PSU Magazine Winter 2006

~elaM~ The Columbia River floods in June, rais– ing water levels by 26.5 feet The Broadway musi– cal My Fair Lady opens in New York Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier Ill of Monaco Average price for a gallon of gas is 29.93 cents __Listening oming to Portland State right out of high school, LaRae (Koon) Bogh '56 promptly began writing to Oregon's representatives in Congress and the state legislature to certify the school as a four-year degree-granting college. Her involvement at school never let up. Bogh appeared in three theatrical productions, was student body secre– tary in her sophomore year, was named Outstanding Student of the Year and a homecoming princess her junior year, and was Founder's Day Queen during her last year. "I loved being active," says Bogh, now 71. "The college had so many interesting classes and dynamic profes– sors like John Jenkins. And the stu– dents were wonderful." A pan-time job in the placement office further connected Bogh to fellow students. Throughout her four years, she helped match students to part-ti.me jobs on campus and in the community. Her future husband, Ron Bogh, was an older student at Portland State studying on the GI Bill. "I met him on a blind date, but he was the other girl's date ," Bogh recalls. "He was in a graduating class behind mine and I didn't see him again until a year later. Then we started dating." They were married the year after she graduated with a bachelor's degree in humanities. Although Bogh taught at Milwaukie High School and David Douglas High School over the following three years, 12 PSU MAGAZINE WINTER 2006 Portland's Kelly Butte The nation's average The cost of a house A first-class postage Civil Defense Center income is $4,454 averages $22,000 stamp costs 3 cents is designed to survive Congress authorizes nationally Portland's KGW a "near miss" by up the interstate Construction starts begins broadcasting to a 20-megaton freeway system in on the $24 million as an ABC affiliate bomb and be self- sustaining for 90 days Oregon Lloyd Center • with LaRae she didn't sever her ties to PSC. She began writing a column for the PSC Alumni Association newspaper called "Listening in with LaRae." Until 1962 , Bogh wrote about the status of former students, allowing her to stay in close contact with alumni. "Those were some of the happiest years of my life," says Bogh. "Alumni would write and send me information about where they were and what they were doing. I'm still in touch with some of the alumni who graduated from PSC after I did. " When her children were young, Bogh tutored part time and conducted testing for home study programs. She eventually got a job in public relations at Portland State, where for two years she wrote feature stories about gifts, grants, and vi.siting dignitaries for local newspapers. Bogh then became a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the state of Oregon, a job that lasted 11 years. She worked another three years as assistant program di.rector at Eastco Diversified Services, taking an early retirement when surgery on both knees made it difficult to walk After a long recovery, she began to travel. She now has been to Europe twice and also took a hiking tour in New Mexico . She frequently visits her relatives in Nebraska. In the past 10 years, Bogh has found a new outlet for her writing. She secretly assumes the role of Santa for a class at Shaver Elementary School. Her daughter is a second-grade teacher there and has each of her students write a letter to Santa, bringing the bundle to Bogh. After reviewing all the letters, Bogh writes back one collective response. "I tell them about the North Pole and answer all their questions about Mrs. Claus and the reindeer," she explains. True to her personable manner so familiar to many alumni, Bogh always mentions every sLUdent's name in her response. D (Kelli Fields, a Portland J reelance write1; is a regular contributor to PSU Magazine.)