THE RAPS SHEET Summer 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 Office hours Summer 2014 – Monday mid-morning to mid-afternoon, Tuesday and Thursday all day. Officers Susan Poulsen President Priscilla Blumel President-elect / Program Chair David Krug Past President / Elections Chair Robert Lockerby Secretary Susan Jackson 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 Awards Committee Chair Membership Chair Priscilla Blumel and Nancy Chapman Scholarship Co-Chairs RAPS Picnic Set For August 21 This photo from the 2012 Picnic shows Gordon Solie, Chris Lewis, Art Emlen, Brian Lewis (behind Art), Dave Krug , Bitsy Emlen, and Mary Krug enjoying the 2012 RAPS Picnic. Photo by Larry Sawyer his year’s RAPS Picnic will again be held at Willamette Park (in the large picnic shelter at the south end of the park) on Thursday, August 21, at 4:00pm. It will be a potluck, as always. Please bring your own beverages and a dish to share. Beryl Dahl is coordinating the picnic; please contact her and tell her what dish you will be bringing so that she can insure we have a balanced menu. You can reach Beryl at 503-636-5784 or at vbdahl@hevanet.com. T
President’s Message At the close of my year as President of RAPS, I’d like to acknowledge the creativity and hard work of the RAPS Board. With a lot happening this year, folks stepped up to the plate without hesitation. I feel very fortunate to have worked with such remarkable colleagues. You, the members, are very, very lucky to have such a dedicated (and lively, I might add) group providing leadership to this organization. I recently provided the Provost with two “fact sheets” about RAPS, who we are and what we do. She sent them to all the deans on campus. It is important that the campus community knows we are a strong organization that provides service to our members and to the university. We have several special projects underway. Stay tuned for more information in the fall. In closing, I’d like to express my gratitude and thanks to our outgoing office manager, Alle Powers. She has been excellent to work with, and I will miss her. I wish her nothing but the best as she goes forward, having completed her master’s degree. P.S. I hope to see you at the August RAPS picnic. It’s always fun! Get your RAPS Sheet Early! ou can subscribe to the RAPS Sheet by e-mail and receive it about a week earlier than if you subscribe by snail mail. Not only that, you get to see most of the photos in color, and you save RAPS at least $1.05 per copy, which can then be used for other RAPS projects. Call the RAPS Office (503) 725-3447 to change to an e-mail subscription. The RAPS Scholarship he RAPS Scholarship is awarded to students who are pursuing studies in gerontology. To contribute, please send a check payable to the PSU Foundation/RAPS Scholarship to PSU-RAPS, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97201-0751. The link to a form for scholarship contributions is on the RAPS website www.pdx.edu/raps under the “Scholarship” tab. To contribute by credit card, please contact Carissa Ponting, the new RAPS office manager, at 503-725-3447, or raps@pdx.edu. RAPS Scholarship Contributions Priscilla Blumel Nancy Chapman Georgia Crampton Mary Williams The Robert W. Vogelsang Memorial Wine Raffle 2 Y T
Past Tense Art in the Park Blocks: “Farewell to Orpheus” Frederic Littman Dedication of Farewell to Orpheus in 1972 arewell to Orpheus, an iconic cast bronze sculpture and fountain, is located in the Park Blocks west of Cramer Hall. It depicts Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus from Greek mythology. Orpheus was allowed to bring Eurydice back from the dead on the condition that he walk in front of her and not look back until they had both reached the upper world. Orpheus could not resist looking back to see her face, and she vanished back into the underworld. The sculpture was created by PSU Professor Frederic Littman (1907-1979) in 1968. It was installed as part of the South Park Blocks urban renewal project in 1972. Although the sculpture was always surrounded by water, it did not have a fountain until the early 1990s. The fountain continually recycles 227 gallons of water. The fountain stopped working in the early 2000s, but has now been repaired so that everyone can enjoy it more fully again. (This information was adapted from the PSU Facilities Department website.) Littman was born in Hungary, and, as did other Jewish artists, fled the growing holocaust in Europe in 1940 and came to the United States. He moved to Portland in 1941 where he was an artist-in-residence at Reed College. In 1946, he became an instructor at the Museum Art School. He came to PSU as an associate professor of art in 1960, became a full professor in 1966, and retired in 1973. His works have been described as romantic, impressionistic, and figuratively based. His works are highly respected. (This information is adapted from the Oregon Encyclopedia – www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/littman_frederic_1907-1979) Mary Brannan Election Results New members of the RAPS Board as a result of the April Elections are President-Elect Eileen Brennan, Treasurer Nancy Benson, and Member-at-Large Nancy Chapman. Their terms of office will begin in September, 2014. 3 F
Maxine’s “Shakespeare To-Do List” (Maxine is coordinating the RAPS trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in October 2014) In August, send RAPS members participating in the RAPS trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival a “balance due” reminder. The amount due will depend on whether they signed up for a single room, double room, private bath, or if they obtained their own lodging. Mail Wine-Tasting invitations to Shakespeare participants, potential participants on waiting list, and RAPS Board Members. Determine which participants: a) have their own transportation to Ashland; b) NEED transportation to Ashland; c) can offer transportation in their car to others; d) plan to fly to Medford and need a ride from the airport to Ashland; e) would pay additional fee to share cost of private bus for RAPS group. Set date for John Cooper, PSU Shakespeare Professor, to talk to us about the Shakespeare plays we will be seeing and make our experience even more interesting and enjoyable --Maxine Thomas RAPS Group Reports The RAPS Book Group will continue to meet throughout the summer. In June we met at Brian Lewis’s home and talked about the Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Felicia Wirtz (16344 NW Avamere Ct. #8) will host us on July 15th at 1:30pm as we discuss The Boys in the Boat, a non-fiction account of the 1936 Olympic rowing team by Daniel Brown and Daniel James Brown. Contact Felicia at feliciawirtz@gmail.com or 503-645-0947 to RSVP and for directions. In August, we will meet at Marge Terdal’s beach home on a date yet to be determined. We will discuss a spy novel, A Delicate Truth, by John le Carré. Contact Marge at terdalm@pdx.edu, or Mary Brannan at brannanmg@comcast.net or 503-936-2379 for further information about the August event. Looking ahead, we will read The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan for our September meeting. --Mary Brannan The RAPS Bridge Group will continue meeting throughout the summer on the first Tuesday of each month at in the Anderson Building of Friendly House. This building is on the north side on NW Savier Street, around the corner from the 26th and Thurman main entrance of Friendly House. Play begins at 1:00pm and continues until about 4:30pm. If you wish to join us, please contact me at 503-646-6297. My e-mail address is the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. --Steve Brennan The RAPS Hiking Group has three hikes planned for this summer. July 11 – Hike in the Cannon Beach area, hosted by Jack Cooper and Terry Rohe with lunch at their beach home. August 8 – The beautiful Ramona Falls loop on Mount Hood. September 12 – Past Mirror Lake to the top of Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain. On a clear day, Mount Hood is reflected in Mirror Lake, and the view from the top of the mountain is impressive. Carpool meeting times are usually 9:00am; the meeting place varies depending whether we are going east or west of Portland. Bring a sack lunch for the August and September hikes. Check with Larry Sawyer for more information, and confirm your participation with Larry at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net by the day before each hike (Thursday). Note that there is an underscore between “larry” and “sawyer” in that e-mail address. --Larry Sawyer 4
In Memoriam: Deborah Bensinger Janikowski Deborah Janikowski retired in January 2013 from her position as Assistant Budget Director at PSU, and died in her home town, Muskegon, Michigan on March 12, 2014 at age 62, after a long struggle with breast cancer. Interment in the Muskegon Sunrise Memorial Gardens took place in May, 2014. Deborah, a RAPS member, generated a wide network of on-campus friends who provided comfort and encouragement during her long illness. Deb attended public schools in Muskegon, Michigan. After finishing high school she moved to Portland where she earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting and Financial Analysis from the School of Business at PSU, and became a Certified Public Accountant. Throughout her PSU career she manifested indomitable good spirits and cooperative characteristics which contributed to her strong professional effectiveness. Survivors include her husband Darrell Brown of Portland; brothers Ted and Tom Bensinger; children Valerie Church and Colin Janikowski; stepchildren Jeremy, Joel, and Allison Brown; and eight grandchildren. To them our organization extends condolences for their untimely loss. On behalf of the University we express our gratitude for her significant institutional service. The family suggests that memorial contributions honoring Deborah be sent online to the Pink Daisy Project (pinkdaisyproject.com), which provides assistance to young women afflicted with breast cancer. Memorials also may be submitted in her name to the PSU Foundation. A guest book dated April 6, 2014 appears in the Oregonian. --Vic Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History In Memoriam: Nina Marucci Lowry Nina Lowry held various PSU appointments from 1966 to 1991, including Director of Educational Activities and Assistant to the Dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts. After retiring, Nina resumed her maiden name and established a home in a Paris, France, suburb where she died February 8, 2014 of digestive tract failure. Nina Marucci grew to maturity in a family that expressed strong interest in performance arts. Her father, Virginio, a highly regarded violinist, ably served during the 1930’s as the Radio Symphony concert master for the Cincinnati, Ohio, pioneer Crosley Corporation’s Station WLW which reached a wide audience covering the Midwest and Atlantic coastal regions and subsequently became an ABC affiliate. Nina attended Cincinnati public schools and earned a B.S. degree in physics at the University of Cincinnati. After marriage, she accompanied her husband who came to Oregon for graduate study and she subsequently took theatre employment in Ashland before joining Portland State. At PSU Nina contributed significantly to promoting performing arts by developing co-curricular programs that featured dance performance, opera productions, and concert programs for enthusiastic audiences. In consonance with PSU’s institutional mission to serve the educational and cultural needs of the Portland metropolitan area, she was instrumental in promoting a range of cultural offerings that included the Friends of Chamber Music, Chamber Music Northwest, PSU’s Piano Series, and the Northwest Film Center. Her energetic achievements enabled the University to mount programs that ably served to advance performing arts, while providing a foundation for continuing educational development of programs that nurture and stimulate cultural offerings. All of who knew and engaged with Nina, as well as those who attended performances that she coordinated, appreciate her valuable contributions to the institution. PSU owes her a debt of gratitude for her ongoing, selfless pursuit of cultural excellence. 5
After retiring in 1991 Nina permanently settled in France where many longtime friends have enjoyed her ever-generous hospitality. Survivors include sons Pete, who lives in Verrieres, France, and Sam, who serves as the PSU College of Arts’ chief accounting officer; daughters-in-law Helene and Elaine; and grandsons Simon and Steve. To them our organization extends its heartfelt sympathy. A memorial may be scheduled in the summer. Family members suggest that memorial gifts be made to an arts group of the giver’s choice. --Vic Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History In Memoriam: Emily de la Cruz, 1952-2014 Emily de la Cruz, Coordinator of the Graduate Teacher Education Program in the Graduate School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, died at her home after a year-long battle with cancer. Professor de la Cruz, born in Modesto, California attended public schools in San Jose, and enrolled in the University of California Santa Barbara, where she completed a B.A. in 1972. She began her professional career in 1974 as a teacher of English as a Second Language in Sunnyvale, California. From 1975 to 1985 she taught primary grades in a one-room school at Montebello in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She took advantage of the opportunity to integrate technology into elementary teaching. That experience motivated her to pursue advanced studies and she returned to UC-Santa Barbara and continued to teach school while concurrently pursuing graduate studies leading to degrees in Instructional Technology (M.A. 1989) and Educational Psychology (Ph.D. 1992). After joining the PSU Graduate School of Education in 1992, Dr. de la Cruz launched an active and highly productive professorial career in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She dedicated her life to mentoring and teaching teachers. She undertook leadership roles in revising and improving clinical practice in teacher training at both master’s and doctoral degree levels. Her colleagues and students benefited from her professionalism and energetic efforts to support partnership programs. Her interests ranged over many aspects of higher education. She contributed research findings to various educational journals and made presentations at many scholarly professional conferences held in the United States and abroad. For eight years she participated in summer migration studies in Morelia, Mexico. She actively promoted philanthropic programs to enable women to advance in the management of education at all levels. The University benefited greatly from her energetic contributions to teacher training. Her colleagues highly esteemed her efforts and the institution owes her a heavy debt of gratitude. Survivors include her husband William H. Parm and stepdaughter Melissane Parm Schrems; son Virgilio de la Cruz; mother Dottie Rae Smith, sisters Rebecca Bush and Paula Smith, and brother David Smith. Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org, or to the PSU Graduate School of Education either on line or by check payable to the PSU Foundation “In Memory of Emily de la Cruz Fund #2700522.” A private memorial will be conducted in San Jose. A public service has been scheduled for the PSU campus on Saturday, August 9, 2014, 1:00-3:00pm, in Room 298 Smith Memorial Student Union, on the PSU campus. --Vic Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History 6
In Memoriam: John F. Heflin, 1941-2014 John F. Heflin, Ph.D. died April 11, 2014 after a valiant 15 year fight against heart disease. Born in Sweetwater, Texas, April 7, 1941, he was the son of Willis Heflin and Espanola (Samples) Heflin. He graduated from high school in Hobbs, NM and had an outstanding career as a basketball and baseball player at New Mexico Highlands University. Graduating from NMHU in 1963 with a B.A. in Political Science and History, Heflin took a position in a management training program for a large food corporation and later worked as a cartographer with the U.S. Department of the Interior/Bureau of Land Management. He returned to NMHU to complete an M.A. degree majoring in educational administration in 1971, Heflin’s strong desire to work in professional education led him to move to Merced, California where he was employed as a teacher and coach with the Merced Union High School District. After five years with the MUHSD, Heflin was selected as a fellow with the Ford Foundation Leadership Development Program. The Ford Fellowship incorporated graduate study at the University of California-Berkeley’s Institute for School Desegregation Problems and graduate study at Stanford University, where he was subsequently selected for a position as administrative assistant to the Dean of the School of Education. In this role he implemented the first program to diversify masters and doctoral students at Stanford University School of Education. Following his completion of doctoral studies at Stanford, Heflin was employed as a coordinator/specialist for equal education opportunity programs at the Oregon State Education Agency. He also served as member of the Oregon State Superintendent’s task force to develop the Oregon Action Plan for Excellence in Education (Oregon’s response to A Nation at Risk). Specializing in education policy analysis, organization and administration, and sociology of education, Heflin began a career at Portland State University in 1976. At PSU, he was a member of the faculty group which designed and implemented a joint PSU/University of Oregon original doctoral program in Educational Leadership. During his PSU career, Heflin was on the Board of Directors and Education Chairman for the NAACP – Portland Branch; a charter member of the Oregon Association for Multicultural Education; an organizing member of the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs (a statewide political action organization); and a charter member/Secretary for Oregon Chapter of the National Alliance of Black School Educators. Heflin also served as chairman of the PortlandMultnomah County Human Rights Commission. Heflin was elected to two terms as national chairman of Research Focus on Black Education (American Educational Research Association), chaired the American Educational Research Association’s (Division A) affirmative action committee, and was a member of the editorial board of the Educational Researcher (AERA’s monthly publication). He also served on the executive board of the National Urban Education Association, and Board of Consultants for The Journal of International Reform. During his career Heflin served in several administrative positions: administrative assistant to the dean of Stanford University’s School of Education; Equity Programs Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Education; Portland State University department chairperson; and Kent State University department chairperson. Owing to his family values and the cultural context of his socialization to adulthood, Heflin became committed at an early age to the values of equity, equal educational opportunity, and social justice. These values are reflected throughout his academic scholarship and civic commitments. Professor Heflin, a gifted and enthusiastic teacher, attracted large numbers of students to his classes. He loved teaching and it was expressed in his everyday life. Even in retirement, he often used every opportunity to explain and educate. John is survived by his wife of 51 years, Anita; and sons Kyle of Portland, Oregon and Jonathan of Boston, Massachusetts, and extended family. --Vic Dahl, Emeritus Professor of History
Enjoy Your Summer Wherever It May Take You!
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