Sisters man grand marshal

Jack McGowan of Sisters has been named Grand Marshal of the Portland Rose Festival's KeyBank Grand Floral Parade on Saturday, June 6.

McGowan was honored for his work as co-director, with his wife Jan, of SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism). The festival's announcement was made on Monday afternoon at Sisters High School with a variety of school and city dignitaries in attendance.

"Jan and I are really honored," McGowan told The Nugget. "This came out of the blue, I can tell you."

SOLV was originally conceived in 1969 by then-Governor Tom McCall as a way to bridge cultures in Oregon with a program that people of all persuasions and walks of life could get behind: cleaning up local communities.

"We were kind of a child of the bottle bill," McGowan said.

Once McCall was out of office, though, the organization lost its momentum and fell moribund. Then Jack and Jan McGowan were asked to take it on.

For the first five years, they operated SOLV out of their home, organizing outreach and cleanup programs highlighted by the organization's signature annual beach cleanup.

"It was an amazing experience," Jack said. "I wouldn't have traded it for the world."

The organization eventually grew from a staff of one to a staff of 26 and its budget from $28,000 to $2.2 million. SOLV has become an international model for developing grassroots, nonpartisan environmental action.

"What it is, man, is really about giving every Oregonian an opportunity to give back," McGowan said.

The McGowans retired from SOLV a little over a year ago and moved to Sisters. The couple has fond personal ties to the area: they were married in Camp Sherman in 1986 and had their prenuptial dinner at Hotel Sisters (now Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon).

"It took us 23 years to get here, but this was our dream," Jack said.

The dream must have seemed pretty sweet as local dignitaries stepped forward to honor the couple. Mayor Lon Kellstrom, noting that a key to the city just didn't seem appropriate given the proximity of Rodeo Weekend, presented McGowan with a cowboy hat.

Ann Richardson, executive director of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, presented the couple with a beautiful quilt, with the hope that they don't need to bundle up in it for the big parade.

Sisters Folk Festival executive director Brad Tisdel, whose mother Gerri served as the first woman president of the Rose Festival in 1993, gave the couple all-events passes for the Sisters Folk Festival.

Jack and Jan McGowan may have left SOLV behind, but they haven't abandoned its mission. Like dozens of other folks in Sisters, they spent Saturday afternoon cleaning up the community.

"We were busy with the Sisters cleanup on Saturday," Jan said. "Yay Sisters!

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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