Ontario, Canada, he was known for his contributions to organic synthesis and a reaction used in the preparation of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. He was also director of Snieckus Innovations, a company dedicated to small molecule synthesis for the pharmaceutical industry. SHELDON BERNARD AVERY, MA ’67, PhD ’70 (history), died April 26. Described by his family as a man “who saw humanity in all,” he was a professor of history at Harford Community College in Maryland. EUGENE “GENE” SAYLER, BS ’67 (economics), died December 22. Honorably discharged from the Navy as a lieutenant in 1969, the avid traveler and golfer managed Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen eatery in Portland and Beaverton and served as a state representative from 1987 to 1991. TK LANDÁZURI, BA ’78 (speech: theater arts), died February 8. She worked at the university for 35 years, including 18 in the philosophy department, where
she served as undergraduate and graduate program coordinator. She was also Eugene’s 2006 Slug Queen, Slugretha. JANE TODD, MA ’79 (Romance languages), MA ’81, PhD ’83 (comparative literature), died February 2. Bearing a lifelong interest in French literature and language, she taught French, humanities, and women’s studies at Reed College in Portland. She started a translation business and translated more than 90 books and hundreds of shorter texts for university and trade presses, and art museums. CHRISTOPHER BJORK, BS ’95 (leisure studies and services), died March 5. A member of the proud South Eugene High School Axe community, a youth sports coach, a beloved member of the Portland Trail Blazers staff in the 1990s and a lifelong Ducks fan, he most recently worked for Learfield/IMG as director of business development, and his tenure working either directly with or for the University of Oregon lasted more than 26 years.
FACULTY IN MEMORIAM GARY MARVIN MARTIN, PhD ’65 (education), died January 11. He served as a professor, associate dean, and acting dean during 35 years with the School of Music and Dance, where his work with young people was a source of joy. STEPHEN PONDER, an associate professor emeritus who taught journalism for more than 20 years, died August 8. He was an award-winning teacher known for his patience with students and their research and writing. RENNARD STRICKLAND, dean of the School of Law from 1997 to 2002 and a faculty member until his retirement in 2006, died January 5. Strickland was Osage and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He strongly supported the incorporation of Indian law courses into the curriculum and taught a popular seminar on Indian law and policy.
T H E M AG A Z I N E O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F O R E G O N
47