An audio recording by Oregon Congressman Les AuCoin regarding his first visit to New York City after 9/11. AuCoin describes how the nearby St. Paul's Chapel had become a shrine to honor those who had lost their lives on 9/11. An entry from the chapel’s guest book stated that "too often it is in loss that we discover the things that we love and why we love them," which AuCoin takes and applies to the war in Iraq, arguing that the situation had led to the U.S. government neglecting civil liberties. This is one episode from AuCoin's biweekly radio show on Jefferson Public Radio (JPR), which ran after he had retired from office. The majority of episodes feature his commentary on current political events, often focusing on issues important to southern Oregon where JPR is based. This episode aired around 2003.
Kelly and Stacy AuCoin pose with actress Lily Tomlin at a fundraiser, taken some time in the 1980s. In typed notes about the photograph, AuCoin wrote, "during my years on the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Interior and Insular Affairs, I championed the National Endowment for the Arts. It needed strong congressional advocacy against virulent opposition from Senator Jessie Helms and other extreme conservatives who argued that the endowment funded pornography masquerading as art. (They never explained why sculptures such as Michelangelo’s Statue of David or the iconic Venus de Milo were not pornographic!) My policy work for the arts quickly brought attention from, among others, the Hollywood community. Three celebrities campaigned for me in several of my closest races—besides Lily Tomlin, Debra Winger and Sally Field. This photo was taken at the home of the host of a New York City fundraising event at the home of George Plimpton, the editor of the Paris Review, just off New York City’s East River. Tomlin was the evening’s celebrity guest. Kelly and Stacy flew in from college to join us." This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. The original photo remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin and Pat McCormick, AuCoin's legislative aide in Oregon, at the 1980 National Democratic Convention. At the time, AuCoin was the chair of the Oregon delegation. The convention was held in New York City from August 11th to the 14th, and it formally nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for reelection. This photo is undated, but was likely taken in the 2000s This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. The original photo remains with the AuCoin family.
