Bill Mainwaring

by Nancy Webber, graduate student

Bill Mainwaring, '57, knew for 30 years there was a need for a school book on Oregon government. High school teachers were reduced to using the Oregon Blue Book, the state's official guide to elected officials and state agencies. But that book was never intended to be used for teaching.

Time and again, Mainwaring heard the same complaint from teachers he met: they had nothing to help teach students about their own government. But Mainwaring was busy with his career, which included starting and running Oregon Business Magazine. He had to wait before he could provide an answer.

His book, Government, Oregon Style, was published in 1996 and revised last fall. Before the first edition was in print, Mainwaring hand-delivered samples of a rough draft to as many high schools as he could to generate interest and feedback. He dropped off about 400 copies at schools up and down the Interstate Five corridor, driving as far away as Medford in his ancient BMW and hitting up to 20 schools a day.

It all started nearly three decades ago when Mainwaring was writing for the Capitol Journal in Salem. As a reporter covering the state legislature, he knew people frequently went to legislators with good ideas but no clue about how to pass a law. At that time, a high school teacher approached him about the lack of books on Oregon government.

"Legislators will tell you we don't know the process. High school teachers said there were no materials available to teach it," Mainwaring said. "State and local government really has a lot more impact on the way we live and the way we do things than federal government does."

"State and local government really has a lot more impact on the way we live and the way we do things than federal government does." --Bill Mainwaring

In the early 1980s, he and some partners bought what was left of a small, struggling magazine and turned it into Oregon Business Magazine. Mainwaring was one of two principal owners. Commuting from Salem to Portland, he put in time as a reporter and editor for the magazine and later became publisher and CEO of Mediamerica Inc., the parent company.

After retiring as publisher in 1995, Mainwaring's old idea resurfaced. He quizzed legislators and talked to more than 25 teachers around the state about how to interest students in government.

Today, Government, Oregon Style is being used in more than 40 high schools. The book explains the basics of state and local government in a clear, concise way and challenges students to think. Mainwaring asks students to question whether the initiative process is a good idea and if government meetings should be open. He poses debate questions. He urges students to get involved in political campaigns and to attend public meetings. Judging by the book's popularity, students seem to like it.

Mainwaring plans to update the book after every legislative session. It has become something of a cottage industry for him. The book is now in its second edition, with a growing number of requests from teachers who have used it and like it.

He is particularly impressed with the year-long study of government now required in schools in Seaside, Lake Oswego and Klamath Falls. He hopes to see other districts adopt more than the one semester of study the state currently requires. Mainwaring firmly believes that it is important for students to know what they are voting for and why. "We are all voters," he said. He also wants to provide citizens with the knowledge to access government services when they need help.

Mainwaring, currently a director of Mediamerica, is a member of the School of Journalism and Communication Advancement Council. He also serves as a board member for civic organizations, including the Salem City Club, Salvation Army, and Mission Mill Museum. In addition to his book on Oregon government, he has written and published three Oregon travel books.