Activist, artist Silas Trim Bissell dies.

Byline: SUSAN PALMER The Register-Guard

Labor activist and artist Silas Trim Bissell died Saturday after a lengthy struggle with brain cancer. He was 60.

Bissell, a Eugene resident since 1981 who co-founded the Campaign for Labor Rights in 1995, lived a varied life that included teaching college-level writing classes, a stint as a physical therapist and a decades-long career as an artist.

But through all that ran a thread of activism, first in protests against the Vietnam War and later in the anti-sweatshop and labor rights arena.

Bissell was born in April 27, 1942, in Grand Rapids, Mich., to Hillary and Wadsworth Bissell. His mother was a civil rights activist and longtime friend of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. His father was the son of the founder of the Bissell carpet sweeper company but was disinherited for refusing to join the family business.

Bissell, who had degrees from the University of Michigan and Syracuse University and North Carolina Central University, taught English literature at Wayne State University in Detroit before he began to take an active role in protesting the Vietnam War, eventually leading to confrontations with police.

``After his first arrest, his mother told him, `It's about time. I was afraid you would never be arrested,' '' his friend Chuck Kaufman said.

Bissell and his former wife, Judith, traveled to Seattle, where they joined the Weathermen, a militant underground group opposed to the war.

In January 1970, the couple planted a bomb in the stairwell of the Reserve Officer Training Corps center on the University of Washington campus. They were immediately arrested, and the bomb never went off. Bissell later said he learned that he had been betrayed by the Weathermen, who tipped police to further their cause with publicity.

Bissell's parents posted a bond of $25,000 each for Bissell and his wife. But the couple failed to show up in court and a federal warrant was issued for their arrest, earning them a spot on the FBI's Most Wanted list for a time.

They traveled to different cities before they split up and Bissell found his way to Eugene.

He attended several colleges and universities, eventually receiving a master's degree in physical therapy from Duke University. He returned to Eugene in 1981 and began working as a physical therapist under the name Terrence Peter Jackson while teaching himself to paint and sculpt.

In 1987, a friend tipped police to his real identity, a betrayal Bissell later said came simply to earn a $5,500 reward.

Bissell was arrested and spent 18 months in prison. It was in the prison chapel in 1988 that he married high school friend Ruth Evan.

Longtime friend and art collaborator Rich Klopfer said Bissell lived his life with a balance of conviction and spontaneity.

"It was almost a sense of urgency, not knowing what would happen next," Klopfer said. "I can remember a quote from an interview where he said he pursued our artwork with deadly playfulness."

In 1995, Bissell helped form the Campaign for Labor Rights to bring attention to sweatshop conditions in factories around the world.

"He was an amazing person," said Scott Miksch, a coordinator for the Committee in Support of the Central American People.

"He was real good at thoughtful analysis, but he knew how to relate to people on a personal level," Miksch said.

Bissell's support for PCUN, a Spanish acronym for the Northwest Tree Planters and Farm Worker's union, put their boycott against the farmer's cooperative Norpac on the national agenda, Miksch said.

Norpac began negotiating this spring with PCUN, Miksch said.

Bissell had been the national coordinator for the Campaign for Labor Rights but stepped down in 1997 when cancer began affecting his memory.

Still, he stayed involved, said Sarah Jacobson, a local activist for Jobs with Justice.

In January, he called urging her seek to resolutions from labor councils and community groups in support of El Salvador workers fired for trying to organize a union.

"He was extremely committed to his work and very willing to help build new leadership," she said.

And he continued to create art until about five weeks ago, Klopfer said. The two had been collaborating on a metal sculpture that depicted field workers, but they never finished the piece.

"I noticed a little bit of hesitation the last time or two we were carving," he said.

Bissell died at home with his wife at his side, Kaufman said.

Klopfer said he saw Bissell the day before he died.

"He seemed to sense that he would be going and seemed peaceful to me," he said.

Survivors include his wife; a stepdaughter, Terrell Martinski of Berea, Ohio; two stepsons, Joseph Gelski of Cleveland, Ohio, and Kris Kopp of Portland; two brothers, Brereton Bissell of New Haven, Conn., and Torre Bissell of Schenectady, N.Y.

Graveside services will be held later in Lodi, Michigan. Memorial contributions may be made to the Campaign for Labor Rights, 1247 E St. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003, or to the Committee in Support of the Central American People, 458 Blair Blvd., Eugene, OR 97402.

Sales of Bissell's artwork will go to help cover his medical expenses, many of which were not covered by insurance, friends said. For more information, contact Rich Klopfer at 683-5856.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CAPTION(S):

Silas Trim Bissell, shown in his studio in 1993, was an artist with a cause. Associated Press After his arrest in 1987, Silas Trim Bissell is led into court for a bail hearing on assault charges stemming from decades-old crimes.