THE RAPS SHEET November 2017 Retirement Association of Portland State Portland State University Post Office Box 751--RAPS Portland OR 97207-0751 Campus Public Safety Building, second floor, SW Montgomery at Broadway Office Manager Rebecca Butterworth (503)725-3447, rapsmail@pdx.edu Office Hours: Mon. & Weds., 9-1; Tues. 9-2; Thurs. 9-3. Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.pdx.edu/raps Board Members Co-Presidents Doug Swanson Dawn White Secretary Brian Lewis Treasurer Ansel Johnson Members-at-Large Steven Brenner Nancy Eriksson Charlie White RAPS Sheet Editor Eileen Brennan Website Editor Larry Sawyer RAPS Representative to Regional & National Retirement Associations Larry Sawyer Committees Awards Charlie White, Chair History Preservation Nancy Koroloff, Chair Membership Dawn White, Chair Scholarship Priscilla Blumel, Chair Social Nancy Eriksson, Chair Bryan Johanson Reveals His Path from Musician to Urban Beekeeper at November 16 Meeting ryan Johanson, who retired earlier this year as professor and chair of the PSU Department of Music, speaks to RAPS at its November meeting on the intriguing topic “Barcarolles to Bees.” A prominent guitarist and recording artist, Bryan has performed with orchestras, chamber music groups, choirs, and in solo recitals throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is an awardwinning composer whose catalog of over 80 compositions includes symphonies, concertos for violin, cello and piano, chamber works, song cycles, choral works, and compositions for solo instruments. According to Bryan’s profile on the PSU website, he has focused a major portion of his creative energy in recent years writing chamber music that includes guitar. In 1978 Bryan founded PSU’s guitar studies program and Guitar Recital Series, and in 1991 he established the popular Portland Guitar Festival, which he organizes annually. He is also a member of the Oregon Guitar Quartet, composing numerous original compositions and arrangements for the group. What are the challenges of becoming an urban beekeeper? Are there parallels to making music and raising bees? Find out on November. 16. The meeting begins at noon in 333 SMSU with a light lunch followed by Bryan’s talk at 12:45 pm. B
Co-President’s Message A few days ago I decided to look at the docket of upcoming RAPS general meetings so I would know what's coming up. Seemed appropriate, being as I'm co-president and all. And there it was: Bryan Johanson, talking about beekeeping on November 16. Bryan Johanson? Beekeeping? But he’s a music professor, a classical guitarist who has won a slew of awards, written symphonies, and performed across the United States and Canada. And he’s going to talk to us about bees? Now, I don't know Bryan at all. I’ve met him a time or two, and I once bought a guitar from him. OK, not technically. My daughter wanted to take lessons, the Department of Music had a surplus guitar gathering dust, and, for a donation to the department, I brought home to my daughter a pretty darn nice guitar. So I didn't really buy a guitar from Bryan. But he came by my office with the instrument, and I talked briefly with him, and he even played the guitar for me. But a beekeeper? How did he make the journey from music to beekeeping? I suppose we'll find out on November 16. But my guess is that Bryan might be enjoying that second act that Americans aren't supposed to have. (I think the line was taken out of context, but I'll leave the debate to the Fitzgerald enthusiasts in the audience.) In fact, many of us do have second acts. Some second acts are products of necessity, some are of opportunity, some are of curiosity. One of my friends left higher education to take over his father's commercial real estate company. Another, a high school speech teacher, retired to become an awardwinning plein air artist. Even Richard Nixon had a second act—and a third, come to think of it. If you've gotten this far, you're probably wondering what became of the guitar that I didn't buy from Bryan. Well, after a couple of years of instruction, my daughter took up some other activity that's long lost to my memory. One day, a friend, who's a veterinarian, dropped by the house and saw it in my home office. "Wow, nice guitar," he said. "You know, I've always wanted to take lessons." So I gave it to him. And I'd love to tell you that he gave up his practice to play guitar in hip coffeehouses in the East Village. But he didn’t. He remains a dedicated veterinarian. His second act is yet to come. —Doug Swanson, Co-President Help Update Our Membership Directory Do you have your copy handy of the RAPS Directory published in May of this year? Please check your entry and notify the RAPS Office of any updates or corrections. You can send an email to rapsmail@pdx.edu or call Rebecca Butterworth, RAPS Office Manager, at 503-725-3447. RAPS will publish an addendum to the RAPS Directory in December. Don’t have a copy of the latest directory? Let us know so we can mail you one. 2
RAPS Group Reports The RAPS Book Group. On October 17 the book group met at the home of Steve and Eileen Brennan. We discussed The Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, a highly acclaimed autobiography celebrating a woman’s career in science and her love for the natural world. The writing about botany was wonderful, and we made new discoveries about our world. The biographical parts of the book received mixed reviews from the group. In November we will read The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss, a biography of Alex Dumas, a general of the Napoleonic era. We know his life through The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, written by his son, Alexandre Dumas. The elder Dumas has been one of the few men of color to command vast armies. We anticipate that a well-researched biography will be exciting to read. (Note the range of the group’s interests, from plants to swashbuckling generals.) We will meet at the home of Felicia Wirtz, 16433 Avamere Court, in Portland. Contact Felicia at 503-628-2252 or feliciawirtz@gmail.com to RSVP and for directions. In December we plan to read Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival by Jeffrey Gettleman. We will meet on December 19 at the home of Joan Shireman. The book group meets the third Tuesday of every month at 1:30 pm. New members are always welcome. We welcome suggestions of books that are interesting to read and full of issues for discussion. - --Joan Shireman The RAPS Bridge Group. The RAPS Bridge Group meets in the afternoon on the first Tuesday of each month. We begin play at 12:15 pm. We try to finish up by 4:00 pm. We meet in Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU), usually on the second floor, but sometimes on the third floor. Please mark your calendars for the following: Tuesday, November 7, 2017, in SMSU 294 Tuesday, December 5, 2017, in SMSU 294 Tuesday, January 2, 2018, in SMSU 294. I will send out the reminder email notice about one week prior to each date we play. The RAPS Bridge Group is very friendly and we 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. Due to work on the Forest Park trails, the October 24 hike was moved to Hoyt Arboretum. For the October RAPS hike, seven people walked about five miles of the 12 miles of trails in the Hoyt Arboretum. The weather was perfect autumn with blue skies, and cool. After our meandering, we ate lunch at the Lovejoy Bakery in Uptown Shopping Center. The November 28 hike is a “4T” experience, involving a trail, a tram ride (Portland Aerial Tram), a trolley (Portland Street Car), and the MAX train. The hike will begin at the Portland Zoo and will follow the trail to Marquam Hill and OHSU. Hikers will ride the tram down to the trolley line, followed by a return to the zoo on MAX. We will stop for lunch along the way. If you plan to hike in November, contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. For more details, please consult the RAPS hikers website : https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPS-Hikers 3 --Larry Sawyer and Tom Dieterich
November 2017 Dear RAPS member, In the years ahead many of us will require assistance from professionals with educational backgrounds in gerontology and social work. But educations in these specialties come at a high cost. Tuition, books, and room and board grow more expensive every year. That’s why we work so diligently to provide a scholarship each year to a student who is passionate about a career related to gerontology, a career serving our future needs. RAPS scholarship recipients are planning to work in many fields ranging from health to housing; their work improves the lives of all of us as well as the lives of other older people. The first RAPS Scholarship was awarded in 2011-12. This year Keborah Andren, a student in the Master of Social Work program, is our seventh scholarship recipient. Her career goals are to work in the areas of hospice and bereavement, and she is currently working with Providence Hospice Program for her MSW internship. In her letter of acceptance of the scholarship, Keborah wrote, “As a student facing financial barriers, the scholarship makes a huge difference in being able to access and pursue my degree." More than ever we need your help to continue awarding scholarships and to assist deserving students like Keborah. Please help support the RAPS scholarship with a generous donation at this joyful time of year. Thank you! Dawn White, RAPS Co-President Douglas Swanson, RAPS Co-President RAPS Scholarship Donation Form: Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City __________________________________________________State _______________________________ Zip _____________________ Phone ___________________________________________________ Email __________________________________________________ Donation Amount $1,000______ $500______ $250______ $100______ Other $_______ Donation made in memory of _____________________________________________________________________________________ Donation made to honor ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Make checks payable to the PSU Foundation and noted for RAPS Scholarship Please mail to Retired Association of Portland State—RAPS/Portland State University/ PO Box 751/Portland OR 97207-0751. To use a credit card, go to https://www.pdx.edu/raps/scholarship-fund 4
‘Tis the season! RAPS Annual Holiday Brunch Celebrate the holidays with your RAPS colleagues at the annual holiday brunch. This year we have a new venue: Nordia House, the cultural center of Nordic Northwest, located in southwest Portland near Washington Square. Nordic Northwest (previously the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation) is a nonprofit organization focused on the five Nordic nations: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. As such we can expect our holiday brunch to have a distinctly Nordic flair! Thursday, Dec. 14 – Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Road, Portland Festivities begin at 10:30 am with a no-host bar where you can purchase Scandinavian Mimosas and other beverages. Brunch begins at 11:00 am with the following menu* prepared just for us by Broder Söder, Nordia House’s in-house Nordic cafe: Fresh juice Fresh and preserved fruit Vegetarian egg frittata with cheese and fresh herbs Swedish meatballs in sherry cream sauce Roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction Janssen’s Temptation potato gratin Coffee and tea *Dietary restrictions? Please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. We will be entertained by RAPS member and chanteuse Susan Johnson. You’ll have a chance to chat with Keborah Andren, current RAPS scholarship recipient. We’ll hear a brief presentation from a Collette Tours representative on the 2018 RAPS-sponsored trip to Italy. And, of course, you’ll have a chance to bid on delicious holiday treats. Cost of the brunch is $23 per person. RSVP no later than Tuesday, Dec. 5, to Rebecca Butterworth at the RAPS Office, 503-725-3447. You may pay by check made out to the PSU Foundation and mailed to RAPS/PSU, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207, or by credit card by calling Rebecca at the RAPS Office, 503-725-3447. Interested in getting a ride to Nordia House or offering a ride to a fellow RAPS member? Please contact Dawn White by email (dawnwhitepdx@gmail.com) about carpooling options. Donate a favorite holiday treat to raise money for the RAPS scholarship! The fundraising event at the holiday party again this year will be sale of items with a theme of “holiday treats.” If you can donate a treat, please contact Rebecca Butterworth, RAPS Office Manager, at 503-725-3477. Treats might include a plate or tin box of your family’s traditional baked goods, holiday decorations—anything fitting the theme. Theater tickets, art work, and gift certificates are also welcome. You set the value, with a maximum of $50. All proceeds go to the RAPS Scholarship Fund.
RAPS Hikers Explore the Hoyt Arboretum in October Mountain view from Hoyt Arboretum ---Photograph by Tom Hard Barred Owl---Photograph by Sharon Carstens 6
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