—5— Book Club: ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’ The RAPS Book Club will be hosted on Tuesday, March 16, at 1:30 p.m. by Felicia Wertz, 1125 SW St. Clair Ave., Portland. Call her at 503-227-7902 to RSVP and for directions. We will discuss The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. From the dustcover: We are here in an elegant hôtel particulier in the center of Paris. Renée, the building’s concierge, is short, ugly, and plump. . . . In short, she is everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in a posh Parisian neighborhood. But Renée has a secret: she is a ferocious autodidact who furtively devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor she scrutinizes the lives of the building’s tenants—her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Then there’s Paloma, a super-smart 12year-old and the youngest daughter of the Josses, who live on the fifth floor. Talented, precocious, and startlingly lucid, she has come to terms with life’s seeming futility and has decided to end her own on the day of her 13th birthday. . . Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a new tenant arrives, a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu. He befriends Paloma and is able to see through Renée’s timeworn disguise to the mysterious event that has haunted her since childhood. Looking ahead to April, we will read the Multnomah County Library “Everybody Reads” 2010 selection, The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson. —Mary Brannan Bridge Group: Second Tuesdays The RAPS Bridge Group meets at 1:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The group is open to all members of RAPS. If you are interested in playing or need information about the group, please call me at 503-292-0838. —Colin Dunkeld Past Tense FERDINAND SOCIETY The Ferdinand Society began in 1956 as an organization of teaching faculty and administrators. Founded by Professors Mitchell Kerr (chair), Social Sciences, John Allen, Science, and Emerson Hoogstraat, Business Administration, the society’s constitutional purpose was “to promote fellowship, intellectual discussion and association with leaders in all phases of Portland community life. . . . The society was created in the name of Ferdinand the Bull, whose physical power, friendliness, curiosity, and love for the esthetic symbolize the purpose of this organization.” These men initiated a series of monthly informal luncheons for faculty to help them “stay in touch” and invited outside speakers to promote interactions of faculty with leaders in the community. Following the Ferdinand theme, the presiding officers became the Matador (president), Toreador (program chair), and Picador (secretary/treasurer). The society gained a strong following, increasing its membership from 16 in the 1950s to over 125 in the 1990s. The organization’s success during these years was attributed to its collegial appeal, the 1971 addition of emeritus faculty/administrators, and the inclusion of women faculty, which occurred in 1980 when Mary Constans, Art, and Maxine Thomas, Education, became members. Interest in the society waned in the 1990s with the increasing demands on teaching faculty, and by 2005, membership had dwindled. Scott Burns, Geology, and Ellen Reuler, Speech and Hearing Sciences, who had generously led the society over its last years, organized a farewell function on Nov. 13, 2006. While saying goodbye to a PSU tradition, participating members attested to the benefits of social exchanges among colleagues as being an important part of academia. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), e-mail the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. RAPS club reports Hikers: Headin’ to the West Hills The Tuesday, March 23, hike will be from the Oregon Zoo to Council Crest, to OHSU, down the tram, the streetcar to MAX and MAX back to the Zoo. A senior all-zone ticket or a Tri-Met pass will be necessary. Lunch will be in the Zoo/Sylvan area. It will be necessary to take the elevator at the Zoo. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the top of the Zoo Max elevator. Confirm your participation with Larry Sawyer at larry_sawyer@comcast.net or 503-771-1616. —Larry Sawyer Mitchell Kerr John Allen Emerson Hoogstraat
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