Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Oregon House resolution honors PCC musical collaborator

Photos and story by Karen Kane

A friend and PCC musical collaborator was honored at the Oregon Capitol last week. The late Janice Scroggins, a pianist who accompanied PCC Sylvania vocal instructor Julianne Johnson in her Music 220 and Chamber 221 classes, was the subject of House Resolution 1, introduced by Representative Lew Frederick, District 43.

The resolution, read before the House on March 26, “honors the life of Janice Scroggins, and celebrates her invaluable contributions as a beloved and revered pianist and community leader.”

Scroggins died May 27, 2014. An Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductee, she was well known in the Portland music scene. She regularly performed with other musical greats including Linda Hornbuckle, who also died last year and was honored by the House in a separate resolution, Curtis Salgado, Mel Brown, Akbar DePriest and Thara Memory.

“Janice was our accompanist for six years”, said Johnson, who performed with Scroggins, Hornbuckle and LaRhonda Steele in the group Divas of Soul. “She played at our rehearsals, end of term concerts and accompanied us at our events in the community. Her inspiration to our students was invaluable.”

Scroggins began performing on the piano at age three, after learning from her mother and grandmother. She arrived in Portland in 1978 and quickly became part of the music scene, playing with the greats and teaching upcoming stars. Her album, “Janice Scroggins Plays Scott Joplin,” was nominated for a Grammy award, and though it did not win, Scroggins did perform on one of her young student’s albums – Portland Grammy winner Esmeralda Spaulding’s “Radio Music Society.”

“Janice’s contribution to Portland Community College was a gift,” Johnson said.

Senator Michael Dembrow, a former PCC instructor, was one of the sponsors of the bill.