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 The RAPS Sheet The newsletter of the Retirement Association of Portland State MAY 2021 CREATING AWARENESS of Vanport and its history is the goal of Portlanders Maryhelen Kincaid and Tanya Lyn March, who will talk to RAPS on “The Vanport Placemarking Project: Remembering and Honoring Vanport’s Significant Cultural History” at the May 21 member meeting. The Vanport Placemarking Project was established in 2016 with the goal of gaining historic designation for Vanport, creating permanent signage, and constructing an interpretive center. Once Oregon’s second largest city with 40,000 people, Vanport was a wartime housing development for Kaiser Shipyard—and the first home of the institution that would become Portland State University. Kincaid, executive director of Vanport Places, has over 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors, working in program management, business analysis, training, resource development, and community involvement. Prior to the development of the Vanport Placemarking Project, she was involved in the Vanport Mosaic, a collective of artists, storytellers, educators, and community members seeking to engage the public in remembering the history of Vanport. March is the project director for the Vanport Placemaking Project. She earned a Ph.D. in urban studies from Portland State in 2010, focusing on historic preservation and community development. She holds a master’s degree in historic preservation from Columbia University. In 2016 she opened Slabtown Tours LLC, offering guided walking tours of north and northwest Portland. The meeting on Thursday, May 21, begins at noon via the videoconferencing platform Zoom. RAPS will provide the link to join the meeting several days in advance of the event. Ensuring that Vanport’s history is remembered and celebrated Maryhelen Kincaid Tanya Lyn March Portland State president meets with RAPS Friday, April 30 SEE STORY ON PAGE 3
2 The RAPS Sheet May 2021 CO-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Faculty influence extends beyond classroom college, and a department named for him for his generous gifts to PSU, mainly because of Chik.) In the 20-plus years the Alumni Association produced the annual PSU Weekend, we called mostly on current and former faculty to give the 20 to 25 talks and presentations that we featured during each Weekend. So many alumni came to see retired faculty members (of course Charlie White was always a huge draw), and those student-professor reunions really helped the Weekend gain popularity. And we heard some good stories! We also heard stories of department secretaries, advisers, and others who helped students navigate a sometimes mysterious system. Thanks to all of you for making such a difference in so many lives. —Pat Squire P.S. And a big thanks to all of you who renewed your RAPS membership! WHAT A DIFFERENCE our faculty (and staff!) make. The recent deaths of John Cooper and Chik Erzurumlu remind me of praises I heard often in my 23 years with the Alumni Association. Comments like “Professor Cooper inspired me to pursue my degree in English and become a teacher.” Yes, he was a favorite. As the founder of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Chik Erzurumlu took his work seriously and personally. Most of us know the story of Chik’s kind and personal treatment of Fariborz Maseeh, who came to Portland State as a young student from Iran and knew no one in Portland. Chik picked him up at the airport and helped him find his way at his new campus. And it was Chik’s kindness and mentoring that inspired Maseeh years later to give his first gift of many to PSU, an $8 million donation to the College of Engineering and Computer Science. (Maseeh now has one building, a Enclosed is my check in the amount of $__________ for ________ copies of Portland State: A History in Pictures at $5 each. Please make your check payable to: PSU Foundation and write “PSU: A History in Pictures” on the memo line. Mail to: RAPS, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751. Name____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________________________________________ State________ Zip__________________________________ Telephone number ________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________________ Thank you! RAPS ‘Portland State: A History in Pictures’ RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION OF PORTLAND STATE Quite a good deal on pictoral history of PSU PORTLAND STATE IS CELEBRATING its 75th anniversary this year, and RAPS is offering you a deal: a copy of Portland State: A History in Pictures for $5—the cost of shipping and handling. The 180-page book, a RAPS publication, explores the history of PSU from its first days as a temporary extension center to its status today as an urban research university. The book contains more than 300 photographs. To order your copy, fill out the form below, write a check for $5, and mail it to RAPS, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751. Please write “PSU: A History in Pictures” on the memo line.
3 The RAPS Sheet May 2021 RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE RAPS BOOK GROUP met on April 20 and discussed The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, a novel based on the work of the “Packhorse Librarians”—the women who on horses and mules delivered library books to remote cabins in Kentucky’s Appalachia. (This was a project of Eleanor Roosevelt’s, designed to provide employment to women and to enhance literacy in this remote region.) The book was well liked by the group. We discussed how the women who delivered these books defied the feminine role prescriptions of their time. The portraits of the mountain families also intrigued us. There is also a murder and a trial in the book, keeping interest high, but it was a very minor part of the book and of our discussion. We kept digressing from the book itself to discussion of the parallels in our own lives and at the current time. We will next meet on May 18 to discuss The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck, the story of a modern-day journey along the Oregon Trail, from Kansas City to Portland, in a covered wagon drawn by mules. It is said to “weave a tale somewhere between a travelogue and a history lesson.” In June we will leave the plains and mountains and discuss Lisa See’s The Island of Sea Women, learning perhaps something of deep-sea diving. 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. Upcoming RAPS events AUGUST Thursday, August 19 In what will be the first in-person meeting since the coronavirus pandemic changed everyone’s lives in spring 2020, the RAPS summer picnic is scheduled to occur on August 19 at Willamette Park in southwest Portland. Confirmation of the event plus additional details will be forthcoming in the summer edition of The RAPS Sheet and via email. 2021-2022 PROGRAMMING Look for a preview of RAPS programming for 2021-2022 in the summer edition of The RAPS Sheet. Percy to update RAPS members this Friday WITH BOTH ACHIEVEMENTS and daunting challenges ahead, President Steve Percy will bring RAPSters up to date on Portland State’s status during a meeting on Friday, April 30. The meeting, which begins at 11:30 p.m., will be conducted using Zoom, the videoconferencing platform RAPS has been using since last fall to conduct its meetings. RAPS members will be provided a link to join the meeting. The pandemic and declining enrollment have added to the budget issues facing the University. Percy has emphasized that budget decisions will be guided by PSU’s core values, which include commitments to racial equality, student learning, community engagement, and a spirit of innovation. Enrollment has been declining since 2010. Current year enrollment is down more than 7 percent and is forecast to decline an additional 5 to 7 percent next year, according to a University Communications article published February 23 on the University’s website. On the plus side, PSU benefited from $17.4 million in CARES Act funding that arrived nearly a year ago and another $30.7 million due this year. Those funds offset some of the increased costs and lost revenue associated with the pandemic.
4 The RAPS Sheet May 2021 PORTLAND STATE CELEBRATES ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY 1. After the 1948 that destroyed Vanport, where did Portland Extension Center Program relocate? A. To Vanport Meat Packing plant. B. To an abandoned department store. C. To Grant High School D. To the old Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation building. 2. What was the first year PSU fielded a football team? A. 1962 B. 1955 C. 1947 D. 1965 3. What is the current proportion of international students at PSU? A. 3% B. 6% C. 10% D. 15% 4. How many PSU alumni were on the November Oregon ballot this year? A. 5 B. 8 C. 10 D. 12 5. What is PSU’s motto in Latin? A. Alis volat propriis B. Mens agitat molem C. Veritas vos liberabit D. Doctrina urbi serviat 6. During the 1970 “year of action,” which of the following did not take place? A. PSU women held a sit-in and demanded campus child care B. The first Earth Week was celebrated C. Students and faculty passed a resolution banning military recruiters from campus D. Students organized the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) 7. In 2019 what was the most common way people traveled to campus? A. Public transportation B. Carpooling C. Riding a bicycle D. Driving alone 8. The major 1980 event that had PSU geologists in the public spotlight was: A. A major earthquake along the Juan De Fuca plate B. Massive landslides in the Columbia River Gorge C. Movement along the Farallon Plates D. The eruption of Mount St. Helens 9. The current size of the PSU campus is: A. 20 acres B. 35 acres C. 50 acres D. 60 acres 10. Of nearly 179,000 PSU alumni, how many reside in the Portland metro area? A. 50,000 B. 75,000 C. 98,000 D. 110,000 11. What is the official name of the PSU mascot? A. Victor E. Viking B. The Nittany Lion C. Forest Viking D. The Viking Conqueror 12.Which facility has not been the venue for the RAPS holiday party? A. Augustana Lutheran Church B. Multnomah Athletic Club C. Nordia House D. Waverley Country Club 1: D—To Oregon Shipbuilding. 2: C—1947. Vanport students played in a muddy field in 1947. The game was enhanced by “aromas from the smokestack of the nearby meat packing plant.” https://www.pdx.edu/portlandstate-university-history 3: B—6%. The highest number of students are from: China, 252; Japan, 103; Canada,14; Mexico, 12; Brazil, 10. 4: B—8. PSU alumni on the ballot included 5 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 1 nonpartisan candidate. 5: D—Doctrina urbi serviat. Under the leadership of President Judith Ramaley, PSU adopted the university seal and motto: Let knowledge serve the city. 6: C—Referendum on recruiters. The majority of faculty and students voted to continue to allow military recruiters to come to the PSU campus. https://www.pdx.edu/magazine/1970 7: A—Public transportation. In response to a campus-wide survey, respondents said they reached PSU using: mass transit: 49%; walking:19%; driving alone: 19%; bicycling: 4%; carpool/other: 6%. 8: D—Mount St. Helens erupts. PSU geologists were closest to the mountain, and were active in March through May with monitoring, then reporting on the eruption, which was on May 18, 1980. 9. Answer C—50 acres. By 2020, the PSU campus had grown to encompass 50 acres! 10: D—110,000. PSU records of alumni reveal that approximately 110,000 live in the Portland metropolitan area. 11: A—Victor E. Viking 12: D—Waverley Country Club ANSWERS Snap quiz on Portland State! Class, put your books away and take out a pen.
Larry Sawyer photo 5 The RAPS Sheet May 2021 JOHN R. COOPER, a professor of English who served Portland State for more than four decades, died March 29 after a fall at his home in Portland. He was 88 years old. Professor Cooper was born May 14, 1932, in a taxicab in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to Irene and Reginald Cooper. He was the Coopers’ second son, joining his older brother, George. In 1937, the family moved to England, where Reginald had been born, and remained there throughout World War II. In 1946, the Coopers returned to North America aboard a Norwegian steamer. The family settled in Toronto before moving to Corning, New York, where Professor Cooper completed high school. In 1954 he received a B.A. from the University at Albany. He joined the Army and, while stationed in Germany, became a U.S. citizen. When he returned to the United States, he entered Yale University and earned an M.A. in 1957 and a Ph.D. in 1962. Professor Cooper began his teaching career at the University of Chicago, where he published his first book, The Art of “The Compleat Angler,” which examined Izaak Walton’s 17th-century literary manual on the art and spirt of fishing. It was also at Chicago that Professor Cooper met and married Patricia Jones. A son, Matthew, was born in 1967. The family then moved to Portland, where Professor Cooper taught at Reed College. In 1969 a daughter, Jennifer, was born to the couple. The Coopers later divorced, and some years later Professor Cooper and Terry Ann Rohe, a PSU librarian, were married. In 1970 Professor Cooper joined the English faculty at Portland State. In a letter to the editor published in The Oregonian in April 2019, in which he defended the quality of public higher education, Professor Cooper recalled that he had never regretted his decision to teach at Portland State. “At PSU, I found well-educated colleagues doing important scholarship,” he wrote, “and though the range of students’ ability was wide, the best students were as good as the best students anywhere.” His teaching concentrated on poetry, comedy, and Shakespeare. He was particularly interested in rhythm and meter in poetry and spoke at an international conference on those subjects in Germany in 1998. Wit’s Voices: Intonation in Seventeenth-Century English Poetry, which showed how 17thcentury English lyric poets were able to control how their poetry sounded when read aloud, was published in 2009. In memoriam: John R. Cooper, 1932-2021 During his career at Portland State, Professor Cooper served as head of the English Department, president of the Faculty Senate, and president of the Interinstitutional Faculty Senate for the Oregon University System. Professor Cooper received the George Hoffmann Award for Faculty Excellence in 1997. He retired two years later, although he continued to teach for several years. Professor Cooper was an active hiker, cross-country skier, and runner. He volunteered as a speaker for the Oregon Food Bank and drove for Meals on Wheels. He was a member of the Multnomah Athletic Club, the Elizabethan Society of Yale, and the Ferdinand Society. He was also a member of RAPS, which recognized him with the Outstanding Retired Faculty Award in 2007. He served on the RAPS Board and as editor of The RAPS Sheet. Professor Cooper is survived by his wife, Terry; his son, Matthew, and daughter-in law Minnie; his daughter, Jenna; granddaughter Samantha; sister-in-law Nell Cooper; nephews Tim and Chris and their families; cousins Charles and Heather Ireland; and a host of friends. Professor Cooper’s brother, George, predeceased him. Remembrances may be made to the Oregon Food Bank or the Portland State Department of English through the PSU Foundation. A memorial service was held at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church. A larger celebration of life will be held later this summer or fall. Jack Cooper and Terry Ann Rohe, 2017.
This year, your RAPS Scholarship gift means more! RAPS Scholarship Donation Form N a m e __________________________________________________________________________ A d d r e s s ______________________________________________________________________ C i t y __________________________________________________________________________ State ________ Zip __________________________________ P h o n e __________________________________________________________________________ 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: https://www.psuf.org Since 2011-12, RAPS has awarded a scholarship every year to a student whose interest is focused on some aspect of gerontology. This year’s recipient is Ingrid Hannan; you met her in the December RAPS Sheet. Ingrid is now in the final term of her program in the School of Social Work. With a field placement at OHSU working with stroke patients, she writes that “the need to provide support to those who are aging is apparent.” She plans to continue to work in the medical field “to help bring healing and the warmth of authentic connection to folks who are struggling to navigate loss, change, dying, and aging.” Meanwhile, she reports that she is continuing to “soak up” learning in her final term. She plans to join our April general meeting, giving us a chance to meet our scholarship recipient in person. More than ever we need your help to continue to offer this scholarship. Please consider a sustaining gift to help us “stay in business.” —Joan Shireman Leona Campbell Photography 6 The RAPS Sheet May 2021
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