THE RAPS SHEET DECEMBER 2010 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.pdx.edu/raps Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Officers Clarence Hein President Joan Shireman President-elect / Program Chair Larry Sawyer Past President / Membership Chair Robert Lockerby Secretary Robert Vogelsang Treasurer Dawn White Editor Board Members-at-Large Priscilla Blumel Susan Jackson Dawn White Committees Pat Squire Alumni Association Steve Brannan History Preservation Committee Chair Mary Brannan Pictorial History Book Committee Chair Beryl and Vic Dahl Social/Friendship Committee Co-Chairs Office Manager Maya Burton 503/725-3447 / raps@pdx.edu Honore Depew, Student Ambassador to the Sustainability Office, pauses on the roof terrace of the Student Academic and Recreation Center to point out one of the building’s many environmentally friendly features. RAPS members toured Portland State’s green buildings Nov. 18. Pictured from left to right are Nancy Chapman, Bruce Stern, Rudy Nussbaum, Vic Dahl, Laureen Nussbaum, Honore Depew, Mary Brannan and Joan Shireman. See story on page 2. Photo by Larry Sawyer. RAPSters to make merry in December APS’s annual holiday dinner is Thursday, Dec. 16, at the Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 SW Salmon Street, Portland. We anticipate a festive evening, with good food and fellowship, guitar music by Paul Barkett, and a lottery for wine. Arrive at 6:00 pm for hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar; dinner follows at 7:00 pm. If you have not already made your reservation, contact Maya Burton at the RAPS office, 503-725-3447. If you require a ride or would like to carpool, you may also contact Maya at 503-725-3447 or raps@pdx.edu. --Joan Shireman R
2 President’s Message At this time of the year, those with access to space in some publication often feel compelled to offer amazingly obvious advice about being thankful or the pleasures of giving or the importance of family. Don’t worry. I won’t do that since I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Instead, I’d like to describe briefly two tours in which I recently participated. One, our regular RAPS November meeting, involved visiting several campus buildings to see the latest in the University’s sustainability efforts. There is more about this tour in Presidentelect Joan Shireman’s article below. Most impressive to me was to hear about the work students are doing to bring about the end of bottled water as we know it. The other event was a University Umbrella Tour, in which a small group of visitors spend time with selected faculty, staff and students learning about current academic research or administrative planning. Our tour was introduced to programs in the Graduate School of Education, The Occupational Health Psychology Program, and Theater Arts. We finished the visit with a roundtable lunch hosted by President Wim Wiewel. These tours are organized by the University Communication Department. Finally, I hope you have an excellent holiday season and hope to see you at the RAPS Dinner in December. --Clarence Hein RAPS members explore sustainability on campus id you know that Montgomery Plaza—the attractive space between Smith and Cramer—is designed to be part of a system that begins to restore the movement of rainwater from the West Hills to the river? RAPS members learned many such fascinating facts on a Nov. 18 tour of Portland State’s “green” buildings. Led by Honore Depew, Student Ambassador to the Sustainability Office, the group was treated to a most interesting discussion and examination of the sustainability work going on at PSU. The mix of big and small was emphasized--the MAX and trolley lines, the development of new buildings and refurbishing of old, and the many smaller efforts needed to make sustainability really work. Honore emphasized the efforts made to reach students, faculty, and staff, involve them in sustainability, and encourage them to develop new patterns of behavior. The tour began in the new Academic and Student Recreation Center (ASCR) with its many environmentally friendly features, including carefully planted roof terraces and porous tiling, so that rain can be collected and re-used. In contrast, Lincoln Hall was held up as an example of an old building refurbished to be structurally sound, energy efficient, and beautiful. Our tour also included examples of efforts to change patterns of living. The new bicycle shop—prominently placed in the ASCR—encourages bicycle riding by offering tools and help in repairing and maintaining bicycles. And we saw much evidence of smaller efforts designed to alter the way we think about common things, such as the hydration stations (the result of a student project) where re-usable water containers can be refilled with Portland’s Bull Run water. Our guide was wonderfully patient in answering our many questions. And RAPS members were much impressed with the work the University is doing. --Joan Shireman Up first in 2011: volunteerism or our January program, to be held Thursday, Jan. 20, we plan to explore the volunteer work that RAPS members are doing. We’re putting together a panel that illustrates the range of work in which RAPS members are involved. The meeting begins at 1:00 pm in 228 SMSU with light refreshments and socializing, followed by the main program at 1:30 pm. If you would like to talk for five or 10 minutes about your work, please contact program chair Joan Shireman, (shiremanj@pdx.edu), or Maya Burton in the RAPS office (RAPS@pdx.edu). Tell us your name, contact information, and a brief description of the work you do. If we have too many responses, the program committee will select those that represent a range of activities. There will also be time for audience contribution at the meeting. –Joan Shireman D F
3 John Dart hailed as ‘neighborhood hero’ for community service in Arizona cademic retirees in good health generally pursue post-career activities such as catching up on deferred reading, traveling, volunteering, and sometimes undertaking career-related employment opportunities. Many continue to live in close proximity to the institution associated with their careers. John Dart in 1958 However, when Professor of Geography John O. Dart—a climatology specialist—retired in 1988, he and his spouse, Marcella, sought to escape the Pacific Northwest’s rainy winters by settling in sunshineridden Green Valley, AZ, a few miles north of Mexico. The emeritus geography professor launched an entirely different second career in his new community. According to a “Talk of the Town” feature article in the Green Valley News and Sun (Aug. 4, 2010), the local Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers (SAV) honored John Dart for “an impressive 27,225 hours of volunteer service to the Sheriff’s Department in his more than 20 years as an SAV member.” Headlined “Neighborhood hero is honored,” the news account further noted that John had “served as a car commander . . . Emergency Response Team member . . . eventually attaining the top spot of SAV deputy commander.” The SAV commander stated, “John has an incredible sense of humor and most people feel that he has been the heart, soul and most loved person in SAV for the past 20 years.” Those of us who worked with John at PSU would concur wholeheartedly with the Sheriff’s Department’s evaluation of his personality and reputation for dedication to professional commitments. John’s post-retirement voluntary service to fulfill community needs reflects the same motivation that prompted him and other members of the “Greatest Generation” to serve our country in wartime. During childhood years, John lived with his parents in Florida and Cuba until the family put down roots on a ranch in northeastern Washington State. John enrolled at Central Washington College in 1939. On the day following the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, he appeared at an Army recruiting office to enlist. As an infantryman he went ashore on Normandy beach in June 1944, and subsequently engaged in combat across France and Belgium until Nazi forces captured him in Nov. 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. After returning to civilian life in 1945, John completed a BA degree at CWC and subsequently earned Geography MA and PhD degrees at the University of Washington. In 1950 he began a remarkable PSU career which included launching the Geography Department, initiating the Urban and Public Affairs certificate program, and in 1963 organizing the nation’s largest campus Peace Corps training center for volunteers assigned to Middle Eastern countries. In 1965 he became director of the newly established Office of International Programs, thereby laying the groundwork for today’s language and area studies programs and the present day Office of International Affairs. John, your colleagues salute you for excelling in two great careers: education and community service. The cited Green Valley News and Sun article is accessible online. A copy is available for examination in the RAPS files. --Victor C. Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History Editor’s note: As this edition of the RAPS Sheet was going to press, we learned of John Dart’s unexpected death Dec. 7. Professor Dart’s self-written obituary will be printed in an upcoming edition. RAPS Scholarship fund accepting end-of-year contributions APS members seeking to gain last-minute tax breaks by making charitable gifts before 2010 ends are invited to contribute to the RAPS Scholarship fund. Any amount a member wishes to donate will help build the fund. Checks may be made payable to the PSU Foundation and sent to Maya Burton, RAPS Office Manager. The mailing address is RAPS, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751. A R
4 RAPS club reports RAPS Hikers: Nov. hike iced out November’s icy cold prevented the RAPS hikers from making their planned hike on Nov. 23. Larry Sawyer shot this picture of Fairy Falls during the Raps Hikers’ Oct. 26 jaunt along the Wahkeena Creek Trail in the Columbia Gorge. The group will hold its annual potluck and 2011 planning session in December. For additional information, contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. --Larry Sawyer Book Club: ‘The Lacuna’ The RAPS Book Club will meet Tuesday, Dec. 21, at 1:00 pm at the home of Joan Shireman, 13584 SE Snowfire Drive in Happy Valley. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE. Please contact Joan at jshireman@myfrontiermail.com or 503-698-9951 to RSVP and for directions. We will discuss The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. The book is described as follows on the back cover: In this powerfully imagined, provocative novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is the poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as well as an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. Looking ahead to January, we have selected Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. --Mary Brannan Bridge Group: Eats first Dec. 14 The RAPS Bridge Group meets at Willamette View at 1:00 pm Tuesday, Dec. 14. The December gathering begins with lunch ($8.75) and includes a white elephant gift exchange. For further information, please call Colin Dunkeld, 503292-0838. Please call no later than Friday, Dec. 10. --Colin Dunkeld PAST TENSE The mad dash between State Hall and Old Main tate Hall (now Cramer Hall) was the first building constructed by Portland State College. Begun in 1956, it was built a quarter block at a time. The first section had a north entrance door directly across from the south door of Old Main (now Lincoln Hall)—right in the middle of the block. Remember that all streets went through the Park Blocks at that time, including Mill Street, which separates the two buildings. Given that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, everyone crossed Mill Street directly between those two doors. Anyone crossing at that point was technically jaywalking. Policemen were posted on both sides of the street to hand out tickets for this “crime.” It didn’t take long for students, staff and faculty to realize that they needed a plan to cross between buildings. They would congregate at either door until two large clusters had formed, then make a mad dash for the other side. The police were able to pick off only one or two at each crossing--much like big fish picking off smaller fish swimming in schools for protection. Not surprisingly, tempers flared. Someone illegally painted a crosswalk between the two buildings. After a series of angry calls to the mayor’s office and letters to the editor, the police were called off, a legal crosswalk was painted, and tempers were calmed. Today we have only to watch in one direction for the streetcars rather than in both directions for automobiles. --Gordon Solie 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. S
5 In memoriam: LaRay Martyn Barna, 1922-2010 aRay Martyn Barna was born Jan. 30, 1922 in Beaverton OR and died Oct. 16, 2010 at her family’s Oak Grove home. After graduating as high school valedictorian in 1940, LaRay received scholarships to major in speech at Northwestern University in Illinois, earning a baccalaureate degree cum laude in 1944. Before returning to Oregon she taught in an Indiana high school for a year and then held various management positions with the Kraft Foods Corporation for three years. In 1947 she married Norman Barna, an accomplished Air Force pilot whom she had met during wartime, and they subsequently settled in Oregon where they reared their three children. From l952 to 1954 LaRay, a motivated working mother, held appointments at Lewis and Clark College as a speech and radio instructor and admissions counselor. LaRay joined Portland State University’s speech communication program in 1956 as an instructor and launched a distinguished academic career focusing on intercultural communication and education. While teaching at PSU, she completed a master’s degree in her field in 1970. In 1964 Professor Naguib Greis recruited Professor Barna to join a core group of linguistic specialists to establish PSU’s pioneering English as a Second Language program, the forerunner of this institution’s present day undergraduate and graduate programs in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She originated intercultural communication courses for training ESL teachers. Those activities provided instruction for international students, included extensive significant on-campus committee service, and featured high quality participation in professional organizations. In 1973 Professor Barna served as assistant director of PSU’s summer session at Sapporo University in Japan, and during 1978-1980 she held an appointment as assistant dean in the College of Arts and Letters. She retired in 1990 as an emeritus associate professor. Family members and friends gathered at the Barna home Nov. 14 for a memorial celebration. Those in attendance learned about LaRay’s career in fashion modeling and her communications talents, which included professional whistling. Guests heard her recorded performances on the NBC Kraft Music Hall radio variety show hosted by Bing Crosby. As a past RAPS president, LaRay contributed a great deal to supporting and advancing PSU faculty retirees’ interests and programs. All of us who knew and engaged with LaRay in our careers held the highest respect for her. She was an inspiration to an uncountable number of students from a wide variety of cultural origins. The entire institution owes her a debt of gratitude for exemplary intellectual achievements and contributions during its seminal growth. Survivors include LaRay’s husband, Norman; son, Randall; daughters, Vickie Wood and Shari Steber; sister, Mary Jane McHugh; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. To them, our organization extends its heartfelt sympathy for their loss, which we fully share. An extended obituary and guestbook may be consulted online at www.oregonlive.com/obits and in the RAPS office files. Memorial donations may be made to the Barna Scholarship; visit www.intercultural.org/Barna.php for information. --Victor C. Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History In memoriam: Michael William Tichy, 1921-2010 ichael Tichy, Emeritus Professor of Health and Physical Education, was born July 21, 1921 in a Pennsylvania coal mining community. He died Oct. 31, 2010 in a local rest home. Family and friends, including many former colleagues and students, attended a funeral mass and rosary recitation Nov. 4, 2010 at St. John Fisher Catholic Church in Portland. On July 29, family and friends celebrated his 89th birthday –an event Mike fully appreciated. In 1933 Mike’s immigrant parents both died within the same week. Older siblings held the family together during an ensuing era of extreme hardship. At one point, teenaged Mike was the only employed family member. He matured while learning firsthand continued on page 6 L M
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6 Michael Tichy . . . continued from page 5 to nurture precious gifts: family, friends, and an abiding religious belief. In 1941 a cash-strapped Mike enrolled in East Stroudsberg (PA) College to prepare for a health and physical education career. World War II service interrupted his progress. He joined the U. S. Army in 1943, was commissioned as an information and education officer, and served at stateside military posts and in Germany. A treasured military souvenir photo features Captain Tichy with former heavyweight world boxing champion Joe Louis. Aided by the GI Bill, Mike resumed campus life, earning a baccalaureate degree in 1948. Sports activities figured prominently during his collegiate years along with extracurricular activities such as membership in Phi Beta Kappa and editing the yearbook. Baseball was always his favorite sport. (Military service had precluded his accepting a Brooklyn Dodgers draft.) After college graduation, Mike took a year-long (1948-49) junior high school position at Wapato, WA, teaching and coaching football. In1949 he initiated graduate work at the University of Southern California. En route to Los Angeles, he stopped at the University of Portland and was appointed to coach team sports and serve as athletics director. His 19521956 men’s tennis team won 79 straight matches, a streak never repeated at that school. Mike joined Portland State College’s faculty in 1955. The newly established institution in today’s Lincoln Hall posed enormous pedagogical challenges. Health and physical education coursework was conducted in extremely limited facilities. In addition to classroom teaching, Mike participated in coaching team sports. As head baseball coach from 1957 to 1961, he developed stunningly successful teams that won district and national championships with minimal institutional support, i.e. no scholarships. During fulltime service at UP and PSC, Mike earned a USC master’s degree in 1951 and pursued summer session graduate studies (1953 and 1954) at the University of Colorado. As a PSU faculty member, he tackled doctoral studies at the University of Wyoming, earning an EdD in 1961. Soon after settling in Portland, Mike met a UP nursing student, Anna Mae Wahl, at the Washington Park tennis courts, offering her advice on improving her game. They married in 1954 when she earned a nursing bachelor’s degree. Anna Mae also earned a master’s degree at Oregon Health Sciences University in 1975 and completed an EdD at PSU in 1985. At both UP and PSU, students flocked to Mike’s popular classes and sought his academic advice. In keeping with PSU’s mission to fulfill the urban community’s educational needs, he organized physical fitness, recreation, exercise, and health maintenance programs that generated enthusiastic participation by students and the general population. When PSU contracted to train Peace Corps volunteers in the 1960s, Mike taught exercise classes. Mike actively participated in professional organizations at the local, state and national levels, and regularly presented and published research findings. His popular afternoon adult jogging and exercise classes became well known throughout the metropolitan area. Many awards and recognitions came to him. He was elected in 1975 to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for the Northwest. In 1988—on the basis of his national prominence in sports and fitness activities—the Council designated him as a National Master in the Presidential Sports Award program. In 1984 he was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Fitness and Sports. Professor Tichy made several fitness presentations to the RAPS membership, offering invaluable advice to retirees on lifestyles and healthy habits. He was well known throughout the University and was an original member of the Ferdinand Society. The institution owes him a lasting debt of gratitude for his effective contributions during its transition from Park Blocks extension center to comprehensive university status. All of us have been enriched by knowing Mike; we will remember and miss him forever. In addition to Anna Mae, Mike is survived by daughters Marie and Theresa, son Paul, three grandchildren and one great grandchild. Sons Eugene and William preceded Mike in death. To Anna Mae and her children, this organization extends its heartfelt sympathy. An extensive Oregonian obituary and guest book are accessible at www.oregonlive.com/obits. A copy may be consulted at the RAPS office. Donations may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society or the Oregon Food Bank. --Victor C. Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History
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