The Beer, Wine and Company is Fine at the Hearth and Vine

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Before I relate the great July Beerchasing experience that my two companions and I had at this relatively new version of a reconstituted popular bistro for years – a little context.

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all photos and the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post.)

The Brewery Blocks is a landmark example of adaptive reuse in Portland, combining historic preservation with modern amenities, making it a hub for shopping, dining, work, and living in the Pearl District.

This was a collaboration, but two of the chief visionaries were Mark Edlen and his late partner, Bob Gerding.

Regarded as the largest contiguous private development in Portland’s history, this project transformed a nearly vacant five-block area into a 1.5 million sq. ft. vibrant 24-hour, mixed-use neighborhood with office, housing and retail spaces in Portland’s Pearl District. (Gerding Edlen) (#1 – #2)

Mark co-founded Gerding-Edlen Development with his longtime friend, Bob Gerding. For 25 years, Mark led the firm’s vision and growth. Under his guidance, Gerding-Edlen became one of the nation’s leading developers of urban, mixed-use, transit-oriented, highly sustainable developments. I featured Mark and his remarkable story as a Beerchaser Notable in 2018. When we met for the interview at the Zeus Bar we laughed about our history.

The first time I met Mark was in 1979, when as a Xerox salesman, he and his partner, Joe DeJager, convinced me as the new Business Manager at the Oregon State Bar to buy a $30,000 copier with all the bells and whistles that would improve efficiency while lowering the cost of Bar productions.

Mark Edlen, Chief Executive Officer, Gerding Edlen (#3)

That began a long-term relationship since Mark and Joe both soon went to work for Cushman & Wakefield.  They represented the Bar in its successful efforts to sell its former building and move to a newly constructed headquarters. When I moved to the Schwabe Williamson law firm, they were the firm’s leasing representatives when we renegotiated our lease for 100,000 + square feet in the PacWest Center.

Another Portland icon is Tom Kelly, Chair of Neil Kelly Co. who has worked for over thirty years at this company: “Homeowner-focused and community-minded since 1947 — 30,000+ completed projects across four Pacific Northwest markets, built by people who live here.”

I asked this former Chair of the Portland Development Commission for a description for the blog:

“I briefly met Mark Edlen when we were both on the U of O Daily Emerald Board together. Flash forward forty-five years, his firm Gerding-Edlen has had a profound impact on our city, with the Brewery Blocks standing out among many great projects.

I love these two guys notwithstanding that they are both Oregon Ducks, but what used to be a run-down industrial wasteland north of Burnside Street, is now one of downtown Portland’s most vibrant areas. (#4)

Tom Kelly
Mark Edlen

Goodbye Henry’s Tavern – Hello Hearth and Vine

“The Blitz-Weinhard brewery closed in 1999, putting an end to more than 140 years of brewing history in Portland while extinguishing one of the city’s most visible — not to mention smellable landmarks.

The bar that replaced it, and which took its name from the brewery’s founder didn’t last quite as long. But Henry’s Tavern developed its own loyal following during its 15-year run in the renamed (and redeveloped) Brewery Blocks.” Oregon Live

Henry’s Tavern
Henry’s Tavern

The closure of the iconic Henry’s Tavern was sudden and surprised its regulars and the Portland hospitality community: (#5 – #6)

“In September 2019, The Oregonian reported that Henry’s Tavern abruptly closed; the tavern posted news about the closure on Saturday, September 28 on Instagram. Employees learned about the closure the day before, on Friday. They had been open for 15 years in the Henry Weinhard Brewery complex, part of the Brewery Blocks.

A manager said about the closure, ‘It was completely out of the blue. More than 100 people depend on this job to pay the bills and support their families.’”

Beerchasing Companions

My two companions at the Hearth and Vine were totally appropriate and not just because of the numerous stories we shared, a number of which were factual. Scott Brown is a principal at Portland’s GBD Architects.

The firm has played a key role in the redevelopment of the Brewery Blocks and continues to shape this evolving district, maintaining its presence within the original Brewhouse, where it occupies over 15,000 square feet.

Furthermore, Scott’s firm was the key architect in the Hearth and Vine design restoration. Beofore I retired, Scott and I worked together for a number of years on numerous remodels and buildouts at the Schwabe firm when he was at the Yost Grube Firm (now INTEGRUS). (#7)

Joining us was lawyer Carson Bowler. We were colleagues at Schwabe before he started his own firm – Bowler Law in 2024. “C-Bo” and his wife, Valerie, have been friends for many years and Carson, a Beerchasing regular – also a friend of Scott’s from the University of Oregon (Unfortunately…).

““For more than 25 years, I have worked on transactions, cleanups, litigation, and compliance involving all kinds of current and former property uses, including manufacturing, storage and medical facilities, gas stations, dry cleaners, renewable energy projects (wind and solar), mill sites, agricultural land, landfills (and former landfills), housing projects, and forestlands.” Bowler Law website

This respected environmental lawyer has been quite busy and initially declined because of workload, but Scott told him that he was working on redevelopment of an historic gas station next to a dry cleaner that was moving to a new site because a neighboring landfill had leaching issues. “We can discuss over wine….” Carson acquiesced…..#8)

Carson also has an uncanny resemblance to one of my former Beerchaser Notables – Art Vandelay, (photo below) who fans of the Seinfeld series will remember with fondness.

But I digress. We met at the Hearth and Vine on a Wednesday Happy Hour. (3:00 to 5:00 Tuesday through Sunday) Prices were good with wine at $8 and a pint of beer at $7. Although we did not eat from what looked like a great menu, we enjoyed the ambiance and the beer and wine from their robust list.

Scott and Carson, not being from an Aggie school, were more refined and each chose vino from the list of fifty wines. Of the eight beers on tap, I opted for one of my standbys – the Pfriem West Coast IPA.

We were also very pleased with the attentiveness and cordiality of David our server.

Although the Hearth and Vine is a bit challenging to find, GBD and the owners deserve credit. It is a delightful and beautifully designed space with a wonderful patio and attractive bar and lounge space on the interior with additional space available for private events. Part of the charm is the historical ambiance of the building and surrounding blocks.

Given the short time since the opening, there are not scads of social media reviews, but these two from Yelp are typical and why we will return (If Carson can get off work…).

“I got a recommendation to try this place after a day of shopping downtown and it did not disappoint. It’s a fun, more upscale environment and the bartenders are excellent. Pizza, salmon crispy rice, and beets were all tasty and the cocktails were stellar (especially the marionberry margarita!). I will be back! ” Yelp 10/6/26

“Was overall impressed by the food here. It’s a great spot to go if you don’t want to do something pretentious, but still want a solid meal. We split a few appetizers, and enjoyed them all. Five of us had different entrees, and they all came out great and we cleaned our plates. I had the poke bowl and it was excellent. Only minor gripe was wasabi should be on the plate. Will be back! Yelp 9/6/26

And one practice that always impresses me is when Management – in this case Millet P. – responds to every review, be it positive or negative.(#9 – #14)

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving

External Photo Attribution

#1. Edlen and Co. Website (Brewery Blocks: Brewhouse and Cellar | Portland, OR — Edlen & Co.).

#2. GBD Architects Website (The Brewery Blocks | GBD Architects, Portland, Oregon).

#3. 2012; Photo: Kim Oanh Nguyen.

#4. Neil Kelly Co. Website (https://www.neilkelly.com/leadership/tom-kelly/).

#5.  Wikimedia Commons (By Another Believer – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0) (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=121869667 ) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.  16 August 2022.

#6.  Wikimedia Commons (By Visitor7 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31529790) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  9 March 2016.

#7 GBD Architects Website (https://www.gbdarchitects.com/people/scott-brown/),

#8. Bowler Law Website (https://bowler-law.com/). #9 – #14.  Hearth and Vine Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/hearthandvinepdx

Reflections – But Not on Elections

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By the time you read this post, the Midterm Elections will be over. Regardless of one’s political persuasion, there will be bipartisan bliss with the absence of political ads going forward. That will be mitigated to some extent by the ubiquitous insurance commercials which will undoubtedly fill the vacuum.

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all photos and the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post.) (#1)

Charging Backward!?

Perhaps a common theme this fall is the price of arrogance. I’ll cite two sports-related examples to validate this premise. Coach Jim Harbaugh, to much fanfare, became the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. It was felt that with his star quarterback, Justin Herbert – Offensive Rookie-of-the-Year in 2020 and Pro Bowl selection in 2021, the Chargers would dominate the West Division of the AFC.

Well, Harbaugh had two 11-6 seasons, but in 2026 he is winless with seven defeats. And Justin Herbert is having an abysmal year. I’ve never been a fan of Jim Harbaugh. He’s been involved in ethical issues during his college coaching career at the University of Michigan as summarized below:

  • Recruiting rule violations during the COVID‑19 dead period.
  • Dishonesty and lack of cooperation with NCAA investigators.
  • Sign‑stealing and unauthorized scouting scandals.
  • Failure to monitor staff and promote compliance.

These cases have resulted in severe NCAA sanctions, reputational damage, and a long-term ban from collegiate coaching. (#2- #3)

http://www.allproreels.com (All-Pro Reels Photography)

Justin Herbert, after an outstanding rookie year, seems to have reached a plateau and then proceed downward in 2026: (Oregon Live)

“Herbert has completed 59.4% of his passes, well off his career mark of 66.1%. He has five TDs, ten turnovers (including a league-worst eight interceptions, with a least one in every game) and been sacked 21 times – second most in the league including the nine times in the last two games.”

I’ve admired Justin Herbert for his academic and athletic achievements in college, but have to chuckle based on his personal life – his marriage to celebrity, Madison Beer in the fall of 2024. (#4)

I wrote about my first exposure to the singer-songwriter in this blog when Janet and I attended an amazing Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park in 2024:

“…I realized that a significant portion of the crowd – lined up for several blocks – was not in line for the baseball game – they were waiting with great anticipation for a concert at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway.

It was somewhat chilly and I wondered why most of the adolescent girls in line were dressed in tutus – in many cases supplemented by capes and tiaras. And most were without coats. I asked a security guard, and he said they were waiting for a Madison Beer concert scheduled to start at 7:30.

I thought Madison Beer was a micro-brewery in Wisconsin. I found out, however, that she’s a twenty-five-year-old singer- songwriter with ties to Justin Bieber. Fenway was one of sixty-three concerts on her 2023-2024 “Spinnin” world tour. These hardy kids had lined up five hours (or more) early for the evening concert for which they paid an average ticket price of $143.”

Perhaps, Justin should now consider (at least during the NFL Season) switching from Madison Beer to martinis from Twisted Path Gin which is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin distillery. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist…)

A Bit More Football

I’ve written before about my disappointment with the demise of the PAC 12 – especially in football. My wife is an Oregon Duck, I’m a dam Beaver and our older daughter and her husband are Washington Huskies – he a third generation Dawg. I was there during the OSU Giant Killer years and the intra-family banter during football has been fun in the past.

I have many friends who are U of O grads and at the law firm, the Oregon vs. Washington rivalry came close to surpassing what in Oregon was always known as the Civil War – until a few years ago when that term became politically incorrect.

That said, the arrogance of the Ducks has been a sore point in the past and they and Coach Dan Lanning have had a comeuppance this year – while the Beaver gridiron team has surprised everyone with its resurgence. Unfortunately, the Beavers and Ducks won’t play again until September 2028.

Just wait until 2028!

Given that at the beginning of the season, the Ducks were picked by some to be National Champions and #2 in several polls, it provides some satisfaction seeing the following headlines in the sports pages.

“Lanning: ‘We Just Don’t Handle Adversity Well'”

“Ducks’ lost season falls off a cliff with catastrophic loss to Illinois.”

“Oregon is inconsistent, undisciplined, unprepared, and downright unwatchable. Parts of the machine are broken. Dreams of the CFP – considered the floor for this team entering the season – are dead.”

The Ducks have also had three players arrested on various charges including alleged DUI and reckless driving during the season.

The same edition of The Oregonian with the quote above had this comment by one of the columnists: “The Beavers have executed an unimaginable culture reset and the world of college athletics is taking notice.”

(The image on the right was taken yesterday at my long-time law firm colleague and Beerchasing Notable, Jack Faust’s residence. It should be noted that Oregon surprised the pundits by ranking No. 23 in the first College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings of the 2026 season.)

Cheers to Oregon State’s Athletic Director, Kevin Griffin and Football Coach, JaMarcus Shepherd – both in the first year – for their leadership and motivational skills!

Farewell to Friends

2026 has been a year of mixed emotions for me. I’ve lost four friends this year – three of them lawyers and one a distinguished professor. Two of the lawyers died in tragic accidents.

Craig Russillo

Craig and I were colleagues at the Schwabe law firm for fourteen years – from the time he joined the firm as a new associate after graduation cum laude from Willamette University Law School, until I retired in 2011. He was killed in a head-on crash on October 15th by a drunken driver near Mount Hood while returning to his home in Bend. (#5)

Not only was he an outstanding attorney, but a wonderful husband and father to his two children – Finn and Elle.

“His quick wit, professionalism and and legal prowess earned him accolade’s from clients and he was quickly elevated to shareholder and ultimately served on the Board of Directors and was a senior leader in the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group.

In his nearly three decades at Schwabe, Craig mentored and nurtured scores of the firm’s young lawyers with an uncommon blend of insight humor and compassion was the very heart and soul of the firm’s ‘work hard, but don’t take yourself too seriously’ culture.

He developed deep and meaningful friendships with generations of staff and shareholders at Schwabe, none of whom were ever safe from Craig’s infection humor and practical jokes.“

And I still laugh with the recipient of one of those practical jokes – Sara Cotton – now a shareholder, but in 2009 a recent cum laude graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School.

Sara, like most new lawyers, had worked incredibly long hours during her first eight months and was looking forward to a great summer vacation. At Schwabe, we did not require lawyers to record sick and vacation hours – their statistics governed when they could take time off. (#6)

A day or two before Sara was to leave, Craig (who had tipped me off) said, “Cotton, I assume you had the COO approve this vacation in advance.” Sara, gasped and said, “No one told me that was required.” He responded, “Well, you better go to Williams’ office and grovel and come up with a good excuse. Otherwise, you might as well cancel your reservations.”

When she came in, I scowled for about thirty seconds before bursting into laughter just as Craig walked in. From that time on, each summer until I retired, I would remind Sara not to forget her obligation to notify me. Schwabe had a great organizational sense of humor and Craig exemplified it.

Mark O’Donnell

Those who follow this blog have read about my friendship and respect for this wonderful lawyer and man of faith which began in 1979 and lasted until his passing in August.

My blog gave examples of the forty + years of sarcastic e-mails and letters we exchanged challenging each other’s character and intellectual ability although we always ended by toasting our brotherhood. (#7)

Mark, growing up in a family which struggled to make ends meet, had a lifetime commitment supporting charitable endeavors. These included De La Salle North Catholic High School, Gonzaga University and many Catholic charities.

In In September 2018, the Northwest Pilot Project presented him with the Agency Impact Award to commemorate his service to the organization, which provides affordable housing to seniors in Multnomah County:

“O’Donnell’s commitment has prevented 450 low-income seniors from becoming homeless.” …He also partners with SE Works, De Paul Treatment Centers and other organizations that serve at-risk kids and low-income seniors.”

Steve Griffith

Steve died on February 12th while climbing Chimborazo when he fell during the ascent.

“It’s the highest mountain in Ecuador and the 39th-highest peak in the entire Andes. The summit is the farthest point on Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center due to its location along the planet’s equatorial bulge. Chimborazo’s height from sea level is 6,263 m (20,548 ft).”  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimborazo

You might ask why an eighty-year-old guy was climbing a mountain in Ecuador. Steve would respond, “Because I can!”

The two pictures below are from his climb with my college fraternity brother, Craig “The Dude” Hanneman at the summit of Mt. Vinson (16,050 feet) in Antarctica – they climbed it in 2008 – one of the Seven Summits. (#8)

You would think that a person who is a graduate of Harvard College, the University of Oxford and Stanford Law School, might tend to be a bit bookish or cerebral in activities and dealings with others.

Notwithstanding his academic pedigree, Steve Griffith was the polar opposite. Besides his distinction as a litigator with a wide-ranging practice for thirty-seven years at Stoel Rives – one of the Northwest’s most prestigious law firms, he was esteemed for his reputation as a civic leader, friend and family man. (#9 – #10)

Steve in red cap

Steve was a very giving person demonstrating throughout his life that he should share his natural gifts with others. He taught school and coached for two years in Liberia as a Peace Corps volunteer and in 2015, he and his wife, Chris started a preschool in Gbarnga – the same town in which he served years earlier.

Dr. Doug Morgan Professor Emeritus of Public Administration – Portland State University (#11)

The following was written by Masami Nishishiba, Director, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government.

“Doug passed away on October 21, 2026 and was a cherished member of the Hatfield School community, a dedicated educator, a respected scholar, and a generous supporter of our students and programs. As one of the founding donors of the Morgan-Ellis Family Endowment, Doug played an important role in strengthening the Hatfield School’s ability to support students and advance our mission of public service and making government stronger.

…I will deeply miss Doug’s wisdom, warmth, and unwavering commitment to the Hatfield School. He was not only a valued colleague but also a trusted friend whom I could always count on for thoughtful advice and encouragement. His generosity extended far beyond financial contributions—he gave his time, shared his ideas, and genuinely cared about the people and the future of the School.”

I first met Doug in 2024 over coffee and was thrilled shortly afterwards to have a reunion after many years with my Portland State University graduate school professor and advisor, Dr. Walt Ellis and his best friend, Doug, over lunch at Gino’s Restaurant and Bar in mid-June. Janet and I both earned our master degrees from PSU and the Hatfield School has an excellent national reputation.

Walt and Doug had just announced the establishment of the Morgan-Ellis Family Endowment for Community-Centered Education, Scholarship and Governance and kick-started it with a $100,000 donation. (#12)

Each then committed $1 million estate gifts to strengthen the core work of the Hatfield School by funding student research assistantships and deepening the school’s partnerships with local governments through the School’s Center for Public Service.

The loss of these friends is a good reminder to nurture friendships and treasured relationships while we still have the opportunity.

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

Other than those enumerated below, all photos were taken by me or generated by AI.

#1.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Ballot Drop Box Boston.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.   Author: Whoisjohngalt – 3 August 2022.    

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Jim Harbaugh (Michigan Wolverines football coach) during Sept. 29, 2018 game against Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field (441201710451).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Author: Maize & Blue Nation – 29 September 2016.      

#3. Wikimedia Commons (File:Los Angeles Chargers sideline.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.   Author:  All-Pro Reels -12 September 2021.    

#4.    Wikimedia Commons (File:Madison Beer @ The Wiltern 11 28 2021 (51783561891).jpg – Wikimedia Commons)  Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.  Author:  Justin Higuchi – 28 November 2001.

#5. Oregon Live Obituary (https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/craig-russillo-obituary?id=62850829).

#6. Sara Cotton (https://www.schwabe.com/professional/sara-cotton/_).    

#7. O’ Donnell Law Firm LLC Website (https://www.odlf.net/about-us/professional-team/attorneys/mark-odonnell/)

#8 Fordham Institute (https://fordhaminstitute.org/about/fordham-staff/stephen-griffith)

#9 – #10. Courtesy of Craig Hanneman.

#11-#12. Hatfield School of Government – Portland State University (https://www.pdx.edu/hatfield-school/).

Beerchaser Notable Coach Kirk Anderson – Part II

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Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all photos and the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post.)

And don’t forget to check the end of this post to see some very interesting stuff about Kirk’s presence in the Royal Box at Wimbledon in 2024.

In the first of the two Beerchaser posts, I filled you in on the amazing Tennis Hall-of-Fame career of my neighbor, Kirk Anderson and his wonderful wife, Carol.

In this post, I’ll focus on their visit to Wimbledon in 2024 where Kirk was a guest in the Royal Box for the Men’s Single Finals, some additional career highlights and Kirk’s observations about the sport and its celebrities.

When we left Kirk in the last post, he and Carol had just moved back to Michigan in 1980, after the climate at Princeville Resort in Kauai “rained out” his ability to make a living as a teaching pro on outdoor courts.

Five years as the Tennis Director at Holland Tennis Club were followed by another move – this time to Springfield, Ohio working for the US Tennis Association – this time for another five year stint.

A job offer in 1992, by Penn Racquet Sports in Atlanta, Georgia where he was Regional Promotions Manager became a two-year stay. The good news was that the Atlanta schools were excellent and children, Shane and Vaughn adapted well. The bad news: “I was low man on the totem pole and had to travel to a territory which covered twenty-five states.”

Then a move to a Houston, Texas in 1994, which Kirk described as “A bad job in a bad city,” – Director of Education for the US Professional Tennis Association. (#1)

Editorial Note: I concur about the city and have only been to Houston once. I’m biased, however, since I met my wife of 46 years at a planning commission meeting and it’s one of the only major cities in the US without zoning regulations.

A metro area of 7.8 million people – fifth most populous in the US with no zoning in the City means a piece of land is not assigned any official land‑use category, which can lead to a hodgepodge and incompatible uses in an area.

It may not have been his favorite job, but they liked what he’d done during his career – he was admitted to the 1996 USPTA Midwest Division of the Hall of Fame – the first of five awards with similar designations as shown below:

A little context here: The US Tennis Association is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. It’s a not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members.

The US Professional Tennis Association is a leading organization for tennis professionals in the U.S. It was founded in 1927 and has evolved to meet the diverse needs of the tennis industry. The USPTA provides resources, education, and certification for tennis instructors and coaches.

This excerpt from the 2023 USPTA banquet acceptance speech Kirk made at 2023 USPTA Tim Heckler Hall of Fame banquet is edifying. (Careful, the video above may make you tear up….)

“I’ve taught at parks, camps, schools, resorts and clubs. I’ve worked with Special Olympians, prisoners and even our Wounded Warriors…I’ve had the privilege of teaching and presenting around the world and have never received anything but kindness, respect and encouragement from my students and fellow professionals…

I had the best job in the world and have the best friends and family on the planet. I’m truly the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

And Carol, after her teaching career, also got involved in tennis:

“I was fortunate to come across a developing job that was also in the tennis industry and could work at home with flexible hours. Kirk and I sometimes had common meetings and conferences, so we had ‘vacations’ together.

As a mother with children active in school sports and wife of a traveling speaker/instructor and , I was able to use this new technology of email, cell phones, conference calls, websites and electronic newsletters in my job.”

I asked Kirk, given the thousands of tennis pros, what brought him the national and international recognition from his peers. He gave a number of reasons:

“I was lucky. I always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. I also enjoyed helping people. My teaching methods were different and I was the underdog, but pretty confident and hungry. I was not highly ranked as a player, but loved teaching and my philosophy for forty years was being on the cutting edge.”

Fortunately, they got to leave Houston after two years because the USTA in White Plains, New York kept calling. They offered him the job as Director of Coaching Education without an interview. The family lived in Connecticut and he commuted to New York. (#2)

Most of the tennis executives wanted the focus to be on kids but Kirk emphasized the concurrent need to create a quick intro to tennis for adults and make them proficient without prolonged practicing:

“They locked twenty of us in a room and said, ‘Come up with a name and develop the program.’ At the end of the weekend we came up with the concept and the name ‘Play Tennis America.'” Kirk became the National Manager of the “Play Tennis America” program. (PTA)

Was PTA Successful?

“PTA originated in response to declining interest in tennis in the United States. Initiated by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in 1997 as part of a broader strategy to revitalize the sport, the program aimed to attract new players by offering free introductory lessons to adults in various cities across the country, making tennis more accessible and appealing.

“PTA significantly boosted tennis participation across various demographics. This initiative aimed to make tennis more accessible and appealing, particularly to youth and underserved communities...Studies indicate that early engagement in tennis can lead to lifelong participation, contributing to better health outcomes“ (AI)

The success of that program and Kirk’s leadership led to that job lasting for twenty years with Kirk traveling the globe making presentations.

One of the most enjoyable was for the 2012 July Summer Olympics in conjunction with Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Program” with meetings in New York, London and Washington DC. (3#)

Kirk still expresses his admiration for the former First Lady. Perhaps that’s because he was also invited to participate in the Annual White House Easter Egg Roll and activities on the White House Tennis Court for three years. (I didn’t ask him if that included pick-up basketball with the President….)

London and Wimbledon

From 2003 to 2015, Kirk served on an International Tennis Federation Tennis Participation Task Force of sixteen people which met in London twice each year. They coordinated some of these meetings with Wimbledon.

It was during the trips to London that he became great friends with Sandi Proctor and her husband, Steve. Sandi is former PE teacher turned tennis coach and Manager of the Bromley Tennis Centre who in 2023 became President of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). It’s the national governing body for tennis in Great Britain. (#4)

She’s the one who invited Carol and Kirk to England for Wimbledon in 2024 – Kirk to sit in the Royal Box for the Men’s Single Final and Carol and daughter, Shane, to sit in the Royal Box for the Mixed Doubles Final.

Sandi Proctor playing padel

The LTA also governs Padel – a relatively new sport, it’s a fast-paced racket sport that combines elements of tennis and squash, usually played in doubles on an enclosed court about one-third the size of a standard tennis court.  It’s been around since 1969, but didn’t really hit Europe until the mid-1970’s. (#5)

Kirk told me that Sandi issued the invite to the Men’s Singles Final with strings attached – he had to attend the Champions’ Dinner and cocktail hour.

The 2024 Men’s Single Royal Box

You can see he had an unforgettable view and was seated with tennis greats including Rod Laver, Chris Evert, Stan Smith, Slobodan Damjanovic, Andre Agassi, Ken Roswell, Lleyton Hewitt and Jan Kodes.

Besides Catherine, Princess of Wales and members of the Royal Family family including younger sister, Pippa and daughter, Princess Charlotte, Tom Cruise also was a guest.

“Just Call Me Tony”

“The Wimbledon Champions’ Dinner, formerly known as the Champions’ Ball, is an event organized after the end of each edition of the Wimbledon Championships and it consists of a dinner and a dance between the Men’s and Women’s singles winners.

In recent years, the Champions’ Dinner has been hosted at The Lawn, a hospitality venue located on the grounds of The Wimbledon Club, across from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. It gathers players, their families, and distinguished guests to celebrate the tournament’s champions.”

Sandi Procter and her guest, Kirk Anderson, pose alongside the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy and Venus Rosewater Dish at the Champions Dinner held at Raffles London at The OWO Hotel at The Championships 2024. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Day 14 Sunday 14/07/2024. Credit: AELTC/Felix Diemer. (#6)

At the cocktail hour, Kirk mingled with Rod Laver, Stan Smith and Andre Agassi. He was also introduced to another guest from the Royal Box – Sir Anthony Radakin – who was appointed Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff on 30 November 2021 and served through the fall of 2025. (#7)

“Just call me Tony.”

It’s the professional head of the British Armed Forces and he was the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

“It was announced in February 2024 that Radakin would stay in post as Chief of the Defence Staff until autumn 2025 after proving to be a key player in helping Ukraine in its fight against Russia.[49]“

When he met Sir Radakin, the Admiral smiled and said, “Just call me ‘Tony.'” In our interview, Kirk chuckled and said to me, “Up until that time, the most famous people to call me by my first name were Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King!”

Battling Inertia and Tradition

Kirk continued to write his books – sixteen of which were published before he retired, (“I always put my stuff in writing. Nobody else wanted to write things down,”). The last one published in 2023, after he retired – Tennis Beyond Lessons was the most acclaimed and the testimonials for this paperback volume are shown in my previous blog post.

Kirk spent most of the rest of his career focused on trying to make tennis more fun and “playable” for kids and adults who were not skilled athletes – an obsession of sorts. He made many speeches in the US and abroad.

Part of this effort resulted in the Red, Orange, Green and Yellow Program (ROGY) officially introduced by the USTA in 2010. The ROGY system is a progression method that uses different ball types, court sizes, and net heights to help players build skills step-by-step,

While most working on the program felt it should be directed stricltly at kids, Kirk kept insisting, “No, we’re missing the boat. This will attract and maintain adult players.”

“He was a driving force behind getting the United States Tennis Association to adopt the Red, Orange, and Green Pathway and getting other coaches to implement it in their children’s lessons.” USPTA Hall of Fame

Although it never gained the traction he had hoped because of inertia, tradition and economic factors, slowly his argument hit home. Although ROGY was created for junior development, its framework became widely used for adult beginners, especially in the Yellow Ball stage, and some programs explicitly combine adult and junior players under the ROGY model.

Think how long it took tennis to evolve from just white attire – essentially still the standard at Wimbledon.

“The rule that tennis players must wear all white started during the Victorian era with influence from cricket attire and lawn dresses, driven by a desire to keep players cool and minimize improper sweat stains. As one historian explained, ‘The white symbolizes purity and virtue, reflecting the self-perceptions of the class from which tennis derived most of its players.’”

And try to convince manufacturers to change to smaller and lighter-weight (less expensive) rackets and balls. (Kirk worked on the specs for the USTA.) Many tennis officials asserted that adults would never play with this modified equipment and smaller courts:

Orange Ball: 60 x 21 feet for singles and 60 x 27 for doubles for with a three foot net compared to a standard tennis single court of 78 x 27 feet (singles) and 78 x 36 (doubles) and 3.6 foot net. (The red ball court is essentially cross court at 36 x 18.)

Pickleball refuted this premise when it exploded. (It came to school physical education programs in the mid-70’s and USA Pickleball was founded in 1984.) ROGY also had the advantage of not generating the noise that often makes pickleball a scourge in neighborhoods.

A Move to Oregon

Kirk and Carol moved to Oregon in 2017 to be closer to daughter, Shane and her husband, Ryan and their three grandkids. He continued working for the USTA Pacific Northwest and General Manager – Culture and Coach Development until his retirement in 2019,

Their friendship with Sandi Proctor continues and she recently stayed with them and did some touring of Oregon.

Kirk can’t play or coach any more, but consistent with his diverse talents, now paints images on small cards and mats and frames art, both of which are attractively displayed in their house.

The residents of our street love having Kirk and Carol as their neighbors and it certainly goes beyond the fact that they grow great strawberries and vegetables in their backyard. (#8)

External Photo Attribution

All photos except those enumerated below are courtesy of Kirk and Carol Anderson, Chat AI or taken by me.

#1.  Wikimedia Commons – (File:Gfp-texas-houston-peering-out-into-houston.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This file has been released explicitly into the public domain by its author, using the Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication formerly here.  Author: Yinan Chen (https://www.goodfreephotos.com/) – 13 January 2014.

#2. USTA Website (https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/who-we-are/national/our-campuses.html.).

#3. Athletes in the Making Website (https://athletesinthemaking.org/articles/what-is-michelle-obamas-lets-move-program) October 8 2014.

#4. Linked-in site for Sandi Proctor (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandi-procter-038538208/).

#5. Sandi Proctor Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc3kgcWLrkh/).

#5.Felix Diemer Photography (https://felix-diemer-photography.com/).

#7. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Radakin#/media/File:Tony_Radakin_in_2023_(cropped).jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: UKinUSA from Washington, D.C., USA – 8 September 2023.

#8. US Professional Tennis Association (https://members.rspa.net/USPTA/USPTA/About_USPTA/History/Hall_of_Fame_Inductees/Kirk_Anderson_-_2023.aspx).

Autumn Facades – The Final Chapter

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Two of my recent posts have been entitled “Fall Facades.” Even though I’m a fan of alliteration, I decided to name this one “Autumn Facades.” That’s simply because “Autumn” and “Fall” are synonyms – they are interchangeable – they mean the same thing” (External photo attribution at the end of the post – #1 – #2)

Autumn
Fall

This is identical to the terms “Lawyer” and “Attorney” as shown below. Most people understand this but I know this for a fact and didn’t have to talk to a lot of people to clarify. I worked at a large, regional law firm for twenty-five years and the Oregon State Bar for six years before that. (#3 – #4)

Attorney
Lawyer

I’m sure this will put that debate to rest!

Class Reunions and Aging

Two months ago, I attended my sixtieth high school class reunion. I’m an alum of Oregon City High School and since I served as Senior Class President, I’ve been involved in organizing these for the last five decades.

The fiftieth was a rousing success with over 125 classmates and spouses attending with a dinner and formal program. I decided that I was done at that point, but my friend since high school, Dr. Bob Benski – a retired Oregon City Veterinarian – called me last January and persuaded me that we could do a low-key event at a local pub. And the High Rocks Pub in Gladstone did a wonderful job.

You can see from the pictures below that Bob, adapted with the times, and changed his hair style from high school. The 1975 newspaper photo is from the Rabies Clinic that the OC Jaycees sponsored each year.

This also gave Bob and me a chance to relive old memories from athletics, Jaycees and careers – his was a lot more interesting than mine. After earning a BS at Oregon State, he received his DVM at Washington State University.

I still miss calling his office every May 8th and telling his receptionist to inform Dr. Benski that his reservation on the 18th green at Pullman Municipal Golf Course was confirmed.

You see, May 8th is celebrated as Outdoor Intercourse Day: “’Outdoor Intercourse Day’ is an unofficial, student‑created holiday on May 8 — a playful, often humorous tradition with roots in the 1960s and a reputation for spreading across the Pacific Northwest – Hurray, Hurray for the 8th of May!”

But I digress, we had a few hundred dollars left from 2016 reunion and aside from the cost of the room rental and some snacks, there would be no expense. Attendees bought their own drinks (or their classmate’s if they had unpaid bets from the past).

Since there was no cost we didn’t ask for RSVPs and had no idea how many would attend on a Saturday night in August – we thought about 20 to 25 from a class of a bit over 300. We were delighted when about 45 showed up and had a wonderful time for about four hours. I give Bob full credit for his prodding to do this and the extensive work he did contacting classmates.

I greeted the assembled classmates shortly after it started and this excerpt reminded us how time passes more quickly than we anticipated at graduation. I kept it short, remembering the admonition from my former colleague at the Schwabe firm, Beerchaser Notable Jack Faust – a man known for his eloquent and witty introductions and presentations. (#5)

“Don, It should only last as long as you can hold a 20-pound block of ice in your bare hands!”

“The year we graduated from Oregon City, the class having its 60th reunion was the class of 1906. And the graduating seniors this year won’t celebrate their 60th reunion until 2086.

Thanks again for coming and I’m sure you still agree that the class of ’66 is the coolest class to ever walk the halls OR put an outhouse on the roof of Oregon City High School. 

And Speaking of Careers…

I enjoyed mine immensely and spent my last twenty-five at the Schwabe firm in Portland – a great organization and quality regional firm. I retired in 2011 and have really enjoyed retirement.

So I get amused when I still get messages on Linked-in such as the two below. I realize they are mass generated but think there should still be a bit more content control. I get this one from a Jada every couple months, even though I inform her I’m retired.

” Hey Donald – As Retired (emphasis supplied) Chief Operating Officer, having to manage Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt’s expenses, bills, and travel across multiple systems and spreadsheets must be a hassle. I’d love to send you a free $150 Lululemon or Nike gift card as a thank you for learning more about Rippling Spend.“

I get similar entreaties from a Veda and I’m puzzled why her product would fit a law firm in a high-rise office building:

“….As the Retired (emphasis supplied) Chief Operating Officer do you manage ADT, Bay Alarm, Sonitrol, or a similar alarm vendor at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt?….I’d love to get you a $200 Amazon Gift Card if you’re open to taking a short demo. Open for 15 mins this week or next? Speak soon!“

Regardless, I’m wondering about the ethics of accepting this benevolence. Maybe the rules have changed, but a long time ago, we even had some debates about whether one should turn over air-miles accrued while on firm business on firm paid airfare. (Fortunately, the hardliners didn’t win on this time since people were usual flying after hours and weekends.)

This Sign was Probably a Lawyer’s Idea

I was recently on the upper floor of a large medical facility – a unit where support animals were not permitted – and came across this sign.

Fortunately, if some misguided soul chose to ignore the sign, there would be medical professionals nearby to flush his or her system. (Perhaps with a co-pay, but no preauthorization.)

Abuse of the English Language and Common Sense

In a recent post, I highlighted lawyer and professor Kevin Frazier, as a Beerchaser Notable. My brilliant friend is Director of the AI Innovation & Law Fellow at the University of Texas School of Law. He writes a subscription based commentary on Substack entitled “Appleseed.” (#6)

The focus of his narrative is usually AI – policy issues: “Learn how we can accelerate and share advances in AI, turning today’s breakthroughs into tomorrow’s common tools.”

Recently he wrote an insightful narrative entitled: “Why We Opted Not to Work at the AI Labs.”

It addresses the problem: “As AI labs draw professors and students away from universities, society risks losing the expertise to govern what those labs build.” It was very informative, but I left a comment and inquired, “What is the remedy, Kevin?”

Almost immediately, a 250-word response appeared from a guy who writes for Latent Dynamics – “Your guide to building AGI and ASI. Source-tiered, verified deep dives on the engineering path: learning, reasoning, robotics, efficient hardware, quantum-AI and safe autonomy. What works, what fails, what to build next.”

Initially, I thought it was a facetious reply because the prose was so convoluted it made about as much sense to me as the image below. But here you go: (#7)

“Don, we don’t fix this by writing larger checks to academic departments or begging corporate boards for trusted API tokens. That’s a passive waiting game. The solution is architectural, and it doesn’t require us to reproduce their multi-million-dollar training runs.

We must decouple the probabilistic reasoning plane from the deterministic execution plane entirely. If you can’t trust the model’s internal representations, you intercept its dispatches at the operating system runtime boundary.

We do this by compiling declarative safety rules into monotonic Horn clauses. These are evaluated in microseconds by an incremental Datalog safety kernel running inside a hardware-isolated enclave on the local host. When an agent attempts a state mutation, the request is staged in a shadow transaction ledger. The enclave checks the transitive closure of capability grants before a single POSIX-level commit occurs.

If the proposed mutation violates the safety invariant, the transaction is aborted and the local copy-on-write workspace is instantly rolled back. This means we treat the frontier model strictly as an untrusted proposer. We don’t care how many parameters it has or what language it speaks. It has zero transaction authority.

But here is the real catch: once you compile these policies into hard, non-invertible state enclaves, you realize the commercial value-loop and the security-gate share the exact same microarchitectural state lattice. If you can enforce one, you own the other. What happens to the AI labs’ business model when the gatekeeper is a 100-kilobyte Datalog kernel compiled onto a custom RISC-V core at the edge? (✧≖_≖)ノ” (#8)

The above violates my safety invariant?!

That made no sense to Thebeerchaser so I ran it though two runs on AI. The following is the translation of the convoluted scramble of words and sentences above. It’s 90 words shorter.

The problem with AI trust can’t be fixed just by giving more money or special access. Instead, we need a new design that separates the AI’s guessing part from the part that actually makes changes.

Since we can’t fully trust what the AI thinks inside, we put strict safety rules in a small, fast, and secure system on the local computer. When the AI tries to do something, this system checks the action before letting it happen. If it breaks the rules, the change is stopped and undone immediately.

This means the AI only suggests actions but can’t make changes on its own. The same small secure system that keeps things safe can also control who gets to make money from the AI. This new design running on special hardware could change how AI companies work and take away their usual control.

It still doesn’t answer my original question, but some time I’ll ask Kevin. (#9)

External Photo Attribution

# 1- #2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Autumn leaves, Talcott Mountain State Park.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.   Author:  Ragesoss – 21 October 2007.

#3 – #4. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Perry-Mason-Look-1961.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This work has been released into the public domain by its copyright holder, Cowles Communications, Inc.. This applies worldwide.  Author: Cowles Communications, Inc.; photograph by Robert Vose – 10 October 1961.

#4 – #5 AI Generated

#6. Linked-in University of Texas School of Law (The University of Texas School of Law: Home | LinkedIn).

#7 – #8 AI Generated

#9. Image courtesy of Pam Williams.

Beerchaser Notable – Coach Kirk Anderson – Part I

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Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all photos and the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

Carol and Kirk Anderson

In December 2023, Janet and I moved into a new house in the Portland suburb of West Linn. We liked our former abode – also in West Linn – but it had three flights of stairs which was problematic for me after my back fusion surgery in 2022.

Our two nurse daughters strongly suggested – okay, were adamant: “Mom and Dad, if you want to stay in a house rather than move into a retirement community, you need to get another house.”

“We’ve got your back, Dad!”

We love our house – in a new ten-lot development – just off the Willamette River. It has two levels, but aside from two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a playroom for our granddaughters, all the essentials are on the main floor. (This design used to be called “Master-on-the-Main” but I won’t go there….) We call the second floor “The Family ADU.”

Our neighbors across the street and one house down, are Kirk and Carol Anderson. They were the first ones to move in – two years before we did.

They are remarkable and friendly people – avid gardeners, very fit (Carol walks about three miles to the store every day and the second day I interviewed them, they had two morning fitness classes.) They invited us over to pick some strawberries from their garden to introduce themselves.

The Coach is in Your Court!

Kirk is a very humble guy and I happened to peek into his home office while I was there and was totally amazed – not an overstatement. There were scads of tennis photos, trophies, plaques and mementos.

One of the first I saw was a picture of him and a female tennis great on the cover of a 2023 ADDVantage tennis magazine with the title “USPTA Hall of Fame Inductees Kirk Anderson and Chris Evert.”

Before that visit, I had no idea what the now-retired couple did during their careers except that they had moved many times over the course of it.

Two other framed items prominently displayed on his wall were his Eagle Scout ribbon and medal and God and Country Award – both prestigious and requiring perseverance and dedication.

I’m always looking for another interesting individual or group to profile on this blog as a “Beerchaser Notable”, so I asked Kirk if I could interview him and take some pictures.

He smiled and agreed although with our mutual travel schedules, it took about two years before we finally met for two extraordinarily interesting 2.5-hour chats at his house.

During my blog’s fifteen years, I’ve profiled athletes, musicians, war heroes, lawyers, media personalities and others and without trying to spoil this narrative, I will tell you that Kirk (and his wife, Carol) have one of the most interesting stories and compilation of accomplishments of this distinguished group.

They were both raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but didn’t meet until after high school – both graduated in 1969. They met at a church work camp constructing two cabins and two outhouses in Chugiak Alaska. That was also their first flight on an airplane.

Kirk was a good athlete and in high school, besides his scouting activities and serving as Senior Class President, he lettered in four sports – track, tennis, basketball and cross country. “I had no interest in cross-country except to get in shape for basketball….” (#1 – #2)

The above quote is another example of his modesty. In reviewing his resume, I saw the notation “KVA Two-mile Champion“. I asked him if he was sandbagging me. The story goes like this:

“I had a great cross country and track coach my sophomore year. Over half the team were basketball players trying to get in shape. We never thought we could excel, but he challenged us in every practice and we finished 16-3 that year. The cool guys played football, but they weren’t very good.

We started wearing our running shoes and t-shirts to class and our classmates started noticing us. I was the number two runner and we easily won the conference championship. That spring was the first time I played tennis and also ran the two-mile in track.

Under his guidance, my times got significantly better and I won the Kalamazoo Valley Association championship.”

Upon graduation, both enrolled in Western Michigan University (Carol graduated in 2 1/2 years) and they married in 1972. Kirk was a walk-on for the WMU tennis team after a grueling one-month tryout and made the team — almost. (#3)

The Athletic Director called him into his office and said, “You taught tennis for money and are ineligible.” He had been paid $300 during the summer to teach recreational tennis. (Others team members did too, but Kirk was the only one who answered the question affirmatively on the paperwork.) We laughed that college NIL came too late…

So, while Kirk continued college and worked part-time at a sporting goods store (started stringing rackets during high school and continued through college).

Carol became the primary breadwinner teaching fifth and sixth graders. Kirk graduated in 1973 and also became a teacher – elementary physical education for two years.

He became a tennis professional and taught tennis 50 – 60 hours per week at the West Hills Tennis Club in Kalamazoo making $6 per hour. His monthly take home pay, however, was more than he made teaching.

He realizes he’s got a knack for teaching tennis and loves it. After a year, he started a new job as tennis pro at the Y-Tennis Center in Battle Creek making $24 per hour. You will see that Kirk’s many accomplishments and awards are for being a teacher and coach rather than as a player although he stated, “I always considered and called my self a tennis coach.”

A Teaser – Flash Forward

Based on his accomplishments, contacts and awards, Kirk was invited in to sit in the 2024 Royal Box for the men’s singles final at Wimbledon The photo below shows it, but you will have to wait until the second post to find out who sat in the Royal Box and their seating location.

The Royal Box – stay tuned

After the match, he attended the Champions’ Dinner. (I forgot to ask him if this was the first time he’d eaten beetroot.)

You’ll recognize a bunch in the Royal Box including Catherine, Princess of Wales and another celebrity who produced and had the title role in a movie that just bombed in the last two weeks…

Carol watched from another seat in the stadium, but near the end was also invited into the Box.

Hawaii – but Just for a Moment

While working at Centre Court Recreational Center in Michigan in 1979, Kirk got a personal call from Peter Burwash urging him to take a job at the Princeville Resort in Kaui as the tennis pro. Burwash was a Canadian No. 1 tennis player, coach.

He then founded Peter Burwash International, a global tennis management company that introduced tennis to over a dozen countries and taught more than 4 million players worldwide. It managed many high-end resorts including Princeville.

So, Carol and Kirk and their two very young children (daughter, Shane, born in 1976 and and son, Vaughn, in 1978) moved to the north shore of Kauai, where he taught tennis on outdoor courts for a monthly retainer of $300 and whatever he earned over that from his students.

Princeville is known for its lush, green landscapes. Unfortunately, it’s a very wet area maintained by consistent rainfall – 78 inches annually. “Try making a living teaching outdoors in that weather,” said Kirk.

So, the family moved back to Michigan after a year to work for Prince Manufacturing. It makes auto parts and plastic inserts for GM, Ford and Chrysler and owned the Holland Tennis Club on the corporation’s property. (The President and CEO liked to play tennis.) Kirk became the General Manager – also teaching thirty hours per week.

During the five years in that position, Kirk also earned his master’s degree in Exercise Science at WMU while Carol worked at home taking care of their two young children.

His only day off was Sunday and that’s when Carol said, she had to tell the kids, “Daddy needs to close the door and go into his office to study.”

A Family in Motion…..

Before we continue the specifics of Kirk’s career, for context, let’s look at the complete list of locations they lived leading up to their retirement in Oregon:

It goes without saying, that Kirk would not have achieved his accomplishments without the support of his wife of fifty-four years and their two kids.

Carol participated in both of my interviews and her insight and encouragement during those years was evident. Similarly, they both lauded the attitudes of Shane and Vaughn who adapted well in multiple new schools.

Sports – they both were good at cross country – helped them make the transition. They are still a wonderfully close-knit family with three grandkids.

He also traveled often as his career progressed such as in the new job below and later internationally making presentations in China, India, Canada, England, Belgium, Mexico, Norway, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Kirk’s reputation as a teacher and innovator as well as his ability to make contacts led to another call in 1986 – this time from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) – for a new position in the Midwest Section in Springfield, Ohio.

The goal was to go into the schools and “teach the teachers” – physical education instructors. His territory included five states and he held that position for a bit over five years. That was also his first exposure to the foam ball which you will hear more about in the next post. He was a pioneer in the ROGY movement (Red, Orange, Green, Yellow)

This period is when Kirk started receiving awards which would be one of the hallmarks of his career. In 1985-6, he was named the USPTA Michigan Professional of the Year and in 1985,88-89 and the USPTA Midwest División Professional of the Year.

I will relate more (much more..) of this interesting story in the next post including some of the sixteen books Kirk has written, but not get into the seven surgeries (4 lower back, 1 neck, 1 shoulder and 1 hip replacement).

During both of our interviews, Kirk and I shared stories about back pain and surgeries although with my one back fusion in 2022, he completely overshadows me.

But let me close this introduction to his story with some excerpts from just a few of the testimonials about his book Tennis Beyond Lessons. They are evidence that his acclaimed career was built not just on athletic skill, effort and perseverance, but personal communication and values:

“Kirk Anderson is admired, respected and loved by the tennis industry. He has always been a ‘give back’ person. This book illustrates all the best about him and his substance as a teacher. This will be a bible for all levels of play as it is easy to understand and implement.” Denny Schackter – Tennis Priorities

“Kirk Anderson, also known as the ‘coach’s coach,’ is a mentor to many of us in the industry. His humble and self-deprecating personality successfully disguise one of the most brilliant tennis minds.” Ajay PantSenior Director Racquet Sports, Lifetime Fitness

“Kirk Anderson has a uniquely profound vision of the coaching profession and is one of the world’s leading experts in this arena. He sees the big picture of sports and life development, and yet offers the fine details in a step-by-step approach on how to get the best results for all levels of tennis talent… It truly is the bible for anyone who aspires to become a coach, or learn to coach oneself.” Karen Ronney – 2020 National High School Coach of the Year

Stay tuned for the next post where you will hear more amazing stories and meeting some other friends Kirk made during his career. (I don’t know if he met Bobby Riggs, but….)

External Photo Attribution

All photos unless otherwise indicated are those I took or courtesy of Kirk and Carol Anderson.

#1 – #2. Parchment High School website (https://www.parchmentschools.org/).

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Western michigan logo 2021.png – Wikimedia Commons).  This logo image consists only of simple geometric shapes or text. It does not meet the threshold of originality needed for copyright protection, and is therefore in the public domain. Author: Unknown 2021.

Fall Facades – Part II

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Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all photos and the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post #1-#2.)

In Part 1 of Fall Facades, I touched on a variety of topics and enjoyed it so much that I decided on another limited foray – not a deep dive – but just a shallow submergence.

Higher Education

In the prior post, I debated the wisdom of two new trends – the first was eliminating grades for first-semester college freshman. Then there’s the advent of college concierge services where hired help does everything from doing students’ laundry, dorm room cleanup, shopping, etc. Does this promote personal responsibility?

“College Concierge empowers students to focus on what is important in their academic and social journey during these important years or their life.”

Academic institutions are not known for adapting and it’s created a double squeeze – on the parents and students paying tuition. (#3)

“More colleges are surpassing the $100,000 price tag. Fifteen schools now charge six figures and others are on the verge.” (Washington Post 8/31)

“For the 2025–26 school year, private U.S. colleges average $44,961 in tuition alone, and when you add housing, food, books, and other expenses, total annual costs can exceed $100,000 for students without scholarships or aid.

Tuition has more than tripled since 1980, rising faster than inflation, while real median family income growth has been modest.” (The Conversation.com 6/26/26)

This has led young people to search for other options. There are some high-paying jobs which don’t require a college degree but specialized training.

And there’s the on-line diploma mills – some are drawing scrutiny according to the Washington Post. (9/18/26) (#4)

“Enrollment at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where students can earn a bachelor’s degree in less than a year, has skyrocketed.

Recently: A Post education reporter clicked his way toward a college degree in days, for less than $100. Many colleges’ transfer policies allow credits from unaccredited platforms.”

More AI Implications

While one can be critical of colleges for not adapting with the times, some professors are showing creativity when testing students. (#5)

According to a 7/15/2026 Washington Post article, a Brown University professor thought students were cheating on exams so decided to fight back:

“Last semester: The average midterm score in the professor’s economics class was 96. It’s usually in the 60s to 80s. He made the final (test) in-person, and 27 students dropped the class.

The bigger picture: Universities are struggling to manage AI, while students have high incentives to use it. And new technology, like AI glasses, makes it harder to catch cheating.”

Besides learning to live independently and gain a sense of personal responsibility, it goes without saying that the primary purpose of college is to prepare one for the working world and now AI is understandably having an impact on employment search firms.

Admittedly, a recruiter, who saw a resume like the one from the applicant below, wouldn’t have much of a challenge telling him where to go (or burrow…) (#6)

According to Morning Brew: “Many career advisors and universities are encouraging job seekers to use AI to craft their résumés and cover letters. But then recruiters have to figure out whether the candidate is a good communicator or just good at using AI.

And while 60% of hiring managers say they can identify AI-generated applications, only about 25% actually can, according to a Software Finder survey.“

I remember in my hiring days trying to review stacks of resumes for sought-after jobs (often while watching NFL games), but this has also changed:

“In Q1 2022, the average job opening drew 89 applications. Three years later, each opening attracted 243 hopefuls.

To keep up, 90% of US employers use AI screening, according to a Stanford University study. While those tools help weed out unqualified candidates, they also turn talented prospects.”

This brought back a memory of one of my favorite interviews when I was the Business Manager at the Oregon State Bar in the early ’80’s. We were hiring for a legal secretary/assistant for our General Counsel – an important position and one which had evidenced problematic turnover. (#7)

One finalist was a very impressive woman – a University of Washington grad whose goal was to become a clinical psychologist and wanted a secretarial position while attending grad school. (What better way to gain practical experience than working around lawyers…?)

I only interviewed the three finalists of which she was last. Although some would scoff at this cliched question, I found that even though interviewees expected it, one could judge creativity and insight by the answer.

Our conversation went like this:

Me: What would co-workers assess as your strengths and weaknesses?

Applicant: (smiling) My weakness is I can’t swim. What are your weaknesses?

Me: (without smiling) I don’t have a sense of humor.

I immediately offered her the job. She was a superb addition to our staff and I’m confident that she achieved her goal.

The Lawyer Mentality

Speaking of lawyers, I’ve mentioned before in several posts, that one of the things I enjoyed about working with lawyers for almost forty years, was their appreciation for the nuances of the language. It’s exemplified by often taking conversation or phrasing literally.

I used the example of my long-time friend – brilliant litigator and intellectual property lawyer, John Mansfield, a magna cum laude, Order of the Coif and Law Review Editor at Cornell Law School (a long time ago.) (#8)

In 2012 – shortly after starting this blog – we Beerchased at the legendary Mock Crest Tavern.  After reading the phrase in the Mock Crest menu, “Breakfast Served – Any Time,” John said to our server, “I’d like French Toast from the Renaissance Era.”

I’ll leave you with another example. A lawyer’s spouse asks him to go to the grocery for a carton of milk and adds, “If they have avocados get two.” He returns with two cartons of milk and she asks, “Why did you get two cartons of milk?” He replies, “They had avocados…” (#9)

A successful errand??

Farewell to Another Great Watering Hole

One of my favorite bars for many years – it was close to the former Oregon State Bar building where I worked – was the Leaky Roof Gastropub. It originated as a food cart in the Goose Hollow Neighborhood and would have celebrated its 80th anniversary early next year. It abruptly closed down with only a note on the door in July.

My affection for the Leaky Roof was heightened in 2018 because it became the 300th establishment I’d visited since starting the blog in 2011.

Celebrating this milestone were my wife, Janet, and four friends who were part of a walking group. (David and Kate Dickson, Mary Maxwell and Roy Lambert) We always finished our treks with a visit to a bar or brewery.

I returned a few months later for follow-up research with my long-term (since 1979) friend, Dennis Ferguson. It was appropriate because it had one of the best cheeseburgers in Portland and every time we Beerchased, Fergy would down one.

Resurrection?

As with some watering holes which have closed during and since the pandemic, it was recently reported in Whatnow.com/Portland on 9/14 that the Leaky Roof has reopened as the Leaky Roof Tavern.

I’m somewhat skeptical, however, as I could find no other print or social media link about this. Nor was there any contact info for the new enterprise.

If it is true than the purported new owners, Agron and Roni Pervizi, better get moving and shaking if they don’t want another closure and because Fergy will soon be knocking at the door for a cheeseburger.

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Atumn leaves in the Himley Plantation Staffordshire seen from the Railway Walk – geograph.org.uk – 7032514.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author:  Roger D. Kidd (https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/12192)   25 November 2021.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Fall Foilage – Prosepct Park.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Richcook01 10 November 2020.

#3. Chatbox AI Image

#4. Chatbox AI Image

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File:A college professor teaching in a university classroom full of students in Tennessee, United States 02.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.  Author: Harrison Keely – 3 November 2008.

#6. Chatbox AI Image

#7.  Oregon State Bar Linked-in Site (https://www.linkedin.com/company/oregon-state-bar/home/).

#8.  John Mansfield Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/john.mansfield.1865/photos).

#9. Chatbox AI Image

Fall Facades – Part I

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Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you receive it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. 

Perhaps I reached for the title of this post a bit, but I like captions with alliteration and my intent is to just cover a number of miscellaneous topics – just on the surface without overanalyzing – just a facade, if you will. That way I’ll have more time for football…..(# External photo attribution at the end of the post – #1)

The image portrays an Oregon State University Beaver football player. I can’t get excited about PAC 12 football or athletics, however, with the realignment.

It essentially decimated the “Conference of Champions (nicknamed by the unforgettable former Washington State basketball coach George Raveling).

I was at OSU during the Giant Killer years in the late 60’s when we beat #!-ranked USC led by OJ Simpson – who in those years tried to escape defensive linemen rather than sheriff’s deputies.

That said, I was pleased and entertained to see how the Beavs played in their 20 to 33 loss to #23-ranked Houston in the first game. Quarterback Braden Atkinson showed real potential as did some of his young receivers. Not to be cynical, but if that kind of showing continues, he will in all probability be in the transfer portal at the end of the season.

The Good Old College Years

One’s freshman year at college was often a life-changing experience and the first time many young people were relatively independent. Without trying to be overly sentimental, I remember with fondness being a “Rook” in 1966 at the SAE house. We got up at 6:30 every weekday morning to start “chores” – cleaning the showers/urinals, serving on kitchen crew, mopping floors, etc.

Similarly, at the NROTC unit, we were the pitiful 4/c midshipman who screwed things up whenever we marched at drill, didn’t spit polish our shoes correctly and struggled with the academic regimen. Our first-term Naval History professor told us that if we got sleepy during class to go stand in the back of the room.

I still have memories of my wonderful late fraternity brother, Dan (Foghead) Riley. Dan, after commissioning, served six years as a Navy aviator and landed on aircraft carriers.

As he nodded off sitting at a desk next to me, piece of chalk (thrown by instructor Lt. Reece) whizzed by his head and splattered on the blackboard in the back of the room. By the time we were seniors, however, (see photo below) we were squared away.

SAE House
NROTC Class of 1970

Those were times of joy, but challenge. The first time away from home marked a significant transition that required adaptation, resilience and learning from mistakes. Being away from family, friends, and familiar surroundings can cause feelings of loneliness and sadness.

Juggling academics, social life, extracurricular activities and for some – a part-time job – could be overwhelming. That said, regardless of whether you were studying for a professional career or just trying to figure out your major, it was a first step in learning how to deal with life’s future challenges.

I was therefore befuddled – maybe unjustifiably so – with two new developments on college campuses. First, as stated in the Morning Brew 8/12/2026: (#2 – #3)

West Hall University of Michigan

“The University of Michigan won’t release official grades for its freshmen’s first semester. The university said that the pivot to a pass/no credit system for first semester classes is an effort to ‘curb the mental health crisis’ among students. (emphasis added)

…. Professors will still give students grades on assignments (in the Colleges of Literature, Science, and Arts) and the school will internally track grades for scholarship and athletic requirements. But the letter grades won’t show up on students’ transcripts”

Other colleges – California Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College, MIT (since 1968) and Wellesley College – all have similar programs for first-semester grades. I guess if I knew my first term grades for physics and calculus (I was a Political Science major, but needed them for my Navy scholarship), wouldn’t go on my transcript, I would have slept a lot better.

Perhaps a Statistics major could do a class project determining the statistical significance of frosh beer consumption and patronage at Good Time Charley’s – a traditional UM hangout for both students and faculty – both before and after this policy is implemented. (#4)

The good news is that it won’t go into effect until 2027. Maybe Michigan can fix its football scoreboard synchronization by then.

A Step Too Far?

While I can accept with a bit of skepticism, the grade scheme above, I unequivocally question the wisdom of another trend at some of the elite universities as reported in the Washington Post 8/11 – a college concierge service.

“College Concierge empowers students to focus on what is important in their academic and social journey during these important years or their life.” (#5)

I couldn’t find a specific cost without booking an appointment, but most are on a monthly fee basis. For example, College Concierge – a Dallas-based company (go figure..) emphasizes consequences?!:

“Based on the parent’s preferences, students can take on the responsibility of submitting their grocery order by a certain date each month or bi-weekly, with a consequence of groceries not being present the following week.“

And to further emphasize personal responsibility, College Concierge will not arrange the delivery of alchoholic beverages — regardless of age!

The service shown in the photo above might be awkward in a fraternity sleeping porch.

Before leaving these two trends, however, it’s worth noting that young people today have real challenges which didn’t face us during our college years – climate change, the implications of AI, the perception of the US by our traditional allies, among others.

My intent is not to demean those in Generation Z. But ingraining a sense of personal responsibility is more important than ever.

Farewell Counselor!

In a 2023 blog post, I highlighted my friend of almost fifty years – attorney Mark O’Donnell. I was saddened when he passed away on August 26th. Mark was one of the best business, land-use and real estate lawyers in the state.

His robust practice also included legal work for non-profit organizations.  Besides his skill as a lawyer, Mark was also a wonderful human being and a man of strong faith.

He’s a guy who showed compassion, a dry and sophisticated sense of humor and an ethic which involved helping others on a daily basis. (#6)

A lawyer of skill, intellect, wit and compassion.

We first met a Clackamas County Commissioner’s land-use hearing in 1979 and started our friendship with a series of letters – continued for many years. My initial letter to him culminated with Mark’s letter responding dated 7/11/1979. 

It addressed a check I sent him for $1.07 for “legal services in kind.”  The final paragraph in his letter stated:

“The El Gazebo Saloon has the finest super nachos that I’ve ever tasted.  Please call me so that we may discuss these important matters over a plate of super nachos and large amounts of beer.”

In my many years working with lawyers, I learned they don’t like to be outdone. True to form, Mark followed up with a letter to the proprietor of the Saloon. The check sat there for six months until we used it as a credit against our beer.

Mark’s memorial service will be on Saturday, October 11 at St. John the Fisher Catholic Church in Beaverton.

He will be missed.

And Farewell Iconic PacWest Center Fir Tree….

In a 2023 blog post, I chronicled the story of the celebrated evergreen on the 25th external terrace of the PacWest Center in the heart of Portland. I worked in the building for twenty-five years when my law firm occupied the 16th – 20th floors.

The PacWest Center had character and reflected the dynamic personality of its developer – John Russell, President of Russell Development Co. who has both an engineering degree and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

I quoted a fascinating 2023 KOIN News article entitled, “This Portland pine may be the world’s tallest tree planted on top of a high rise:” (#7 – #8)

The PacWest Center

“Standing approximately 40 feet tall, the pine prominently planted atop the Pacwest Center’s 25th-floor terrace could be the tallest tree growing from any high-rise rooftop on Earth.

Commuters anywhere southwest of Jefferson Street and 6th Avenue are bound to notice the coniferous evergreen towering above Downtown traffic. Planted shortly after the office building’s completion in 1984, the tree has quietly matured with the Portland skyline, drawing little attention in the last four decades.”

Unfortunately, as recently reported in Willamette Week “The PacWest Center Pine Tree Has Died at Age 42.”

“The quirky fixture of the Portland skyline was removed in March for safety reasons…. An exact cause of death was not given, but an arborist evaluated the pine and determined it was ‘in declining health and no longer viable.’”

Perhaps replanting the fir will be symbolic of the regeneration which needs to take place in the City of Portland.

Happy Anniversary!

The Benedictine Brewery and St. Michael Taproom at the Mount Angel Abbey, celebrated its eighth anniversary on August 31st. I got involved with the group that helped plan the Brewery starting in 2016 and still remember the structure raising on a cold day in November in 2017.

Check out the amazing video in this post on Thebeerchaser. https://thebeerchaser.com/2017/11/21/the-benedictine-brewery-beam-me-up/

“In 2018, the taproom opened quietly on August ahead of the soft opening of the brewery in September. The dollar bill in the glass case is from the first purchase at the taproom, made by Mount Angel Seminary alumni, classes of 1971 and 1975.

We are grateful to God that St. Michael’s Taproom continues to offer Benedictine hospitality to all our guests eight years later.” (#9 – #13)

Fr. Martin Grassel has built a regional following with his excellent beers and the Brewery has been a wonderful addition to the Abbey. And cheers to Br Lorenzo Conocido now working with him and Taproom Manager, Nicole McCall, for her wonderful staff. Congratulations on this milestone. You should pay a visit to Taproom.

Cheers and Blessings

External Photo Attribution

#1. Open AI Image Generator

#2.  Wikimedia Commons (File:West Hall, University of Michigan, University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI – 54380287947.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license  Author: w_lemay –  8 September 2024.

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:University of Michigan Logo.png – Wikimedia Commons).  This image is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain.  Source: University of Michigan Global Communications – 8 January 2015.

#4. Facebook site for Good Time Charley’s Ann Arbor   (https://www.facebook.com/GoodTimeCharleys/photos)

#5. Open AI Image Generator

#6. O’ Donnell Law Firm LLC Website (https://www.odlf.net/about-us/professional-team/attorneys/mark-odonnell/)

#7. – #8.  Photos courtesy of Dan R. Swift, SIOR, CCIM –  Senior Vice President
CBRE | Advisory and Transaction Services – Investor and Occupier. #9 – #13.  Benedictine Brewery Facebook and Website (https://www.facebook.com/BenedictineBrewery/photos) (https://www.benedictinebrewery.com/home-1

#9 – #13.  Benedictine Brewery Facebook and Website (https://www.facebook.com/BenedictineBrewery/photos) (https://www.benedictinebrewery.com/home-1

A “Presidential” Taproom

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Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top and to see all the photos the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. 

Followers of Thebeerchaser know that Oregon City – the first incorporated city west of the Rocky Mountains – became my family’s home when we moved to Oregon from Ohio in 1960 when I was just starting junior high. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post – #1)

My paper route for the Oregon Journal took me throughout the historic McLoughlin Neighborhood and on Main Street in Oregon City. I took care of the historic McLoughlin House lawn in the summer and graduated from Oregon City High in 1966 after spending countless hours (okay – one afternoon) at the Oregon City Carnegie Library…

After the Navy, I returned to Oregon City, worked for Clackamas County in the Courthouse on Main Street for six years, bought my first house and was appointed to the City Planning Commission. (#2 – #5)

(# External photo attribution at the end of the post #3 – #5) (Clockwise left to right – Oregon City Municipal Elevator, Clackamas County Courthouse (2 photos), Oregon City High School, Oregon City Carnegie Library, John McLoughlin House.)

It was at a Planning Commission meeting where I first laid eyes on the young woman who was to become my wife (now 46 years) after she had just been hired as the City’s first Citizen Involvement Coordinator in 1979. We were married in the Oregon City First Presbyterian Church on March 29th 1980. (#6)

Oregon City First Pres.

Oregon City Watering Holes

This historic city has some great establishments which I’ve covered in previous blog posts. Those I’ve chronicled include the Falls View Tavern, Howells’s Lounge, the Highland Still House and Corner 14. (#7)

Now perhaps an Oregon City dive was not the first saloon in Oregon – that evidently was the Pioneer Saloon and Restaurant – dating back to April 1883 – which still operates in the tiny berg of Paisley in south central Oregon. Paisley has a current population of 250. (Determining how many residents are regulars of the saloon is beyond the scope of this post.)

There are still a number of breweries and bars in Oregon City I haven’t visited.Thus, I was excited about the tip of my personal computer expert in nearby West Linn, Scott Andersson of Ace Computer Repair LLC. who I recently featured in Thebeerchaser and I highly recommend.

Knowing my affinity for public houses of all kinds, he told me after a brilliant fix on a PC problem, “Don, you have to visit the Madison Taproom in Oregon. Jeff, the owner, is a great guy and they have what is probably the best collection of old pinball machines in the State.”

The Madison Taproom – What’s in a Name?

This little “hole-in-the-wall” has great character although I wouldn’t label it “presidential.” It’s not stately, bold or commanding, and besides, from a national perspective, those synonyms are currently woefully inaccurate. The rationale for the name is that it’s on the corner of Madison and Seventh Streets on Oregon City’s second level. The streets have past US Presidents’ names and numerical designations in a grid.

It brought back memories of the other bar on Madison Street (in Portland) I visited in 2016 – Mad Sons Pub – now gone but not forgotten.

The Madison Taproom is located across the street from the former A and W Drive-in (now Mike’s Drive-in) where roller-skating car hops brought us burgers and root-beer on dates when I was in high school. It’s also three blocks from the aforementioned library in which I spent so many hours..?..

The former OCHS campus I attended is within seven blocks and three blocks away is the former residence of my favorite science teacher – Eli Jimenez – a Renaissance Man and former NASA engineer before he started teaching.

My rationale for that description is described in detail in Thebeerchaser post (February Figuring – Part II | Thebeerchaser). Now in his nineties, besides still being a musician, Eli is also the most physically fit men I’ve known. I reconnected with Eli several years ago and he now lives in New Mexico.

Moreover, I used to deliver the Oregon Journal to this little building when it was the Carpenters’ Union headquarters and its head – one Dick LaManna – used to greet me every day. (#8)

Walking into the Taproom is like a trip back to the 50’s – or at least the 60’s. There’s two old-fashioned pinball machines squeezed into the small foyer. Entering the main room, there is a nice bar with all kinds of memorabilia on the backbar and classic beer signs on the walls.

There’s even a small Zoltar fortune-telling robot machine sitting on the bar – the first I’ve seen in over 400 establishments I’ve visited. Some of the bigger antique life-size Zoltars sell for over $10,000.

But the big attraction is the pinball machines – the pride and joy of owner, Jeffrey Hogan and his wife, Chris Gassert, who opened the bar in 2019. Jeff is also the owner of Cash Box Enterprises, a corporation based in Oregon City which sells and maintains juke boxes and other coin-operated amusement devices such as pinball machines throughout the state.

I chatted with Jeff for about twenty minutes over a beer and his eyes light up when he talks about his machines. When I left, he was hard at it, playing at a Star Wars pinball – one of the nine or so in his taproom which also has a Pac-Man machine.

Jeff has created a nice community-oriented ambiance in the place. His bartender, Tai, was a jovial and articulate guy who told me while I was talking with Jeff that he plans to buy the bar when Jeff retires.

They also have a robust tap list (13 beers, a hard seltzer and a hard cider) although no hard liquor. I had one of my favorite beers – the Irish Red from Ancestry Brewing. When one of the women sitting next to me at the bar (strangely) asked for a Mai Tai, he answered, “I’m the only Tai in this establishment.”

The food is limited to very reasonably-priced snacks like pizza, pretzels and breadsticks which people enjoy during good weather on the nice patio.

Jeff and Tai try to reinforce the “community” feeling with trivia nights on Wednesday and cribbage every Sunday afternoon. The 22-foot-long shuffleboard – a rarity these days – also promotes some good competition among regulars. As you might expect, the vintage juke box plays a great line-up of tunes and occasionally they have local musical acts perform. (#9)

As one recent review stated:

“Love the staff and owner. If you stop by they will make you feel like family.”

or

“This place is a sweet little hole in the wall. The staff were so great. Came in during trivia night on Wednesdays and we felt so welcome. Loved it.” (Yelp)

Regulars affectionally call this place “Mad-Tap.” It’s open seven days a week, but the hours are abbreviated from 3:00 to 8:00 PM except on Friday and Saturday when they close at 11:00.

I’ll undoubtedly go back, but on that day I had to make a difficult decision – to either hit the Historic Midway Public House – a dive one block away I’ve never visited or go back to see if they still have a card catalogue at the OC Library. (Eli, by the way, the next time you come to Oregon City, I’ll buy you a beer at Mad-Tap.)

Cheers!

External Photo Attribution

#1.  Linked-in ((21) City of Oregon City: Overview | LinkedIn).

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Clackamas County Courthouse, Oregon City – DPLA – eac6d13ccde3d205f7c31d6b3fb04cfc.jpg – Wikimedia Commons).  Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.  Author:  Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives / Cc-by-4.0 – 6 August 2013.

#3. Wikimedia Commons). File:Clackamas County Courthouse, Oregon City – DPLA – 996e5aa7a8821ad111f89e8a4338bcad.jpg – Wikimedia Commons Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.  Author:  Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives / Cc-by-4.0 – 26 September 2006.

#4. Carnegie Library Oregon City – Wikimedia Commons – Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Srandjlsims 29 May 2012 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OREGON_CITY_OREGON_CARNEGIE_LIBRARY_copy.jpg

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File:McLoughlin House, Oregon City – DPLA – 955ec47bc35ab38851cee84bb2f4500c.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.  Author:  Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives / Cc-by-4.0 – 5 October 2006.

#6.  First Presbyterian Church of Oregon City Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1472816884870805&set=pb.100064275236319.-2207520000&type=3).

#7 Highland Still House Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1606880631446789&set=pb.100063746012983.-2207520000&type=3).

# 8. Mike’s Drive-in Oregon City Website (Mike’s Drive-In Oregon City | Burgers, Shakes & Fries – Mike’s Drive-In). #9. Yelp.com (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/madison-taproom-oregon-city-3?select=iXPGUhg5RKDjNiADRr3lSQ).

An Excellent Public Servant and Three Outstanding Entrepreneurs – Part II

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In my first post on this topic, I told you about my admiration for a law enforcement officer and a small business entrepreneur in West Linn, Oregon.

I’m proud to know both Chief Oddis Rollins and Scott Andersson of Ace Computer Repair, LLC. https://thebeerchaser.com/2026/06/23/beerchaser-notables-an-excellent-public-servant-and-three-outstanding-entrepreneurs-part-i/

Chief Oddis Rollins
Scott Andersson

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you’re receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative isn’t clipped. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

Both young Elliot Schwartz, a recent Lakeridge High School grad and Don Fuchs, a former colleague at the Schwabe law firm, also deserve commendations for their entrepreneurial efforts and to be “honored” as Beerchasing Notables.

You’ll Take a “Shine” to Elliot

I first met Elliot over one year ago when he came to our house and pitched his window washing service. He greeted me by my first name and gave an eloquent and somewhat aggressive pitch on why we should join our neighbors and hire him.

My first reaction was “This young guy seems pretty brash.” We didn’t need the service then and I turned him down. Then about one month ago, Elliot brightened our doorstep again. I’d seen him doing a number of my neighbors’ homes with his team and I decided to give him a try.

Part of the rationale was that my wife of forty-six years had informed me if she ever saw me on a ladder again, that I (not her) would be leaving the house and moving to an apartment. (#2 – #3)

Elliot

Well, he did an outstanding job and Elliot insisted that before I paid him, I walk around the house and inspect his work. And our windows did shine. I thought Elliot had an interesting story, so I invited him in to interview for Thebeerchaser.

So how did 18-year-old Elliot become an entrepreneur? Perhaps he was born with a passion for sales because he started selling candy in second grade, followed by opening successful lemonade stands.

His parents were very supportive although they didn’t tell him what to do – he wanted to do it. His dad makes his living as leadership coach and it’s evident that some of this rubbed off on Elliot.

His siblings went to private school at the prestigious Oregon Episcopal School, but the young entrepreneur wanted to go to public school and chose Lakeridge where he lettered in soccer.

From his freshman to junior years, he worked part-time in commissioned sales reselling Nike shoes and did pretty well. After seeing others advertise residential window washing on social media, he decided at the end of his junior year to form his company.

In that short time, PaineCrime Window Cleaning has hired two technicians (window and roof cleaners) and a door-to-door sales rep. (Check out his website) “Streak-free, spot-free glass for homes and businesses across Lake Oswego, West Linn, and the greater Portland metro.”

He developed his logo himself through AI and now also has merchandise. The reviews on social media are excellent – here’s two examples:

“The work these guys did was outstanding. My windows have never been cleaner. I would highly recommend them and definitely going to be using them again!”

“PaneCrime Window Cleaning services my business in the Irvington area and does an amazing job! Very thorough job cleaning of the exterior windows, punctual and great to do business with!”

Talking to this remarkable young man was a pleasure. He stated:

“My grandfather, Robert Abel Davies III, has been a huge inspiration to me from an entrepreneurial perspective throughout my life. He told me that I should always strive for excellence, and everything else will follow. That philosophy has really guided how I approach PaneCrime Window Cleaning and everything else I do.

His five-year plan includes starting college at San Diego State University in the fall majoring in finance and accounting. It wouldn’t surprise anyone who knows him to see him have a successful career in sales.

He keeps a journal for self-reflection and states he loves learning from other people and states, “I want to continue spreading positivity.” (#4 – #5)

I’m sure that Elliot’s parents are proud of him. I am too and I just met him. Give him a call for windows “So clean, it’s criminal!”

Don Fuchs – Lawyer turned Entrepreneur

I spent the last twenty-six years of my career working at an outstanding regional law firm based in Portland – first as Business Manager and the last thirteen as the Chief Operating Officer. Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt – now known as Schwabe – had a great team-oriented environment and I’m proud to say – Management had an open-door policy. (#4)

During that time, I saw many excellent law school students start their careers as summer law clerks, join the firm as associates and go on to become partners. Others, after an initial tenure at the firm, moved to careers in public service, as in-house counsel for our clients or became corporate executives.

Some of my favorites were undergrads at the Business School at Willamette University and then earned their law degree at the school. Willamette University’s joint JD/MBA program through the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, has an excellent reputation.

It was to the firm’s benefit to have young lawyers who, besides being skilled in legal theory, understood the requirements of running a business. In Schwabe’s case, when I retired in 2011, we had about 150 lawyers and five offices. Three of my favorites from Willamette Law School with Business School credentials were Don Fuchs, Jeff Hern and Tom Tongue. (#5 – #7)

Don Fuchs
Jeff Hern
Tom Tongue

Both Hern and Tongue are now partners and have thriving corporate practices – Tongue also was appointed as Schwabe CEO in 2025 and Fuchs is now CEO of Harris Thermal Transfer Products – an Oregon corporation based in Newberg.

But I want to focus on Fuchs today, because he is an unintriguing entrepreneurial story as well as one of family values. The first time he visited my office with some suggestions shortly after he started as an associate in 1998, I have to admit my reaction was similar to my initial encounter with young Elliot Schwartz – “This guy’s a bit cocky and brash.”

When Don returned with some constructive ideas – rather than just gripes – I was impressed. That said, I have to admit that his record as a four-year letterman (1990 – 1993) on the Linfield University Basketball Team, predisposed me to listen. This was affirmed when I saw how his elbow jumper helped our Lawyer’s League basketball team. (And he was a good teammate.)

I got to know Don well and I was saddened for the firm, but happy for Don, when he told me he was leaving to pursue his dream for the start-up Legal Anywhere – which he co-founded in 1997 and continued building while also meeting his billable goals as a new lawyer.

Legal Anywhere® became the market leader for enterprise collaboration and file sharing for law firms and corporate legal departments around the world. (#8)

In 2003, he became the Chief Sales and Strategy Officer, a position he held for almost fifteen years until the investors sold the company to High Q. He managed the sell side of the merger and acquisition process.

I’ll use AI to summarize Don’s career:

“(He’s held) senior leadership roles in global software sales, business development, and sales at various companies, including Opus 2, HighQ, and Legal Anywhere. He also co-founded and served as CEO of BK Direct and Compli Corporation.

Fuchs’ background is unique — he began his career as an attorney, later founded and sold legal technology companies, and then transitioned into running a 140-year-old family-owned manufacturing business – Harris Thermal Transfer Products, founded in 1885 and acquired by his family in the 1980s.”

In 2022, his career had a major transition – from software to heavy industrial manufacturing, when at the request of his dad, he took over as CEO of Harris Thermal Transfer. He wasn’t pursuing this position, but his family loyalty trumped his affinity for technology.

A few of the pictures below are from a recent visit I had with Don at the impressive Harris facilities and offices. He was definitely in his element. (We also agreed that we were both too old for a game of one-on-one.) (#9 – #10)

The company designs, fabricates, and repairs custom thermal‑process equipment for industries such as power generation, renewable energy, oil & gas, chemical processing, water treatment, food & beverage, mining, and pulp & paper.

You can see why family values are important to Don. (#11 – #12)

I’ll finish with a digression from his professional exploits….

His four years lettering for the Linfield Wildcats under legendary Coach Larry Doty, demonstrate his character, persistence and sense of humor. His freshman year, Don felt that he wasn’t getting enough playing time and Coach Doty seemed to ignore his pleas.

He informed Coach he was going to invoke a personal hot-water boycott after practice and games going forward until his playing time increased. Don told me that it was the middle of winter and he would exit the shower hyperventilating.

I asked him why the coach would care and he replied, “I was young and foolish and this was my first foray into sales and marketing…” It did get at least get the attention of Coach Doty and his teammates who “enjoyed seeing me frigid.”

Notwithstanding the boycott, his playing time the first two seasons didn’t end up to his satisfaction, but in his third season (1992-3) the Wildcats finished with a 28–0 record in conference play, winning the conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.  “Fuchs’ consistent scoring and rebounding helped maintain the team’s high level of play throughout the season.” (Linfield University)

He was team captain the last two years and the only basketball player in Linfield athletic annals to receive the Don Porter Scholarship Award for the highest GPA all of his four years. (#13 – #15)

So #24 ended with a great college basketball tenure as well as an impressive and ongoing professional career. And don’t be surprised if Don hires Elliot Schwartz when he returns to Oregon from his studies at San Diego State.

External Photo Attribution

#1. West Linn Police Department Website (Police Home | City of West Linn Oregon Official Website).

#2 – #3. PaneCrime Window Cleaners (PaneCrime Window Cleaning: Streak-Free Windows Guaranteed).

#4.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons – PacWest Center 

#5. Linked-in Site for Don Fuchs (Don Fuchs | LinkedIn).

#6 – #7. Schwabe Law Firm Website (Counsel and solutions tailored to our region and your industry).

#8. Facebook Site for Legal Anywhere ((26) Legal Anywhere: Overview | LinkedIn).

#9 – #10. Harris Thermal Website – (Oil and Gas Industry Solutions – Harris Thermal).

#11 – #12. Courtesy of Don Fuchs

#13.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Linfield wildcats wmark.png – Wikimedia Commons) This logo image consists only of simple geometric shapes or text. It does not meet the threshold of originality needed for copyright protection, and is therefore in the public domain. Source: Linfield University – 2025.

# 14. Golinfieldwildcats.com  ( Doty earns record, Wildcats snap losing skid – Linfield University Athletics).

#15.  1992-93 Linfield Basketball Team courtesy of Don Fuchs.

Jubilant July

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6

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

America’s 250th Birthday was wonderful notwithstanding ongoing political and social controversies. We need to harken back to the principles on which this great country was founded. That includes the Rule of Law,

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” — Plato

Music lifts the soul. Whether it’s the US Marine Band playing John Philip Sousa marches or my favorite Big Band themes, golden oldies from my college years, country ballads or classical oboe masterpieces such as Mozart’s “Oboe Concerto in C major,” all of which are on my playlists, these are food for my spirit.

I was reminded of this recently when attending a book reading by author, Eric Gray, who just published a wonderful two-volume book Music We Heard Along the Way. It’s a compelling collection of stories from friends, family, and strangers about the moments when music helped to shape their lives.

Now perhaps I’m biased because my narrative about a concert and related experience during my sophomore year in college appears in volume 1, but don’t take my word for it. Heres’ what Robin Young, Host of NPR’s “Here and Now” says”

“Eric Gray reminds us that our collective memories form a symphony of recollection. The passing car whose radio blasts a lyric that a son, and later a father, will tattoo on his arm.

A woman who learned about America through staticky Madonna hits in her native Vietnam. Finding a life partner in the person who helped you up after a fall in the mud at a music festival. You will love these stories and remember your own.”

I first met this personable author two years ago when he did a similar reading from his book Backyards to Ballparks: It’s the second volume in a series of fan‑focused baseball books, following Bases to Bleachers. Eric compiled and edited over 1,250 personal anecdotes collected worldwide, all centered on baseball, but rich with human interest. (#2)

Eric and his wife of forty-nine years, Lynn Ellen Rhodes, were on a tour promoting his latest work. Besides his writing, I admire Eric because he’s a fellow Long Island, New Yorker; he got his undergraduate degree in political science and his favorite artist is Jackson Browne!

His 39-year career at the U.S. Department of Labor involved administering job training and employment programs for disadvantaged youth, most of that time spent with the Job Corps program.

About thirty people attended Eric’s reading in a pub in Portland this week and I was honored when my selection was one he read. He subsequently signed my book and we had a nice chat. (#3 – #5)

I’m sure that all of you are curious about why Eric selected my story….!? Well, it involves a concert at Oregon State University in 1968.

Many wonderful artists performed in Gill Coliseum during the late sixties and early seventies including Harry Belafonte, The Association, Petula Clark, The Doors and The Righteous Brothers. And a lot more. (From left – clockwise below) (#6 – #10)

But the most unforgettable musical event for a group of my SAE fraternity brothers and me was the wonderful concert by Grammy-award winning artist Lou Rawls. We were underage and couldn’t drink in a bar or brewery, so we rented a room at the Towne House Motor Inn – Corvallis’ finest motel!

The letter “e” on the end of “Town” indicated it was upscale – but nothing else. Unfortunately, the establishment has permanently closed, but before its ultimate demise, it rated a hefty 3.7 on a scale of 5 in Yelp. (#11)

It so happened that Lou Rawls was staying at the same hotel and he unexpectedly joined our dates and us at the party after the concert. (Sloe gin plays a key role in that encounter….)

Larry Rich and Don Whitney, two members of the Oregon State Giant Killer Football Team are also key “players.”

That night and an unlikely, chance encounter by SAE Rick Gaffney – the organizer of the concert – ten years later, is an entertaining and humorous tale. (At least Eric thought so.)

You can read the story in my blog post entitled “Did We Really Do That? – College Antics.” (#12- #13)

Lou Rawls
Sloe gin??

I hope you take a look at Eric’s books. Regardless of whether you have a passion for music or baseball, you will enjoy the read.

Farewell to a Classic

One event to diminish the jubilance of the summer is inability to belly up to a dive bar server and say, “Give me a Schlitz.”

While not a craft beer, Schlitz was one of my favorite beers in college and afterwards – most notably Schlitz Dry – which disappeared years ago. (#14)

The Schlitz Brewing Co. – founded in Milwaukee in 1849 – is an interesting story from when Joseph Schlitz – first hired as a bookkeeper in a tavern brewery – took over management of the brewery in 1858 and renamed it. “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous” became the largest beer producer in the U.S. in 1902.

However, Schlitz’s popularity declined in the 1970s due to recipe changes. The brand was sold to Stroh Brewing in 1982 before being acquired by Pabst in 1999. (Wikipedia) (#15)

The story of the historical brewery is typical of other major breweries both in the US and internationally – trying to adapt to changing tastes, compete and maintain profitability and acclimate to mergers.

A May 2026 Oregon Live article entitled, “Iconic American beer brewed for final time, going out with ‘dignity and respect'” states:

“Schlitz was acquired by the Pabst Brewing Company in 1999 and relaunched in 2008, but was unable to recapture the magic of its prime.

A Pabst representative told Milwaukee Magazine that discontinuing Schlitz was a ‘tough choice’ dictated by increased storage and shipping costs, but wouldn’t rule out bringing it back some day.” Here’s Hoping!

Changing Times?!

Oregon City Carnegie Library

The acceleration in societal change is a bit staggering. Not that I yearn for the days when I used to go to the card catalogue at the Oregon City Library for school research, but…..(#16)

I realized with a chuckle last week another example of change when we were taking care of our eight-year old granddaughter who is a very smart little girl. The days of mailed written personal correspondence, cards and bills has diminished to the point where many people conduct these transactions exclusively on-line

What’s a stamp?

We were at our younger daughter’s house when she and her husband were both at work. I wanted to mail a bill so I asked my granddaughter if she knew where her parents kept their stamps. Her reply was “What’s a stamp?” (#17)

This brought back memories of when our older daughter, Lisa, was in about sixth grade (around 1995) and had her own CD collection.

I was lying on our couch playing an old Eagle’s 33 RPM album on our turntable – part of my vinyl collection. I’d had the LP since about the time it was released in the early 1970’s.

I’d been listening for a while and Lisa heard “Peaceful Easy Feeling” near the beginning and liked it. She asked if she could play it again. I told her to go to the turntable and start it over. She said, “Dad, it’s not on here,” to which I replied, “Lisa, I played it twenty minutes ago, look on the other side.”

She walked over to me with the album and exclaimed, “You mean these have two sides!” (#18)

The Eagles

An article entitled 32 Examples of Social Change published in August 2023, gives a comprehensive list. I didn’t look for an updated narrative – the number would now probably be over fifty. What concerned me when considering my own ability to adapt, was the final example — “Resilience”

“Resilience is the ability of a society to withstand stresses. Without resilience a society will experience instability whereby periods of prosperity and calm are followed by dramatic declines driven by environmental destruction, conflict, war, disease or natural disasters.”

So, in an effort to become more resilient, I guess I’ll start learning Claude Ai and throw away my manual typewriter, slide rule, copy of the Yellow Pages and my old VCR. (#19)

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. ChatGPT Image Generator (Fourth of July Celebration).

#2. Eric Gray Website (https://ericgrayauthor.com/).

#3 – #5.  Eric Gray Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10225465535293378&set=pb.1475568500.-2207520000&type=3).

#6.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Harry Belafonte 1970 (cropped).tif – Wikimedia Commons)    Public domain / Arquivo Nacional Collection – Agosto de 1970.

#7.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Petula clark 1965.jpg – Wikimedia Commons ) This work is in the public domain in the United States.  Author: Tullio Piacentini / Federico Zanni – 1965.

#8.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:The Association 1966.png – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.  Author: KRLA Beat – 1966. 

#9. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons  (File:The Doors 1968.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.  Author: Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) – 1966.

#10. Wikimedia Commons (File:TheRighteousBrothersperformingKBF.jpg – Wikimedia Commons)  No known copyright restrictions; “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.  Author and date unknown.

#11.  (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g51817-Corvallis_Oregon-Hotels.html).

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:President Ronald Reagan meeting with Lou Rawls in the Oval Offiice (cropped).jpg – Wikimedia Commons)  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties..  Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 – 1/20/1989. 3 December 1984.

#13.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Hand Made Sloe Gin.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.  Author:  Smifff  – 9 December 2022.

#14.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Old Schlitz Beer advertisement in Milwaukee Wisconsin.JPG – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  Author: Victorgrigas – 4 January 2014.

#15.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Schlitzbier Ad in German (1897).jpg – Wikimedia Commons).  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931.  Author: Davidis, Henriette – 1 January 1897.

#16. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:OREGON CITY OREGON CARNEGIE LIBRARY copy.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Srandjlsims – 29 May 2012.

 #17. US Postal Service (U.S. Flag 2026 Stamps | USPS.com).

#18. Wikimedia Commons (File:The Eagles in performance, 2008.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Steve Alexander – 2 December 2008.

#19. ChatGPT Image Generator (https://chatgpt.com/c/6a552616-dc68-83e8-ab87-66b36041e5d6).