By Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team

When Byron Spice creates a three-dimensional wood sign that says LOVE it’s more than just a word. It’s his life purpose.

Byron calls his sign building business “Blind Expressions by Byron” because he is, in fact, legally blind. When he lost his ability to see completely, due to age-related macular degeneration, he qualified for training at the Oregon Commission for the Blind, where he learned to operate the power tools he uses to make his various assemblies with scraps of lumber.

Byron said “When I look at a piece of scrap lumber I ask, ‘What would you like to become?’ I’m guided by the grain, shape, aroma and feel of it.”

How do his creations demonstrate his love? They are symbols of the generous and caring life he has lived.

As a teenager Byron attended a Christian youth camp near his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There he dedicated his life to Christian beliefs and missionary work in Mexico, Paraguay and throughout the United States.

During his time in Mexico he directed the Mountain of Light Farm, which provided housing and educational opportunities for Mexican youth. He is proud that many of his students went on to be educators and community leaders.

Fluent in Spanish, Byron supported ministers and provided leadership to U.S. churches with Spanish-speaking congregants.

Byron said he’s had 33 different addresses in his lifetime.

When he retired from the ministry in 1970, he became a housing consultant for the National Education Association where he developed housing for retired teachers in several states. He also became a practitioner and leader in The Trager Approach, a form of gentle touch and movement.

He has retired quite a few times and thought he and his wife of 40 years would remain at their oceanfront condo in Florida. But with children and grandchildren in the Northwest, he and Kathryn moved to Portland in 2010.

Byron, an engaging and spry 93 year old, said “I’ve gained independence and was introduced to the safe operation of power tools. This opened the door of my creativity and provided a focus for my life.”

Many neighbors and friends are proud owners of signs that shout LOVE, CHERISH, TRUST, JOY, JUSTICE, PEACE, EASE, among other expressions.

Although he’s not looking for orders, you can reach him at Spice.Byron@gmail.com.

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

By Carrie Wenninger | CNA Media Team

Hyperlocal. It’s a term that’s been trending for a while now. It can mean spending your dollars at neighborhood businesses or eating fresh produce grown miles or blocks, away.

It can also mean putting a call out to your most immediate neighbors for art supplies, or offloading that ill-fitting but oh-so-cute sundress that you know would look great – on someone else.

Enter the BuyNothingProject.org, an organization focusing on the creation of hyperlocal gift economies – the giving and receiving of goods and services without charge – neighbor to neighbor.

With a founding principle of “Give Where You Live,” the Buy Nothing Project believes the true wealth of the network is found in the web of connections created when people give to, receive from (and thank) their neighbors.

Curious? Consider joining the Concordia Buy Nothing Facebook group. You’ll be asked to provide cross streets to assure you’re in the right group because the Concordia group’s boundaries mirror the neighborhood association’s boundaries. Also note: you may be a member of only one Buy Nothing Project group.

From the BuyNothingProject.org website, here are the types of posts that fit the mission:

• Offers of any goods or services you’d like to share, loan or give away
• Requests for services or any goods you’d like to borrow or keep
• Gratitude posts to fuel the magic
• Gifts of self, talent and time

Sarah Brice, volunteer administrator with the thriving Concordia group, once posted an ask for broken mirrors to use as mosaic for an art project titled Gatto della Verità.

Neighbors responded and reflective shards began flowing in, allowing her to complete the piece, which was displayed at the Portland Winter Light Festival 2018.

On why she loves Buy Nothing, Sarah said, ‘It’s a great way to get to know my neighbors. The communications are typically positive, and it’s lovely to see my neighbors through such a generous lens.

“People always surprise me with how thoughtful and kind they are. I know that when I ask for something, I will not be traveling far. Likewise, I know that when I offer something, it is going to someone in the neighborhood.

“Also, I am sure that I’m not the only one who is happy to consume less and save some money too. Finally, it’s a great way to move along things that no longer serve my needs.”

Carrie Wenninger lives on 29th Avenue in Concordia. She is a freelance writer, a mom, a world traveler and a small business marketing consultant. Contact her at WurdGurl@gmail.com.

By Mischa Webley | Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods

Bob Boyer never thought he’d be here. A former boxer from West Philadelphia, he was 22 years old in 1961 when the U.S. Air Force transferred him to the local airbase vehicle maintenance division.

At the time, Oregon wasn’t a welcoming place for African Americans, having only then begun to finally upend the many segregation laws.

Nonetheless a tight-knit black community had formed in northeast Portland and, after he was discharged, Bob found work in an auto shop on Union Avenue and made himself at home.

At nearly age 80, Bob doesn’t need a resumé. If he did, it would read more like a short novel.

Among titles he’s held are: boxer, airman, auto mechanic, railyard worker, shipyard foreman, first African American elected president of the Inland Boatmen’s Union, community organizer, property manager, car salesman, small business owner, Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) president, Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) chairman, NAACP Northwest Region vice president, and state senator.

It’s the intangibles that matter to him more: husband, father of eight, grandfather of 18; community linchpin, keeper of local history.

He’s grateful for the opportunities he’s been afforded. And he subscribes to the slogan, “When one door closes, another opens,” but added that you have to look for those openings.

When Bob comes in the door, he steps all the way through. But he makes sure to leave it open for those coming behind him. While pounding spikes in the railyards, working the docks as a longshoreman and starting a family in the 1960s, he found time to get his associates degree from Cascade Christian College, which he and others lobbied to rename Portland Community College.

Without missing a day of work, he became the first African American to graduate from Marylhurst University with a degree in business management.

Involvement in his union gave him a taste for politics, which he put to use. In the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, it was hard to get the city government to pay attention to the needs of northeast Portland, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

As a member of the planning board for the mid-1960s Model Cities Initiative, an outgrowth of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, Bob helped organize the first neighborhood associations in northeast Portland. That included CNA.

The community identified a way to speak as one to demand positive change, including renaming Union Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The way Bob sees it, if you want things to be different, you have no choice but to dive right in.

Editor’s note: This story was shortened for space considerations. For the full-length story that appeared in NECN’s Hey Neighbor! newsletter, visit ConcordiaPDX.org/bob-boyer.

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Longtime Concordians may recall Art Wahlers as a university patriarch and neighborhood association co-founder. Students at Concordia University now see his name on the Art Wahlers Green, the wide expanse of lawn, gardens and recreational area in front of the school’s library.

Art died in 2004 at age 91. He had moved to Portland to join the faculty in 1946 when Concordia was an all-male high school, and retired in 1986.

Mark Wahlers, his son, remembers playing soccer, football and baseball on the green as a student.

Joel Schuldheisz, a classmate of the younger Wahlers, recalls being one of several students punished by the senior Wahlers for playing football in a restricted area instead of the green.

When he did engage in sports on the green, Joel remembers baseball right field was close to the house on campus reserved for university presidents. “If you hit the ball hard enough, it went into the president’s patio.”

Now an exercise and sports science instructor at the university, he finds it fitting to name the area for Art.

Living just a block off campus, Art was one of the neighbors to convince the city in the early 1970s to repair outdated sewers that were endangering several houses. That effort also resulted in forming Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA). Art served as the first CNA president.

The university’s involvement with CNA continued for decades, with staff and faculty members serving on the board of directors.

Denny Stoecklin, retired university chief financial officer, was among them. “Art had a knack for bringing people to a common understanding and purpose in a very soft handed way,” he said.

“Art was a collaborator, very good at connecting people, and he was a social activist before the term became popular, but without demonstrations,” Joel agreed. Like Denny, Joel served on the CNA board.

So did George Bruender, who said Art and wife Carol were an institution in the neighborhood. “Fastidious is a great word for Art,” he said. “He had the fanciest yard in the neighborhood.”

What would Art think of being honored?

“Art was a very humble individual, so my guess is that he might be embarrassed by all of the ‘fuss,’” Denny predicted. “But privately he probably would feel a certain sense of pride, knowing the institution carries on the mission and traditions he helped shape, and that he continues to be held in such high regard.”

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

By Vanessa Miali | CNA Media Team

What is it about fireworks that brings out the worst in some people? Either it’s an enthusiast – with hours of illegal fireworks blasting throughout the night, shrapnel and burning embers flying onto adjacent lawns and rooftops – or it’s a neighbor – stressed out by the fireworks and making verbal threats.

Tony Reyes, American Legion Post 134 commander compared using an occasional legal firework to celebrating with candles on a birthday cake.

“It’s part of our heritage, a ceremony and a tradition. But Fourth of July fireworks become an issue because people are not educated on safety, and that’s their responsibility.”

According to Portland Fire & Rescue, fireworks season is June 23-July 4. During the past five years, fireworks have caused more than $3 million in property damage.

“Fireworks upset domestic animals and urban wildlife, and they distress the elderly,” said Dianne Foster, a Concordian for the past 21 years. In 2011, she witnessed a rooftop fire on the Fourth of July above a business on Alberta Street.

“It made me aware of our close proximity to one another and the damage that can occur in a moment,” she said. “The potential for destruction is great. People can lose their homes.”

Oregon law bans possession, use or sale of fireworks that fly, explode or travel more than six feet on the ground or 12 inches in the air. Fines are hefty, as much as $1,000 per violation.

An Oregon Public Broadcasting report indicated a legal smoke bomb, thrown by a teenager, may have been responsible in part for the Eagle Creek blaze devastating 10,000 acres of the Columbia Gorge landscape in 2017.

Under Oregon law, parents are liable for fireworks damage caused by their children, including costs to suppress the fire.

“Fireworks in neighborhoods stresses people out,” said April Thibault-Phillips, American Legion member and bartender. “I hear it from our customers who are veterans and I see how it affects them, especially those with PTSD. I’m not opposed to fireworks but I prefer going to the event downtown and think others should too.”

All types of fireworks can cause injuries. In 2017, illegal mortars and legal fountains and sparklers accounted for more than two-thirds of all fireworks-related injuries according to Portland Fire & Rescue.

It recommends using legal fireworks, supervising children, having water nearby and placing fireworks debris in closed metal cans stored away from combustibles and buildings.

Download the Portland Fire and Rescue Fireworks Facts & Safety Sheet

Vanessa Miali has lived in Concordia for 18 years. She is a former public relations professional with two kids who cooks every day and gardens occasionally.

By Karen Lotts | CNA Media Team

Neighbors in the Alberta Arts District have come together to honor pillars of the African American community. They hope this will continue the discussion about gentrification and displacement in the changing neighborhood.

Five informative public art structures called the Alberta Street Black Heritage Markers will tell the stories of nine significant African Americans who helped build, and who strive to maintain the livability and economic viability of the neighborhood.

“These are stories about struggle and accomplishment,” said Ann Griffin, Alberta Main Street (AMS) executive director. The nonprofit is leading the project.

“It’s important to maintain positive relationships with the storytellers as well as the remaining black-owned businesses on Alberta.”

The seven-foot tall, triangular-shaped markers will stand at the corners of 11th, 14th, 17th, 18th and 24th avenues. They will showcase the individuals’ stories through words, pictures and artistic elements.

Discussions began within AMS in 2015. A leadership team was assembled to review submissions from different artists and make the decision about which community members to honor.

The individuals chosen hold community positions that range from basketball coach to small business owners and investors to a union advocate. (See below for names of the storytellers and artists.)

To make the project more interactive, an app will show viewers where to find additional information about the featured individuals. It was designed by Diversa, a company that combines storytelling and technology.

Diversa plans to donate earnings from the app to Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon, a nonprofit that assists small businesses facing the challenges of gentrification.

AMS hosted a neighborhood reception to promote the project at the Cruz Room Annex May 19 and is planning an eventful celebration for the markers’ mid-July installation.

Renee Mitchell, an op-ed writer for The Oregonian, will host the summertime event and DJs from XRAY.FM will provide the musical entertainment. AMS has invited students from St. Andrew Nativity School to introduce the storytellers, read poetry or speak about what the neighborhood means to them.

The project is intended to be forwardlooking, according to Ann. The hope is for the markers to foster a dialogue about inclusivity for those previously displaced from the neighborhood.

The markers are part of the broader goal to support the community’s African American and low-income neighbors, and to inspire the next generation.

And most important, Ann pointed out, the project is about encouraging those displaced to return to the neighborhood churches, parks and community events, and to feel welcome again.

Alberta marker participants
Storytellers whose words are due on five Alberta Street Black Heritage Markers are: Sam Brooks, Angelette Hamilton, Donna Hammond, Rosalyn Hill, Mitchell S. Jackson, Paul Knauls Sr., Marnella Mosley, Benita Presley and Pat Strickland.

The local artists chosen for the task to capture those stories visually are Kayin Talton Davis and Cleo Davis. Fabricating the markers is Jesse Pierson, owner of SOLID and a Pacific Northwest Sculptors board member.

Karen Lotts is a local freelance writer who helps local small businesses and nonprofits connect with their audiences through copywriting. She can be reached at KarenLotts.com.