COLUMN | 45 Words: A cup of coffee with new friends

Published 11:12 am Tuesday, July 29, 2025

I’m happy to report that at least one person read my column last week.

T. Scott Harden, program director at the Gresham Senior Center, promptly emailed me with the correct answer to my challenge of: “If you can figure out the relevance of the name of my column (45 Words), I’ll buy you a coffee.”

“45 Words” refers to the number of words in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Words we’re all fortunate to have protecting us in this country. And, in this case, these words will result in me buying Scott a cup of coffee.

° ° °

In other coffee news . . . I also had the chance to meet with Lynn Snodgrass, CEO of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, last week and enjoy a cup o’ joe with her. Among the many things we discussed, I’ll be on the board of directors for the next five months. I must say, I’m looking forward to this opportunity to get to know the business community in the Gresham area.

° ° °

Another great benefit of my new role as publisher of The Outlook is the location of the office itself. Having worked from my home office since the COVID-19 pandemic, I had almost forgotten the joy of working in a walkable downtown area. Thus far, I’ve had the opportunity to have a coffee and a bagel at Legacy Coffee, and a Fort Stevens cheeseburger at The Local Cow. Trust me when I say I’ll be checking out the other local businesses as soon as I can!

° ° °

One last thing . . . a big thank you and shout-out to Lisa Snider, Kandy Clark and the rest of the Sandy Mountain Festival organizers. It was great working with them to promote this year’s festival. Looking forward to doing it again next year!

Cheers!

Vance W. Tong is the editor and publisher of The Outlook and has been a journalist for more than 35 years.