THE RAPS SHEET September 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: Tues. & Weds., 9-1:30; Thurs., 9-3. After 9/25: Mon. & Weds., 91:30; Tues. 9-2; Thurs. 9-4. Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.pdx.edu/raps Officers Doug Swanson Co-President Dawn White Co-President Brian Lewis Secretary Ansel Johnson Treasurer Eileen Brennan RAPS Sheet Editor Larry Sawyer RAPS Representative to Regional & National Retirement Associations, Website Editor Board Members-at-Large Steven Brenner Nancy Eriksson Charlie White Committees Nancy Koroloff History Preservation and Pictorial History Book Chair Nancy Eriksson Social Committee Chair Clarence Hein Friendship Chair Priscilla Blumel Membership Chair Nancy Chapman Scholarship Chair Charlie White Awards Chair Tour Japanese Garden September 21 APS members will get a firsthand look at the newly expanded Portland Japanese Garden Thursday, Sept. 21, with a docentguided tour geared specifically for the group. When it first opened in 1967, the Garden consisted of five traditional Japanese gardens. In April 2017 the Garden unveiled its $33.5-million Cultural Crossing expansion project. The 3.4-acre addition includes three new garden spaces and a Cultural Village, designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma. The new spaces include the Entry Garden, home to a series of cascading ponds that welcome visitors; the Ellie M. Hill Bonsai Terrace showcasing seasonal bonsai specimens; and the Tsubo-Niwa, a tiny “vignette” garden incorporating the essential elements of a Japanese garden – stone, water, and plants – in a modern style. Special tour group price is $11.50 per person. Please be prepared on Sept. 21 to make payment by check or cash to Dawn White, who will make one payment for the entire group. It’s important that you RSVP promptly to Dawn at dawnwhitepdx@pdx.edu so she can give the Garden an approximate number of participants. RSVPs cannot be accepted past Monday, Sept. 18. The Garden is located in the west hills of Portland directly above the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. Meet in the Portland Japanese Garden parking lot, 611 SW Kingston Avenue, at 12:30 pm. The group will take a free shuttle bus from the parking lot to the Admission Gate, where the tour guide will greet the group. The tour begins at 1:00 pm. Information about getting to the garden by car or public transit is available at: https://japanesegarden.org/parking/ Please contact Dawn by email or by phone (503-232-3089) if you are interested in carpooling options. R
Co-President’s Message Many years ago I asked a PSU professor how he managed to snare, of all things, a reserved parking space. Those precious pieces of real estate were usually set aside for vice presidents, deans, and a handful of other heavy hitters. "I taught at another urban university before I came here,” he explained. “I knew that I had to negotiate parking before I negotiated anything else—including salary.” Parking has always been a big issue at Portland State. Unless you walked, biked, or rode public transportation—a more responsible way to get to campus, but not always practical—you had to elbow your way to a parking space every morning and pay handsomely for the privilege. This summer parking came up again, and this time it hit especially close to home. On June 2, professors emeriti received a letter notifying them that the University would impose a fee for parking if they were employed by PSU. That prompted a response from your friends and colleagues along the lines of “Hey, wait a minute!” (It’s possible some responses were even stronger.) To refresh your recollection, all professors emeriti get free campus parking. And, until June 2, even those emeriti professors who took post-retirement employment by the University still got free parking. The fact is, those post-retirement jobs are almost always less than .5 FTE, and sometimes are only .1 FTE. A monthly parking tab of $130 is going to put a serious dent in the paycheck. Long story short, RAPS got involved, most particularly Sue Poulsen and Dawn White, last year’s copresidents, and Eileen Brennan, our RAPS Sheet editor and professor emerita of social work. Spurred on by Sue, Dawn, and Eileen, PSU-AAUP filed a grievance in early July, and on August 3, Phil Lesch, executive director of PSU-AAUP, reported that the decision to charge emeritus faculty for parking was reversed. Chalk up a victory for RAPS! And that’s a good way to start the year. Speaking of which, I hope you can join us for another year of engaging activities and presentations, starting with a tour of Portland’s magnificent Japanese Gardens. A major expansion completed last spring added 3.4 acres and made the gardens ADA-compliant. On behalf of our co-president, Dawn White, and the entire RAPS Board, I invite you go join us at the Japanese Gardens on Sept. 21 and at our monthly meetings throughout the 2017-18 academic year. —Doug Swanson, Co-President Please Update Your Contact Information Have you moved, changed your phone number, or changed your email address? Please contact Rebecca Butterworth in the RAPS Office at rapsmail@pdx.edu, or call her at 503-725-3447. Leave a message if Rebecca is not in the office. This will assure that you receive our mailings, email announcements, and the 2017 RAPS Membership Directory. 2
RAPS Group Reports The RAPS Book Group. The book group met through the summer. In July we read The Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer. It is a true story of the saving of ancient manuscripts and contains a wealth of information, new to many of us, about the history and culture of that part of Africa along the Niger River. We met on July 18 at the home of Joan Shireman. In August we met at the home of Marge Terdal to discuss Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman, a delightful tale of a sensible and convention-bound woman making her way in a new community. In September we will read Mink River by the late Brian Doyle. It is a novel about the lives of the inhabitants of a small fictional town on the Oregon coast and has been well reviewed. We will meet at the home of Nancy Chapman, 4214 Hazelfern Place on Sept. 19. Contact Nancy at chapmannj@comcast.net or 503-2340162 to let her know whether you will be there. The BookGgroup meets the third Tuesday of every month at 1:30 p.m. New members are always welcome. - --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 p.m. We meet in Smith Center, usually on the second floor, but sometimes on the third floor. Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming months, bridge dates, rooms and times: Tuesday, September 5, 2017; in SMSU 294 Tuesday, October 3, 2017; in SMSU 327 Tuesday, November 7, 2017; in SMSU 294 Tuesday, December 5, 2017; in SMSU 294 I will send out the reminder email notice about one week prior to each date we play. The RAPS Bridge Group members are very 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. On July 25, eight hikers made a short beach hike around Hug Point. We walked over ruts etched into the point bylate 19th century stagecoaches. Afterwards, we had a lunch of Moe’s Clam Chowder with salad and wine, hosted by the Coopers. Several elected to stay overnight at various points on the coast. The August hike to Bull of the Woods had not occurred by the RAPS Sheet deadline, and was delayed due to the solar eclipse. Last year’s hikers described it as “Huckleberry Heaven.” Our September hike will be on Tuesday, Sept. 26, to Angels Rest in the Columbia Gorge. This will be the highest elevation gain hike for 2017. It will be a car pool hike. For more information, go to the hiker’s page on the RAPS web page. The link below should take you directly to the page. https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPS-Hikers. Follow the links on the Sept. 26 section for more detailed descriptions. Confirm your attendance to Larry Sawyer 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. --Larry Sawyer 3
Rebecca Butterworth, RAPS Office Manager, 2017-18 The RAPS Board is delighted to introduce Rebecca Butterworth as the new RAPS office manager. Rebecca is a graduate student in PSU’s Political Science Department, majoring in international relations. She earned a B.A. in Russian and a second B.A. in International Relations, both from San Francisco State University. She has lived in Russia, Norway, England, and South Korea. For her master’s program Rebecca is concentrating on Russian foreign policy, power transition theory, and cyber/hybrid warfare. After graduation she plans to enter a doctoral program in either international relations or political science with the goal of becoming a professor and teaching Russian foreign policy. Rebecca is already hard at work for RAPS. She had the opportunity to cross-train in July with outgoing RAPS Office Manager Adam Jones. Rebecca’s office hours for fall term are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9:00 am to 1:30 pm, and Thursdays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Adam reports that he is adjusting to the slower pace of life in Roseburg, where he landed a job as the Older Adult Behavioral Specialist for Douglas County. His main purpose is to raise awareness of behavioral health needs of older adults. He is also the point of contact for complex case consultations for older adults throughout the county. In the short three weeks he has been on the job, Adam has already planned trainings with adult foster care providers and alcohol and drug counselors. We wish Adam well and look forward to working with Rebecca in the coming year. --Dawn White, Co-President Keborah Andren, Scholarship Recipient for 2017-2018 Congratulations to Keborah Andren, the 2017-18 recipient of the RAPS Scholarship! She writes: Dear members of the Retirement Association of Portland State: I am honored and so grateful to receive the RAPS Scholarship to help me complete my Master of Social Work degree, specializing in end-of-life and palliative care. I am a graduate student in PSU's Advanced Standing Master’s program with the School of Social Work and was just accepted by Providence Hospice to do my MSW Internship starting fall term, 2017. I am currently a hospice volunteer, and my vocational interests center on hospice and bereavement. As a student facing financial barriers, this scholarship makes a huge difference in being able to access and pursue my degree. I am dedicated to preserving human rights, dignity, and quality of life at end of life, and I believe health care is a social justice issue. Thank you to the RAPS organization and the collective work you do. And thank you to each of you for your consideration in choosing me as one of your recipients. Gratefully, Keborah --Nancy Chapman, Scholarship Committee Chair 4
In Memoriam: Barry F. Anderson, 1935-2017 arry F. Anderson, professor emeritus of psychology, died July 2 at his home in Portland with his wife and daughter at his side. He was 81 years old. Professor Anderson was born Sept. 14, 1935, in Palo Alto, California, to Lillian B. Anderson, née Thompson, and Harold F. Anderson, a Swedish immigrant. During his primary and secondary schooling, he became involved in Scouting, and its emphasis on self-reliance, thinking ahead, and thinking of others left a deep impression on him. He achieved the Scouting ranks of Eagle and Ranger before graduating from Sequoia Union High School, Redwood City, California, in 1953. In 1953 Professor Anderson entered Stanford University. He worked three jobs to pay for his own education, and graduated magna cum laude in psychology and pre-medicine in 1957. Two years later he entered the master’s program in psychology at the University of Oregon. It was there that he met Aliki Ganiatsos, the daughter of Greek immigrants. They married, and, in the words of a fellow graduate student, became a “pair of bookends.” In 1963, Professor Anderson received a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, with an emphasis on cognition and problem solving, from Johns Hopkins University. Professor Anderson observed that he “always seemed to have been interested in rationality—first, in how to define it, then in how to become more rational himself, and, finally, in how to help others do the same.” His interest in rationality began early. He enjoyed high school algebra and delighted in solving algebra problems he found in the local newspaper. His love for maps revealed itself as he worked for his Surveying merit badge, learned to pilot the family cruiser around San Francisco Bay, found his way in the Sierra Nevadas, and competed in sports car rallies and Orienteering competitions. Professor Anderson’s interest in rationality became more sharply focussed as he moved through his academic career, first as an assistant professor at the University of Oregon from 1963 to 1968, then as an associate professor, professor, and professor emeritus at Portland State. While at the University of Oregon, Professor Anderson wrote The Psychology Experiment, a best-seller among texts for teaching scientific method to psychology undergraduates. At Portland State he created The Wise Decider, a computer program that applies the same principles a decision analyst uses to evaluate possible courses of action to finding the best paths through life’s complexities. Among Professor Anderson’s publications were Cognitive Psychology: The study of knowing, learning, and thinking (1975); The Complete Thinker: A handbook of techniques for creative and critical problem solving (1980); and The Three Secrets of Wise Decision Making (2002). After he retired, Professor Anderson taught decision making to inmates at Columbia River Correctional Institution for several years. He also began studying Swedish, becoming proficient in the Swedish language and culture. He traveled to Sweden four times, tracking down relatives and establishing long-lasting relationships with them. Professor Anderson is survived by his wife, Aliki Anderson; his daughter, Delia Anderson; his son, Erik Olaf Anderson; his brother, David Anderson; and his sister, Judith Bauer. -–Doug Swanson 5 B
In Memoriam: John W. Hakanson, 1920-2017 ohn Hakanson, who as a student at Vanport Extension Center—the forerunner of Portland State— advocated to make the institution permanent, died March 3 with his wife and children by his side. He was 96 years old. Vanport was a wartime housing project established in 1942 in North Portland. In 1946 it became the home of Vanport Extension Center, an institution designed to handle the flood of veterans returning from World War II seeking to attend a public college. From its beginning, the Extension Center was considered temporary and would likely close once the supply of post-war veterans dwindled. Dr. Hakanson, himself a veteran, was among many who argued that Vanport should become permanent. In an article he wrote for the Feb. 1, 1948, Sunday Oregonian, Dr. Hakanson argued forcefully for the Extension Center’s permanence. “Hakanson became the first person to bring together in writing the ideas of a permanent institution, a new building, and a downtown campus,” wrote Professor Gordon Dodds in The College that Would Not Die, a history of Portland State’s first 50 years. Dr. Hakanson was persistent in his advocacy, even after he completed his studies at Vanport and transferred to Willamette University. Now living in Oregon’s capital and with the support of Stephen Epler, the Extension Center’s founder, he drew up a bill in January 1949 that called for a permanent institution in Portland and for the purchase of a building. “He had in mind Lincoln High School, a building constructed in 1912, which the Portland School District was planning to replace,” Professor Dodds wrote. Lincoln High, now known as Lincoln Hall, became the first building of Portland State’s downtown campus. On April 15, the bill—known as the Wilhelm-Logan bill—was signed into law by Governor Paul Patterson. John Warren Hakanson was born in Cottage Grove, Oregon, on May 21, 1920, to Esther Hakanson, a second generation Oregonian, and John Hakanson, a Swedish immigrant. He was drafted into the Army during World War II, served in New Guinea and the Philippines, and earned a Bronze Star. He returned as an Army captain and married his wife, Helen, in Eugene on Christmas Eve, 1945. After completing his undergraduate degree at Willamette, Dr. Hakanson earned a master’s from the University of Oregon in 1954. He taught at Myrtle Creek, Canyonville, and Harrisburg before moving to Berkeley in 1963 to pursue a doctorate. He helped launch Clackamas Community College, becoming dean of instruction in 1967 and president in 1969. Dr. Hakanson retired in 1984 but continued his involvement in local politics and community affairs. He served on several boards and commissions, including the Clackamas Economic Development Commission, the Oregon Trail Foundation, the Oregon Board of Nursing, and the board of directors of the Clackamas County Historical Society. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Helen Hakanson; his children, John, David, Lou Ann, and Rob; 11 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Remembrances may be sent to the Clackamas Community College Foundation at www.clackamas.edu/foundation. An online guest book is available at www.oregonlive.com/obits . --Doug Swanson 6 J
In Memoriam: Glen L. Sedivy, 1957-2017 len Louis Sedivy, who served Portland State for 17 years as a director and an assistant dean in the School of Extended Studies, died July 18 at the age of 60. Born Jan. 2, 1957, Mr. Sedivy was the youngest child of the late Edwin and Winona Sedivy of Monmouth, Oregon. He grew up in the family home in Monmouth and attended the University of Oregon, where he met his wife, Rose, and received a bachelor’s degree in 1979 and a Master of Business Administration in 1981. He began his career as an analyst for Dole Food Company, Inc., in California and Hawaii. He returned to the Pacific Northwest to work for Pacific Telecom in Vancouver, Washington, before joining Portland State in 1994. Mr. Sedivy worked under three deans—Sherwin Davidson, Cheryl Livneh, and Mike Burton—in the School of Extended Studies. He was originally hired as director of registration and budget; in 1996 he was promoted to assistant dean of administration and Summer Session. In 2006 he received another promotion, to assistant vice provost for the School of Extended Studies and director of Summer Session. Professors Davidson and Livneh recalled Mr. Sedivy as the architect of effective systems that better served both students and the University, exemplified by his establishment of an automated registration system for Extended Studies’ unique non-credit offerings. He served on many University committees, represented Extended Studies to other campus leaders, and advocated for adults seeking to improve their work in education, business, and nonprofits. Most importantly, Professors Davidson and Livneh said, Mr. Sedivy “brought exceptional loyalty and an irrepressible energy and enthusiasm to those with whom he worked.” Mr. Sedivy's interests were diverse, ranging from golf, beekeeping, and gourmet food to gardening, classic cars, and British naval history. He played the piano, French horn, and mellophone in high school, college, and in community orchestras, including the Honolulu Community Orchestra and the One More Time Around Again Marching Band. He is survived by his wife, Rose, and children, James and Kysa, as well as his brother, Dean Sedivy (Connie), of Monmouth; sister, Nancy Boerem (Steve), of Florida; and grandchild, Freya Marie Sedivy. --Doug Swanson RAPS Scholarship Contributions cholarship contributions were received by the PSU Foundation from the following donors between May 20 and August 20, 2017 include: Priscilla Blumel in memory of Armyn Brooks G S
July RAPS Hike to Hug Point --Photographs by Larry Sawyer 8
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