Portland State Magazine Fall 2021

FALL 2021 // 37 “He believed in his students,”Washington says. “He believed in their well-being whether they were the students at state institutions or whether they were at Adams or Madison. His first thing was to encourage those kids to do their very best, particularly African American kids.” At McDaniel’s funeral, students, parents, teachers and community members lined the streets to pay their respects. To this day, a $10,000 scholarship in his name is awarded each year to an outgoing senior at the school he served so long. For years, students had advocated for a school name change, as the previous namesake, former President James Madison, was a documented slaveholder. When a formal process began in 2020, McDan- iel’s name emerged as the clear winner. As a staff member put it in supporters’ published statements: “Mr. McDaniel exemplifies what all students should want to emulate and deserve to have in their lives.” —CRISTINA ROJAS MANAGING OREGON’S PSYCHEDELIC REVOLUTION The newly renovated Northeast Portland school once known as Madison High reopened this September with a new name that pays homage to past principal Leodis V. McDaniel. SCHOLLE MCFARLAND LAST FALL , Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 109, making the state the first in the nation to legalize the psychedelic drug psilocybin for use in therapeutic settings. In recent studies, psilocybin—a compound found in roughly 200 species of mushrooms— showed promise as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and other mental health con- ditions that sometimes prove resistant to standard treatments. The measure gives the state until 2023 to figure out rules and regulations for the sub- stance’s use.This is uncharted territory, but a Viking will lead the way. Angie Allbee EMPA ’17 was named manager for the Oregon Health Authority’s new Psilocybin Services Section. “Healing is an essential part of experi- encing a healthy, joyful life,” she said. “I am honored to lead this work in Oregon.” Allbee will work with the state’s Psilocybin Advisory Board on recommen- dations—for example, for safety, man- ufacturing and dosage—and draft regulations. Allbee has served as senior policy advisor for Oregon Health Authority Govern- ment Relations since 2018. —SCHOLLE MCFARLAND Megan Crayne MS ’20 , former digital manager at PSU’s Ooligan Press, launched a poetry publishing company, Crayne Books ( craynebooks.com ). Its inaugural book is Away With Words . Crayne also works as an ebook production assistant at W.W. Norton & Company. Tony Crisofulli ’13 , PSU record holder in the indoor and outdoor 800 meters, became a full-time firefighter in Colorado, fighting both domestic and forest fires. Melinda Crouchley ’09 MA ’20 , former managing editor at PSU’s Ooligan Press, independently published the second and third books in her Metal Heart Trilogy series: Tin Heart and Iron Curtain . Couchley works as an associate editor at The Community Company. Josh Davis ’21 was interviewed in The Seaside Signal about his work as the new veterans service officer for Clatsop Community Action. Hadley Heck ’19 , a four-year letter winner in volleyball, was selected to be a sports anchor at KVAL News in Eugene. David Hedges ’59 published the novel The Changer with Road’s End Press. Poet and author Walt Curtis ’66 created the book’s cover art. Bill Keenan ’90 MA ’92 , an abstract impressionist painter, released two videos of his artwork with soundtracks provided by Café De Anatolia. See the videos at keenangallery.com . Louise Keenan ’94 manages the gallery’s business side. Jenny Kimura MA ’19 has been promoted from junior designer to designer at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a part of the Hachette Book Group. Anthony Levenda PhD ’16 was named director of the new Center of Climate Action and Sustainability for the Evergreen State College. Michelle Lewis MSW ’13 , co-owner of Third Eye Books ( thirdeyebag.com ), celebrated the grand opening of the African-centered bookstore’s new brick-and-mortar location in Southeast Portland this summer. Jax McFarland ’14 MArch ’17 was named the 2021 Joseph F. Thomas Visiting Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Jessica Mehta MS ’07 published When We Talk of Stolen Sisters: New and Revised Poems with Liveright Publishing. Kathleen Mitchell Burrows MA '09 was selected to be part of the U.S. Department of State's prestigious three-month English Language Specialist virtual project focused on teacher training in Nicaragua. Karen Phifer MSW ’95 is the new director of clinical services at Portland’s Cedar Hills Hospital. ALUMNI IN THE NEWS (CONTINUED) IARYGIN ANDRII, ADOBE STOCK