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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250806
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250904
DTSTAMP:20260424T060023
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SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  8/7/25: Tributes to Jerry Smith
DESCRIPTION:Jerry & Donna Smith \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nAugust 7\, 2025 \n  \nIn honor of Jerry\, I will speak his name aloud to the trees and creatures of the earth\, and tell them of his beautiful heart. \n  \n—Abe Green \n* \n  \nOur dear friend Jerry Smith died peacefully at his home on July 8th. Without Jerry\, there would have been no prison dialogues or plays\, no “A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison” film\, no Open Hearts Open Minds\, no Open Road. His love and generosity changed many many lives\, including mine. \n* \n  \nDonna Smith dictated these words: \n  \nJerry and I met when we were 18 years old and got married when we were 20. We had big dreams of doing great things in the world. And in our 74 years together I believe we made a contribution. \n  \nJerry was generous. He was always willing to help people no matter what they needed. When he met a young girl with a broken bike\, he bought her a new one. He bought a lot of bikes. He helped bicyclists with their flat tires. He met a woman whose son needed heart surgery. He helped with that. There are many stories like this. \n  \nNow that he’s gone\, every room feels different. He was the love of my life. \n  \n—Donna \n* \n  \nHere’s a Father’s Day letter from his daughter Marsha: \n  \nDear Dad\, \n  \nA very “Happy Father’s Day” to you. Want to thank you for being a great Dad. For being the kind of person who doesn’t ask for or want their children to adjust their lives/schedules/political thinking/voting/child-raising philosophy/(insert anything here) to match what you think. I cannot ask for a better gift in life from a parent than this freedom. \n  \nOur brunch discussions from our time at Waverley have had such a lasting impact on me. I only wish that I was less dogmatic in my own ideas than I am today and more like you are\, and were\, when trying to help your children’s thinking through issues such as abortion\, the death penalty\, taxation\, etc.   \n  \nI thank you so much for that time and for continuing throughout your life with this willingness to see situations through the eyes of the other person.  \n  \nI love you very much.  \n  \nYour daughter\, Marsha \n* \n  \nJerry’s daughter Chris wrote this: \n  \nHey Dad\, \n  \nI’m so glad you knew how much I loved you and how thankful I am for all you’ve done for the whole family. You were an amazing dad\, and I just wanted to say thank you for everything.  \n  \nYou protected me\, when I was young\, and always made sure I was safe.  \n  \nYou guided me\, so that I would know right from wrong and counseled me\, when I clearly… “should have known better.” \n  \nYou gave me a childhood\, that most people can only dream of. \n  \nYou taught me not to  judge people too harshly.… “You never really know what someone is going through\,” you would say.  \n  \nYou treated me with compassion\, when it wasn’t deserved. \n  \nYou never told me what to think or believe\, but instead\, you gave me some really thought-provoking ideas. \n  \nYou taught me how to laugh at myself. You said it was important because\, well\, we’re all just humans\, with our flaws and all\, trying to figure out how to make the most of life. \n  \nYou made my son the most important person in your world. Thank you for that.  He’s an amazing man!  \n  \nThanks so much for always putting the family’s best interests first. And thank you for being such a great listener. \n  \nI know this might sound a bit biased\, but I honestly believe you’re the best dad I’ve ever had\, and you’re my hero! \n  \nI’ll always be so grateful for you. \n  \nI miss you a ton\, \n  \n—Chris \n* \n  \nJerry’s grandson Jordan wrote this: \n  \nGrowing up\, I used to feel a bit left out when conversations turned to dads. I didn’t have one around\, and it stung. But with time\, I realized something important—not everyone gets the incredible gift of having a grandfather like I did. \n  \nMost people knew him as Jerry. I had the exclusive honor of calling him Grandpa. He wasn’t just a grandparent—he was a father figure\, a mentor\, and a best friend. He taught me how to shoot a gun\, how to pitch a tent\, and how to drive a one-ton truck with a manual transmission. In every meaningful way\, I really did have a dad. \n  \nHe was generous and attentive\, always willing to listen. He made people laugh\, not with flashy jokes\, but with genuine humor and a warm wit that stayed with you. His success in life wasn’t measured by titles or wealth\, but by the community he built around him—one rooted in kindness\, loyalty\, and love. Until the very end\, he was surrounded by friends and family who adored him. \n  \nAs I write this\, I’m not only honoring my grandfather\, but also speaking to anyone who ever shared a good laugh with him. Anyone who’s ever made someone else smile because of something Jerry once said and those who have changed their lives for the better. Anyone who carries forward a bit of his spirit—his joy\, his wisdom\, his way of ending conversations with a clever remark. \n  \nIf you’ve changed for the better after knowing him—if he made you a little happier\, a little kinder—then I know he’s smiling. And I know he’s proud of you. \n  \n—Jordan \n* \n  \nNicholas Swift spoke at the Celebration of Life for Jerry. This is what he said: \n  \nGood afternoon. \n  \nMy name is Nicholas Swift. \nAnd I am one of the living testaments to what happens \nwhen someone chooses to believe in transformation— \nnot as a theory\, but as a practice. \n  \nWhen I was incarcerated\, I\, like most in that environment\, focused simply on surviving it. \nI had no roadmap. \nNo vision of a life worth reaching for—only the instinct to endure. \nAnd I don’t know if I can describe what life looks like when you’ve never seen what possibilities it might hold— \nonly the realities you were born into. \n  \nBut then something unexpected took root. \nNot because the walls changed—but because someone chose to plant sanctuary in the most unlikely of places. \n  \nThat sanctuary was a theater program. \nNot just as performance\, \nbut as a form of communal remembering— \na chance to become human again in the eyes of others\, \nto remember that emotion and authenticity still had a place in our lives\, \nto bear witness to others as they walked towards that same realization\, \nto watch a rising tide lift all ships\, \nand see people I never would have thought it possible of \nto become more genuine\, insightful\, authentic versions of themselves. \n  \nThe theater program gave me more than a stage. \nIt gave me back my imagination. \n  \nIt showed me\, through the presence of others— \nthrough the quiet\, powerful seeing of people who believed in it— \nthat living wasn’t just something you did once you got out. \nIt was something you could begin right there. \n  \nEach man who stepped into that space became\, \nknowingly or not\, \nan ambassador of possibility. \nA quiet signpost in the dark that said: \n“It doesn’t have to end like this.” \n  \nAnd for every person who walks through that system unconcerned with change\,  \nthere was someone else— \nsomeone like me— \nholding a hope they didn’t yet have words for. \n  \nThere was a quiet aspiration towards something we had no words for\, no way to describe beyond a felt sense of hope. \nTheater gave that hope language. \nIt gave it form. \nAnd most of all\, it gave me a future I hadn’t dared to picture. \n  \nNot just a release date. \nNot just a plan. \nBut a life. \n  \nSince then\, I’ve built a business\, become a Mentor\, and started working towards my own nonprofit. \nI want to offer to others what Jerry\, and his family\, through Johnny\, once offered to me and those like me— \na glimpse beyond survival\, toward something more true\, more free\, towards possibility. \n  \nAnd none of that would have been possible \nwithout the person we’re here to honor— \nand the family who trusted him\, who trusted us\, \nenough to let the work speak for itself. \n  \nSo I speak today \nnot just for myself\, \nbut for every quiet spark that took flame \nbecause someone believed we were worth the match. \n  \nThank you. \nFor believing in what we might become. \nFor giving us a reason to try. \n  \n—Nicholas Swift \n* \n  \nDenise Bare also spoke at the Celebration of Life for Jerry: \n  \nJerry Smith’s Thread That Reached Me \n  \nI never imagined I’d be standing here\, speaking at Jerry’s memorial. \n  \nNot as someone who spent time in prison. Not as someone who once thought her life was beyond repair. \n  \nBut here I am—because Jerry believed in someone else. \n  \nHe believed in his friend Johnny Stallings. He believed in Johnny’s wild idea that theater and art could belong in prison. That something sacred could happen when people on the inside were invited to sit in circle and talk about their lives. \n  \nJerry backed that vision before it had a name. Before there were programs or grants or success stories. He believed in Johnny—and because of that belief\, he ended up touching my life in ways I still can’t fully explain. He started bringing art into Two Rivers\, to Columbia River and finally to Coffee Creek\, where I was. Johnny had Carla Grant and Don Kern come and bring in theater and it changed my life. \n  \nI joined a theater circle while I was inside. Just a few hours a week. At first I thought it was a distraction. But it became a lifeline. A space where I could be human again. And behind that circle—behind the exercises\, the plays\, the visiting artists—was Jerry. \n  \nHe didn’t know me. But he believed in the people who believed in me. And sometimes\, that’s all it takes to change a life. \n  \nJerry’s belief in how art can heal\, restore\, and reconnect helped me find my voice. His giving created a ripple that reached me. And now I get to be part of that ripple for others. \n  \nThank you\, Jerry\, for trusting your friend and for never underestimating the power of a story shared. \n  \nI’m one of many you’ll never meet\, but whose life you helped rebuild. My love and gratitude to Jerry’s wife Donna\, daughters Christine\, Marsha\, and grandson Jordan. Your family is special and amazing\, and your Jerry has touched my life\, and I will forever be grateful. \n  \nAll my love & gratitude\, \nDenise Bare \n* \n  \nHere are some tributes to Jerry that people sent in: \n  \nDear Donna Smith and Smith family\, \n  \nEarly on I was involved in Johnny’s work at Two Rivers Prison and became the first Board president. I watched plays\, helped behind the scenes\, and marveled at the amazing event of Shakespeare being performed by men who were new to his work\, new to theater\, new to finding their own deeper voices. \n  \nLater I became one of the dialogue group leaders\, going out once a month\, often with Bushra Azzouz. And like so many in Open Hearts Open Minds. I participated in the work and delight of finishing Bushra’s film Midsummer’s Night’s Dream in Prison and presenting the wonderful premier in Portland. \n  \nSo much of what happened over the years at Two Rivers and then in other facilities in Oregon is the result of the interest and generosity of Jerry and Donna and the continuing support of all the family through the foundation. I feel grateful not just to have witnessed and participated in the OHOM’s programs but to have seen and benefited from the care of your entire family. \n  \nThis support did not end with OHOM\, in fact it continues\, but has also been a motive force behind Open Road. Johnny has stimulated discussions\, education and performances with Open Road\, taking it beyond prison walls into everyday lives. \n  \nI am writing to acknowledge all of this in honor of Jerry’s memory and in respect for all of you. Thank you so very much. So many lives have been changed by your generosity. \n  \nWith deep regards\,  \nDeborah Buchanan \n* \n  \nDear Johnny\, \n  \nI’m sorry to hear about the passing of your friend\, Jerry Smith.  I know what a significant person he was in your life. \n  \nOver the years I had a few conversations with him at the hotel where we stayed when we went to the plays. In one that particularly impressed me\, he spoke about his concern for you in a way that I could only describe as parental. It was clear to me that although he valued the work you were doing\, his deeper interest was in you personally\, and in your full flowering as a human being.  \n  \nWe often talk about how lucky we have been in life\, especially in the friendships we have enjoyed. You were particularly lucky in your relationship with Jerry\, and he was equally lucky to have passed some of his time with you. \n  \n—Howard Thoresen \n* \n  \nDear Donna\, Christine\, Marsha & Jordon\, \n  \nI won’t try to speak to your loss\, our whole community’s loss\, except to lovingly wish you well as you live the coming days of grief and love. But I would like to say a bit about the gifts to the world that Jerry’s and all of your insightful generosity have made possible. I was able to attend several of the plays at Two Rivers as well as the movie of Midsummer Night’s Dream and the short one made by Prabu\, and gladly receive news of how Open Hearts Open Minds  and The Open Road continue to touch lives as well as Johnny’s monthly  “peace\, love\, happiness and understanding” newsletter. Each of these love-offerings has and continues to remind all who witness and participate of the transformative power of creativity and love of all kinds: power to heal deep wounds and uplift spirits. From the inspired vision vast enough to be a container for all these possibilities and more\, to the fragile precious moments of hope: what a wonderful legacy! \n  \nWith Love and Gratitude\, \nNancy Yeilding  \n* \n  \nJohnny\, you were blessed by the patronage of Jerry Smith\, which allowed you to manifest some of your dreams. \n  \nWhat a legacy he has left. The ripple of his loyalty\, love and support will last for generations. \n  \nHe believed in you! \n  \nSo do we. \n  \nWarm hugs \nBrenda Erickson \n* \n  \nI’ve said it a million times: “You all helped me and saved my life!” Living in a world full of love\, wonder and beauty is what you gave me—and Jerry helped make that possible. I see what you all have done…so many of us now live in a world of Joy… \n  \nMy name is Rocky Delos Hutchinson and although we have only met a few times\, the abilities that you all gave to others have been the seeds that were planted in my heart\, mind and soul\, which provided me with a new life—one I will soon be able to live outside the walls of prison. \n  \nI only met Jerry one or two times\, and his heart\, his infectious smile and his tears of joy will forever be framed in the mosaic of images that make up my soul. I’m blessed to have that be a part of me. \n  \nHis gift of love and a world full of new and wonderful people who showed me how to be open to everything life is\, and how to be human again\, gave me a second chance at a life…one I plan to fill full of kindness and beauty. This man provided me with life by his actions. I cry tears of love and joy now. \n  \nI cannot imagine the loss you feel. His love has helped all of us to grow. Through him\, my tears of all things good cleansed my soul\, and gave me a chance to live in love. \n  \nwith all my heart\, thank you \nRocky Hutchinson \n* \n  \nDear Donna\, Christine\, Marsha & Jordan\, \n  \nI am so sorry for your loss. I remember meeting you\, Donna\, and Jerry once. I believe at one of the open performances of Hamlet at Two Rivers. I can’t over state my gratitude for the opportunities that your foundation made possible through supporting Open Hearts Open Minds. I saw the peace those programs brought to the participants first hand. Personally\, being a part of OHOM completely altered my life trajectory. I learned so much about myself and the world during my time with the folks at TRCI and CRCI. I would not be who I am today without those experiences. So thank you\, from the bottom of my heart. Jerry and you all have helped make the world a significantly better place. \n  \nWith all my love\nVictoria Spencer \n* \n  \nDonna\, Christine\, Marsha\, and Jordan; \n  \nI was so sad to hear about Jerry’s passing. There have been few times in my life that I’ve been lucky enough to share space with such a compassionate\, kind\, human. I was happy for every second I got. For a few years\, I was a volunteer through and also a board member of Open Hearts and Open Minds. I directed three shows at Two Rivers Correctional and also helped facilitate a weekly dialogue group at Columbia River Correctional. These experiences changed my life. Because of the generosity of Jerry and your family I was able to see theater as a tool to do good in the world\, not just as passive entertainment. That has guided my life ever since. After OHOM\, I toured plays to culturally underserved\, including incarcerated\, audiences across the PNW and the USA. I’ve also recently started my own prison theater program on the medium side of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville\, OR. The same magic that existed at TRCI is in full-force at CCCF. I like to think that Jerry and the rest of your family is part of that magic that I’ve taken with me on my life’s journey that is now in full blossom at Coffee Creek. Thank you for everything and please know I’ll always keep Jerry in my heart. \n  \nAll my love\, \nPatrick Walsh \n* \n  \nDear Donna\, Christine\, Marsha & Jordon \n  \nSince meeting Jerry Smith I’ve cried a million tears. I’m crying now\, as I write this. Going to prison broke my heart over and over again. A broken heart works better than a well-protected one\, because feelings can get in and out more easily. \n  \nYesterday morning\, Carl Alsup called me from prison\, and was talking about the time he played Marc Antony. He was having a hard time performing the role\, because when he was rehearsing the funeral oration—“If you have tears\, prepare to shed them now…”—he couldn’t help crying. Jack Poole\, who was playing (the murdered) Julius Caesar complained that Carl was getting his costume wet. \n  \nI remember the day in the dialogue group when Carl told me that he found himself crying all the time. It was embarrassing\, and he didn’t know what to do about it. Coming to prison at the age of seventeen with a life sentence\, he had worked hard to maintain a tough guy persona. Now that was out the window. I wasn’t much help. He knew—all the men knew—that by the end of every performance my cheeks would be wet and my shirt tails soaked with tears. Of happiness! \n  \nWhat does all this have to do with Jerry Smith? Everything! Without Jerry\, there would have been no prison dialogues or plays. From the time we first met\, we liked each other. Over the years\, our love for each other deepened. I miss him! \n  \nThe love and support of all of you has changed my life. And Nancy’s life. And\, thanks to what we like to call “the ripple effect\,” it has changed and continues to change the lives of many many people.  \n  \nIt’s some kind of Love Revolution! My gratitude to all of you knows no bounds. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nDear Donna\, Christine\, Marsha & Jordon\, \n  \nMy name is Alex Tretbar\, and while I didn’t know Jerry\, his work has meant a great deal to me. \n  \nI was incarcerated in Oregon from 2017 to 2022\, and during that time I met a number of incarcerated people who were involved with Open Hearts Open Minds\, and whose experiences with the Shakespeare plays were transformative. Through them I came to know Johnny Stallings\, who has also had a huge impact on my life. We struck up a correspondence while I was inside and that continues to this day. Much of my success and happiness since being released from prison can be traced directly back to Jerry. \n  \nI offer you my heartfelt condolences in what I know is a difficult time for you. \n  \nBest wishes from Kansas City\, \nAlex Tretbar \n* \n  \nDear Donna\, Christine\, Marsha and Jordan – \n  \nWe are so sorry you have lost Jerry. Helping to bring A Midsummer Night’s Dream In Prison to completion and dissemination has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our respective careers.  Jerry’s presence on stage at the Cinema 21 film premiere was a joyful moment that will always be remembered by us and the hundreds gathered. Jerry’s passion and support for bringing Bushra\, Johnny and the Actor’s vision to life was clearly present in a warm and deeply human way.  Along with yours\, his love of and belief in this project (and many others) has already brought joy\, tears and the potential for growth to several thousand people\, with more to come.  With the OHOM team\, we will continue to help his legacy live on.   \n  \nWe wish you peace and healing.   \n  \nEllen Thomas (producer) and Enie Vaisburd (co-director\, editor) \n* \n  \nDear Jerry and Donna Smith Family\, \n  \nI am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Jerry Smith. Please accept my heartfelt condolences during this difficult time. \n  \nMr. Smith was more than just a generous supporter — he was a true believer in the work Open Hearts Open Minds does and the lives they touch. That was evident in his desire to watch the theatre productions at Two Rivers Correctional in Umatilla Oregon through the years. I had the privilege of performing for him during many productions in Umatilla\, so I was personally impacted by his generosity in supporting Open Hearts Open Minds and other art programs inside prisons. His compassion and commitment made a meaningful impact\, and his legacy will continue to live on through the causes the family foundation champions and supports. \n  \nPlease know that my thoughts are with the Smith family\, friends\, and all who were fortunate to know him. May his memory be a blessing and may the work he did through his foundation serve as a tribute to his enduring spirit. \n  \nWith sympathy and respect\,\nJosh Underhill \nOHOM Theatre participant at Two Rivers Correctional Facility\nPresident of the Board\, Open Hearts Open Minds \n* \n  \nSmith Family\, \n  \nWe at Open Hearts Open Minds feel deeply honored and truly blessed to have known and been supported by Jerry Smith throughout the years.  \n  \nEvery so often\, the world is graced by someone whose generosity and spirit leave a lasting imprint — Jerry was undeniably one of those rare souls. His unwavering kindness\, compassion\, and commitment to others touched countless lives through his generosity supporting Open Hearts Open Minds. We truly would not be here if it wasn’t for his support from the beginning.  \n  \nThose who had the privilege of knowing Jerry and whose lives that were uplifted by his generosity stand as a living testament to his remarkable heart and legacy. \n  \nMay you and your entire family find comfort in the deep gratitude we hold for the incredible person Jerry was\, and in the knowledge that his light continues to shine through all the good he helped make possible through Open Hearts Open Minds art programs.  \n  \nOur deepest condolences\, \n  \nOHOM Board of Directors \nJosh Underhill\, Dick Willis\, Barbra Chen\, Prabu Muruganantham\, Lauren Scher\, Aaron Gilbert\, Messiah Shakur \n* \n  \nI barely have words to express how my involvement as a Group Dialogue volunteer at Two Rivers Correctional Institution changed my life. I am a more open\, loving\, compassionate person for sitting in circle with those men\, and for learning the way of the “Nonstop Love-In” from Johnny.  \n  \nI met Jerry a couple times and was touched by his smile\, kindness\, and generosity. My heart is sad knowing I will not be in his presence again. \n  \nLove\,  \nKristen Sagan \n* \n  \nDear Jordan\, Christine\, Marsha\, and Donna\, \n  \nMy heart goes out to you during this time of sweet and tearful transition. Jerry was a beautiful soul and will be greatly missed. His way of being had a truly positive impact on so many lives. What a lovely legacy to leave behind. \n  \nI remember the first time I sat down with Jerry. His bright eyes and his smile were so welcoming. Don Kern and I had been facilitating the theater program at Coffee Creek for about a year. We were greatly changed by the experience and wanted to continue the work\, but knew we could not afford to do so without financial support. That’s when Johnny Stallings introduced us to Jerry Smith. Jerry leaned in to ask pertinent questions. He was not only kind\, but thorough. He was a smart man and wanted to make sure we would be responsible stewards. I loved visiting with Jerry. And not just because he always insisted on dessert. \n  \nIt’s been 11 years since I first stepped into the rehearsal room at Coffee Creek. I get to witness first hand the effect of arts in the lives of our incarcerated community.  My life took a completely different turn after volunteering in prison. I have increased my empathy quotient and have learned to embrace the creative spirit within us all. I would not be the person I am today without Jerry and the family. Thank you. \n  \nSincerely\, \nCarla D Grant \nExecutive Director \nOpen Hearts Open Minds \n* \n  \nDear Donna\, Christine\, Marsha and Jordan\,  \n  \nI want to send my deepest condolences for your loss. Even though I only met Jerry a couple times and didn’t know him personally\, his kindness and love has forever changed my life in the most important way.  \n  \nI became involved with Open Hearts Open Minds in 2009 while incarcerated at TRCI. During one of the darkest periods of my life I was lucky enough to be part of the Dialogue and theatre group there. Without Jerry’s generosity and his willingness to want to help the forgotten ones I shudder to wonder where my life would be today. You see in that little room on all those Wednesday evenings I was able to discover who I am and for the first time find true freedom in my life. The best part of it is that I am not the only one that discovered this. Not only the group of guys I was involved with but also continuing to this day\, I can’t imagine how many lives have been impacted by OHOM. I know they have branched out into many institutions and are doing some really life changing work. I know this because I am now a board member and am so excited to see where this goes and continue this amazing work\, and do my part in carrying on Jerry’s legacy of kindness love and compassion. It takes more than a community to pull this off it truly takes a family and I am so blessed to be part of the OHOM family. I want to thank you again Jerry for the gift of life and freedom. And thank you to your family.  \n  \nGod bless you all\, \n—Aaron Gilbert \n* \n  \nWhat a great opportunity to share my reflections on past memories of great performances presented by the actors at Two  Rivers Correctional Institution for several years. My experience\, as well as my sister Andrea’s\, left us each with great joy. At each performance we were overwhelmed to be given the opportunity to share the experience with those dedicated men. They were professional in every way possible and outstanding in their individual performances. \n  \nWhen the opportunity would come around every year\, for five years\, we would make our plans to travel from Salt Lake City to Umatilla and attend every performance. It was the highlight of our lives at that time. \n  \nIt was always overwhelming for us to meet all the actors and have brief conversations with them. That gave me the opportunity to ask each of them if I could write to him and send him a birthday card. I had a strong desire to communicate with them because so many of them were lost or forgotten souls—alone and needing acceptance by people from outside those prison walls. \n  \nIt gave me great pleasure to correspond with them\, to learn how they were doing\, and to allow them to share their thoughts\, feelings and the successes they were making. \n  \nThis all was made possible by the dedicated work of Jerry on behalf of the inmates at Two Rivers who took advantage of that great program. \n  \nI am always grateful for the joy and fond memories that fill my heart when I reflect back on those days. \n  \nMost sincerely\, \nSharon Lemm (Momma Sharon) \n* \n  \nTo all\, \n  \nThe Dialogue and Theater Group was a saving grace in an otherwise dreary place. It inspired hope\, purpose\, friendship and most of all\, love. This program influenced the lives of so many individuals from the players to their families and friends\, people who were able to witness and experience the meetings and plays\, people whom they then spoke to about their experiences and so on. This experience still influences thoughts and discussions far outside the origination. There are not enough kind and appreciative words to express the feelings about Jerry’s contribution and help in making OHOM a reality. Thank you to him and everyone who supported him in his efforts to help establish and maintain OHOM. He truly changed the lives of countless individuals as a result. \n  \nWith great thanks and admiration\, \nSincerely\, \nJoseph Opyd \n* \n  \nI don’t know—-do you think Jerry Smith had any idea how his life—-his generosity\, his gentleness\, his gentle humor\, changed the lives of others? Made others more generous\, compassionate\, aware\, grateful? So many others! \n  \nI know he changed my life\, gave me the blessing of getting to know and understand and admire scores of incarcerated men at Two Rivers Correctional Institution\, for seven years (and still counting). Our dialogue group of fifteen to twenty men laughed\, cried; we discussed life\, talked about forgiveness\, redemption\, beauty\, joy\, shame\, love\, suffering. I left each Saturday I was there\, driving home on Cloud 9\, exhilarated and joyful\, humbled and blessed.  If only everyone could experience days like that they would change their views forever on incarceration. \n  \nYes\, Johnny started the program\, that and the theater program\, and was responsible for running both for years and years\, beautifully and meaningfully. But behind everything was Jerry—and the whole Smith family. They all were\, and are\, caring and compassionate human beings. \n  \n—Jude Russell
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-8-7-25-tributes-to-jerry-smith/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250904
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251002
DTSTAMP:20260424T060023
CREATED:20250905T005218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250905T005746Z
UID:5830-1756944000-1759363199@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  9/4/25
DESCRIPTION:  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \nSeptember 4\, 2025 \n  \nAh Love! could thou and I with Fate conspire \nTo grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire\, \nWould not we shatter it to bits — and then \nRe-mould it nearer to the Heart’s Desire! \n  \n—The Rubaiyat  of Omar Khayyam\, translated by Edward Fitzgerald \n* \n  \nA map of the world that does not include Utopia is not even worth glancing at… \n  \n—Oscar Wilde \n* \n  \nTo create around ourselves the kind of world that we wish to live in—isn’t that the most important project of our lives? \n  \n—the Russian clown\, Slava Polunin \n* \n  \nI will not cease from mental strife \nNor shall my sword sleep in my hand \nTill we have built Jerusalem \nIn England’s green and pleasant land. \n  \n—William Blake \n* \n  \nWandering through Eutopias \n  \nOn Saturday\, September 13th\, I’m going to present ¡Eutopias! at Taborspace—the latest in a series of “entertainments.” Ideas of utopias and of paradise have always intrigued me. My original idea was to talk about\, and maybe read from\, famous utopias like Plato’s Politeia (The Republic)\, Thomas More’s Utopia and some more recent visions\, like Aldous Huxley’s Island and Ernest Callenbach’s Ecotopia. \n  \nAs I began my researches\, the first thing I discovered was that the topic of “utopia” is vast! It was like going down a rabbit hole\, and finding endless tunnels branching off. Easy to get lost. \n  \nLet’s start with Webster’s definitions: \n  \nutopia (noun) \n  \n1. often capitalized: a place of ideal perfection\, especially in laws\, government\, and social conditions \n2. an impractical scheme for social improvement \n3. an imaginary and indefinitely remote place \n  \nAgain\, according to Webster’s\, synonyms include: \n  \nparadise\, heaven\, nirvana\, Eden\, wonderland\, fantasyland\, Garden of Eden\, Zion\, Cockaigne\, Sion\, promised land\, Camelot\, Elysium\, empyrean\, Shangri-la\, New Jerusalem\, bliss\, lotusland\, never-never land\, joy\, fairyland\, dreamland\, dreamworld\, arcadia\, blissfulness\, euphoria\, blessedness\, gladness \n  \nYou can see where this is going… There are countless books and scholarly articles written just about “Arcadia” and the pastoral ideal in literature. The last word on the synonym list\, “gladness\,” is a synonym for “happiness”—which is another endless topic. Where to begin? \n  \nIn this essay\, I’m going to suggest that the utopian impulse arises from the irresistible idea that “things could be better than they are.” Another idea I want to explore is that “utopia” might be more about the way we see and experience the world than about the way things are—or might be. I want to look at literary utopias\, like More’s and Huxley’s\, and also utopian experiments in what we like to call “the real world.” Webster’s synonyms for “utopia” suggest imaginary places\, but I’m sitting in Eutopia right now—The Tao of Tea. More about this later… \n  \nA good starting place for our journey together through utopian realms is with Sir (Saint) Thomas More (1478-1535). He was a critic of capital punishment who had his head chopped off. (His original sentence was to be hanged\, drawn and quartered\, but Henry VIII commuted it to decapitation.) Thomas More coined the word “utopia” when he wrote a long letter (in Latin) to his friend Erasmus about a fictional traveler who had come upon an island in the New World where the customs were different than in 16th Century England. The two friends liked to joke with each other\, and “utopia” could be derived from the Greek outopia\, meaning “no place\,” or from eutopia\, meaning “good place” or “happy place.” In this essay\, I am “wandering through Eutopias\,” but if I had wandered in More’s Utopia\, I would have been arrested and punished for vagrancy. No slackers allowed. In many utopias\, like Gerard Winstanley’s\, everyone was required to work\, unlike Harry McClintock’s Hobo Utopia\, “Big Rock Candy Mountain\,” where “they hung the jerk that invented work.” But I digress… I can’t help it! I’m in a rabbit warren here! (Note to Reader: this essay may resemble the non-linear way my mind works: “that reminds me of another thing\, which reminds me of another thing\, which reminds me of another thing…”) \n  \nOn the positive side of the ledger\, in More’s Utopia they had NO MONEY! There was free public education for all—including women! There was freedom of religion—as long as you believed in God. War with other countries was to be avoided\, if possible. Capital punishment was reserved only for the most extreme crimes\, like murder. In More’s day\, you could be hung for picking pockets or for being a “witch.” \n  \nThe first major literary utopia is Plato’s Republic—two thousand years before Thomas More’s Utopia\, although Webster’s synonym “lotusland” suggests that Homer’s Odyssey gives us glimpses of pleasant imaginary realms—the Land of the Lotus Eaters\, and Calypso’s island\, and the land of the Phaeacians. In the Gilgamesh epic\, the hero visits the mortal-turned-immortal Utnapishtim\, who lives in a magical realm at the End of the World. \n  \nOne more thought about Odysseus and utopia. The beautiful Goddess Calypso offers him a life of pleasure and immortality (!)\, but he wants to go home and live out his last years with his wife Penelope. That’s his utopia! \n  \nI wouldn’t want to live in Plato’s ideal city-state—(like Stephen Dedalus\, I would get kicked out\, anyway)—but I want to give Plato full credit for doing something radical and new—criticizing his own society. Aristophanes does this too\, in a comic vein\, without presenting serious alternatives. That’s not his job. He’s a comedian.  \n  \nPlato was the first person to write out a detailed rational alternative to his society. Up until that time\, my guess is that people accepted the society that they lived in as “the way things are.” Maybe there was some complaining\, and even a few suggestions. Of course\, as Heraclitus and the Buddhists say\, everything is always changing\, and especially in Periclean Athens\, where there were major innovations in theater\, democracy\, philosophy and sculpture. \n  \nUnlike Homer’s imaginary Land of the Lotus Eaters\, Plato was imagining societal improvements that he hoped would actually come about. Even though Athenians were proud of their city and considered it superior to other cities\, Plato believed that there was a lot of room for improvement. He missed some obvious things\, like the abolition of slavery and equal rights for women. He outlined five different forms of government\, of which he felt rule by a Philosopher-King was the best. Democracy was near the bottom of his list. \n  \nThe five forms of government that Plato outlined\, in ranked order\, are: Aristocracy\, Timocracy\, Oligarchy\, Democracy and Tyranny. We think of “Aristocracy” as meaning rule by an “upper class.” Plato\, who coined the word\, meant something different. From aristos\, “the best\,” he meant rule by the wisest and most virtuous people in the polis. Plato\, who devoted his life to Philosophy\, the “love of wisdom\,” wanted to ensure that the ruler of a city state was\, by rigorous training\, the wisest person. Someone like him. He spent a lot of his life trying to get his philosophy students to go into politics and to get tyrants to become philosophers. That last project didn’t go well for him. He was arrested and sold into slavery by the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse. \n  \nTimocracy was rule by (hopefully) honorable military leaders. Oligarchy is rule by wealthy elites—something we are quite familiar with. There has never been a pure Democracy—not here and not in Periclean Athens. Plato thought that because people were susceptible to demagogues\, they might actually elect a tyrant. Fortunately\, that could never happen here.  \n  \nPlato had a special\, personal reason for distrusting Democracy. The citizens of Athens had voted to put his beloved teacher Socrates to death.  \n  \nTyrannos was once a neutral word that just meant “king.” By Plato’s day\, experience with tyrants had given the word a negative connotation. They were more likely to be selfish and cruel than wise and virtuous. \n  \nA form of government that Plato doesn’t mention is “Kleptocracy\,” rule by thieves and conmen who use their political power to enrich themselves. There are many examples in the modern world\, including the Somoza Family in Nicaragua\, Putin and the other Russian oligarchs\, the Saudi royal family\, the Trump family\, et cetera. Maybe Plato didn’t need the word “kleptocracy” because it was assumed that kings (tyrants) like Cyrus the Great naturally amassed the most wealth. \n  \nPlato’s system was rational—too rational. It highlights some fatal flaws in utopian visions: there is no one right way to live; one person’s utopia is another person’s dystopia; good societies are not created by one person telling everyone else how to live. They evolve out of complex collective changes—for better or worse. \n  \nThere’s a eutopia inside Plato’s utopia\, known as the Allegory of the Cave. According to Plato\, our ordinary experience of the world is a play of shadows on the walls of a cave. We can break our chains\, make our way to the mouth of the cave\, and see the Sun. In India this is known as moksha\, “Freedom”; in Buddhism\, nirvana\, which might be translated as “extinction.” Buddha spoke of it as “waking up.” Plato said that if you try to tell the dreamers in the cave about the indescribable reality you have seen\, they will think you are mad. \n  \nIn the two thousand years between Plato’s vision and More’s\, people in Europe weren’t writing about how things could be better here on earth. This was seen as a Fallen World. Hopeless\, really. Paradise would come for some after death\, in Heaven. Jesus’ death on the cross redeemed humanity from Sin and Death. Unless it didn’t. In Dante’s vision\, an eternal Paradise of Light and Love for the fortunate few is balanced with a nightmare vision of eternal punishment\, pain\, torment and damnation for the majority of “sinful” humans. \n  \nAn Interlude:  \n  \nFor me\, The Library is Eutopia!—Multnomah County Library or my own library. Powell’s Books. Belmont Books\, Backstory Books & Yarn! BOOKS!!! Every book\, like every person\, is a World. Some of my best friends are authors: Walt Whitman\, William Shakespeare\, Susan Griffin\, R. H. Blyth\, Thomas Traherne\, Harold Bloom\, William Blake\, J. Krishnamurti\, Hafez\, Han Shan\, Lao Tzu… It’s a list that goes on and on and on. \n  \nMoving right along… \n  \nAnother way of looking at utopias is that every time someone\, alone or with others\, attempts to make something new\, something beautiful\, something good\, it is a utopian experiment—starting a nonprofit organization (there are millions of them on Planet Earth)\, opening a new restaurant or a new bookstore\, growing a garden\, painting a picture\, making a movie\, putting on a play. Eutopias are everywhere! \n  \nIt’s important to note that some people’s ideas of a better world are at odds with other people’s ideas. In many imagined utopias wealth is abolished and people share everything. That’s definitely not Ayn Rand’s version. And at the worst\, some utopian visions\, when put into practice\, bring about more suffering than we can even begin to imagine. The visions of Adolf Hitler and Mao Tse-Tung\, and the deaths of millions\, come to mind. Many attempts to make things better\, make them worse. The dream of the Industrial Revolution to free us from toil and solve all our problems had ecological consequences that were not imagined. \n  \nIn fact\, there’s always a Snake in the Garden. No matter how good your idea\, there will be problems. Because any imagined world\, just like “the real world\,” has things in it that “don’t work”—that are unfair\, unjust\, flawed. No matter how clever we are\, we can’t avoid suffering or death. \n  \nAccording to the legend\, Prince Gautama was already a grown man with a wife and a son before he had any idea that there were such things as sickness\, old age and death. He was so troubled by these things that he left his palace in search of some kind of answer. After years of soul searching\, he had an experience of perfect inner peace and freedom. He taught that suffering is caused by craving and that when we wake from our delusions we get off the endless Wheel of Birth and Death—we’re awake\, we’ve seen the Sun\, we’re free! In later Buddhism\, the bodhisattvas decided that they didn’t want to get off that Wheel. They wanted to return again and again to the world of suffering mortals in order to help them. \n  \nBack in the Hippie Days\, a lot of people started communes\, where they could go back to the Land\, grow organic fruits and vegetables\, and live together in Peace and Harmony. This was not a new idea. In the Nineteenth Century there were all kinds of ideas about\, and experiments with\, making a better world (for humans)\, like Brook Farm and Oneida. Two impressive examples are The Communist Manifesto of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and the spiritual vision of Joseph Smith and the founding of the Mormon Church. \n  \nsome notes:  \n  \nEvery society and every culture\, from the first homo sapiens till now\, is an experiment\, a work in progress\, that is always changing—slowly or rapidly. And they are all different. Because they are not all alike (impossible!)\, you will naturally find that in some places people are relatively friendly and happy\, and in other places people\, on the whole\, might be more angry or unhappy. There are countries where practically every adult is an alcoholic! That can’t be good. In Bali\, there’s a special ceremony for children when they reach the age of six months. They  touch the earth for the first time! Up until then\, they are constantly held by mothers\, fathers\, brothers\, sisters\, aunts\, uncles\, cousins\, neighbors. \n  \nThis variety is true not just of countries and cultures\, but of states and cities and towns and families. By sheer chance\, you can be born into a family where you are loved and admired and valued\, or one where you get your teeth knocked out. \n  \nNow\, back to Marx and Engels and the Mormons… \n  \nThe basic idea of Communism is: “From each according to his ability\, to each according to his need.” This doesn’t sound so terrible\, does it? In fact this idea is as old as the hills. When people lived in tribes and hunted and gathered food\, this was the only possible arrangement. Food was shared with everyone—even those too old or too young to get it for themselves. \n  \nOn More’s island of Utopia\, and in many imagined and actual utopian experiments\, sharing was preferred to competition. The words “communism” and “community” are related. The dreams of Marx and Engels didn’t turn out well in places like Russia and China because of ruthless totalitarian ideologues who were happy to murder millions of people in order to pave the road to a “better world.” Maybe “mixed-economies\,” like those in Scandinavia\, provide the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. \n  \nMarx’s vision and Buddha’s and Muhammad’s changed the world. Joseph Smith’s vision changed Utah. Just kidding. But it certainly caught on with a lot of people. According to a statistical report of the Church of the Latter Day Saints\, as of December 31\, 2024\, there were 17\,509\,781 members worldwide.  \n  \nEvery religion and every country—every town and city!—can be seen as a utopian experiment. They are all flawed. That’s the Snake in the Garden. And the “flaws” are not small. Sometimes they are mind-boggling. Anti-Semitism for the Nazis. Our “Founding Fathers” were in favor of Free Speech and Freedom of Religion. Those are good things. Unfortunately\, our utopian experiment was “flawed” by a program of genocide against the people who already lived here\, and the most brutal slavery in the history of the world. \n  \nAnd another thing\, and another thing… \n  \nOur whole civilization is “flawed” by being Patriarchal. The God of Abraham doesn’t have a wife!  \n  \nOur Scientific-Materialist-Rational-Industrial-Capitalist Civilization is slightly flawed by the fact that in order to make the planet into a theme park for humans\, it is bringing about the sixth major “Extinction Event” in the history of the planet. That’s not good. \n  \nThe world is always everything-at-once. While most people are trying to be helpful\, there are always some geniuses that are working on new methods to kill everything that lives. It has been ever thus.  \n  \nVladimir Putin could decide—all by himself—to have the Russian military invade Ukraine. The United Nations is the eutopian experiment that’s supposed to prevent that from happening\, but\, alas!\, it’s flawed. Like this essay. Like everything. \n  \nOn the other hand… \n  \nI don’t want to end my essay on eutopias on a gloomy or despairing note. That would be wrong! It is dismaying for those of us with dreams of universal peace and love and happiness to witness seemingly endless examples of violence and greed and fear. It seems to me that the news media and social media relentlessly distort our perception of what is happening. If someone goes into a store or a school or a church and shoots people\, it makes the news. If a mother puts her newborn baby to her breast\, it’s not news. Is someone grows a carrot\, if a doctor in an emergency room saves a life\, if a child sings a song\, if a poet writes a poem\, if people volunteer at a food bank\, if a puppy licks your face\, it’s not news. You get the idea. I’m pretty sure that what’s happening right now on our beautiful blue planet is that most people are doing good things\, things that are useful and helpful—cooking food\, teaching school\, making love\, fixing the plumbing. Mostly people are generous and kind.  \n  \nEven if some people are trapped in visions of hatred and fear\, we can live in love. If hurt people hurt people\, we can be part of the healing. We can continue to help co-create a culture that nurtures what is best in everyone. In spite of countervailing forces\, we can be kind. We can be good. We don’t have to wait for Eutopia to come “some day.” We can make Eutopia where we are\, for ourselves and for others (who aren’t really “other.”) \n  \nSpring is expected to come again next year. (A firetruck just drove by and the handsome young firemen waved to the children.) We can write poems\, sing\, dance\, put on plays\, meditate\, do yoga. We can re-read “Song of Myself.” We can laugh and cry. \n  \nIf you look for them\, you can find eutopias everywhere. \n  \nEverything\, without exception\, is miraculous. \n  \nEveryone\, without exception\, has a radiant beauty at the core of their being. \n  \nI’m sorry… \n  \nI didn’t get around to talking about Brook Farm\, Sankai Juku\, Huxley’s Island\, Woodstock\, Rabelais’ Abbey of Theleme\, Gonzalo’s vision in The Tempest\, the pastoral eutopias in The Winter’s Tale and As You Like It\, Slava Polunin’s Moulin Jaune\, Bread & Puppet Theater\, The Farm in Tennessee and Plenty\, The Big Orange Splot\, World Central Kitchen\, Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights\, Ko-Falen\, Plum Village\, Farmers Markets\, Homeboy Industries\, Shakespeare’s Globe\, Elysian Fields\, the East Village\, Portland\, Plato’s Academy\, Oregon Country Fair\, the Quakers\, the Shakers\, the writings and projects of Christopher Alexander\, pirate utopias\, Golgonooza\, Shangri-La\, Alice’s Wonderland\, Transition Towns\, Valhalla\, Esalen\, Las Vegas\, Atlantis\, The Book of Revelations\, Portland’s Japanese Garden… \n  \nThere are endless tunnels in the rabbit warren. They go on and on… \n  \nIn Conclusion (for now): \n  \nThe Multnomah County Library is Eutopia. The Tao of Tea is Eutopia. Thursday morning coffee with my friends is Eutopia. FaceTime conversations with Howard Thoresen in New York and WhatsApp video conversations with Stratis Panourios in Athens are Eutopias. The room where I sit on the couch every morning\, across from Nancy\, enjoying quiet time and journal writing is Eutopia. \n  \nAnd… \n  \nSilence is Eutopia. Samādhi is Eutopia.  \n  \nThere’s a place I like to go every day\, a place of deep peace and boundless bliss\, a place of miracles everywhere and love without limit. I call it “The Golden World.”  \n  \nMy primary felt sense is that I’m living in Paradise\, that Eutopia is my home. \n  \n–Johnny Stallings
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-9-4-25/
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SUMMARY:¡EUTOPIAS!  9/13/25
DESCRIPTION:  \n¡EUTOPIAS! \n  \na journey through dreams of better worlds with Johnny Stallings \n  \nSaturday\, September 13\, 2 pm \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont\, in Portland \n  \nthis Open Road event is free
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/eutopias-9-13-25/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250927T140000
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LAST-MODIFIED:20250921T182844Z
UID:5848-1758981600-1758988800@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Guide to the Essential Hippie Library  9/27/25
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nGuide to the Essential Hippie Library \n  \n  \na playful romp through the ideas that shaped the Hippie Worldview  \nwith Katie Radditz & Johnny Stallings \n  \nKatie Radditz & Bill Kloster were the genial proprietors of Looking Glass Bookstore\, in downtown Portland\, from 1970 to 2001. Back in the day\, hippies went there to get copies of the Whole Earth Catalog\, Be Here Now\, Zap Comix and other hippie classics. Johnny was one of their regular customers. \n  \nSaturday\, September 27th\, 2 pm \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont  \nthis Open Road event is free \n  \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/johnnys-guide-to-the-essential-hippie-library-9-27-25/
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