Portland State Magazine Spring 2008

Pushing for Fairness WRITTEN BY LISA LOVING "EXPERIENCE A MOVIE that will make you believe anybody can change the world." So reads an advertisement for Music Within, an award– winning film about somebody who made a difference: former Portland State student Richard Pimentel. Newly released on DVD, the independent movie tells Pimentel's story, from abused child to deaf war veteran to talented PSU student to champion of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It stars Ron Livingston as Pimentel, and Hector Elizondo as the late Ben Padrow, beloved PSU speech professor. Pimentel, now a successful trainer and motivational speaker on diversity issues, returns to Porcland Stare June 14 to give the spring commencement address. He wants to be clear on one thing. "Please don't just consider my life to be an example of someone who went our and overcame adversity," he says. "I consider myself someone who was lucky enough to run into people who taught me, helped me, and allowed me to do the things I wanted to do-pretty much right here on the Park Blocks." Yer Pimentel did indeed overcome adversity on his way to Portland Scare. He persevered through a childhood of abuse at the hands of his mentally ill mother, including stints in a local orphanage. After graduating from Jefferson High School, it was his dream to study public speaki ng under Ben Padrow. Padrow was a legend. As coach of PSU's 1965 College Bowl team, he and his students set scoring records on the nationally televised quiz show and returned to campus as champions. Bur after meeting Padrow and auditioning for entrance to the Speech and Hearing Department, Pimentel was in for a shock. "He told me I was the smoothest, most accomplished speaker he'd ever heard, bur I was pretty much full of crap," Pimentel says. "I was all show and no substance. I should go our and earn a point of view, and come back when I was ready." So Pimentel walked away from Portland Scare and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He went to Vietnam and, within months, a mortar arrack left him almost completely deaf.