In Memoriam: Thomas M. Poulsen – 1931 – 2014 meritus Professor Thomas Poulsen, born June 16, 1931, died June 20, 2014 in Lenexa, Kansas. Interment at Riverview Abbey in Portland followed a private memorial service. An obituary and guest book appeared in the Oregonian June 23-25. Tom came from a Danish immigrant family that homesteaded in Oregon in the 19th century, which very likely contributed to his lifelong dedication to environmental studies and outdoor recreation. Several generations of sports anglers have relied upon a successful family enterprise – Poulsen Fly Tied Fishhooks – for tackle items. After graduating from Jefferson High School, Tom enrolled at Oregon State University to earn a B.S. degree (1953) majoring in Natural Resources with Russian language and Journalism minors. He edited the campus newspaper, the Daily Barometer. From 1953 to 1957, he pursued graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, completing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. In 1957-58, he held a Ford Foundation Russian Area Studies postdoctoral fellowship. At Jefferson High Tom met Gladys Yarnell. They married in 1951 and reared four children: Steven (deceased); Robert (Karen); Diana (Ted Gruber) and Sarah (John Haddad). The family accompanied Tom and Gladys as he pursued scholarly research and fieldwork in the Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. In 1963, he joined Portland State’s department of Geography, where he developed the Slavic language and area studies component of the recently established Central European Studies Center. He was also involved in planning for an extension Institute at the University of Zagreb in Yugoslavia. Through his coordination efforts, until 1974 the CESC received federal grant support for the Zagreb Institute’s instructional program, and for appointing visiting language and area studies professors from Romania, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union to teach courses on the PSU campus. While expanding PSU campus programs, Professor Poulsen actively pursued research activities abroad, including a Fulbright research fellowship (1966-67) to study administrative regionalization in the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union He was Chairman of the Geography Department from 1984 to 1993. In 1987, the department hosted the national meeting of the Association of American Geographers. Under Tom’s guidance, his colleagues prepared keynote conference papers dealing with the Portland region, and produced a publication entitled “Portland’s Changing Landscape.” This book – distributed to 2500 members in attendance – became a model for host institutions of subsequent AAG national meetings. Professor Poulsen engaged in a wide variety of University support and scholarly activities. He served on various constitutional committees and as an adviser to the Student Publications Board. His popular classes attracted large enrollments of enthusiastic students, and in 1989, he received the George C. Hoffmann Faculty Excellence Award. He participated in PSU’s outreach to the metropolitan community through public lectures, such as the World Affairs Council’s “Great Decisions” series. A longtime experienced, enthusiastic philatelist, he amassed a prominent collection of historic Eastern European postage stamps that achieved international recognition. (continued on page 8) 7 E
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