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 Chethana Muppalam Telephone: 503-725-3447 Email: rapsmail@pdx.edu Office hours: Remote: 11 am-4 pm Mon. & Wed., 2-5 pm Fri. In office: 2-4:30 pm Tues. & Thurs.; 11 am-1 pm Fri. Campus mail: RAPS Web: psu-raps.org Board Members Co-Presidents Janine Allen & Bruce Stern Secretary Brian Lewis Treasurer Ansel Johnson Members-at-Large Alan Cabelly, Rick Hardt, Kris Kern 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 TBA 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 JANUARY 2024 “CONFRONTING CLIMATE RISKS to PERS and the Planet” is the title of the January 18 RAPS program, presented by Rory Cowal, volunteer with Divest Oregon, a statewide grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations seeking to have the Oregon State Treasury divest pension funds of fossil fuel holdings. The individuals and groups represented in Divest Oregon include unions with PERS members, racial and climate justice groups, youth leaders, and faith communities. As a member of the PSU Faculty Association, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Cowal has testified on behalf of Divest Oregon before the Oregon State Legislature. In addition to his role as a volunteer with Divest Oregon, Cowal is a classical pianist and adjunct piano instructor in PSU’s School of Music and Theater in the College of the Arts. Cowal’s repertoire as a classical pianist spans the breadth of the American avantgarde. His 2018 album, “Clusters: Piano Explorations” (New World Records) received an enthusiastic review in The New York Times, and one track was also selected for The Times’ 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018. As a jazz pianist, he has performed at festivals and clubs throughout the United States and Canada. The RAPS meeting begins at noon Thursday, January 18, in 333 SMSU with a deli buffet lunch, followed by Cowal’s presentation at about 12:35 p.m. Rory Cowal, a volunteer with Divest Oregon and an adjunct instructor in piano in the Portland State School of Music and Theater, will speak to RAPS on January 18 about the effort to divest Oregon State Treasury pension funds of fossil fuel holdings. The case for divesting Oregon Treasury pension funds of fossil fuel holdings
2 IT MUST BE that time of year when holidays and parties seem to affect the accuracy of my scale. Seriously, I want to wish all of you—members of our RAPS family—a happy, healthy, and joyous new year. I used the term “RAPS family” because we share many of the same values, such as our interest in continued learning, our willingness to connect with and help Portland State University, and our desire to connect with our colleagues. Speaking of the latter, Dan Rather writes in this week’s Steady column: “We humans are social creatures, and most of us would not last very long on our own. Science has shown that social support improves both our health and life expectancy.” I certainly agree with Dan on this issue. RAPS SHEET n JANUARY 2024 CO-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Friendships improve longevity. RAPS is here to help. I’ve read a few pieces of research recently that show that friendships and social interactions significantly improve one’s longevity. Organizations like RAPS help forge those relationships. Although I was not able to attend our annual holiday party, I’ve heard from several people that it was wonderful. Thanks go out to many who helped, especially Nancy Eriksson and Ansel Johnson, whose significant efforts contributed to a fun time. Our next program will occur on Thursday, January 18. It will feature Rory Cowal, who is active in the group Divest Oregon’s efforts to stop the state of Oregon from investing our money in fossil fuel holdings. I invite you to join with us for this program. Here’s to a brighter year in 2024! —Bruce Stern Upcoming RAPS events JANUARY 8THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, NOON RAPS January Program—“Confronting Climate Risks to PERS and the Planet,” a presentation by Rory Cowal, instructor in the PSU School of Music and volunteer with Divest Oregon, a statewide grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations seeking to have the Oregon State Treasury divest pension funds of fossil fuel holdings. 333 SMSU. (See story page 1.) 8WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 Hiking Group—Columbia Springs Loop (Vancouver Waterfront), 3.1miles. 8TUESDAY, JANUARY 23 Book Group—Lessons in Chemistry—fiction by Bonnie Garmus. FEBRUARY 8THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15 RAPS February Program—“Two Terroirists from Tualatin,” a joint presentation by wine experts Michael Alberty and Scott Burns. 333 SMSU. 8TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 Book Group—How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future—nonfiction by Maria Ressa. 8WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Hiking Group—Mary S. Young Park (Lake Oswego/West Lynn), about 8 miles of trails, route to be determined. MARCH 8TUESDAY, MARCH 19 Book Group—Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel— fiction by Shelby Van Pelt. 8WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 Hiking Group—Jackson Bottom Loop (west of Hillsboro), 4.7 miles (may be birds). 8THURSDAY, MARCH 21 RAPS March Program—Spring Potluck in SMSU, followed by presentation in 225 Lincoln Hall by Kelley Nassief, opera program director, and PSU opera students singing excerpts from the spring opera, The Merry Widow. APRIL 8TUESDAY, APRIL 16 Book Group—Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism—nonfiction by Rachel Maddow. 8WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 Hiking Group—Catherine Creek Tracy Hill Loop (6.1 miles) or Catherine Creek Arch Loop (easy). Washington side of the Gorge. May be flowers. MAY 8WEDNESDAY, MAY 15 Hiking Group—Tom McCall Point or Rowena Dell. Oregon side of Gorge. May be flowers.
Book Group THE BOOK GROUP met on December 19 and discussed The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David WallaceWell. There were relatively few members present, probably a reflection of having selected a relatively long and very grim book, and not a good choice for the holiday season. The author presents an extensive and well-referenced account of the impacts of climate change—those already experienced and those to come. Wallace-Well’s message is that it is already too late to avoid many aspects of climate change. We have so far tried to ignore what is happening and think of climate change as a problem for the future. The author maintains that climate change is evident now and global in its impact, with those with fewest resources suffering most. Though Wallace-Well ends with the statement that he thinks we can find a way to keep the planet livable, the thrust of the book is that climate change is here. There is no longer a “normal.” The group decided on books for the next months, hoping that they would be less depressing. They are: n January 23: Lessons in Chemistry—a novel by Bonnie Garmus. n February 20: How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future—nonfiction by Maria Ressa. n March 19: Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel—by Shelby Van Pelt. n April 16: Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism— nonfiction by Rachel Maddow. The Book Group meets the third Tuesday of every month. All RAPS members are welcome. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE BRIDGE GROUP needs additional players badly. Why would anyone join our group? Our players are friendly and enjoy the social aspect of playing bridge together. Why not investigate what our group has to offer? 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. Please contact me at 503-808-7715. My email address is: the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. —Steve Brennan RAPS Group Reports Hiking Group FIVE MEMBERS of the Hiking Group met in December to plan the next year’s hiking schedule. We tried to balance easy versus more challenging, in-town versus out-of-town, wilderness versus hard pavement. We decided to keep to the third Wednesday of the month, acknowledging that no regularly scheduled day will work for everyone. The group is amenable to adjusting the hiking day to accommodate weather extremes such as excessive heat or rain, or the flower season, so we encourage people who would like to hike but have problems with a specific day to let us know. Please contact Tom Dieterich or Cilla Murray at tgdieterich@earthlink.net. The schedule for 2024 as planned is: n January 17: Columbia Springs Loop (Vancouver Waterfront), 3.1miles. n February 21: Mary S. Young Park (Lake Oswego/West Lynn), about 8 miles of trails, route to be determined. n March 20: Jackson Bottom Loop (west of Hillsboro), 4.7 miles (may be birds). n April 17: Catherine Creek Tracy Hill Loop (6.1 miles) or Catherine Creek Arch Loop (easy). Washington side of the Gorge. May be flowers. n May 15: Tom McCall Point or Rowena Dell. Oregon side of Gorge. May be flowers. n June 19: Champoeg State Park (south of Portland). n July 17: Salmon River in Salmon River Huckleberry Wilderness, on Mt. Hood, 7.8 miles or stop at Rolling Riffle, 4.0 miles. n August 21: Wilson River (west of Portland, route to be determined). n September 18: Eagle Creek to High Bridge (6.4 miles) or to Punchbowl Falls (4.2 miles). Oregon side of Gorge. n October 16: Clackamette Loop (4.3 miles). Gladstone/Oregon City. n November 20: Portland Bridges: Sellwood to Tilikum Crossing. n December: Planning session. —Tom Dieterich 3 RAPS SHEET n JANUARY 2024
4 NOTES FROM THE SCHOLARSHIP CHAIR Behind the scenes with your scholarship committee WE DON’T HAVE a tally yet of RAPS member generosity in our year-end request for your contributions. It takes time for the December-January financial reports to get settled. Please stay tuned. And in advance, thanks to all of you who gave, and in particular to those members who stepped up to enable a match! The Scholarship Committee has been considering ways to generate student interest in applying. To apply, they enter an online portal for The Scholarship Universe. Once in, they are introduced to the scholarships that are available and they complete their application online. To get the word out to students, the members of the Scholarship Committee have been in touch with the Institute on Aging and the School of Education programs relevant to serving older adults, such as Counseling, and with some specific programs like Social Work and Psychology. However, advising no longer takes place within the departments. Advisers are now organized into clusters of related majors called Advising Pathways. We’re working with the person who heads advisers for the Society and Identity Pathway. Through her, we’re encouraging students to highlight their specific interest in aging as part of their application. At the same time, because PSU doesn’t have a specific gerontology major, students can also describe their health- related interests. It really helps to have on the committee a cross-section of staff and faculty with ideas and contacts. We meet via Zoom once a month at the most and not during the summer. Please consider stepping up as a committee member. New England and Portuguese horizons await WITH 2024 upon us, you may want to begin planning the year’s travel opportunities. Here is the link featuring RAPS offerings, through Collette Travel, for “The Colors of New England.” It will be offered in fall 2024. Reviewing the information will give you important deadlines. And there is still time to sign up for Portugal. Follow this link to get information: https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1180507 Each person who signs up through this link by the deadline gains for RAPS a contribution to the Scholarship Fund. —Sherwin Davidson RAPS SHEET n JANUARY 2024 MORGAN POPE, who served Portland State in several administrative roles for more than 15 years, died November 23 in Portland. He was 86 years old. Mr. Pope was born April 29, 1937, in Bagnell, Missouri, the only child of Walter Morgan Pope and Hazel Alice (Sullivan) Pope. In 1955 he graduated from School of the Osage High School in Lake Ozark, Missouri. He enrolled at the University of Missouri, where he graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in physics. In 1962 he completed a master’s degree in physics and mathematics at New Mexico Highlands University. As a freshman at Missouri he met his wife, Constance Gayle Clark. The couple married in September 1960 and honeymooned in Oregon, where Mr. Pope joined the research division of Tektronix. He spent the next 28 years at the company as a scientist and manager of research and development labs, then took early retirement to work as a consultant for the state of Oregon and city of Portland on work force development for high-tech companies. In memoriam: Morgan Pope, 1937-2023 Mr. Pope joined Portland State in 1990 as a coordinator for university-industry interactions. He moved to University Relations as an acting vice president, then became associate dean in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, once again serving as a coordinator with industry. Mr. Pope retired from Portland State in 2002, but continued his association with PSU for an additional three years as a consultant with the college, overseeing its relationships with architects, construction companies, and PSU Facilities and Property Management during the construction of the building that houses the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. Mr. Pope is survived by his wife of 63 years, Constance; sons Sean Sullivan Pope and Morgan Clark Pope; daughterin-law Carrie Frances White; granddaughter Scout Edie Cohen Pope (Scott Steinhouse); and grandson Sullivan Cohen Pope (Cascade Laree Hall). A celebration of life will be held for family and friends on Sunday, February 4, from 2:30 to 6 p.m., at Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Road, Portland. 1990 PSU Digital Archives Gallery
5 RAPS SHEET n JANUARY 2024 JACK S. SCHENDEL, who was the last dean of the Portland State University School of Health and Human Performance, died December 2 at the age of 91. Dean Schendel was born in Turlock, California, on August 30, 1932, to Ted and Grace (Haworth) Schendel. He grew up in the nearby town of Denair, where he graduated from high school in 1950 and at which he later taught and coached. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1954 and a master’s in 1960 from California State University, Fresno, and completed an Ed.D. in 1963 at the University of Oregon. His career as a professor and administrator took him from Eugene to the University of Toledo and eventually to Portland State, where he became dean of the School of Health and Physical Education in 1978. (The school’s name was changed in 1990 to Health and Human Performance.) In a 2014 interview for Portland State Oral Histories, Dean Schendel said the PSU position was attractive because the University was “really serious about being an urban-related university integrated with the city.” Just over a decade after he became dean, Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 5, which limited the rise of property taxes, and also guaranteed that state funds would make up the difference in funding lost by local elementary and secondary schools. The impact of Measure 5 on higher education was immense, and among the casualties was the School of Health and Human Performance. In the Oral Histories interview, Dean Schendel recalled a meeting with PSU’s interim provost, Bob Frank, in early January 1992. “He didn’t beat around the bush. He just said, ‘I’m really sorry to be the one to have to tell you this. The implications of the budget reduction (are) . . . of such a major nature that it looks like we are going to have to eliminate your school.’ “And I said, ‘What?’ . . . From that point on, there was never any question in my mind that the decision had been made.” Despite support from Portland’s medical community and presentations by school faculty and administrators to campus committees and the State Board of Higher Education, the School of Health and Human Performance was closed at the end of the 1992 academic year as part of Portland State’s budget reduction plan in the aftermath of Measure 5. With the school’s closure, Dean Schendel retired. After his retirement, Dean Schendel and his wife, Ruby, worked with Campus Crusade for Christ in Riga, Latvia, and served his church community. He was preceded in death by his wife and infant son, Jonathan Paul Schendel. He is survived by his four children and their families, Betsy and Jeff Taylor, Carol and Bruce Shelby, Jackie Schendel, Kurt Schendel and Olivia Gill. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 13, at 11 a.m. at Resurrection Catholic Church in Tualatin. Memorial donations may be made to Jesus Film Harvest Partners at ifhp.org or the U.S. Olympic Team at support.teamusa.org. An online guest book is available at www.oregonlive.com/obits. In memoriam: Jack S. Schendel, 1932-2023 1991 PSU Digital Archives Gallery
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