Retirement Association of Portland State Portland State University Post Office Box 751 Portland, OR 97207-0751 Koinonia House, second floor SW Montgomery at Broadway Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.raps.pdx.edu Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Officers Marjorie Terdal President Larry Sawyer President-elect / Program Chair Robert Tufts Past President / Membership Chair Robert Vogelsang Treasurer / Regional Retirement Association Ad Hoc Committee Chair Joan Shiremanr Secretary Doug Swanson Editor Robert Pearson Webmaster Board Members-at-Large Jan DeCarrico Charlene Levesque DawnWhite Committees Alumni Association Pat Squire Awards Committee Chair Bruce Stern History Preservation Committee Chair Steve Brannan Pictorial History Book Committee Chair Mary Brannan Social/Friendship Committee Co-Chairs Beryl and Vic Dahl Office Manager MiMi Bernal-Graves 503-725-3447 / raps@pdx.edu THE RAPSSHEET DECEMBER 2008 Photo by Larry Sawyer continued on page 3 Wiewel: ‘I came to lead a glorious place’ Wim Wiewel built a case for a positive and lively future for Portland State at the fifth edition of RAPS’ 2008-2009 Program/ Speaker series on Nov. 20. During his 45-minute talk before about four dozen RAPSters, Portland State’s new president used a genial, conversational style as he described PSU’s challenges and opportunities— and there appears to be plenty of both. Wiewel, who spent 25 years at another post-war urban university, the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Portland State’s history of “struggle and hope” was familiar to him. But he cautioned that the institution should “never be caught and stymied by that history.” “We have to acknowledge that we have to move from being a place of struggle and hope to being a place of glory,” he said. “Portland State really is a university that deserves to think of itself as a great university. That’s the university I came to lead. I did not come to be the head of a group of victims; I came to lead a glorious place.” The road to that glorious place is paved with five themes. Wiewel explored all of them as he walked around the Smith Union conference room, gesturing and talking in an accent that barely betrays his Dutch background. Provide civic leadership through partnerships—The dynamics of local leadership have changed in the past generation, Wiewel said, leaving PSU in a strong position in the community. The institutions that used to provide leadership—banks, newspapers, industries—are now seldom local, and those that still are may not be in a few years. “The bank is owned in North Carolina, the department store is owned in Minneapolis, the manuWimWiewel RAPS’ Holiday Party Dec. 17 Join friends and renew acquaintanceships at RAPS’ annual Holiday Party on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 SW Salmon Street, Portland. The party begins with a social hour at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 and entertainment at 8:00. Laura Cunard and Ben Graves will perform a variety of jazz, pop, and holiday music. Cunard is a pianist and vocalist who has performed for more than 25 years. Graves has more than 20 years’ background in jazz, Latin, and classical music. Cost to attend this year’s party was not determined by press time. Expect a flyer in the mail soon with more details.
—2— President’s Message Ioften hear retirees comment, “I keep so busy that I wonder how I ever had time to work!” In addition to the many “fun” things I do, including traveling, playing with grandchildren, reading, and walking, I, like many of you, am involved in several volunteer activities. A quick survey of the RAPS Board found that RAPS members give their time generously in a variety of ways. Several contribute their expertise to the University. Steve Brannan and Mary Gordon Brannan have been involved with the history preservation project to help PSU preserve and publicize its history. Bruce Stern is on the board of directors at the PSU Bookstore. Charlene Levesque is a board member of the Walk of the Heroines and serves on the Martin Luther King celebration committee. Others provide services to organizations in their community. Vic and Beryl Dahl are members of the Friends of Lake Oswego Public Library. Bob Tufts belongs to Urban Tour Group, which gives downtown tours to third graders. Dawn White is an avid quilter and has made charity quilts for different groups, including Quilts for Kids and the Women’s Crisis Center. Others volunteer with church- or synagogue-related activities. Bruce Stern holds several leadership positions at his synagogue and volunteers at the Oregon Jewish Museum as well as at the Oregon Food Bank. Larry Sawyer is on the shovel-and-rake gang at his church—a group primarily of men who spend every Thursday morning on yard and other maintenance projects. At my church I chair the committee that plans classes for adults. I also serve as a Stephen Minister, meeting weekly with a person who is experiencing a major crisis and offering support in her time of need. And what kinds of volunteer activities do you find personally rewarding? Let me know and I will write about you in a future President’s Message. I particularly hope that some of you will respond to the “RAPS to the Rescue” item in the November RAPS Sheet. I did, and Pat Wetzel introduced me to a Japanese graduate student, whom I will mentor with her writing. —Marge Terdal James L. “Jim” Savage, retired associate professor of business administration, born Aug. 9, 1931, died on Oct. 15, 2008, at his home in Portland due to congestive heart failure and diabetes. Family and friends congregated at St. Patrick’s Church for a funeral service on Oct. 22. The extensive obituary that appeared inThe Oregonian of October 19 may be consulted in the RAPS office. A lifelong Portlander, Prof. Savage attended local public schools, earned a B.A. (1953) degree at the University of Oregon, and an M.B.A. (1965) at the University of Portland. His association with Portland State began in 1960 when he responded to the young institution’s talent search to mount programs to meet the metropolitan area’s needs for business education. He was one of several teaching faculty members recruited from the business community to staff accounting and auditing courses. Prof. Savage’s service paralleled an organizational gestation wherein the business administration section within an academic division emerged as a freestanding department that evolved into the School of Business Administration. Concurrently with ongoing classroom teaching that attracted heavy student enrollment, Prof. Savage founded a local accounting firm that later merged with a nationwide organization for which he assumed the role of managing partner. In 1976, he co-authoredAuditing in the Public Sector, and as a professor of auditing he played an instrumental role in building professional bridges between PSU and the downtown accounting community. His academic and professional stature enhanced the school’s growing recognition in the accounting arena as he continued to offer auditing courses through the 1980s. The University owes him a debt of gratitude for longtime energetic, dedicated support. He was well known and respected throughout the campus community. Some of us fondly recall that he organized a faculty bowling league and enthusiastically participated on a faculty intramural basketball team. In memoriam: James L. Savage, 1931-2008 continued on page 5
—3— Wiewel: Improve, achieve, enhance, expand . . . continued from page 1 facturer is owned by a hedge fund—and nobody can find where that is,” Wiewel said, drawing laughter. It’s left to PSU, which he described as a large university in a not-so-large community, to think about the future of the region—-health care, transportation, government, natural environment. Improve student success—“You can’t provide civic leadership and not take care of home,” Wiewel explained. While he said that PSU does a good job with graduate students and transfers, “we don’t do a particularly good job with freshmen.” The University’s six-year graduation and retention rate is 38 percent, far short of the 50 percent rate of its peer group institutions. The solutions include better academic advising, more course offerings, and “more student housing so we can have more of a student social experience, because we know that an engaged student is more likely to succeed.” Achieve global excellence—If Portland wants to succeed, it has to complete globally, Wiewel said, and that means that Portland State has to complete globally as well. “Excellence also means you have to make choices, because you can’t be excellent in everything,” he explained. “We’ve made some choices— that’s why we focused on sustainability,” which inspired a $25 million challenge grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the largest gift in PSU history. Collaborations with OHSU and teaching students to live and work in a world of ethnic, racial, cultural, and socio-economic diversity are also elements of the “global excellence” theme. Enhance educational opportunity—Soon after he arrived on campus, Wiewel related, he met with Carole Smith, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, to form a task force that will “tell us how we can more strategically focus the collaborations we already have.” PSU and PPS already have dozens of collaborations, but, said Wiewel, they “don’t necessarily focus on the key challenges for PPS to succeed. If they don’t do a good job, we’re left with the residue.” Expand resources and improve effectiveness— Portland State now generates about $40 million annually in external grants and contracts. Wiewel wants that doubled in six to eight years. “That clearly fits in with global excellence and urban engagement—you can’t do those things unless you have the external funding,” he said. Increasing private funding is another target. The economy might make the job more difficult, but the good news, Wiewel said, is that “there is so much untapped potential because there’s been, relatively, so little done.” Creative partnering with other organizations is an efficient way to get things done. He pointed to the Student Recreation Center, due to be completed in 2009. “The city is paying for the first floor because city archives will be stored there; student rec fees are paying for the recreational piece; the Chancellor’s Office is paying for a boardroom; retail (areas) will be paid by leases; and the University is paying for the School of Social Work and some classrooms,” he said. “But you know what? All of that will be ours someday—but don’t tell ’em I said that!” he warned, using a stage whisper and prompting laughs. After the lofty themes comes the nitty-gritty of running a university in a state with a balky economy and a national ranking of 46th in state aid to higher education. “To compensate, does our tuition rank at the top? No, it ranks 26th,” said Wiewel. On top of that, Wiewel pointed out, Portland State added 50 percent more students in the past eight years without a corresponding increase in faculty and staff. “The state did not give us any money for that growth until the current biennium, when they gave us the money for half of them,” he explained. “They said the check is in the mail for the other half. I’m not so sure that check will be coming.” Getting a bigger slice of the pie is not the answer— growing the pie is, Wiewel said. He sees consensus among the business, civic, and political communities to change the fiscal structure of Oregon. “It’s just that they have not been able to make the case to the voters.” The other side of the coin is tuition. “If the state does not give us direct aid, we have no choice but to look at tuition (increases),” he said. “While I’d love to avoid that, that may be what we need to do.” Markyour calendar Dec. 17, 6:00 p.m. Holiday Party Multnomah Athletic Club Jan. 15, 1:00p.m. Tom Palm on Estonia 236 Smith Memorial Student Union Feb. 19, 1:00 p.m. Charlie White chairs panel on RAPS history programs 236 Smith Memorial Student Union
— 4 — In memoriam: S. John Trudeau, 1927-2008 In memoriam: Margaret Dixon, 1919-2008 S.John Trudeau, professor emeritus of music and dean emeritus of the School of Fine and Performing Arts, born Feb. 26, 1927, in Salem, Mass., died from congestive heart failure on Nov. 3, 2008. At the New England Conservatory of Music he earned a Bachelor of Music degree cum laude in 1951. David Stabler, music critic at The Oregonian, wrote a biographical article that appeared in the Nov. 8, 2008, issue. Prof. Trudeau came to Portland in 1951 as the Portland Symphony’s principal trombonist. During the ensuing decades he pursued a multifaceted leadership and academic career featuring significant accomplishments in music, education, public service, and institution building. He held music department appointments at Reed (1951-1953) and Lewis & Clark (1953-1954) prior to joining the newly established Portland State College’s music faculty in 1955, rising from instructor to professorial rank. While heading PSU’s Music Department, he guided its growth and expansion through various institution-wide academic reorganizations aimed at creating an urban university with a special community outreach. Concurrently, he conducted the PSU orchestra at various times, and for 14 years he also conducted the Columbia Symphony, a music group that began with volunteers and which he eventually developed into a semi-professional orchestra. Perhaps his most notable accomplishments stem from his role in forming the internationally recognized outdoor Peter Britt Music and Arts Festival in Jacksonville, Ore. This annual summer event, now extending over four months, provides top-level performances in classical, pop, rock, dance, and musical theatre. In 1976, after a nationwide search, Prof. Trudeau became the first dean of the University’s newly organized College of Arts and Letters, which included a broad range of disciplines: art, architecture, journalism, foreign languages, women’s studies, English, and music. Further academic organizational restructuring led to forming the School of Fine and Performing Arts in 1982, and, again after a nationwide search for a dean, Prof. Trudeau was appointed to the new position. He ably served in that capacity until his retirement in 1986. In addition to his teaching and administrative responsibilities, Prof. Trudeau actively participated in faculty governance through important campuswide committees including General Student Affairs, Academic Requirements, and search committees for various administrative positions. His colleagues throughout the institution highly esteemed his lasting contributions to our shared academic mission. John and his spouse, Elizabeth, participated in the recent RAPS fall program at Bonneville Dam. To her and their four children, George J. Trudeau; Jeannette T. Coll; Stephanie J. Hulcher; and Jennifer Graylands, our organization extends its heartfelt condolences. A memorial service at PSU will be scheduled for a later date. Memorial contributions may be sent to Ascension Episcopal Parish or to the Elizabeth and John Trudeau Endowed Scholarship Fund at the PSU Foundation. —Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History, with assistance from Gordon Solie, Professor Emeritus of Music Margaret (Margie) Dixon, spouse of Prof. Brock Dixon, died in Newport, Oct. 18, 2008, while they were celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary. She was born April 21, 1919, in Newberg. During the seminal years of PSU’s historical development, the Dixons were well known to the institution’s pioneering faculty and staff. Mrs. Dixon actively promoted a support group, the PSC Women’s Faculty Club, which generated scholarships. Prof. Dixon, a Vanport faculty member, actively participated in the events leading up to the formation of Portland State College in 1955, and subsequently served as Political Science Department head, assistant dean of Faculty, and dean of Administration until 1967. In retirement the Dixons divided their time between Oregon and Australia, where their son, Gale, and family reside after he retired as a geography professor in Melbourne. Those of us who knew the Dixons extend our condolences to Brock, who has returned to join his son’s family in Australia, and we express sincere gratitude for his founding contributions to this institution. —Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History
— 5 — Book Club: Dreams and Audacity on Jan. 20 At the November meeting, we found it interesting that in his second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini focused on females, whereas the primary characters were males in his first book, The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns began where The Kite Runner ended. We noted that as the Afghan rulers changed—communists to Taliban—the lifestyle of women changed dramatically. We found it difficult to read about the helplessness of the women characters. We will not meet in December, but will resume on Jan. 20 at 1:30 p.m. Dez Roberts will host us in her home at 2610 SW 84th, Portland. Please contact her at 503-292-6095 if you would like to join the discussion. The January books are Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, both by Barack Obama. The first book is described on the back cover as: In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance. —Mary Gordon Brannan RAPSBridge Group: Shuffles on Dec. 9 Our next meeting will be at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Willamette View. This is also our annual white elephant whatnot. If this doesn’t scare you off, please let me know no later than Friday, Dec. 5. Reach me at 503-292-0838 or at colinkeld@gmail.com. —Colin Dunkeld Hikers: Taking a holiday break There will not be a December hike because of the holidays. The Hikers did stride into Washington state the week before Thanksgiving when they visited Fort Vancouver and hiked about two miles. Look for news of the January hike in the next RAPS Sheet. —Larry Sawyer RAPS club reports PAST TENSE Coach Pokey Allen rides herd on PSU football Ernest “Pokey” Allen, head football coach from 1986 to 1992, took the Vikings to NCAA Division II national prominence, winning five Western Football Conference titles. His flair for promotion increased interest in PSU football when he sometimes let fans call pass or run plays. He also appeared on TV ads being shot from a cannon or riding an elephant. Allen compiled the best winning percentage of any PSU football head coach, was named Oregon Coach of the Year for 1987-88, and was inducted into the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Allen died of a rare form of cancer at age 53 in 1996. —From Portland State: A History in Pictures Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. Jim actively pursued wide-ranging civic support pursuits that left an indelible mark on the city of his birth. For example, he served on the trustee boards for the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children and Jesuit High School. He took pride in his role as a founding member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Embry Lee Buckley Savage, his spouse of 52 years, survives him. As a member of the PSU Women’s Faculty Association, she organized several extensive art sales to generate scholarship funding. To Embry; their daughter, Susan Pirri, of San Francisco; sons Bob, of Portland, and Jim, of Oakland, Calif.; and five grandchildren, our organization extends its heartfelt condolences. Remembrances may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 3101 SW Sam Jackson Road, Portland OR 97239, or the Mudd Nick Foundation, PO Box 1078, Manzanita OR 97130. —Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History, with assistance from Lewis N. Goslin, Professor Emeritus of Business Administration James L. Savage . . . continued from page 2
NAME __________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________________________ CITY ________________________________________________ STATE ________ ZIP __________ PHONE __________________________________ E-MAIL ______________________________________ Method of payment: My check is enclosed in the amount of $34.95 payable to PSU Foundation. Please charge my credit card: Visa MasterCard AmEx Discover Card number Exp. date Name as it appears on card ________________________________ Signature of cardholder________________________________________________________________ Return this form to: Retired Association of Portland State—RAPS Koinonia House Portland State University PO Box 751 Portland OR 97207-0751 Order your pre-publication copy today by filling out the order form and mailing it to the RAPS office. The price of $34.95 includes free shipping. For further information, contact MiMi Bernal-Graves, RAPS office manager, at raps@pdx.edu or 503-7253447. Portland State: A History in Pictures will be available winter 2009. Three years in the making, this project of the Retired Association of Portland State contains more than 300 color and black-and-white photos that document PSU’s history, events, and people. At 180 pages and in a big, 8-1/2 x 11 format, Portland State: A History in Pictures is a great addition to your personal library and makes a terrific gift. Writing by Richard Sanders ‘57, photo editing by Brent Schauer, and editing by Charlie White and Clarence Hein ‘65. Portland State: A History in Pictures
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