Cardinal Rules

After our wilderness stranger reunion at the Owl Conservatory, I proceeded to Portland for my 55-year reunion from Lincoln High School. I had booked a room at The Jupiter, a trendy boutique hotel with retro-chic styling in the Buckman neighborhood on the city's lower eastside. Founded in 1869, Lincoln was the first public high school in the Pacific Northwest. The latest iteration of the school (above) was completed in 2023.

My path to Lincoln was both unlikely and circuitous. After eight years at Ascension Grade School on Mt. Tabor in East Portland, I initially attended Jesuit High School in Beaverton. After two years at the college prep school, I became part of a mass migration of students transferring from parochial schools like Jesuit and Central Catholic to public schools in 1969 (above, that's me in bottom right hand corner with legs extended).

The year was defined by intense polarization, political defiance and a profound generation gap. Squarely at the apex of the 1960s counterculture movement, our collective psyche was fueled by urgent idealism and deep disillusionment shaped by a rapidly changing world. With the draft lottery established in December, 1969, many were subject to the new order. Many of us marched in a nationwide anti-Vietnam War moratorium down Broadway Boulevard.

The mood and temperament among students at Jesuit, Central Catholic, St. Mary's, Marycrest, and other Catholic high schools in Portland were defined by intense cultural tension, psychological friction and a fracturing of traditional authority. The academic regimen was intensely competitive, rigidly graded, highly physical, and often confrontational in character.

Classes were highly competitive and rigidly graded. Faculty -- dominated by Jesuits priests and novitiates, with few lay teachers -- viewed rigorous academics as a tool to forge discipline, build masculine character, and prepare boys for professional leadership or military service. Discipline was punitive, physical and highly psychological, operating at the absolute breaking point of the old guard's authority.

By 1969, after two years at Jesuit, I had designs to transfer to a public school. In parental negotiations, John Marshall High School, where my Dad taught math and science, was immediately ruled out. James Madison High School was also ruled out. Then, my Mom suggested Abraham Lincoln High School, her alma mater. "It's a very good school, the best public school in Portland." My Dad agreed; a deal had been struck.

In a meeting with Dean Still, my student counselor at Lincoln, I was informed that because of the uncompromising curriculum at Jesuit, I had enough credits to graduate from Lincoln at the end of my junior year. I asked if, in the interest of playing baseball, I could spread the five credits over two years. He agreed. I then found part-time work as a mailroom clerk at Miller-Freeman Publications, a magazine publisher in downtown Portland.

My schedule was set: classes in the morning, followed by work and baseball practice. Spending so little time at school, I often felt like a stranger in a strange land. Yet my new school offered new benefits, like female classmates and an open campus where we were free to come and go as we pleased. My tenure at Lincoln High School would be brief and soon I was off to the University of Oregon in Eugene to major in journalism.

I've attended some, but not all, of the Lincoln High School Class of 1971 reunions over the years. The 10-year reunion was too soon for me. At the time, I had retreated to the deep woods of the North Cascades to reflect on my chakra, so to speak. I did, however, attend the 25-year reunion at the Multnomah Athletic Club, and subsequent reunions at World Forestry Center and McMenamins Kennedy Middle School facility.

This year's 55-year reunion would again be held at Portland's prestigious Multnomah Athletic Club. I was naturally curious to see the facility. Three months prior, an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the ground floor of the facility causing an explosion and resulting fire. A disgruntled MAC employee drove in the front door with a vehicle strapped with 25 propane tanks, 10 pipe bombs and 30 pounds of binary chemicals.

Bruce Whitman, a former bartender at the club, drove the vehicle at high speed through the front door and headed down a hallway (above, with new heavy steel bollards) on his way to Providence Park when the vehicle detonated. Whitman died in the resulting explosion and fire. Thankfully, no other club members were injured. Investigators determined that Whitman acted alone in a suicide attack on his former employer.

These reunions have always been most enjoyable, catching up with former classmates, some of whom accompanied me down to the University of Oregon, where we became better acquainted. I have particularly relished talking to former teammates and others whom I never knew in high school. It's a bit of stimulus overload but I always learn so much, despite the time limitations of these events.

This year's reunion included a special treat: my high school journalism instructor David Bailey. Mr. Bailey taught and coached cross country at Lincoln High School for 50 years. When I thanked him for his mentorship, he asked me if I ever made a career in journalism. "Yes," I said, "but I got out after working as a newspaper reporter and editor for seven years." "What then?" he inquired. "Public relations." "Good choice," he smiled.

Ranger Confidential

A half century ago, a collection of wilderness aficionados and dirtbag climbers arrived at the Lake Wenatchee Ranger Station on the Wenatchee National Forest to work as backcountry rangers, trail dogs, lookouts and fire prevention guards. With shared values and common purpose, the unlikely ensemble has endured the test of time, and we continue to meet to this day with periodic gatherings in a communion of fellowship. 

We have come to call our group the Aldo Leopold Society after the noted ecologist, forester and author who penned the Sand County Almanac. His collection of essays on natural history and wildland ecology energized the environmental movement and stimulated interest in a land ethic.

They came as far away as North Dakota, Connecticut, California and Oregon, and many had worked previous gigs in national parks like Yosemite, Crater Lake and North Cascades, and national forests like the Malheur, Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood. Most were were either college students or recent graduates working as seasonal employees. They all had a zest for the backcountry and a need to fund their educational pursuits.

With last year's summit meeting scrubbed due to numerous wildfires throughout the Wenatchee National Forest, this year's gathering would remain in doubt when the Little Giant Fire exploded up the Chiwawa River on July 15. During a reconnaissance mission in August, the pyrocumulus cloud (left) from the fire was clearly visible from Coles Corner.

The mission was a mixed bag. The first few days were clear and sunny, as witnessed by this shot of a Canadair C415 "Super Scooper" over Lake Wenatchee. But the last few days were not. The air quality was poor, with over 600 AQI, and I had to hunker down in our cabin. Breathing was particularly difficult at night when the smoke settled in. My lungs ached. The Little Giant Fire had grown to over 172,000 acres, or 270 square miles.

Yet by Labor Day, fire crews had substantially contained the blaze and air temperatures had cooled, so the Aldo Leopold Society reunion at the Owl Conservatory would proceed as planned.

The air quality and daytime temperatures were excellent. The view of Glacier Peak from Glacier View Campground (above) was simply stunning.

It would indeed a great couple days at the Owl Conservatory. Good conversations, good food, good times. Weather was remarkably warm and still summer-like, so we all hiked into Hidden Lake on Nason Ridge. The trail traverses through old-growth fir and large cedars, providing peek-a-boo views of Lake Wenatchee and Dirtyface Mountain.

Time Tunnel

In Midnight in Paris, Owen Wilson's character "Gil," a screenwriter and aspiring novelist, finds himself drawn to the charms of The City of Light. A nostalgia buff, he's especially enamored with that group of expatriate authors who lived in Paris, like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, from the Lost Generation. One night, he inexplicably travels back to the Jazz Age of 1920s Paris and meets both writers. Later, Gil travels back even farther in time, to Le Belle Époque period of the 1890s.

Much like Gil, I took my own foray back in time in September, first to the 1970s, joining my fellow trail dogs, backcountry rangers and dirtbag climbers from the Aldo Leopold Society for a reunion at the Owl Conservatory. Afterward, I traveled back even farther in time, to the 1960s, for a high school reunion at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland. Each event was an awakening. The next two posts of GonzoPR will focus on each reunion individually, in order to do justice to each.

Ada Station

Growing up in Portland, we spent summers at the family beach house in Road's End in Lincoln City. Despite living in Brookings for a time as an adult, I hadn't explored the Central Oregon coast much, so we booked a home at Ada Station on Siltcoos Lake near Dunes City for the whole family. The fact that eldest granddaughter is named Ada was a happy coincidence.

Considering its proximity to the Oregon coast, Ada is about as as remote as any other far-flung location in the state. Winding roads leave U.S. 101 south of Florence and weave a web of backroads into estuaries and hills of the Coast Range, most of it heavily logged timber country. One false move, as we experienced, and we found ourselves in "banjo country."

 

At the summit of the first wave of hills in the Coast Range, we turned around and headed back down the hill, taking a right instead of a left this time, and passed the Ada Grange. The community was named after Miss Ada Wilkes, the daughter of Benjamin and Jaretta Wilkes, longtime residents of the area, and was a station on the Coos Bay Rail Line.

The rental home was gorgeous. Advertised as a "tranquil lakeside living meets coastal adventure in a serene, deeply quiet pocket of Siltcoos Lake, this home offers the ultimate peaceful waterfront escape" with "the best of the Oregon Coast right at your fingertips." I spent considerable amount of time refining my summer tan on the beautifully appointed redwood deck.

Considering that Siltcoos Lake has an abundance of fish, including largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and black crappie, brown bullhead catfish, coho salmon, cutthroat and rainbow trout and steelhead, we fished off the dock mornings and evenings when the water was calm. Granddaughter Ada caught both a bluegill and a yellow perch.

Another Fine Day In The Flat

We kicked off summer after solstice with the first trip of the season to the Owl Conservatory for a bit of rest and reorganization. Unfortunately, the first trip always requires an exercise in spring cleaning and coordination for the rest of the season. While productive, we also made sure it was relaxing.

In years past, the primary objectives on the first week of summer prior to the Fourth of July were the pursuit of fruit and fireworks on the Yakama Indian Reservation. This year, cherries were in and the first crop of peaches as well. We passed on fireworks, which are forbidden in areas of high fire danger.

Instead, we spent a quiet few days visiting with some of the local denizens of the Aldo Leopold Society in between important chores like setting up the screen tent to provide a safe space from mosquitoes outside. Once we were set up, we enjoyed our time on the deck, along with a bit of exploring Shugart Flats and a few sauna sessions in our multi-use well house.

The Beat Goes On

Doesn't seem possible, but another school year has come and gone, and the University of Oregon chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America continues to grow and thrive. Thanks to student leadership teams that have increasingly stepped up since the global pandemic nearly decimated UO PRSSA in 2020-21, the beat goes on.

Starting off the school year with a trip to Washington, D.C. for the 2025 PRSA/PRSSA International Conference, the team spent time hearing keynote speakers like Lauren Graham, award-winning actress, producer and New York Times bestselling author, and Tina Beaty, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management.

In addition to individual breakout sessions and panel discussions, socials and networking activities, UO PRSSA members had time to tour the nation's capital. Then in November, members participated in a professional development tour in Portland by visiting Gard Public Relations and Wieden+ Kennedy, both top rated agencies in the City of Roses.

Over the years, I have toured some outstanding advertising and public relations agencies in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix and more, but the Wieden+Kennedy tour was a first for me. All I can say is "big wow." The agency is -- in a word -- unique.

Best known for its work with Nike, Wieden+Kennedy is one of the largest independently owned agencies in the world and has developed campaigns for many other recognizable brands like Starbucks, Coca-Cola, ESPN, Honda, Microsoft, Miller Brewing and Procter & Gamble, among others. The employees we met on tour at W+K truly love their jobs.

In February, UO PRSSA journeyed south for another professional development tour to "Baghdad by the Bay," as San Francisco humorist Herb Caen called it, touring agencies like Weber Shandwick and We Communications, and visiting Oracle Park, home of the Giants, in addition to a skull session with the unimitable Gerard Corbett, APR, Fellow PRSA.

UO PRSSA had a busy April, with both the Pacific NW CommCon, sponsored by PRSA Oregon and PRSA Puget Sound, and UO PRSSA's Meet the PRos event in Eugene. UO PRSSA and Allen Hall Public Relations both played critical roles at CommCon, held this year at UO Portland, providing both logistical support and panelists for breakout sessions.

A highlight of the CommCon was a breakout session on "Meet Your Audience: Gen Z" featuring UO SOJC students (from left) Madison Price, Denali Williams, Allie Geraci-Novy and Sam Rinaldi, and moderated by Jonathan Yost, MA, APR, APIO (right). The well-attended session offered the opportunity for an enlightening peek into Gen Z perspectives.

The session featured an engaging discussion that allayed many Gen Z stereotypes and misconceptions. On the premise that Gen Z is lazy: "Lazy? No. Anxious? Yes." On the notion that Gen Z is not taken seriously: "We're smarter than we look." On where they get their news: "Substack, Instagram, podcasters and influencers, and if interested, (they) follow up."

On what's important: "Want to be able to use skills in a fast-paced, collaborative environment." "Work/life balance. (We) want to be able to leave work at work" "Authenticity is important. When it comes to polished messaging versus real people, real people is more valuable" to Gen Z. "Not impressed with titles." And finally, "Hire us!"

Later in April, UO PRSSA sponsored a "Meet the PRos" Allen Hall, a panelist event with professionals from AIRBNB, Wieden+Kennedy, Columbia Sportswear, Rula Mental Health and Comcast. Tip of the fedora to an outstanding 2025-26 UO PRSSA executive team (clockwise, from bottom left): Tessa, Harry, Grace, Jade, Madison and Ellie.

Scaling The Summit

As the 2026 Northwest Communicators Conference celebrated its 30th year, it's safe to say that this year's event, sponsored by PRSA Oregon and PRSA Puget Sound, was one of the best ever. A tip of the fedora to to Allen Hall Public Relations, the UO School of Journalism and Communication's in-house public relations agency directed by faculty advisor Kelli Matthews, for its stellar efforts in helping make the conference a success.

Matthew Marcial, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Relations Society of America based in New York, kicked off the conference with an overview of what's been happening -- and what's to come -- with PRSA as an international organization serving the communications community. What's changing, he noted, was an increased effort to becoming "trusted advisors to leadership" and "an ethical compass in a complex environment."

The strategy now, he said, is to align communications with business outcomes, anticipate risks earlier and influence leadership decisions. Addressing the "trust gap," execution still matters and precision is needed over volume: "Audiences are skeptical and authenticity is required in bridging the chasm between words and actions.

Held at the University of Oregon's Portland Campus, Marcial also addressed the state of the society. The focus areas, he noted are "revenue, retention and recruitment." Challenges facing the society include the economic environment, competition and perception gaps, but "passion of membership" will drive the society to new heights as it goes virtual with its lease on 120 Wall Street expiring in February 2027.

The 2026 Northwest CommCon featured compelling keynote speakers like Elizabeth Edwards speaking on "AI and the New Trust Economy," Pulitzer Prize Winner Nigel Jaquiss from the Oregon Journalism Project, Katie Garcia of the Logos Institute speaking on "What You Can Do to Reverse Marginalization of the PR Profession," and Mark Mohammadpour, APR, Fellow PRSA on "Leading with Empathy in the PR Profession."

Two sessions stood out for me. Katie Garcia's premise that "we don’t (necessarily) deserve a seat the table where decisions are made. We have to earn that seat at the table" resonated; and University of Oregon student comments in "Meet Your Audience: Gen Z." "Company culture and authenticity are important; beware of companies that lack vision or who fail to acknowledge employees. We're smarter than we look."