PSU Magazine Fall 2003

New jazz institute making the scene in Vinnegar's town Take one fired-up musician and scholar, a network or committed com– munity partners, and the legacy of a beloved jazz legend. Mix thoroughly and jam a while. What do you get7 Portland State's new Leroy Vinnegar The late Leroy Vinnegar was the "Master of the Walking Bass." Jazz Institute. The Pacific Northwest's roots in the jazz tradi– tion extend further than many realize. (Among others, Ray Charles and Quincy Jones got started here.) "When I was leaving New York Lo come to Port– land, everyone there said , 'Hey, all right, Portland's a jazz town ,"' recalls Darrell Grant, institute director, jazz pianist, recording artist, and associate professor of music. "They also said, that's where Leroy is." Leroy Vinnegar, the "Master of the Walking Bass," was born in Indiana but made Portland his home. He played with most or the other major jazz fig– ures of the 20th century and between 1952 and 1999 made more than 800 recordings. But Vinnegar's influence went beyond that, notes Grant. "Leroy's legacy is about more than just playing music. He was an artist of international stature who was also deeply engaged in this community as a mentor, colleague , and advocate for the art form," says Grant. One of the Vinnegar Institute's first programs is "Jazz Outreach Forum," a Giving begins at home Since 1999, nearly 900 faculty and staff members have contributed more than $1 million to Portland State programs and scholarship funds. 18 PSU MAGAZINE FALL 2003 Senior Capstone in which Portland State students develop curriculum and teach elementary school students about the history and culture of jazz. Grant hopes Lo expand this into a three-level peer network with PSU undergraduates teaching high school students who, in turn, mentor younger youth. Another project, "Incredible Journey of Jazz," brings a presentation on jazz around the world Lo class– rooms in the metropolitan area. On the drawing board? "New GrioL Project," explains Grant, "an artist's workshop for youth involved in hip-hop. GrioL is a tradi– tional name for an African-American poet/storyteller. Our project will bring kids in through the doorway of jazz, giving them the opportunity Lo be inspired by other traditions (such as another poetic musical form, opera); improve skills like oration, stage pres– ence, and dee-jaying; and interact with adult musicians and poets." Generous seed funding from Ken and Marta '90 Thrasher and support from Vinnegar's estate are enabling the institute to move forward. Grant's pri– mary objective in the year ahead is to continue to build the independently funded institute's base of community support. For more information about the institute and opportunities to get involved, call Joe Durr, School of Fine and Performing Arts, at 503-725-3396 or email him at durrj@pdx.edu Gift-giver fascinated with structural failure For more than halr a century, engineer Art James has wondered what makes badly designed buildings and bridges fail, while he built sound ones that didn't. The 82-year old engineer/ sleuth/consultant/author is writing a book about his experiences, tentatively titled Locomotive in the River and Other Stories fmm 50 Years of Investigating Structural Failures, a memoir that urges engineers to design for the worst-case scenario. "This isn't pie-in-the-sky stuff," James notes. "These are real cases." Why did the building's rooftop rlood7 Why did a loose barge crash into the dock? Why did the trestle col– lapse, dumping a train engine into the current below7 ''l've never met anyone who didn't want to know why things happened the way they did. For me, it's totally fascinating Lo come up with the best solution to a problem. " Another result of his lifetime quest for fail-proof engineering is the new Arthur M. James Professorship in Port– land State's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Created with a $500,000 gift from James and his wife, Sandra, the first professorship goes to department Chair Franz Rad. Rad hopes to use James's book in a future course on forensic engineering. (PHOTO BY BRUCE ELY / THE OREGONIAN) Arthur James's appreciation for fail– proof engineering has led to his fund– ing of a new PSU professorship. James, a World War 11 veteran who trained both as an engineer and an intelligence officer, moved Lo Portland in 1951 and went into partnership with Frank Honey. Their firm built schools, commercial buildings, docks, and short-span bridges. Today James is a semi-retired consultant. D