Catching Up...flash from the past
Sept. 11, 2003 article
MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR CHEF FROM GASTON WEARS 2 HATS
A CULINARY ARTIST WITH AN INDEPENDENT STREAK ALSO SERVES AS COUNCILMAN
Author: Jill Smith - The Oregonian
Name: Michael Slocum Background noise: It was a windy New Year's weekend. Slocum and his wife were relaxing in a beach house on the Washington coast, listening to public radio, when a segment came on about the USA Patriot Act, which broadens government powers to monitor and search people and seize their property. Slocum barely paid attention at first. But the report gradually drew him in. Interest sparked: Afterward, Slocum went to the Internet for more information. He signed up for a conference in Eugene. By February he had gathered information into a little packet for his fellow City Council members in Gaston. He asked them to pass a resolution prohibiting city employees from cooperating with any sections of the Patriot Act that they determine would violate civil rights and liberties as defined by the Bill of Rights. Political puzzle: "Gaston is not a hotbed of liberalism," said Slocum, who moved to the town (population 620) eight years ago when he married Mary Misel. But like Slocum, it defies easy labeling. Family diversity: Slocum's son, Abraham, is in the Navy and spent time aboard an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea during the war in Iraq. Slocum's son-in-law is Iranian, although not a devout Muslim. Slocum, who was raised Catholic, has always been fascinated with different religions, although he dislikes organized religion and does not attend a church. Peace, man: Slocum, a self-described military brat, had the draft number three during the Vietnam War. He joined the Air Force at 18. Despite his father's history with the Marines and Air Force, Slocum did not take to the military. When a sergeant asked him to mow the lawn at his base in Virginia, Slocum mowed it into the shape of a giant peace sign. One year and 12 days after joining the military, he was discharged for being "apathetic to military service." This and that: Slocum traveled for a few years, then worked for a New Jersey township, doing everything from administrative work to garbage collection, and finally became a "hotwalker" at the Garden State Track, cooling down horses by walking them after a race. He moved to Oregon in 1977 and began working as a baker in Eugene, then moved to Salem four years later, where he developed the Kettle Chip recipe. Career crisis: In 1987 Slocum grappled with whether to go to clown school or chef school. He took the chef route, then began his culinary career as executive chef at McCormick & Schmick's in Charbonneau. On the side: From 1989 to 1996, Slocum and several friends co-owned the Clinton Street Theater, which offered movies, live theater and politically oriented events such as a human rights film festival co-sponsored by Amnesty International. Slocum met his current wife, a poet, when she read "work poetry" at the theater. "She was a shipyard electrician for 18 years. Now she's a mental health professional," he said. Serving all incomes: In Washington County, Slocum is executive chef at New Seasons at Orenco Station, moving there recently after four years at Pumpkin Ridge. He is also chairman for the Taste of the Nation Restaurant Committee, which raises thousands of dollars for the Oregon Food Bank each April. And he volunteers as a chef in the food bank's classes for low-income parents, teaching easy, cheap and healthy cooking. Political surprise: In 1999 Slocum was appointed to fill a vacancy on the all-volunteer Gaston City Council, which meets monthly. He was elected in 2002. In March, a month after receiving Slocum's packet on the Patriot Act, the council took up the issue. Ten people showed up for the discussion. "That was a lot for our council," Slocum said. They debated the proposed resolution for nearly an hour. "Then we spent 15 minutes on the broken teeter-totter." Thumbs-up: At its April meeting, the council unanimously passed the resolution, the first jurisdiction in the Portland area to do so. -- Jill Smith
A CULINARY ARTIST WITH AN INDEPENDENT STREAK ALSO SERVES AS COUNCILMAN
Author: Jill Smith - The Oregonian
Name: Michael Slocum Background noise: It was a windy New Year's weekend. Slocum and his wife were relaxing in a beach house on the Washington coast, listening to public radio, when a segment came on about the USA Patriot Act, which broadens government powers to monitor and search people and seize their property. Slocum barely paid attention at first. But the report gradually drew him in. Interest sparked: Afterward, Slocum went to the Internet for more information. He signed up for a conference in Eugene. By February he had gathered information into a little packet for his fellow City Council members in Gaston. He asked them to pass a resolution prohibiting city employees from cooperating with any sections of the Patriot Act that they determine would violate civil rights and liberties as defined by the Bill of Rights. Political puzzle: "Gaston is not a hotbed of liberalism," said Slocum, who moved to the town (population 620) eight years ago when he married Mary Misel. But like Slocum, it defies easy labeling. Family diversity: Slocum's son, Abraham, is in the Navy and spent time aboard an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea during the war in Iraq. Slocum's son-in-law is Iranian, although not a devout Muslim. Slocum, who was raised Catholic, has always been fascinated with different religions, although he dislikes organized religion and does not attend a church. Peace, man: Slocum, a self-described military brat, had the draft number three during the Vietnam War. He joined the Air Force at 18. Despite his father's history with the Marines and Air Force, Slocum did not take to the military. When a sergeant asked him to mow the lawn at his base in Virginia, Slocum mowed it into the shape of a giant peace sign. One year and 12 days after joining the military, he was discharged for being "apathetic to military service." This and that: Slocum traveled for a few years, then worked for a New Jersey township, doing everything from administrative work to garbage collection, and finally became a "hotwalker" at the Garden State Track, cooling down horses by walking them after a race. He moved to Oregon in 1977 and began working as a baker in Eugene, then moved to Salem four years later, where he developed the Kettle Chip recipe. Career crisis: In 1987 Slocum grappled with whether to go to clown school or chef school. He took the chef route, then began his culinary career as executive chef at McCormick & Schmick's in Charbonneau. On the side: From 1989 to 1996, Slocum and several friends co-owned the Clinton Street Theater, which offered movies, live theater and politically oriented events such as a human rights film festival co-sponsored by Amnesty International. Slocum met his current wife, a poet, when she read "work poetry" at the theater. "She was a shipyard electrician for 18 years. Now she's a mental health professional," he said. Serving all incomes: In Washington County, Slocum is executive chef at New Seasons at Orenco Station, moving there recently after four years at Pumpkin Ridge. He is also chairman for the Taste of the Nation Restaurant Committee, which raises thousands of dollars for the Oregon Food Bank each April. And he volunteers as a chef in the food bank's classes for low-income parents, teaching easy, cheap and healthy cooking. Political surprise: In 1999 Slocum was appointed to fill a vacancy on the all-volunteer Gaston City Council, which meets monthly. He was elected in 2002. In March, a month after receiving Slocum's packet on the Patriot Act, the council took up the issue. Ten people showed up for the discussion. "That was a lot for our council," Slocum said. They debated the proposed resolution for nearly an hour. "Then we spent 15 minutes on the broken teeter-totter." Thumbs-up: At its April meeting, the council unanimously passed the resolution, the first jurisdiction in the Portland area to do so. -- Jill Smith
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