— 5 — Book Club: ‘Cup of Light’ The RAPS Book Club will meet on Tuesday, May 18, at 5 p.m., at Old Wives Tales, 1300 E. Burnside St., for an early dinner. Please RSVP to Mary Brannan by Monday, May 17, at 503-239-1077 or at brannanmg@comcast.net so that she can inform the restaurant about the number of people to expect. We will discuss Cup of Light, written by local author Nicole Mones. On her Web site, Mones described her novel as follows: When a young porcelain expert flies to China to evaluate a collection of artwork up for international sale, she lands in circumstances vastly different from what she expected. Lia Frank finds greed, deception, and political turbulence instead of clarity when she tries to learn the origin of a huge collection of priceless porcelains. From the slightly shady Hollywood Road antique district in Hong Kong, to the professional underworld smugglers who move art illegally out of the mainland; from the rich Western art lovers who don’t ask questions, to the Chinese museum officials who want to bring back every piece taken out by Western marauders, each player in the game carries his own secret. It’s Lia’s job to find the truth. As she sorts out the puzzle and uncovers the true history of the collection, she also yearns to have a relationship with more than an inanimate work of art. As the story unfolds, she gets her chance. Looking ahead, our selection for June is The Women, written by T. C. Boyle. —Mary Brannan Bridge Group: Second Tuesdays The RAPS Bridge Group meets at 1 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 AN OFFENSIVE OUTBURST From 1975 to1980 the PSU football team, under coach “Mouse” Davis, and with quarterbacks June Jones and Neil Lomax leading the “run and shoot” offense, led the nation in passing and total offense for five straight years and led the nation in scoring three times. Portland State set 20 NCAA Division II offensive records in addition to being the NCAA’s all-time point producer in 1980. The Viks scored 541 points in 11 games—an average of 49.2 points—along with 434.9 yards passing and 504.3 yards of total offense per game. PSU fans still talk about the 50-49 win over Montana in 1976 as the most exciting game ever. June Jones threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Dave Steif, with no time remaining, for the win. Another record-setting game (most passes by two teams) was against Santa Clara. The Viks were victorious in the game as well, which included a 98-yard strike from June to Scott Saxton. After graduation, June played for the Atlanta Falcons (1977-81), then the Toronto Argonauts (1982). In 1983 he began his coaching career at the University of Hawaii. He is now head coach at Southern Methodist University. Led by Lomax in 1980, the Vikings had record scores of 105-0 over Delaware State, 93-7 over Cal Poly, and 72-0 over Weber State. Lomax played only two quarters in these games; despite that, he threw seven touchdown passes in one quarter against Delaware State. After graduation, Neil was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, where he had a nine-year career. He is currently living in Lake Oswego and supplies quarterbacks (his sons) to Lake Oswego High School. In 1981 coach Davis joined the UC Berkeley coaching staff. He concluded his long career in 2009 when he retired as offensive coordinator at Portland State University. He currently lives in Lake Oswego. Davis and his players saved football at Portland State—the sport was under consideration of being dropped—and gave the school some great football tradition at the same time. —Mouse Davis and Roger Moseley 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: Ecola State Park On Tuesday, May 25, the RAPS Hikers will hike in Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach. Because of the distance involved, we will meet earlier than usual—at 8 a.m. at the DMV office in the Cedar Hills Shopping Center, near the intersection of Highways 217 and 26. Alternatively, you can meet us at the Ecola State Park parking lot at 10 a.m. The park is west of US 101, about two miles north of Cannon Beach. Bring a sack lunch. Confirm your participation by May 24 to Larry Sawyer, 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. —Larry Sawyer
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