June 29th is Mel Blanc Day in Portland
Mayor Sam Adams has proclaimed June 29 to be Mel Blanc Day in Portland. The proclamation is below.
The proclamation will be read on the steps of City Hall Thursday June 23 at 12:30pm by Commissioner Dan Saltzman. 1221 SW 4th Avenue
Proclamation
CITY OF PORTLAND
Whereas Mel Blanc, whose chosen art form, in its vitality, innovation, excellence, and wide popular appeal, expresses what is unique about Portland; and
Whereas appreciation of his genius recognizes no national boundaries, with Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck well beloved around the world, as are the many other cartoon characters to which he lent his voice; and
Whereas he discovered his gifts here in Portland: in Neighborhood House in South Portland, where he learned to play the violin; in the halls of Lincoln High School, where he perfected the laugh he gave to Woody Woodpecker; in the ballroom of Multnomah Hotel, where he sang and played the ukulele; in the Oregonian Tower, where he performed on KGW’s Hoot Owls, and, later, on his own show, Cobweb & Nuts, on KEX; and
Whereas this summer marks Portland’s first public celebration of Mel Blanc, with Oregon Jewish Museum offering a Mel Blanc exhibit and Oregon Cartoon Institute offering the Mel Blanc Project, a series of public history/arts education events ranging from lectures to guided tours of Mel Blanc’s Portland; and
Whereas on June 29, in Lincoln Hall, where Mel Blanc himself sat as a high school student, Craig Adams, early Portland radio historian, and Robyn Tenenbaum, current Live Wire radio producer, will induct Mel Blanc into Oregon Cartoon Institute’s Hall Of Fame; and
Whereas the City of Portland recognizes the significance and importance of Blanc’s creative genius, which he cultivated and expanded here,
Now, therefore, I, Sam Adams, the Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the “City of Roses,” do hereby proclaim June 29, 2011 to be Mel Blanc Day in Portland, and encourage all residents to celebrate this day.
