We Ranked Every Known Grand Marshal of the Rose Festival’s Grand Floral Parade Between 1920 and 2017

Here's a comprehensive list of all 86 Portland Rose Festival Grand Marshals.

(Illustration by Jess Minckley)
Packy (Sara Hottman, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo)

1. Packy the Elephant (2012)

Like the flowers he represented, he died too soon in the winter.

2. Leonard Nimoy (1967)

It is hard to love many people who are not, in fact, Leonard Nimoy.

3. Hank Aaron (1979)

Yes, that Hank Aaron.

4. Dorothy Ann Hobson (1941)

At age 9, founded Oregon's Valsetz Star newspaper. Subscribers included Franklin Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and Shirley Temple.

5. Representatives of 9 Sovereign Native American Tribes (1994)

Better late than never?

6. Mark O. Hatfield (1997)

"The last decent Republican."

7. Gerry Frank (2013)

If you hate Gerry Frank, you hate Oregon.

Cali-Raisin-Lunch-pale
8. Will Vinton (1989)

Animator and creator of California Raisins.

9. Don Schollander (1965)

Four golds at the Tokyo Olympics.

10. Victor McLaglen (1937)

The most interesting man in the world: actor, rogue, gold panner, vaudevillian, prizefighter, stunt cyclist, rumored fascist.

11. Lorne Greene (1961)

World's best Canadian eyebrows.

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12. Roy Rogers (1954)

Fake cowboy.

13. Dr. Brian Druker (2002)

The director of the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU.

14. Kiki Cutter (1969)

Olympic skier.

15. Stewart H. Holbrook (1964)

Portland historian.

16. 35 Rose Festival Queens (1983)

All the queens.

17. Terry Baker (1963)

This Beaver was the first West Coaster to hoist the Heisman trophy.

18. Barge E. Leonard (1921)

WWI volunteer, lawyer, Scottish Freemason, eligible bachelor.

19. Brandon Roy (2008)

Former Blazer, future gunshot victim/hero.

20. Vera Katz (2005)

Are we nostalgic for git-'er-done Vera and her vast municipal projects? Maybe a little.

21. Colonel James J. Crossley (1924)

Founded the Portland American Legion that recently went renegade.

22. Bill Schonely (2004)

The Blazers announcer is almost as hammy as an entire parade.

23. Chief Leon Jenkins (1930-31)

By all accounts one hell of a police chief, and first in the U.S. to use a newfangled "police radio."

24. Peter DeFazio (2003)

Apparently the hicks in Florence protested this U.S. representative's appointment.

25. Blue Angels (1988)

Grand marshals in the sky.

26. University of Portland women's soccer team (2003)

Champions.

27. Portland Timbers (2016)

Champions.

28. Eric V. Hauser (1926)

Founder of Multnomah Hotel, host to every president from Teddy Roosevelt to Nixon.

29. Ahmad and Phylicia Rashad (1993)

Did you know that sportscaster Ahmad Rashad was from Portland?

30. Frances Hulse Boly (1968)

The Rose Festival Queen from 1938 is still kickin' at age 97.

31. Mitch Miller (1981)

The oboist who discovered Aretha Franklin.

32. Walter Brennan (1973)

Brennan has as many Oscars as Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson.

33. Merv Griffin (1981)

He made Jeopardy!!

34. James DePreist (1995)

Conductor of The Oregon Symphony.

35. Vice Adm. Ruthven E. Libby (1959)

Local war hero.

36. John Swigert (1970)

Apollo 13 astronaut who survived an explosion in space.

37. Michael Curry (2001)

World-renowned Scappoose puppeteer.

38. Doc Severinsen (1978)

Blowhard from The Tonight Show.

39. 1977 Portland Trail Blazers (2017)

Seems a bit late for the honor?

40. Al Unser, Jr. (1984)

Race-car driver.

41. Sebastien Bourdais (2007)

French race-car driver.

42. Richard Boone (1960)

Paladin of Have Gun, Will Travel and scary-looking motherfucker.

43. Debbie McDougald and Justin Johnson (1992)

Special Olympics winners.

44. Five Desert Storm Veterans (1991)

Back when Iraq wars actually ended.

45. David E. Jeremiah (1990)

Local Navy admiral and investment banker.

46. Peter Jacobsen (1996)

Local golf hero.

47. Brian Grant (2010)

Former Blazer and founder of Parkinson's Disease foundation.

48. Brett and Cameron Byrd (2000)

Musicians raising money for cancer research.

49. Guy "Zorro" Williams (1958, actor)

Racist stereotype that made America love renegade Mexicans, but was also stylish.

50. Jack "Cisco Kid" Mather (1952, radio actor)

Racist stereotype that made America love renegade Mexicans, but was not stylish.

51. Judy Bochenski (1971)

Eugene-bred member of the national table tennis team during a time when the Cold War was being fought on ping-pong tables.

52. Jack McGowan (2009)

Anti-littering guy.

53. William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd and horse Topper (1951)

Off-brand Roy Rogers and Trigger.

54. Edward Everett Horton (1939)

Eventual voice of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.

55. Portland volunteer representatives (1999)

A resident of Northeast Portland, a grade school student and a police officer.

56. Tommy Gibbons (1946)

Hell of a boxer, but from Minnesota.

57. Burl Ives (1975)

Sam the Snowman, from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in the fleshy goateed flesh.

58. David Rose (1966)

Wrote the Bonanza theme song.

59. Cliff Robertson (1986)

Played Charly in Charly.

60. Montie Montana (1955)

Trick roper.

61. Jack McKinney (1977)

An assistant coach for the Blazers.

62. Ed Ames (1972)

Played Mingo in TV's Daniel Boone.

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63. Pat Boone (1976)

Pretended to be Daniel Boone's grandson.

64. Kevin Tighe and Randolph Mantooth (1974)

Cast of TV's Emergency!

65. The Oregon Ducks (2011)

Rumor has it Ezekiel Elliott politely declined.

66. Col. Pegram Whitworth (1922)

A war hero who liked to scare ladies by shooting turkeys.

67. Frank V. Smith (1920)

Top salesman at Howard Automobile.

68. Seven Portland Police Officers (1998)

Totally different from the hundreds of police on the parade route.

69. Jimmy Dodd and Uncle Bob Amsberry (1956)

From TV's Mickey Mouse Club.

70. Mickey Mouse (1985)

Symbol of misguided intellectual property law.

Gov. Kate Brown

71. Govs. Barbara Roberts and Kate Brown (2015)

Don't hand out prizes at the beginning of a term. For all we know, Kate will find a way to sell the Rose Parade off to pay the state debt.

72. Harold C. Schaffer (1948)

Cross-marketing opportunity featuring the chairman of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

73. Maj. Gen. William S. Stone (1957)

Glorified weatherman.

74. Carrie Lee Chamberlain (1962)

Governor's daughter, first Rose Festival Queen by nepotism.

75. John Bonner (1949)

One-term Montana governor.

76. Charles E. Minsinger (1922)

Sand baron, heir to the fortune of Pittsburgh's Star Sand Co.

77. A. Craig McMicken (1932-34)

PGE bought the grand marshal slot to honor its top salesman for three years.

78. Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett (1927)

"War hero" and nationalist asshole of great integrity.

79. Brig. Gen. James H. Reeves (1929)

War hero, rough rider.

80. Brig. Gen. Paul Wolf (1930)

War hero.
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81. Kay Kyser (1947)

Off-brand Benny Goodman.

82. One More Time Around Again Marching Band (2014)

Very meta: the marching band in the parade is also the grand marshal of its own parade.

83. Snow White (1987)

Two years after Mickey Mouse, a fictional princess.

84. "The community of Portland" (2007)

Presumably there was a behind-the-scenes power struggle.

85. Douglas McKay (1950 and 1953)

Supported "Indian Termination."

86. Neil Goldschmidt (1980)

Rapist.

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