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 Eben Yemoh Telephone: 503-725-3447 Email: rapsmail@pdx.edu Office hours: Remote: 10 am-2 pm Mon, Wed & Thurs. In office: noon- 4 pm Tues, 10 am-2 pm Friday Campus mail: RAPS Web: psu-raps.org Board Members Co-Presidents Janine Allen & Bruce Stern Secretary Brian Lewis Treasurer Ansel Johnson Members-at-Large Kris Kern, Cheryl Livneh & Michael Taylor RAPS Sheet Editor Doug Swanson Website Editor Steve Brennan RAPS Representative to Regional & National Retirement Associations Larry Sawyer Committees Awards Steve Brennan, Chair History Preservation Eileen Brennan, Chair Membership Pati Sluys, Chair Program Pat Squire & Dawn White, Co-Chairs Scholarship Sherwin Davidson, Chair Social Nancy Eriksson, Chair The RAPS Sheet The newsletter of the Retirement Association of Portland State MAY 2023 ANDREW FOUNTAIN, professor emeritus of geology, speaks on “The World of Changing Ice” at the final monthly meeting of the 2022-23 RAPS programming year Thursday, May 18, in S-17 Cramer Hall. The annual RAPS Ice Cream Social follows the presentation. Fountain’s area of expertise is glacier hydrology—how water moves through a glacier— and glacier-climate interactions. Based on this work, he says he has “come to dabble in the biology of glaciers both on the glacier and downstream.” He has worked on glaciers in the Arctic, Antarctic, and the western United States. Fountain earned a B.S. in physics from St. Lawrence University in 1975, an M.S. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Alaska in 1980, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Washington in 1992. His doctoral dissertation is on subglacial hydraulics of South Cascade Glacier in Washington state. He worked as a hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey from 1979 to 1997, joining the PSU faculty in 1996. He was awarded emeritus status in 2019. In addition to editing four books, Fountain has written numerous book chapters and articles in refereed journals, given presentations at professional conferences and invited lectures at universities in North America and abroad, and brought more than $8 million in grant funding to Portland State. His community outreach includes frequent appearances on state and local TV stations as well as guest lectures to many community groups and organizations. The May meeting begins at noon in S-17 Cramer Hall with a light deli lunch, followed by Fountain’s presentation at about 12:35 p.m. His talk is followed by RAPS’s annual Ice Cream Social. Please note that S-17 Cramer Hall is in the sub-basement of Cramer Hall, accessed by the elevator in the northwest corner of the building. First, a lecture on glaciers. Then the annual Ice Cream Social. Brrr! A CHILLING END TO RAPS PROGRAMMING YEAR Fountain has worked on glaciers in the Arctic, Antarctic, and the western United States.
2 RAPS SHEET n MAY 2023 CO-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE RAPS is looking for a few good volunteers—like you I AM QUITE INVOLVED in two considerably different organizations: In RAPS I serve as co-president and in the Brotherhood of Congregation Neveh Shalom I serve as VP of programming. Although the organizations are strikingly different, they share one issue, and that is difficulty in finding good people to step up to join committees and take leadership positions. Most members of both groups are more than capable of doing so but do not. Even though a significant part of my Ph.D. was in psychology, I’m at a loss to understand why this phenomenon occurs. I’ve borrowed a few quotes from prominent people in hopes that they will inspire you to “step up.” n Helping others is perhaps the greatest joy! You cannot have a perfect day without helping others with no thought of getting something in return. —John Wooden n Helping others is the way we help ourselves. —Oprah Winfrey n As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands—one for helping yourself and the other for helping others. —Audrey Hepburn n The heart of a volunteer is never measured by size, but by the depth of commitment to make a difference in the lives of others. —DeAnn Hollis n Volunteers do not necessarily have the time. They have the heart. —Elizabeth Andrew RAPS has the following standing committees: n Awards n Election n History Preservation n Membership n Program n Scholarship n Social If you’d like to join one of these committees we’d welcome you with open arms. Just email me at bruce@thesternfamily.net and let me know. Our next program will take place May 18 at noon in S-17 Cramer Hall. Andrew Fountain, professor emeritus in the Department of Geology, will discuss “The World of Changing Ice.” So if you’re interested in glaciers and the environment, plan to join us. A deli lunch will be provided. —Bruce Stern GEORGIA RONAN CRAMPTON, a professor of English at Portland State University for over 20 years, died March 25 at the age of 97. One of six children, she was born on May 22, 1925, and attended a one-room school for grades one through eight before graduating from Lewiston High School. She earned a B.A. from College of St. Teresa, Winona, Minnesota, in 1949, then received an M.A. in 1963 and a Ph.D. in 1967 from the University of Oregon. Professor Crampton joined the English faculty at Portland State University in 1972. She specialized in medieval studies and authored The Conditions of Creatures: Suffering and Action in Chaucer and Spenser (Yale Press, 1974). She also edited The Shewings of Julian of Norwich (Western Michigan University, 2001). She was promoted to emeritus professor upon retirement. Professor Crampton is survived by her brother, John Ronan, as well as many nieces and nephews. Her husband, John A. Crampton, a professor of political science at Lewis & Clark College, preceded her in death in 2013, as did her sisters Carol Ronan, Rose Halpern, Margeurite Haas, and Mary Kohner. Remembrances may be sent to The Carter Center, 453 John Lewis Freedom Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30307. In memoriam: Georgia Ronan Crampton, 1925-2023 The organizations share one issue: the difficulty in finding good people to step up to join committees and take leadership positions.
3 RAPS SHEET n MAY 2023 Book Group THE BOOK GROUP met on April 17 and discussed A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It was a small group with three members missing because of other obligations. We learned that changing the day that the group meets, however good the reason, is not a good idea—especially when a challenging book demands the ideas of all members. A Tale for the Time Being is a very complex book. One of the two main characters lives in Japan, the other in British Columbia. One has probably died in the tsunami that devastated coastal Japan in 2011, but a packet of her letters and a diary have washed ashore and are found by the character in British Columbia. Each of these characters and events has a complex and thoughtful history, and each history raises thought-provoking questions. There is an appendix on quantum mechanics and one on the thought experiment of Schrodinger’s cat, which gives an idea of the complexity of the book. The group would certainly label it thoughtful and provocative, and hard to tie to any experiences that were common to group members. I have a sense that each person in the group would have written a different description of the book. Our next meeting will be May 16, and we will be discussing Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. Two novels in two months, but I rather think they will be quite different novels and different discussions. The Book Group meets on the third Tuesday of the month. We are still using Zoom for our meetings, and it has worked well for this group. Any RAPS member is welcome to join the group. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE BRIDGE GROUP is in need of additional players; do you want to join us? We really could use some more players. We are a friendly group, and we promise to welcome new players warmly. I would like to hear from any interested RAPS members, or others you know who might want to play in our group. The Bridge Group does not require RAPS membership. Your friends and relatives would be welcome to join us. Please rattle your social and family networks to see if you might be able to shake loose a bridge player or two. RAPS Group Reports Please contact Steve Brennan, 503-889-0146. My email address is: the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. —Steve Brennan Hiking Group THE APRIL HIKE to Catherine Creek/Coyote Wall was postponed due to inclement weather. It has been tentatively rescheduled for some time during the first week of May. The regularly scheduled May 17 hike will be at the Chehalem Ridge Nature Park in Gaston. This is a 1,250-acre Metro park with several trails; the Chehalem Ridge Trail is 9.1 miles in and out. Hikers will decide how much to hike. The June 21 hike will be in the Milo McIver State Park, near Estacada. For information on hikes or to be included on the mailing list, please contact Tom Dieterich at tgdieterich@earthlink.net. —Tom Dieterich JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM TOUR—Twenty RAPS members and friends enjoyed a guided tour of the “Weaving Data” exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art Friday, April 14. The tour was led by Anna Kienberger, education and communications coordinator, who talked about the woven works created by nine contemporary fiber artists. Here she points out features of “Gautama,” a handmade woolen carpet measuring 112 inches x 149 inches created by Faig Ahmed. The exhibit closes Saturday, April 29. The museum is free and open to the public.
4 RAPS SHEET n MAY 2023 NOTES FROM THE SCHOLARSHIP CHAIR A grateful voice AMID THE HUM of Portland State retirees renewing their connections of many years, the voice of a student came through loud and clear at the President’s Luncheon on April 18 when Melody Park, the 2022-2023 recipient of the RAPS Robert Vogelsang Scholarship, thanked you all for enabling her to complete her master’s in speech and hearing sciences. She’s finishing her externship at Providence St. Vincent Hospital and looking forward to the likelihood that working with older adults will be a significant part of her work. She’s interviewing for opportunities now. It was wonderful to have Melody’s own voice reminding us of how our scholarship translates into student lives and into the larger world. Scholarship applications for the next round of awards begin next November. Members of the Scholarship Committee will be in touch with Social Work, the Gerontology Institute, and other undergraduate and graduate departments related to health care as well as the needs of an aging population. We want to get the word out about the scholarship to our most important audience: students who can benefit. If you have suggestions about where we might find likely applicants, please send word to our RAPS office manager, Eben Yemoh, via this email address: rapsmail@pdx.edu. A little research revealed that our $9,000 scholarship is among the larger of the scholarships offered at PSU, something of which we can all be proud. We’ll keep you informed of the Scholarship Committee’s effort to assure the availability of the scholarship for a long time to come. We are all a part of that effort. —Sherwin Davidson Correction TWO ERRORS occurred in the story about Melody Park, the recipient of the 2022-2023 RAPS Robert Vogelsang Scholarship, that appeared in the April edition of The RAPS Sheet. The first was the location of her externship, and the second was her academic minor at the University of Wyoming. Her externship is at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland. Her academic minor was ethnomusicology. Our apologies to Melody! The President’s Luncheon makes a joyful return ON APRIL 18, four years after its last engagement, the President’s Luncheon for Retired Faculty and Staff returned to Smith Memorial Center Ballroom. With the pandemic at bay, RAPS members welcomed new scholarship recipient Melody Park (far left), honored President Steve Percy (below left), presented awards to retired faculty Barbara Alberty and Tom Potiowsky (left with Pat Squire, program co-chair), heard from co-presidents Janine Allen (below center) and Bruce Stern, and brought together old friends, among them Charlie White, Steve Harmon, and Robert Mercer (top left). Dawn White photo Larry Sawyer photos
5 RAPS SHEET n MAY 2023 Upcoming RAPS events MAY 8THURSDAY, MAY 11 RAPS Board Meeting: 12:15 p.m., via Zoom. Contact: Eben Yemoh, rapsmail@pdx.edu. 8TUESDAY, MAY 16 Book Group: 1:30 p.m., via Zoom. Contact: Joan Shireman, joanshireman@gmail.com. 8WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 Hiking Group: Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, Gaston. Contact: Tom Dieterich/Cilla Murray, tgdieterich@earthlink.net. 8THURSDAY, MAY 18 RAPS General Meeting: noon, S-17 Cramer Hall. “The World of Changing Ice,” in-person presentation by Andrew Fountain, PSU professor emeritus of geology. Note: S-17 is in the sub-basement of Cramer Hall, accessible by the elevator in the northwest corner of the building. Contact: Eben Yemoh, rapsmail@pdx.edu. 8TBA Bridge Group: Contact: Steve Brennan, the.steve.brennan@gmail.com or 503-889-0146. JUNE 8WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21 Hiking Group: McIver State Park. Contact: Tom Dieterich/Cilla Murray, tgdieterich@earthlink.net JULY 8WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 Hiking Group: Elk Meadow (Mt. Hood). Contact: Tom Dieterich/Cilla Murray, tgdieterich@earthlink.net AUGUST 8THURSDAY, AUGUST 17 RAPS Summer Picnic: Mark your calendars for the August picnic! Details will be announced in the summer issue of The RAPS Sheet. 8TBA Hiking Group: Geology hike with Scott Burns. Contact: Tom Dieterich/Cilla Murray, tgdieterich@earthlink.net SEPTEMBER 8WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Hiking Group: Wildwood Area, Boulder Ridge (Mt. Hood) Contact: Tom Dieterich/Cilla Murray, tgdieterich@earthlink.net OCTOBER 8WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18 Hiking Group: Steigerwald. Contact: Tom Dieterich/Cilla Murray, tgdieterich@earthlink.net NOVEMBER 8WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 Hiking Group: Newall Creek Canyon (Oregon City). Contact: Tom Dieterich/Cilla Murray, tgdieterich@earthlink.net In memoriam: Thomas C. Buell, 1927-2023 THOMAS C. BUELL, who served Portland State as a professor of English for four decades, died April 15 in Portland. He was 95 years old. Professor Buell was born August 14, 1927, in Newport, Rhode Island. After graduating from South Kent School, South Kent, Connecticut, he enrolled at Princeton University as a member of the class of 1950. He received an M.A. in 1960 and a Ph.D. in 1965 from the University of Washington. Professor Buell, who was promoted to professor emeritus upon retirement, taught writing, literature, and mixed media during his PSU career. Before joining the Portland State faculty in 1965, he taught at several New England prep schools, teaching English, directing student plays, and coaching ice hockey. In 1952 he met Joan Strong, and two years later the couple married and moved to Bangkok to teach English. They were instrumental in starting new language centers in Chiang Mai and Korat, Thailand, that are still running today. Throughout his teaching career Professor Buell pursued his interest in theater, acting in several American Theater Company productions. Among his roles were Vandergelder in The Matchmaker, Prospero in The Tempest, and Tiger Brown in Threepenny Opera. He was also an artist, creating sculptures, paintings, and drawings shown in local galleries and museums. A lifelong love of sailing led him to twice cross the Atlantic as well as to explore the waters of the Salish Sea. Professor Buell is survived by his wife, Joan; son Tom (Jamie Elsbury), of Port Townsend, Washington; daughter Hester Carr (Leonard), of Portland; and son Dexter (Keri Butler), of Brooklyn, New York; and seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Remembrances may be sent to Hopewell House, 6171 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97239. 1976 PSU Digital Archives Gallery
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