Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to Host Oregon Author, R. Gregory Nokes
University of Oregon alumni are invited to join members of the University of Oregon Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Portland for an afternoon with Oregon author, R. Gregory Nokes. Nokes will read from his new book, Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon, at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 13, at the University of Oregon in Portland, 70 NW Couch.
According to Nokes, this “nonfiction book is the first authoritative account of the long-overlooked 1887 massacre of as many as thirty-four Chinese gold miners on the Oregon side of Hells Canyon at Deep Creek, now officially named Chinese Massacre Cove.
“The book traces the author’s difficult journey in digging out the facts of the crime, including breaking through the reluctance of two long-time residents of Wallowa County to [share their story]. Nokes also steps back to explain why Chinese immigrated to the Pacific Northwest, what they did, how they were treated, and what became of them.”
Nokes is a graduate of Willamette University. He also attended Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow. Nokes is a former reporter and editor, with more than forty years experience in journalism, including with The Medford Mail Tribune, The Associated Press and The Oregonian. A native of Oregon, Nokes lives with his wife, Candise, in West Linn.
OLLI-UO offers participants a flexible schedule of lectures, short courses, study groups, field trips, and social activities. This non-credit program is open to all adults fifty years and better who are interested in sharing opportunities for personal growth, civic engagement, and social interaction with like-minded peers. College degrees or previous affiliation with the University of Oregon are not required for membership.
The University of Oregon Division of Continuing Education first established a lifelong learning program in Eugene in 1993. The program’s success inspired the creation of a second program site in Central Oregon ten years later. The Portland program site, which opened in June 2008, is located in the beautifully renovated White Stag Block in Old Town. This Gold LEED Certified building will provide the setting for this event and most of the upcoming OLLI courses.
In 2004, the UO lifelong learning program received grant funding from the Bernard Osher Foundation and joined a national network of universities that sponsor Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes. Each OLLI program is individual in programming and structure, but all share the belief that the joys of study and learning should be available to all, without the pressure of tests or grades.
For more information on this author event, membership, and the winter 2010 schedule, visit the website or call (503) 412-3653 or (800) 824-2714.