Past Tense SHERIDAN ENDS ON A HIGH NOTE Wilma Sheridan was a young teacher in the Portland Public Schools when Portland State College experienced strong growth in numbers of students. John Stehn, head of the Department of Music, contacted Verne Wilson, the supervisor of music in Portland, and asked if there was a music teacher who could teach a class in elementary music methods. Wilson recommended Wilma, and her association with Portland State began. Within a year, a night class was added, and with Marge Albertson’s retirement, Wilma was invited to join the faculty of Portland State University. When John Trudeau was chosen dean of the College of Liberal Arts, President Joseph Blumel appointed Wilma head of the Music Department. Three benchmarks during her tenure as department head were the addition of the Florestan Trio to the faculty, the establishment of the Piano Recital Series, and the Bachelor of Music degree. She also took advantage of a sabbatical to finish a Ph.D., strengthening her music history background. In a reorganization of the departments of PSU, the Departments of Art and Architecture, Dance, Music, and Theater Arts became the School of Fine and Performing Arts. Several years into this new organization, John Trudeau retired and Wilma was appointed the first woman dean at PSU. During her career at Portland State, Wilma saw the mission of the departments in Fine and Performing Arts broaden from that of primarily training public school teachers to offering professional preparation for many diverse careers in the arts. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), e-mail the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu.
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