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I have re-read it...your point? Remember, this is supposed to be about the kids and their future, not the businesses or the Christians. The day of silence is not a "reward" for helping Philomath. Do you know what it is? If businesses and Christians want a day of silence or maybe recognition, then go do it...make one...and it too will most likely be recognized at the school, because we have great Christians and businesses in our town that do indeed need acknowledgement, as we do Pagans, Buddhists, Atheists, Secular Humanists, Homosexuals, Heterosexuals, Native Americans, Hispanics, White, and the labeling list goes on. We can celebrate everyone...not just one group. On this point of helping, yes, many religious and non-religious groups have given freely to Philomath. We have lots of community support and help; it is wonderful. I have definitely put into this community...but this isn't about me...it shouldn't be about politics or religion either, or about certain values or morals or judgments, but about a gift to the the children of the community to help them fulfill their dreams. The kids have been the ones suffering while everyone debates the true simmering issue: liberalism vs conservatism. So to them...get the scholarship if you are in line with it, if not move on. This is an age-old "fight" that is going on in America. If you have ideas to solve it or make it better...go for it. I know Philomath's teens are, as are so many teens everywhere, more with it, accepting, practical, tolerant, and intelligent than people know. Some of the teens sent amazing letters into the Gazette Times when some of this was going down a few years ago. Do whatever you feel is following your OWN life's purpose (college or not). If someone wants to give you a gift, make sure you don't have to sacrifice your beliefs, dreams, lifestyle, and so on, and be aware and careful if there are any "strings attached" that compromise any part of you.

posted 5 years ago
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No, I am saying "define" morals and make sure they are not hurtful or discriminatory. For me to really know what you mean by "my secular ideas", I would need to know your definition of "secular". My ideas, actually come from many sources (religion, having "been there all my life", spiritual, psychology, sociology, working with kids, raising kids.....life). Basically, I knew all of the people you mentioned and worked with them and didn't see anything that warranted them being asked to leave. I even know you and think you are a good person. And yes, we never know the WHOLE story...not you or me. The principal did a great job of bringing diversity in...allowing ALL students to be who they are (and that is not forcing beliefs on anyone)...Christian, Pagan, Heterosexual, Homosexual, athlete, art student and she was sensitive to the minorities, such as with the Warrior statue removal. When we discover that something hurts someone (discrimination against their sexual orientation, irreverently using a groups' religious icon ie...the statue) it would be great if we could adopt a new practice. America is great for that...we have made so many strides for freedom...and I simply hope to see Philomath embracing everyone's freedoms (and I am not saying we should let "true crime" run rampant...like stealing and so forth.). I love this town and I love that it is evolving into even a more caring and accepting community. I am a "native", which is ironic, are you? Also, If the superintendent "hung himself in the video", what has Lowther done in real life? I have but mentioned a few things. I have seen kids crying due to the loss of the scholarship - good kids that are liberal or conservative or have green hair, because the Foundation is playing out their politics and religious beliefs first, and helping kids, maybe, lastly. There were at times appropriate stipulations put on the scholarship: drug testing, grades and so forth, with ways to improve and come back and re-apply and qualify (raise your grades...get off drugs...but not to become "one man's idea of a certain type of Christian".) Charity should be charity and we could maybe stop seeing it as "Christian" charity or "liberal" charity or labeling it at all. To give a gift, like the Clemens' did, was to give a gift without strings attached, so that any child could fly and find his or her OWN dreams. It doesn't take much research (although I have done plenty) to recognize how to treat the kids with love and acceptance and truly give a gift. Now, I know that no-one is truly "evil" or "bad", they just do what they think is best given where they are at this point in life, Lowther included. He will eventually see where he has hurt and where he has helped. I hope and pray that he will quit hurting and start just helping.

posted 5 years ago
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It is sad that he IS a right-wing-conservative-fundamentalist-Christian that happens to behave in a discriminatory way. Not all Christians agree with him and of course, not all "old timers" do either. I am a 2nd generation and my father knew Clemens - who also donated the public pool, too; he was generous without discrimination and certainly didn't put restrictions on who could or could not use it. So, not all "old timers" from Philomath have his "traditional values" - i.e. against those with higher education, homophobic, against new ideas and change, against anything "green", and against anything "PC". He is "against" so much! You are getting at definition, really. The word "value" should mean something positive, but it doesn't always. His "values" and they way he goes about implementing them is hurtful and discriminatory. He sent a public letter to all the citizens of Philomath ranting against the High School's Gay-Straight Alliance (they had to rename it) and the counselor that (by the way, is a Christian) was the advisor for that group; he helped shut a high school play down, he opposed allowing students to dye their hair or have piercings, because it wasn't conducive for his 6-year old nephew, (and had student's afraid that they would loose the scholarship if they participated in drama...or anything besides forestry). He called and accused our principal (she is no longer there) of "making students gay", because she allowed a group to participate in the National Day of Silence. He definitely has an agenda to push his political and religious beliefs - fine, but don't do it with such antagonistic, discriminatory, controlling behavior. Just a few years ago some students were NOT taking the scholarship, because of their values. They did not want money that backed hateful, discriminatory views - it was tainted to them. They directly expressed this to me. I do see values changing in the Philomath school system, for the better. I see caring educators genuinely working to provide the best environment for learning for ALL students (those in art or science and those in forestry and those that are in BOTH, along with those in the Bible club and those in GSA, these do not have to oppose each other as he wants them to). The definition of "value" here could stand for accepting the inherent worth and dignity of all students/people, versus a type of political or religious belief. I put this "undesirable stuff" out there, because people in Philomath and especially in the school district do not feel safe saying anything about what "THE FOUNDATION" had done.

posted 5 years ago
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The foundation is big into religious morality, thus the schools they have picked are in line with their convictions. I, too, understand the "second generation" idea. As I stated earlier, kids were coming in just to get the scholarship. Unfortunately, now, it is about religion, politics, and fear of diversity/change. So now they make "personal judgments" about schools and kids for their scholarship. It is, though, private money and they can make the rules. I just have difficulty with his desire to "run" the school and school board/town/citizens etc. with promise of his "gift". I hope Philomath can move past this and let the scholarship foundation know they cannot make us do things anymore (like run out our superintendent and high school principal - she got death threats over the warrior statue issue, by the way).

posted 5 years ago
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I am an 80's graduate of PHS and received the Clemens scholarship for one year of my undergraduate work and then applied the rest to my graduate work. I came back to Philomath to teach at the high school. I am a the daughter of a logger and my 19 year old is a 3rd generation, but now cannot get the scholarship. I can remember students moving to Philomath my senior year (my class grew before we graduated) to get the scholarship. One girl on my basketball team openly stated that is why she moved to this school. To stop this the scholarship requirements changed over the next few years while my son was in school. Some of the changes were that you had to attend the high school all 4 years; then you had to go 8 years, with the last 4 at the high school (so 4 elementary OR junior high). Then, while I was teaching there the real issues began. Steve Lowther started getting involved in more than just the scholarship, he began to get involved in the school (voicing how he thought it should be run...like the good ole' days). He fought against the gay/straight alliance, content of a school play, and school dress codes, to name a few. He likened new people to our town to that of new trees poisoning the old. A few of my students got the scholarship, but had to listen to Lowther tell them his views (against spotted owl and environmentalists and his political stances (He wanted them to agree with him in order to get the scholarship.) He spoke at the school and likened liberals to Hitler. He said people were too "politically correct" and he was against diversity. He then was upset at OSU for their sustainable logging practices and an incident that involved a fight with a white and black student there, then yanked the scholarship from kids at that school, first. It became evident that he was interested in reversing the intent of the scholarship from what the Clemens' had built it for. I was always told in school, that they wanted to give back to the community and saw the timber industry as something that was not sustainable and wanted small town kids to be able to go out and get an education and move into professional careers in order to compete with kids from bigger towns. Lowther, on the other hand, is reversing it and wants them to stay in those troubled industries. He has raged against educated professionals coming into the town and changing things (they were coming into the town to help the students make it in today's world).

posted 5 years ago
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