ABSTRACT
I n May 1975, as the nation brought to a close another war and ended a decade of civil strife, Nadine Harrang wrote to newly elected Oregon Governor Robert Straub from her home near Eugene. “Today,” she informed the governor,
the sun is shining — the kind of a day that is achingly beautiful — with the fuzzy outlines of new buds on the tips of slim branches, and muted green-yellow leaves of the oaks beginning to fill in the spaces between the hardy gnarled branches. The spirit fairly exults, and optimism and happiness repels [sic] anxious thoughts of the recent past. It's Spring. And a lovelier place to experience the change in the Earth's cycle cannot be found than here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Please — for those of us who care so much for this beautiful place — let's keep all of this loveliness. I realize the pressures must be great, but I trust the greater wisdom of preserving this country will remain a constant factor in your administration. 1
