Member News

New Book by Peter Schroeder

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 He has lived out both traditional and divergent lifestyles. Armed with degrees from Princeton (BSE), University of New Mexico (MSE), and Stanford (MBA), Peter Schroeder achieved the pinnacles of success with careers in nuclear weapons testing and international business. Interspersed with his professional endeavors, he had stints of  hopping freight trains across America, hitchhiking around Europe, slacking as a surfer dude in Hawaii, receiving not one but two presidential critical skills deferments from the Viet Nam draft,  living in ashrams in India and Oregon, attaining the highest rank in the country in the Boy Scouts up to that time, and battling a fatal form of bone marrow cancer.

 A Seattle resident for nearly 40 years, Schroeder weaves together the contradictions of his life in The Rock Shall Dance (Richter Publishing, 2021). More than just a memoir, the book provides inside looks at crucial and often controversial events of the late 20th century: 1960s anti-war protests on the Stanford University campus, 1970s shadowy business dealings in Iran and Saudi Arabia, and 1980s spiritual quests with Rajneesh/Osho, the guru beloved by some and reviled by others.

 Schroeder’s exploits include:

·         Detonating underground nuclear weapons from the control room at the Nevada Test Site

·         Getting skiing tips from Ernie Blake, founder of Taos Ski Valley

·         Being accosted at gunpoint by the Yugoslavian navy while sailing near the Adriatic seaside home of then-president Josef Tito

 “I have sought to experience as much variety in life as possible,” writes Schroeder. “To an onlooker, such an unusual life seems illogical, disjointed, and chaotic. But to me, every step has been logical, connected, and true to ongoing personal forces.”

 Schroeder began writing his memoir in 1980, when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells. Doctors said he had 24 months to live. He was 39 years old and had four children aged 9, 6, and twin sons aged six months. “I was going to die before my kids grew up. I wanted them to know about my life but held it back, because many activities I pursued were dangerous, and I didn’t want my children to risk trying these same crazy things themselves.”

 Schroeder first came to Seattle in the summer of 1962, working as a busboy at the Seattle World’s Fair. He fell in love with the Northwest’s outdoor lifestyle centered on lakes, ocean, and mountains, returning to live in Seattle with his family in 1982.

“Because we are on this earth so briefly, we should use our abilities to explore as much as possible in every dimension. This is what I have done,” says Schroeder.

A NOWA member more than 25 years, Schroeder has served several times on the NOWA board (twice voted Outstanding Board Member), been a speaker at numerous conferences, helped set up the Endowment Fund, and is a grateful recipient of the Enos Bradner Award.

The Rock Shall Dance (2021) is published by Richter Publishing. The book is available on Amazon.

CONTACT for review copies or further information:

Risa Wyatt / 415.828.7839 / words@risawyatt.com

NOWA Constitution & By-Laws Changes

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CONST, BYLAWSfinal for electionDownload

 The proposed changes laid out in the accompanying copy of the NOWA Constitution and Bylaws are the final version that the NOWA Board of Directors has recommended for your approval.

The great majority of the proposals are for housekeeping purposes – to correct grammatical or style errors, for example, or to describe a passage’s intent with more clarity.

 Two of the proposals, however, are a bit more substantive, and the board wishes to call them to your attention. One would reduce the number of board members to six from nine, and the other would eliminate the position of second vice president, a position that no one currently holds.

The board decided to sponsor both proposals after lengthy discussion that focused on the current size of NOWA’s membership and on the difficulty of recruiting members to participate in NOWA’s governance. The board believes that a modest reduction in the required numbers of officers and board will make the government leaner and more agile, and better able to respond readily to the organization’s needs.

A two-thirds “yes” vote is required to adopt all changes.

Please renew your membership by February 1st so you can vote on this important matter. We’ll get the electronic ballots distributed very soon.

2020 NOWA Excellence in Craft Contest

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It’s time to submit your entries for the 2020 NOWA Excellence in Craft Contest!

Here is the contest entry form and rules: 2020 NOWA EIC Contest. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2021. Also, here are entry forms only if you need extras: 2020 NOWA EIC Contest Entry Form

It’s understood the contest submission guidelines can be a little confusing; this is for the blind judging process. Last year NOWA offered to prepare your contest entry for a fee of $3 for members and $5 for non-members; this was a big hit so we are doing it again this year. This preparation service is for categories 1-6 only & all proceeds will go to NOWA. If you’re interested in this service please mail your entry to NOWA, PO Box 888, Tualatin, OR 97062 or email to Dave@kbi-ins.com

QUESTIONS? Call Matt Liere at 509-202-7790 or email: mwliere@gmail.com and/or call Dave Kilhefner at 503-692-1520 or email: dave@kbi-ins.com

Good luck everyone!

Alaska Article Needed

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One of our Editors is looking for a story on fishing for species other than salmon (rainbows, dollies, grayling, pike) on the upper Nushagak and/or its tributaries.  The article should be about 2500 words long, with a dozen great photos.

Deadline to submit the article is not later than October 1st. Payment depends upon experience.

If you are a NOWA Member, Contact Dave Kilhefner (Dave@kbi-ins.com)  for details.

Building Your Online Brand

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If you’re on the NOWA mailing list you know that each month we ask what you’ve been up to for our member news.

This month Randy Bonner replied that he was holding a giveaway for Mack’s Lure products on Instagram. As the outdoor writing industry has been going thru many changes over the past decade, I was intrigued  what the benefits of this activity would be and emailed Randy, asking him to give me a call thinking that would be easier than emailing back and forth.

Randy replied “I’ll have to call you later, but I can write you from the turkey blind 🙂” and then sent me this:

In my opinion, especially with the way things are going with the print industry and the economy, we’re all in this together, and that goes for the advertisers, publishers, and writers, putting together content for readers that keeps them engaged. For now, a lot of the reaction I’ve gotten from this is coming from Washington, where people can’t fish, but it’s definitely on their minds. A giveaway is more than just stuff, it’s something that gets people excited about getting back on the water (or in the woods). It’s a thank you to Mack’s for sponsoring NOWA. It’s also a way for me, as an outdoor writer, to continue growing my (online) brand, when the inevitable transition of focus is going towards web traffic as readers lose interest in print subscriptions. I love contributing to both, and they both have their place. But building a web of online networking through publications, advertisers, writers, and readers is what seems to keep people engaged. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like free stuff???

I emailed Randy a well deserved Thank You and soon got this reply “Had to cut it short because a pair of gobblers was closing in fast. Thanks for being my good luck charm!”

A big Thank You to Randy for the Instagram Tip and to Mack’s Lure!

 

 

 

 

NOWA President Dennis Clay Passes

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It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our President and longtime NOWA member Dennis Clay after a battle with cancer.

Dennis helped our organization get through it’s darkest days, and his dedication to our organization and contributions as a professional outdoors writer, broadcaster and photographer will not be forgotten. Our prayers go out to Garnet Wilson and the rest of Dennis Clay’s family.

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

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from Peter Schroeder

Sunday, February 9, 2020

            For those who have missed my background, in 1980 I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, which can be treated but not cured. It was then and is still considered today one of four terminal cancers. I contracted MM as a young engineering/physicist working amid ambient nuclear radiation in the Western Pacific Nuclear Atmospheric Test areas and underground nuclear-testing facilities at the Nevada Test Site. (For reference, all the nearby survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki contracted MM and related cancers, and most died within a year or two.) Forty years I have been in remission, one of the longest-known MM survivors, until I cracked my sternum last fall in a freak accident. This led to exams by my Seattle doctors as well as the Myeloma Center at UCSF and a month ago at Mayo. Now we’re back at Mayo for the recommended radiation treatment.

            After completing the first of three scheduled weeks at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, receiving five daily dosages of 3.5 Grays (350 Rads) each, I’m surprised (and delighted) I feel as healthy and fit as ever with no signs of fatigue, skin ablation, or other side effects. At each treatment. I’m bombarded by protons traveling 2/3rds the speed of light that are programmed to screech to a halt at the recently discovered tumor hiding behind my sternum where they dump their full energy (Bragg Peak). Unlike X-Rays, Cobalt rays, or other forms of radiation that continue through the body and wreak havoc on the heart or other organs, protons can be programmed to engage once they hit the cancerous mass.

            Risa and I are settled in a nice Airbnb near downtown Rochester and make daily visits throughout the clinic not only for daily radiation sessions but for appointments with doctors and specialists as well as lab work and other tests on my heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, and more. This is typical Mayo in not missing anything. Mayo lives up to its reputation as the premier medical center in the country with dozens of high-rise medical buildings and a handful of hospitals connected with each other and the entire downtown with a network of underground walking tunnels and skyways, all well illuminated and decorated with art, fabrics, and colorful painted walls. In addition to the medical facilities, the underground network holds restaurants, retail shops, hotels, and commercial facilities. Blizzards above, California weather below.

            The patients are equally intriguing. Heads of state often come, and I’ve seen people from the Middle East and Africa in their flowing robes and national dress. In the past week I have spoken with visitors from Kenya, Somalia, Qatar, and elsewhere who seek specialized medical attention. Often these national leaders are accompanied by heads of their government departments (possibly to assure there will be no coup in their absence) as well as numerous bodyguards. Many receive protection from the U.S. Secret Service including the Dalai Lama who checks in every two years for his physical. The Saudis in particular have embraced Mayo. The royal family flies directly to Rochester each fall in two 747s (they paid to have the runway extended) and  fill up several hotels they own. One plane is for the family and the other transports everything they buy on shopping excursions to the Mall of America in Minneapolis.

            Celebrities come here although they are often registered under false names and given private access to protect them from well-meaning crowds. Buildings are adorned with the names of the rich and famous with testaments how they or their loved ones have been treated. For example, the president of the U.A.E., Sheik Zayed bin Sultan donated $25 million to create a new cardiovascular center. The proton-beam radiation-therapy machine that treats me cost $220 million and was a gift from an Iowa businessman. U.S. News & World Report ranks Mayo Clinic as the #1 hospital overall and #1 in more specialties than any other hospital in the nation.

            Must say, I’m glad to be here.