KEN KESEY Blackface 1957 * Phil Knight * One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest * Nike

KEN KESEY Blackface 1957 * Phil Knight * One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest * Nike

For sale today is what seems to be a run-of-the-mill college yearbook from 1957, but trust me. This is nowhere near ordinary. This is the 1957 Oregana from the University of Oregon, located in my old hometown, Eugene. At first glance, this is an unmarked yearbook in WONDERFUL condition. Unmarked, that is, with the exception of the original owner's name inside the front cover. The rest is immaculate. But it's what's inside that makes it special. On page 183, there is a picture of the grand prize winners of the "Duck Preview Vodvil" show. the description calls it humorous, but the real story is the narrator, standing at the microphone in blackface. That narrator was the one and only Ken Kesey, the author of such classics as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Sometimes a Great Notion." He was also a member of The Merry Pranksters, the legendary counterculture outfit that roamed the land in a psychedelic bus.  As a young man growing up in Oregon, I heard the stories. I read the accounts. Kesey was a legend and a hero for those who saw life differently. And here he is. On a wrestling team. And in blackface. (No excuses, but 1957 was a different time) You'll also find legendary Nike co-founder, Phil Knight on, of course, the track team. It was those years for Knight that he began to noodle around with different ideas for shoes, as the book "Shoe Dog" recounts. So there it is. Not your average yearbook. And it's in WONDERFUL condition. Questions? Just ask!

inkFrog