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Prime Times Weekly publication of the Mail Tribune , Medford, Oregon Photo by Andy Atkinson Kay Cushman, former assistant to Oregon Sen. Wayne Morse, gives a sermon at the First Presbyterian Church in Medford Kay Cushman has followed a winding road that has led her ... from politics to the PULPIT By PEGGYANN HUTCHINSON As Kay Kienstra, a 1958 graduate of Grants Pass High School, she walked the halls of the nation's Senate Office building and Capitol as a staff member of a prominent senator. Today, Kay Cushman, 57, is interim associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Medford, a long way from the nation's seat of government. Kienstra was halfway through her sophomore year at Pacific University in 1960 when Oregon Sen. Wayne Morse asked her to join his staff in Washington, D.C. She served two years as private secretary for Morse's administrative assistant, Bill Berg, and as the senator's military liaison. Morse, U.S. senator from 1945 to 1969, was a Republican until 1953 and became an Independent before joining the Democrats in 1956. He was notable for his liberal stands on social issues and his opposition to the Vietnam War. That Cushman got the job with Morse was no accident. Morse was a longtime family friend. Her grandfather, C. Don Cameron, a Republican, was a state senator from 1957 to 1961. In the 1940s, Cushman's father, Ed Kienstra, brought her to Medford to meet Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the late president. She had her picture taken with the former first lady and today calls the photo "a treasure." In Washington, Cushman was about the same age as the servicemen seeking assistance in the 1950s in Washington. She worked extensively on such military matters with the Pentagon, including one time testifying at a court martial. The Kennedy era was for the young, Cushman says. Some weeks meant 75 hours of work, including late nights and Saturdays, "but at 19 I thought nothing of it. We were the only ones with that kind of energy -- empowered and trusted by employers -- to do the job." Fashion consciousness also was in vogue, and "I worked on marble floors with 3 1/2 spikes," Cushman says with a sigh. She has foot problems today. Her salary was $4,500 a year. All Capitol Hill employees were paid in cash with newly minted money. She had arrived in the nation's capital in time for John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. As a guest of Morse, she was in the VIP section directly in front of the platform where the speakers and swearing-in ceremony were held. Cushman also was after-hours secretary to Morse and was the only staff person who could take coffee or food to the senator on the Senate floor. It was rumored that some member of Congress in the past had been given a mickey during a filibuster. Senators must remain standing when speaking during a filibuster. As a hometown girl, Cushman occasionally was sent back to Oregon to talk to women about what it was like to be a young woman in Washington. When she first arrived in Washington, she rented a small house with others, then seven of them -- all with federal jobs and all Presbyterians -- leased a four-story furnished house in Georgetown. Its owner had been named an ambassador. The formal dining room with table and 12 chairs was the scene of many dinners, Cushman say. "Nightly -- Monday through Thursday -- there would be a dinner for 12 with each of the women inviting a gentleman friend," she recalls. The one exception was Cushman's roommate, Geraldine Williams, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's private secretary, who was engaged. For the dinners "there was a coding system as to the guests," Cushman says. Each was coded as to "friend of the house," "good for free tickets," or "romantic interest, hands off." The other five women were: Patti Mathias, who became an executive in the Peace Corps. Gretchen Zeidler, social secretary to Rep. William W. Scranton, Republican of Pennsylvania. Sally Windust, secretary in the law firm that handled Bureau of Indian Affairs matters. Jeanne Pepper, a secretary in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Jane Hunt, a Peace Corps administrator. "There wasn't anything going on in Washington at the time we didn't know about," Cushman says, laughing. And "we had ready access to free tickets." The seven woman occasionally hold reunions, generally when there's a crisis. But for young Cushman, each day at work brought a new experience. While working late with Morse one evening, there was a scheduling conflict. So -- as a trusted staff member -- she took former president Harry Truman to dinner. "It was a delightful three-hour dinner with the man by myself," Cushman, says, still relishing the memory. "We had a wonderful conversation. He asked what I thought about D.C. and was delighted not to be on stage." Another time it was Averell Harriman -- American businessman, diplomat, and politician -- whom she accompanied to an event. And on one occasion she was in an elevator and Jack Kennedy dashed in, obviously pleased at having escaped the Secret Service, Cushman says. In 1962, she was selected Oregon Cherry Princess. It was during this time that Bill Moyers, Kennedy's press secretary, became interested in doing documentaries for public television. "He had private dinners where certain topics would be discussed," she says, with Moyers asking for ideas. "It was a privilege to be invited." Much of Cushman's time was spent handling military matters -- Oregon boys in trouble. Congressional aides who handled such matters were invited by the Pentagon on a round-the-world trip to "inspect bases." Asked if she could participate, Cushman was told by Morse, "Of course not. "The next time you testify at a court martial for an Oregon man, you will have no value to them. These young men would have paid for your trip," she says he told her. "The Pentagon wants to negate your power. ... There's no free lunch, be careful. Somebody pays somewhere." "I'm most grateful to the senator," Cushman says. "I learned a sense of justice." E. Debbs Potts, longtime Grants Pass politician, well remembers Cushman in her days in Washington. "I would tell people, if you want anything done in Washington, D.C., call the senator's office and ask for Kay." After leaving Morse's office, Cushman moved to the Pentagon, where she was part of a top-secret defense research project. After that, she returned to Oregon and re-entered Pacific University. She later married Charles Cushman and it was he who urged her to attend McCormack Seminary in Chicago, where they lived. She was ordained to the ministry in 1986 and served two Presbyterian churches in the Chicago area and was a hospital chaplain, also in Illinois. She was a facilitator for at Sisters of St. Joseph church in New Orleans before returning to Grants Pass to help care for her father. Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA