PSU Magazine Spring 2006

ALUM NOTES Tara Lynn Nelson is a personal banker with Bank of America in Portland. Sarah Payne is an account rep– resentative in the Portland office of CampusPoint, an employ– ment agency. Marcela Pena owns In Somo Designs, an architectural, graphic design, and photogra– phy business in Portland. Melanie Platosh MA is editor of Edible Portland, a magazine and publishing firm in Portland. T. Kelly Polychronis MS is a school counselor with the Ridgefield School District in Washington. Sarah Reardon is founder and chief executive officer of Save Our Strings, a nonprofit dedi– cated to supporting string orchestras in public schools. Reardon lives in Portland. David Roper is a mechanical engineer at ATK Space Systems, a satellite manufacturer in San Diego. Jie Shen MS is an imernal con– trol specialist at Xerox Office Group in Wilsonville. Samuel Shogren MPA is princi– pal at Shogren Consulting, a museum and heritage consulting firm in Beaverton. Mary Stad MPA is a fishery biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Cook, Washington. Sara Sundborg MS is an electri– cal engineer with the Bonneville Power Administration. Sund– borg lives in Vancouver, Washington. Gretchen Swick is a substitute elementary school teacher in Hilo , Hawaii. Kristen Underdal is an assis– tant account manager al Heffer– nan Insurance Brokers in Portland. Victor Vergara MA is vice prin– cipal at Valor Middle School in the Woodburn School District. n Ao Sara Cogan MPA '82, a long– time supporter of Portland State and wife of retired English pro– fessor Nathan Cogan, died Feb. 1. She was 66. From 1995 to 2004, Mrs. Cogan co-directed two international high school exchange programs, whi h pio– neered studem exchanges with China. Since 2004, she was board president at Cedar Sinai Park, a $13 million assisted liv– ing facility in Portland. Mark Gurevitch , professor emeritus of physics, died Feb. 16. He was 89. Dr. Gurevitch joined the Portland State faculty in 1958 and served as Physics Department chair for the next 24 years. He published papers on submicron metal particles in iron and on the principles, development, and use of high– altitude precipitation gauges. He was a member of the American Physical Society and the Ameri– can Association for the Advancement of Science. Rudie Wilhelm, businessman, longtime Oregon legislator, first PSU Foundation president, and ardent Portland State supporter, died in March. He was 91. In the 1940s and '50s, Rep. Wil– helm pushed legislation calling for the purchase of the old Lin– coln High School for Vanport Extension Center and later for the establishment of Portland State as a degree-granting insti– tution. All the while he worked at the transportation business his father founded and served on numerous education and city boards. Up until his death, Wil– helm was chief executive officer of Rudie Wilhelm Warehouse Company in Milwaukie. In 1977, the University honored Wilhelm with a Distinguished Service Award. D This alumnus wants in your back pocket G ARETT CROFT STENSON '04 SITS in his north Portland bungalow among boxes stacked full of wal– lets, tape, stickers, and promotional posters, all ready to be mailed to retailers. The house serves as home to Stenson and his new company, db clay, which offers fashion-forward wallets made from a patent-pending design. "A wallet is a great market to be in," says Stenson, 26. "Everyone wears T-shirts, everybody wears blue jeans, and everyone carries a wallet. Everything else is optional." Wallets are not a new business for Sten– son. He paid for his Portland State tuition with ductbill, a business that sold hand– made duct tape wallets-more than 30,000-at Portland's Saturday Market, in boutiques, and on the Web. Db clay com– bines that experience with a new upscale vision. The company's flexible, tight-knit staff of four full-time employees create multiple high-end lines, including wallets featuring photographs, another line of everyday recycled objects, and a limited edition sketchbook 36 PSU MAGAZINE SPR ING 2006 series of original art. And today the wallets are made from gaffer tape, a waterproof cloth tape, and nylon stitching. The unique creations retail for between $40 and $85. Stenson'.s dream company encom– passes more than just wallets. He is interested in an online community using his Web site for people to browse his products, communicate, and trade ideas about fashion, culture, and art. He also plans Lo expand db clay imo a broader product line of clutch purses and luggage, and is courting investors to help grow the company and offer advice. Stenson's business degree is corning in handy as he leaves the cutting table and concentrates on the marketing end of the business. "I realize this is gonna take hard work, and this will be a long road," says Stenson. "But 1 truly want to be a household name for personal accessories. The decisions we're making now are toward a respected, timeless label." -Zach Elliott Kronser