Wilson baseball: Alpenrose Dairy's support

I was asked by Wilson (Ore.) High School coach Mike Clopton to write a couple of articles for his team's 2012 baseball program. Here is the first article, which is about the support provided by Alpenrose Dairy, a Portland company that has helped promote baseball for years there.


By Bruce Smith

Carl Cadonau, Jr. has always had pride in his name.

Cadonau is well-known in the Portland area. If you research it closely, you’ll see it associated with Alpenrose Dairy, of course, and the associated park. But also Wilson High School and baseball.

It has been that way for as long as he can remember. Cadonau is now 66 years old and – so far – those affiliations are a big part of Portland-area life.

Alpenrose Dairy was started in 1916 by Cadonau’s great-grandfather, Florian, in 1891. Today, it has 160 employees, a beautiful 52-acre site on Shattuck Road that most people consider a park. Cadonau, the co-CEO, said the company is doing well but always faces new challenges.

“There have been other dairies go out of business, but we don’t borrow money,” he said. “That’s something I got from my grandfather. During good times, you put the money away and you get it when times are tough. If you don’t owe anything, you can do a lot more.”

That mantra has supported the company, and assisted the company as it has supported the community.

Alpenrose Park is an example of that. The Cadonau’s have always lived in the area and have made their business part of the Portland scene. Ironically, that grew after a tragic fire at Alpenrose’s original facility in 1943 forced it to move to its current site.

Since then, Alpenrose has created facilities to accommodate a variety of public entertainment. One of them is Alpenrose Stadium, where baseball games have been played since 1956, including the girls Little League Softball World Series.

Not far is Dairyville, a replica of a western frontier town, including a 600-seat opera house. The site also has one of the Northwest’s finest Quarter Midget Racing (car) arenas, where drivers of all ages can refine their skills and the Alpenrose Velodrome, a high-banked, Olympic-style bicycle racing track.

For at least seven months of the year, the park is buzzing with activity. Alpenrose’s sponsorship of Wilson baseball also keeps the team going, too.

“My kids went to Wilson and it’s our alma mater, too,” said Cadonau. “We still live in the district and I have a granddaughter there now.”

Cadonau is from the Class of 1963. He said he has always wanted to support the school, especially baseball. Cadonau said started playing baseball when he was 10 years old and remembers his days at Wilson well.

“My father (Carl, Sr.) had set up a deal with Bob Olson, who was at Jackson High, and sponsored the American Legion team. Jackson then closed down and it became the Wilson legion team. It was already sponsored by Watco Electric.

“When Watco Electric quit sponsoring, I took over,” he said. “(Coach) Mike (Clopton) does a fantastic, wonderful job with the kids. He and his wife, Gayle, sacrifice a lot of time and energy and are really committed. We put our money into that effort and have done it for a long time.”

Clopton said he appreciates Alpenrose’s support for the high school and legion teams. The money helps the team sustain its equipment and occasional travel, but the stadium’s scoreboard – bearing the Alpenrose name – is where it’s most noticeable.

“Mike runs a lot of tournaments and we like being associated with them,” Cadonau said. “It’s good for everyone.”

Mostly, though, Cadonau wants Alpenrose to be associated with local activity. The dairy, park and Wilson baseball have been part of the community for a long time and each continues to grow and extend into something new.

Cadonau and his family already have their legacy. Time and effort will continue to extend it.