The RAPS Sheet The newsletter of the Retirement Association of Portland State SEPTEMBER 2018 Retirement Association of Portland State Portland State University–RAPS Post Office Box 751 Portland OR 97207-0751 Campus Public Safety Building Second Floor, Room 212 SW Montgomery at Broadway Office Manager Ilana Tarasyuk Telephone: 503-725-3447 Email: rapsmail@pdx.edu Office hours: Tues. & Thurs., 9 am to 5:30 pm; Fri., 1 to 5 pm. Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.pdx.edu/raps Board Members Co-Presidents David Krug Doug Swanson 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 Steve Brennan, Chair History Preservation Nancy Koroloff, Chair Membership/Program Dawn White, Chair Scholarships Barbara Alberty & Joan Shireman, Co-chairs Social Nancy Eriksson, Chair RAPS members tour Stott Center on September 20 RAPS KICKS OFF the 2018-19 programming year with a guided tour on Thursday, September 20, of the newly renovated Peter W. Stott Center. The two-year project, a collaboration between PSU and OHSU, was completed in April 2018 at a cost of $52 million. The result is a substantial upgrade and expansion of the Stott Center, which was known as the HPE (Health and Physical Education) Building when it was originally built in the mid-1960s. The centerpiece of the project is the new Viking Pavilion, a 3,000-seat arena that will host Vikings basketball and volleyball games as well as concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other public events. The facility now houses the university’s athletics offices, a new weight training room, locker rooms, the OHSU Sports Medicine Center, classrooms, student lounges, and study space. A new façade on the east side with floor-toceiling windows opens up the building to the Park Blocks. Leading the tour for RAPS is Lindsey Webster, director of external operations for PSU Athletics. The tour group will assemble in the main lobby of the Stott Center; enter the building in the middle of the block on the north side, using either the stairs or the ramp. Please plan to arrive about 10 minutes early so that the tour can begin promptly at 2 pm. —Photograph of the east façade of the Peter W. Stott Center by Erin Merz
Co-President’s Message Growing PSU 2 FIFTY-FIVE YEARS AGO this fall I began my undergraduate studies at PSU. If memory serves, tuition was $70 per term; I’m guessing that there were around 6,000 total students; the entire campus was located on the Park Blocks; and Ben Padrow gave us our freshman orientation. Ben began by pointing out, with confidence, that half of us sitting in the auditorium would drop out by the end of spring term. And he was right! A lot has changed! The PSU of 1963 is unrecognizable today. There Many of today’s RAPS members participated in and were integral to growing PSU into the dynamic and major university that it has become. Many of these PSU retirees also have an interest in finding ways to continue to support the university. During the years that I have belonged to RAPS, the organization has evolved in many positive ways because of active retirees who have a strong connection to PSU, and have a desire to maintain friendships and provide support to the university community. If you are a recent retiree, we at RAPS would like to encourage you to read our monthly newsletter. We think you will find interesting events and activities that will maintain your connection to PSU. Please consider joining us; you will find PSU retirees to be a welcoming group! —Dave Krug COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS to Portland State’s first game of the year at Providence Park – Saturday, October 13 – have been donated by the PSU Athletic Department for RAPS members. The Viks go up against the Bears of the University of Northern Colorado at 2 pm. Tickets are available from the RAPS office. The maximum per person is two tickets. Please call (503-725-3447) or email (rapsmail@pdx.edu) the RAPS office, leaving your name and contact information. —Photograph of PSU player scrimmage by Steve Brenner are now around 28,000 students; buildings are spread well beyond the Park; there is no longer basketball being played in the basement of “Old Main;” and from what I read retaining students is now a priority for the university. Upcoming member events OCTOBER (Thursday, October 15) “40 Years of ‘Real News:’ Behind the Scenes with Journalist Steve Amen.” PSU alum Steve Amen, recently retired after 25 plus years on the popular PBS show Oregon Field Guide, reflects on his four decades as a journalist. 333 SMSU NOVEMBER (Thursday, November 15) “What’s Happening in Afghanistan?” Grant Farr, professor emeritus of sociology and specialist on the Middle East, brings us up to date on the political situation in Afghanistan. 333 SMSU DECEMBER (Thursday, December 6) Annual RAPS Holiday Brunch, held at Nordia House in southwest Portland. Football tickets for RAPS members still available
RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE BOOK GROUP met on July 17 at the home of Nancy Chapman and discussed Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. The book was fascinating; our discussion suggested that many of us still had questions. Perhaps we need Astrophysics for People not in a Hurry. Our summer reading ended with Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. We met on August 21 at the beach home of Marge and Leif Terdal, and began our session with lunch followed by a lively discussion that focused on social issues as well as the detective work of both the FBI members and the writer. In September we will be reading Little Fires Everywhere, a novel by Celeste Ng. We will meet on Tuesday, September 18, at the home of Felicia Wirtz. The Book Group meets the third Tuesday of every month at 1:30 pm. New members are always welcome. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE RAPS BRIDGE GROUPmeets in the afternoon on the first Tuesday of each month. We begin play at 12:15 pm. We try to finish up by 4 pm. In the coming academic year we will meet in Smith Center, in Room 258 on the second floor. Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming fall meetings: September 4, October 2, November 6, and December 4, all in SMSU 258. 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 Hiking Group THE RAPS HIKE on Tuesday, September 25, will take place at the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, which is located in Hillsboro. The preserve includes an associated Nature Center and several miles of hiking trails with great observation points. The hike will be over largely flat terrain with a few changes of elevation, and will feature views of the Tualatin River and rich birdwatching venues. Although a segment of the trails has been closed for restoration, we still should be able to hike at least three miles in areas rich with vegetation and wildlife. Hikers will meet at 9:30 am in the parking lot next to the Nature Center, located at 2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy, Hillsboro. Our lunch will be at a local Japanese restaurant, Syun Izakaya, which is located about two miles north of the Nature Center at 209 NE Lincoln St. in Hillsboro. Syun opens for lunch at 11:30 am, and has a varied menu. Our August 28 hike was in the Lewis River region of Southwest Washington that is graced with old growth trees and scenic waterfalls. If you plan to hike in September, please contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. For more details about these hikes or future hiking plans in 2018, please consult the RAPS hikers’ website: https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPS-Hikers —Larry Sawyer RAPS hikers traveled to the Cascade Head area and were rewarded with great coastal views in July. 3 —Photograph by Larry Sawyer
In memoriam: Jan Hajda, 1927-2018 JAN HAJDA, a PSU professor emeritus of sociology who endured German occupation of his homeland as a child and fled Czechoslovakia after the Communist coup of 1948, died June 9 at age 91. Professor Hajda was the second of three sons born to Josef Hajda and Anna Hajda, née Cechova, in Moravia, Czechoslovakia. He grew up in the small, historic city of Kromeriz, lived through the six-year German occupation that ended in 1945, then entered college in Prague with his older brother, Joseph. The Communist coup in 1948 sparked the Hajda brothers and thousands of other students to protest, and thousands fled the country. After being questioned by the secret police, Professor Hajda, like his brother before him, fled to Germany, leaving parents and younger brother Alois behind. After two months in an International Refugee Organization (IRO) camp in Germany, the brothers were sent to another IRO camp in Naples, Italy. Professor Hajda stayed in the camp for two years awaiting an opportunity to enter the United States. A Czech in Washington, D.C., agreed to sponsor him under the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, and he left for the U.S. in 1950. Three days after landing in New York, Professor Hajda left for Oregon to attend Willamette University, which had offered him a scholarship. After graduating from Willamette in 1952, he continued his sociology studies at the University of Chicago, earning an M.A. in 1952 and a Ph.D. in 1963. It was in Chicago that Professor Hajda met his future wife, Yvonne Phillips. They were married in 1956, the same year he became an American citizen. Professor Hajda began his academic career at Johns Hopkins University, serving as an assistant professor from 1959 to 1963. He also taught at the University of California, Riverside, from 1963 to 1967. He joined Portland State in 1967 and remained at PSU until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1994. Professor Hajda was a Fulbright Scholar in 1966-1967 and 1991-1992. He was a member of the American Association of University Professors, American Sociological Association, Pacific Sociological Association, International Sociological Association, Western Slavic Association, Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, and Fulbright Association. In his retirement, Professor Hajda kept in touch with friends and family both in the United States and in Europe, followed closely developments in sociology and current events, and read widely in Czech and English. He is survived by his wife, Yvonne; his younger brother, Alois; and five nieces and three nephews. His older brother, Joseph, predeceased him. Remembrances may be made to Willamette University; alumni.willamette.edu/donation-form. —Doug Swanson —Photograph from PSU Archives 4
5 In memoriam: Robert Louis (Lou) Merrick, 1927-2018 ROBERT LOUIS (LOU) MERRICK, who served Portland State for 28 years and retired as assistant budget director in 1985, died July 24 at his home in Happy Valley. He was 90 years old. Mr. Merrick was born in Portland on September 20, 1927, to Louis J. Merrick and Esther M. Merrick, née Laugeson. He had four sisters: Dorothy, Mary, Jenny, and Joanne. In 1945, after graduation from Grant High School, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and served on the USS Ottawa (AKA101). Mr. Merrick was aboard Ottawa during the first post-war nuclear bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. After receiving an honorable discharge, Mr. Merrick enrolled at the University of Portland, and graduated in 1950. That August he joined the Oregon State System of Higher Education in Corvallis. It was also in 1950 that he married Harriet Marie Mitchell at Madeleine Catholic Church in Portland. In February 1951 Mr. Merrick, a sergeant in the Air National Guard, was called to active duty to serve in the Korean War. He was discharged as staff sergeant and returned to Corvallis. He later became chief accountant for the State Game Commission, in Portland, before accepting a position at Portland State in 1956 as assistant business manager. In 1965 he was appointed as assistant professor and business manager at PSU. Seven years later he was promoted to professor and in 1976 was transferred to the president’s office as assistant director of the budget and internal auditor. Mr. Merrick was a frequent volunteer, using his accounting and business acumen to help a variety of organizations. In 1969 he joined the supervisory committee of Portland Teachers Credit Union (now OnPoint Community Credit Union). He was later elected to the board of directors, serving until his retirement in 2001. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Western Association of College and University Business Managers; chairman of Christ the King Finance Committee; member of the Association of College and University Auditors; treasurer of the Vista View Home Owner Association; and chairman of the general service committee of the State Business Management Association. Mr. Merrick enjoyed books, the outdoors, fishing and hunting, playing handball, and family barbecues and picnics. Later in life he developed a passion for gardening. Mr. Merrick and his wife, Harriet, had two daughters, Harriet and Mary, and a grandson, John “Peter” Merrick. Mr. Merrick cared for his wife through her many years of illness until she died in 2006. Two years later, in 2008, he and Doris Campion were married at Christ the King Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Doris; daughters Harriet and Mary; grandson John; sister Dorothy Tokerud; and step-daughter Debbie Kasnias. Services were held at Christ the King Catholic Church, Milwaukie, on August 2. Remembrances may be sent to Blanchet House, 310 NW Glisan Street, Portland, OR 97209; blanchethouse.org. —Doug Swanson
RAPS names Ilana Tarasyuk office manager for 2018-19 RAPS’ NEW OFFICE MANAGERis Ilana Tarasyuk. She’s a finance major who was drawn to Portland State by its business school and to RAPS by the opportunity to manage its office. “RAPS was a step up, and I always look for opportunities,” she said. Ilana joined RAPS in June, succeeding Rebecca Butterworth, who is pursuing a graduate degree at Johns Hopkins. Ilana was born in Russia and came to the United States as an infant. She grew up in a Russian-speaking household and entered kindergarten in Vancouver, Washington, not speaking a word of English. “I hated school because I didn’t know what was going on,” she recalled. But she picked up English quickly and remains fluent in Russian. Working for RAPS “is fun and interesting,” Ilana said. “I had a lot of fun organizing the office and getting to know people, so I’m having a blast.” The RAPS office is open during the remainder of the summer and for fall term on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 1 to 5 p.m. —Doug Swanson, Co-president Anne-Marie Wood receives 2018-19 RAPS scholarship ANNE-MARIE WOOD is the RAPS scholarship recipient for the 2018-2019 academic year. Ann-Marie is proud to be the first in her family to complete a bachelor's degree. She said that experience expanded her perspectives on economic, political, and sociological issues and added to her understanding of the impact of public health. She plans to ultimately pursue a Ph.D., probably in gerontology, to develop expertise in how social factors affect health, particularly as related to aging populations. She envisions herself as a translator, helping individuals and families to navigate the complexity of our system, particularly focusing on end-of-life concerns. Anne-Marie's desire is to earn the dual MPH/MSW in health management and policy. She wants to help transform geriatric health practices both in the United States and abroad, collaborating with other experts in the field to create best-practice interventions. She has worked for six years at Oregon Health & Science University, currently in the South Waterfront Family Medicine Clinic as a patient access specialist. She said that she has "been privileged to volunteer for organizations in the Portland area which emphasize upstream management of social justice issues." Anne-Marie has expressed her appreciation for our scholarship support, saying that it will allow her to work fewer hours and focus more on her educational pursuits. We look forward to meeting Anne-Marie at our holiday party. —Barbara Alberty, Co-chair, RAPS Scholarship Committee 6
RAPS Scholarship Committee will oversee PSU Women’s Association scholarships STARTING THIS YEARthe RAPS Scholarship Committee is responsible in perpetuity for oversight of the scholarship endowment left by the Portland State University Women's Association. The PSUWA was a large, viable group at Portland State for many years. Its members were mainly wives of faculty members and women faculty. The group was very active in fundraising for the purpose of endowing a scholarship fund for the university. Members had a yearly art show, often exhibited in the Washington Square Mall. Theater parties, other small fundraising activities, and member donations added to the fund. The group started a very successful PSUWA lecture series that for three years filled the PSU Ballroom. On January 10, 1989, PSUWA started its scholarship endowment fund with $100,000. The use of the funds generated by the endowment was to provide two $1,500 scholarships each year to high school graduates coming to Portland State as first-year students. The criteria were financial need and solid high school grades. The women of PSUWA were visionary; a 2018 article in The Oregonian headlined “Most Eligible Students Not Receiving Aid.” The article noted that the state gave need-based college scholarships to just 31% of students who were eligible for one in 2015, turning down 69% because it ran out of money. Although PSUWA no longer exists, the legacy it provided will go on forever. RAPS is proud to oversee this legacy and provide many future freshmen with an easier beginning. This year scholarships of $2,500 each will be given to two incoming first-year students. —Barbara Alberty, Co-chair, RAPS Scholarship Committee 1965 PSC Women’s Faculty Club meeting at the Portland Art Museum; left to right Genna Lemman, Kay Corbett, and Embry Savage. Left to right: Mrs. John Schultz, Emma Stanton, and Jean Black at the 1953 PSC Faculty Women’s Club tea. —Photographs made available by the Portland State University Archives 7
RAPS GOES TO Eastern Canada! SEPTEMBER 3-10, 2019 Discover the best of Eastern Canada with RAPS September 3-10, 2019! Our tour is led by Collette, a travel company with more than 100 years’ experience. And if you book by March 4, 2019, you’ll save $100 per person! Westart inMontreal, oneof UNESCO’s Cities of Design. Then we’re off toQuebec City, where we can explore everything from a local sugar shack to world-class museums. Ottawa, with its small-town vibe, has great museums and galleries. A short drive takes us to Rockport, where we’ll enjoy a memorable cruise through this historic region. Finally, we visit excitingTorontoand cruise to the base of thunderingNiagara Falls. A PORTION OF YOUR FARE SUPPORTS THE RAPS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM! $3,199per person if booked by March 4 BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY Includes: R/T airfare from Portland Hotels Hotel Transfers Air Taxes, Fees / Surcharges TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT: Larry Sawyer, Retirement Association of Portland State 503-771-1616 larry_sawyer@comcast.net Old town Montreal RAPS members (left to right) Mary Lane Stevens, Tom Hard, Cilla Dieterich, and Tom Dieterich enjoy the view after scaling the heights at the July Cascade Head hike. —Photograph by Larry Sawyer 8
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