— 5 — RAPS club reports Book Club: ‘The Glass Castle’ on Feb. 17 We met on an historic day, Inauguration Day, to talk about two books written by President Obama, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. We intertwined the discussion about Obama’s life story and the development of his beliefs, intelligence, and hopes with the events earlier in the day when he was sworn in as president of the United States, which we had all watched. Maxine Thomas will host us on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 1:30 p.m. in her home at 6535 SW Canyon Court, Portland. Contact her at 503-291-1279 or ondangwa@yahoo.comto RSVP and for directions. We will discuss a New York Times bestseller, The Glass Castle, a memoir written by Jeannette Walls. It is described on the back cover: The Glass Castleis a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family. The Wells children learned to take care of themselves . . . The Glass Castleis truly astonishing—a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family. The book selected for March is People of the Book, written by Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, which we discussed at an earlier gathering. —Mary Gordon Brannan Bridge Group: Deals Feb. 10 Our next meeting will be at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Willamette View. If you would like to play, please let me know as soon as you can and no later than Friday, Feb. 6. If you have questions about the Bridge Group, please call me at 503292-0838. —Colin Dunkeld PAST TENSE ESL program booms at Portland State PSC Offers ‘Zip’ English”—that was the headline over an article that appeared in The Oregonianon Dec. 6, 1964, describing the new 12-credit English 110 program for 36 Saudi students at Portland State College. Prof. Naguib Greis, who grew up in Egypt, initiated the Center for English as a Second Language at Portland State and directed it for the next 25 years. The center was one of the first university-based academic ESL programs in the western United States. When the center opened, all of the students were from Saudi Arabia. There were two sections, taught by Esther Richards, Helen Schley, Alfred Sugarman, and Francis Gibson from the Speech Department, and two graduate assistants. Prof. Greis soon realized the need to broaden the enrollment to students from other countries. At the same time the center was expanding, TESL Certificate and M.A. TESOL programs were developed to prepare teachers to meet the growing needs of the community. These programs were part of the English Department until 1988, when the Applied Linguistics Department was formed, with Jim Nattinger as chair. Four of the ESL instructors, Prue Douglas, Jan DeCarrico, Shirley Morrell, and I, taught for many years and played an active role in organizing the Oregon chapter of TESOL. When we started presenting papers at national conferences and fomenting change in the program, Prof. Greis dubbed us the “Gang of Four,” a title that we proudly carried as we each taught teachers in China in the 1980s. —Marge Terdal, Professor Emerita of Applied Linguistics 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: OMSI to OMSI via Steel Bridge Twelve current and past hikers participated in a potluck and hike planning session at the Sawyers’ home in December, which featured turkey, cheesecake, and lots of wine. Hikes from February through June were planned. The February hike will be on Friday, Feb. 20. This is a third Friday rather than the regular fourth Friday, and the day after the RAPS general meeting and the Remembering PSU’s History event. We will meet at 9:30 a.m. on the river side of OMSI. The hike will traverse the east side of the river to the Steel Bridge, back south on the west side to the Hawthorne Bridge, and back to OMSI. Lunch will be at or near OMSI. Please confirm your participation by Thursday, Jan. 19, by calling 503-771-1616 or e-mailing larry_sawyer@comcast.net. —Larry Sawyer
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