member
connection
Determination
and drive-thru
Eat your words
BACK IN 1987, two boys
in Springfield, Oregon,
SEVEN YEARS AGO, cover made out of thin bread discovered they shared a
Béatrice Coron with celery stalks sticking out. steadfast love of Nintendo.
whipped up the first Materials that participants At the time, it was their
Books2Eat event in have used in the past only common ground.
New York City. include cake, ginger- Today, Costco members
Inspired by a friend’s bread, crackers, bread, Allen Tackett and Roger
idea, Coron organized vegetables and meat. Johnston, both 28, are part-
a celebration for No half-baked ners in Underdog Coffee
lovers of literature, idea, Books2Eat (
www.underdogcoffee.com),
art and food where has grown to a chain of espresso drive-
the only rule is to include events in throughs in Oregon.
create edible art that 27 states and 15 After high school,
has something to do countries around Tackett set out to make his
with a book’s shape the world. Interested mark in corporate America,
or contents. Since cooks and artists can visit the Web working for companies
then, Costco member site to see if there’s an event at their local uni- such as Nike, Disney and
and book artist Coron has “Book of Pi” versity, library or arts center. If not, Coron encour- America Online. Johnston
been spreading the word ages individuals to make something at home set his sights on the coffee
with the Web site
www.books2eat.com. and take a photo of it to post on the Web site. business, grinding his way
This year’s theme is edible mystery books. Coron says all events should take place from entry-level employee
Past participants have come up with such tasty between April 1 and 5, and end with eating the to barista extraordinaire.
ideas as “Finnegan’s Cake,” a cake with green creations. Eating one’s words never tasted so In 2003, they joined
clovers on top, and “Bestsellerie,” an edible book good.—Stephanie E. Ponder forces. Between Johnston’s
expertise in the coffee
business and Tackett’s
general business knowl-
A song for Sago edge, they felt they had the
makings of a successful
business partnership.
They chose the name
DOOMED COAL MINER Martin Toler’s words to song. He wrote “Underdog” because it
Toler’s last words, scrawled on “Heaven Above—A Miner’s hints at their love of ani-a piece of paper, saddened the Farewell.” He hopes that pro- mals. As a company,
nation. “Tell all I see them on ceeds from the song can go to Underdog supports the
the other side,” wrote Toler, the families of the victims. Oregon Humane Society in
one of 11 miners to die in “Tell all I will see them in Portland. Neither Tackett
January’s Sago mine accident. heaven, welcomed by hard nor Johnston would say
“I love you.” hats aglow, in heaven above, who is better at Nintendo.
Songwriter Joe Skala, a in heaven above,” Skala’s —Will Fifield
Joe Skala Costco member in Coeur d’ song goes. “Tell all … I will
Alene, Idaho, was moved to put love you, from heaven above.”
The song received air-
Adam@Home by Brian Basset play on a local radio station,
and Skala is hoping that it
gets picked up nationally.
For information on contributing, see the West
Virginia Council of Churches Allen Roger
Web site at
http://wvcc.org/. Tackett Johnston
—Tim Talevich
STEPHANIE KRAUSE AND ROBERT CHRISTIE
SPECIAL TO THE CONNECTION. ADAM IS © B Y BRIAN BASSE T, UNIVERSAL PRESS S YNDICATE
JEROME A. POLLOS/COEUR D'ALENE PRESS
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Costco or Costco members in some way), you can send it to “The
Member Connection,” The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088,
Seattle, WA 98124-1088, or e-mail to
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