Richard Chamberlain’s passing – and some reflections on star power

Richard Chamberlain, far left, leans forward at the table at the U.S. House of Representatives’ hearing on the proposed wild & scenic designation of the Tuolumne River. Ron Stork, author of this article, can be seen in the row immediately behind.

Some of you may have noticed the passing of the actor Richard Chamberlain at age 90. Perhaps the older among you will remember his role as Doctor Kildare in the TV series Dr. Kildare and various other TV and movie roles during his career. What perhaps fewer will remember was his 1984 starring role in the Interior (now Natural Resources) Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives’ hearing on the proposed wild & scenic river designation of the Tuolumne River. I was there and can retell some of the drama of that May day in our nation’s capital.

Setting the Stage: It was a pretty packed and dramatic hearing. Representatives Richard Lehman (D‑Fresno) and the late Ron Dellums (D‑Oakland) had Tuolumne River wild & scenic river bills, the former a bit of a compromise (and the bill that would eventually pass), the latter a nice clean bill. But it was the battle between Representatives Tony Coehlo (who had his own bill) and Lehman that the wild & scenic river advocates were there to see. Tony was pushing a deep “compromise” that would have nullified much of the purpose of a wild & scenic river “designation.”

The outcome of this day would help to decide the fate of this iconic stretch of the Tuolumne River sandwiched between San Francisco’s O’Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemite National Park and the Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts’ giant Don Pedro Reservoir. Much was at stake for both sides. Tony, after all, had the powerful Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts in his district, and it was their Clavey Wards Ferry project that a real designation bill would block. It was an eventful Congress for Richard “Rick” Lehman too. He had chosen sides: he was going to save the Tuolumne and create the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area too. Sometimes a man thinks about his legacy.

Tony was one powerful guy. He was a brilliant fund-raiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and beginning his rise to power in the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives. Tony could make it uncomfortable for Democrats who didn’t side with him on issues important for Tony.

Tony was feeling pugnacious that day and vigorously sparred with the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust’s (now Tuolumne River Trust) executive director John Amodio.

Richard Chamberlin takes the stage on Capitol Hill for the Tuolumne: But something else memorable happened that day: a Hollywood star also stole the show. As the participants gathered for the hearing on that spring day in D.C., it occurred to me that there seemed to be an unusually large number of women staffers behind the dais where the members of Committee could be seated or be absent. Even then, the thought occurred to me that Richard Chamberlin was more than capable of causing a female heart to flutter. Those hearts were not disappointed that day. Yes, Richard Chamberlin’s looks and voice were up to the challenge, but he also gave a powerful presentation. His words mattered, speaking of his introduction to the Tuolumne River and, as many others have also experienced, the moving effect it had on him.

But he was not just a Hollywood star; he clearly knew the subject and it showed, something that, as I recollect now forty years later, soon prompted the hostile questioning of him to end. He was just too good.

After the hearing, there was a grand celebratory gathering of the river tribe at the late Scootch Pankonin’s three-story house on Capitol Hill. She was a Capitol Hill lobbyist for the Kansas City and Southern Railroad, an Idaho native, a daughter of a Bureau of Land Management staffer, and associated with the Western River Guides Association and the American Rivers Conservation Council (the latter now American Rivers). The house was crowded and filled with conversations and libations, and I admit that I was a little star struck that evening. Richard attended. Again, I think some of the crowd came to see him more than the river people from California

I don’t remember anyone taking photos at that party. Luckily, the late Don Briggs was able to photograph the hearing. I know of one photo that survived. In it, Richard Chamberlin can be found at the far side of the witness table, intently listening to John Amodio at the other end of the witness table sparring with Tony, who was seated at the dais out of frame of Briggs’ photo.

In the end, it when well. Retired fellow actor, fellow star Hollywood star, and then President Ronald Reagan would sign a meaningful Tuolumne River wild & scenic river bill later that year.

Postscript: I circulated this piece a few weeks back to some of the folks who were there on that fateful day. They report a much richer role that Richard played in saving the Tuolumne River, which they will be writing about for us, hopefully within the next year. Here’s just a quick preview: Richard did TV talk shows about the Tuolumne River, helping to educate the public about the threats to its existence and the effort to save it. Outside the hearing, he made the all-important visits to the offices of members of Congress as the unofficial ambassador for the Tuolumne River. He opened doors there that would not have been opened except by his star power.

He truly became part of the cast that saved the Tuolumne River. Although he never got an academy award for his efforts, I suspect that his heart was proud when President Reagan signed the bill on September 28, 1984.

(By an accident of fate, if you are interested, my youthful image can be found in the row immediately behind, with my image partially covered by Richard Chamberlin’s back.)