Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Thanks to Dianna Weston for writing this week’s speaker recap.

Walter Cole, perhaps better known as Darcelle XV, the famous Portland drag queen, gave an entertaining, informative and sometimes quite personal talk. He explained how he got started in this particular business in the first place. He said that, after serving in the military until the late 1950s, he purchased a coffeehouse near PSU called “Caffé Espresso.” This was later relocated and was expanded to include a jazz club called “Studio A.”

In 1967, he purchased a tavern in northwest Portland called “Demas,” which later evolved into “Darcelle XV Showplace.”
Born in 1930, Walter said he first wore a woman’s dress when he was 37. He developed Darcelle as his “alter ego,” and began performing in drag. Walter still performs at least four times a week there, and doesn’t plan to give it up anytime soon.
In August 2016, Darcelle XV was inducted into the Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest performing drag queen, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Darcelle XV Showplace is home to the West Coast’s longest running drag show.

Darcelle wrapped up by quoting from a note one of his neighbors left for him recently, along with flowers: “Thank you for keeping Portland wonderful!”

With that, the most fun Rotary Club around concluded its last meeting of 2017.