Portland State Magazine Spring 2013

SPRING 2013 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 3 Portland State Magazine wants to hear from you. Email your comments to psumag@pdx.edu or send them to Portland State Magazine , Office of University Communications, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. Old cameras, fond memories How nice of you to recall Andries Deinum and Tom Taylor in the winter 2013 issue of Portland State Magazine [“Cinematic Craft: Backstory”]. People involved in film during those years knew Deinum and Taylor well. They were a resource for people like me who got most of our training from trial and error. Hard to believe now, but we had Arriflex, Eclair, and Mitchell cameras; Nagra sound; KEM, Steinbeck, and Moviola editing machines. And very little experience. We all gained from association with Deinum and Taylor, who gave graciously. They were a big part of Portland film production history, and I didn’t know of Deinum’s run-in with HUAC [House Un-American Activities Committee]. John D. Haney ’56 Battle Ground, Washington Working pro teaching film students Just enjoyed the winter magazine and especially the profile of the film program. You may already be aware that we’re fortunate to not only have Dustin Morrow leading the charge for narra- tive film, but we also have Steve Amen, executive producer and host of Oregon Field Guide [Oregon Public Broadcast- ing]. We’re truly blessed to have this national and regional Emmy Award- winning producer here at PSU. Steve’s three-term Documentary Production series is the most comprehensive one in the region. PSU is way beyond lucky to have a 30-year veteran like Steve on board! Bruce Rash ’12 Cafeteria social strata Wow! The photo of PSC undergrads around the table in the College Cen- ter Cafeteria brought back instant memories [Looking Back, Portland State Magazine , Winter 2013]. That was my gang! We called ourselves Pung’s Corner (after “The Wizards of Pung’s Corners,” a sci-fi story by Frederik Pohl). Our table was on the left as you came down the stairs from the Park Avenue entrance, which sociologically put us in the “moderately social” section of the cafeteria. The gradation was unmistak- able—fraternity row in the booths under the windows at the north (Montgomery Street) end, trending steadily to Pung’s Corner (we were fairly studious, but you can see the card players), and on past the stairs into the growingly scholarly and alternative south end. By the time you reached the south wall, you were into the beards and long-haired protester types. In the photo (we were freshmen in the spring of ’63), clockwise from the lower left corner, are Vern Crow, me (just my right hand), Alison Love, Leighton Smith, Patricia Oberlander, Doug Evenson, Roger McLain, and a friend of Roger’s who was just visiting. The full ashtray is in front of him. Most of us traced our friendship to Professor Robert Tuttle’s freshman honors English class. Thanks for bringing us all together again inside your back cover. JimWestwood ’67 Low rent and store credit I was reading your latest edition of Portland State Magazine and wanted to add a little note. My wife was working in the business office, and I was working as a janitor after getting out of the Air National Guard, and housing was criti- cal for some students to stay in college. PSU owned some houses on Broad- way starting in about 1960, and one of those was 1867 SW Broadway, a three-story home. On the top floor were three or sometimes four girls who paid $75/month rent—a lot when you consider wages were $1.25 to $1.50/ hour. Without this affordable rent, attending college would have been impossible. Also there was PaPa John’s grocery across the street that extended credit for needy students and always was repaid on payday. Bob Westlund ’66 Editor’s note: Before urban renewal demolished the area directly around campus in 1968, there were many affordable apartments, restaurants and grocery stores now remembered fondly by students. I am pretty sure they were all privately owned, including this home that is now the site of PSU Parking Structure 1. However, please let me know if I am wrong. Letters