Standing at the Water's Edge: Bob Straub's Battle for the Soul of Oregon

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

Standing at the Water’s Edge Unless otherwise noted, all photographs courtesy of Pat Straub and/or The Robert W. Straub Archives at Western Oregon University The cover and title page photographs are courtesy of Gerry Lewin Standing at the Water’s Edge bob stra ub’s bat tle for the soul of or egon Charles K. Johnson Oregon State University Press Corvallis The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources and the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Johnson, Charles K. Standing at the water’s edge : Bob Straub’s battle for the soul of Oregon / Charles K. Johnson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-87071-669-0 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-87071-670-6 (e-book) 1. Straub, Robert W. 2. Governors--Oregon--Biography. 3. Oregon-Politics and government--1951- I. Title. F881.35.S77J64 2012 979.5’043092--dc23 [B] 2012015120© 2012 Western Oregon University All rights reserved. First published in 2012 by Oregon State University Press Printed in the United States of America Oregon State University Press 121 The Valley Library Corvallis OR 97331-4501 541-737-3166 • fax 541-737-3170 http://osupress.oregonstate.edu For Ken, and for all those like him, who put their heart and soul into public service. Ken Johnson, Bob Straub, and Robert F. Kennedy, Seaside, Oregon, May 24, 1968. Photo by Michael B. Conard, UPI Why don’t we learn in Oregon? We should be planning for the future, the long-range future, not just for today and tomorrow. The strength and success and best hope for Oregon’s future economic development and well-being lies in our ability today to clearly foresee, plan for, and protect long-range needs. Our beach resource is a limited resource. The demand for it, the need for it, the value of its beauty is stronger and stronger every day… A few individuals, a few shortsighted promotional type organizations… are beating the drums for this beach route as a way for them to make a quick dollar and destroy, in the process, their most valuable asset, which creates these business values. Gentlemen, they would sell out too quickly and too cheaply. They would use up an irreplaceable capital resource for the immediate income that it would produce. I can only say that I know of no successful business that operates on this short-sighted principle that’ll long survive. —State Treasurer Robert W. Straub Recorded Testimony before the Oregon State Highway Commission Hearing on the Cape Kiwanda – Neskowin Section Improvements to the Oregon Coast Highway, November 29, 1967, Tillamook Elks Club Social Hall, Tillamook, Oregon ...