DAVID LIFTON

David Joseph Lifton

May 8, 1952 - December 23, 2015

 

David J. Lifton was born on May 8, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois. He had a close knit family and was the only boy in a household of three sisters. Bud and Norma Lifton raised their children to be liberal thinkers and care about social inequities. In 1954, David's family moved from 52nd and Dorchester to the Hyde Park/Kenwood neighborhood, one of the first intentionally integrated neighborhoods in the country. David atended Kenwood Elementary for a number of years before transferring to the University of Chicago Lab School. Growing up he played clarinet, liked to throw snowballs at buses, acted in plays such as the Pirates of Penzance, went to summer camps, and styled himself after Maynard G. Krebs. Each summer, the family would visit "Hillhaven" the summer house of his grandparents, Bertha and Izzy Ulian in Rutland, Massuchussetts. In 1969 he graduated from U. High and studied at an Antioch College satellite campus for one year in Maryland.

 

With a group of friends, he went west and formed a hippie commune at Jump Off Joe Creek, near Grants Pass in Southern Oregon. They purchased eighty acres for only $8,000 and lived on the land for two years. Different challenges confronted them without electricity or running water. When Bud came to visit, he immediately took David to Coos Bay so his son could shower. In 1972, he left the commune and moved to Portland.

 

As an early radical, he was part of the United Front Bookstore and went on one of the first U.S.A./China People's Friendship tours in 1975. David was one of the founding members of the Clinton Street Theater. They showed independent, international, and some first run films. Their bread and butter in the late 1970's was "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", which brought droves of costumed patrons who sang and acted out the movie.

 

He began volunteering at KBOO Community Radio, station 90.7 FM, in 1974. His affiliation with KBOO was longstanding, from 1974 to 2015. He had two paid positions as Volunteer Coordinator in 1983 and he became Program Director in 1985, but he also had a regular jazz radio progam, which aired until his death. David had the longest running program at KBOO, called "A Jazz World" in its last incarnation, which he alternated weekly with other DJs. KBOO had famous Halloween dance parties and he was part of winning costume groups.

 

In the summer of 1978, David and Beverly Wong's paths intersected. While David worked at Clinton Street Theater, Beverly worked at Papa Haydn's for a short time. She brought him leftover pastries to the projection booth and won his heart through his sweet tooth. They fell in love while dancing to a group named Transport who played Earth, Wind, and Fire tunes. After 10 years of living together, they married on July 9, 1989. They shared decades of adventures, traveling to different countries, camping and spending time with family and friends. In 2014, on their 25th Wedding Anniversary, they renewed their vows in Manzanita, Oregon.

 

David and Beverly wanted to be parents and decided to adopt a child from China. In early August of 1997, 

Anyi came into their lives. Parenthood came naturally to David and he was an exceptional father. David was the "Baloo" to Anyi's "Mowgli." His love for Anyi was unconditional and she thrived because of his influence.

 

In 1987, David changed his course. He went back to college at the Vancouver branch of Evergreen State College and graduated with a B.A. in Communications.He received his Masters of Arts in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College in 1991 and began his teaching career.