THE RAPS SHEET OCTOBER 2011 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: Wednesdays 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Thursdays 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Officers Joan Shireman President Dave Krug President-elect / Program Chair Clarence Hein / Membership Chair Past President Robert Lockerby Secretary Robert Vogelsang Treasurer / Regional Retirement Association Ad Hoc Committee Chair Dawn White Editor Board Members-at-Large Anne Bender Priscilla Blumel Susan Jackson Committees TBA Alumni Association Steve Brannan History Preservation Committee Chair Mary Brannan Pictorial History Book Committee Chair Beryl and Vic Dahl Social/Friendship Committee Co-Chairs Larry Sawyer Awards Committee Chair Office Manager Maya Burton 503/725-3447 / raps@pdx.edu PSU Weekend Oct. 21-23 Event features author Sara Gruen ara Gruen, author of the bestselling novel Water for Elephants, provides the keynote address for the Alumni Association’s PSU Weekend Friday, Oct. 21. Her talk, which begins at 7:30 pm in the SMSU Ballroom, is preceded by an exclusive VIP sponsor reception. Sponsorships begin at $125 and include preferred seating for the lecture. Individual tickets are available for $20. PSU Weekend also features the popular Saturday Seminars, which are free and open to the public. This year 16 lectures are offered on a wide variety of topics including politics, the arts, science, and popular culture. Preregistration by Oct. 17 is urged to ensure adequate seating. Walk-ins are welcome but seating is limited. For a complete list of PSU Weekend activities and to register online, go to www.pdx.edu/alumni or call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 503-7254948. VP Catherine Faris is Oct. RAPS speaker atherine Faris, Associate Vice President for Development, talks to RAPS members Thursday, Oct. 20, on the topic of PSU initiatives and endowment giving. RAPS’s monthly meeting begins at 1:00 pm in 296 SMSU. Faris plans to introduce the new Executive Director of Alumni Engagement. Looking ahead, the November program features Helen Young, Senior Research Associate in Special Education, speaking on her research on children with autism. Young’s talk is scheduled Thursday, Nov. 17 at 1:00 pm in 296 SMSU. In December RAPS holds its annual Holiday Party at the Multnomah Athletic Club, with entertainment by The Wanderers. VP Catherine Faris Don’t be left out of the new RAPS Directory! Make sure your contact information is up-to-date by emailing raps@pdx.edu or calling the RAPS Office at 503-725-3447. See related story on page 2. S C
2 President’s Message APS has gotten off to a busy start this September, with multiple projects underway. The big news is that the first RAPS scholarship will be awarded this fall to a student whose focus of study is gerontology. Planning for this scholarship has been going on for more than two years. We have had a wine raffle at many of our meetings to raise money for the scholarship, and last fall Robert Vogelsang hosted a wonderful musical evening as a fundraiser. Additionally, there have been gifts made directly to the scholarship fund. Soon we will begin more focused fundraising efforts with the help of RAPS members and the Development Office of Portland State. The speaker at the October RAPS Program will provide an overview of PSU initiatives, and parts of her presentation may provide ideas about fundraising. We may also have a board member taking a class on the topic. So the RAPS scholarship, thanks to the hard work of board members and the generosity of RAPS members, is underway. This is, of course, just the beginning of the project. If we are to give a scholarship every year, we will all have to be involved in funding it. A second major project starting this fall is the rebuilding of the RAPS archive. As reported in the September RAPS Sheet, an accident to the RAPS computer meant that we lost much material. With the help of a committee chaired by Steve Brannan, it seems that we are going to turn this catastrophe into an opportunity. He is going to lead an effort to rebuild the RAPS archive in such a way that major documents are preserved and organized for easy retrieval. He plans to consult the University archivist about organizational and back-up options. At the end of the committee’s work we will have a well developed system for recording the history of RAPS. Additionally, you should know that a committee is forming to do the planning for the 2013 Northwest Regional Retirement Association conference, which will be held at Portland State. The book group, the hikers, and the bridge group continue their monthly activities. President-Elect Dave Krug is planning monthly programs that sound fascinating. RAPS is indeed a dynamic organization. I hope you will join in the fellowship. --Joan Shireman Contact information sought for updated RAPS directory he RAPS database is being updated in preparation for publication of a new RAPS directory. According to Larry Sawyer, 2010-11 membership chair, who is leading the effort, few changes have been reported thus far. Information collected for the directory includes the retiree’s name, spouse name (if applicable), home address, phone number, and email address. Members can choose to opt out of any of the categories. “If we don’t hear from you,” says Larry, “we will assume that you have opted out and publish only your name.” Even if the listing in the current directory is correct, every RAPS member is encouraged to send an email to raps@pdx.edu or call the RAPS Office at 503-725-3447. This ensures that the database information is current and that RAPSters won’t unwittingly have their contact information eliminated from the directory by failing to get in touch with the organization. To confirm that your listing in the current directory is correct, update your information or instruct RAPS to withhold certain information, please send an email to raps@pdx.edu or call the RAPS Office, 503-725-3447. Questions? Please contact Larry Sawyer, 503-7711616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. RAPS members tour Lincoln Hall wenty RAPS members enjoyed a memorable tour of Lincoln Hall Sept. 15, guided by Barbara Sestak, Dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts. Seismic upgrades, better acoustics, and comfortable new seats in the auditoriums are just part of the story on improvements to the nearly 100-year-old building, the first on campus to receive the coveted LEED Platinum Certification. If you missed the guided tour, it’s worth taking a walk through on your own. --Dave Krug R T T
3 RAPS club reports Larry Sawyer shares part of his lunch with a gray jay during the September hike on Mt. Hood. Photo by Laureen Nussbaum. RAPS Hikers head to the Oregon Coast Our September hike was a short one to Lower Twin Lake on Mt. Hood near Frog Lake. It was changed from the published hike to Veda Lake due to rough road. Participating in the hike were Laureen Nussbaum, Larry Sawyer, Marge Terdal, and Maxine Thomas. We ate lunch at the lake while watching some frolicking dogs fetching sticks in the lake. The camp robbers (Gray Jays) were very active. Our October hike takes us to the Oregon coast. On Friday, Oct. 14, we will hike from Fort Clatsop to Sunset Beach. The path takes us through forested hills with a view of the coast, active pastures, and the beach. If you haven’t been to the fort recently, you’ll be able to see the reconstruction after the fire a few years ago. We will meet at 9:00 am at the Cedar Hills Shopping Center outside the DMV office to carpool to the fort. Please confirm your attendance with Larry Sawyer 503771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net by Thursday, Oct. 13. --Larry Sawyer Bridge Group deals with it Oct. 11 The RAPS Bridge Group meets at 12:30 pm Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Friendly House, 2617 NW Savier St. For further information, call Colin Dunkeld, 503-292-0838. Please call no later than Friday, Oct. 7. --Colin Dunkeld Book Club reads ‘The Eleventh Man’ The RAPS Book Club meets Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 1:30 pm at Mary Brannan’s houseboat. Contact her at brannanmg@comcast.net or 503-239-1077 to RSVP and for directions. We will discuss The Eleventh Man by Ivan Doig. The book is described on the back cover as follows: Drawn by the memory of a fallen teammate, TSU’s 1941 starting lineup went down as legend in Montana football history, charging through the season undefeated. Two years later, the “Supreme Team” is caught up in World War II. Ten of them are scattered around the globe in the war’s lonely and dangerous theaters. The eleventh man, Ben Reinking, has been plucked from pilot training by a military propaganda machine hungry for heroes. He is to chronicle the adventures of his teammates, man by man, for publication in small-town newspapers across the country like the one his father edits. Ready for action, he chafes at the assignment, not knowing that it will bring him love from an unexpected quarter and test the law of averages, which holds that all but one of his teammates should come through the conflict unscathed. Looking ahead to November, we will discuss Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. --Mary Brannan Memorial set for Rudi Nussbaum meritus Professor Rudi Nussbaum died unexpectedly as the consequence of a fall that occurred during a recent visit to Amsterdam. His family has scheduled a celebration of his life to be held at 1:45 pm Sunday, Oct. 23 at University Place, 310 SW Lincoln Street. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests gifts in his honor to any of these organizations: · Mercy Corps International (www.mercycorps.org) · Physicians for Social Responsibility-Oregon (www.psr.org/chapters/oregon/) · Right Livelihood Award Foundation (www.rightlivelihood.org) A memorial notice highlighting Professor Nussbaum’s career will appear in the November 2011 issue of the RAPS Sheet. E
4 PAST TENSE The Vanguard: then and now n 1946 Vanport Extension Center (popularly known as Vanport College) emerged in Vanport City, OR. The college was located in North Portland’s dilapidated housing project, rehabilitated a bit to educate servicemen and women returning from World War II. Don Carlo, a military veteran blinded in World War II, enrolled in the first class of students and worked from his home to create and become editor of the college’s first newspaper, Vet’s Extended. Fellow student W.T. “Bill” Lemman, who also assisted in creating Vet’s Extended, later became Portland State’s Business Manager and eventually was appointed Chancellor of the Oregon System of Higher Education. In recognition of the student body’s expanding representation beyond veterans, Vet’s Extended was renamed the Vanguard, and its first issue under the new banner was published Jan. 14, 1947. The Vanguard’s initial editorial, “The Spirit of a Student Body,” demonstrated the newspaper’s role in its founding years to communicate the hopes of the students for an institution of higher education to meet their needs: “We, as students, are helping to start a new idea for colleges. For it is true that there was no school here before . . . . we have within us the insatiable search for knowledge that was born while waiting for the end of the war. Many of us waited years so that we might have an opportunity to attend such a school.” The Vanguard flourished and followed the college’s move to Portland in 1952, its elevation to Portland State College in 1955 and to university status in 1969. The Vanguard of today continues to be student run, employing about 60 paid student writers, photographers, graphic designers, and editors. The newspaper and its staff have won several collegiate journalism awards, including the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association General Excellence Award and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Award. PSU’s Vanguard continues to be a dynamic and relevant student newspaper as it strives to provide comprehensive coverage reflecting the institution’s growth, urban mission, and service to nearly 30, 000 students. --Steve Brannan The second issue of Vanport College’s student newspaper Vet’s Extended, with WW II veteran Don Carlo as editor, was published Friday, Nov. 22, 1946. Sixty-five years after publication of its first issue, the Vanguard continues to provide comprehensive coverage of University and community activities. Vol. 66, No. 7 pictured directly above was published Aug. 9, 2011. (References: The College That Would Not Die; Portland State: A History in Pictures; Creating Portland State: 19461955; and www.psuvanguard.org) 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. I
5 In memoriam: J. (James) Howard Widdowson, 1919-2011 . Howard Widdowson, Emeritus Professor of Business Administration, was born Aug. 9, 1919 in Philadelphia, PA and died April 16, 2011. He earned BS (1942) and MBA (1955) degrees at Temple University and a PhD in 1963 at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to completing his doctoral studies, he taught for 10 years at Albright College in Reading, PA. Subsequently, he held appointments at the Universities of Denver and Georgia before joining the PSU School of Business Administration in 1965, where he served for two decades before retiring. Professor Widdowson was certified as a member of the American College of Life Underwriters (1963) and the American Institute of Property Liability Underwriters (1967). At PSU he taught an array of courses within his specialty, including real estate, finance and insurance. His colleagues highly respected his professionalism and educational achievements, which contributed significantly to the institution’s instructional mission. Indeed, his tenure at PSU coincided with its emergence as a comprehensive university, and the University community owes him a debt of gratitude for the quality of his contributions. During World War II Howard served in the U.S. Navy, and at a USO dance he met his future wife, Louise. The Widdowsons were avid world travelers, and after her death in 2001 Howard undertook several extensive solo bicycling trips along canals in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. A long time Lake Oswego resident, he was an ardent pedestrian who sought to walk systematically through all of the urban area’s streets, often accompanied by one of his colleagues. His daughters Terry Cox, Karol Rykert, and Kathy Watanabe survive him, along with six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His family members held a private memorial. To them our organization extends its heartfelt condolences. Donations may be made to the American Heart Association. -- Emeritus Professor of History Victor C. Dahl, assisted by Emeritus Professor of Business Administration Roger Moseley In memoriam: Ulku Erzurumlu, 1937-2011 lku Erzurumlu, longtime RAPS member and adjunct professor of languages and literature, was born April 21, 1937 in Kars, Turkey, and died July 20, 2011 in Portland after a long illness. Family members and friends gathered July 26, 2011 for a celebration of her life, followed by interment at River View Cemetery. Survivors include her husband of 48 years, Chik M. Erzurumlu, Dean Emeritus of PSU’s School of Engineering; her sisters, Dr. Meral Ozer, Nur Mittag, Azer Arasli, Guner Aras; and brother, Atila Arasli. After the Erzurumlus settled in Portland in 1962, Ulku immersed herself in University activities. She earned a BA in art and was a devoted, supportive helpmate to her husband as he launched PSU’s School of Engineering. During the early 1960s the University trained Peace Corps volunteers for service in Turkey and utilized Ulku’s talents for classroom language instruction and development of teaching materials. From 1971 to 1984 she taught Turkish language and literature classes offered by the Middle East Studies Center. Ulku and Chik regularly participated in RAPS activities and were engaged with a wide network of friends throughout the University community. Together they traveled extensively and found many opportunities to enjoy cultural events. To Chik our organization extends its heartfelt condolences for the mutual loss of a dear friend and valued colleague. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Erzurumlu Scholarship at the PSU Foundation, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207 or to the Parkinson Center at OHSU, c/o OHSU Foundation. --Victor C. Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History J U
6 In memoriam: Carlyne (Carlie) Leathy Naber McCallister, 1926-2011 arlyne McCallister, born Sept. 7, 1926 in Flanders, NY, died March 2, 2011 in Vancouver, WA after extended hospice care. From the early 1950s until 1968 she held an appointment at Portland State, chiefly as Education Librarian. “Carlie” earned a BA (1947) with special emphasis on librarianship at the State University of New York, Geneseo. Her working career began as a librarian for East Hampton High School in New York. At the onset of the Korean Conflict in 1950, she took civilian employment with the United States Army as Special Services Librarian at Fort Riley, KS. There she met and married Sergeant William L. McCallister, with whom she reared their two children. After various military assignments in Europe, the family settled in Portland in the early 1950s. Soon thereafter, Professor McCallister joined the original library staff at the recently designated Portland State Extension Center, forerunner institution of Portland State University. This new metropolitan higher education center had been established in the abandoned Lincoln High School, built in 1912 and appropriately renamed “Old Main,” thereby instilling an instant collegiate atmosphere. PSEC’s library facility included approximately 60,000 tattered volumes and offered seating for perhaps 200 readers in refurbished secondary school classrooms. In 1960 the library moved to larger quarters within Smith Memorial Center and finally in 1967 to its present location. As the institution’s first Education Librarian, Carlie assumed a major role in laying the groundwork for a collection that expanded to meet the burgeoning needs of PSU’s Graduate School of Education. Colleagues in the Library, the Education School, and throughout the University highly esteemed her professional qualifications and managerial competence. Over the years students at all levels relied upon her assistance, and she directly influenced several student assistants to become career librarians. In the 1960s substantial school library growth occurred on a nationwide basis through an increased flow of support from both private and public sector funding. Professor McCallister’s professional reputation led to an invitation to participate in the notable Knapp School Libraries Project under which the American Association of School Libraries established model school library media centers, and expanded and renovated hundreds of school libraries. In the Portland metropolitan region, the PSU and Roosevelt High School libraries were included in this project. Carlie enrolled in history graduate studies at Oregon State University, earning a master’s degree, for which she wrote a distinguished account of Oregon’s role in the Civil War. She regularly contributed articles to professional librarianship journals. In many ways, the capstone contribution of her PSU service was reflected in planning committee work for today’s Millar Library. She left this institution in 1968, a year before its elevation to University status. After leaving PSU, Professor McCallister continued to participate in American Library Association activities, which led her to accept various significant managerial appointments with two major publishing industry vendors—the Richard Abel firm and Blackwell North America—with assignments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Kuwait. During 1980-87 she successfully managed the cataloging department for the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research library, which led her to a strong interest in all aspects of Islamic culture. Although Carlie returned to the Pacific Northwest, the intellectual attractions and culture of the Middle East and Islamic culture prompted her to read about and travel extensively through that region. She took a special interest in human rights, with special reference to the plight of underprivileged women in Kuwait. Immediate family survivors include her son, Michael Clark McCallister (Linda); grandsons Matthew James McCallister (Rebecca) and Marshall Jason McCallister (Dianne); and three grandchildren, all of whom reside in Vancouver, WA. To them, our organization extends its heartfelt condolences. At her request no services were held. The family requests that memorial donations for education materials be sent to the Millar Library through the PSU Foundation, PSU Library Development Office, PO Box 1151, Portland OR 97207-1151. Victor C. Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History, assisted by Ray Anne Lockard, Frick Fine Arts Library, University of Pittsburgh C
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