4 In memoriam: Keith H. Larson, 1926 – 2011 meritus Professor of Education Keith H. Larson was born Nov. 16, 1926 and died April 28, 2011. A lifelong Oregonian, Keith studied at Oregon State College before serving in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946. After military service he resumed studies at OSC (1946-1948), transferring to the University of Oregon where he earned a BS degree (1949) in secondary education. During subsequent Portland Public School District service he continued to pursue graduate studies at that institution, earning an MS in 1952 and a doctoral degree in 1964. Professor Larson’s wide-ranging public school experience included teaching, counseling, and administrative assignments encompassing grades five through twelve. Early in his career he taught Ford Foundation-sponsored classes for gifted children. That experience prompted him to work toward state certification in the new and developing “Special Education” field to meet the needs of students with developmental and related disabilities. From 1959 to 1962 he fulfilled various assignments as a teacher and work experience coordinator for special education students in vocational-instructional programs at several metropolitan high schools. In 1964 Keith joined the PSU School of Education to found the Special Education Department, thereby launching a teacher training program in a career field that he had adopted and nurtured as an educational pioneer. He immediately submitted two successful faculty support grant proposals to the Federal Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (BEH), which sponsored the first PSU Special Education classes, the only Visually Handicapped Teacher Training program in the Pacific Northwest. His visionary efforts enabled the University to mount an enduring instructional program with a comprehensive curriculum for training teachers to serve special education students varying in age and type of disability. During the ensuing years, Dr. Larson and newly appointed faculty members submitted successful requests for federal sponsorship of PSU’s wide-ranging Special Education teacher preparation and related research programs. His initiative also led to cooperative arrangements that elicited valuable advice and assistance from highly qualified specialists in conducting programs for hearing and vision impaired children at metropolitan public schools, OHSU’s Crippled Children Division, and residential schools in Salem and Vancouver WA. Keith’s nationwide reputation for generating successful Special Education programs prompted the BEH to utilize his expertise on evaluation teams to judge personnel preparation and research grants received nationwide. Professor Larson added an international dimension to the Special Education department through cooperative exchange arrangements with academic institutions in Costa Rica under the auspices of the Partners of the Americas, a grassroots nongovernmental program stemming from the Alliance for Progress (Alianza para progreso) established during the Kennedy administration. Oregon’s “partnership” arrangements led to PSU faculty and student exchanges with Costa Rican institutions whereby Keith and his colleagues assisted with training teachers and developing programs to aid children, youth and adults with disabilities in a third world country. In 1976 National Partners President Alan Rubin honored the Special Education Department under Keith’s direction with a “Distinguished Service Award . . . in Recognition of Outstanding Leadership and Service.” The department extended its international outreach by enabling various faculty members to attend international conferences in several Latin American countries, the United Kingdom, and the former Soviet Union. In 1952 Keith married Vivian Harper; their union produced two children, Robert K. (Coleen) and Nancy Larson Macpherson (Mac). The RAPS organization extends its heartfelt sympathy to Vivian, their children, and four grandchildren. On July 29, 2011 Professor Larson’s family, many community friends, and former colleagues gathered at the Simon Benson House for a “Remembering Keith Larson” observance that acknowledged his service and contributions. The entire institution owes him a lasting debt of gratitude. Those of us who knew and worked with him cherish his memory. --Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History, and Steven A. Brannan, Professor Emeritus of Education (Keith’s longtime colleagues and handball court opponents) E
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