The RAPS Sheet The newsletter of the Retirement Association of Portland State JANUARY 2021 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 Samantha McKinlay Telephone: 503-725-3447 Email: rapsmail@pdx.edu Office hours: Suspended Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.pdx.edu/raps Board Members Co-Presidents Steve Brennan Pat Squire Secretary Brian Lewis Treasurer Ansel Johnson Members-at-Large Steven Brenner Nancy Eriksson Pati Sluys RAPS Sheet Editor Doug Swanson Website Editor Larry Sawyer RAPS Representative to Regional & National Retirement Associations Larry Sawyer Committees Awards Steve Brennan, Chair History Preservation Eileen Brennan, Chair Membership/Program Dawn White, Chair Scholarships Joan Shireman, Chair Social Nancy Eriksson, Chair Biden’s in, Trump’s out—now what? THE FIRST RAPS MEMBER meeting of the New Year features a return engagement by PSU professor Christopher Shortell, speaking on the topic “PostTrump America: Where Does American Politics Go From Here?” The meeting, held over Zoom, begins at noon on Thursday, January 21—one day after the scheduled presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C. Shortell is associate professor of political science in PSU’s Hatfield School of Government, where he teaches courses on public law and American politics, including judicial process, constitutional law, and civil liberties. He received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California San Diego in 2004. He earned an M.A. from the same institution in 2002 and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in political science and theatre arts from Loyola Marymount University in 1997. He joined the PSU faculty in 2008. Shortell’s research deals with the relationship between law and the broader political system, with a particular focus on the interactions between law and society, law and elections, and federalism. He is the author of Rights, Remedies, and the Impact of State Sovereign Immunity (SUNY Press, 2008) and has written several articles appearing in scholarly journals such as Political Research Quarterly, Justice System Journal, and Publius: the Journal of Federalism. In addition, he has contributed chapters to edited volumes on judicial corruption, executive immunity, and leadership on the Supreme Court. He is currently collaborating with colleague Melody Valdini on researching and writing about the presence of women in courts. Shortell’s talk will begin shortly after noon on January 21, but the “Zoom Room” will open at 11:30, enabling RAPS members to log in ahead of time and visit with one another. RAPS will provide the link to join the meeting several days in advance of the event. JANUARY 21 GENERAL MEETING
2 The RAPS Sheet January 2021 CO-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE New Year’s resolutions in a time of Covid Coping l I hope that social justice movements will have had a positive effect on the way we govern in our cities, our state, and the nation. l I hope to see RAPS members able to get together in person, for those social contacts are extremely important. l I hope that Portland State University will emerge from the lockdown with a sound plan for the future, and a good roadmap for changes that will no doubt be required. l I hope that my husband and I can maintain our health and energy. l I hope to “not sweat the small stuff” in 2021. I have been letting little things aggravate me. And I hope that all of you had a reasonably happy holiday season and are free from illness and aggravation! I hope to see you all soon. Best wishes for 2021. It just has to be better. —Pat Squire EVERY YEAR I at least think about New Year’s Resolutions. But this year I’m really going to make some. It has been a hard year for many of us, but not as hard as it has been for families who have lost loved ones or had financial disaster befall them, or a dreadful combination of both. And although I have enjoyed my nine years of retirement, I’ve never been quite so thankful that I am retired as I have been this year. My resolutions are going to be centered on hope for 2021. l I hope that the presidential transition will go more smoothly in 2021 that it has so far in 2020. I’m afraid I have spent far too much time following it. l I hope our country will come together and realize that no matter who is in the White House, we’re all in this together. l I hope the vaccines will get where they need to be used most, and quickly, so we can say goodbye to this pandemic. It’s called Vikings on the Vine, and it features wineries with close connections to Portland State. Club members receive two shipments of four bottles annually, one in spring, one in fall. Each shipment costs between $90 and $130, plus taxes, shipping, and handling. You must be 21 years of age (or over) to join. All proceeds support alumni and student programming for the PSU Alumni Association. To learn more about Vikings on the Vine, contact Charlie Hall, assistant director of Alumni Relations, at 503-725-4909, or by email at hallc@psuf.org. To join Vikings on the Vine, go to partners.vinoshipper.com. Join Portand State’s very own wine club!
3 The RAPS Sheet January 2021 JANUARY Thursday, January 21 Political science professor Christopher Shortell discusses post-Trump America. (See story page 1.) FEBRUARY Thursday, February 18 Tom Potiowsky, retired economics professor and former economist for the state of Oregon, brings RAPSters up to date on the state’s economy. MARCH Thursday, March 18 Christine Meadows, PSU Opera Program director, and Chuck Dillard, assistant professor of music and theater, give a virtual presentation showing the results of a project begun in fall 2020: two productions of Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera, The Old Maid and the Thief. One production features an all-male cast, the other all-female. APRIL Friday, April 23 The President’s Annual Luncheon for Retired Staff and Faculty, hosted by PSU president Steve Percy, is scheduled to be held in the PSU Ballroom. This meeting will be converted to a Zoom event if the pandemic prevents an in-person gathering. MAY Thursday, May 20 Maryhelen Kincaid, project leader, gives a presentation on “The Vanport Placemarking Project: Remembering and Honoring Vanport’s Significant Cultural History.” The May meeting’s traditional ice cream social may be deferred. Upcoming RAPS events RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE RAPS BOOK GROUP met on December 15 and discussed Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Examining the lives of four presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, the author finds parallels in their attitudes and experiences and draws out those elements that seem critical to effective leadership. The book is rich with ideas. Our discussion was lively, the group went on longer than usual, and I think we would have liked to continue even longer. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 19, at our usual 1:30 p.m. time. Eileen Brennan will again set up Zoom for us. We will discuss Lauren Kessler’s Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family. Recommended by one of our members, it was an “Oregon Reads” selection a few years ago. Governor Ted Kulongoski wrote the forward, and in it he states, “It is a moving, uncompromising, and most of all inspiring story of the Japanese immigrant experience in Oregon.” The Book Group meets the third Tuesday of each month, traditionally in the homes of various members. Currently we are using Zoom for our meetings and becoming more comfortable with that format. Any RAPS member is welcome to join the group. —Joan Shireman Bridge and Hiking Groups BRIDGE GROUP AND HIKING GROUP activities have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Last summer’s anthem duo back with new holiday video LAST SPRING, Madisen Hallberg, a 2020 PSU music graduate, was in the Park Blocks taping a performance of the national anthem for Portland State’s commencement ceremonies when a passerby asked if he could sing with her. The passerby turned out to be Emmanuel Henreid, a classically trained singer, dancer, actor, and pianist who goes by “Onry.” The result of the impromptu duet was a video that has been viewed over one billion times, according to the University. The story was covered by the Today Show, NPR, ABC World News Tonight, and a host of other local, national, and international media outlets. To observe this socially distanced holiday season, the College of the Arts bought Hallberg and Onry together again for another video. They sang a song of peace, “Dona Nobis Pacem.” Leroy E. Bynum, Jr., dean of the College of the Arts, included the new video with his holiday email. If you missed it, the Hallberg-Onry holiday video and last summer’s video are available on YouTube. Onry sings for the Portland Opera, Opera Maui, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gospel Choir: Kingdom Sound, and teaches internationally.
4 The RAPS Sheet January 2021 This year, your RAPS Scholarship gift means more! RAPS Scholarship Donation Form Name ____________________________________________ Address __________________________________________ City ____________________________________________ State ______ Zip________________________ Phone __________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________ Donation amount: q $500 q $250 q $100 q $50 Other:______ Donation made in memory of: ______________________________________ Donation made in honor of: ______________________________________ Make checks payable to: PSU Foundation and noted for RAPS Scholarship Please mail to: RAPS, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751. To use a credit card, go to the PSU Foundation website: psuf.org Did you attend the RAPS Holiday party this year? Yes, there was a party, via ZOOM. There were many attendees and we had a good time. But, as with many remote substitutes, there were also missing elements. Dressing up, moving around, chatting with those you hadn’t seen for a time, eating brunch together. And there was no bake sale—no goodies to take home. Since 2011-12, RAPS has awarded a scholarship every year to a student whose interest is focused on an aspect of gerontology. One of the sources of funding for the scholarship is the holiday party bake sale. This is an example of many ways in which the scholarship fund has lost revenue this year. No in-person activities means no door prizes. No travel means no income from Collette Tours. We are limited to appeals, such as this one, if we are to sustain RAPS’s ability to award a scholarship each year. More than ever we need your help to continue awarding scholarships. Please consider a sustaining gift to help us “stay in business.” Thank you!
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