—3— RAPS club reports Book Club: ‘Stubborn Twig’ Marge Terdal will host us on Monday, April 10, at 1:30 p.m., in her home at 997 SW Westwood Dr., Portland. Contact her at 503-244-5714 or terdalm@ pdx.edu to RSVP and for directions. We will discuss the book selected by the Oregon Reads Oregon library program, Stubborn Twig, by Lauren Kessler. It is described as: A factual account of three generations of a JapaneseAmerican family living in the Pacific Northwest. It begins in 1903, when Masuo Yasui arrived in Hood River, Ore., to seek his fortune. This part of the story is similar to other immigrants’ tales—years of hard work, loneliness, and struggles with a new language and customs. The striking distinction appears around 1919, with the rise of antiJapanese sentiment. Yasui, his brother, their wives, and children had sacrificed much to establish a thriving general store and owned several orchards. Yasui, who spoke fluent English, was the acknowledged leader of the Japanese community in the area and an active member of the orchardists’ cooperatives, the Methodist Church, and the Rotary Club. His family continued to have great success despite discrimination. Their lives were painfully disrupted, however, on Dec. 7, 1941. Yasui was arrested as a spy and imprisoned for the rest of the war; his relatives were scattered and some were interned. Readers learn how racism and internment continued to affect the choices and decisions of second-generation family members. Part sociological study, part American history, part family saga, this title will make a significant addition to any library. An optional additional read is When the Emperor Was Divine, written by Julie Otsuka, which is a fiction book about the Japanese internment on the West Coast during World War II. —Mary Gordon Brannan Bridge Group: Sits down April 14 The RAPS Bridge Group will meet on Tuesday, April 14, at 1:00 p.m. at Willamette View, 12705 SE River Road, Portland. For information about the group, please call Colin Dunkeld, 503-292- 0838. —Colin Dunkeld PAST TENSE Gordon Solie begins long career in 1960 Gordon Solie ‘59, one of PSU’s pioneering professors of music, was a bassoonist for the Portland Symphony Orchestra before even completing his bachelor’s degree. Recruited by Portland State in 1960, Gordon also earned an M.M. at University of Arizona in 1968 and proved to be an outstanding teacher and musician over his 28-year career. Hired first as a bassoonist instructor and director of bands, Gordon also taught conducting, music education, music history and literature, music theory, and his passion: Latin American music. As a musician, he spent many years as a bassoonist with the symphony, and nearly 40 years with the Portland Opera Orchestra as well as with many chamber ensembles. Upon retirement, he became an active board member in REEPS (now RAPS), serving as president and receiving the association’s Outstanding Retired Faculty Award in 2000. He serves on RAPS’ History Preservation Committee and has been instrumental in researching and establishing a database on the Music Department’s graduates. As a professor emeritus of music, Gordon’s artistic interests continue to evolve. He has published music for woodwind instruments for 10 years, established Editions VIENTO, a nonprofit organization, and has 250 works published with 20 composers and arrangers in nine countries. 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. Hikers: Heading to Silver Falls Our April 24 hike is to Silver Falls State Park. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. on the roof of PSU Parking Structure 1, which is on SW Broadway across from Neuberger Hall. Faculty members are asked to bring their parking permits. Suggestions (to Larry Sawyer) are welcome from expected hikers. Please bring a sack lunch. Marge and Leif Terdal and I enjoyed the March hike from Fields Bridge Park and the Willamette Meteorite interpretive trail, on the Tualatin River, into West Linn’s historic Willamette District and down to the Willamette River and its confluence with the Tualatin—and return. The brand-new meteorite trail celebrates the meteorite’s journey from Canada to West Linn to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. A “telltales” phone number is posted: 503-343-3597, 24#, for the curious. Contact Larry Sawyer at larry_sawyer@comcast.net. —Bob Tufts
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