Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon

I spent the first of what was to be 14 years in Oregon in Philomath. I was a student at Oregon State in Corvallis and arrived too late to find closer housing. Philomath is an awesome little town. You have to have lived in Oregon, I think, to "get" them. I once heard that Oregon was in the top 5 states for churches (religious groups) per capita - it seems true when you drive around the state. Despite that, or because of it, they tend to be pretty liberal on social issues. There is a very strong sense of "what you do in private is your business, so keep it that way", meaning you can pretty much get away with anything as long as you keep it to yourself.

The attitude extends to other areas, leading to comments like "it's his money". However, it wasn't this man's money. He was a trustee, with legal obligations to the trust. He had no right to make changes, especially this radical a change from the original intent.

First: a disclaimer. I am in this movie.

Having said that, I must say that this movie is a foreshadowing of the brilliant work of the writer/director, Peter Richardson, who has gone on to become a premier movie maker (How to Die in Oregon).

As with any excellent documentary, Peter represents both sides of the divide in our little town with skill and clarity. I have friends, family, and acquaintances on both sides of the issue, and all agree that he states their case well.

Furthermore, as with the powerful book American Nations (Carl Woodard), this is a clear explanation of where we have gotten to the polarized state of our current political life.

The film-maker may not use the phrase "fair and balanced", but I will. He did an excellent job of letting the truth speak for itself.

I think the superintendent was wrong to change the name of the team from "Warriors" to "Cadets". What is wrong with the concept of the warrior? Such arrogant politically correct heavy-handedness is disgusting. Other than that, I don't see where he did much wrong.

Somebody said that the foundation had a right to withhold money from students who worked against the foundation's principles and values. My understanding was that the foundation's mission and value was to provide tuition for all students who attended Philomath High. What a noble mission, freely, with no self-serving strings attached, to promote the education of those not as fortunate as you. Is this value not worthy and sufficient in its own right? And even if you don't think so, where is your respect for the person who provided the money for the foundation in the first place? It was Mr. Lowther - a fortunate heir and beneficiary of Rex Clemen's hard work and business success - who undermined these values. While you are enjoying the wealth that you yourself did not earn, Mr. Lowther, could you not at least honor the legacy of the man who did so much for you and others? They were not your toys to pick up and take home. You have only reaped and trampled where others have sown. Shame on you.

This film is about the legacy left by a man with altruistic intentions of providing a college education to students who would otherwise not have been able to afford one, and another man who mutated the original idea to his own ends.

In the late 1950s, Rex Clemens, the 'hero' (per se) of this film saw the writing on the wall regarding the decline of the timber industry in Oregon, and wanted to give the children of Philomath, Oregon an opportunity to get an education that would save them from a dismal and uncertain career in a town were the timber industry that once reigned unfettered had come to a screeching halt--and branch out into more promising fields. His motivation was to give the youth of Philomath, a town he dearly loved, the chance to compete in a changing world economy. Thus, he created a foundation that supported school-building projects and provided a 4-year college scholarship to any student that graduated from Philomath High School.

After Clemens' death, Steve Lowther, Clemens' nephew--who is now in charge of the foundation--lost sight of his uncle's original mission by using his personal religious and ideological agendas to keep 'undesirable' students from taking advantage of the generous opportunity his uncle created.

During the film Mr. Lowther proves to be his own worst enemy: In one of many times Mr. Lowther contradicts himself, he states that one of the objectives of the education process was to teach children social skills, but in another statement he accuses the school superintendent, Dr. Terry Kneisler (whom Lowther shows an open contempt for) of pursuing a "social agenda". (BTW, Dr. Kneisler, now the Superintendent of Reynolds School District in Oregon, is an intelligent, well-liked and respected man in his district.) A public forum was held--overseen by an impartial arbitrator--wherein all interested parties were encouraged to participate and express their views regarding Dr. Kneisler and his position as superintendent; a decision was later made that he should continue as superintendent. This decision enraged Mr. Lowther who, in the film smirked, "We took our toys and went home," meaning he withdrew the scholarship altogether. This 'my way or the highway' attitude, and his choice of words used to describe his disdain for the board's decision, personified the childish attitude he embraced when he didn't get what he wanted.

Additionally, the above-referenced forum was considered by Mr. Lowther to be underhanded, and declared that their differences be settled 'like men', behind closed doors, without the benefit of others listening to both sides of the issue and communicating their concerns, if any. Apparently, Mr. Lowther was either unaware of, or had no regard for Oregon state law that mandates School Board meetings OPEN to the PUBLIC (with limited exceptions, such as personnel contract negotiations, or consultation with attorneys).

Another example of Mr. Lowther's dubious beliefs was when he spoke of his strong religious Christian values, then declared his wish to 'tar and feather' Kneisler, a value I find quite the contrary to Christian values.

Ultimately, Mr. Lowther reinstated the foundation funding by attaching an admission restriction to students who had no "background" (i.e. who didn't come from families) in timber, mining and/or agriculture fields.

The point that this documentary drives home is that, while Mr. Lowther thought he was hurting Dr. Kneisler and his supporters by dismantling the foundation his uncle had created, he was actually 'clear-cutting' the young men and women whose opportunity to create a better way of life for themselves was felled by a man with an ax to grind. Timber.

This remarkable documentary depicts a vivid example of America's current culture war: the struggle between clashing values of social conservatives and liberals, focused in this instance on a rural community undergoing the painful transition from a timber industry town to one increasingly dominated by "urban immigrants": the professionals and techies - high and low - who make up the ranks of the information age. In 1980 there were 12 lumber mills around Philomath, now it's down to 2. The largest employers in the area nowadays are Oregon State University, in neighboring Corvallis, and a Hewlett-Packard calculator repair center.

Rex Clemens (1901-1985) was a Philomath high school dropout who later became a wealthy lumberman. He dearly loved his old school and never missed a Philomath Warriors football game. In 1959 he endowed a unique foundation with a mission of supporting school building projects and providing 4-year college scholarships to any kid that graduated high school. Thousands of kids have had their chance at a higher education thanks to this unique program.

But about five years ago the school board hired a new superintendent, a liberal outsider, an educator from Chicago with a Ph.D. and a vision of teaching critical thinking to kids on themes that include the environmental impact of industries like logging. The student dress code was scrapped. A Gay-Straight Alliance group of students was encouraged. The high school mascot - The Warrior - was challenged, and its symbol, a five foot tall wood carved statue of a rather sad, bedraggled looking American Indian, was removed from the high school lobby.

It was all too much for the citizens with longstanding roots in the town, especially for Rex Clemens's three nephews, now in charge of the foundation. Led by one of them, Steve Lowther, battle was joined between the traditionalists and the new wave, led by the superintendent, Dr. Terry Kneisler, and his backers. After multiple skirmishes, Lowther forced a showdown, telling the school board that either Kneisler goes or the foundation will withdraw its school support and scholarship program.

In the film, producer/director/editor Peter Richardson lets the people of the town tell this story in a series of well edited interview segments. Richardson had grown up in Philomath and was able to gain the confidence of people on all sides of the debate. Everybody gets their say here. In that regard, unlike the one-sided propagandistic thrust of most recent documentaries on social issues (think of the films of Michael Moore or Robert Greenwald), this is one of the most balanced accounts I've seen in years.

That's not to say that Richardson is entirely neutral. By the end of the film, a perspective does emerge, and it is not very favorable to Mr. Lowther and his backers. But this leaning is not the result of any editorializing on Mr. Richardson's part. Instead, like the documentarist, Errol Morris, Richardson simply encourages all parties to talk away, and, in the case of Mr. Lowther, Richardson gives him enough rope to hang himself, his latent violence cloaked in Christian virtue, clueless about the vast contradictions in his views.

Lowther accuses Kneisler and his backers of pursuing a "social agenda" instead of "training these kids to become good workers and taxpayers." He and his brothers modify the Clemens Foundation scholarship criteria, first by going national, and also requiring that applicants be well behaved by traditional standards, come from a family with its roots in the timber, agriculture or mining industries, and have a career goal in one of these vocations. Doesn't he think that's a social agenda? Lowther fumes because the school board insisted that fact finding hearings be open to the public, rather than have closed meetings in a "manly" fashion.

More manly to meet in hiding than out in the open? Why not be even more manly and wear hoods? (Lowther refers not once but twice to his wish to have tarred and feathered Kneisler and run him out of town.) The loss of traditional values and activities is disorienting to established citizens of any community, and the newcomers, the urban immigrants, are no less disoriented when they move away from their roots and enter a town that has lost its cultural bearings. These issues are real, and answers to resolve the conflicts are far from "clear cut." It was either FDR or H. L. Mencken who once said that for every complex social problem there is a simple answer, and it is always wrong. There is no one right point of view that will satisfy all interests.

Richardson and his film respect the diversity of opinions of the townspeople. Philomath is a microcosm of the cultural ferment that is in evidence broadly in our land. That makes this film all the more poignant and relevant. It's a gem of a film. My grade: A- 9/10