Tom Hanks next stars in Road to Perdition , the second directorial outing from American Beauty' s Sam Mendes. Nicolas Cage next stars in John Woo's Windtalkers . Cast Away screenwriter William Broyles Jr. got his start on the ABC drama China Beach .
Overcoming adversity is a popular storyline, whether it's fiction or journalism.
Usually, however, it's only the most dramatic stories that make it into the pages of this, or any other, newspaper. In this year's annual Voices issue, we present four personal stories that, while less sensational, are no less compelling. O.B. Hill survived the historic Vanport flood and the daily challenges facing any African American living in one of the nation's whitest cities. He's helped build an unofficial cultural center for Portland's African-American community. Judy Patton was at the helm of Portland State University's Dance Department six years ago, when it was cut to save PSU some cash.