PSU Magazine Summer 1988

NEWSMAKER I Telling the Portland State Story The University will celebrate its 50th anniversary m 1996. Recording this historical half century in a new book is Gordon Dodds, professor of history. W hen the muddy waters of the Columbia River swept through through the Vanport Extension Center's North Portland campus (forerun– ner of Portland State), it carried off the college, people's belongings and even buried the Vanpo rt Rock just donated to the college nine days ealier during the se– cond anniversary celebration. The 1948 Vanport Flood closed the school. But only temporarily. The rock was dug up from the flood debris and resurrected at the college 's new quarters in an old shipy ard administration building. In 1952 the Vanport Rock f ound a per– manent home on today 's campus in f ront of Lincoln Hall. This kind of perseverance has always ma rked Portl and State - found ed in 1946 as a temporary educational institution fo r returning World War II veteran s, resurrected from the 1948 Vanport flood , designated a four- year college in 1955, and given unive rsity standing in 1969 . PSU History P ro fessor Gordon Dodds has been asked to chronical these events in a full length book. Appointed offi cial University Historian by PSU President Natale Sicuro thi s spring, Dodds is writing the book in time fo r PSU's 50th an– niversary in 1996. "One of the major themes of the university has always been a sort of eye-of-the-storm institution, beleaguered and making its way against tremendous difficulties," says Dodds. In the '40s when there were threats to the housing allowance which enabled many students to li ve in Vanport housing, the ex-GI's broke out their trenching tools and dug fox holes on the campus, vowing to move into them if housin g was eliminated . It was not. "World War II veterans around the country were very hard wo rking and intense people who wanted to make up for lost time," says Dodds. Because the University was fo unded on this strong desire from students to improve their life both sociall y and economicall y that theme will become part of Dodds' book. Continued on page 16 m 13 Professor Gordon Dodds (below) stands by a University fountain. H e will soon be writing about the harsher waters of 1948 (above) that destroyed the Vanport campus in a new book on PSU.