Chocolate cake once again will be tasted and tested in Oregon’s capital on Sunday.

Gerry Frank is gone, but the executors of his estate and the Oregon State Fair agreed his cake competition should live on as the Gerry Frank Memorial Chocolate Cake Contest, presented by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce.

Frank was the only judge in the contest’s 60-year history, taking one bite with frosting and one bite from inside more than 2,500 entries, aided by swigs of Pepto-Bismol between tastings.

He was much more than a connoisseur of cakes. Frank, who died in March at age 98, so personified our great state that he was dubbed “Mr. Oregon.” As I wrote after his death: “The clout he developed across Oregon could sway multi-million-dollar philanthropic decisions or gain a patient access to a needed heart procedure. The state guidebook he wrote, ‘Gerry Frank’s Oregon,’ is peppered with names of people and favorite places to eat and stay. His longtime office was adorned with hundreds of framed letters and autographed photos of individuals he’d met, from President George W. Bush to Queen Elizabeth and Lucille Ball, along with a slew of Oregonians.”

Gov. Mark Hatfield launched the cake contest in 1959 to thank Frank for leading Hatfield’s successful gubernatorial campaign. No one can match Frank’s charm, insights and storytelling as a cake judge.

Tom Hoffert, the Salem Chamber’s CEO who will serve as guest judge, knows that. He told Statesman Journal reporter and columnist Capi Lynn that he would bring his own touch: “A gregarious personality, a love for chocolate, a love for cake and a slightly round belly.”

However, I wonder who will fill two related holes – ones that transcend partisanship – in the Oregon experience.

Question No. 1: Who are the next generations of Gerry Franks — individuals with the connections, the financial means and the philanthropic spirit to make things happen for the good of their community and our state?

This is a point often made by another Salem-area philanthropist, Dick Withnell, who turned 80 this year. People who succeed in business have a civic obligation to give back. To flourish, communities need their dollars, their expertise and their example.

For Withnell, who was a prosperous auto dealer, that service includes serving on high-stakes state boards, nurturing Marion County’s program that helps former inmates successfully reenter community life, providing music lessons for low-income high school and middle school musicians, and supporting numerous local organizations. The new YMCA just down the street from the Oregon Capitol is named for Dick and Gayle Withnell.

As for anyone who shopped at Meier & Frank, Gerry Frank’s name should be familiar as part of the Frank family and as the first store manager in Salem when the retailer expanded into the capital. Frank was Sen. Hatfield’s longtime chief of staff, wielding such influence that he was considered “Oregon’s third senator.” Frank’s civic investments, through his donations and his connections, are numerous. Thanks to him, Salem has one of the Salvation Army Kroc Community Centers that arose from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc.

Related to my question is the reality that in much of rural Oregon, mill and timber owners were who provided seed money for community organizations and projects. A byproduct of the timber industry’s decline was the withering of that philanthropy. Who are the new generations of entrepreneurs, businesspeople and others ready to take up the slack?

Question No. 2: As societal interests continue to evolve, what will become of the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center in northeast Salem? Among its chief political advocates were now-retired Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, and the late Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, who steered it through tough times.

To keep the fair afloat, the Legislature first handed it to the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, and then turned it into a public corporation. The Oregon State Fair Council, chaired by former state Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, is so pleased with current CEO Kim Grewe-Powell’s performance that it approved a 7% pay raise for her in May.

Yet the fair, a statewide institution and one based in Salem since the 1860s, faces ongoing challenges, including remaining relevant to 21st century consumers while not alienating longtime participants and supporters. Dependent on state support for capital improvements, the fairgrounds needs roughly $50 million in facility upgrades.

Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, and Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, are the two legislative representatives on the council. When appointed in 2021, Hansell reflected the fair’s roots and relevance: “The Oregon State Fair has been held since the early days of Statehood, and along with County Fairs, are critical sources of economic vitality and cultural celebration.”