THE RAPSSHEET JUNE2007 Retirement Association of Portland State Portland State University Post Office Box 751 Portland, OR 97207-0751 Simon Benson House 1803 SW Park Avenue Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.raps.pdx.edu Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Officers Bruce Stern President Robert Tufts President-elect Mary Brannan Past President Robert Lockerby Treasurer Larry Sawyer Secretary Doug Swanson Editor Robert Pearson Webmaster Board Members-at-Large Robert Pearson(2007) Roger Moseley(2007) Gwen Newborg(2007) Committees Alumni Association Pat Squire Awards Richard Brinkman Elections Mary Brannan History Preservation/Celebration Steve Brannan Membership Mary Brannan Regional Retirement Association Bob Vogelsang Social/Friendship Beryl and Vic Dahl Office Manager Darshana Patel 503-725-3447 continued on page 3 May program: Escape from occupied Norway Shedding light on a dark corner of WWII THOSE INTREPID RAPS hikers visited Elowah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge on their May 25 hike. Jeanette Koos, president of the Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway, was a guest hiker. She contributed information on the area and its history. To learn the hikers’ summer schedule, turn to page 4. For a four-year-old, Leif Terdal was a tough little resistance fighter. One day, standing in front of his home in Nazi-occupied Norway, he threw a rock at a German soldier. That far more books have been written about D-Day and Pearl Harbor than will ever be written about the German attack on Norway is much more an injustice of the marketplace than a dismissal of the Norwegians’ five-year-long nightmare. RAPS members heard about that nightmare on May 17 from someone who lived it—Leif Terdal, a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at Oregon Health & Science University. As a child, he escaped Nazi-occupied Norway on a fishing boat with his mother and two brothers. “The early memories I have,” Terdal recalled, “are of German soldiers walking through our town—proud, arrogant soldiers. I remember one time when I was standing on the front lawn of our house, and I threw a stone at a German soldier—that was not good.” The story brought both laughs and gasps from the audience. Norway stood no chance against the German army when the invasion came on April 9, 1940. Norway had only 7,000 ill-equipped soldiers and a navy that hadn’t conducted a training exercise since 1918, Terdal exPhoto by Larry Sawyer
— 2 — continued on page 4 President’s message Our May program featured Leif Terdal, who spoke of his family’s escape from Nazi-occupied Norway. This was our third program in the past two years that featured persons escaping from oppressive regimes. I hope we all realize what we have learned from these programs is that, although our political climate in the United States is less than perfect, we live in a climate of choice, freedom, and the opportunity to succeed. I hope none of us take these liberties and freedoms for granted. I know that my travels to Russia, China, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and the Czech Republic have magnified my appreciation of what we have here. Earlier in May I read a fascinating article in Moment Magazine about the life of Albert Einstein. His formative years were spent in Germany, but with the threat of a changing political climate in the 1930s, he and his family fled to safer ground. Eventually he came to the United States and Princeton University as a result of a program that offered political asylum to scientists and scholars who faced persecution abroad. From the accounts reported, Einstein led a very simple existence—scoffing at possessions, outward signs of success, and luxury. Instead, kindness, beauty, and truth motivated him. One of my favorite quotations from Einstein states, “Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of others both living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” This humble man did what he could to give back to society. I hope that each of us, in our own way, strive to do the same. Society will benefit as a result of our unselfish contributions. Thank you all for your support and kind words during my term as RAPS president. I look forward to the fine programs and leadership of Bob Tufts and Marge Terdal during the next few years. As for my involvement, I plan to continue my work with RAPS, although at an altitude more below the radar. —Bruce Stern In memoriam: Janet Kathleen Spurlock Wright Professor Emerita Janet Wright, Arts and Humanities at PSU’s Branford Millar Library from 1986 to 2002, was born in Portland, Sept. 15, 1942, and died March 24, 2007, after a long struggle with cancer. She attended Portland public schools and earned a history B.A. at PSU in 1964. After teaching English and social studies in Portland schools from 1964 to 1967, she completed an M.A. in library science at the University of Oregon (1968) and a master of fine arts at Idaho State University (1979). Prior to coming to PSU in 1986 Janet held various librarianship positions at Pocatello Public Library, and at Western Oregon, Oregon State, and Idaho State Universities. Janet regularly contributed guides, articles, and book reviews to library journals and reference works, and various academic institutions and professional societies awarded her honors and fellowships. In 2000 she received grants to participate in a Rare Books School at the University of Virginia, and she held an internship at the New York Public Library. Especially noteworthy examples of her creative accomplishments included numerous special exhibitions and displays, such as “Northwest Craftsmen” at the Henry Gallery at the University of Washington (1978); “The Many Realms of King Arthur” for an American Library Association traveling exhibit (1996); and “September 11, 2001” at the Millar Library. Indeed, Professor Wright established a national reputation as an expert in library services. In 1972 Janet married Arthur E. Wright. He and their daughter, Maggie; stepdaughter, Rebecka; and stepson, Brian, survive her. Their daughter Cassie died in 1998. She is also survived by her mother, Constance Spurlock; sister, Tara Mardikes; brother, Mike Spurlock; and a grandchild. Janet’s colleagues highly esteemed her on a personal and professional basis. In her memory, the Millar Library faculty has added a valuable out-ofprint art catalog to its Special Collections: Picasso: Guernica—the 42 preliminary studies on paper. Janet
— 3 — Escape from Nazi-occupied Norway . . . continued from page 1 plained. Still, the Norwegians put up a fight before capitulating on May 2. The German occupation blanketed the country with 350,000 troops—about one German for every nine Norwegians. (The United States now has 147,000 troops in Iraq, a country of 27.5 million.) “It was a massive presence,” Terdal said, explaining that even a child of four can understand some aspects of war. He remembers German soldiers walking into the family house to check for rules violations—harboring weapons, radios, or Jews was a serious crime. On the other hand, he was unaware of other aspects of the occupation. Churches were shut down because ministers would neither sign Nazi loyalty oaths nor reveal the names of parishioners who had converted from Judaism. According to Terdal, about 2,000 Jews lived in Norway in 1940. Some 1,200 escaped to Sweden; the rest were executed. “That was the worst tragedy of the war in Norway,” he said. An engineer who lived near the Terdals arranged their escape. On October 27, 1941, the Terdals boarded a fishing boat to make the 200-mile trip across the North Sea to the Shetland Islands. A German plane strafed the boat during the passage. “I remember being below with my mother and two brothers, and you could see holes opening up in the side of the boat,” Terdal recalled. The plane made two passes, then left. One crewmember was killed. Ninety days later, the Terdals were in New York City, reunited with their husband and father, who had escaped just after the invasion. Although the occupation ended with the surrender of Germany on May 7, 1945, Terdal said its lessons still echo today. “The nonviolent struggle defeated Nazism, in the sense that the Norwegian people just didn’t buy into it, no matter what happened,” Terdal said. “I feel the same way about the military in Iraq; it has nothing to do with what the Iraqis believe. Military victory by itself doesn’t change a people’s thinking. I’ve heard relatives in Norway say that if Germany had occupied Norway for 100 years, the Norwegians would not have become Nazis.” Leif Terdal Upcoming programs Summer Picnic date correction Please hold August 18 for our annual RAPS Picnic, which will be in Portland’s Willamette Park. Time will be announced. See you there. Willamette River cruise: June 8 Hope you signed up for the Sternwheeler Rose. We expect a delightful evening of friends, sights, and Rose Festival ships. This is an exploratory venture partnering with Friends of the Library. We hope it bodes well for future activities. March engineering tour A dozen RAPS members assembled on Thursday, March 29, at the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. Don Mueller, director of Student Services, provided a knowledgeable tour of this new PSU facility, which gives the college a distinct home. During our tour, Chik Erzurumlu, dean emeritus and professor emeritus, treated us to entertaining stories. The college has more than 1,900 students in programs from undergraduate to doctoral. The facility, the Northwest Center for Engineering, Science and Technology, is a “green” building with a LEED’s Gold rating. The courtyard contains a sculpture titled “TECOTOSH,” which represents the four elements of building: TEnsion, COmpression, TOrsion, SHear. —Bob Tufts Volunteers needed for Fall Fest ’07 Volunteers are needed to register and greet participants at Fall Fest 2007, a conference that fosters friendship and collegiality among university retirement associations, Sept. 23-25. RAPS is hosting this year’s conference, and volunteers are needed for Sunday afternoon, Sept. 23, and Monday morning, Sept. 24. Fall Fest will take place at University Place, 310 SW Lincoln St. The conference includes local tours, wine tasting, and a banquet. Registration deadline is Aug. 23. To learn more, contact RAPS at 503-725-3447 or at raps@pdx.edu.
RAPS club reports Book Club goes exploring with Capt. Cook The RAPS Book Group will meet on June 19 at 1:30 p.m. at the home of Betsy Brown, 1400 NE 16th, No. 107. Call her at 503-493-4870 to RSVP and for directions. We will talk about Blue Latitudes by Tony Horowitz, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. The book is described on the cover: Blue Latitudes retraces Capt. James Cook’s three epic journeys in the 18th century, the last great voyages of discovery. When he embarked for the Pacific in 1768, a third of the globe remained blank. By the time he died in 1779, during a bloody clash in Hawaii, the map of the world was substantially complete. In Blue Latitudes, Horowitz sets off on his own voyage of discovery. Adventuring in Cook’s wake, he relives the captain’s journeys and explores their legacy in the far-flung lands Cook opened to the West. At sea, aboard a replica of Cook’s ship, he works atop a 100-foot mast, sleeps in a narrow hammock, and recaptures the rumand-the-lash world of 18th century seafaring. On land, he meets native people — aboriginal and Aleut elders, Maori gang members, the king of Tonga — for whom Cook is alternately a heroic navigator and a villain who brought syphilis, guns and greed to the unspoiled Pacific. We met on May 15 at an historic home in Kings Heights, originally built for Aaron Frank, the Meier and Frank co-founder. The group discussed Ursula K. LeGuin’s Always Coming Home. Our summer schedule and book selections have not been determined. For information, contact Mary Brannan at brannanmg@comcast.net or 503-239-1077. —Mary Brannan Hikers stride from tram to coast RAPS hikers have an ambitious summer schedule: June 22—Tram and transit hike. Arrangements have been made for complimentary tram tickets through OHSU provost Leslie Hallick. The hike will take us from Council Crest to the Oregon Zoo. Early reservations are necessary for tram tickets. Contact Maxine Thomas at ondangwa@yahoo.comor 503-291-1279. July 27—Marge Terdal has invited us to her beach house, where we have the option to stay overnight Friday. Friday hikes can be as difficult as Neahkahnie Mountain or as easy as the beach (there will be a minus tide). There’s shopping for nonhiking spouses. The Terdal house has sleeping for six plus carpets for throwing out a sleeping bag. Food to share at the Terdals is suggested. Contact Marge Terdal after June 30 at dbmt@pdx.edu or 503-244-5714. Consider joining the Terdals and Sawyers on a hike on Saturday. August 24—Eagle Creek in the Gorge to Devil’s Punch Bowl or to the bridge if the group decides for the extra mile or two. Sack lunch. Unless noted otherwise, the contact person is Larry Sawyer, 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. Please confirm with him by the Thursday before the hike. —Larry Sawyer Bridge Group meets June 12 Our next meeting will be at the home of Irene Place at Willamette View at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12. If you would like to play, please call or email Mike Fiasca, 503-675-8171 or mmfiasca@aol.com, no later than Friday, June 8. The group will continue to meet on the second Tuesday of each month throughout summer. For information, please call or email Colin Dunkeld, 503-292-0838 or colinkeld@gmail.com. —Colin Dunkeld requested that remembrances should be sent to the Library’s Rose-Wright Manuscript Collection of illuminated leaves from 12th to 16th century European books. All of us owe a debt of gratitude to Janet for long years of dedicated service to PSU’s academic mission. Our organization sends its heartfelt condolences to her family. —Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History, with assistance from Professor Helen H. Spalding, University Librarian In memoriam: Janet Wright . . . from page 2 A note from your fearless editor When the RAPS Sheet resumes publication next September, I’d very much like to continue two features, “Our Traveling Retirees” and “Our Active Retirees,” that my predecessor, Jack Cooper, started during his three years as editor of the RAPS Sheet. I agree with Jack that these features, which provide an opportunity to learn where our colleagues have been and what they’re up to, give us a sense of community. To have three or four of these features appear during 2007-08 seems about right. They need not be a chore to write—about 500 words is tops for a RAPS Sheet article. If you have photos that illustrate your story, so much the better. On the other hand, you need not write at all. Call or email me with your story idea, and I’ll do the heavy lifting. You can reach me at 503-639-9322 or vikingdoug@comcast.net. Have a great summer! —Doug Swanson, Editor
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