THE RAPS SHEET March 2016 Retirement Association of Portland State Portland State University Post Office Box 751--RAPS 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 Winter Term Office Hours: Monday and Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to noon. Officers Eileen Brennan President Barbara Alberty Interim President-Elect Priscilla Blumel Past President Brian Lewis 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 Ansel Johnson Bob Tufts Committees Dave Krug History Preservation and Pictorial History Book Chair Terril Doherty Social Committee Chair John Cooper Friendship Chair Bob Tufts Membership Chair Nancy Chapman Scholarship Chair Ansel Johnson Awards Chair Susan Sokol Blosser: “Seven Lessons at Seventy” On March 17 ounder of one of Oregon’s leading small businesses, Sokol Blosser Winery, Susan Sokol Blosser is well known as an innovator who focuses on ethical and sustainable practices, using a triple bottom line framework—social, environmental, and economic. An organic vineyard, and the first LEED certified winery in the United States, the Sokol Blosser Winery was honored with the 2007 Sunset Magazine Green Winery of the Year award, the 2008 Oregon Governor’s Award for Sustainability for small businesses, and the 2009 Oregon Business Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and 100 Best Green Companies to Work For awards. In her RAPS presentation, Susan will reflect on her trailblazing work at the vineyard and the lessons she has learned, from the perspective of “la troisième,” the last third of life. Her most recent book, Letting Go: How One Entrepreneur Energized Her Business, Empowered the Next Generation, and Embraced a Bold New Vision, addresses the life lessons she will discuss with members. For more information, please see www.susansokolblosser.com. The March 17 meeting begins at noon in Room 333, Smith Memorial Student Union with a potluck lunch, followed by a RAPS scholarship wine raffle featuring Sokol Blosser wines. Susan Sokol Blosser will speak at 1:00pm. F
President’s Message This month’s newsletter includes a ballot reflecting the new leadership structure that RAPS members approved through our bylaw change in 2015. Two of the nominations for the 201617 officers are for the leadership roles of Co-President. In the future, these officers will serve for two-year staggered terms. During the transition to Co-Presidents, one of our candidates (Susan Poulsen, who was RAPS president in 2013-14) has agreed to serve a one-year term during 2016-17, while the other candidate (Dawn White) is willing to serve a two-year term. Please return the enclosed ballot and participate in this groundbreaking election. If you have questions please contact Office Manager Carissa Ponting at 503-725-3447 or rapsmail@pdx.edu. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Past President Priscilla Blumel who shepherded the bylaws revision that has made this change of our leadership structure possible. Her work to build a consensus regarding the changes and her attention to detail have been remarkable. Priscilla also chaired the Nominations Committee that put together our current slate of candidates. Thank you so much! Finally, many members have remarked on the variety and quality of presentations at the members’ luncheon meetings this year. This is due to the hard work of our Program Committee members: Barbara Alberty, Priscilla Blumel, Terril Doherty, Claudine Fisher, and Charlene Levesque. They have also planned a great set of events for Spring Term 2016! I hope that many of you will be able to attend. --Eileen Brennan Get Your Wine Tour Tickets Now! cott Burns will lead a wine tour for RAPS members on May 11 from 10 am until 5 pm. We have set the price at $90 per person for RAPS members/spouses/partners. The price covers the cost of the bus and the wineries’ tasting fees while also supporting our scholarship fund, and is still well below the price Scott charges for a tour open to the public. He expects to tour several wineries in the Dundee and Yamhill/Carlton valleys. The bus has only 27 seats, so space is limited. We will bring our own lunches and picnic at one of the wineries. To purchase one or two of the remaining spaces, contact Carissa, our office manager, at 503-725-3447. She is in the office on Monday, Thursday and Friday and can take a credit card or you may send in a check. --Nancy Chapman Coming Events March 17, noon, Potluck Lunch, Susan Sokol Blosser, speaker April 21, noon, President’s Luncheon for PSU Retirees May 11, 10 am, Scott Burns Wine Tour May 19, noon, Ice Cream Social, Robert Liberty speaks on Sustainability 8/18, (time to be announced), Annual Picnic at Willamette Park Please Update your Contact Information ave you moved, changed your phone number, or changed your email address? Please contact Carissa Ponting in the RAPS Office at rapsmail@pdx.edu, or call her at 503-725-3447 no later than March 15. Leave a message if Carissa is not in the office. This will assure that you receive our mailings, email announcements, and the 2016 RAPS Membership Directory. Also, please let Carissa know if you prefer to have your contact information excluded from the directory. If you “opt out,” we will show only your name and departmental affiliation. 2 S H
RAPS Group Reports The RAPS Book Group met on February 16 at the home of Eileen and Steve Brennan. We discussed A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The book’s focus on non-profit charitable fundraising, and on the impact an individual can have, provided interesting material for discussion. It also provides a challenge to all of us to be more thoughtful and generous in our giving. We will meet on March 15 and discuss The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. The Nightingale is a novel about the experience of women in World War II. It focuses on two sisters, each following her own path toward survival in German-occupied France. Amazon describes it as “a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.” We will meet at the home of Felicia Wirtz, 16344 NW Avamere Ct, Beaverton. Contact Felicia at (503) 628-2252 or feliciawirtz@gmail.com to let her know you will attend, and for directions. In April, we will meet at Nancy Chapman’s home to discuss The President’s Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy. The Book Group meets at 1:30 pm on the third Tuesday of every month. New members are always welcome. –Joan Shireman The RAPS Bridge Group will meet (or already has met) on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. 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: April 5, 2016, and May 3, 2016. On March 1, we will gather in the Cascade Room (Room 236) of Smith Memorial Student Union at PSU. Playing begins at 1 pm and continues to about 4:30 pm. The RAPS bridge group is very friendly and 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 met on Tuesday, February 9. Four hikers did several short hikes at McIver Park. We visited the fish hatchery, walked the bat trail to the bat barn, and hiked a loop around the disc golf course. We ate our sack lunch at a viewpoint of Mt. Hood and the Clackamas River. The viewpoint was next to the field where Governor Tom McCall authorized a rock festival in 1970 organized by Vietnam war protestors. On Tuesday, March 8, we will hike to the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers via the Warrior Point trail. A link to information from hiking books can be found on the RAPS web page, http://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPS-Hikers. Confirm your attendance with Larry Sawyer by Monday March 7. Contact him at larry_sawyer@comcast.net (there is an underscore between “larry” and “sawyer” in that internet address) or call Larry at 503-771-1616. Meet at the Warrior Trailhead at 9:30 AM. Parking requires a $7.00 Sauvie Wildlife Parking permit, available for purchase at the store near the island end of the bridge, or at sporting goods stores. You might want to carpool with another hiker even though it is a local hike. From the Sauvie island Bridge, follow NW Sauvie Island Road west for approximately 2.5 miles, turning right at the junction with NW Reeder Road; at 6.1 miles the pavement ends. Follow the unpaved road another 2.3 miles to the parking lot; the trail begins at its NE corner. There is a possibility of high water forcing the hike off the beach. Wear appropriate boots for mud and water. --Larry Sawyer 3
On March 17, Please join the RAPS monthly gathering to share a Potluck Lunch Susan Sokol Blosser will speak on “Seven Lessons at Seventy” Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 333 Please bring your favorite salad or dessert to share. The potluck starts at noon, and Susan Sokol Blosser will speak at 1 pm. Please contact Terril Doherty (by email at the.terriljoan@gmail.com or by phone at 503-238-0545) or Carissa Ponting, RAPS Office (by email at rapsmail@pdx.edu or by phone at 503-725-3447) to let us know what dish you will bring. --Terril Doherty
In Memoriam: Abdul Qayum, 1926 - 2016 Abdul Qayum, Professor of Economics, was born in the village of Bamhore, in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India, on July 25, 1926 and died January 16, 2016, in Portland. Professor Qayum earned a B.A., M.A, and Ph.D. at Allgarh University in India and a D. Sc. at the Netherlands School of Economics. He joined the Portland State University faculty in 1970. He had a distinguished career as a research economist and professor in the fields of microeconomic theory, economic development and growth, planning and policy, and cost-benefit analysis. He published numerous articles and four books, including two that he wrote with the late Thomas Palm. He maintained close ties with his native India, focusing much of his research concerning economic development in that country. He funded a girls’ school in his hometown and graduate students at his alma mater, Aligarh Muslim University. He established a fellowship fund for Indian graduate students to attend PSU. Abdul Qayum was described by a member of his department as “a congenial colleague.” Professor Qayum is survived by his wife, Ismat, their children, Seemin, Hisham and Azam, and grandson, Marcus. Memorial contributions in his name may be given to the Dr. Abdul Qayum Endowed Fellowship through the PSU Foundation. RAPS extends sincere sympathy to Professor Qayum’s family. --John R. Cooper, Professor Emeritus of English In Memoriam: Frank Terraglio 1929 - 2016 rank Terraglio, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, was born on May 19, 1928 and died on January 22, 2016. He was born near what is now Duniway Park in Portland. He attended Central Catholic High School and the University of Portland, before earning his postgraduate degrees from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. At Rutgers, he met and married Danice Jeanette. They moved to Oregon to raise their sons, Frank D. and Paul. Professor Terraglio taught at Portland State’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (the precursor to Maseeh College) for more than two decades. His research was focused on air pollution control. He is survived by his sons and his sister, Natalie. Remembrances may be made to OHSU Child Development & Rehabilitation Center. RAPS extends sincere condolences to members of Professor Terraglio’s family . --John R. Cooper, Professor Emeritus of English 5 F
In Memoriam: Duncan Carter, 1946 – 2016 uncan Carter passed away peacefully at home February 22, 2016 after nearly six years of defying prostate cancer. He was surrounded by friends and family. Duncan spent his boyhood in Prosser, Washington, the fourth of eight children, and, after many moves early in his career, lived his last 30 years in Portland, Oregon. He loved words. With a mother and two siblings who were journalists and a family of inveterate Scrabble players, he grew up in a word-rich environment. He was said to know more limericks than anyone alive. It was fairly natural, then, that he became an English professor. After earning a doctorate in English at the University of Illinois (1974), he taught mostly writing and rhetoric courses at West Point, Texas State University, Boston University, and for the last 25 years of his career, Portland State University. He was sufficiently committed to writing that he insisted on authoring his own obituary. He produced many scholarly books and articles but was proudest of his work with internationalization – finding ways to introduce students to the rest of the world. Of course, he was also a devotee of international travel himself. Duncan was also a leader – or at least he kept finding himself in leadership positions. He was president of his high school student body, a captain in the Army, department chair at two institutions, chief negotiator for the faculty union, and associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at PSU, among various other positions. An irrepressible sense of humor got him through a lot of difficult times. Duncan loved the outdoors. He and various family members took pride in 22 straight annual week-long backpack trips. He also ran marathons (two after age 60), climbed mountains, rafted, sailed, skied, cycled, hiked, and otherwise found any available excuse to be outside. He was all about family. He was fiercely in love with his wife of 13 years, Jan Kurtz. He was also devoted to sons Daniel and TJ, and daughter Katherine, all of whom survive him, as do siblings Dennis (San Diego), Dale and Dwight (Richland, WA), Darrel (Steens MS), and Debbie (Fairbanks). He also leaves four lively grandchildren. A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 11:00 at Westminister Church in Portland (1624 NE Hancock Street). In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider a gift to the Duncan Carter Writing Award at PSU (through the PSU Foundation), The Oregon Food Bank, or your favorite charity. --forwarded to the RAPS Sheet by Jan Kurtz RAPS extends sincere condolences to Professor Carter’s family. 6 D
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