PASTTENSE The Auditory Rehabilitation Mobile In 1972 an audiology project was launched at Portland State that became a prototype for the nation. A mobile hearing testing van was built with funds from the Kresge Foundation and the Administration on Aging. Aimed at low-income aging persons in the tri-county area, this unique community service project was conceived of and led by James Maurer, Ph.D., Speech Hearing Sciences Program. Project ARM was staffed by SPH Program faculty and graduate students who tested and rehabilitated thousands of hearing-impaired older persons in the tri-county area over a period of nearly 20 years. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. Left to right: Arthur Fleming, U.S. commissioner on Aging and former UO president; Marion Hughes, head of Oregon Program on Aging; James McCartney, audiologist; and Prof. James Maurer, Speech and Hearing Sciences.
PASTTENSE 1955-1969: Portland State starts growing up If the Old West had its boomtowns, Portland State provided the New West with a “boom college.” Between 1955 and 1969— the years from PSU’s establishment as a four-year college to its promotion to university status—the institution added 26 buildings to its campus. Some were older buildings that were purchased, and several were new structures, including State Hall (now Cramer), Student Center (now Smith), and Neuberger Hall. The total space exploded from 135,000 square feet in 1955—represented by Old Main (now Lincoln)—to nearly 2 million square feet in 1969. One plan that never flew: a proposal by President John Cramer (originally suggested by his administrative assistant, Errett Hummel) to build a heliport atop one of the buildings—presumably for Viking One to take off and land. Source: Dodds, Gordon B. 2000. The College That Would Not Die. Oregon Historical Society Press. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu.
PASTTENSE President’s Fitness Council taps Mike Tichy In 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower appointed the first members of the newly created President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. During President Gerald Ford’s administration, the council appointed Michael Tichy, professor of health and physical education at Portland State University, to serve as a special consultant to the board—the first such appointment of an Oregonian. In October 1975 the council awarded Tichy a commendation “for outstanding contributions to its programs and services, to the health and physical fitness of the American people and to the quality of our life and vigor of our society.” Tichy continued to promote the health and well being of Oregonians and to serve as a special consultant to the council until his retirement from Portland State University in June 1992. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu.
PASTTENSE Early Efforts in Environmental Education Concerns in the late ‘60s about the degrading and squandering of our natural resources led to the establishment of Oregon’s first major Environmental Education Center at Portland State. U.S. Department of Education funding for the project was procured by Donald Stotler, science education supervisor, Portland Public Schools, who partnered with PSU science education professor Mike Fiasca to bring the center to PSU. The center was housed in room 326 of Lincoln Hall. Coordinated by Fiasca and directed by Michael Soulé and Larry Beutler, the center became a clearing house for information on environmental education, a sponsor of workshops to develop EE curricula and course materials for K-university teachers, and a setting to accommodate practitioners and national experts on environmental issues and idea exchanges. After federal monies expired in the late 1970s, and due to the lack of University support, the center closed. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. Mike Fiasca
PASTTENSE Forbes becomes first woman vice president After receiving her baccalaureate in nursing from the University of New Mexico in 1960 and her M.S. in nursing from OHSU in 1966, Orcilia Forbes began her career in university administration as assistant director of Student Health Services at Portland State University. In 1975 she was appointed to the position of dean of students. Then, in 1978, President Joseph Blumel took the bold step of changing her appointment to vice president for Student Affairs, which required specific approval by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. This gave her the honor of being the first female vice president in the Oregon State System of Higher Education. After an exemplary career at PSU, she resigned to accept the post of vice president for student affairs at the University of New Mexico in 1989. She retired from her final university position, vice president for advancement at Oregon State University, in 2003. She now lives in Portland’s Pearl District. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. Orcilia Forbes
PASTTENSE Epler builds foundation for PSU’s growth Stephen E. Epler was the founding director of Vanport Extension Center in 1946, a nondegree undergraduate program to educate servicemen and women returning from World War II. From the first, the Center was popularly called Vanport College. After the flood of 1948 destroyed Vanport Center, Epler’s efforts led to the creation in 1952 of Portland State Extension Center at the former Lincoln High School in Portland. Many also foresaw it as a college and, with determined advocacy by Epler, Portland State became a four-year, degree-granting college in 1955. Today, PSU builds on the legacy of leadership, courage, community spirit, and engagement established by its founder. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. Stephen E. Epler
PASTTENSE PSU gets national exposure on ‘College Bowl’ In 1965 Portland State gained national recognition and credibility when its team of college students competed academically against other college teams on theGE College Bowl, a popular national television program. Coached by speech professor Ben Padrow, Portland State’s team answered tough questions on various topics and won five straight contests, retiring undefeated and setting a record for total points scored. In honor of Michael J. Smith, one of Portland State’s team members, who later died of cystic fibrosis, the student center was renamed the Michael J. Smith Memorial Center in 1969 (now Smith Memorial Student Union). —FromPortland State: A History in Pictures Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu.
PASTTENSE Coach Pokey Allen rides herd on PSU football Ernest “Pokey” Allen, head football coach from 1986 to 1992, took the Vikings to NCAA Division II national prominence, winning five Western Football Conference titles. His flair for promotion increased interest in PSU football when he sometimes let fans call pass or run plays. He also appeared on TV ads being shot from a cannon or riding an elephant. Allen compiled the best winning percentage of any PSU football head coach, was named Oregon Coach of the Year for 1987-88, and was inducted into the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Allen died of a rare form of cancer at age 53 in 1996. —FromPortland State: A History in Pictures Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu.
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