portlandmonthlymag.com – By Karen Brooks
Thomas Lauderdale is the ringleader of Pink Martini, Portland’s homegrown orchestra-turned-international phenomenon with devout followers from Los Angeles to Paris. But offstage, Lauderdale is Portland’s good-will ambassador, a galvanizing fundraiser, and a chief curator of Portland nostalgia, who salvages bits of forgotten local history for his weathered three-story loft, and dreams of building a better Portland. (He’s even pondered running for mayor.)