THE RAPS SHEET DECEMBER 2013 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: Mondays 8am to 4pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 8am to 2pm Officers Susan Poulsen President Priscilla Blumel President-elect / Program Chair David Krug Past President / Elections Chair Robert Lockerby Secretary Susan Jackson Treasurer / Website Editor Mary Ricks RAPS Sheet Editor Board Members-at-Large Nancy Chapman Chik Erzurumlu Brian Lewis Committees Steve Brannan History Preservation Committee Chair Mary Brannan Pictorial History Book Committee Chair Beryl and Vic Dahl Social/Friendship Committee Co-Chairs Brian Lewis Awards Committee Chair Brian Lewis Membership Chair Priscilla Blumel and Nancy Chapman Scholarship Co-Chairs Office Manager Alle Powers 503-725-3447 / raps@pdx.edu RAPS ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY Sunday, December 15 Social Hour begins at 11:30 am Brunch begins at 12:30 pm Multnomah Athletic Club 1849 SW Salmon Street Portland Highlights: Meet our new scholarship recipient Silent Auction Raffle –Proceeds to RAPS Scholarship Fund Raffle for member treats Raffle for one year free membership Brunch Menu*: Mimosas (cash bar) Fresh orange, grapefruit and cranberry juice Sliced fresh seasonal fruit MAC’s famous cinnamon rolls Assorted breakfast breads Chef Philippe’s homemade granola Scrambled eggs Chicken apple sausage Crispy smoked bacon Roasted red potatoes with fresh herbs and sautéed onions *If you have dietary restrictions, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate. Please RSVP by December 10, 2013 to Alle Powers, RAPS Office Manager, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207, 503-725-3447. Cost is $22 per person. You may pay by check, or call Alle at 503-725-3447 to pay by credit card.
President’s Message y now you should have received your invitation to our annual holiday gathering, once again a Sunday brunch, on December 15. This is a great venue for reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, bringing family, and enjoying a smashing brunch. The Multnomah Athletic Club is always a delightful site, and its staff really came through, holding to last year’s price for this year’s brunch. We thank the MAC for hosting our event. At the brunch, you’ll have the opportunity to meet this year’s RAPS scholarship recipient. You will also be able to help with scholarship funding with a marvelous silent auction put together by Priscilla Blumel, our President-elect. We’ll have another of our traditional wine raffles. I also believe in saying “thank you” to our members – to you for your efforts on our behalf and your support of fund raising for our student scholarships. To this end, this year as last year, we will raffle member gifts as a small token of our appreciation. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to call Alle Powers, our RAPS office manager. Her contact information is on the front page of this RAPS Sheet, as well as on the Holiday Party flyer you received. Finally, this is a time for connecting with those we care about, and for remembering those far away or who are no longer with us. We’ve experienced a number of losses this year of people who have given to us, to the University, and to the community. Let’s remember them with thanks. --Susan Poulsen Shakespeare … Continued small group of RAPS members met on November 19 to discuss the possibility of participating in a 2014 Group Theater Program at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Group Theater Programs are organized by the Siskiyou Center and include plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as well as lectures and discussions led by theater professionals. The program includes housing on the Southern Oregon University campus, transportation to and from the Shakespeare Center, and most meals. Interest in this opportunity was high and the group decided on the October 20-26, 2014 program. Four plays (all indoors) will be offered: The Comedy of Errors, The Great Society, The Tempest and The Cocoanuts. Three play readings are also included. The cost of the October 20-26 program is approximately $1207 per person based on double occupancy. More details are available on the Siskiyou Center website: www.siskiyoucenter.com The Group Theater Program offers multiple sessions in 2014, and RAPS members who would like to participate in this opportunity but not the October 20-26 week can select another date and form their own PSU group. Those with an Oregon Shakespeare Festival membership are eligible to receive the membership discount if they participate in a program offered during the discount season. We will meet again in Winter Term to learn more about Shakespeare. If you wish to join the RAPS group for the October 20-26 Group Theater Program, a deposit of $100 is needed to hold your place. See the Siskiyou Center website for registration information. You are urged to register soon before the other spaces are filled. Additional information is available from Maxine Thomas by phone at 503-291-1279, or e-mail her at thomasm@pdx.edu. --Maxine Thomas and Diane Sawyer 2 B A
Past Tense PSU’s Chamber Choir Has Been Singing Since 1975 n 1975, David Wilson founded the Portland State Chamber Choir, a “unique ensemble dedicated to performing complex choral literature at the highest musical levels.” Under Wilson’s direction, the Choir grew to become one of the finest in Portland. In 1978, Bruce Browne assumed directorship of the Choir, leading it to national prominence from 1985-2006. “His personal work ethic and dedication to the students helped him raise the level of singing in the program to international recognition.” Browne received the Lifetime Award for Leadership and Service from the American Choral Directors Association in 2012. Photos above: Director Bruce Browne; two photos of the Chamber Choir; Director Ethan Sperry Browne described a chamber choir as a small (36 or fewer voices) choir that sings a wide variety of music ranging from international and classical to folk and gospel music, singing a capella. PSU’s Chamber Choir has sung in many languages, including French, Estonian, German, and Greek. Bruce’s goal was to bring in the best choral experts from around the world to work with the choir. Eric Ericson, a renowned and influential Swedish choral teacher, came to campus in 1984 and 1985. Other noteworthy choral guests include American Robert Shaw, German Frieder Bernius, and Englishman Andrew Parrott. PSU’s Choir has traveled internationally, providing the opportunity to hear and learn from other choral groups. Notably, the choir has been selected to perform three times (1985, 1997, and 2003) before an audience of approximately 6,000 at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). The Choir students were guests of the Greek government in the late 1980s, guests of the Spanish government twice in the early 1990s, toured in England, Finland, and Estonia in the late 1990s, and were the only American choir invited to participate in the Estonian Song Festival in 1991. The Choir has also performed in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Canada, as well as locally and across the US. They have received some grants for travel expenses but have needed to raise funds to help defray expenses, usually doing home stays to cut costs. For four years in the mid-1990s, the chamber choir (along with the Disciples of Song, a gospel choir) and other musical groups performed Handel’s “Messiah” to sold-out audiences during the holiday season. The tradition of music excellence continues today under the expert direction of Ethan Sperry, a nationally known choral arranger who came to PSU in 2010. Ethan’s choice of PSU was related, in part, to seeing PSU’s Chamber Choir perform in New York City at the ACDA national conference in 2003; he said that it was the best concert he had ever heard. In July of 2013 the Choir led by conductor Sperry became the first US choir in the 52-year history of Italy's Seghizzi International Choral Competition to win the Grand Prix. Sperry believes that PSU students have what it takes to be “great” rather than “good”: a willingness to be vulnerable on stage and to focus. Ethan believes that the choral program is poised to become a school destination for students from around the country. Both Bruce Browne and Ethan Sperry attribute much of the Chamber Choir’s success to the age diversity of PSU students, which is unique in college and university choirs. Looking ahead, there are many events scheduled, beginning in December and going forward to 2015 when PSU will host the National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference (www.music.pdx.edu/musicnews ). For a treat, listen to the Chamber Choir: http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DlMcLils4gds. Note: a Bruce Browne Scholarship has been established through the PSU Foundation. --Mary Brannan, from interviews with Bruce Brown and Ethan Sperry; A Short History of the Department of Music at Portland State University, Bryan Johanson, 2013 3 I
RAPS GROUP REPORTS The RAPS BOOK GROUP will meet at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, December 17, hosted by Felicia Wirtz at 16344 NW Avamere Ct., #8 in Portland. Contact her at feliciawirtz@gmail.com or 503-645-0947 to RSVP and for directions. We will discuss The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. It is described by the publisher as follows: The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, aster for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes that she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market inspires her to question what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. Looking ahead, we will be discussing Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter in January, 2014. --Mary Brannan The RAPS BRIDGE GROUP will meet at 1:00 pm on Tuesday December 10 at Friendly House. As usual, if you would like to play, let Steve Brennan know before noon on Friday, December 6. Friendly House is located at 1727 NW 26th in Portland. Steve’s contact information is: Home phone: 503-646-6297 E-mail: the.steve.brennan@gmail.com --Steve Brennan The RAPS HIKING GROUP is not hiking in December. Instead members will meet at the home of Larry and Diane Sawyer for a potluck and to plan the hikes for the next eleven months. Contact Larry Sawyer by e-mail at larry_sawyer@comcast.net (there’s an underscore between “larry” and “sawyer” in that address) or by phone at 503-7711616 for the time and date of the potluck. The November hike was cool, but we didn’t get wet. We started at the Holocaust Memorial and then picked up Laura Foster’s Hill Hike #4 at stop #2 in Arlington Heights. We took the optional loop, but ended up cutting the hike shorter at the end due to time. Six of us had lunch at an Italian restaurant in the shopping center at Burnside and 24th Place. Mary Brannan and Jack Cooper at Holocaust Memorial “Items Left Behind” Holocaust Memorial --Larry Sawyer 4
A Message from our Scholarship Recipient ear Members of the Retirement Association of Portland State, First and foremost, I would like to thank you for selecting me to receive the scholarship from your association. I consider it a great honor to be supported by the Retirement Association of Portland State and am truly humbled by the opportunities this scholarship has provided me. Already it has made a significant difference in my financial hardship this year. With your help, I am confidently beginning my senior year here at PSU with clear goals made achievable by the help of this scholarship. When I applied for this scholarship earlier this year, my career goals were focused on a hope that I might someday become a Registered Nurse; with the help of this scholarship that hope is becoming a reality. I am currently enrolled in the prerequisite courses required for applying to nursing school. This scholarship is helping me to pay for the lab fees and expensive books I need for each of those classes. My courses are very engaging and I work hard every day to make the most of my education. Once I complete my education and the next chapter of my life begins, I hope to spend my time improving the quality of life for those in long-term care facilities socially, mentally, and physically. Upon completion of my degree in Health Sciences, I plan to become a Registered Nurse in order to enhance my education in physiology and create a more comprehensive understanding of quality health care. There is something truly special about creating a long lasting and trusting relationship with patients, and I believe this will be best achieved as their nurse where I can have a more direct effect on those I care for. I consider it my highest priority to be informed on the treatment and care of patients from as many perspectives as possible, including an understanding of the challenges and joys specific to the geriatric population. My career and personal goals place me in an optimal position to serve the geriatric community, and this scholarship will provide tremendous support in completing my education. I am so thankful for this scholarship; already it has made a significant difference in the opportunities available to me at Portland State. Thank you for your support! Sincerely yours, Kate Jensen Contributions to the Scholarship Fund November, 2013 Priscilla Blumel in memory of Charlotte Harris 5 D
IN MEMORIAM: Nohad Abdellatif Toulan and Dirce Angelina Moroni de Toulan ean Emeritus Nohad A. Toulan (born December 1, 1931) of the College of Urban and Public Affairs and Distinguished Professor in the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, and his wife, Dirce Angelina Moroni de Toulan (born December 13, 1934) died together October 28, 2013, in a highway accident in Uruguay while en route to a site where they planned to enjoy a Southern Hemisphere spring and winter holiday. At the well-attended October 17 RAPS meeting Nohad delivered an exceptionally interesting presentation, “Egypt’s Revolution: A Setback or a Failure.” His recorded remarks are available in the RAPS office. Professor Toulan, born and reared in Egypt, earned a BS degree in architecture at the University of Cairo (1954), followed by a Master’s degree in City Planning at the University of California, Berkeley (1959), and a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania (1965). In 1965 he assumed a post as the first Planning Director of the Greater Cairo region. During 1966-1968 he held an appointment as Lecturer on Housing and Urban Land Economics at the University of Cairo. From 1969 to 1971 he served as Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Urban Environment at Columbia University in New York. Prior to coming to PSU in 1972 as Director of the Urban Studies Program, Professor Toulan had engaged extensively in instruction, research, and policy making related to urban and regional planning. In 1976, as founding Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs, he assumed responsibility for that academic unit’s program expansion. In 1977 President Joseph C. Blumel appointed Dean Toulan to head a long-range campus planning committee which led to the formation of a planning task force of administrative and academic leaders that produced “Portland State University, A Strategic Plan for the 1980s.” That plan laid the groundwork for projecting physical structures to be linked to academic programs that subsequently enhanced development and growth in the Portland metropolitan area and the state of Oregon. In consonance with the University’s community outreach, Professor Toulan served as a consultant or member of various public affairs units, such as the Portland Housing Advisory Committee, Tri-Met Citizens Budget Committee, and the Urban Growth Boundary committee. When a crisis of central administrative management erupted in 1988 with the dismissal and replacement of PSU’s president, Dean Toulan suggested positive and helpful guidance that facilitated the leadership transition. While studying at the University of Pennsylvania Nohad met Dirce Moroni, a Fulbright Scholar in city planning from Rosario, Argentina, and in 1964 they married. Dirce Moroni de Toulan engaged in various campus-related activities including service as the Faculty Women’s Association’s president and promotion of its scholarship program. Concurrently she pursued her profession as an architect and city planner, and, along with Nohad, supported a variety of charitable and civic functions, including local Parent Teacher and Neighborhood Associations, Mercy Corps, Interfaith Council of Greater Portland, Muslim Education Trust, and the American Research Center in Egypt. They thoroughly respected and promoted each other’s religion and culture. A funeral service attended by a large number of friends from the Portland area and abroad was held November 11, 2013, at the Portland Art Museum. Imam Mikal Shabazz and Reverend Father James Mayo offered prayers from their respective faiths. A memorial service was held Tuesday, November 19, 2013, at Portland State University. Survivors include their children Omar Toulan and Miriam Toulan (Manfred) Kuerten of Portland; brother, Dr. Jorge Moroni; sister, Heba Toulan; and nine nieces and nephews. To all family members, our organization extends its heartfelt condolences with the full understanding that their untimely loss cannot be replaced. On November 1, 2013, The Oregonian editorial board presented a full news summary of Dean Toulan’s career accomplishments; an extensive obituary appeared in the November 10 issue. Original copies may be consulted at the RAPS office. An online guest book may be signed at www.oregonlive.com/obits. To contribute to the Nohad and Dirce Toulan Endowed Scholarship at the PSU Foundation, go to https//www.foundation.pdx.edu/publicgift/toulan_memorial.jsp --Victor C. Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History, November 20, 2013. 6 D
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