Dr Erde, which is based upon some Chinese poems, and I guess that in passing Ron had seen the title of the work and it appealed to him and it struck a harmonious note with the type of work that he

does. And so consequently, the book began to evolve out of this notion. The basic idea of the book was to convey Cronin's personal message, but he began to think that maybe it could also show the finest printing and design available in Oregon. Exploring the idea that Oregon has fine craftsmen in all areas. Graphic designer and publisher Gary Albertson, Cronin's longtime friend, collaborated with him on the project - the creation of a book not for sale, but rather for promotion. He shared Cronin's vision and believed that a high quality publication would find an appreciative audience in both the arts and industry. His task was to ensure that the piece would come together. He says the job of artistic director is hard to define. There's so many elements that you have to consume, it's hard to really put it into perspective for anybody to see other than just going a lot of balls, different colored balls, at the same time. And you can't really drop any one of them.

The first challenge was to find a group of people who could meet his standards of perfection, whether a printer or supplier of paper stock. He spent hours on the phone asking specialists in production to donate their time and talent. We tried to do it, and did accomplish a very masterful role, I feel, of doing it on a one-to-one basis with everybody, rather than a large publishing company where everything is justified by committee. This was more or less the best piece we could get from every particular person. Albertson says the design and layout of Song of the Earth was a demanding job. Even the smallest details such as a Serif on a letter, the direction of paper grain, or the width of a border had to be carefully considered, but the detail makes the difference. He spent time that most others couldn't afford in day-to-day publishing. Another contributing group spending lots of time on the project was Wy East Color. Their specialty: color separation, the first step in printing color photographs. Wy East donated their computerized system and the

labor to convert Conin's slides and the text of Song of the Earth into color transparencies. Dwight Cummings of Wy East explains the process. The system requires some kind of an original and in the case that we're talking about, one of Gary's and Ron's marvelous photographs. And then, it's up to us to keep that super clean, put it on the scanner and allow the computer to take a good look at. The training of the operator, that requires him to understand where the knobs have to be set, what computer programs have to be used, to get the most out of that original image. You can see looking after the machines themselves, how they work. There is a keyboard, computer keyboard, there are places to enter the numbers that we need. And the decisions were made about how that will best be produced, and also what size it has to be, what screen ruling, how many dots per inch the printer requires, what kind of paper it's going to go on. All these things affect the computer program that we select to make the reproduction of the picture.

After four-color transparencies are made for each page, a proofing process is done. Proofing shows how each of the final printed pages will look when the four colors are combined. The utmost care and time were taken by Cumming's throughout the process. He says he was delighted with the results. There's been a lot of response to this. We've had- we have a hard time keeping samples here. Everybody wants them. Our reaction to the final product was very grateful that we were able to take part in such a project. Usually we're in the midst of something that has to be done very rapidly, is done commercially, in which cost is the object and the paper is not the best. The presses may not be up to standard, but here we were able to work on a project where we didn't have to count the cost. We were asked to do the best we could do. The printer did the absolute best that he could do and it was printed to a very high standard on supeb paper, so we're able to hand this out and say, you know, this is what we're really capable of. Printing was the final and critical phase of the production of Song of the Earth. Dynagraphics

Printing enthusiastically endorsed the project and charged nothing for their services. They put Gary Albertson in touch with Zaunders[?] paper company in Germany, which donated paper. [?] Inks were also obtained without charge. Byron ?Lysky? of Dynagraphics says that when paper costs a dollar a sheet there's not much margin for error. I've always said, if you can do it right the second time, by crikey you better do it right the first time. The printing of Song of the Earth was a challenge, but the job was done with a great deal of attention to the smallest detail. The color separations from Wy'East were taken first to the plate making room at Dynagraphics. The fine dots for each color were etched into aluminum plates to be mounted on the offset press. The four-color high speed press then laid down each color, one over another, starting with the black and ending with the yellow. ?Lysky? He enjoyed working with high quality and excellent people and was very proud of the results. He says he did the project for the love of it. Dynagraphics hosted a gathering to introduce Song of

The Earth to local and regional companies. And it was well received. The market for quality work that developed nationwide was a surprising bonus. Just our- our name getting from coast to coast through this piece. This is in New York, it's in Florida. It's in San Francisco, it's in Los Angeles, and we are getting calls from all across the country on different projects like this. And there again, people say, 'well, what does it cost?' Well I'll tell you something. If you have to worry about what it costs you shouldn't be looking at this. It's same as if I walk into the Mercedes place. You shouldn't really look at that how much gas mileage you're going to get on that car. You better just be prepared to pay $45,000 for a quality piece. And so it's the same way with this piece. They want ballpark figures but it is expensive.

Putting together a work like Song of the Earth is expensive but its creators are finding that it sells the concept of quality. This, they say, will certainly increase the export of Oregon craftsmanship. But it is important to remember that what many are calling an extremely promising marketing device succeeds only because of its personal message. A message which conveys one couple's joy in sharing the beauty of the environment and the sensual pleasure of music. [music] Jim, I'm having a hard time tearing you away from that book. It really is beautiful. It's excellent. That's just the only word for it. The registration is perfect, the design is perfect, the paper is wonderful. A dollar a page as the Man said. Absolutely incredible thing and a real labor of love for Ron Cronin and team. And the nice thing about it is it was done locally. Piece of quality work done locally. Very nice. And now tonight for the

first time joining us with her report is Mary Alexander. Welcome Mary. Thank you Jim. You know like so many things that have gone the way of progress the good old fashioned kiddie show just seems to be a thing of the past. Well almost. For as long as people have been growing old, there's been a fascination with youth. It was almost another world when names like Heck Harper, Red Dunning, and Mr. Moon were essential elements in a child's daily life. It was a time when television was in its youth and children's programming figured large in the scheme of things. But faces that were once so familiar in local circles -- Mr. Duffy, Paul Bunyan Jr., Rusty Nails, and all of the rest -- eventually faded from the scene. [music] Today the mention of those names to young television watchers is like speaking a foreign language. Children's tastes are more discriminating these days. It's only the most sophisticated programming that appeals to their sensitive palates. The

modern child isn't talking kid stuff when it comes to the finer art of television viewing. Hey it's all over Mister. That's Mr. T. Not to be faked out by anything that isn't completely high tech, viewers ages 3 to 11 have high standards when it comes to what is acceptable on the tube. [music] Distressing to the more nostalgic of us there's just no way kid shows of yesteryear could stand up on today's market. Except for one. [music] And now it's time for the Ramblin' Rod show. [whistles] And a good, good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. Come on in and welcome to the Rrrrraamb- Ramblin' Rod show. Howdy. It's going on 20 years now since Ramblin' Rod hit the airwaves. Not a day has gone by that the phone hasn't rung off the hook for reservations. And every day without fail the man himself appears and does just what it is that has made him a legend.

Where do you live Derrick? Cornelius. Yeah. Thank you for that pin. Cornelius. They got a road they named after that- the guy that played football- he called it- he made a special pass that he used to use, remember. Now they call the road the Cornelius Pass Road. What is your name? Well I think he's great and I think he has more patience than I ever had. Jim Allen is a children's entertainer better known as Rusty Nails. I wonder what he looks like- the chicken. Here's what he looks like. Oh boy look at that poor thing. After 16 years of my work, I was ready for a rest. 20 years. He's been doing that show for 20 years. Hard to believe. I don't know how he does it to tell you the truth. Twenty years is a long time in one show. I'd get very antsy. David Alexander started to work one month before Channel 2 went on the air. His show - Paul Bunyan. Rod was just a- was a deejay and a heck of a good guy and sings fairly nicely, and he came on my show and guested a couple of times before he ever decided to become a kids entertainer at all.. Not only did Rod become a children's entertainer, but he launched a show that would outlive them

all. Rod to me- he amazes me. Well to me he hasn't aged a bit. He looks like the little Rod I knew - little Rod - we were all a little younger in those days. But to me he hasn't changed. He's still the same Rod. It's amazing. Ed Leahy, perhaps more recognizable as Mr. Moon, a veteran of Portland broadcasting, has his own theory about 20 years in children's programming. Does he still talk English? He's not muttering to himself or talking to the wall, he's OK is he? [cheers] Look at that. All of us helping each other. [unintelligible] OK so the man mutters every once in a while. But age really hasn't taken its toll on Rod. Not in his face and not in his attitude. He's enthusiastic as ever and in a business where most ran out of steam long ago, you'd think the man would be ready for a rest. I don't understand it either. You know, if the opportunity is here and I- you

know, I'd just as soon be doing this at 75. I doubt if that will happen but I can't see any reason why a person would burn out. It's time for us to check our smiles out right now. And ?Annie? Lois is going to pick our smiles and Uncle ?Tiam? over here on camera two. You see that. Kids like to see themselves on television. They like to identify with an old friend and I say that word old very cautiously. But I've been their friend for a lot of years now. Q, who did you come to see? Rambling Rod. Why did you come to see him? Because I like him. Why do you like him? Because he's so special athlete. Oh, that's neat. He's a special athlete, did you say? A special athlete. Good answer. There are many incidents actually where you get caught off guard a little bit.

Why did you come to see Ramblin' Rod? I don't know why. Children are very uninhibited, very precocious. And as a result they are a lot of fun because they're- you know you're talking with someone that is just you know, says it like it is. This is- Andy. Where do you live Andy? At- somewhere it's over there. In [inaudible]. He lives in Portland. All right let's find out who our birthday guests are. What is your name honey? Casey. Casey ?Newell? how old are you? Casey Marie Newell. Oh excuse me, Casey Marie Newell. Do you go to Fir Grove School? No. Where do you go to school? Riverside. Is that in Milwaukie or Beaverton. I don't know. This is- what's your name? Now this is-

this is? Katie. Katie ?Dulitsch? Katie Theresa [inaudible] How old are you? Fine. Three. Three. Three is right. And what is your name? Nathan. Who is that- who is this Nathan? This right here? I don't know. She's not mi- not Nathan- mine. She's not your- so you don't really know who she is. On camera Rod is the picture of calm, but what you see on TV doesn't really tell the whole story. Three minutes. Rod on the set please. They apparently didn't show it. And fade five. Where is Rod going? Excuse me, be right back. Sure, he's drinking water. [cartoon music] Ready on wipe two. Open Rod tonight and cue him. Ladies and gentlemen I'd like you

to meet the one and only.. Mandy. Howdy Mandy. How long do you think you'll last? Well, if this old ticker of mine keeps going here I might make it another few years. I haven't any idea. You know I have to say in closing that the Ramblin' Rod Show is no longer alive. They tape every night at 5 o'clock and the program airs at 7:30 in the morning. Well you know Mary you can't blame them for pre-recording it if it's airing at 7:30. No you really can't. Incidentally some of those guys are still at it. Like Heck Harper is still playing and singing at the Sunnyside Inn in Clackamas. By the way, did you know his real name is Hector Flateau. Hector Flateau? No. No. Yes it is. Well speaking of real names and names otherwise, that's all the time that we have for Front Street Weekly tonight. Join us next week, won't you? Good night. Good night. Good night. [closing music] [closing music]

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