Portland State Magazine Fall 2021

FALL 2021 // 3 CELEBRATING 75 YEARS Compliments on the current issue of Port- land State Magazine. While (obviously), as a historian, I appreciated the historical perspec- tives the issue provides, it is good journalism and design, plain and simple. You and your team deserve the University’s thanks. —Chet Orloff MA ’80, Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies and Planning 2000-16 Regarding “Pieces of History” and Professor Frederic Littman, artist extraordinaire: As a freshman, I took one of Fred’s sculpture classes and spent time in his open studio, on an upper floor in Cramer Hall, most late afternoons during the spring of 1970. On May 11, I was working on a piece that was soon due.There were no other students and Fred was in and out of his office in the back. Soon, we heard a racket outside and looked down towards the Park Blocks. Across the park, we could see police lining up in military formation on the street and students moving towards the medical tent farther down the park, but out of view. As we watched the police march toward the students, Fred said it brought back so many memories of Hungary during WWII. He told me some of his experiences, which were shocking. Juxtaposed with what we were watching outside, it was a big experience for an 18-year-old. I learned a lot from Fred that day and left thinking I had just witnessed Portland history through the eyes of an artist who survived WWII. — Kathleen (Nolf ) Granderson ’73 Thank you for the lovely writeup [in “Pieces of History”] about the Debbie Murdock Clock Tower and the legacy of Debbie Mur- dock. As you mentioned, Debbie’s impact touched every aspect of PSU and went a long way toward shaping the Park Blocks and the University District as we know it. A humble visionary, a relentless worker and an invaluable mentor and friend, Debbie was truly larger than life. She left us way too soon. To ensure her legacy is not forgotten, a number of her friends established the Debbie Murdock Scholarship Fund to support inspiring graduate students continuing the work that Debbie started. To learn more or donate, please visit giving.psuf.org/murdock . —Beckie Lee, Chris Pierce, Mary Carroll, Debbie Kirkland and Ian Ruder That beautiful “130-plus-year-old” copper beech at the Millar Library [in “Pieces of History”] has to be one of my all-time favor- ite trees! I loved looking at it from inside while studying. I also loved learning about it in Dr. Joe Poracsky’s class on the urban forest. (R.I.P. Joe. You were such a great teacher!) He loved that tree, too, though he lamented that the University wasn’t planning on the tree’s eventual demise, saying that its lifespan of 150-200 years meant the tree could have only a few decades left. He would have liked to see a sapling planted alongside it that could grow to take its place as the old one ages and dies. Joe’s obituary suggests planting memorial trees. Maybe we PSU alumni could arrange for the planting of a baby copper beech in Joe’s honor. I’ll gladly pitch in. — Jan Dougall MA ’07 Thank you so much for the spring edition of the alumni magazine. I enjoyed tracking the landmarks, especially from “the old days,” as I attended 1964-69. During those years I worked in the Middle East Studies Center office, on the third floor of South Park Hall and spent much of my time delivering and collecting documents from the History and Political Science departments and standing in line to use the Xerox machine in the basement of Smith Center. (Actually, I had to hand over my document to the official operator.) So I can attest that the first sky bridge opened well before 1970, as I used it often. I vividly remember being on the bridge when a small earthquake caused the floor to undulate. —Lillian Avery Carbone ’69 I had no particular attachment to the old Outdoor Program axe [shown in “Pieces of History”], but the yearbook behind it brought back a flood of memories of climbing trips to Horsethief Butte and to Smith Rocks, of kay- aking trips, all encouraged and enabled by the late (alas!) mentor and part-time leprechaun, [Outdoor Program founder] Sam McKinney. The black-and-white photos in that yearbook article were all taken by Outdoor Program member Margie White; the text was written by me.Thanks for the memories! —Ellen (Sandberg) Cameron ’71 SEEING PSU EVERYWHERE I enjoyed the [“Know Your Viks”] quiz in the Spring 2021 issue very much. For question No. 10, you could have also added that the inspiration for the [University] logo even predates the four-leaf clover. I was visiting this Roman ruin in Geneva a few years ago and the PSU logo jumped out at me! [See photo below.] —Sally S. Mudiamu EdD ’20, Director, PSU Office of International Partner- ships & Initiatives inbox “While (obviously), as a historian I appreciated the historical perspectives the issue provides, it is good journalism and design, plain and simple.” COURTESY OF SALLY S. MUDIAMU