Linfielder Art Larrance, Oregon Brewers Festival co-founder, dies at age 80 on Sunday, May 26, 2024

Linfielder Art Larrance, Oregon Brewers Festival co-founder, dies at age 80 on Sunday, May 26, 2024

 =Graduated from Linfield College in 1966 with business degree

 =Catcher on Linfield’s 1966 national championship baseball team. Cap he’s wearing in photo replica of caps worn by that team.

By KATU-TV Portland with additional info from Wildcatville

PORTLAND (KATU-TV Portland) — A co-founder of the Oregon Brewers Festival passed away Sunday morning, May 26, 2024.

Art Larrance was one of the most influential people behind Oregon’s craft beer movement. He was 80.

The news of his passing was shared on social media by the Oregon Brewers Festival.

“I miss you dad. I will love you always. I know right now you are enjoying a pint or a dram of whiskey. Or maybe both,” said his son Tim Larrance on Instagram.

Last year, KATU’s Wesleigh Ogle spoke with Larrance about the Oregon Brewers Festival partnering with the Portland Rose Festival. "For all of you who like to come and talk and have a beer, come down and find me ‘cause now I can have a beer with you," said Larrance.

In January 2023, the Oregon Brewers Festival announced it would not hold its annual event citing high costs and lower attendance. The new partnership with the Portland Rose Festival was announced a few months later.

The Brewers Festival returns this year at City Fair, from June 2 to June 4.

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Art Larrance-related stories posted at Wildcatville blog:

=MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, LINFIELDER ART LARRANCE TOOK A GAMBLE (Oregonian story Dec. 6, 2018)

https://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2018/12/more-than-20-years-ago-linfielder-art.html

=Linfield Baseball 1966 NAIA World Series Champs: Art Larrance has a mitt of Wildcat history

https://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2012/03/1966-baseball-naia-world-series-champs.html

=Linfield Baseball history on display

https://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2014/12/linfield-baseball-history-on-display.html

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ART LARRANCE, Oral History Interview, March 26, 2018, Oregon State University

(Click on URL, see video)

https://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=oh35-larrance-art-20180326.xml

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Cascade Brewing, Beaverton Oregon

Meet Our Team

ART LARRANCE, Owner

Bio: Art Larrance has been involved in Oregon’s craft beer industry since its inception and is considered one of the seven founding fathers of the Oregon craft brewing industry. He co-founded one of the state’s first microbreweries, Portland Brewing, as well as the Oregon Brewers Festival, which today is one of the world’s preeminent craft beer festivals. He helped pass Oregon’s Brewpub law, paving the way for scores of pubs since. And he developed Cascade Brewing, a pioneer of the Northwest sour beer movement.
Art got involved in the craft beer industry from its earliest onset in Oregon, homebrewing in a friend’s basement in the late 1970s. He went on to brew Grant’s Scottish Ales for the Oregon draft market with high school buddy Fred Bowman in the early 1980s.

Portland’s reputation as Brewvana wouldn’t exist without brewpubs, and we have a handful of people to thank for that, including Art. He, along with Fred Bowman, Brian and Mike McMenamin, Fred Eckhardt, Dick Ponzi, and Kurt and Rob Widmer initiated brewpub legislation in Oregon in 1985, making it legal for a brewery to sell its beer on premise, an act that had been banned in Oregon since Prohibition.

In 1986, Art and Fred opened Portland Brewing Co., which quickly evolved and grew. They sold stock to shareholders, who claimed stools at the bar.

In 1988, Art was an active partner in organizing the Oregon Brewers Festival and is now the sole owner of the long-running and beloved event. The festival has grown from 22 breweries to 84, and from 15,000 attendees to more than 80,000 from all over the world. An economic survey estimates the Oregon Brewers Festival’s effect on the local economy at more than $30 million annually.

In 1994, Art left Portland Brewing to pursue another craft beer adventure. Four years later he opened the Raccoon Lodge & Brew Pub and Cascade Brewing in Southwest Portland. His goal was to provide a warm and friendly atmosphere for families to enjoy quality food and craft beer brewed on-site.

In 2006, Art and brewmaster Ron Gansberg began an aging and blending program that would lead to countless awards and an entire new style of beer: the Northwest Sour Ale. The rest, as they say, is history!!

Year Started: 1998

Favorite Beer: The one in my hand

https://cascadebrewing.com/meet-our-team as of 5/27/2024

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OBIT FOR ART’S MOTHER, MARJORIE LARRANCE, 1918-2020

https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/marjorie-larrance-obituary?id=14291355

Gary Duane Hill, 1952-2023 ........ Patricia Lucy Jenkins Hill, 1951-2002

Gary Duane
Hill, 1952-2023

Patricia Lucy Jenkins
Hill, 1951-2002

Gary Duane Hill died Dec. 3, 2023, in Eugene, Oregon, of natural causes. He was 71 years old.

Gary was born on April 7, 1952, in Eugene, to Virgil (Bus) and Doris Hill.

He spent his early years in Junction City, Oregon, and the family moved to Eugene in 1958. He attended Eugene schools, graduating in 1970 from Willamette High School.

While studying at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, Gary pledged Pi Kappa Alpha and enjoyed Greek life on campus and continued to support the fraternity throughout his life.

At college he met the love of his life, Patricia Lucy Jenkins of Mission Hills, California. She was a member of Sigma Kappa Phi sorority. Her Linfield bachelor of arts degree in history and social studies was conferred May 21, 1972.

Her Linfield senior honors thesis -- an in depth study of a Baptist missionary and wife who served in India, 1852-1899 -- was honored by several colleges and theological seminaries.

Gary graduated from Linfield with a major in political science and a minor in communications. His degree was conferred May 12, 1974.

Pat earned a master of library science, major librarianship, degree from the University of Oregon on June 9, 1974. From Portland State University, Pat earned a master of science in teaching (M.S.T.) degree in history on Dec. 12, 1978.

Gary and Pat married July 10, 1976, in Alice Flanagan Chapel on the campus of Lewis and Clark College in Portland. An Oregonian story in 1984 quotes Gary as saying about their marriage: “Without seeming fatuous, I’d say we have a good thing going.”

The “good thing going” included the fact Gary and Pat were the much loved "cool" aunt and uncle to many nieces and nephews.

Gary served as press secretary for Congressman Jim Weaver, working out of Salem. From there he worked briefly for Eugene television station KVAL before Gary and Pat moved to Portland, Oregon.

He worked at station KPTV in Portland for 16 years (1976-1992) as 10 p.m. news anchor.

Pat’s career included serving as technical writing manager for Test Systems Strategies, Inc. in Beaverton, and as a Gresham School District media specialist.

Pat loved baking. For example, at age 15 she entered a fancy decorated cake in competition at the Los Angeles County Fair.

At home in Portland she baked shortbread and brought some to work in Beaverton. A work colleague of Scottish descent praised it. “I know shortbread,” the colleague told Pat, “This is the best shortbread this side of Scotland.”

Other friends and family encouraged Pat’s baking acumen.

In 1987, Pat and Gary launched the McTavish brand of shortbread in Portland and the surrounding area. McTavish delicacies were popular in many Oregon markets, and at the Highland games.

As chief executive officer of the McTavish Company, she did everything. “I used to see Pat driving a McTavish truck in Murrayhill in Beaverton,” said Lynne Davies Humble, Linfield Class of 1972. She was Pat’s best friend in college and they were members of each other’s wedding parties.

Pat made McTavish deliveries herself. While driving, Lynne saw Pat on Murray Road frequently. “I’d pull up beside her truck and we’d both pull over to talk,” said Lynne.

In 1993 Pat and Gary sold the McTavish Company.

A few years later tragedy befell them.

Pat – the daughter of Robert and Lucy Jenkins, born Jan. 28, 1951, in Los Angeles – died at age 51 on Nov. 5, 2002, from complications following liver transplant surgery at Stanford Hospital.

While still anchoring the evening news for KPTV, Gary studied at Northwestern School of Law, Lewis and Clark College, Portland. He graduated from law school in 1981 and passed the Oregon bar.

Soon thereafter, he left TV news and practiced law (estate planning) with a law firm in Oregon City, Oregon, for more than 11 years. After that he opened the Law Office of Gary D. Hill in Lake Oswego, Oregon, handling family law for more than 20 years. A few years after retiring, he moved back to Eugene to be near family.

Gary is remembered for his intelligence, sense of humor and infectious laugh, and love of animals. His laugh didn't come as frequently after losing Pat, and he missed her dearly the past 20 years. His family was grateful he returned to Eugene and their loving embrace.

Preceding him in death were Pat, his parents, Virgil (Bus) and Doris Hill; and his brother, Donald (Raye) Hill. Surviving him were his sister, Marilyn Hill-Thielke of Eugene; 11 nieces and nephews; 13 great-nieces and nephews; six great-great nieces and nephews, and his longtime friend and care giver, Tracey "T" Towler.

In accordance with Gary's wishes, a scholarship will be set up at Linfield to fund the ‘Patricia and Gary Hill Scholarship in History.’

Gary and Pat are interred at West Lawn Memorial Park in Eugene.

A celebration of life for Gary is planned for Aug. 25, 2024, at Shadow Hills Country Club, Junction City, from 1 to 4 p.m. Please RSVP at GaryHillCelebration@gmail.com.

 

Updated May 26, 2024

Sources: Obituaries, news stories, comments of friends.

 

Catball player grooves to music 5/16/2024

Former Oregon State Beavers’ star Adley Rutschman blasts walk-off homer for the Baltimore Orioles

Former Oregon State Beavers’ star Adley Rutschman blasts walk-off homer for the Baltimore Orioles

By Geoffrey C. Arnold, Oregonian, May 15, 2024

Adley Rutschman helped the Baltimore Orioles extend their streak.

The Baltimore catcher and former Oregon State Beavers’ star slammed a walk-off two-run homer to power the Orioles to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Rutschman lifted a pitch from Toronto reliever Jordan Romano up and over the scoreboard in right field in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Rutschman’s drive was reviewed - the ball appeared to deflect off a fan who was reaching out above the big wall in right field - but the homer was upheld.

The home run was Rutschman’s ninth of the season and his third in the last two games.

The walk-off homer gave the Orioles a split of the three-game turned two-game series. Tuesday’s game was rained out and rescheduled for July 29. The split with the Blue Jays allowed the Orioles to avoid being swept in a series, and they have now gone 105 straight regular-season series of at least two decisions without being swept. That’s tied for the third-longest run in major league history.

Baltimore was last swept in a regular season series by the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park from May 13-15, 2022. The Orioles were swept by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in last year’s American League Divisional Series.

PHOTO The Baltimore Orioles and catcher Adley Rutschman host the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series at Camden Yards in Baltimore this weekend. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark) AP

 

How the Baltimore Orioles Pulled Off an Astronomical Turnaround

How the Baltimore Orioles Pulled Off an Astronomical Turnaround

The Orioles followed the Astros’ playbook in their rise from laughingstock to championship contender. Now, with Houston faltering, the students have become the masters

 

By Jared Diamond Wall Street Journal May 8, 2024 12:07 pm ET

 

The Houston Astros have stood alone as the undisputed kings of baseball for much of the last decade. They have reached the American League Championship Series in seven straight seasons, claiming four pennants over that span and winning the franchise’s first two championships.

But now the Astros’ reign appears to be over. They have been dismal so far in 2024, plummeting into last place in their division and seemingly on the verge of ceding control to a new powerhouse.

It turns out the perfect candidate has emerged, and for anybody who has followed the Astros’ ascent to prominence, the blueprint looks suspiciously familiar. That’s because the Baltimore Orioles followed a simple strategy to rise from laughingstock to title contender: They copied the Astros.

The Orioles entered Wednesday’s action with the best record in the AL, and their parallels to the Astros are impossible to ignore. Their rebuild began when they hired two progressive Houston executives, Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal, to run their front office. Their mission was to take a decrepit organization stuck in the past and transform it into a modern, cutting-edge operation, just as they did with the Astros under former general manager Jeff Luhnow.

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Adley Rutschman is a key part of the Orioles success. PHOTO MITCHELL LAYTON/GETTY IMAGES

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Like with the Astros, that involved tearing down the Orioles’ roster to studs and enduring a stretch of abject futility in an effort to stockpile prospects. That approach led to a lot of losses—and a horde of transcendent young talents, like catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Gunnar Henderson, outfielder Colton Cowser and more.

The Orioles accept that comparisons to the Astros are inevitable, given who is in charge and the model they have followed. So it’s not lost on them that the Astros won the World Series in the sixth season after they began their rebuild. The 2024 season is the Orioles’ sixth with Elias and Mejdal at the helm.

“What we have been doing is perfectly smooth and what’s been called for in terms of growing this team,” Elias said during spring training.

The Orioles’ strategy, which the Astros perfected, is popular because when it works, it results in remarkable success for remarkably little money. Young players typically make close to the league minimum in salary, which explains why the Orioles are paying their entire starting lineup less than half of the $70 million that the Los Angeles Dodgers owe Shohei Ohtani this season. Henderson, Rutschman and Cowser are earning roughly $2.3 million combined.

The only problem is that young players eventually grow up and start commanding enormous sums. The Astros learned that lesson the hard way, seeing key contributors like Gerrit Cole, George Springer and Carlos Correa all depart in free agency. The Orioles currently have a payroll near the bottom of baseball. That won’t work forever if they expect to sustain their success.

That’s where David Rubenstein comes in. Rubenstein, the private-equity billionaire who co-founded Carlyle, officially took control of the Orioles as their new owner at the end of March. His arrival has given Orioles fans hope that he will use his vast resources to expand the team’s payroll after years of retrenchment under his predecessor, the Angelos family.

Only then will the Orioles be able to truly reap the benefits of following in the Astros’ footsteps.

“Obviously we don’t get involved in the books,” Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer said, “but that’s kind of our hope.”

Rubenstein, a Baltimore native who grew up rooting for the Orioles, has said all the right things so far. He insists that he intends to defer to Elias when it comes to roster decisions and that he bought the team to give back to his hometown. 

One of the best ways to do that would be to use his riches to help the Orioles return to the World Series for the first time since 1983. In February, the Orioles traded for ace pitcher Corbin Burnes despite his $15.6 million salary, a sign that the pursestrings are already beginning to loosen. The move was another one straight out of the Astros’ playbook: Right before winning its first title in 2017, Houston made a splash by acquiring star pitcher Justin Verlander. 

In some ways, what Elias has done in Baltimore was even more difficult than what happened in Houston. The Astros already had Jose Altuve when their rebuild began. Until Elias showed up, the Orioles lacked anything resembling modern analytics or international scouting departments, a sign of just how far behind they were relative to their peers. Then they lost a full year of development for their prospects when the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the minor leagues in 2020.

“The concrete achievements thus far are different and shifted a little bit down from what the Astros did in Year 4 and Year 5,” Elias said. “But considering the context and also the pandemic, I’m proud of it.”

He said those words in the middle of February, at the Orioles’ training facility in Sarasota, Fla. Nearly three months later, the Orioles have lived up to every expectation, while the Astros have faltered.

In other words, the Orioles aren’t just copying the Astros anymore—they have surpassed them.

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 Adley Rutschman is a key part of the Orioles success. PHOTO MITCHELL LAYTON/GETTY IMAGES

LONG HAIR AND LINFIELD 1966 FOOTBALL

Sun., Sept. 4, 1966, McMinnville N-R/News-Register

LONG HAIR and football don’t mix as Don Huld found out Wednesday during the opening session of football. Coaches Paul Durham and Ted Wilson made short work of long locks with scissors from the Linfield first aid kit.