— 4 — In memoriam: Robert C. Tuttle, 1923-2008 Robert C. Tuttle, professor emeritus of English and RAPS life-member, was born in Portland, Nov. 12, 1923, and died at his home on March 7, 2008. On March 22 friends and acquaintances honored him at the family residence with a gathering to celebrate his life. After naval service during World War II, Professor Tuttle enrolled at the University of Washington, where he earned a baccalaureate degree in English (1949). He then continued with graduate studies in American literature and held a year-long English department teaching fellowship at that institution. In 1965 he completed Ph.D. requirements. Professor Tuttle launched his academic career with appointments as an instructor in English at Central Washington State (1951-53), and at the Oregon State System’s Bend Extension Center (1953-55). In l955 he joined the newly formed Portland State College Humanities Division and retired as an emeritus professor of English in 1990. As a pioneering PSU faculty member, Professor Tuttle actively contributed to setting the fledgling institution’s curricular groundwork for what then was its largest teaching department, while it evolved concurrently from providing mostly lower division course work to offering upper division and graduate programs. Over the years he served on a wide range of significant department and University-wide governance and policy-making groups, including Committees for Curriculum, Effective Teaching, Educational Policies, Intercollegiate Athletics, Publications, and the Graduate Council. He participated in several search committees, and was elected to the President’s Advisory Council and the Faculty Senate. Colleagues throughout the University regularly relied upon his experience and leadership in devising solutions supporting the new institution’s overall growth and development. For a planning conference in 1968 he prepared an insightful, useful statement delineating traditional general education assumptions. During the infamous Park Blocks protests in May 1970, he joined other senior faculty members in forming an “Ad Hoc Group for Campus Safety” that defused student demonstrators’ confrontations with police and University authorities and which significantly contributed to reducing violence levels during a troubled episode in PSU’s history. Throughout his teaching career and continuing into retirement, Professor Tuttle actively participated in scholarly activities, many of which afforded a community outreach stemming from longtime interests in Pacific Northwest history and literature. He contributed to the Oregon English Journal and the Oregon Historical Quarterly, served on the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission, and was a member of the board of directors for the Oregon Historical Society. During his tenure he supported the English Department and its students in various capacities, notably as assistant department head and as undergraduate advising coordinator, and directed many advanced degree examinations. Colleagues highly esteemed his professionalism and instructional endeavors that consistently attracted large enrollments at all levels. Throughout the University Professor Tuttle enjoyed a well-regarded reputation for reliability and willingness to provide valuable service. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his valuable contributions to this institution through a crucial epoch of its development. Our organization sends its heartfelt condolences to his surviving spouse, Dez Roberts, daughters Karen Anicker and Robin Semas; son, Mark Tuttle; and, stepdaughters Lynn Rossing, Jan Levine, and Jill Endicott. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission, P.O. Box 3588, Portland OR 97208. —Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History
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