THE RAPS SHEET November 2014 Retirement Association of Portland State Portland State University Post Office Box 751 Portland OR 97207-0751 Koinonia House, second floor SW Montgomery at Broadway Office Manager Carissa Ponting (503)725-3447, raps@pdx.edu Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.pdx.edu/raps Fall Term Office hours: Wednesday and Thursday, all day, Friday, half day. Officers Priscilla Blumel President Eileen Brennan President-elect / Program Chair Susan Poulsen Past President / Elections Chair Robert Lockerby Secretary Nancy Benson Treasurer Mary Ricks RAPS Sheet Editor Larry Sawyer RAPS Representative to Regional & National Retirement Associations, Website Editor Board Members-at-Large Nancy Chapman Chik Erzurumlu Brian Lewis Committees Steve Brannan and Mary Gordon Brannan History Preservation and Pictorial History Book Co-Chairs Beryl and Vic Dahl Social/Friendship Committee Co-Chairs Brian Lewis Membership Chair Nancy Chapman Scholarship Chair Chik Erzurumlu Awards Chair Scott Burns Will Explore Earthquakes in Oregon At November 20 Meeting SU Professor Emeritus and RAPS member Scott Burns will discuss “Earthquakes in Oregon: Are We Ready for the Big One?” at the November 20 meeting. Often called upon by news organizations to discuss major geological events such as earthquakes, landslides, and the soils and geology of Northwest vineyards, Scott has focused his scholarly work on Geomorphology, Soils, and Environmental Geology. After completing a B.S. in Chemistry, and an M.S. in Physical Science at Stanford, Scott received his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Colorado. Some of his recent works include Cataclysms on the Columbia: The Great Missoula Flood (revised second edition), and The Homeowners Guide to Landslides--Recognition, Prevention, Control, and Mitigation which Scott and his collaborators developed for FEMA. His interest in Pacific Rim earthquakes has led to his dedication to preparation in order to mitigate the potential damage of major earthquake events. A PSU faculty member since 1990, Scott is a recipient of the George C. Hoffmann Award for Faculty Excellence. The meeting will be in Room 333, Smith Memorial Student Union. A light lunch will be available at noon. Scott Burns will speak at 1:00pm. P
President’s Message he scholarship RAPS awards each fall to a PSU student is important to the organization and to the scholarship recipient. We are pleased that we were able to double the amount of the scholarship this fall. It provides financial aid to a student who is pursuing an increasingly expensive education. There are other benefits. It provides a nice addition to the student’s résumé while job-hunting, and gives the student another positive experience while at PSU. Our recipient this year, Robin Lynn, is an outstanding individual and we wish her the best as she completes her studies and moves on with her life. The November membership meeting features Scott Burns, a dynamic speaker and PSU star. He is a geologist who loves his work and who gives talks throughout the community about wine soils, earthquake preparedness, radon and landslides. PSU has done a lot of earthquake retrofitting throughout the University. I wonder which buildings are safest. Come, have a light lunch and hear Scott talk on November 20 in Room 333, Smith Memorial Student Union. --Priscilla Blumel Annual RAPS Holiday Party 2014 lease save Sunday, December 14, 2014 for the RAPS annual Holiday Party. The holiday brunch will be held at the Multnomah Athletic Club. RAPs member Claudine Fisher and MAC Executive Chef Philippe Boulot have planned a special menu, and a cash bar with mimosas and champagne will be available. Socializing starts at 11:30am and Brunch at 12:30pm. The event will include a raffle and silent auction to support our RAPS scholarship fund. The cost will be $22 per person, including gratuity. You can pay by check or credit card. If paying by check, please make the check payable to the PSU Foundation. If paying by credit card, please call our office manager, Carissa Ponting at 503-725-3447. Please RSVP by Friday, December 5 by calling Carissa Ponting at 503-725-3447, by emailing her at caris2@pdx.edu, or by sending your check to the Retirement Association of Portland State (RAPS), Portland State University, PO Box 751. Portland OR 97207, Attn: Carissa Ponting. --Eileen Brennan Brian and Chris Lewis conduct the 2013 Holiday Party Wine Raffle. Photo by Larry Sawyer 2 T P
RAPS Group Reports The RAPS Book Group will meet on November 18 at Eileen Brennan’s (5945 SW 152nd Avenue, Beaverton) to discuss Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. It is described on the cover as “one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. … Ahead of Zamperini (a downed airman) lay thousands of miles of open ocean, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and beyond, a trial even greater. … In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body and spirit.” Please call Eileen at 503-646-6297 if you plan to attend, and for directions. On December16, we will meet at Joan Shireman’s home (2535 SW Snowfire Dr., Happy Valley, OR) and will discuss Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland. Set in both India and the United States, it is described on the Amazon website as “seamlessly weaving the historical and the personal across generations and geographies … a masterly novel of fate and will, exile and return. Please call Joan at 503-698-9951 if you plan to attend and for directions. --Joan Shireman The RAPS Bridge Group will meet (or already has met, depending on when you receive your RAPS Sheet) on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. We meet regularly on the First Tuesday of each month. Given the timing of the monthly RAPS Sheet, let me inform you of a couple of upcoming bridge sessions: December 2, 2014 and January 6, 2015. We gather in the conference room of Friendly House’s Anderson Building. (This building is on the North side of NW Savier Street, around the corner from the main entrance to Friendly House on 26th and Thurman.) Playing begins at 1 pm and continues to about 4:30 pm. We are pretty friendly and are always looking for new players. If you wish to join us, please contact Steve Brennan, 503-646-6297. My email address is the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. --Steve Brennan The RAPS Hiking Group had a leisurely stroll on October 10 at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. There were not as many birds as expected, but the six hikers saw egrets, herons and some songbirds. There were lush meadow-like wetlands and red and green algae covered ponds. We heard many geese or cranes. We ate our sack lunch overlooking the wetlands, and then treated ourselves to sweets at a café/bakery in Ridgefield. We welcomed Divi’s guest, Gretchen, to our group. She may continue to hike with us. The plank house is only open on the weekends, but we could see the interior through the cracks in the cedar planks. A few of us had been inside before, and were able to describe to the others what they were viewing. Our final hike for the year will be on November 14. It will be in the Marquam Hill area lead by Marge Terdal. In December, we will have a potluck and planning session for 2015 hikes. For more information, contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net (there is an underscore between larry and sawyer in that internet address.) --Larry Sawyer 3
RAPS Hikers at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (Left to right)Maxine Thomas, Deve Swaim, Tom Hard, Mary-Lane Stevens, Deve’s friend Gretchen, and Larry Sawyer under the massive old White Oak tree at Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. Has Your Contact Information Changed? To update your contact information, please call Carissa, our Office Manager, at 503-725-3447, send the following information to raps@pdx.edu, or mail to RAPS, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207. Name_________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________ Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone_______________________________________ Email____________________________________________________________________ Scholarship Contributions David and Mary Krug, in honor of Steve and Mary Brannan and The Robert W. Vogelsang Wine Raffle 4
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