Alumni Remember Portland State University
Academics Professor Gertrude Rempfer teaches students in a physics lab. Professors Charles Le Guin, Basil Dmytryshyn, and Charles White teach a course on Western Civilization, which is televised on Portland Public Broadcasting.
Students work in the chemistry lab in Old Main. Student and ASPSU president Joe Uris addresses the Faculty Senate.
International students in the language lab. A relaxing place to study during summer session.
A student examines a specimen in the general science lab, 1970. Math class at the Data Center, 1963. Napping in Smith Center study lounge, 1979.
Alumni Spotlight: Richard E. Feeney Class of ’61 B.A. in Political Science Richard Feeney remembers Portland State University as a school for adults. This was the practical university where vets with families studied. This unique extension school was attended by serious students and it was a place where “You were treated like an adult, surrounded by adults, and pushed by interesting faculty. Richard initially attended Pacific University. After an unhappy first semester there, his mother—a teacher—urged him to try PSU, where she had supplemented her education for decades. He found the coursework challenging and the professors really pushed him to work harder because of this. Throughout his time at PSU, Richard worked as an editor of the Vanguard, started a student group for Catholics interested in social change, was the chairman of the PSU Cultural Festival, and ran (and narrowly lost) for student body. He even had the great honor of meeting President Kennedy (then a senator) when he came to give a speech on campus. Richard believes Portland State University is different from other universities—a little more colorful. In the 1960s campus was filled with intellectuals, hippies, and beatniks, all coming together to challenge the norm and actively engage with their community. The students here were genuine and involved. As he looks back on his time at PSU and the camaraderie he shared with fellow students and faculty, Richard can’t help but ask, “Why would anyone go anywhere else?” Senator Kennedy’s visit to campus drew large crowds of students, including Richard Feeney.
PSU Memories: Crosswalk, Campus, and Community Richard Feeney remembers a general feeling held by community members at the time that PSU was going to dominate the downtown area geographically. What started as a small school on the edge of downtown, quickly grew into an important part of Portland. As campus expanded, so did the need to accommodate the growing student body. As part of the growing pains all universities must experience, conflict arose between students and downtown traffic as many students jaywalked across streets on their way to classes. The city sent the police to campus to hand out tickets for jaywalking between Lincoln and old Main on Mill. The administration warned everyone, but it was a time saver when there was little time between classes. In the middle of the night somebody painted a crosswalk with a can of paint from doorway to doorway along SW Broadway. Students used the fake crosswalk and stopped traffic. The police arrived and from the library floor above, furious students dropped water balloons on them. This all led to the closing of Mill and showed that PSU was here to stay. A spirit of community erupted around PSU with students saying, “This is our community, our campus.” Students paint their own crosswalk on Mill
Alumni Spotlight: Catherine Williams Class of ’56, B.S. in Elementary Education Catherine Williams attended Portland State during an exciting transition. She was originally a student at the Vanport Extension Center, which was initially founded to accommodate returning veterans of World War II. The Center was straining to meet the demands of eager students, and founder Stephen Epler lobbied to convert the school into a four-year institution. Catherine attended the Vanport campus for two years, and when the Center moved to downtown Portland and became the Portland State Extension Center, Catherine moved with it. She had always known that she wanted to be a teacher, and Portland State gave her the opportunity to earn her degree in education without leaving home. Catherine remembers a serious, focused student body comprised of traditional students and returning veterans, and a faculty of inspiring professors that students sought to emulate. She fondly remembers Dr. Epler, who seemed to know every student on campus by name, and Dr. Hoffman, an engaging professor who “acted out history.” Although academics were the top priority at Portland State, Catherine was heavily involved with extracurricular activities on campus. She was president of the campus women’s club, the Vikes (which later became Alpha Phi), worked on the Vanport Vanguard and the Portland State yearbook, participated in the Student Council, cheered on the Vanport football team as a Rally Girl, and still managed to work part-time at Olds, Wortman & King department store. Catherine graduated in 1956 and pursued a career in education, eventually earning her Masters in Guidance Counseling. At Madison High School, she set up a Career Planning Center that was used as a model throughout the state, and traveled nationally and internationally to consult on other Career Planning Centers. Catherine experienced a unique part of Portland State history, transitioning from the Vanport Extension Center to the downtown campus of Portland State. She was a member of Portland State’s first graduating class. Although Portland State was still a new institution, it provided a great foundation for her career in education. “The older I get,” says Catherine, “the more I appreciate being able to be part of the growth of PSU.” Can-can dancers, “Gay Nineties” dance: Cathy Williams (née Bostwick), Joanne Roach, Kay Funnel, Lois Weed.
PSU Memories: Dance Fever! Pajama Dance, 1950s. Students dance at the Ed. Center, 1970. Groovin’ in the park, 1975. A Capoeira dance group practices in the Park Blocks, 1986.
Sports Students play basketball in the low-ceilinged gym in Old Main. Basketball player Sue Smith, 1977.
Female students utilize an unused synagogue for physical education classes. Things get cramped in the boys’ locker room.
Students stretch out at Edwin Brown’s dance class, 1975. Warming up with a jog, 1967. A volleyball players dives to make a save.
Archer, 1977. A group of intramural footbal players Working out at the gym, 1972.
Alumni Spotlight: Robert L. Rawson Class of ’58, B.S. in Secondary Education Robert (Bob) Rawson first noticed the change in climate when he relocated from Kansas to Oregon. Next he noticed the difference in size, having left Morland, a very small town in Western Kansas. He was nineteen when he visited the city, home to two of his sisters and a brother. Previously he had attended the University of Kansas, but left the school after one semester. Although his parents still lived in Kansas, Bob wanted to relocate to the west. After a few different jobs and a tour of active duty with Portland’s own 403rd Troop Carrier Wing, Bob again gave thought to getting a college education. He had his G.I. Bill and his brother-inlaw convinced him to take some classes at Multnomah College (a private school that used to be in downtown Portland). Success in these classes gave him the confidence to re-enroll full-time in school. At age 24, in the fall of 1954, Bob became a full-time student at Portland State College. He remembers, with a chuckle, the characteristically small campus. “The campus, at the time, was Lincoln Hall.” Despite its size, the college had much to offer him. He knew he wanted to major in secondary education with an emphasis in social science. He started with a minor in math but switched to speech, a choice he has always been happy to have made. In his senior year Bob, upon the advice of his professor Dr. Roberts, took some theater classes as well. Everyone taking a drama class was required to participate in theater productions, whether it be acting, lighting, or set construction. He played the lead character’s uncle in The Braggard Warrior, which was, originally, a Greek comedy. This theater experience paid off later in life when Bob directed school plays while he taught high school U.S. government, history, and speech. He eventually did some professional theater in addition to teaching for twenty-five years. Portland State’s relatively small size also meant the opportunity to build strong relationships with classmates and faculty alike. Bob described the relationship between students and faculty in one word, “close.” Everybody knew everybody, including the faculty. For the most part, the professors were young and most were engaged in the students’ lives. Dr. Frank Roberts (husband of Governor Barbara Roberts), who taught speech, was his favorite professor. Another favorite, Dr. George Hoffmann (for whom Hoffmann Hall is named), taught U.S. history and advised Bob’s fraternity. It was Dr. Stephen Epler (for whom Epler Hall is named) who helped Bob with his post-college career. After working at PSC in administration, Dr. Epler moved to California and eventually hired Bob to teach. Reflecting on his time at Portland State, Bob thinks there are benefits to attending an urban university. He sees the relationship between the University and the city as symbiotic. Studying in an urban setting means many available resources to students, such as internship opportunities, while at the same time, PSU’s programs directly benefit Portland. “PSU is an advantage to the city.” “PSU is an advantage to the city.”
PSU Memories: Bonding and Brotherhood Bob became a member of the Delta Tau Rho Fraternity, which became the Kappa Sigma Fraternity in 1961. The Delts were the oldest fraternity on the PSC campus, having been founded on the Vanport campus in 1947. They had brother chapters at Lewis & Clark and Multnomah Colleges. The Delts were active in virtually all aspects of student life—student government, sports, cheerleading, academic organizations, etc. They sponsored the formal “Sweethearts Ball” in winter quarter and the “Paris Apache” costume dance during spring quarter. This Delt tradition encouraged Bob to become involved in other student activities (one additional incentive to do so—those students involved in activities were allowed to pre-register, which meant no closed classes and no standing in long lines). He held various offices in Delta Tau Rho, served in the “cabinet” of Student Body President Pete Grundfossen, was, sometimes, a class officer, and was president, for one term, of the Inter Organizational Council. The IOC oversaw all campus organizations and their social events to prevent schedule conflicts and other organizational differences. While the fraternity itself has changed, the Delta Tau Rho tradition remains in its many former members. Each month a group of them meet for lunch, and each July a reunion picnic is held on the Sandy River at the home of Delt brother Jerry Yankauskas. This fall, Bob will take an ocean cruise with two of his fraternity brothers and their wives—all five are Portland State graduates. From the 1958 Viking yearbook, a collage of Delta Tau Rho activites.
Alumni Spotlight: Sue Brickey Class of ’77, B.S. in Social Science and History Sue Brickey considered herself the average Portland State University student—a twenty-eight year old female— when she studied social science and history in the 1970s. She found PSU to be very welcoming considering most of the students were non-traditional. From the time she was young, she had wanted to earn a college degree. Prior to PSU, she went to school at a community college on a music scholarship. Transitioning to PSU was convenient since she already worked downtown. She began by taking a few night classes with Charlie White. While at PSU, she considered earning a teaching certificate and also studying geology, but ultimately, she chose social sciences and history, two subjects she is passionate about. Sue studied social sciences for the politics and made her closest friends during a six-month legislative internship in Salem. Throughout this internship, students (about ten total, including Sue) attended legislative sessions and worked directly with a legislator. Political science professor Marko Haggard started the internship and worked with Governor Tom McCall. During her time as an intern, Sue worked with Oregon Public Health and helped with the bills they were introducing. Oregon Public Health passed the motorcycle helmet law during Sue’s internship. She went into healthcare following graduation from PSU and worked for Providence for eighteen years, while some of her fellow interns went into law. Following graduation, Sue spent six years on the alumni board, a memorable experience that included serving as president of the Alumni Association and her involvement with the development of the Urban Plaza. She feels that the Simon Benson House brings more presence/visibility for the alumni association. She helped organize PSU’s 50-year anniversary celebration. She served on a team to interview the new president. In the association, she worked with Pat Squire, the long-time director of the Alumni Association. She believes it’s important to keep alumni involved. She met many of her good friends through the Alumni Association, including Joan Johnson. She was the alumni representative during PSU’s accreditation. Sue fondly remembers the relationship between students and faculty, which was full of a lot of camaraderie. Students and faculty spent time together interacting socially, often at Sue’s favorite location on campus, The Cheerful Tortoise. Her favorite professors were Charlie White, U.S. History professor James Heath, and Mim McKee in Geology. Her secondary interest in geology provided Sue with some of her involvement at PSU outside of her majors. One of her favorite memories is of a two-night geology fieldtrip to the mouth of the Metolius River Sue and her class took. One of the biggest marks Sue left at PSU was a volunteer fundraiser for the geology department. PSU’s geology department had a seismograph on loan that had to be returned. Sue helped organize a fundraiser to buy a new one (just before Mount St. Helen’s blew!) Students examine a seismograph.
Student Life Chess players in Park Blocks, 1976 Poetry performance, 1967 The staff of the Viking yearbook takes a break from editorial duties to have a little fun with a Renault.
Students learn ballroom dancing from Professor Alice Lehman.
Peace Corps trainees gather in the Park Blocks. Students build a snowman to advertise 1964’s Winter Carnival. Boating on the Willamette, 1977.
Campus Collage The Park Blocks through the seasons.
The Millar Library provides study space for busy students. The gym fills with students registering for classes.
Alumni Spotlight: Joan Johnson Class of ’78, B.A. in Political Science Joan Johnson began college in 1972, when she was in her forties. A child of the Great Depression, Joan came from a family in which education was seen as important for boys but not for girls. So Joan went to work after high school. She married in 1951 and started a family. Although she had been active in school and community affairs, the women’s rights movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s opened new horizons for Joan. “You had this feeling, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’” Joan’s answer was to attend college. Joan set her sights on Portland State University because it was reasonable and convenient. She worried that she would “stick out like a sore thumb” as a student of a non-traditional age, but she quickly noticed the variety of people and ages on campus. “There was such a diversity of students—even then. That is what’s so wonderful about Portland State,” she says. Joan attended PSU as a part-time student, worked part-time, and raised three kids with her husband Robert. As a part-time student and a commuter, she didn’t spend much time on campus outside of her classes. “I was just so amazed to be going here,” Joan says. Looking back now, she recalls how different the campus looked—it was mainly Cramer, Lincoln, Smith and Neuberger halls in her time—and how much it has expanded since then. The Park Blocks remain a constant and important campus feature for Joan. “We’re so lucky to have the Park Blocks.” Joan had hoped to study journalism, but unfortunately PSU did not offer that major. Political science was a natural replacement. Joan’s interest in political science stemmed from growing up in a home where politics were always a topic of conversation, especially with her dad. While at PSU, Joan managed a few campaigns, including two for her close friend Nancy Ryles. Two professors at PSU left a lasting impression on Joan during her time as a student. Ralph Bunche, a political science professor, taught a Current American Problems class and focused much of his time on civil rights, an area of great concern to Joan. Hugo Maynard, an “inspirational” psychology professor took an unconventional teaching approach when he instructed his students, including Joan, to read a book about weeds, pick a species of weed, and observe it in its natural habitat. He asked students to keep a journal detailing what they saw, a technique designed to teach students to pay attention to the world around them. Following her graduation from PSU, Joan worked in the state legislature and later as a freelance writer for various clients and trade papers. She joined the Alumni Board In 1993 and was an active PSU Advocate for many years. In 2002 Joan received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. The degree was an honor that commemorated her important legacy at Portland State. Joan Johnson circa 1978.
PSU Memories: A Legacy of Friendship “You had this feeling, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’” -Joan Johnson As a Political Science major at PSU, Joan managed her friend Nancy Ryles’ run for the Beaverton School Board (1972) and later her run for the Oregon Legislature. Beginning in 1979, Nancy served two terms in the Oregon House and then was twice elected to the Oregon Senate. In 1987, Nancy resigned her senate seat to become the first woman appointed to the Oregon Public Utility Commission. In 1990, Nancy Ryles passed away from brain cancer. Together Joan, Jean Morton and Leslie Emery, all friends of Nancy’s, co-founded the Nancy Ryles Scholarship in her honor. It was Nancy’s idea that it be established at Portland State University to assist women whose education had been interrupted and who wanted the chance to go back to school. These three women led the drive to fund the endowment which twenty years later has raised more than $700,000. The Nancy Ryles Scholarship Fund, founded to support women returning to or entering PSU for the first time, now pays $7,500 to exceptional recipients. Together, Joan, Jean and Leslie were able to honor the legacy of their friend Nancy Ryles with a scholarship that continues to impact students today. Nancy Ryles during one of her campaigns.
Alumni Spotlight: Dick Pizzo Vanport Extension Center It was 1946. Vanport Extension Center had just opened its doors, and Dick Pizzo, a returning veteran, was among its first students. Dick doesn’t remember any marketing or advertising for the education center—it was simply there when he needed it. He received $35 a month as a veteran, and Vanport tuition cost $35 a quarter—a considerable advantage for the 20-year old. Books were paid for by the Veterans Administration. Enrolled as a pre-med student, Dick found the professors dedicated and demanding. He recalls an inspirational math professor that could just look at an equation on the chalkboard and know the answer, an English professor that took the time to instill strong grammar skills in all her students, and a German professor that opened his world to a new language. While the educational experience was a great start, Dick remembers feeling that it wasn’t a typical college life experience. He missed the social aspect that we now consider integral to undergraduate studies at Portland State. He carpooled with a classmate, but he never spent time with any other students because the campus lacked a place for them to congregate. The classrooms were in existing buildings built for Vanport residents, and there was no construction to renovate them for their new purpose. Dick’s lab classes were held at the Dental School in Portland and at the old Lincoln High School (now Portland Hall). Dick would leave Vanport after one year, but it was probably just as well. Two years later, the Vanport Flood destroyed the fledging campus, along with all of Vanport City. Dick was on a retreat at the Oregon Coast when the news of the flood appeared on the front page of the Oregonian. He and several other former Vanport students at the retreat were shocked to read about the devastation in Vanport, and left for Portland to see if they could help in any way. He recalls the efforts of the citizens to help one another during this disaster and marvels at how dramatic the desruction was. After a year at Vanport, Dick transferred to nearby University of Portland. He changed majors and earned a bachelor of arts degree, and then a master’s degree in Education. After graduation, Dick taught at Lake Oswego High School before pursuing a doctorate at the University of Oregon. As a graduate student, he began working in the Office of Academic Affairs of the Oregon State System of Higher Education, ultimately rising to Director of High School-College Relations. He continued there for over 27 years, eventually becoming Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Services. As a part of the Chancellor’s staff, he helped Portland State evolve into a university that is now recognized as a core provider of education for returning veterans like he once was, along with thousands of Oregonians working to achieve their dreams of a college education. It was a long time ago, but Dick feels that if it wasn’t for the existence of Vanport when he returned from the South Pacific and Japan, the Oregon Veterans Education program and later, the Federal GI Bill, he may never had attended college and become an Oregon educator. A view of the Vanport Extension Center
Portland State University as we now know it—a thriving, cosmopolitan campus—would be unrecognizable to its first students, the returning veterans who attended the Vanport Extension Center in Vanport City, Oregon. Vanport City (so named because it lay between Portland and Vancouver, WA) was hurriedly built in 1943 to house wartime workers at the Kaiser Shipyards. The pre-fab buildings were assembled haphazardly: residents complained of thin walls, infestations, and the constant threat of fire (many of the buildings were wooden, with wooden foundations). The city’s population declined after the war ended, but many young veterans returned to Vanport, and the need for an institution of higher education became apparent. The Vanport Extension Center was created in 1946, its buildings scattered around the fledgling city. Students flocked to the new school, which provided veterans a bridge to the established Oregon universities. Suddenly, the temporary city had the makings of permanent institution. No one could have predicted that only two years later, on May 30, 1948, the city and the college would be swept away. Near the end of May, the melting snow that collected in the Columbia River Basin caused the river to crest, but Vanport officials didn’t take notice until May 25, when a patrol was set up to monitor the dikes. Though the river continued to rise, Vanport residents were assured that the dikes were holding “at present” and that they “would have time to leave,” if necessary. Later that afternoon, the first dike burst and the city began to fill with water. Vanport City was all but swept away, the wooden houses lifting from their foundations and floating away. The flood was declared a national disaster, but it was too late for the city and its population. Fifteen people were killed in the flood, but many were shocked that the death toll wasn’t much higher, considering the extent of the material devastation. The Vanport Extension Center was completely destroyed, but students and school officials refused to let their college die. The school moved to temporary quarters in downtown Portland, and continued to grow rapidly. In 1969, the college that began as Vanport Extension Center, then Portland State Extension Center, officially became the competitive urban institution we know today: Portland State University. PSU Memories: The Vanport Flood Portland Hall, flooded, 1948. A new beginning in downtown Portland.
Alumni Spotlight: Cathleen Cavin Class of ’74, B.S. in Geology Cathleen Cavin’s interest in geography was sparked by National Geographic Magazine and a childhood book about the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. She was inspired to be in the sciences from a young age, and was supported in this pursuit by her family in a time where women hardly worked in scientific fields. After stints at Portland Community College and Oregon Technical Institute, Cathleen landed at Portland State University, where she took her first Physical Geography surveys with Dale Jolly, a professor whose enthusiasm motivated her. She did coursework in geomorphology and climatology, developed a lively interest in the Polar Zone, and joined the Friends of the Pleistocene organization and the Columbia River Basalt group. Cathleen remembers the emerging environmental awareness of the era: the theory of plate tectonics, the celebration of the first Earth Day, the city’s first glass recycling program. Cathleen recalls a bustling commuter campus and a competitive, bright student body, populated by many returning veterans, married adults, and older women pursuing their career goals after raising a family. She struggled with occasional sexism as one of only two women following her coursework, but Cathleen emerged from her program well-prepared for a long career in environmental science. She realized her dream of polar exploration as an employee of the US Arctic and Antarctic science programs, and later worked at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and at Bonneville Power. Cathleen remembers Portland State University as a place for serious study, where students prepared for careers. She also remembers—less fondly— those 8am classes at Cramer Hall. “I started drinking coffee at PSU,” she says, because the building “was so cold that I needed to wrap my hands around a warm cup (in those days, Styrofoam) so I could write notes.” Geology students study Mount St. Helens earthquake information. A student in the geology lab, 1976.
Molly Gloss attended Portland State during the turbulent 1960s, but her PSU experience was a relatively quiet one. She lived at home and took the bus to campus every day from Gresham. Like many students of that era, she chose PSU because it was convenient—affordable and close to home. Molly was studying to be a teacher. “In 1962,” she says, “you could either be a teacher or a nurse.” She enjoyed many of the “human sciences” she took as part of her Social Sciences degree, particularly psychology, which she found she effortlessly understood. She knew, though, that there wasn’t much a woman in that era could do with a psychology degree. When a guidance counselor suggested she take an English course, she balked. She hadn’t been fond of her English classes in high school. Still, she took the recommended course, Dr. Hill’s Contemporary Literature survey, and found that she loved it. She would take English courses for the rest of her time at PSU. While she attended PSU, Molly worked at the Multnomah County Library, doing the “most boring job”—checking coats and doing menial clerical work. This part-time job and a partial scholarship covered her PSU tuition. On days she worked, she headed from class to the library, stopping to enjoy fish and chips at a café on Broadway. Though Molly describes herself as fairly traditional during this era, she fondly recalls politically active and passionate professors like Marko Haggard, a charismatic political science professor who went on to become Oregon’s first state ombudsman. She remembers how Haggard would discuss his wartime experience and how it informed his own humanism, and she credits him for sparking her interest in politics. Molly was married on her graduation day (she didn’t attend the graduation ceremony), and though she taught for a short time, she didn’t find her calling until 1981, when she returned to PSU to take a writing course with author Ursula Le Guin. Molly had one “bad novel” under her belt, and a few science fiction stories. She would write two more stories in Le Guin’s workshop, and five acclaimed novels and numerous award-winning short stories would follow. Today, Molly’s novels and stories are taught in literature classes at PSU and beyond. Over the years, she has maintained a connection with the University, teaching at the Haystack summer program and teaching the occasional writing workshop. She worked as an adjunct professor at PSU for three years, teaching “Literature of the American West.” These days, she’ll stop by campus occasionally, to discuss her work with students and professors, or do some research at the library. Of the University and its evolution, Molly says, “I’m really proud of it now. I was proud of it then.” Alumni Spotlight: Molly Gloss Class of ’66, B.S. in Social Sciences, English Minor
“Alumni Remember” was compiled by Jennifer Wilkerson, Kate Heacock, and Tina Morgan, 2013-2014. Our sincere thanks to all the alumni who graciously contributed their time and memories. While some photos were taken from various Portland State yearbooks, the majority were taken from the University Archives Digital Gallery. Find more photos at: https://archives.pdx.edu/ digitalgallery/pages/home.php
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