The RAPS Sheet The newsletter of the Retirement Association of Portland State MARCH 2019 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 Christine Meadows previews PSU spring opera on March 21 WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART was only 18 years old in 1775 when he wrote the music for La Finta Giardiniera (The Pretend Gardener), a comic opera in three acts, with libretto attributed to Giuseppe Petrosellini. Described as “all comings and goings and light-hearted gallantry, true false lies and dual identities,” La Finta Giardiniera is the University’s spring opera selection, with performances scheduled in April. RAPS members will hear a synopsis of the plot and learn about the opera’s fascinating history from Opera Program Director Christine Meadows at the RAPS member meeting Thursday, March 21. Students from the Opera Program will sing excerpts from La Finta Giardiniera as well as other pieces. Meadows has served as director of opera and vocal area coordinator in the School of Music and Theater since 2006. She received her undergraduate training at PSU and earned a master of music degree in vocal performance from Indiana University. She went on to pursue a successful career as a concert and opera soloist, singing with the New York City Opera, Dallas Lyric Opera, Houston Opera, and Portland Opera, among others. She has a flourishing voice studio at PSU and also teaches vocal pedagogy. Her students include singers who have made successful performance careers in the US and Europe. The March meeting begins at noon with a potluck lunch in 333 SMSU. (Please see page 6 in this issue for more information.) At approximately 12:45 pm the group will move to 225 Lincoln Hall, where Christine will speak and the PSU students will perform beginning at 1:00 pm. — Christine Meadows, director of opera and vocal area coordinator in the PSU School of Music and Theater, speaks at the March 21 member meeting in Smth Memorial Student Union.
Co-President’s Message Member meetings—visit and learn! 2 RECENTLY MEMBERS OF OUR BOARD met with PSU’s new provost, Susan Jeffords. We found that she is an enthusiastic supporter of university retiree organizations and provided critical leadership to the retiree organization at the University of Washington. We look forward to having a close working relationship with Provost Jeffords and are very pleased that she has agreed to speak to our membership at one of our fall 2019 events. Congratulations and kudos are over- Beginning in September we enjoyed an entertaining tour • of the highly successful renovation of the Stott Center. In October we were intrigued by Steve Amen’s look at • “Real News.” In November Grant Farr gave a very informative talk on • Afghanistan. Especially provocative was the January talk on HIV and • homelessness by David Bangsberg, dean of OHSU/PSU School of Public Health. I very much looked forward to the February presentation • by Associate Professor Melody Valdinion on the possible decline of democracy. And of course, in March all music lovers can enjoy a • presentation by Christine Meadows, director of PSU’s Opera Program and a performance by opera students. Keep track of upcoming events throughout the year by reading your RAPS Sheet. We always look forward to seeing our colleagues and friends coupled with the opportunity to visit and to learn! —Dave Krug due for Dawn White, chair of the Program Committee, and its members! This group has worked hard to bring together an extremely talented and interesting array of speakers and events to our monthly meetings. During each academic year an event or presentation with a light lunch is scheduled for the third Thursday of most months. Upcoming member events APRIL (Thursday, April 18) Annual ice cream social and presentation by Thomas B. Cox, chief governance officer at StrongBlock, who will speak on “BlockChain Changes How We Trust: What You Need to Know about Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies.” MAY(Thursday, May 9) Annual President’s Luncheon for retired PSU faculty and staff hosted by President Rahmat Shoureshi. AUGUST(Thursday, August 15) RAPS Summer Picnic, noon4 pm, Willamette Park. RAPS GOES TO Eastern Canada! SEPTEMBER 3-10, 2019 Montreal Québec City Ottawa Rockport Toronto Niagara Falls Ottawa A portion of your fare supports the RAPS Scholarship Program! Discover the best of Eastern Canada! Our tour is led by Collette, a company with more than 100 years’ experience. From elegant Québec City to thundering Niagara Falls, enjoy Canada with RAPS! $3,299 PER PERSON BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY Includes R/T airfare from PDX, Hotels, Hotel Transfers, Air Taxes, Fees/Surcharges To learn more: Contact Larry Sawyer, RAPS 503-771-1616 / larry_sawyer@comcast.net
3 WINE TOUR/ SET FOR JUNE. Ready for another wine tour with Scott Burns? RAPS and Scott are planning a June 2019 wine tour event with RAPS members and their guests. Announcement of date, time, and wineries coming soon! —Photographs by Larry Sawyer Recent RAPS member meetings featured vital topics JANUARY 17: DAVID BANGSBERG. In his January 17 presentation, Dean David Bangsberg discussed the critical role public health plays in addressing HIV and homelessness. FEBRUARY 21: MELODY VALDINI. Professor Melody Valdini revealed on February 21 that political science can view the democracy of a country as lying along a continuum, possibly shifting its position during its history.
RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE RAPS BOOK GROUP met on February 19 at the home of Marge and Leif Terdal and discussed Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. The story of refugees fleeing the oncoming Soviet army in Prussia and northern Poland in the closing days of World War II, it is told through the first person perceptions of four very different characters. It is also the story of the sinking in the Baltic Sea of Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship packed with 10,000 refugees, most of whom were lost. The author weaves a compelling tale of loss and suffering and courage and hope. The book group discussion was animated as we focused on the perspectives of one character and then another, and on our own limited understanding of this bit of history. As we planned for our March meeting, we discovered that we were a traveling group and very few were going to be in Portland in March. So we decided to postpone our March meeting until Tuesday, April 16, when we will meet at the home of Felicia Wirtz and discuss Perfume River, a novel by Robert Olen Butler. Felicia’s home is at 16433 Avamere Ct., Portland. Contact Felicia at 503-645 0947 or feliciawirtz@gmail.com to let her know whether you will be able to be there. In May we plan to discuss Evolution’s Captain by Peter Nichols, the story of Robert FitzRoy the captain of Beagle, who took Darwin along on his voyage. The book group meets at 1:30 pm on the third Tuesday of every month. New members are always welcome. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE RAPS BRIDGE GROUPmembers are very friendly and are always looking for new players. We meet 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 current academic year we are meeting in 258 Smith Memorial Student Union, on the second floor. Our February meeting was canceled due to weather conditions, but we look forward to lively games during the rest of 2019. Please mark your calendars for the following winter and spring meetings: March 5, April 2, May 7, and June 4, all in 258 SMSU. I will send out the reminder email notice about one week prior to each date we play. If you wish to join us, please contact Steve Brennan, 503-646-6297. My email address is the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. —Steve Brennan 4 —Photograph by Larry Sawyer Tom Hard found wild crabapples on a winter RAPS hike on the Rock Creek trail. Hiking Group THE RAPS HIKING GROUP met on Tuesday, February 16, and enjoyed a hike that started on Terwilliger Blvd., reached the Portland Aerial Tram, ventured over Tilikum Crossing, walked past OMSI, and returned to the west side of the Willamette River using the Hawthorne Bridge. The March 26 hike will explore the Powell Butte Nature Park. Hikers will do a 4.5-mile trail loop on this Boring volcano in Southeast Portland, featuring upland meadows and forested ravines. It's also home to two 50-million gallon underground water storage tanks. Most of the trails are unpaved, and the total elevation gain is 530 feet. Those preferring to carpool can meet at 9:30 am in the parking lot of Ho Ho's restaurant, 3404 SE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd., just north of Powell Blvd. Our second meeting place is the Powell Butte Visitor Center, where the hike starts at 10:00 am. (From the intersection of SE Powell and 162nd Ave., drive south to the end of 162nd, the park's only parking lot, right below the Visitor Center.) Please let Tom Hard know at which meeting place to look for you. After the hike, we will gather for lunch at Ho Ho's, which has excellent Chinese food, or at another restaurant of choice. If you plan to hike in March, please contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. For more details about this hike or future hiking plans in 2019, please consult the RAPS hikers’ website: https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPSHikers —Larry Sawyer
5 In memoriam: Margaret Shirley, 1933-2019 MARGARET JULIA SHIRLEY (née Zundel), a prominent Northwest artist who for decades taught drawing and painting in the PSU School of Art + Design, as well as at Reed College and Marylhurst University, died January 25. She was 85 years old. Ms. Shirley was born in Oregon on September 15, 1933, and was raised in Astoria. She graduated from Reed College in 1955 with a bachelor’s in sociology; received a bachelor of fine arts from Yale, where she studied under Josef Albers and Gabor Peterdi; and completed a master of fine arts and a master of science in teaching at Portland State in 1979, studying under Professor Mel Katz. Her PSU teaching career began in 1978 as a graduate teaching assistant in painting. She was a lecturer in studio art from 1981 to 1990, served as an assistant professor of art in 1990-91, and completed her teaching career as an adjunct assistant professor of art. In addition to teaching, she exhibited at the Laura Russo Gallery regularly for the past 30 years. Other one-person exhibitions include shows at the Marquam Hill Society, Oregon Health Sciences University; the Oregon Governor’s Office; Columbia College, Missouri; University of Wisconsin; the Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City; and Gallery 299, Portland State University. A major retrospective exhibition of her work was held at the Feldenheimer Gallery at Reed in 2011. Ms. Shirley’s work is also part of several collections, including the Tacoma Art Museum; the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University; Reed College; and Portland State. She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Shirley; her stepdaughters, Tory Shirley-Parker and Stephanie McGuigan, and Marybeth Olmstead (daugher of late partner Vern Olmstead); partner Hugh Wilson; and grandchildren Cole, Julia, Sebastian, Riley, Trevor, Eleanor, and William. A public celebration of life will be scheduled in summer. Remembrances may be sent to P:ear at pearmentor.org or Washed Ashore at washedashore.org. An online guestbook is available at www.oregonlive.com/obits. —Doug Swanson Recent RAPS Scholarship contributions RAPS SCHOLARSHIP DONATIONS between November 1, 2018, and February 1, 2019, were made by: Barbara Alberty Priscilla Blumel Eileen and Steve Brennan in memory of Maxine Thomas Scott Burns Jack Cooper Colin Dunkeld Ben Fetherston Ansel Johnson Kristen Kern David Krug Tony Leinweiber Anne-Grethe Morris in memory of Major Morris Sylvia Moseley Gwen Pierce Joan Shireman Cathleen Smith Pat Squire Robert Tufts in memory of Ellen Tufts Dawn White Felicia Wirtz
2019 RAPS Potluck and Opera Preview thursday, MarCh 21 at noon sMith MeMorial student union, rooM 333 You are invited to RAPS’ always-delightful annual event, Potluck and opera. Main dishes and beverages will be provided. Please bring a salad or dessert to share. The potluck starts at 12:00 noon in 333 Smith Memorial Student Union. At 1:00, we will move to 225 Lincoln Hall, where Christine Meadows, PSU Opera Program Director, will present an outstanding troupe of opera students performing excerpts from Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera (The Pretend Gardener). Questions? Please contact Nancy Eriksson email nan254@hotmail.com or phone 503-913-7200 6
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