History of In 1908, Nick Sckavone emigrated with his family from Italy to the Richmond neighborhood where he would live his entire life. As a youth Nick sold newspapers on busy downtown Portland street corners. At one point the Oregonian stopped buying back the extra papers from the newsboys at the end of each day in order to inflate circulation and raise revenue. Nick, who seemed to have a natural ability to organize and focus efforts, formed a union, got national affiliation from the AFL and within days took the newsboys on strike. They won back what they had lost fast. Nick was 15 years old. When he was 17 he started the Richmond Athletic Club to form neighborhood baseball teams. This was the beginning of a tireless lifelong commitment championing amateur baseball and amateur boxing at both the local and national levels. To acknowledge his efforts, the city named the baseball field he hounded them to build in Westmoreland Park after him. As he told different city councils over a decade, kids who are playing sports are building lives and not in trouble. Sckavone Field is still a great facility for High School and Adult baseball. Nick went to pharmacy school and eventually opened the Eveready Drugstore at the intersection of 41st & Division in 1930. Over the next 50 years the lunch counter in the drugstore became the neighborhood gathering place for a wide range of folks. The counter opened with talk about the depression, went on to hear about WWII, Joe Lewis, FDR, Vietnam, Watergate, neighborhood gossip, local politics and a whole lot of sports. We hope the new Sckavone’s counter carries on the neighborhood tradition as a place to gather. The proprietor of the restaurant is Jon Finley, Nick Sckavone’s grandson. Nick Sckavone was also a good family man. I remember the grandfather who served me ice cream with a twinkle in his eye, taught me the value of humor and hard work and the importance of having an open mind and respect for others. Good necessities for running the neighborhood place. Jon Finley |
