Developed by Sharon Wood Wortman and Ed Wortman*, this full color, hardcover, 100 plus page book allows readers of all ages to discover the big and awesome bridges of Portland and Vancouver. Help put arts and sciences back in the classroom! Our goal is to give 4,000 free books to Portland Public Schools and Vancouver School District.
*The Big & Awesome Construction Crew
PDX Bridge Festival, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit, organizes the annual PDX Bridge Festival and is the sponsor for the Big & Awesome book project www.pdxbridgefestival.org.
Students in the Portland Community College Graphic Design Department Sylvania campus (chair CeCe Cutsforth) created the book’s layout and graphic design.
Sharon Wood Wortman, is the project manager and co-writer, is the author of The Portland Bridge Book, first published in 1989 www.bridgestories.com.
Ed Wortman, P.E., is the technical advisor and co-writer.
Edith Fuller, M.L.S., a former district librarian for Portland Public Schools, is Big & Awesome’s editor.
Joe Spooner created The Bridge Lady character. He is the author of three children’s books. (http://www.joespooner.com/). Josh Axtell, artist and digital technology phenom, created the elevation and line drawings.
Sabin ACCESS/Art Project elementary students, under the direction of Christopher Lamp, created the bridge art, as well as the drawings for the Big & Awesome “Bridges of Portland & Vancouver” poster carried at Powell’s, Broadway Books, and Cover to Cover Books (Vancouver) http://www.sabinart.com/. Ken Rumbaugh was the graphic designer for the poster http://www.kenrumbaugh.com/.
Bob Sallinger, Frank Engel, Vince Patton, Joe Cantrell, Steve Morgan, Tonia Twigger McConnell, James Norman, Oscar Gayet, and Gary Weber (ODOT) (to name a few), contributed contemporary photographic images.
Portland Public School third grade teachers Judy Cappleman, Lisa Van Clock, Jonathon Fischer, Ann Button, Rochella Farnand, Deborah Miller, Susan Nelson, and Sadie Hjorth advised on Big & Awesome’s content. Ewan Brawley, while in PPS’s Curriculum Department, made suggestions, as did Layne Curtis, Curriculum Director for Vancouver School District. Marianne Greeley, Amy Calkins, and Deb Nystrom, while they were employed as teacher-librarians in Beaverton School District, also commented.
Cathy Bernhard, math advisor, is a former Beaverton School District mathematics specialist (K-12).
Maggie Maggio, artist, architectural designer, and author of Color Inspirations, advised about the color used in Big & Awesome’s pages http://maggiomaggio.com.
Dr. Scott Burns, chairman of the Geology Department at PSU, advised on and helped create Big & Awesome’s illustrations of soils under the bridges along the Willamette River.
Darla Cole-Bowen designed Big & Awesome’s original bridge building and load testing unit. She is a graphic designer for the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Nicole Zimmerman and Corey Castelow are the outreach coordinators for the Society of Women Engineers members who will be volunteering for in-class visits to assist teachers and students with Big & Awesome’s bridge building and load testing unit. Both serve as officers in SWE’s PSU Collegiate section. SWE is a nonprofit service organization establishing engineering as a highly desirable career for women http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/
Intellectual Property legal services were provided by Kohel Haver www.smhllaw.com Specializing in Building Bridges for Business.
Ann Hargraves, all-around supporter, cheerleader and “fun” raiser for the Big & Awesome book project, is a Child Behavior & Positive Parenting Specialist.
Other helpers: Mona Davies, Carye Bye, Nathan Hoover, Lynette Hanson, Mia Birk, Mary Flower, and Cheryl Strayed. Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury http://web.multco.us/ds1and her assistant Liz Smith-Currie have provided ongoing encouragement.
Bill Dickey of Morel Ink has been a major supporter as well http://www.morelink.biz/.
THANK YOU TO OUR BIG & AWESOME SUPPORTERS
The Big & Awesome Bridges of Portland & Vancouver—
A Book for Young Readers
Bedrock
$4,000 and above
American Society of Civil Engineers Oregon Section Geotechnical Group
Suspension
$3,500 to $3,999
Arch
$2,500 to $3,499
HDR Engineering
David Evans & Associates
Truss
$1,000 to $2,499
THA Architecture
Portland Ironworkers Local #29
KPFF Consulting
T.Y. Lin International
Columbia Bridge and Geer
North American Cartographic Information Society*
Hayhurst School PTA*
Hardesty-Hanover
Vigor Industrial
Morel Ink
Wildish
WH Lochner
Hamilton Construction Co.
Girder
$250 to $999
James Ruddell, P.E.
Society of American Military Engineers Portland Post
Bittner-Shen Consulting Engineers
Portland Teachers Retired*
Nutter Family Foundation
Thompson Metal Fab
The Estate of Virginia Rice
CH2M HILL
Fought & Company
Don Wagner, P.E.
Charles Birnstiel, P.E.
ASCE Oregon Section Younger Member Forum*
JLA Public Involvement
Mayer-Reed
Slayden-Sundt
Coral Sales
Rivet
$25 to $249
BergerABAM, Inc.
Third Rail Repertory Theatre*
Beverly Cleary Elementary*
Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering
Avamere at Sandy*
Pacific Northwest Chapter National Railway Society*
American Society of Civil Engineers Southwest Washington Section
Scottish Rite of Oregon*
St. Anthony School*
Structural Engineers Association of Oregon*
SeaReach, Ltd.
Time Out Comedy*
Northwest Aero Pix
Lola and Julian Pike
Rivet (Individuals)
Terri Theisen
Nathan Hoover
Cecelia Huntington
Anne McLaughlin
Sybilla Cook
Halle Sadle (MFF Trust Account)
Nancy and Jon Decherd
Jan and J. Rae Zweerts
Tom Szymoniak, P.E.
Steven and Joann Price
Cabe Nicksic
Shirley Kishiyama
Edward Taub
Diane Carver
Melissa Madenski
Douglas Auburg
*Means in-kind service performed for the donation.
