Bridgeport Boogaloo

The University of Oregon Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America ventured north for its first professional development tour of the 2023-24 school year on Friday, November 17, visiting both The Hoffman Agency near the Lloyd Center and C+C Communications in downtown Portland.

The Hoffman Agency, founded in Silicon Valley over 35 years ago, features offices in San Jose, Boston and Portland and focuses on a wide range of communications initiatives including digital, social media, content marketing, thought leadership and paid media, as well as traditional public relations.

The view of downtown Portland from their offices was truly stunning on a beautifully sunny autumn day. The contoured building in the foreground houses the Bonneville Power Administration headquarters, where I participated in many meetings as public relations coordinator for EWEB.

At C+ C Communications, we heard from UO SOJC graduate Cassidy Monda describe their agency of researchers, public relations and marketing experts, multicultural communicators, digital strategists, producers and creatives working for clients like the Energy Trust of Oregon and so many more.

Many thanks to the great team of UO PRSSA executives who made it all the magic happen: (below, from left) Michaela Taylor, Karrigen Hanson, Sydney Wolfe, Rebecca Chiang, Maggie Delaney and Jillian Grey. Special shoutout to Dianne Danowksi Smith for organizing our luncheon gathering.

EVs Transform Auto Industry

Increasing instances of forest fires, heat waves, floods, hurricanes and melting glaciers are all symptoms of climate change resulting from greenhouse gases, with the biggest single source being gasoline-powered vehicles that produce more than a quarter of the country's total emissions.

The world's scientists warn that catastrophe is nigh and that we are close to a point where climate change will become irreversible. It's clearly time to stop debating with those who would ignore the facts and take action to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions immediately.

One way to begin reducing carbon dioxide levels is to increase the number of hybrid and all-electric vehicles in the marketplace as soon as possible. The new administration has set an ambitious goal for the transition to electric vehicles. By 2030, half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. should be electric.

It's been a long road to the development of electric vehicles. In the 1960s, Eugene Water & Electric Board received an electric vehicle, a Renault, as a demonstration project. By the 1990s, the utility was operating an electric Ford Ranger and two smaller vehicles called "Gizmos" (below).

Today, however, both hybrids and all-electric vehicles, such as the Tesla, are catching on as charging stations begin to proliferate in this country, allowing the vehicles to "refuel." A rapid shift from fossil fueled engines to electric vehicles will be an essential step in mitigating climate change.

Priority Earth

Earth Day, an annual event established on April 22 in 1970 to demonstrate environmental protection, has grown from a national event to an international event. U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Democrat from Wisconsin, is the founder of the event to create awareness of an environmental ethic.

In the 1990s, the city of Eugene and numerous other local agencies and organizations in Lake County founded Earth Day Oregon, which became an annual event held at the River's Edge Plaza at Eugene Water & Electric Board promoting environmental programs and practices.

In 2020, over 100 million people from around the world observed the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in what was described as the largest online mass mobilization in history. This year's focus is on climate literacy, responsible forestry practices and the benefits of environmental education.

Now, President Joseph Biden has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half by 2030. The United States is rejoining international efforts to fight global warming, after four years of climate denial by the previous administration, and is promoting conservation and renewable energy.

Texas Two-Step

As if Texas hasn't had enough natural disasters like hurricanes and drought, a polar vortex recently unleashed a frigid Arctic blast, terrorizing Texans and overwhelming the state's energy grid, initiating power outages and creating a humanitarian crisis for more than one million people.

To add insult to injury, the unusual storm made a mockery of the state's politicians and its much vaunted independence. Right-wing talking heads like Tucker Carlson on Fox and even the state's governor, Greg Abbott, have blamed the outages on wind power and the so-called "Green New Deal."

Carlson called windmills a "silly fashion statement" and noted that "green energy means a less reliable power grid." Worse, Abbott, who one would assume knows better, said that "the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal." Both statements are, of course, complete hogwash.

Texas generates only 25 percent of its electrical energy from wind power, with the rest coming from thermal sources like gas, oil and coal generating facilities. The real issue is the state's dubious energy grid, called the inaccurately named Electrical Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

As public relations coordinator for Eugene Water & Electric Board, I attended an enlightening conference sponsored by the American Public Power Association in Texas in the late 1990s in Austin. The city's public utility was recognized as a national leader in the development of wind energy.

Unfortunately, the state's electrical grid, managed by the ERCOT, is woefully unprepared to manage a catastrophic blackout. Texas has consciously distanced itself from federal oversight to avoid federal regulation and maintains its own grid, unique in the nation.

Why is Texas the only state to manage its own energy grid? Well, probably because it's Texas, and they like to do things their own way. As a result of their so-called independence, the state is unable to acquire power from neighboring grid like the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA).

Ten years ago, a Texas  commission predicted that a catastrophic storm could severely impact the state's energy grid, but nothing was done. Fixing ERCOT will require actual governance by statewide leadership instead of blaming the sorry shape of their electrical grid on wind turbines.

Broken Top: An Inside Look

Aside from the Three Sisters themselves, the next largest peak in the constellation is Broken Top. A stratovolcano capped by a summit cone, it was appreciably higher that its present 9,175 feet. Broken Top, adjacent to South Sister, is now a semi-circular amphitheater open for an inside look, much like Crater Lake.

The Committee has climbed the peak twice, once successfully and once that was close-but-no-cigar. The first time, we were advised to climb from the east  using the approach from Todd Lake. Bad idea. We made it as far at the saddle above Bend Glacier, but didn't budget enough time for a day trip.

The next time, we went up the west side, hiking past Green Lakes and camping at a small lake (above) below the approach to the summit. Markee transported our gear on llamas, complete with tipi and wood-fired stove. The next day, we proceeded up the west side, where a climber's trail deposited us at Chicken Point.

After a night in the tipi, we embarked early up the west side to Chicken Point. It was pretty easy climbing until then. After that it was tricky. As we waited for one of our mates to set the belay points, we started to get get quite chilly, so we headed up, free-climbing the rest of the way. It was bold and foolhardy, but we made it.

The Three Sisters: Faith, Hope And Charity

Throughout most of the length of the Cascade Range, large volcanic peaks are generally spaced about 40-80 miles apart, allowing each mountain to reign visually over a wide domain. In Central Oregon, however, the usual pattern is broken: a cluster of closely grouped volcanoes creates an impressively crowded skyline.

As a Boy Scout in the early to mid-60s in Troop 138 at Ascension Catholic Grade School in Portland, Oregon, our scoutmasters took us on an extended hiking/camping experience from McKenzie Pass along the Obsidian Trail on the west side of the Sisters to South Sister and down to the Cascade Lakes Highway at Devil's Lake.

Much later, we were about to begin a new EWEB headquarters building along the Eugene riverfront. Along with several other of my mates, including some members of The Committee, we served on numerous utility task forces, including one to develop a new logo for EWEB. Despite some resistance, the design prevailed.

Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics

Well, faithful readers, we have arrived: we have now surpassed #400 on the GonzoPR blog, established in 2008, when I retired from Eugene Water & Electric Board. A humble operation at first, it has since turned into a monster. My favorite subjects are travel, sports and, much to the chagrin of some of my friends, politics.

However, a funny thing happened on the way to determining statistics as laid out by Google on GonzoPR. The rankings are the same but the numbers vary widely. In other words, they don't exactly jive. Be that as it may, here are the top ten posts, the greatest hits as it were, on Gonzo PR, starting with Alpine Adventure, the clear winner.

The post presaged our trip to Zurich to take in the sights of the mostly the German side of Switzerland. On this trip, we stayed at the Hotel X-tra in downtown Zurich. We visited the Jungfraujoch, Lucerne and Interlaken, Reinfall and Schaffhausen, Liechtenstein, Heidiville and much, much more.

Number two is King Of The Blues, a missive on Riley B. King, otherwise known as B.B. King, an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. I've seen B.B. a number of times over the years, the first time at Springer's Ballroom in the hinterlands of southeast Portland near Gresham on the path to Mt. Hood and Central Oregon.

Next up on the hit parade is Defining Public Relations, a treatise on the subject of public relations, a practice and profession that I became familiar with as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of Oregon School of Journalism in the 70's and early 1980s, followed by 33 years as a professional and instructor.

The Trinity Mine is next, a failed experiment to mine precious metals near the Glacier Peak Wilderness, where I toiled as a ranger while working my way through college. Having worked previously on the Malheur National Forest, I was smitten with a girl who worked seasonally on the Lake Wenatchee Ranger District.

Weighing in at number five is Berchtesgaden And Eagle's Nest, which described our time in Munich and our exploration of the castles of Mad King Ludwig, and his suspected murder. We also spent time in downtown Munich and explored the city known for Octoberfest, when an additional six million people cram into a city of two million.

Rounding out the top ten starting at number six is Willkommen Bei Den Bayerischen Alpen, which presaged our trip to Munich. We visited castles, toured The Eagle's Nest, saw the BMW headquarters, toured the Paulaner distributor, visited biergartens, ate at the finest restaurants and stayed at The Hotel Deutches Theatre.

Number 7 is Castle Keep, part of our tour that included visits to Mad King Ludwig's castles, including the Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles (above) and Hohenschwangau, an older castle where Ludwig grew up. As part of that tour, we also visited Oberommergau, a small town that resembles Leavenworth, Washington.

Coming in at number 8 is the Italian Riviera And Cinque Terre from one of five trips we took to The Motherland to locate our cousins, the Sanguinetis, who live in the hill country of Liguria in a little village called Isolona in the district of Orero near Cicagna, where my beloved grandmother lived before escaping Italy for Portland, Oregon.

Next up, at number 9 is Getting Around: Plane, Trains And Automobiles, a missive about how to get around while traveling in Europe. I never rent a car; I guess I'm paranoid. But the public transportation options in Europe are simply wonderful, whether you're in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain or anyplace else.

Finally, weighing in at number 10 is Der Zugspitze And Garmisch-Partenkirchen, another great adventure to Germany's highest peak and the little town with a ski resort that sits at its base. The cable car ride (pictured) is not for the feint of heart. And now, as Porky Pig would say, "that's all folks." That's GonzoPR's top ten.

McKenzie Cones

McKenzie Pass is a veritable wonderland of volcanic activity. Peaks like Black Crater (elevation 7,257), Belknap Crater (elevation 6,877), Four-In-One-Cone (elevation 6,258) and Scott Mountain (elevation 6,099) dot the landscape (moonscape) at the headwaters of the McKenzie River, the source of Eugene's water supply.

In a north-south alignment between Mt. Washington and North Sister at lest 125 separate eruptive centers have blazed and died in post-glacial times. These recent vents built cinder cones and covered the countryside. Lava from Sand Mountain dammed the McKenzie to form Clear Lake, the headwaters of the river.

Lava, visible from Belknap Crater and its principal satellites, Little Belknap and South Belknap, is the area's principal feature, but I can tell you that lava terrain can be hard to negotiate, so I would recommend hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. Not a good trail for dogs, though I did see a few. I wouldn't do that to my dog.

Black Crater, the tallest of this particular group of cones, is a steep shield volcano located just north of North Sister. Glaciers have carved a long cirque into the northern flank of the mountain and snow can linger late into the summer in the shady spots The summit provides stunning views of North and Middle Sisters.

Four-In-One Cone is not only challenging with rewarding workouts, but is also rich with history and geology. The Scott Trail to the four cinder cones in the Three Sisters Wilderness follows the original trail by pioneer Felix Scott, who blazed a wagon road from the Willamette Valley to Sisters and Bend in Central Oregon.

Scott Mountain, also named for the trailblazer, takes off from the McKenzie Highway just west of the pass. The trail to the summit has so many highlights that you'll scarcely notice the time passing, with lakes galore en route to the top, where an old fire lookout site can be seen. All the McKenzie Cones are highly recommended hikes.

Y2K: Who Cares?

Nearly 20 years ago, it was a dark and stormy night.... Okay, you've heard it. But not this one. On December 31, 1999, I was sequestered in Eugene Water & Electric Board headquarters for an event that would never happen: Y2K. The end of the world, hellfire and brimstone, dogs and cats living together.... Well, you get it.

After rising early on December 31, 1999, I would spend the next 24 hours hanging with my EWEB homies, biding my time, playing solitaire, staring at the ceiling and the like. In other words, nothing. As the day wore on, my patience wore thin. No beer or nothing. Let's say I wasn't partying like it was 1999.

As midnight approached, I grew more sleep deprived as the clock continued to tick. We all stayed until 2 a.m. on January 1, 2000, just to be sure. If not a computer glitch, we feared terrorist or other boogeymen, so we hung for two more hours. Afterward, it was time for high quality beer, then hit the hay. What a waste.

Maurice And Me

Having just graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism as a redshirt senior, I departed Eugene in early 1977 for a seasonal job working as a forestry technician on the Lake Wenatchee Ranger District of the Wenatchee National Forest. Then, the unexpected happened.

My beloved Portland Trailblazers won the NBA championship behind Bill Walton, former UCLA Bruin, and a group of refugees from the American Basketball Association, including Dave Twardzik and a Marquette University graduate, Maurice Lucas. The two leagues had merged the previous year.

Maurice was known far and wide as the "Enforcer,” the sergeant-at-arms of that underdog Portland team that clawed its way to the NBA championship, matching up with the mighty Philadelphia 76ers featuring Julius Erving, AKA Dr. J., George McGinnis, Doug Collins and other top-flight players.

After dropping the first two games, the Blazers, under the leadership of Walton and Lucas, stuffed the Sixers by winning the next four in a row after an altercation between Lucas and Darryl Dawkins, a man-child behemoth playing for Philadelphia. The Blazers returned to Portland for a parade among elated fans.

That championship for the Blazers remains the only one in team history. Unfortunately, Walton would suffer a knee injury, and the team would not recover, despite a terrific start to the next season. They came close the 1990s under the leadership of Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter, and later, Arvydas Sabonis and Brian Grant.

Fast forward to the early 1990s, when Lucas worked as a consultant for a firm that had developed a unique-for-that-time survey technology.

Lucas agreed to come to EWEB for a media conference in the lobby. Eagerly accepting his offer, a press gathering was slated.

Lunching afterward with Lucas at The Excelsior near the UO campus, I learned about our common background receiving our education from the academics from the Society of Jesus, he at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and me at Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Oregon. All in all, a very successful day; the local media got their story, EWEB employees in attendance were thrilled.

Lucas would go on to serve as an assistant coach for the Blazers, and was a beloved figure among players, staff members and fans alike. The team had already retired his jersey, number 20, and he was named to the all-time all-ABA team along with Julius Erving and other American Basketball Association greats.

Lucas’ son, David Lucas, played his college hoops for the Oregon State University Beavers from 2001-2005 and Luke Walton, son of the Enforcer's teammate and Hall of Famer Bill Walton, is named after Lucas. He underwent surgery for gall bladder cancer in 2009 and died in 2010 in the City of Roses.

Fans have high hopes for this year’s version of the Portland Trailblazers after they reached the Western Conference finals last spring. Picked to finish second in the Northwest Division, the team is led by all-star Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and the team hopes to exceed last year’s accomplishments. Go Blazers!

The Boy Scout And The Brainiac

Herewith begins a new series of tales from my career as a public relations coordinator for a once prominent Northwest public utility from 1986-2008. There, I met all kinds of interesting characters, many of whom I worked for and admired, and any number of others inadvertently brought together by happenstance.

This story focuses on the latter: a random series of incidences I call the Boy Scout and the Brainiac. But before I begin weaving that tale, allow me to introduce the characters: one William (Bill) Eaton (above), retired utility education coordinator; and Amory Lovins (below), physicist and founder of The Rocky Mountain Institute.

In the early 90s, I met the Boy Scout, retired utility geek, critic and curmudgeon with an affinity for collecting electrical antiques from the post-Thomas Edison era, frequent pest at board meetings and letter writer to practically anybody willing to listen to him. Somehow, I had had become responsible for his care and feeding.

The Brainiac, an expert on energy policy and innovator of the “nega-watt revolution,” contended that utility customers do not want more kilowatt-hours of electricity but energy management services. With at least 10 honorary doctorates and numerous awards, Lovins has provided his expertise worldwide.

Joining the utility conservation department as a communications and marketing hack for a massive, federally funded weatherization effort in the mid-1980s, I became quickly engulfed and articulate in the philosophy and practice of the nega-watt revolution as espoused by the Brainiac: conservation and renewable energy.

Of course, the Boy Scout and the Brainiac were polar opposites. Bill Eaton was Old Testament: generate electricity in mass quantities for the good of all, as characterized by Mr. Redi Kilowatt, a funny-looking little dude who was the (ahem) cartoonish face of power marketing, such as it was back in the day.

The Brainiac, on the other hand, was New Testament, with a 180-degree perspective from that of the Boy Scout. Because you can only store so much electricity in batteries, Lovins reasoned, why not only use what you need, thereby achieving balance in the force? You know, more is less and less is more.

Turns out, Lovins would be the keynote speaker at the American Public Power Association utility conference in Colorado Springs and I would be in attendance: lucky me. More good news, the gig would be held at The Broadmoor, a five-star facility in the foothills of the Eastern Rockies, red-rock country to be exact.

Eager to learn, I lapped it up. Speaking knowledgeably about energy could be perplexing. How do you talk about a product that is invisible? Strategically, of course, through end uses. Need space heat? That’s typically the biggest energy drain. Water heating? Less electricity but still a significant contributor to energy usage.

Discussing electrical generation can also be tricky business. Ask a group of Rotarians where we get our energy and you’ll hear about Northwest hydropower. Ask a group of school kids where we get electricity and they’ll point to an outlet. Both demographics are correct, of course, and should received full points.

Yet, even renewable energy has environmental issues. Hydropower creates problems for upstream and downstream fish migration, particularly salmon, a Northwest icon. Wind power affects birds and bats and things. Effects from both sources of renewables must be mitigated. And don’t get me started on fossil fuel generation.

Nonetheless, the cleanest and lowest cost energy source is conservation. Save energy right at the source: where we use it. Efficient windows and doors, insulation, natural lighting, efficient artificial lighting, passive and active solar applications. Few people know “demand-side” management like Amory Lovins.

As the presentation began, I gathered a chair in the front row, as is my style, where lots of butts disguised as empty seats joined me. I prefer a spot with access to the speaker, enhancing effective listening and note-taking opportunities and photo ops. I was so close to the Brainiac that he couldn’t help but notice my name tag.

“Hey, I want to talk to you after the session,” Lovins said. “Me?” I queried, turning around to see who he might really be addressing. “Yes, you,” he confirmed. I was puzzled but pleased that a keynote speaker of such significance would be interested in talking to the likes of me, a public relations and marketing professional.

After his presentation, I received unfettered access to the Brainiac. He knew who I worked for and was hoping to gather another Northwest utility of note as a client of E Source, his consulting group that helps utilities advance the concepts inherent with the efficient use of energy in an increasingly complex natural environment.

On my way home, I had the good fortune to sit next to the Brainiac himself on the commuter flight from Colorado Springs to Denver. Quite an interesting fellow to be sure. He explained how one Japanese client would test job candidates by having them stick their hands inside a black box.

“What was in the box,” I asked, “A tarantula?” He laughed aloud. Guffawed, actually.  I think he enjoyed my obtuse sense of humor, and we agreed that he would come to Eugene and make a presentation to my utility while conducting a news conference for the local media. Big score for yours truly.

Meanwhile, back at The Ponderosa, the Boy Scout was making preparations for his legacy: an antique appliance display for the utility featuring old electric gizmos and gadgets of all kinds. We purchased a pastry case for the small stuff and displayed the monitor-top refrigerator and larger appliances by themselves.

When the Boy Scout discovered the fact that the Brainiac would conduct a presentation and media conference at my utility, he was all in, for the wrong reasons as usual. Yes, he was that kind of troublemaker, and also known to be lecherous with the ladies he encountered in his daily travels.

The good news is that the Brainiac arrived in town promptly and provided a noteworthy presentation that was a hit with utility types and media wonks alike, and picked up another client for E Source in their endeavor to help utilities solve problems and make business decisions that serve customers well.

The Boy Scout was reasonably well behaved except for an off-color comment about Hunter Lovins, an environmentalist, lawyer, political scientist, university professor, business whiz and Amory’s then-spouse, growing nice “tomatoes” at their unique conservatory at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colorado