This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The secret?

Sam Skillern, who has served as executive director of the Salem Leadership Foundation (SLF) for many years.  He is taking a well-earned retirement.

As Skillern heads off into the sunset – though, no doubt, he’ll find a way to continue contributing in retirement – he wrote a final newsletter the other day.

Here is how Salem Reporter described his tenure:

“If you ask Sam Skillern to take his photo, he’ll suggest meeting you outside Salem First United Methodist Church.

“Skillern doesn’t have a particular tie to the congregation.  But its location – at the intersection of Church and State streets – sums up how Skillern has spent the bulk of his career.

“He’s the executive director of the Salem Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1996 to help local churches and faith communities find ways to improve their neighborhoods.”

SLF often flies under the radar in Salem, but has had a hand in helping many other organizations get off the ground, including Salem for Refugees, homeless service provider Church at the Park, Salem Free Clinics, and Family Promise.

Does credit for all these accomplishments go to Skillern?  No. In his typical style, Skillern deflects credit to others, and to God.

SLF’s origins date back to 1993, when Salem Senator Peter Courtney convened a task force to address a rise in youth gang activity in the city.  Clergy weren’t present at the first meetings, and when Courtney asked they be invited, it led to confusion.

More from Salem Reporter:

“There was no organized association of clergy or churches for civic leaders to reach out to, Skillern said.  At the time, many Salem faith leaders didn’t believe they had a role to play in addressing gang violence or other social problems in the city.

“The leaders didn’t know who the church leaders were so there was all this clumsiness around who to invite to work on this problem.  When the invitations landed, most of the pastors and priests and rabbis said, ‘No thanks.’  There wasn’t hostility in those days between church and state.  But there definitely was disconnect.”

Skillern helped to bridge that gap and, as they say, the rest is history.

In his final newsletter as executive director, Skillern wrote this:

“Words are wonderful.  Language is a huge part of the human experience in biology, sociology, anthropology, history, and culture.  Not to mention theology.”

No surprise that I agree with Sam.

He went on to include a list of what he called words – phrases – that underscore the SLF intent to emphasize “bridge building, neighborhood development, and church-community partnerships.”  The SLF record, under Skillern, underscores the commitments.

I am reprinting some of the phrases because they are worth pondering in your own way.

• Show up and stick with it

• Look out your front door, look out your back door

• If it’s in sight, it’s in mind

• Candor without malice or sarcasm is good

• Speak with care – don’t be easily offended

• If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – but always hone

• Bridge-building over activism

• Fix problems and manage issues, not the other way around

• Delight in telling the stories of others

• Always leave the up place cleaner than when you found it

Think of your own reactions to these Skillern-sayings.  There is no magic answer, just food for thought.

The Salem Reporter’s final thought about Skiller:

“Foundation leader reflects on 25 years of helping Salem churches practice what they preach.”

That’s exactly what one of Salem’s best kept secrets has done.  Kudos to him.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I suspect my friend who gave me a present for my birthday knew what I would do immediately:

Go to the Internet to seek more information or find another way to do research, as if there is another way.

The present was this:  An actual contestant badge for the 1967 Oregon Golf Open Tournament, which was played at my home course here in Salem, Oregon, long before I became a member.  It came framed and ready to mount on my golf-themed wall.

Yes, 1967. 

It was only six years after Illahe Hills Golof and Country Club opened as the only private golf course in Salem.  The winner that year – see below – helped to cement the golf course as a solid one so soon after its opening.

So, armed with only that much information, I decided to write a blog about the contestant badge and its context.  Why?  Writing helps me remember what I found out.  Plus, it was a fascinating journey into the past, made via the Internet and few other contacts – a journey that allowed to reflect again on how lucky my family and I are to be involved at Illahe.

In 1967, I didn’t know a thing about Illahe – not the name, not the location, not the nature of the golf course.  I was in my first year of college in Seattle, Washington, preparing in four years to enter the work-a-day world.

A lot happened after that, but it was not until 1979 that I moved to Salem with my family – wife, Nancy; son, Eric; and daughter, Lissy.  Three years later we joined Illahe.  It was a great decision.  Our two kids had a great time at the Club in their growing-up years in Salem.  Eric became – and still is – one of the top golfers at the Club where he is now a member on his own.  Daughter Lissy loved the Club, too, especially the swimming pool.

Back to 1967.

Frankly, information is a little sketchy that far back, but I did learn that the Oregon Open winner that year was Bob Duden, arguably one the best golfers ever in Oregon – and some would say perhaps even the greatest, though that might spark an argument about other contenders such as Peter Jacobsen, Bob Gilder, and a few others.

The 1967 event turned out to be the only time Illahe hosted the Oregon Open, so it remains an important milestone.

To illustrate his stature, Duden won the Oregon Open eight times – his fifth was the one at Illahe — to leave his mark on the Pacific Northwest golf scene.

He played the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour periodically in the 1950s and 1960s.  He won a 54-hole tournament event in Las Vegas one year and tied for the second in three tour tournaments between 1959 and 1964.

But it was in Pacific Northwest regional competitions that Duden was at his best.

He was a consistent title contender for more than four decades.  His playing record encompassed 23 major tournament titles, including the eight victories I mentioned in the Oregon Open.  He also won the Northwest Open three times, the Oregon PGA three times, the Washington Open three times, the British Columbia Open twice,

Beyond tournaments, Duden also is given credit for inventing the croquet- style putter, which he named “The Dude,” and for which he got a patent.  Eventually, Sam Snead used that putter.

I wish there was someone around at Illahe who could recall the 1967 tournament, including the field for the event — Duden and others.  But all the founders have gone on to their reward.  The simple fact that Duden played and won will have to be enough.

The current Illahe golf pro, Steve Bowen, himself a golf memorabilia collector, knew about Duden’s win and told me he might be able to find a program for the 1967 event.  If he does, I’ll see if it contains any additional useful information.

So, it turns out the contestant badge I now have commemorates the time Bob Duden came to the course to (a) play his own winning game, and (b) help convey credit for a new course – Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club.

And, as they say, the rest is history. 

The 1967 contestant plaque easily will find a place on the wall in my golf-themed office.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The place where I play most of my golf, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club in Salem, Oregon, just got an award – and it is worth emphasizing the award and the reasons for it.

The Oregon Golf Association (OGA), Oregon’s largest golf promotion organization, recently designated Illahe as “Facility of the Year.”

It’s a high honor, if only because there are more than 200 golf clubs in Oregon and Southwest Washington that could have received the award.

Illahe received the honor for these reasons:  [And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a member of the OGA Board of Directors Executive Committee, though I did play a role in the selection.]

• Illahe’s continuing support of junior golf in at least two ways – (a) running its own junior golf program at the course, and (b) serving as host course for several OGA junior tournaments.

• Illahe’s willingness to host the OGA Annual Meeting in October, a hosting decision that was made on the fly when another course had to back out of the responsibility.

• Illahe’s intent to communicate well and often with Club members, including in a well-read newsletter, as well as making sure Board and committee members are available to talk personally with members.

• Illahe’s decisions to hire the best and the brightest for top jobs at the Club, including the golf course superintendent, Steve Beyer, and the golf course head pro, Steve Bowen.  Both bring a wealth of experience to their jobs – and the reality is that experience matters.

• Illahe’s range of programs for members, starting, of course, with golf on one of the best courses in the region.  But also – pickleball, tennis, swimming, bocce ball, and an excellent clubhouse with a variety of dining options.

• And, Illahe’s overall commitment to programs for the good of golf in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

I am proud of the honor and know that it speaks well of the Club where I have been a member for about 35 years.