Oregon quarterly autumn 2016

Oregon

IMAGINARY PLAYMATES | GLACIERS | VETERANS | STARTUPS | ARTIFACTS

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AUTUMN 2016

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EDITOR’S NOTE

dialogue

The Search Is On T H E M AG A Z I N E O F T H E U N I V E R S IT Y O F O R E G O N AU T U M N 2 01 6 • VO LU M E 9 6 N U M B E R 1

PUBLISHER George Evano

gevano@uoregon.edu | 541-346-2379 EDITOR Jonathan Graham

jgraham@uoregon.edu | 541-346-5047 SENIOR WRITER AND EDITOR Rosemary Camozzi

rcamozzi@uoregon.edu | 541-346-3606 ART DIRECTOR JoDee Stringham

jodees@uoregon.edu | 541-346-1593

PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATOR Shelly Cooper

scooper@uoregon.edu | 541-346-5045

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Charlie Litchfield,

Dustin Whitaker

PROOFREADERS Sharleen Nelson, Scott Skelton INTERNS Melissa Epifano, Chloe Huckins, Natalie Miano EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Mark Blaine, Betsy Boyd, Kathi O’Neil Dordevic, Kathleen Holt, Alexandra Lyons, Kenneth O’Connell, Holly Simons, Mike Thoele WEBSITE OregonQuarterly.com MAILING ADDRESS

5228 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon 97403-5228 Phone 541-346-5045 EDITORIAL 541-346-5047 ADVERTISING SALES Ross Johnson, Oregon Media

ross@oregon-media.com | 541-948-5200

One of the best things about editing a university magazine is discovering amazing new things about the institution. A research center that produces great work but gets little publicity. An unheralded office that provides essential services for a segment of the student population. A Duck whose life story is particularly compelling. These jewels abound at the UO, and hunting for them is one of the great joys of working on Oregon Quarterly.

Indeed, there are so many hidden treasures here that we have decided to dedicate a whole issue of the magazine to shining some light on a few of them.

Senior writer and editor Rosemary Camozzi’s feature, “Hidden Gems” (p. 42), highlights a handful of the amazing artifacts held in the library’s special collections—a mother lode of fascination and inquiry that is a boon not just for our own researchers but also for scholars from across the country and around the world. Lewis Taylor offers a peek into Eugene’s technology sector to reveal the university’s influence on this burgeoning community (that seems to be hidden in plain sight) in “Hot Spot” (p. 36). And in “At Ease” (p. 30), Sharleen Nelson tells the story of how the UO assists students who have served this country as members of the military, and helps ease their transition to college.

These stories remind us that if we ever think we know all this great university has to offer, just take a look around the next corner. There’s probably a great story just waiting to be told.

Enjoy the bounty,

E-MAIL quarterly@uoregon.edu OREGON QUARTERLY is published by the UO in February,

May, August, and November and distributed free to alumni.

Printed in the USA on recycled paper. © 2016 University of Oregon. All rights reserved. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the UO administration.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Alumni Records, 1204 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1204 541-302-0336, alumrec@uoregon.edu ADMINISTRATION

President Michael H. Schill, Senior Vice President and Provost Scott Coltrane, Vice President for University Advancement Michael Andreasen, Vice President for University Communications Kyle Henley, Vice President for Enrollment Management Roger Thompson, Vice President for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt, Vice President for Institutional Equity and Inclusion Yvette Marie Alex-Assensoh, Vice President for Student Life Robin Holmes, Vice President for Research and Innovation David Conover, Associate Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the UO Alumni Association Kelly Menachemson

Jonathan Graham Editor Note: As we were finishing this issue, Jonathan Graham left the UO to become associate vice president for communications and marketing at Earlham College in Indiana. While we search for his permanent replacement, the magazine is in the extremely capable hands of Rosemary Camozzi, senior writer and editor.

UO INFORMATION 541-346-1000

The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request: 541-346-5048.

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

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contents I was told, ‘if you go there, you’ll 26 never come back alive.’

DEPARTMENTS

DIALOGUE 1 1 Editor’s Note 4

Letters

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From the President

INTRO 9 10 Campus News 12 Their Own Little Worlds 15 Architecture on the Go

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17 Beyond the Binary 20 Talking Points

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23 Breaking the Ice 26 Profile: Angela Joya 27 Bookmarks 28 The Best . . .

OLD OREGON 49 50 Full Circle 52 Of Law, Labor, and Lumber 54 Class Notes

—ANGELA JOYA, ON VISITING THE "CITIES OF THE DEAD" IN CAIRO

ON THE COVER Enter the UO’s Knight Library, head to the center of the first floor, then lie on your back atop the marble pedestal etched with the Mens Agitat Molem university seal. Gaze up and you’ll be treated to this unique perspective on an architectural jewel—the center of the Richard and Mary Corrigan Solari South Stair Gallery. The magnificent stairway was named for the Solaris in recognition of their generous contributions to the library’s expansion and renovation project in the 1990s. It was designed by TBG Architects and Planners of Eugene and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson Abbott of Boston, design consultants.

64 Duck Tale

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FAR LEFT: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF M. JACKSON, LEFT: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JENNIFER ESPARZA

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The Magazine of the University of Oregon Autumn 2016 Vol. 96 No. 1

OQ ONLINE OregonQuarterly.com WEB EXCLUSIVE Explore 942 Olive, the UO’s new hub for collaborative entrepreneurship, on video at http://bit.do/ OregonQuarterly TALK TO US Comment on stories and share your favorites at OregonQuarterly.com.

Email us at quarterly@ uoregon.edu.

FEATURES

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AT EASE

The transition from military service to life on campus can be challenging, but the UO’s Student Veterans Center and other groups offer peer support, advice, and networking opportunities.

BY SHARLEEN NELSON, BS ’06

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HOT SPOT

A thriving community of entrepreneurs and innovators, many of them UO grads, has embraced working and playing in downtown Eugene and Springfield.

BY LEWIS TAYLOR

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HIDDEN GEMS Take a look at some of the lesser-known treasures found in the university’s Special Collections and University Archives.

MORE TO LOVE See additional materials— including video—related to stories in the print edition, and read stories not found in the pages of this publication.

LEARN MORE For more stories about the university, and to explore the research, discovery, and innovation happening on campus, visit around.uoregon.edu.

JOIN IN Submit letters, class notes, and photos for our “Ducks Afield” section at OregonQuarterly.com.

BY ROSEMARY HOWE CAMOZZI, BA ’96 UO LIBRARIES­— SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

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dialogue

LETTERS

Objection!

popular belief, we don’t need neuroscience to practice good science in psychology.

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ou wrote in the latest issue of Oregon Quarterly about a decrease in letters. Perhaps your brand of journalism doesn’t inspire conversation.

My family and I have a long history with the University of Oregon, yet I feel little connection. My father, Lucian Marquis, was professor of political science, the first director of the honors college, and a recipient of the Ersted Award. I graduated from the honors college, the UO law school, and was chairman of the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. I am a life member of both the UO and UO law school alumni associations.

How is it that I feel so estranged from the university? I don’t see people like me in your pages.

I prosecute criminals—men and women for whom there is evidence that they have hurt another human being.

Yet the media love the Madeline Baileys who joyfully advocate for people who hurt— even murder—other people. As featured in your glowing profile “Power of Attorney” (Summer 2016), Ms. Bailey is praised for her help in freeing a woman who was 22 years into a life sentence. Not once do you ever allude to what crime this woman committed.

Your story reminded me of a debate I participated in at UC Berkeley several years

If the Shoe Fits

For what it’s worth (regarding “The Great Sneaker Revolution,” Summer 2016) those of us who grew up in Oregon during the ’40s and ’50s referred to those shoes as tennis or basketball shoes. The New Yorkers who moved to the West called them “sneakers.”

Warren Spady, BS ’60, MFA ’64 Redmond

A cover article on “Sneaker Culture.” This is scholarly? Really! No wonder America is going for a dolt like Trump! Our standards are a bit lower these days.

Philip Bourbeau, PhD ’84 Cloverdale

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Robert Bailey, BS ’03 Albuquerque, New Mexico

All Wet

ago. I asked the audience of about 600 people how many were opposed to capital punishment. Roughly 90 percent raised their hands. A man named Stanley “Tookie” Williams had just been executed by the State of California, and I asked the audience if anyone could name any of the five direct victims of murders that Williams had been convicted of. Nobody could.

Williams—as one of the founders of the Crips street gang—also bore some moral responsibility for the death of countless young African American men.

Should Ms. Bailey find herself in the future advocating on behalf of someone like “Tookie” Williams, can we count on Oregon Quarterly joining in her chorus?

Joshua Marquis, BA ’77, JD ’80 Astoria

(Note: Marquis has served for 22 years as the elected district attorney in Clatsop County, Oregon.)

No Neuroscience Needed

After reading “Brainstorm” (Summer 2016), I failed to see how the neural correlates of hypothetical constructs—human-invented entities like willpower and values—enhance our understanding on anything of pragmatic value about smoking cessation or related behaviors. The conclusions are the same as usual—a reference to pie-in-the-sky treatment implications that might be realized way, way down the line.

The approach is misguided. Observable behavior provides plenty of variables for understanding the role of triggers and cues in addictions, and the data are a whole lot cheaper to collect and analyze. Contrary to

I was looking at the summer issue, and to my pleasant surprise, there on page 61 was a shot of Jamie Smith being sheltered from the usual game-day rain by a member of the drum line.

That photo was actually from fall term 1975. I can date it easily because I am the drum major walking in the background. I remember those three years in the Oregon Marching Band as raining every game day. It probably didn’t, but we got wet a lot. Thanks for the memory.

John Hartman BMus ’76, MMus ’82 North Bend

Family Ties

Shix̱ páchway “good afternoon,”

I work at UO’s Northwest Indian Language Institute with Virginia Beavert, an elder from Yakama Nation. Virginia was surprised and delighted to see her grandmother drying huckleberries in the photo featured in your article, “A World Aflame.”

Kw’ałanúushamatash “we thank you,” Regan Anderson, BA ’13, MA ’15, on behalf of Virginia Beavert, PhD ’12

We want to hear from you.

Submit your letters at OregonQuarterly.com, by email to quarterly@uoregon.edu, or by mail to Editor, Oregon Quarterly, 5228 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5228.

You may also post comments online at OregonQuarterly.com. Published letters may be edited for brevity, clarity, and style.

PHOTOGRAPH: THE COMMONS

dialogue

FROM THE PRESIDENT

President Schill speaks at the grand opening of 942 Olive, a downtown Eugene innovation center.

Challenging Conventional Wisdom

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Dear Friends, ne of the great joys of being president of the University of Oregon is that I constantly find myself astonished at the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff. Nearly every day I am pleasantly surprised to learn something new and exciting, such as recent news that UO doctoral student Emily Sales was awarded the prestigious Gilliam Fellowship for her work to develop treatments for neurological diseases, or that a team of our researchers have solved a mystery of plate tectonics that will help us understand—and potentially predict—earthquakes.

This issue of Oregon Quarterly shines a light on some of the surprising, lesser-known areas of excellence at the UO. For instance, despite Eugene’s counterculture history and reputation, the university has a thriving ROTC program and is one of the leading higher-education destinations for military veterans. This issue also looks at how collaborations between the UO and private sector are contributing to Eugene-Springfield’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem. Growth and development in the local tech sector is connected to my broader goal of enhancing the economic development impact of the UO as it relates to the wealth of ideas, research, and knowledge coming from our students and faculty. It is exciting to think

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of the continued role the University of Oregon will play in our region’s economic future.

Surprise is ultimately about the way we interact with the unexpected, which includes instances when reality may be different than our commonly held beliefs and perceptions.

Challenging conventional wisdom about higher education was one of the goals of my recent investiture speech. During my official swearing in as president in June, I debunked some pervasive myths that threaten to hold back the UO on our quest for excellence and preeminence. If you get the chance, I hope you will take time to read the remarks, but I want to emphasize a few surprising facts I raised in the speech that relate to student debt and higher-education affordability.

The notion that college is a bad investment is patently false. College graduates on average earn 66 percent more than those who do not earn a four-year degree, equivalent to more than $1 million over the course of their lifetime.

Research also shows that college graduates are in general healthier, happier, and more engaged in their communities than those who did not graduate from college. Look it up. I think you’ll be surprised.

In my investiture, I also noted that only about half of our students graduate with any debt. Of those, the average amount is less than $25,000—about the cost of a new Honda Accord. But unlike a Honda Accord, the value of a college degree does not decrease; it

increases exponentially. For most Americans, a college education is the best investment they will make in their lifetime. I continue to be surprised by those who argue otherwise.

While we must absolutely work to make higher education accessible and affordable, too often in the past we have focused on the wrong things when we think about costs. Writing for the online news magazine Vox.com, my friend and former Princeton University president William Bowen takes the stance that the student debt crisis is overblown and that the real solution is to focus on improving time to graduation and college completion rates. I highly recommend that you take the time to search for it and read it. I think you’ll find the data and the argument eye-opening and surprising. It should also be a bit familiar.

Bowen’s argument mirrors the conversations we’ve been having at the UO over the last year. For example, a tuition increase typically costs students a few hundred dollars more per year, but an extra two years in college can cost upwards of $15,000 in tuition and books. This does not account for lost earnings or living expenses. Last fall, I announced that the UO has set a goal to increase our graduation rates— already the best in the state—by 10 percentage points by 2020. Through a series of investments—$17 million over five years for increased financial aid for both incoming students and upperclassmen who need a bit of help to cross the finish line, improved advising coordination, and careful student tracking—we are removing barriers to graduation and truly making college more affordable. Our plan will work, and I know it will surprise the critics and the pundits who say that college is not worth it.

I hope that we continue to surprise and delight all of you—our valued UO alumni and friends.

As I noted, there are myriad stories across this campus everyday that demonstrate what a wonderful, inspiring, and amazing place it is.

Thanks for all that you do to support the UO. Go, Ducks!

Michael H. Schill President and Professor of Law PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE LITCHFIELD

A Duck’s work is never done.

We’re always searching for the next class of amazing University of Oregon students. And we need help from our alumni. From you.

You already know that Ducks are game changers, risk takers, and future makers. Because you’re doing it. Living the life that you built, at least in part, here. At the UO. So let’s get you out there. Sharing your experience. Connecting with future Ducks at community events. Shaping the future of one of the nation’s top-tier public universities. Yours.

Join the Duck Alumni Recruitment Team Help find more people like us. Like Ducks. Like you. dart.uoregon.edu 800-BE-A-DUCK The Office of Admissions is part of our Division of Enrollment Management, which guides Ducks through the processes of admissions, registration, matriculation, and finanical aid.

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12 Their Own Little Worlds 17 Beyond the Binary 20 Talking Points 23 Breaking the Ice

intro Point of Contact

Shoe meets ball in this gelatin silver print by Harold Edgerton, dated only as “pre-1939.”

Titled “Football Kick,” the print is part of a new exhibit, Scrimmage: Football in American Art from the Civil War to the Present, on display at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art through December.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM OF ART

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CAMPUS NEWS

IMPACT AND MOMENTUM Since April, donors contributed 19 gifts of $1 million or more that will have significant impact across campus. Their generosity contributed to achieving the $1 billion midway mark at the end of the fiscal year.

TOTALS (as of 6/30/16) 79,514 donors 312,698 gifts

Campaign Milestone: $1 Billion in Gifts

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or decades, the UO’s Science Library, situated underground beneath a concrete courtyard, was literally out of sight.

Now, thanks to $19 million in private gifts and state bonds, the all-new Allan Price Science Commons and Research Library, with its lightfilled, two-story glass-and-brick facade, has an inviting presence.

The project is a sign of the transformative effect of gifts made to the University of Oregon’s current fundraising campaign, which surpassed the midway mark of its $2 billion goal at the end of the 2016 fiscal year.

Renovation of the Price Science Commons, prompted by a 72 percent growth in science majors and the UO’s collaborative approach to research and teaching in the sciences, is one of many projects fueled by $260 million in contributions tagged for construction and improvements.

Gifts of nearly $250 million for student support are translating into greater access, faster graduation rates, and reduced college debt.

Academic program and faculty support of $514 million includes major gifts to expand research in genomics, obesity prevention, human physiology, and volcanology—helping

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accelerate work that will improve human and environmental health and safety.

Friends and alumni across the spectrum have stepped up, with 210 supporters making gifts totaling $1 million or more and thousands of others giving for the first time. During the 24 hours of #DucksGive 2016 on May 19, 1,350 online donors provided a $1.8 million boost.

Overall, donors have designated 62 percent of gifts for academic purposes and 38 percent to support student athletes through facilities, programs, and scholarships.

The generosity and commitment that enabled the campaign to surpass $1 billion is essential for the institution to reach its ultimate goal, says President Michael Schill.

“We are profoundly grateful for every gift, whether it is $5 or $50 million, to support our priorities to increase access for students, excellence in teaching and research, and enrich the UO campus experience,” he says. “Our donors are passionate; they love our school and want to support us. They are the key to our future.”

1) $2 M Lundquist College of Business 2) $5 M Endow Lundquist College of Business dean 3) $1 M College of Arts and Sciences 4) $1 M Landscape Architecture professorship, School of Architecture and Allied Arts 5) $7 M Renovate lab space in Pacific Hall 6) $10 M Volcanology faculty, College of Arts and Sciences 7) $1 M Dave Frohnmayer Leadership Fund 8) $2 M Museum of Natural and Cultural History 9) $1 M Intercollegiate Athletics 10) $1 M Intercollegiate Athletics 11) $1.5 M Human Physiology lab, College of Arts and Sciences 12) $1 M Track and Field Scholarships, PathwayOregon, Hayward Field Renovation 13) $3 M University support 14) $2 M PathwayOregon 15) $1.2 M Student support 16) $1.2 M University of Oregon Libraries 17) $6 M HEDCO clinic, College of Education 18) $12.5 M Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center 19) $1.2 M Portland program, Lundquist College of Business

ILLUSTRATION BY KIM MALEK

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IS THE ECONOMIC LADDER BROKEN? Kivarkis

FORD FELLOW Anya Kivarkis, associate professor of art, is one of five Oregon artists receiving Hallie Ford Fellowships in the Visual Arts for 2016.

The honor, presented by the Ford Family Foundation, comes with a $25,000 unrestricted award. Kivarkis serves as head of the jewelry and metalsmithing area in the Department of Art, part of the UO School of Architecture

Supernova Sighting

ssociate professor of psychology Azim Shariff is challenging the notion that it is easy for Americans to improve their economic status simply by getting better jobs. In reality, the United States has the second-lowest income mobility—the ability to make such job changes—among rich countries, according to research by Shariff and colleagues published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. In the study, Shariff and coauthors Dylan Wiwad and Lara B. Aknin, both of Canada’s Simon Fraser University, explored the tolerance for inequality in 19 countries, along with numerous economic and social factors. They found that a country’s fluid mobility of people between economic stations was a strong predictor of whether people tolerated the country’s level of inequality. “Income mobility was actually a stronger predictor of tolerance for inequality than actual levels of inequality,” Wiwad says.

and Allied Arts.

UO

undergraduates witnessed an exploding dying star in a galaxy 35 million light years away while on duty at the university’s Pine Mountain Observatory near Bend on May 28. The students’ observation—done with Pine Mountain’s new 14-inch telescope—helped the global scientific community confirm the supernova, which had been detected in Australia just a few hours earlier. The students saw the supernova shortly after public viewing had concluded and the telescope was pointed at a “nearby” galaxy named M66. “We got our first picture of M66 just as the public was leaving,” said physics major Lindsey Oberhelman of San Jose, California. “When we saw the supernova clearly visible, it was extremely exciting. Five of us were crammed into the tiny control room. We were all a mixture of excited—that the picture was so good—and stunned that we had actually done it on our second observing run.”

Biancarosa

BRAND NEW CHAIR Gina Biancarosa, associate professor in the College of Education, is the university’s first Ann Swindells Chair in Education. Biancarosa earned her doctorate at Harvard and is lead

Arts Managers

researcher in a project

new undergraduate major in arts management, launching this fall, will help students prepare for work in the creative sector. The BA and BS degrees will be offered as part of the Arts and Administration Program, which has long offered master’s degrees and an undergraduate minor. “The UO Arts and Administration Program is already the largest and strongest program of its kind in the western United States,” says associate professor Patricia Lambert, who directs the program. “By launching the major this coming fall, we are thrilled to now be able to meet the educational needs of undergraduate students across campus.”

prehension challenges.

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that helps teachers diagnose reading comShe hopes to collaborate with colleagues across campus to study language and literacy acquisition and development. The chair was established with a $1.2 million gift from Ann Johnson Swindells, a 1955 graduate who studied education.

Something Fishy

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esearcher Madonna Moss and former postdoctoral researcher Iain McKechnie have constructed the firstever map showing what species of fish were eaten by early inhabitants of the Northwest Pacific coast thousands of years ago. By cataloging 500,000 fish bones, they found that familiar species like salmon, halibut, and herring were, indeed, staples back then, but they also discovered that many other species—like sculpins, surfperch, smelt, rockfish, and dogfish—were all part of human diets in earlier eras. “People were using a much wider range of species in the past,” says McKechnie. “Many fish missing from today’s marine menu clearly served important roles for millennia.” Their research was published in the Journal of Archeological Science: Reports.

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RESEARCH

Their Own Little Worlds

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Psychology professor Marjorie Taylor explores paracosms—the detailed worlds that some kids imagine—and documents the benefits of creative play. magine a parallel says that many of these imaginary

BY JONATHAN GRAHAM world with its own worlds are created by small groups of government, religion, royalty, language, children playing together, often over a long period of time. and even animals that exist nowhere She is careful to distinguish between the activities she’s else. Sound fun? Apparently a lot of talking about and one-time imaginative play in which kids children ages 8 to 12 think so. dream something up and then discard the idea as soon as According to a study recently complaytime is over. pleted by the University of Oregon’s She points to a case study she and colleagues published Imagination Research Lab, 15 to 17 last year in Creativity Research Journal. The article recounts percent of kids create elaborate, incredtwo paracosms, one created by a group of boys and the ibly detailed imaginary worlds known other built by a pair of female friends. The six-year-old as paracosms. These pretend worlds boys made up “independent but coordinated” worlds, become a very real part of their lives. each with a real-life pet cat as the imagined king. (The Marjorie Taylor, professor emerita of psychology and the boys chose to create separate worlds when they couldn’t lead investigator in this study of more than 200 children, decide whose cat should be king.) The girls imagined a

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ILLUSTRATION BY SONIA PULIDO

Taylor believes the creation of paracosms springs from children’s desire to inhabit an alternative to everyday life.

galaxy populated by few humans and many intelligent animals. Each girl invented her own planet where these creatures live, and the planets have shared enemies—bossy girls named Bow-Girl and Cutsie Doodle. In both cases, these imagined worlds were a center point of the children’s play for years. Both girls created art and written narratives about their paracosms, and one of the boys remarked that he thought about his world every day.

Taylor believes the creation of paracosms springs from children’s desire to inhabit an alternative to everyday life. It is an impulse that leads kids to private spaces like forts and hideouts that are out of the view of adults. In the case of paracosms, however, the play is driven by imagination, and many children write histories of their imagined worlds or create artifacts like maps or flags.

“Lots of kids engage in imaginative play based on books, movies, or television, but that’s not what we are talking about,” notes Taylor. “Paracosms are worlds that are original creations.”

As the examples in the case study suggest, kids often will create individual worlds that are interconnected with those of their friends.

Some kids involve their families in their paracosms, and enjoy collaborating with parents on stories about their worlds. Other children are more private about their creations, though they talk about them with friends.

The case study mentions that when the children are overheard talking about things that happen in their invented worlds, it sounds as if they are discussing real events.

While relatively few children create such detailed worlds and make them part of their lives over a long period of time, many kids have imaginary friends. Taylor has studied this topic extensively for more than 20 years.

Her book, Imaginary Friends and the Children Who Create Them (Oxford University Press,

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RESEARCH

1999) was the first in-depth study of the importance of imaginary friends in child development, and was geared toward the general public, rather than to experts in her field.

As recently as 10 years ago, textbooks i n d e ve lop m e nt a l p s yc holo g y d i d not include even a single entry on imagination. Eventually, Taylor was inv ited to write entries for some of those books. She subsequently edited a book on the topic,

The Development of Imagination (Oxford University Press, 2013).

While imaginary friends and paracosms are mostly sources of fun for their creators, researchers believe that the children who participate reap benefits from this particular flavor of play. Taylor says that the kids who engage in imaginative play do better than their peers on creative tasks, such as finishing a story on a prompt provided by a researcher.

“We ask the kids to complete these stories, and then the responses are scored by adults who rate the creativity of their narratives,” she says. “The kids who engage in this type of imaginative play do better on these tasks, so we believe that these forms of play do help the kids improve their ability to think creatively.”

One of Taylor’s students in the Imagination Research Laboratory, Candice Mottweiler, has completed a longitudinal study of children with imaginary friends. Kids who entered the study at age four are now 14, and there is strong evidence that imaginary friends do a lot more than entertain bored kids.

Before our research, people associated imaginary friends with disorders and believed that there must be something wrong with the children who created them.

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“Our research shows that these children rate well on creative tasks at age four and that they demonstrate strong creative abilities eight years later,” she says.

Taylor’s work has been featured in Time magazine, the New York Times, and on such broadcast networks as PBS, NPR, and BBC. These media appearances have helped spread the word that parents don’t necessarily need to be concerned about their kids’ vivid imaginations.

“Before our research, people associated imaginary friends with disorders and believed that there must be something wrong with the children who created them,” Taylor recalls.

She points to images of disturbed children in movies like The Shining, and notes that many parents worried when their kids created pretend playmates. “Now these companions are understood as a normal, healthy, and potentially beneficial part of development. That’s the most important contribution that I’ve made.”

Jonathan Graham is greatly missed. (See "Editor's Note," page 1.)

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ARCHITECTURE

intro

Architecture on the Go

A new location-based website can help Oregonians learn about the state’s architectural history.

L

ook closely at the provides approximately 25,000 historical

BY MELISSA HART right panel of a tripimages and related details, including buildtych in the Paulsen Reading Room at ing dates and architectural styles. The collection includes the UO’s Knight Library and you’ll decades of university history, providing access to informasee pack mules and workers carved tion that enriches the architectural experience for the casual into cedar. The piece, titled Below the enthusiast. Here for a Ducks game? Load Building Oregon Spires of Three-Fingered Jack, depicts in your mobile browser and study the architectural elements a Civilian Conservation Corps crew of Autzen Stadium. Out and about in Eugene with your fambuilding a lookout tower. ily? Use the site to delve into the history of the John G. Shedd Walk over to Allen Hall and you’ll notice nine small Institute of the Arts, an example of Georgian Revival archisquares between the first- and second-story windows bear- tecture, or study the elements of art deco at the post office ing sculpted emblems that an architect in the 1950s mounted downtown through dozens of photos on the site. to tell the history of printing.

Teague holds out one slide, a color image with a descrip“Buildings are part of our culture,” says Edward H. Teague, tion scribbled almost illegibly below it. “The hard part was head of the Architecture and Allied Arts Library on campus cataloging them,” he says. “I had to verify what’s on each and the man responsible for bringing the architectural hisslide, definitely the most intense part of this project.” tory of the university to life through his work on the website As a librarian at the University of Florida, he published Building Oregon. The site was created through a collaboration visual surveys of that school’s architecture. He relocated between the UO libraries and Oregon State University coders, to the UO in 2001 with an interest in psychogeography. who created the open-source software.

“Something unknown becomes ‘familiar’ by habit, not by A passion for the built environment documented in the any particular knowledge,” he says. “More knowledge deepcollections of UO historian Marion Dean Ross, preservaens your experience of a place.” tionist Michael Shellenbarger, and architect C. Gilman Davis Research for his award-winning electronic publicainspired Teague to create a searchable online database that tion, The Architecture of the University of Oregon: A History, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JODEE STRINGHAM

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intro

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ARCHITECTURE

Bibliography, and Research Guide, piqued his interest in how best to use the UO’s thousands of gift slides reflective of work done by faculty experts on Pacific Northwest architecture.

A financial gift from School of Architecture and Allied Arts alum Jean Gillett, BS ’39, allowed Teague to outsource the digitization of about 14,000 images. A librarian at OSU, with whom he’d been collaborating on an Oregon digital database, proposed a mobile architectural website. “The idea,” he explains, “was to create this site so that wherever you are, you can see if there’s a historical building with images and data. Now, the primary database, the mobile version, and the research guide have a synergistic relationship.”

Associate Professor Julia Simic, metadata and digital production librarian, credits Teague as almost single-handedly responsible for Building Oregon, one of the university’s most popular digital collections. “People will drop us notes and say, ‘Hey, this was where my grandfather lived,’” she says. “It’s just really exciting to have that kind of interaction.””

Teague describes his walk from the EmX stop south through campus with an eye for both history and beauty. “Villard is my favorite building,” he says. “The style’s rare, with all of these ornate decorative elements. The Lillis complex straight ahead. It’s really well done; you can see right through it to Knight Library, which is regarded as a Depression-era masterpiece.”

He hopes the mobile website will inspire people to appreciate both campus structures and the landscaping that surrounds them. “The buildings are nicely featured with the quadrangles and trees and walkways,” he says. “You get a good understanding of what the Office of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction has done.”

In a room in one corner of the Architecture and Allied Arts Library, Teague stands among file cabinets and boxes of old slides, most of them images of Oregon buildings with notes scribbled under each film square. He studies one slide for a long moment, then reluctantly replaces it in the box.

“It’s wonderful going through these,” he says, and then laughs. “I’d better stop.”

Experience Building Oregon at buildingoregon.org.

Eugene-based freelance writer Melissa Hart is the author of the memoir Wild Within.

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EDUCATION

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Beyond the Binary

P

UO’s TeachOut program helps educators talk about issues related to gender and sexuality. eople like binary systems. A or Together they teach EDST 455/555, Equal Opportunity:

BY CODY PINKSTON B at the optometrist. On or off for Homophobia, a course that examines how students lights. But start talking identity with someone who relate to, and might eventually advocate for, the lesbian, gay, bisexstudies it and you realize—if you haven’t already, ual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community in educational settings. with all this business about bathrooms—that About 75 percent of students in the class intend to become teachers, but the gender binary is a social construct. The UO’s as Gutierez-Schmich is fond of saying, “I believe we’re all teachers.”

Department of Education Studies uses the aca- Grounded in research-based course work, the class culminates in a demic term “heteronormative” to describe this— weeks-long series of events, collectively referred to as “UO TeachOut,” basically what Archie and Edith Bunker meant that explores the gulf between acceptance and advocacy—especially in when they crooned, “And you knew who you were schools. Some program participants make the leap and others simply then / Girls were girls and men were men.” peer over the edge to experience the fear and confusion that accompanies Put simply, it’s a paradigm—a narrow frame in identity struggles, but few leave unchanged. which you are a boy or a girl and that’s that. If you UO TeachOut arose as an inclusive place for LGBTQ students and their were male at birth but identify as female, you’re teacher advisors to convene outside their politically constrained school outside the frame, and vice versa. If you’re not districts. The first UO TeachOut event, the 2010 Gay-Straight Alliance sure of your identity or sexual orientation, you are also outside the frame.

(GSA) Youth Summit, had 40 attendees—mostly students from the four Julie Heffernan and Tina Gutierez-Schmich want students to under- area GSAs (high school only) with a handful of professionals. The 2016 stand how this frame shapes their attitudes toward identity and equity. summit welcomed 344 students and 61 teacher advisors from 29 area GSAs

ILLUSTRATION BY HADLEY HOOPER

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

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EDUCATION

(now including middle schools). It’s grown now to include a summit for educational leaders, a “BBQueer” barbecue for adults in the community, and much more. It takes school and community support to pull everything off, but also enthusiastic collaborators on campus such as the dean of students and the president's office. Other funding comes from the College of Education and the Pride Foundation.

UO TeachOut is not just about gender and identity; it also addresses the need for schools to actively support stigmatized groups, from immigrants to kids with disabilities. The parallels quickly become obvious to students who, by the end of the term, become so comfortable with their differences that a certain intimacy develops. The last day of class often is for sharing memories from the term and thoughts from their final papers. It’s intense at times, as though they’ve experienced something profound together. The emotions range from guilt (“I felt that way in my heart, but . . .”) to pain to joy. For a few months, atheist, Christian, gay, straight, black, and brown come to terms with the idea of “otherness,” and so they understandably

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forestall their return to a world in which this is elusive. There’s a group photo to prove it really happened, a replenishment of vital nutrients via Voodoo Doughnut, and they’re off.

“What we have found over time is that [our EDST 455/555 students] all shift and they all move,” said Gutierez-Schmich, a freshly minted PhD who also directs the equity and outreach office in the Bethel School District.

“There are opportunities for students to go a little bit deep or way deep, depending on their comfort levels. Regardless of what they choose, by the time they end, there is a shifting and a movement of some form. There has yet to be a student who didn’t, at the very minimum, start checking their own biases and assumptions.”

Heffernan agreed this is one of the learning goals, but added, “One of the goals is to be able to speak, and be a little bit fearless, or at least reduce that fear of conflict and disagreement.

In general, the field of teaching is ‘nice.’ To be contrary is to be an outlier, a curmudgeon. We want students to go out and create spaces in which you can just sit and disagree.”

Silence in schools—that is, failing to advocate for students in a stigmatized population—is a focus of Heffernan’s research. What she’s found, both through her scholarship and seven years of running UO TeachOut, is that school districts struggle to talk about these issues or make advocates feel supported. For example, if a teacher advises a GSA group and upset parents assume they’re gay, does the district have the political will to say it doesn’t matter?

Unfortunately, standing up for any marginalized group in a school, especially LGBTQ students, is fraught with risk—even for teachers who fit the heteronormative frame. Those who don’t often remain closeted because coming out could be career suicide—a problem UO professors like Heffernan don’t have to confront.

“I’m in higher ed. I can’t really be fired for being gay," she says, "We’re clearing the path for people who have more obstacles.”

Cody Pinkston is director of marketing for the College of Education.

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intro

EXCERPT

Talking Points

HONORED GRADUATES, Commencement speeches should be wise,

In June, John Frohnmayer, JD ’72, gave this speech to graduates of the political science department, but we think his words have resonance for the rest of us, too.

entertaining, or short.

I am tempted to stop right here and at least accomplish one of the three. The dilemma, my dilemma, is that you are students of political science, and the word “science” suggests objective, predictable results, verifiable facts, experiments that can be replicated—principles, equations, and outcomes upon which experts agree.

None of those are present in today’s nasty and scrambled political world. It is best summed up by a bumper sticker that says, “Horn broken, watch for finger.”

I am not even going to mention the sorry state of general education in the United States, present company excluded.

For example, according to “Harper’s Index,” 12 percent of Americans believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.

So I have for you, instead, 17 propositions, and they will go by pretty fast.

1

America the fearful is America the failed state. Justice Brandeis said in Whitney v.

California in 1927, “Those who won our independence were not cowards . . . they did not exalt order at the cost of liberty. . . Fear breeds repression; repression breeds hate; hate menaces stable government.” What has always united us as a nation is hope—American optimism—and that optimism stems directly from the understanding that the pursuit of happiness is a collective, not an individual, goal.

2

Money is the root of all evil. That Biblical

aphorism as applied to politics is doubly true: money is a cancer that has invaded democracy. Harvard law professor Paul Freund said, after the Supreme Court blessed money as speech, “They say money talks. I thought that was the problem, not the solution.” The solution is public financing of elections.

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ILLUSTRATION BY NATE KITCH

Oregon Media Proudly Represents

3

With freedom comes responsibility. You

and you and each of us own this country and we are responsible for its care and feeding.

It is an abuse of our freedom to use our unfettered speech to vilify each other. When insults and half-truths, personal attacks, and outright lies are the order of the day, then we have lost the elemental spirit of freedom. You may think I am being partisan, but this lack of decency is a disease of longstanding, and it is our obligation to call it out. The greatest protection to our right of free speech is to use it judiciously, politely, and truthfully.

4

Now (drum roll), the phrase that must be included in every commencement speech: “Know thyself.” Good luck. I am not here to discourage your trying, but we as humans are very good at fooling ourselves, and we are in constant flux. You are not the same person today that you will be next year, and God help you if you are the same person you were when you arrived here at the University of Oregon four years ago. Self-knowledge is a moving target, and like the pursuit of happiness, it is a lifelong endeavor. In the words of the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus 2,500 years ago: We cannot step into the same river twice.

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5

This will sound really macabre, but write your own obituary. Then pull it out every couple of years and see if what you are doing with your life is how you want to be remembered at the last roundup.

6

You will make a lot of mistakes and they will be embarrassing. Here is

an example from my fun-f illed years in Washington, DC, as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. About two weeks after I got there, I suspended a grant to a New York City outfit called Artist’s Space.

The show was about AIDS and the work was inflammatory. But when I suspended it, all hell broke loose, and I destroyed my credibility with the arts world. Then I went to see the show, restored the grant, and destroyed my credibility with practically everyone else.

The lessons are too numerous to list, but one that I would share is that it is a good idea to gather the facts before acting.

7

If you are keeping score, there is no number seven. I decided it was too stupid to mention.

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

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intro Now enjoy flying on larger planes with mainline service to SFO and DEN.

EXCERPT

If your only goal is greatness, you will miss a lot along the way.

8

This is a corollary to mistakes: regrets are overrated. In my life, my few regrets are things I did not do, not those I did.

9

Set for yourself small goals. Yes, you

might discover the cure for cancer or govern wisely and well as president, but most accomplishments are incremental and we should do what we can do. Giacomo Puccini said, “The only music I can compose is that of little things.” Of course, he did manage to write Madame Butterfly, Tosca, and La Boheme.

But if your only goal is greatness, you will miss a lot along the way.

10

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Einstein said it, so it must

be true. Architect and visionary Buckminster Fuller put it slightly differently: “If you know what you are doing, you are wasting your time.”

11

Read a poem every day. Last month,

Pennsylvania lawmaker Brad Roae proposed eliminating grants for students who study “poetry or some other pre-Walmart major.” This is just more proof that we must continue the search for intelligent life on Earth. Poetry gives a name to the nameless so it can be thought. Poets are philosophers with economy. Poets help us reflect on our lives through the use of the metaphor: the lie that is true. Here is part of a poem by William Carlos Williams: “It is difficult / to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably every day / for lack / of what is found there.”

12

Volunteer, bear witness, be passionate. I sing with my guitar at retirement

homes. One day a lady was wheeled in and placed right next to me as I was singing. She had a blanket over her head, but after a while I noticed her foot moving in time, and then the blanket came off, and her visage turned from vacant to alive. I screwed up the next song and she said, “After you have been doing this for a few years, you will get better.” You may think that by volunteering you are doing something for others, but believe me, you will always be the primary beneficiary.

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13

Not every issue in our society requires a law. If I were king, the leg-

islature could meet every year to repeal laws but only every three years to pass new ones.

14

Define your own success. Titles,

whether elected, appointed, or otherwise gained mean nothing. It is what you do when you get there that matters. And the truth is that most important work is done by people without either title or recognition.

15

Humans are a flawed species. Don’t

let the self-serving, self-important, me-firsters dissuade you from giving your talents and energy to the good of us all. There is a mnemonic for the seven deadly sins: lust, envy, covetousness, anger, gluttony, pride, and sloth.

It is “List Enumerates Character Attributes Guaranteeing Political Success.”

16 17

Make a vow to listen.

And finally: Most advice is bad advice.

I left this for last for obvious reasons. Here is a fragment of a poem by Mary Oliver: “One day you finally knew / what you had to do, and began / though the voices around you / kept shouting / their bad advice / . . . and there was a new voice / which you slowly / recognized as your own / that kept you company / as you strode deeper and deeper / into the world, / determined to do / the only thing you could do— / determined to save / the only life you could save.”

And now, in the words of Henry VIII to his many wives, “I shan’t keep you long.” I leave you with yet another poem, this one by Sam Hazo: “I wish you what I wish myself / Hard questions and the nights to answer them / and grace of disappointment / and the right to seem the fool for justice / that’s enough.

Cowards might ask for more / heroes have died for less.”

John Frohnmayer served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the brother of the late UO president Dave Frohnmayer.

GEOLOGY

intro

Breaking the Ice

“M” Jackson, a Fulbright-winning geologist, broadened the understanding of climate change and glaciers by immersing herself in the culture of those who are directly affected by it.

U

ntil now, the roughly 2,000 Icelanders for Icelanders to tell me they did not know what science

BY JOHN STRIEDER who live in the town of Höfn, (prohas been performed on the glaciers until they read it in nounced “huf”) have supported themselves on the backs an academic journal a year later.” of two steady industries—fishing and helping tourists Jackson wants to change that. A Fulbright scholar who lectures and leads explore the nearby Vatnajökull ice cap and the glaciers tours for National Geographic, she is focusing her doctoral work in the UO’s that flow from it. geography department on a new approach to studying glaciers and climate Those glaciers are melting, gouging lagoons into the change that includes qualitative information—firsthand observation, anecearth behind them as they retreat, and everything in dotes, photos, and folklore—alongside the traditional quantitative data.

Höfn is slowly changing. Out-of-towners have to be Jackson’s fieldwork in Iceland was funded by a nine-month Fulbright shown new ways to the ice caves. Farmers who have Arctic Initiative research grant—her second glacier-related Fulbright—as taken sheep across the tops of the glaciers to pasture well as by the National Science Foundation. for centuries need to find new routes. Children must To observe, she immersed. She participated in search and rescue, stare down an increasingly uncertain economic future. helped run a guest house, and worked at a research station. She formally These climate change impacts are just as significant as ice shrinkage, interviewed more than 200 people and even collected children’s lullabies argues glaciologist “M” Jackson. Yet scientists documenting the effects that reference the glaciers’ scary moans. of global warming in Iceland too often drop in, get numbers, and leave When simply asked about their thoughts about glaciers, some peowithout even interacting with locals, she says. “It was not uncommon ple don’t know how to respond, she says. So to break the ice, she asked

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF M. JACKSON

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GEOLOGY

locals to take photographs, then asked why they chose each image. The answers were sometimes surprising. One woman, for example, submitted a glacier-free photo of a place where she used to play as a child. Not a promising start, but when Jackson asked for details, the woman reminisced about hearing the ice snap of a distant glacier as it calved. Climate change, to her, means the loss of childhood sounds. Jackson couldn’t contain her delight at digging out this detail. “As a researcher I would never think to ask anybody, ‘What sounds did you hear from the glacier’?”

Why is this memory important? Because every glacier is different, and every community is affected differently as its glacier melts.

Jackson found that in Höfn, melting ice even triggered restlessness in local teenagers. Heavy glaciers once pressed the land like a hand on a sponge. As the glaciers melt, the ground bounces back, a phenomenon called isostatic rebound. Now, the fishing boats are scraping the bottom of the entrance to Höfn’s harbor. Between threats to the fishing and tourist trades, Jackson found, the youth of

Höfn are worried about their futures if they stay in town.

UO geography professor Alec Murphy, cochair of Jackson’s doctoral candidate committee, said that when he visited Jackson in Iceland, she showed him a photography project she conducted near ice caves frequented by tourists. The time lapse recorded not only how many people came, but also what they did while they were there. “What this approach has the potential to do is broaden the conversation, to help us recognize that there are these cultural impacts that can be of significance, too.”

As Jackson has discovered, innovative approaches to studying climate change can stir up controversy in the United States. A paper she coauthored with her other cochair, Mark Carey, UO associate professor of environmental history, emphasized the importance of incorporating female and indigenous perspectives, even those expressed in the humanities and social sciences, when developing responses to climate change. Called “Glaciers, Gender, and Science: A Feminist Glaciology Framework for Global Environmental Change Research,” the

paper triggered the ire of conservative pundits when it was published earlier this year. That criticism, in turn, made Jackson the target of a wave of online harassment, which quickly turned misogynist and distracting.

Her Icelandic colleagues were mystified by the tone of the attacks, she says. But Höfn also has climate-change deniers. “When I ask them about climate change specifically, they’ll say, of course I believe in climate change, and it’s a shame about those Pacific Islands and that California drought, but here, there’s no problem.”

They have centuries of folk wisdom to back them up—and yet they’re wrong, she muses.

“It’s part of the glaciers’ natural rhythms to oscillate, to get bigger and smaller. Some don’t think there’s a link between a glacier getting smaller today and climate change because they have firsthand accounts all the way back to the ninth century that the glacier does this.

“But the rate of recession happening now has never been experienced before.”

John Strieder, a writer and video producer, is a master’s degree student in multimedia journalism.

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PROFILE

B

orn in Afghanistan under communist rule, Angela Joya found her young life thrown into flux when her family fled the oppressive regime for the Islamic republic of Pakistan during the early 1980s. There they remained refugees for 12 years, stuck in a perpetual state of limbo. Imbued with a passion for reading, learning, and traveling, Joya lacked the means to afford private university, and girls were barred from attending public educational institutions in Pakistan. She describes this period of stagnation as mentally and emotionally destructive, saying, “I remember days where I would just think about death. Day after day.”

In 1996, the tireless efforts of a small church community in Montreal allowed the family to settle in Canada. Her experiences as a young adult led to a lifelong interest in the powerful external forces at work in the Middle East, and she went on to earn a doctorate in political science from York University in Toronto. When the time came to choose a region of study for her dissertation, she ruled out the homeland she’d left behind. “I wanted a challenge,” she remembers.

“I’m going to learn about Egypt and Syria.”

CITIES OF THE DEAD

Joya Angela

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

BY CHLOE HUCKINS

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In December 2005, Joya flew to Egypt for the first time. During the descent into Cairo, she felt as though she was landing on another planet as row after row of housing blocks rose up from the desert below. Those airborne moments sparked her inspiration to study Egyptian housing and consequently, property rights.

It quickly became clear that access to land was at the center of conflict in Egypt. Laws deregulating rent in both urban and rural areas had sent many into debt or poverty during the 1990s.

Joya traveled throughout the country, speaking to locals from all walks of life. She became particularly interested in city slums, and expressed an interest in visiting areas termed the “Cities of the Dead,” where small communities had sprung up around urban graveyards.

“I was told, ‘If you go there, you’ll never come back alive,’” Joya says. “And I had the most pleasant experience when I went there.

It opens your eyes.” She met the women of the families who tended those forgotten graves, eking out a living on the outskirts of society.

Joya was stunned by their extensive knowledge of everything from government policy to institutional processes. Rather than reinforcing stereotypes about ignorance or violence, the PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ANGELA JOYA

BOOKMARKS

experience broke down Joya’s preconceptions about the hierarchies of knowledge and who is, in fact, knowledgeable. Conversations with the residents of these neighborhoods have helped shape Joya’s approach to a book she is writing about the political economy of Egypt.

LIFE IN LIMBO As the crisis in Syria drew to a breaking point and refugees began flooding across borders, Joya traveled to Turkey in 2014 and 2015 to collect firsthand accounts.

The Turkish tourist industry has been a source of employment for many highly educated, trilingual Syrian men, but the work demands long days, minimal pay, and no vacation. Joya’s interviews started late in the evening when the men got off work and continued into the wee hours of the night while they smoked shisha, a flavored tobacco product, from hookah pipes and spoke about everything under the sun.

Most of the people Joya spoke to were in agreement that this life was not worth living.

She saw the frustration, anger, and ambition of her younger self reflected in the reality of these refugees. “That state of limbo is a disease,” she says. “This desperation is so real.” So real, that the risk of drowning in an attempt to sail to Europe or the ethics of accepting a paycheck from ISIS pale in comparison to the possibility of finding meaning in existence.

FINDING A PATH TO PEACE Joya observes that uprisings occur wherever social norms are disrupted and economic stability disappears. Groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS are motivated by these fundamental shifts in societies. She asserts that US culture often ignores the question of why these crises arise and rushes to apply worn-out military solutions.

“They are completely different than us—that’s what the media always emphasizes,” Joya says.

“But the moment you move away from culture and religion as defining features, then all of a sudden you start seeing all these other reasons why this is happening.” She believes that the only successful approach to dealing with these threatening organizations will be peaceful negotiation.

“In some ways the world looks as though evil is left and right,” Joya says. “But for me there is possibility of going forward to something more humane and less polarized.”

Ducks publish on an astounding range of topics, as the following titles illustrate. Find more recommended reading at oregonquarterly.com/bookmarks-autumn-2016.

MONSTRESS (HARPER COLLINS, 2012)

BY LYSLEY TENORIO, MFA ’98

This collection of stories—which includes tales from a Manila cinema, an army base, and Hollywood—has been adapted for a stage production at the American Conservatory Theater. The New York Times dubbed it “brilliantly quirky, often moving, and always gorgeously told.” Tenorio has been honored with a Pushcart Prize, a Stegner Fellowship, and the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

BLACK RIVER (HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT, 2015)

BY S. M. HULSE, MFA ’12

This is the story of Wes Carver, a former Montana prison guard who was held hostage and tortured by an inmate 20 years before. Now that man is being considered for release, and Wes must consider whether he can allow him to walk away, even as he grieves his own losses. Library Journal says Hulse’s debut novel “is bound to turn readers’ hearts inside out."

THE SHIFTING WINDS (TWO DOT, 2016)

BY JANET FISHER, MS ’70

This sweeping, romantic story of the American frontier tells the tale of a young woman’s experiences in the Oregon Territory in the 1840s, where she is wooed by both a handsome British clerk from Hudson’s Bay Company and a brash American mountain man. Fisher’s previous book is A Place of Her Own, about her great-great-grandmother’s experiences on the Oregon frontier.

IMMORTAL’S SPRING (THE CHRYSOMELIA STORIES) (CENTRAL AVENUE PUBLISHING, 2016)

BY MOLLY RINGLE, BA ’96 (ROBERT D. CLARK HONORS COLLEGE)

The final installment of the Chrysomelia Stories, a threebook romance based on the ancient Persephone-Hades myth, revolves around the saga of Sophie Darrow, the modern incarnation of Persephone. Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “Ringle provides a thoroughly satisfying threadtying conclusion.”

Former OQ intern extraordinaire Chloe Huckins, BA '16, is a freelance writer and producer living in Portland.

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intro

CAMPUS

THE BEST...

Study Space

BY CAMERON KOKES

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very student knows the maddening feeling of striking out on finding a decent study spot. Campus may feel big during those first few weeks of freshman year, but when it comes down to it, we’re a big flock swimming in a small pond. When we reach crunch time—week 10 and finals week—open study spots become endangered species.

Knight Library is out of the question. Your safe havens become crowded corridors.

Freshman year, winter term, 18 credits. That was the slate. History 326 (Colonial and Postcolonial Africa) with associate professor Lindsay Braun cemented my fate as a night owl, and the final lived up to the class’s 300-level designation.

My study efforts in the week leading up to the Wednesday morning test date, sadly, did not. I landed on a Tuesday-night walk to my girlfriend’s apartment, where I suddenly remembered that the hardest test of my college years began at 10:00 a.m. the next morning.

An all-night study slog—combined with a painfully unnecessary fight with my girlfriend—rendered me dazed and drastically underprepared for test-taking. At 7:55 a.m., I stormed out of the apartment and wandered over to campus and into Lillis Business Complex with a pounding headache and a pressing need to relearn much of what I’d scarfed down the night before.

I trudged up the first flight of spiraling stairs, stalling on the second floor in front of a glass-encased area housing various business school faculty offices. This mini-lobby was well-lit and inviting, and at this point, with the building quickly filling up, I wasn’t one to turn down an empty space. I walked in and started furiously scribbling. Productivity engulfed me and I felt the study gods’ juju raining down on my spread of books and notecards. Not one person interrupted my sitting march to the finish, and I busted out of the lobby door and back down the stairs just in time to grab a scone from the Lillis Café—one of the undeniable perks of this spot.

I headed to Room 118 to face the inevitable brutality of the test. After plastering nearly eight pages of green book with essay answers, I walked out of the room with the tingling sense that I had just cemented my A in the class. Before I left Lillis for the last time that term, I pivoted to rest my eyes on my second-floor sanctuary one last time. I knew I would be returning.

The Lillis lobby initially lured me with glass-adorned beauty, but it retains my loyalty because it’s a place I can make my own. For one, the doors lock at 5:00 p.m. The secret is that students already on the inside earn the privilege to stay and study in peace. This spot’s little-known virtue guarantees that sessions starting in the midafternoon can carry on uninterrupted into the later hours of the night. It became my go-to because I could claim sole ownership from the hours of 5:00 p.m. to midnight.

Versatility is another winning quality of this spot. Though it lends itself to solitude, its transparent glass wall also provides a zoo-like experience that allows one to witness the flow of Ducks making their way to and from class, and popping outside to catch a passing friend is a good way to rejuvenate before returning to the grind.

This place is a home base away from home for me. It’s somewhere I feel comfortable and in control, and that’s the key. It’s amazing how a spot like that can find you when you least expect it.

Advertising major Cameron Kokes, Class of 2017, is an aspiring copywriter sustained by long runs and hefty scoops of peanut butter.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY NATALIE MIANO

Forest Floor... ...Senate Floor

Covering the News Spectrum

opb.org

David Harrenstein and Jennifer Esparza, both former Marines, share a relaxing moment at the Student Veteran Center in the new wing at the EMU. Opposite page: Esparza in uniform on Iwo Jima in 2012.

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O HOW THE UO HELPS VETERANS TRANSITION FROM MILITARY SERVICE TO HIGHER EDUCATION

BY SHARLEEN NELSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACK LIU TOP RIGHT: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JENNIFER ESPARZA

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fter an 11-year overseas stint in the Marine Corps, it might seem that Jennifer Esparza’s first term as a UO student would be a cakewalk. Instead, according to Esparza, an international studies major, transitioning to college from the structured and familiar environment of the military was more than a bit daunting. “When you’re in the military, you feel like the base is kind of your safe space,” she says, “so knowing that I didn’t have that safe space, it was really trying to figure out everything on your own—basically, how everyone else has to do it in the world. It was a little scary.”

According to the US Government Accountability Office, more than five million service members will transition out of the military by 2020.

Already, more than 1.4 million service members, veterans, and their families have taken advantage of the expanded education and training benefits afforded them by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, signed into law in 2009.

Over the course of a year, about 450 veterans attend the UO. They face a variety of challenges as returning students—from acclimating back into civilian life to finding housing and employment. Many are dealing with physical disabilities or mental issues such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or military sexual trauma (MST). Adding college to the mix often means struggling to strike a balance between family obligations and financial restraints while attempting to navigate admissions, GI benefits and financial aid, class selection, homework, and fitting in with the rest of the student body—all of which can be overwhelming. As one student veteran candidly put it, they are “students with baggage.”

FINDING COMMUNITY

David Harrenstein, a junior majoring in family and human services, was 17 when he left for boot camp two weeks after graduating from high school.

He served in the Marines for 10 years. Taking advantage of the GI Bill, he is a first-generation college student, but the transition from soldier to student hasn’t always been easy. A self-described “high-strung, motivated” Marine with a six-month tour in Iraq under his belt, his level of experience and

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maturity, as well as his work ethic, has seemed at odds with his younger student peers.

“Being in the Marine Corps was pretty much all I knew,” Harrenstein says, “so coming back to school at 27 and being around a bunch of 18-year-old students who haven’t been in that sort of very structured environment was frustrating for me.”

However, involvement with the Veterans Family and Student Association (VFSA) on campus helped Harrenstein find other veterans with similar backgrounds and experiences. The VFSA organizes social events throughout the year and holds weekly meetings that give veterans and their families an opportunity to interact and learn about what’s happening in their community. The group also organizes club activities and service projects, hosts potlucks and barbecues, and sets up panels relevant to veterans’ issues.

“Getting involved with the VFSA gave me a sense of purpose, and I felt like I belonged somewhere,” Harrenstein says. “They help people get their feet on the ground. I was the recruiting officer for the VFSA last year. I helped a lot of people and I felt that it helped me evolve within student life.”

Under the auspices of the Office of the Dean of Students, the UO offers a variety of programs designed specifically to meet the needs of veteran students. In her role as director of nontraditional and veteran student engagement and success, Justine Carpenter assists student veterans with their transition to the university and with completing their educational goals. This involves providing group programs to support the needs of the student veterans as well as working individually with each student to identify specific areas of need.

A first stop for veterans on campus is the Student Veterans Center.

Recently relocated from its cramped quarters in Mac Court to an expanded and more accessible space in the new wing of the EMU, the student-run center provides a comfortable space for veterans to get together.

“Many of our programs are launched from the center and it serves as the day-to-day touch point for many of our veterans,” Carpenter says. “They stop in between classes, study, have coffee, and make connections.”

Students have access to several computer stations and can take advantage of quiet study and lounge spaces. Program coordinators, VFSA members, and student workers help them access community service providers, identify veteran-specific scholarships, learn about workshops, and master new technology. “It’s a place where veterans can come and be themselves. It’s kind of our home away from home,” says Harrenstein.

It is also where a new peer-advising program, Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE), will be housed. The program connects incoming student veterans with returning student veterans to

Justine Carpenter, director of Nontraditional Student Engagement and Success, helps student veterans transition to the UO.

ensure the new students have the support they need to be successful.

Esparza initially found out about the PAVE program after attending the Student Veterans of America (SVA) conference.

The program is a collaboration between the University of Michigan Depression Center, U-M Ann Arbor’s Department of Psychiatry, and the SVA. PAVE, which debuts at the UO this fall, replaces the former Dog Tags to Ducks program. “With PAVE, we’ve actually recruited students from all over campus, not just within VFSA,” Esparza says. “They’re military, but may not be as active in the program. They’ve got their lives going but have experienced their own hurdles on campus.”

The program uses a database to identify student veterans via a line on the admissions form that allows them to indicate their veteran status. A PAVE coordinator, a team leader, and nine peer advisors will be available as mentors, liaisons, and ambassadors to assist veterans with everything from academic issues and counseling to referring them to resources for daycare and housing.

PAVE can help keep veterans from feeling isolated, says Maria Kalnbach, a graduate student and the project coordinator at the Student Veterans Center. “It’s really hard for them to say, ‘Oh my gosh, I need help,’ so just checking on them might reveal, ‘I don’t have enough money for food this month,’ or ‘I’m really struggling with housing,’ or ‘I hurt myself and I’m not really sure how to navigate the VA.’ Having somebody who understands to connect them and keep them connected will help with the transition.”

PEER MENTORING

A feeling of belonging is a vital first step for any new student, but Esparza says that despite attending the UO’s mandatory freshman IntroDUCKtion, she felt disconnected. “They put on a lot of great stuff for students, but I didn’t attend a lot of them because I felt like, I’m 30, why do I want to go to a party?” she says. “A few of us talked about how we lacked information that really pertained to us through IntroDUCKtion. The Veteran Welcome came out of that conversation.”

Now in its second year, the Student Veteran Welcome, according to Carpenter, is a huge success. Newly enrolled student veterans are invited to attend the daylong introduction to available services—on campus and in the community—as well as to meet their peers. “Each of the students who attended last fall reported overwhelmingly that they felt better prepared for the transition to student life at the University of Oregon and that it was helpful to them in preparing for their classes,” she says.

“Students make connections and form friendships that will become a part of their UO community and that will last beyond their time here.”

Indeed, researchers report that a sense of belonging, cultivated through friendships, is critical to any student’s success. This is especially true for student veterans who have come from an environment such as the military where peer support is a central precept. Peer-mentoring programs are key to helping new student veterans overcome challenges such as meeting academic expectations, establishing balance between 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

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Graduate student Maria Kalnback is a team leader for PAVE, a new peer advising program for veterans.

academic and life responsibilities, relating to nonveteran students, and coping with service-related injuries.

One program in the works is Got Your Six. The origins of the phrase can be traced back to World War I fighter pilots, who likened their planes to a clock face, the front position being 12 o’clock and the rear position, six o’clock. On the battlefield, the “six” position is the most vulnerable, so when someone tells you that they’ve “got your six,” it means they’re got your back. The goal of the program is to build awareness about student veterans: not only their challenges, but what they bring to the campus as well. Veterans often overlook their own contributions, which often include a wealth of knowledge, maturity, strong leadership skills, life experience, and resiliency. “Our student veterans are leaders and they bring so much, not only to the university but to the community at large,” Esparza says.

As part of her involvement with PAVE, she has reached out to the Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement to set up seminars that tap into the leadership qualities of campus veterans. She explains the importance of rank in the military and how that can translate into leadership. “When you first start here fresh out of the military, it’s hard to grasp that it’s not all about position anymore,” she says. “I think a lot of veterans struggle with this idea that, ‘I know better because I’m older and I’ve served in the military.’ We want to identify what leadership looks like here on campus when you take away the rank—how you can still be a leader, but an equal to everyone else.”

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Veterans can also participate in a new national program called Team Red, White, and Blue. Local chapters provide opportunities for veterans and the community to build rapport through physical activity and community involvement.

They host fitness activities, social events, and volunteer opportunities.

According to Esparza, getting into physical activities off-campus was a great stress reducer. “I started getting back into running once I found out about Team Red, White, and Blue,” she says. The group meets once a week and they’ve added Saturday walks for those who don’t run. “It’s something that a lot of student veterans are taking advantage of. It’s a really great program to get veterans out into the community and involved and active.”

Additional resources on campus include the Accessible Education Center (AEC), which offers support and services to all students, and the UO Career Center, which offers peer advising and assistance with résumés and cover letters as well as job and internship searches.

BREAKING DOWN STEREOTYPES

Another important element in helping veterans successfully transition to student life is education for the general UO community that is geared toward breaking down some of the stereotypes. A few abiding misconceptions are that every veteran was on the combat front lines, or that they all suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. Although many veterans may have stressful or traumatic experiences, not all develop

The biggest part of having these programs is giving veterans the opportunity to recognize that we’re all on the same page now. We’re all veterans— we’re not soldiers or Marines.

PTSD. And according to Esparza, veterans on the UO campus are a diverse crowd.

“There are five different branches of the military and they serve in so many different capacities and come from so many different cultures and backgrounds. In fact, we have a veteran who is the head of a fraternity here,” she says. “The biggest part of having these programs is giving veterans the opportunity to recognize that we’re all on the same page now. We’re all veterans—we’re not soldiers or Marines.”

Programs like Got Your Six work with faculty members and the public to help bridge the divide by challenging stereotypes in the classroom (through learning about military history and veteran experience), understanding the tangible and intangible skills gained in the military, destigmatizing mental illness and PTSD, and helping nonveteran students reconsider the way they think by encouraging them to have conversations with veterans.

A BRIGHT FUTURE

For Harrenstein and Esparza, the transition to college has been positive overall.

Harrenstein plans to go to work as a park ranger with the Bureau of Land Management after he graduates, and says he hopes to retain his association with the UO’s veterans programs. “I’m very passionate about helping other veterans,” he says. “The one thing I would tell them, in terms of adapting to everything, is just to stay calm. It’s hard, but I would encourage them to come to the veterans office and get help if they need it.”

Esparza says that participation in the various student-veteran programs has not only helped her find her niche on campus, but also led her to become an advocate for underrepresented students and to map out a future for herself that includes law school.

She hopes to take some of the principles of the UO’s veterans programs and apply them to a career working with international communities. “In international studies my focus is law, human rights, and the Middle East, so I’m hoping I can figure out how to tie it all together.”

She is also a candidate for the prestigious Tillman Scholar Program, which recognizes military service, leadership, and academic excellence.

The UO is a university partner in the Pat Tillman Foundation, which names 60 Tillman Scholars each year.

“It’s taken me two years to realize that I can be active on campus without necessarily joining a sorority,” Esparza says. “There was a fear that I wouldn’t fit in. But I’m starting to feel like I do.

“There is a space for me.”

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Webfoot Warriors, the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of Oregon. Students who meet the eligibility requirements and stick with the program receive subsidized tuition and, after graduation, are commissioned as officers in the US military. The curriculum consists of courses in military science and history as well as practical skills and leadership training.

The ROTC program traces its roots to the National Defense Act of 1916, a bill signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson barely a year before the United States entered World War I. Prince Lucien Campbell, the UO’s president at the time, established the first ROTC curriculum at the university, placing a retired British military officer in charge. More than 100 students participated in the first drill in March 1916.

The unit received a General Douglas MacArthur Award for the 2014–15 academic year, recognizing it as one of the top eight Army ROTC programs in the country. According to the unit’s records, the University of Oregon has produced more general officers than any nonmilitary ROTC program in the country.

The program celebrates its 100th year on campus with the Alumni Association hosting a weekend, September 2–3, filled with celebrations to honor dedicated ROTC alumni, friends, family, and service members. The events will kick off on Friday, with a reception in the evening, followed by a tailgate on Saturday before the football season opener at Autzen Stadium.

For more information, visit uoalumni.com/ROTC2016.

Sharleen Nelson, BS ’06, is a UO staff writer and editor.

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Ethan Ouimet, an undergraduate student in material and product studies, sketches on a blackboard at 942 Olive.

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With the University of Oregon producing a steady supply of entrepreneurs and well-educated techies, the southern Willamette Valley boasts a vibrant—if largely unseen— innovation network.

HOT SPOT

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE LITCHFIELD

BY LEWIS TAYLOR

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is growing. Just look at the opening of the new downtown innovation space known as 942 Olive, the growth of student entrepreneurship programs on campus, and the increasing recruitment of UO graduates from the Department of Computer and Information Science and other programs.

Connections to the university can be found throughout the local business innovation network. Some are well-documented, such as the rise of architecture major Miguel McKelvey, BArch ’99, who founded the $16 billion company WeWork, or the story of business school grad Ryan Hoover, BS ’09, who founded the influential tech website Product Hunt.

But in the stories that follow, we’ll let you in on some of the—for now— lesser-known startups with UO ties.

Entrepreneurs looking to launch their next big idea—but without sacrificing their quality of life—find that the Eugene-Springfield area has lots to offer.

“You don’t have to go to Silicon Valley, you don’t have to go to Seattle or Portland. We have all the resources we need here and the alumni network to make our businesses successful,” says Chad Barczak, BS ’98, MBA ’99, CEO and cofounder of the Eugene-based firm IDX Broker.

The burgeoning innovation network that some have dubbed the “Silicon Shire” includes shared working spaces, business incubators, nonprofit organizations, and hundreds of young companies—ranging from specialized tech firms like Cognitopia to food and beverage purveyors such as Lola’s Fruit Shrubs. But aside from the preponderance of 20- and 30-somethings hanging out in downtown tea and bottle shops, the rise of regional innovation remains a largely hidden phenomenon to those outside the sector.

The University of Oregon has helped seed this phenomenon in many ways, and the institution’s influence

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THE OREGON IDENTITY Being associated with the University of Oregon has been a big plus for Eugene technology firm SheerID, says CEO and cofounder Jake Weatherly, a former geography and religious studies major at the UO who later taught an entrepreneurship class at the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business.

“The University of Oregon brand has been excellent for SheerID,” Weatherly says. “When we say we’re from Eugene, Oregon, we hear two things: ‘Wow, the Oregon Ducks are awesome. That must be a great place to be,’ and ‘Oregon—I’ve always wanted to go there; I’ve heard it’s beautiful.’”

It wasn’t always like this for the company, which provides eligibility verification for enterprises that advertise exclusive offers. Initially, SheerID deemphasized its Eugene roots, reasoning that being located in a small college town could be seen as a negative for a tech company competing with firms from the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. But experience proved otherwise, and SheerID has found significant value in being an Oregon-based company with connections to the state’s flagship university.

“Being at the UO taught me that you can reach out to the world, make a difference, and innovate with an audience far beyond your own backyard,” Weatherly says. “I found that to be just amazing and eye-opening.”

That notion helped fuel the growth of his company, which now counts Spotify, DirecTV, Amazon, and Staples as clients. Since its inception in 2011, SheerID has undergone tremendous growth, completing a $5.3 million investment round led by Seattle’s Voyager Capital in September 2015, opening a Portland office, and doubling its employee count to more than 35 in 2016.

Weatherly and the company’s director of marketing and sales operations, Simon Spencer, first connected when Spencer was a student in

“

When we say we’re from Eugene, Oregon, we hear two things: ‘Wow, the Oregon Ducks are awesome. That must be a great place to be,’ and ‘Oregon— I’ve always wanted to go there; I’ve heard it’s beautiful.’

Barczak rode the wave for several successful years, but ran into problems in the mid 1990s when the lack of a properly worded buy-sell agreement gave rise to a partnership dispute, which sent the company into a tailspin and led to its JAKE WEATHERLY eventual demise. Many of the problems the company faced, Barczak Weatherly’s UO entrepreneurship class. SheerID’s general council, Jane says, could have been avoided by a more experienced CEO. Yates, JD ’04, is a graduate of the UO School of Law, and Tim Shear, the “I had the street smarts, but I didn’t have the book smarts,” company’s vice president of sales, played inside linebacker for the UO he explains. “Had I stayed in school, the business might have football team under Coach Mike Bellotti and was a teammate of quar- been more successful.” terback Joey Harrington.

It didn’t take Barczak long to determine his next move. He Weatherly lists a half dozen other employees with UO credentials. He wanted to return to the UO—not just to complete his bachelor’s says the UO brand reflects many of the ideals of SheerID—authenticity, degree, but also to pursue an MBA. He started by attending Lane diligence, strong values, and innovation—and many clients can relate Community College for two years, earning good grades and to those qualities as well. racking up credits. Then he successfully petitioned the UO to “We should be loud and proud” of where we are located, Weatherly let him back in. “This time I wanted to be there,” Barczak recalls. says. “There’s always a reason why somebody wants to come and visit Getting into the MBA program proved to be more diffius in Oregon instead of us going to visit them. Oregon is great for us.” cult. Barczak hounded the admissions office for advice on how to earn his acceptance. The director told him bluntly TWO SECOND CHANCES that because of his academic record, the odds Left: Product design The first time Chad Barczak attended the UO, he was were against him. “He was nice about it, but he student Samantha admittedly not as focused on his studies as he should have told me that I probably wouldn’t get in,” Barczak Swartz talks about been. So in 1992, during his sophomore year, he received her work as classrecalls. “I was dead set on proving him wrong.” a politely worded letter in the mail. “The University of mates James Tuttle In his application materials, Barczak emphaOregon asked me to no longer show up,” Barczak recalls. and Christian sized his strong grades and his real-world expeNeilander visit in the “I had flunked out.” rience steering a multimillion-dollar company. background at the Barczak had a good excuse. During that year, he had Ultimately, he was accepted into the acceleropening of 942 Olive. cofounded Jaro, a snowboarding apparel company. His ated MBA program, an advanced track that Right: A conference timing was fortuitous, and the 19-year-old sophomore soon required students to complete the two-year space inside 942 Olive. found himself the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company. program in four terms.

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You don’t have to go to Silicon Valley, you don’t have to go to Seattle or Portland. We have all the resources we need here and the alumni network to make our businesses successful.

Kate Blazar, MBA ’16, founder and CEO of Animosa, represents the new face of entrepreneurship. Her company, a startup that plans to make an ecofriendly kit—known as the Go with the Flow pack—for managing menstrual CHAD BARCZAK, BS ’98, MBA ’99 hygiene in the outdoors or while traveling, is led by four women. It is one of three women-led “It was good turnaround in my life and I credit the UO startups in the current cohort of the RAIN Eugene Accelerator. Housed with giving me that goal,” Barczak says. “Once I set a goal, in UO’s downtown innovation space at 942 Olive Street, the accelerator I usually don’t stop until I reach it.” is a state- and UO-supported program that offers an intense boot camp After graduating in 1999, Barczak set other goals for himexperience for promising startup companies. self. He says the MBA program inspired him to get involved Blazar’s company received a $5,000 RAINMaker seed grant in the tech industry, and in 2004, he and his business partfrom the UO and won the $13,000 grand prize in a Bangkok businer, Jeff Kast, founded IDX Broker, a real estate tech firm ness challenge for graduate students. Animosa also pitched at this that provides agents with private-label MLS (multiple-listyear’s Willamette Angel Conference, which was informally dubbed ing service) search engines for their websites. Barczak and the “Year of Women” because the majority of the companies were Kast bootstrapped the startup with their own savings, led by women. building the business “one customer at a time.” Today, Half of the current RAIN cohort consists of women, as compared IDX Broker employs 54 people and is located in downtown to the first group two years ago, which contained 86 percent male-led Eugene in a newly renovated, 22,000-square-foot space. startups. Blazar says having more women in the accelerator adds a new “The UO gave me the confidence to go back out and ulti- perspective and more diverse viewpoints, which is immensely valumately be successful in a whole new industry,” Barczak able for companies targeting female consumers. “In the US, women’s says. “I learned to embrace the failures I had had, and purchasing power is growing rapidly and women make the majority of learned that failure is not necessarily a bad thing. It became spending decisions, yet female consumers have long been underserved kind of a badge of honor to have such an ultimate failure and stereotyped,” Blazar says. “Companies who really understand with my clothing business, because it meant I had some female consumers have an inherent market advantage.” good experience that hopefully I won’t replicate.”

Blazar has other reasons to be optimistic. Her MBA New Venture curriculum gave rise to another woman-led company, Tougher, which

BY WOMEN, FOR WOMEN makes rugged work wear for women in the trades, and which also won When it comes to entrepreneurship, women are not nearly a RAINMaker grant. as well represented as they could be. Exact numbers for the The reasons for the gender gap in entrepreneurship are comlocal area are difficult to come by, but a recent story in the plex. Research shows that, generally speaking, women tend to be Register-Guard cited statistics that showed only two local more risk-averse than their male counterparts, says Kate Harmon, tech firms—out of 418—are run by women. undergraduate program manager in the UO’s Lundquist Center for Fortunately, there are reasons to believe the picture is Entrepreneurship. A shortage of role models and mentors compounds improving. As more people recognize that a monoculture the problem, and makes women less likely to self-identify as entredoes not make for a healthy innovation ecosystem, more preneurs. Blazar says her academic experience at the UO helped her opportunities for women entrepreneurs are emerging. overcome some of these hurdles.

“Getting an actual formal education in business and specializing in entrepreneurship gave me the confidence to go out there and start a business and really put myself out there,” Blazar says.

“When I meet with an investor now, I understand finances as well as they do, if not better.”

“

Getting an actual formal education in business and specializing in entrepreneurship gave me the confidence to go out there and start a business and really put myself out there.

KATE BLAZAR, MBA ’16

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KEEPING THE FUNK AWAY The antiodor fabric treatment known as deFUNKit owes a debt of gratitude to the University of Oregon—and not only because it was developed in the lab of UO chemistry professor Jim Hutchison and courtesy research associate John Miller.

The story of how the Eugene-made product came to market hinges both on CEO Richard Geiger, who arrived in Eugene with his family in 2012, and the area’s moist climate. The UO had just hired Geiger’s wife, Elizabeth Skowron, to serve as a professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services. Geiger, the “trailing spouse,” set up shop with his own medical startup company in the UO Riverfront Research Park.

Housed alongside Dune Sciences, the parent company of deFUNKit, Geiger soon met Hutchison and Miller and made an offhand comment about the wet weather in the Northwest and its effect on dishtowels. He complained that nothing ever dried and that wet fabrics picked up strange smells in no time. Miller invited him to try out an antiodor clothing treatment that he and Hutchison had created. Rather than covering up odors with perfumes, it worked by breaking down odor-causing bacteria and bonding deodorizing molecules to fabrics to keep bacteria from returning. Miraculously, it created a shield that allowed fabrics to be used up to 20 times between washings. “I took him up on his offer and brought him a dozen towels,” Geiger recalls. “He treated them and it was amazing, the towels just didn’t smell. I found I could use them for multiple days.”

At the time, Hutchison and Miller were pursuing a separate line of innovation—a line of functionalized grids for electron microscopy. The treatment that had made Geiger’s towels stop smelling was sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

Geiger ended up liking Dune’s antiodor fabric treatment so much that he pitched his own involvement in the company to Hutchison and Miller and signed on as investor and CEO. Geiger, Hutchison, and Miller shifted their attention from electron microscopy to the commercialization of their antiodor treatment. Dune Sciences won $305,000 in funding at the Willamette Angel Conference competition in 2014 and the company received funding from the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), the state’s economic development nonprofit organization. The firm was invited to join the 2014 RAIN Eugene Accelerator cohort.

Geiger says deFUNKit appeals to eco-conscious consumers looking to waste less water and pour fewer capfuls of detergent down the drain.

And even those who don’t see a need to wear their clothes 20 times without washing them will appreciate the fact that the treatment will lengthen the lifespan of their clothing, he says.

Interest in deFUNKit spiked among workout fanatics recently when Outside magazine ran a story on the treatment. After treating all of her gear, the writer hung a wet towel on a hook, left a mound of sweaty workout clothes in her bathroom for a week, spent seven days skiing in the same outfit without washing it, and found barely a hint of body odor.

“We smelled as good on day seven as we did on day one,” she concluded.

Since then, Geiger says, deFUNKit has been growing fast. Even though the product has been available only since March of this year, it is carried by more than 700 independent sporting goods stores.

“

“GO FORWARD? ONLY THING TO DO! ON WE GO!” —BILBO BAGGINS Some people really like the Silicon Shire moniker. You can count Senator Ron Wyden and Eugene mayor Kitty Piercy among the supporters, and the media seems to have taken to it as well.

Others are less enthusiastic.

“Please don’t call it the Shire,” says Joe Maruschak, chief startup officer and director of the RAIN Eugene Accelerator.

“The only ‘silicon’ is Silicon Valley and no one calls it that anymore. They call it the Peninsula, or Palo Alto, or Mountain View.

“When you stop trying to be something else and actually just be who you are, you do a lot better,” Maruschak adds.

“We’re Eugene-Springfield.”

Cale Bruckner, BS ’96, disagrees. The primary architect of the Silicon Shire brand, Bruckner is president of the software design and development studio Concentric Sky. He helped coin the term and created the Silicon Shire online directory

I took him up on his offer and brought him a dozen towels.

He treated them and it was amazing, the towels just didn’t smell. I found I could use them for multiple days.

RICHARD GEIGER

as a means of promoting the region and connecting people to the local startup community. In four years, the directory has grown from 60 companies to more than 200 firms with ties to the local innovation ecosystem. To keep things fun, Bruckner included local craft breweries in the mix of software firms, web developers, and digital marketing specialists.

“To be able to talk about something, it needs a name,” Bruckner says, explaining his initial motivation. “As far as brands go, it’s way better than #EUGTech. That doesn’t say anything at all; that’s not a brand.”

The Silicon Shire brand, Bruckner says, reflects the vibe of the community and is more than a simple attempt to redirect the glory of the Santa Clara Valley onto the Willamette Valley.

“We’re never going to be Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley,” Bruckner argues. “It’s our eccentricities that make us who we are. I think that we shouldn’t shy away from that, we should honor that by being a little weird.”

Lewis Taylor is director of research communications in the Office for Research and Innovation.

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HIDDEN GEMS A look into the UO Libraries special collections, a fascinating resource for both scholars and community members.

BY ROSEMARY HOWE CAMOZZI

alk up the marble stairs to the second floor of Knight Library and you’ll find a light-filled room lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The room exudes scholarly charm—and it’s whisper-quiet.

This is the Paulson Reading Room, point of entry for the University of Oregon’s Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA). Scholars and researchers from near and far come here to access thousands of remarkable collections that include rare books, manuscripts and letters (including Oregon Trail diaries and letters from pioneers), personal papers, photographs, film and television archives, architectural drawings, and more—in fact, more than a million items.

Some of the best-known collections include the papers of Ken Kesey, Bill Bowerman, Wayne Morse, and Ursula K. Le Guin. You’ll also find the original art for the classic children’s book Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, first published in 1939. Edward S. Curtis fans can access a rare set of the photographer’s monumental project, The North American Indian, printed on rice paper.

Some of the collections are rather obscure, such as memorabilia from the life of Mayo Methot Bogart, a child actress who later became the third wife of Humphrey Bogart, and a collection of theater programs compiled by Nettie Prescott in Boston, Portland, and Tacoma between 1884 and 1890.

Ever wonder how reindeer came to Alaska? Peruse the papers of William Thomas Lopp, who in 1892 brought a herd from Siberia in an effort to help native whalers and fishermen establish an alternative means of subsistence.

The collections belong to the people of Oregon and are available for members of the public to view or study at no cost. So silence your cell phone, pull a chair up to one of the Paulson Reading Room’s long, wood tables, and join us for a look at some of the lesser-known collections housed in this very special part of the UO campus.

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NOSATSU In the US, we associate the practice of trading illustrated cards with sports, Pokémon, or perhaps the game Magic: The Gathering. These sturdy paper cards have been part of our culture for about 100 years.

But in Japan, people were trading elaborate woodcut-printed cards in the 18th century. The cards, called nōsatsu, had their beginnings in 900 AD, when devotees carried paper “visiting cards” when they made pilgrimages. They pasted the cards on the walls of each temple they visited to show their devotion.

By the late 1700s, the cards (which bore their owners’ names and addresses) had become very popular. Devotees not only pasted them on temple walls, but also exchanged them with others. They competed to see how many temples they could adorn with their slips, and how far they could get from home.

But as the temple walls became plastered with paper, the resident monks expressed their disapproval and the practice began to fade. The cards were revived in the mid19th century, however, when groups formed to collect and exchange them. They evolved from simple black-andwhite images to prints created by famous artists, including Hokusai and Hiroshige.

The tradition of woodblock printing declined in the late 19th century when Japan became more westernized, and the practice of exchanging nōsatsu died again. But after a few decades, the card exchanges were revived once more.

The motifs became more topical: for instance, after a big earthquake, people traded cards that showed how their lives were affected.

Special Collections and University Archives holds the only known collection of nōsatsu in North America. They were collected by Frederick Starr, an anthropologist from

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In Japan, the practice of collecting highly decorative temple votive slips (nōsatsu) flourished during the Meiji and Taishō eras (1868–1925).

Exchange clubs (nōsatsu-kai) met regularly, as colorfully depicted in this illustration. The University of Oregon Libraries holds the only known collection of nōsatsu in North America.

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the University of Chicago, who learned about them during visits to Japan and who became a regular participant in the nōsatsu exchange clubs that were experiencing a revival during the early 1900s. He wrote: “Most of the members, of course, are not society folk. Among those present were a renting agent, a sign-maker, a letter writer, a brush-maker, a sauce-seller, a painter, a lantern-maker, a copyist, a poet, and a coal-seller. Where else in Japan could one find such an aggregation meeting on terms of absolute equality?”

Starr’s collection was later bought by art enthusiast Gertrude Bass Warner, founder of the University of Oregon Museum of Art (now the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art). The prints came to the university when Warner donated her collection of Chinese and Japanese art to the university in 1921.

UO Libraries has recently digitized and catalogued the Gertrude Bass Warner Collection of Japanese Votive Slips (Nōsatsu), with the aim of providing wider access to this rare treasure.

A native of Klamath Falls, Oregon, photographer Grayson Mathews (1948–2007) received an NEA fellowship to fund his project documenting life on the early-1970s rodeo circuit. He used fast film to convey a coarse, grainy quality to his images, exploring themes of masculinity and capturing moments of unexpected intimacy.

DUST AND GRIT In the early 1970s, Grayson Layne Mathews spent two years on the highways and back roads of the American West, documenting the lifestyles of professional rodeo 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

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Before she became James Tiptree, Jr., award-winning science fiction author, Alice B. Sheldon was a PhD in perceptual psychology—or, as she sometimes liked to joke, “a rat scientist.” She was also a talented artist, as demonstrated by these rats she drew for her doctoral dissertation.

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cowboys. With his Leica and Nikon F cameras loaded with the fastest black-and-white film available at the time, he photographed cowboys and rodeo clowns in dusty, sunbaked, outdoor arenas and smoky, dimly lit auditoriums.

He also took time to document their lives away from the competition, at the bars, cafes, and motels where they lived their lives on the road.

Mathews died in 2007 at the age of 58. In his memory, his family donated his archive, which includes darkroom and digital prints and negatives, to SCUA. NOM DE PLUME One of the most intriguing people represented in the university’s nationally known collection of feminist science |

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fiction writers is James Tiptree Jr., who won three Nebula Awards and two Hugo Awards between 1973 and 1977.

Tiptree kept up a lively correspondence with fellow writers Ursula K. Le Guin, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, and Joanna Russ, but strangely, none of these friends ever actually met him or spoke to him in person. Over the years, Tiptree dropped hints about growing up in Chicago, traveling to colonial Africa, serving in World War II, and working for the CIA. In 1976, he revealed that his mother, Mary Hastings Bradley, had died. After checking the obituaries, his fellow writers discovered that the elusive Tiptree must, in fact, be Alice Bradley Sheldon, Mary Bradley’s only child. She wrote as a man because it gave her a chance to write outside

NEW DIRECTOR FOR SCUA David de Lorenzo, the first Giustina Director of Special Collections and University Archives, comes to the UO from the special collections library at the University of California at Berkeley. He will begin his new job in September, overseeing an unparalleled record of Pacific Northwest history and culture. “I am particularly interested in the challenges facing libraries for increased access to information in a variety of formats,” de Lorenzo says. “I want to continue to meet these challenges of bringing our libraries into the 21st century and providing excellent support for the community’s research needs.”

His position was endowed through a $1 million gift to the UO Libraries by the Giustina Forest Foundation.

the boundaries that confined women authors at the time, and to explore gender, self-image, alienation, and sexuality.

The SCUA collection includes Tiptree’s correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, and memorabilia.

OREGON LEGEND Wayne Morse, dean of the UO law school, was the youngest law school dean in the country in 1930. In 1944, he successfully ran for the US Senate, serving from 1945 to 1969. He was a member of the Labor and Welfare Committee, Armed Services Committee, and Foreign Relations Committee, and served as a delegate to the United Nations.

In 1952, in protest of Dwight Eisenhower’s selection of Richard Nixon as his running mate, Morse split from

the Republican Party and sat in a chair in the middle of the Senate aisle to emphasize his independence.

In 1955, he joined the Democrats and became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. His career in the Senate ended when Robert Packwood defeated him in the 1968 election.

SCUA’s collection contains senatorial papers from 1944 to 1968, research material, arbitration decisions, speeches, financial material, mementos, and personal and general correspondence that relate to this fascinating Oregonian whose vision of peace and justice through law and politics is carried on at the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, housed in the UO School of Law.

Composed of everything from government records to personal letters, the papers of Senator Wayne L. Morse occupy more than 1,339 linear feet of shelf space (935 boxes) in SCUA.

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SCUA BY THE NUMBERS 100,000 monographs 17,000 linear feet of manuscripts 19,000 linear feet of university archives 400,000 photographs 5,000 architectural drawings 5,000 original drawings and illustrations 20,000+ broadsides, pamphlets, postage stamps, autographs, and pieces of ephemera

This scrapbook of memories belonged to Peg Lynch, an early innovator in the field of TV comedy.

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SMALL-SCREEN PIONEER You may never have heard of Peg Lynch, but without her, you might never have watched a TV sitcom. The creator of Ethel and Albert, a clever radio and television series about a married couple’s daily life, Lynch is widely credited with inventing the form. She was the first woman to write, star in, and own her own comedy series and wrote a total of nearly 11,000 scripts for radio and television. The library has her

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typewriter, original scripts for Ethel and Albert, correspondence, and photographs, all donated by Lynch and her daughter, Astrid King. SCUA is also the repository for the kinescopes (recordings made from the screen on the back of the TV camera) that were made from her shows.

Rosemary Camozzi, BA ’96, is OQ’s senior writer and editor.

50 Full Circle 52 Of Law, Labor, and Lumber 54 Class Notes 64 Ski Bums

Oregon OLD

Face Value

Graduating senior Jake Sullivan, BA ’16, was a good sport when his family turned out in full force to honor his achievement. From left: Jake’s aunt, Sheri Greatwood, BS ’83; stepdad Dave Merrick; Jake Sullivan; his mom, Suzanne Merrick, BA ’88; and his grandmother, Joan Iselin.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JODEE STRINGHAM

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Full Circle

When Win Min, BS ’16, reaches his final destination, he will be back where he began—but with much to offer his country.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

—LAO TZU

N

BY LEEANN DAKERS

obody understands this proverb better than 30 -year-old Myanmar native Win Min, who graduated in June with a degree in planning, public policy and management. Nineteen years ago, Win left his remote farming village alone and on foot to

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find work in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city. After seeing “wealthy people” from the city on his village’s only television, he believed he could make big money there to help his struggling family, and convinced his parents to let him go.

He was to return home at the end of summer, when he would be needed on the family farm.

After a 10-mile walk to catch the nearest bus, and hours on the road, Win arrived in Mandalay. He stayed at a Buddhist monastery, where it was safe and the food was free. But with little education and only one year of experience on a farm—not to mention he was only 11 years old— nobody would hire him. The same question kept coming up: “What is your education?”

PHOTOGRAPH BY JUDY HOLTZ

The year before, Win’s parents had pulled him out of school because they couldn’t afford the mandatory tuition. Now, he realized a primary education would never be enough to get a good-paying job to help his family. He had to find a way back to school.

Distraught and disillusioned, he considered going home. Then he heard about Phaung Daw Oo Monastic Education High School, a free school for underprivileged children. “It was a little bamboo school built on a city dump,” Win says. Because the kids at the school were considered “trash kids,” he says, tourists became interested in them and came to see the school.

Win met visitors from all over the world.

After memorizing common English phrases, he began following tourists to popular sites in Mandalay and led tours up and down Mandalay Hill, a Buddhist pilgrimage site with a panoramic view of the ancient city. During the tours, he made friends with US Embassy officials. After high school, they invited him to come to Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, to study English at the embassy’s school, called the American Center.

In Yangon, Win also took classes at the British Council, thanks to scholarships, and worked as a waiter at the British Embassy Club, where he met inf luential people and started building networks.

As his English improved, he began teaching the language at the monastic school in Mandalay.

From there, a series of fortunate events led him to a TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) conference in Thailand in 2008, where he met UO linguistics instructor Cindy Kieffer. She invited him to come and study at the University of Oregon. He didn’t know much about America, he says, and had never considered leaving his country, so he declined the offer.

In 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar. It was the worst disaster in the country’s history.

Because Win knew so many influential people by then, he organized a successful relief effort and earned a reputation as a compassionate and effective community leader. He was asked to join with some of the major nonprofit organizations working in the area, but soon grew disheartened by their ineffectiveness and lack of hands-on experience. He took a step back and started thinking that maybe a university education would give him insights that could help him make real and lasting changes in his country.

In 2010, Win finally accepted the UO’s invitation. Arriving on campus in October, he was

too late for a scholarship, so he started taking English courses at the American English Institute, where Kieffer was the director. He began his university classes the following fall.

Through the UO’s International Cultural Service Program, Win met students from many different countries. “I learned from them about the cultural differences, and the value and beauty of diversity on this campus,” he says. “We are the cultural ambassadors, so we go out to the community weekly and do cultural performances and presentations.” Last year, Win logged almost 200 hours of presen-

The life and experience at the University of Oregon, as a Duck, is more than a degree.

I built my own community here.

tations and performances about everything from traditional Burmese food and dance to the education system and politics of Myanmar.

“The life and experience at the University of Oregon, as a Duck, is more than a degree,” he says. “I built my own community here.”

Building community is the key to a better life for the people of Myanmar, he believes.

“When I came here, I told people I wouldn’t come to America just for a degree. I need to build a network, to make a bigger impact.”

In June, nearly two decades after he left his village, Win graduated from the UO. His family came to Eugene for commencement, thanks to a GoFundMe campaign. The whole experience has been thrilling for them, he says.

“Being on a plane for the first time in their lifetime is so big.”

Win says he plans to work for a year and then begin a graduate program, perhaps in conflict resolution at the UO School of Law. “I want to learn something that will be useful and applicable back home,” he says. “Our country has been behind the rest of this world, so we need to work a little harder and we need a lot of help,” he says. “I’m here to seek help.”

LeeAnn Dakers, BS ’96, is a freelance writer in Eugene.

Get Your Duck On! The UO Alumni Association is sponsoring these regional events this fall.

For detailed information, visit: uoalumni.com/events e-mail: alumni@uoregon.edu call: 800-245-ALUM From Andean folk music to minor league baseball, shake your feathers at any one of the following celebrations: August 27 DUCK NIGHT AT THE VOLCANOES Salem, OR August 31 DC DUCKS HAPPY HOUR Washington, DC September 2 OREGON MARCHING BAND REUNION Eugene, OR September 2 ROTC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION WEEKEND Eugene, OR September 9 MEMBER APPRECIATION EVENT Eugene, OR September 17 DUCK ALUMNI TAILGATE Lincoln, NE October 14-15 CLASS OF 1956 REUNION Eugene, OR October 21 DUCK ALUMNI TAILGATE Berkeley, CA October 27-29 CLASS OF 1966 REUNION Eugene, OR November 5 DUCK ALUMNI TAILGATE Los Angeles, CA November 10 OREGON FOLKLIFE NETWORK Bend, OR

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Senior portrait, Class of 1928, Jefferson High School

Of Law, Labor, and Lumber On the 60th anniversary of his death, we celebrate the legacy of James Landye, BS ’32, JD ’34.

I

f you know anyone who belongs to a union or Bureau in 1935. He would hopscotch the Pacific

BY MELODY WARD LESLIE who has sought remedy for a personal injury Northwest representing a host of young unions— through the courts, they’re benefitting from the legacy of University from striking loggers to shipyard workers—in strike negotiations and of Oregon graduate James Landye. at hearings before the newly formed National Labor Relations Board.

He was, in the words of Senator Wayne Morse, “the most brilliant He worked nonstop. Ethel, who died in 1996, wrote about the toll that student in the history” of the UO School of Law. dealing with the “vitriolic” labor disputes of the 1930s took on her husband: Irish by ancestry but born in Wales, Landye met Morse in 1931 “Jim was hopping mad about the way management was treating labor, but at when he was a 20-year-old first-year law student from Portland. the same time he was very much opposed to the use of violence to settle labor Morse, at 31, was the youngest law dean in the nation. They formed disputes. So while he remained calm on the outside during these battles, he a lifelong bond stemming from a shared passion for workers’ rights churned on the inside.” in an era when trade unions were still forming and the field of labor law was in its infancy.

By 1938, Landye was in private practice with B. A. Green in Portland.

Morse and Landye would support each other’s efforts in many ways He began fighting to overturn an Oregon law banning picketing on the over the years, professionally and as best friends. When Landye married grounds that it abridged free speech and a free press and was a violahis UO sweetheart, Ethel Mason, BA ’31, he asked Morse to be his best tion of the Oregon and US constitutions. The case, filed on behalf of the man. When his own interests shifted to politics, Morse asked Landye to Teamsters, the AFL, and the railroad brotherhoods, went all the way to help manage his campaign for the US Senate. the Supreme Court of Oregon, which overturned a lower court’s ruling In 1934, Landye celebrated graduating first in his law school class by and struck down the statute as unconstitutional in 1940. visiting family in Wales and South Africa. On his return, he hired on as During that time, Landye also helped secure a steady flow of lumber for one of two attorneys with the San Francisco-based Pacific Coast Labor the war effort. His reputation as an ethical, trusted advocate for labor had

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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE LANDYE FAMILY

Wayne Morse in the 1931 Oregana

A Life of Service

drive back to Eugene every weekend to see Jim. They married in 1935 and had three children: Donna, Tom, and Jerry.

resulted in his appointment to the West Coast Lumber Commission of the War Labor Board.

“Under Jim’s steady hand, crisis after crisis in the lumber camps in the Northwest was resolved,” wrote George Bodle, a Los Angeles attorney who had worked with Landye at the labor bureau. “It is no exaggeration to say that the maintenance of peaceful labor relations and full production in the lumber industry during World War II was primarily the achievement of Jim Landye.”

But by December 1943, Landye needed immediate treatment for ulcers, and he resigned from the commission. Morse had warned him to ease off a few months earlier, to no avail.

“In many respects we are peas out of the same pod,” he wrote Landye in February 1943.

“However, take it from me, I have learned how to let down, and I am sure that had I not learned that lesson I would have been a physical wreck long before this.”

However, aside from time with his children and the occasional fishing trip, Landye didn’t let down. While maintaining a private practice in Portland, he continued to defend unions and became famous for winning cases on behalf of workers who were injured, maimed, or disabled on the job. “Some of the largest verdicts obtained in Oregon were the result of his work,” Bodle wrote.

In 1946, Landye helped set in place and became the second national president of an organization that continues to define best practices for attorneys—the National Association of Claimants’ Compensation Attorneys, now known as the American Association for Justice.

In 1947, he became the first labor lawyer elected president of the Multnomah Bar Association and in 1949, was elected to the Oregon State Bar’s prestigious Board of Governors.

Landye died suddenly of a heart attack in 1956, just as his friend Morse was facing the nation’s hottest senate race against Douglas McKay. He was only 45, and while six decades have passed since then, his contributions remain indelibly woven into the practice of law and Oregon history.

4 SUDDEN DEATH After nominating the new slate of officers for the Multnomah Bar late in the evening on January 10, 1956, Landye suffered a severe heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital but died almost immediately. Three days later, the largest funeral ever at held at First Unitarian in Portland saw men standing along the walls and 1 INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

packed into the church lobby. Active pallbear-

Landye was born March 11, 1910, in Swansea,

ers included Senator Wayne Morse, the CIO

Wales, and orphaned at three months. His

president, and four of Landye’s law partners.

15-year-old sister May, traveling on her own,

Among the additional 40 honorary pallbearers:

took him and their six-year-old sister Hannah

five Oregon Supreme Court justices and six

to Silverton, a mining town in British Columbia,

Circuit Court justices. Both of the state’s high-

where an aunt had agreed to take them in.

est courts closed for the day in Landye’s honor.

2 DISHWASHER AT 6, MINER AT 12, UNION

5 UO’S JAMES T. LANDYE SCHOLARSHIP

ORGANIZER AT 15

Ten days after Landye died, the Sidney Hillman

It’s easy to see why Jim’s heart was with work-

Foundation, named for the founding presi-

ing people. At six, he earned meals by washing dishes at a hotel. At 12, he worked

Workers Union, honored Morse with its

nights driving a six-horse team pulling

$1,000 award for meritorious public service.

ore-filled wagons to the smelter.

He promptly assigned the entire prize to a trust

When his aunt died, he and Hannah

created to fund scholarships in Landye’s mem-

moved near May and her husband in

ory. Several of Landye’s closest friends stepped

Portland. Self-supporting from age 13,

up as trustees: E. B. MacNaughton, president of

he worked as a union-represented mailer

the Oregonian Publishing Company and First

for the Oregonian and the Oregon Journal while

National Bank; J. D. McDonald, state president

going to school. At 15, he organized the press

of the AFL-CIO; Kenneth J. O’Connell, a UO law

operators into the guild, leading them on a

professor and former Oregon Supreme Court

strike for improved working conditions.

chief justice; Ben Anderson, one of Landye’s law partners and a state representative; David C. Shaw, a UO law professor; and Robert Mautz, BL ’28, partner in the firm that is now Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.

In 1993, Landye’s son Tom organized transfer of the privately managed endowment to the UO Foundation and contributed additional funds so the annual awards would meet the present-day needs of law students. He and his wife Pat also have made a gift in their estate that they hope will eventually support full rides for Landye Scholars.

“I think this is what my dad would want,” he says.

—MWL

3 FAMILY MAN Landye met and fell in love with Reed College transfer Ethel Mason, BA ’31, while both were UO students. After graduating, she took her

Melody Ward Leslie, BA ’79, is a UO staff writer.

dent of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile

first teaching job in Klamath Falls, making the

Top to bottom: Jim Landye (third from left) with his catch in Guaymas, Mexico. Landye as a baby, with his older sisters and aunt in 1910.

Schoolboy by day, miner by night. Landye with his children and his sister May, in 1948.

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

53

Old Oregon

CLASS NOTES

Class Notes 1950s

INDICATES UOAA MEMBER

Do you ever wish we printed more notes from your class?

Your classmates feel that way, too. Submit a note online at OregonQuarterly.com or mail it to Editor, Oregon Quarterly, 5228 University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-5228.

career, and hopes that his

A Parent’s Guide for When

book can improve the lives

a Child Dies (Cedar Fort

of people working in the

Publishing, 2016). She

health-care industry.

also codirects a nonprofit for children in Ukraine

JOHN WHITTY, BS ’54,

After retiring as dean of

called the TOUCH Proj-

BL ’56, is completing his

education at Boise State

ect (Take One Ukrainian

60th year as a practicing

University, JOYCE

Child’s Hand) through

lawyer with a firm in Coos

GARRETT, BA, ’68, MS

the Corvallis Sister Cities

Bay. In March, he pub-

’73, MA ’81, PhD ’82,

Association.

lished his first book, titled

moved to Prineville and

Coos County Bench, Bar,

served on the boards of

After 37 years with Port-

and Beyond (CreateSpace,

Central Oregon Commu-

land General Electric,

2016), about Coos County

nity College, the High

most recently as senior

lawyers, judges, clients,

Desert Museum, and

auditor, DOUG PLAM-

and their cases from 1853

OMSI. She now lives in

BECK, BA ’72, has retired.

through 2014. He is mar-

Wenatchee, Washing-

He and his wife, Carol,

ried to Teri Berg and has

ton, where she teaches

have already traveled to

six children; four of them

grant-writing classes at

Iceland and England, and

attended the UO.

Wenatchee Valley Col-

plan to explore more of

lege and writes grants

the world from their home

for schools and nonprofit

base in Tualatin.

1960s

organizations across the US.

JOE M. FISCHER, BS

Jaqi Thompson, Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, 1966

1956 and ’66 Reunions

T

he University of Oregon Alumni Association is hosting two class reunions this fall: the Class of 1956 Reunion from October 14 to 15 and the Class of 1966 Reunion from October 27 to 29. Graduates of the Class of 1966 are being challenged by classmate and 1999 UO Presidential Medal recipient Dave Petrone to endow a PathwayOregon scholarship in the class’s name to support an Oregonian student attending the University of Oregon. “PathwayOregon is an outstanding program, and an endowed PathwayOregon scholarship is a worthy goal for our 50th reunion,” said Petrone. “Through our scholarship, we can provide the same life-changing UO experience we received for generations to come.” Members of the Class of 1956 established a scholarship fund during their own 50th reunion in 2006, and are asking classmates to reaffirm their support for the scholarship to aid current and future UO students. For more information, including reunion schedules and registration information, visit uoalumni.com/reunions.

54

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AUTU M N 201 6

After 36 years with the Chubb group of insur-

’60, MFA ’63, and his wife

MARC H. ALPORT, MBA

ance companies, TONY

Alona continue to support

’69, has joined Wells Fargo

MCCULLER, BEd ’74,

their fine arts scholarship

Advisors’ Portland branch

retired at the end of May.

at the UO. Joe donated

as a first vice president

McCuller served as vice

a portrait of Kimie, a

of investments. He has

president and executive

10-year-old chimp who

been a financial advisor

field property underwriter

recently passed away, to

for 30 years and previ-

for the company’s western

Chimps, the primate res-

ously served as a financial

territory. He plans to travel

cue program in Bend.

advisor at Morgan Stanley

with his wife, Julia, and

Smith Barney.

enjoy tailgating parties

CLAUDE HALPIN, BS ’61,

while following the Ducks

on Recognizing the Leader

1970s

Within You (10-10-10 Pub-

ALICE HENDERSON

for 31 years at Providence St.

lishing, 2016). Halpin was

RAMPTON, BA ’72, coau-

Vincent Medical Center in

CEO of three major Cana-

thored a book titled Find-

Portland, DARYL ADAM-

dian hospitals during his

ing Life after Losing One:

SON, MD, BS ’74, has

completed his first book, Heroes in the Halls: The Book

football team.

After practicing radiology

F L A S H B AC K

1966

Asked to identify “indispensible books,” faculty members Francis Reithel, Robert Trotter, Kingsley Whitehead, and Edwin Bingham offer a polyglot list. Suggestions range from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America to such lesser-known works as Iris Murdoch’s The Red and the Green and Juan Jimenez’s Platero and I. PHOTOGRAPH: 1966 OREGANA

DUCKS AFIELD Future Duck Shelby O’Neil, Salli O’Neil, TERRILYN BURKE, BS ’83, and proud mom Duck ELMA BURKE share smiles on a sunny, pristine beach in St. Martin.

We love to track Duck migrations! Send us your favorite photos of yourself, classmates, family, and friends showing your Duck pride around the world. Attach a high resolution JPEG file to an email and send to quarterly@uoregon.edu, or submit them online at OregonQuarterly.com.

retired. He plans to enjoy

Duck in a veritable sea of

enjoying a glass of wine

RON VAN DER VEEN,

Standard Insurance Com-

the executive team of Feed-

the great outdoors with his

Huskies and Cougars. An

with dinner (a privilege

BArch ’81, has been

pany, where she’s been

ing America. Kim previ-

two standard schnauzers

occasional escape to China

Steve had to sacrifice while

selected to join the Amer-

employed for more than

ously worked with the Bill

and continue a tradition of

has been a welcome respite

working nights).

ican Institute of Archi-

22 years. For the past year,

and Melinda Gates Foun-

weekly pilgrimages to Aut-

from all that barking and

tects’ College of Fellows.

she’s been a volunteer at

dation, where she served

zen in the fall.

growling.

Ron is a design leader and

SMART (Start Making

in a number of senior roles

principal for NAC Archi-

a Reader Today) and at

in their Global Policy and

tecture, where he focuses

Harper’s Playground. In

Advocacy division.

DON CHALMERS, BS

STEVE COLLIER, BA

1980s

’71, JD ’75, is celebrating

’75, retired in June after a

Milwaukie, Oregon, plan-

on higher-education

her spare time, she enjoys

22 years as a consultant

40-year career as a news-

ning director DENNY

work. He lives in Seattle

traveling and spending

KATHRYN BOURN, BS

with SparrowHawk Con-

paper reporter and edi-

EGNER, MS ’81, has been

with his wife and three

time with “the most per-

’87, has joined Gresham

sulting, a firm he founded

tor, culminating in nearly

named to the prestigious

boys. There’s never a dull

fect godson ever!”

Family and Bankruptcy

in 1994 to serve nonprof-

19 years as a copy editor

American Institute of Cer-

moment!

its, tribal governments,

at the Register-Guard in

tified Planners College of

and state agencies. Based

Eugene. He and his wife,

Fellows for his outstand-

in Tumwater, Washing-

Judy, plan to travel, vol-

ton, Don is often the only

unteer, and return to

Law as an associate attorKIMBERLY “KIM”

ney. Her practice focuses

CATHRYN CURRAN, BA

HAMILTON, BA ’84, has

on family law, includ-

ing achievements in urban

’84, is very happy with

been named chief impact

ing divorce, custody,

planning.

her job as a legal analyst at

officer and a member of

and restraining-order

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

55

Old Oregon

CLASS NOTES

proceedings. In addition,

responses induced by laser

she represents grand-

treatment, simulation of

parents and other con-

light transport in tissues,

cerned relatives of families

and monitoring of cancer

involved in the foster care

treatment using different

system.

imaging techniques.

CODY YEAGER, MA ’88,

In July 2015, Governor

is serving as the dean of

Kate Brown appointed

Career Technical Educa-

PATRICIA WIGGINS

tion at Southwestern Ore-

PERLOW, BS ’85, JD ’89,

gon Community College in

as the first female district

Coos Bay.

attorney of Lane County.

She is known for imple-

WEI R. CHEN, MS ’84,

menting programs to make

PhD ’88, is the new dean of

the community safer.

the College of Mathematics

Chen’s main research

1990s

interests include laser-tis-

LISA FLETCHER, BS

sue interactions for both

’90, has joined the Wash-

soft and hard tissues, laser

ington, DC, news team

photothermal treatment of

7 on Your Side as senior

cancer, antitumor immune

continued on page 58

and Science at the University of Central Oklahoma.

DUCKS AFIELD SHARON (BOTTOMS) MADDEN, BS ’95, rocks a Ducks T-shirt while visiting the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, with her family.

Will Power

“Thank you!”

Elizabeth Lytle, BA ’14, MEd ’15 Wilbur M. Watters Education Scholar Walker Educator Diversity Scholar

Is the UO in your Will? giftplan.uoregon.edu

More than a dozen scholarships, all funded by gifts, helped Elizabeth Lytle achieve her dream of becoming a high school English teacher. Find out how including the UO in your estate plans can help students like Elizabeth transform their lives.

56

O R E G O N Q U A R T E R LY

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AUTU M N 201 6

Contact us 541-346-1687 800-289-2354 giftplan@uoregon.edu

uoalumni.com/reunion1956

uoalumni.com/reunion1966 Return to the University of Oregon campus and renew acquaintances, reminisce, and see what has remained the same and what has changed since your college days.

1956: OCTOBER 14–15, 2016 · 1966: OCTOBER 27–29, 2016 · EUGENE 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

57

Old Oregon

CLASS NOTES

F L A S H B AC K

1946 Serving as trusted advisers to UO Alumni and families for nearly 50 years.

The UO sets a new enrollment record this fall with 5,500 students attending the university, including a freshman class of at least 1,800. The previous record was 3,300 students. Registrar Curtis E. Avery expects 3,500 men and 2,000 women. Of the men, about 60 percent will be veterans. investigative reporter. She

NIKKI SWANSON, BS ’92,

as a prosecutor for the

will also report on Sinclair

achieved her dream job as

Malheur County District

Broadcast Group’s nation-

the new Sweet Home dis-

Attorney’s Office.

ally syndicated investiga-

trict ranger. Previously, she

tive news magazine Full

served for 14 years as the

SARAH MEANS, BS ’02,

Measure. Fletcher has been

Fisheries and Watershed

MS ’11, has been chosen

host of Al Jazeera Amer-

Program manager for the

as Lane County’s new

ica’s award-winning The

Willamette National Forest.

community and economic

Stream and was a national

541-762-0300

101 E Broadway, Suite 480

www.sapientpwm.com

Eugene, OR 97401

development manager. She

correspondent for ABC

In April, KRISTINA

landed the role after serv-

News.

WEISCHADLE , BS ’96,

ing as the economic devel-

joined Carlson Wagon-

opment analyst for Lane

A former detective in the

lit Travel as a director of

County since 2012.

Springfield police force,

program management.

SCOTT JAMES, BS ’91,

Weischadle, who was

In November 2015,

has published his second

most recently the global

TRAVIS SMITH, BS ’03,

crime novel, Heist: An

travel manager for WE

was named assistant dean

American Bank Robbery

Communications, will be

of advancement in the Carl-

(CreateSpace, 2016).

responsible for the global

son School of Management

program management of

at the University of Min-

MARK BAKER, BS ’92,

the Bill and Melinda Gates

nesota. He oversees major

of the Register-Guard,

Foundation.

and principal gift fundrais-

received a Best of the West

2000s

The story, about Syrian

Governor Kate Brown

RYAN JOHNSON, BS ’05,

refugee Ali Turki Ali,

selected ERIN K. LANDIS,

has been hired as King

was chosen from among

JD ’02, to join Malheur

Estate Winery’s director

97 entries in the 14-state

County Circuit Court. He

of brand marketing. He is

contest.

previously served 13 years

Level 1–certified from the

form feature “Eugene Is

October 28–30, 2016 homecoming.uoregon.edu

ing, as well as alumni rela-

Syrian’s Safe Haven.”

award in May for his long-

F L A S H B AC K

1986

tions, annual giving, and corporate relations.

Journalism grad Trish Weisman, BS ’76, reflects on having chosen to be a stay-at-home mom. She writes of a conversation with her five-year-old, who asked, “Will you still be my mama after you’re dead?” When Weisman reassures her daughter that she will always be in her heart, her daughter waves this idea away with her little hands and answers, “No, no, how will I get you to do things for me when you’re dead?”

58

O R E G O N Q U A R T E R LY

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AUTU M N 201 6

THE ARCHIVE

PROJECT

In partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting, The Archive Project features engaging talks from more than 30 years of Literary Arts in Portland.

Featured authors include:

Mary Oliver

Chimamanda Adichie

Oliver Sacks

Here are three ways to listen:

Stream on iTunes by searching for “Literary Arts.”

Tune in to OPB Radio Wednesday at 9:00 p.m.

Listen online at literary-arts.org/archives.

F L A S H B AC K

1966

At the annual art school potlatch, held at the beach, a student stirs a steaming barrel while others cheer him on. The potlatch featured sandy steaks and stew washed down with “plenty to drink,” Oregana reported.

Court of Master Somme-

DREW VANDEBERGHE ,

2015–16 6A Girls Track-

liers, and has an extensive

BS ’07, his brother, JUSTIN

and-Field Coach of the

background in the Califor-

VANDEBERGHE , BS ’07,

Year after the Sam Barlow

nia wine industry.

and longtime friend,

High School girls team

OLIVER ROLLER, BS ’07,

won the 2015 Oregon 6A

JAN VERBERKMOES,

founded iVET360, a Port-

Girls Track-and-Field

BA ’07, was selected to par-

land-based company that

Title, the first for the

ticipate in the 27th session

provides management

school since 1983.

of the Sewanee Writers’

services for private prac-

Conference in Tennessee.

tice veterinarians. The

In 2015, ARTHUR

The annual conference,

company has clients in 25

MCMAHON, BS ’08, hiked

held during July, gives tal-

states around the country.

the entirety of the 2,650-

ented writers a chance to

mile Pacific Crest Trail

work with industry profes-

SCOTT JONES, BS ’07,

alongside his fiancée, Jill

sionals during the 12-day

was named Oregon Ath-

Alexander. They blogged

event.

letic Coaches Association

continued on page 60

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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

59

Old Oregon Yground A L P l a n i ST! The orig CIFIC NORTHWE OF THE PA

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CLASS NOTES

F L A S H B AC K

1976

An article by Donald F. Swinehart, professor of chemistry, recounts the history of a campus sundial that was unveiled at commencement in 1912 in memory of Wilson Pierce Mays, scion of a prominent Oregon family who died young. Swinehart concludes his article with detailed description of how to read a sundial. their journey and refined

The Washington Diver-

Signature Hospice as a

their writing and photos

sity Council has appointed

medical social worker

into a book, Adventure and

TEEONA WILSON, BA

before her diploma arrived

the Pacific Crest Trail (Bald

’12, as their new board vice

in the mail. She lives in a

Crow Publishing, 2016).

president. Wilson proved

small and happy inten-

her abilities as a business

tional community with

EMILY ERDMAN, BA ’09,

leader at Aerotek, a top

her two children, who

has joined the San Fran-

staffing and recruiting

are sophomores at South

cisco office of Polsinelli

company in the US.

Eugene High School.

a labor and employment

BRIAN J. FOX, MBA ’13,

IN MEMORIAM

attorney, she works closely

is the Oregon Institute of

with employers to develop

Technology’s new vice pres-

WILLIAM PATRICK

strategic approaches to

ident of finance and admin-

SANDERLIN, BS ’69, died

complex workplace issues.

istration. He previously

May 23 at age 68. After

She began her career

worked as a senior associate

serving in the Peace Corps,

working for the National

with HCM Strategists and

he worked throughout his

Labor Relations Board

was director of university

career to create programs

in Region 32 in Oakland,

finance and budget for Ore-

that benefitted at-risk and

California.

gon’s Higher Education

low-income populations.

Coordinating Commission.

He and his family loved

LLP as an associate. As

KAWIKA ASAM, BS ’12,

the theater and frequently

started a Hawaiian food

MAGGIE KOVACS, BS ’13,

appeared in productions

cart called Every Day

coached Virginia’s Langley

together. He was a great out-

Kine Grindz after realiz-

High School varsity girls

doorsman and harbored a

ing how much he missed

lacrosse team to a perfect

deep love for the mountains.

the food from his home

regular season, which

in Hawaii. After he and

qualified them for the play-

REGINA DE MATTEI, BA

his partner had a child

offs. She was also named

’33, MA ’36, died on April

in 2013, he invited his

Liberty District Coach of

22 at age 101. She was mar-

parents, who worked for

the Year for lacrosse.

ried to Victor De Mattei for

a catering business in

53 years. She graduated

Hawaii, to help run the

KASEJA WILDER, BA

from college at 18, was fluent

food truck in Eugene.

’12, MA ’15, was hired by

in several languages, and

F L A S H B AC K

1936

Three new buildings greet students this fall. A new university hospital at the corner of East 13th and Onyx is ready to treat ailing students. Nearly ready for occupancy are a new library and a physical education plant.

60

O R E G O N Q U A R T E R LY

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AUTU M N 201 6

taught French and Spanish

SAM BELL , MS ’57, died

for 20 years. She loved music

June 27 at age 88. He was

and art, and played the

a well-known track coach

piano throughout her life.

at multiple universities and provided coaching to

DUANE CARLSON, BS ’42,

several athletes who later

died June 7 at age 95. He was

became Olympic runners.

inducted into military ser-

In 1992, he was inducted

vice through the UO ROTC

into the National Track

program. He was married

Hall of Fame. With his

to his wife and best friend,

wife, Fran, he had three

Frances C. Carlson, who

daughters and a son.

shared his love of travel.

BEVERLY JOY YODER J. CRAIG CANFIELD, BS

BOYLE , MEd ’64, died

’55, died May 5. He served

April 22. She taught in

in the US Army as a cap-

the David Douglas School

tain, and was a principal

District in Portland for

investigator of multiple

several years. She was

antimalarial drugs. His

married to her husband,

work as a doctor was well-

Richard, for more than

known and he eventually

51 years and had two

developed his own com-

sons. She and her hus-

pany, Pharmaceutical Sys-

band enjoyed traveling

tems Inc.

continued on page 62

DUCKS AFIELD As a team leader for a Rotary International vocational training team, JOHN COOPER, BS ’82, was able to visit Uluru (located in central Australia and also known as Ayers Rock) and rep the Ducks with a banner he purchased at the 2012 Rose Bowl. He’s taken the banner to multiple places across the world.

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

61

Old Oregon

CLASS NOTES

FL AS H BACK

2006 At the University of Oregon

INDULGE

YOUR MIND

A report on the release of the second edition of the UO’s Atlas of Trees includes the disturbing statistic that 175 tons of leaves will need to be raked, blown, and hauled on campus this fall. The book catalogs the height, canopy, and location of 3,900 trees. the world together after

students from first grade

decades, serving as direc-

retirement.

through graduate school.

tor of the Office of Fed-

• Lectures, discussions, and study groups for adults who know learning has no age limit.

JUDD ALLEN ROBERTS,

LESLIE “LES”

provost of central admin-

BS ’70, of Scottsdale, Ari-

WEATHERHEAD, BA ’77,

istration. After she left

• No tests, no grades—just learning for the joy of it!

zona, died unexpectedly

died in Spokane on May 9.

the university, President

on June 11. An architect

The son of UO professors

Ford appointed her to the

who designed commercial

Ingrid and A. Kingsley

National Advisory Wom-

buildings, Roberts is sur-

Weatherhead, Les was

en’s Council on Women’s

vived by his wife and best

a lifetime member of the

Educational Programs.

friend, Lynda. He loved his

UOAA, a founder of the

She and her husband

pets, and enjoyed creating

Inland Northwest Ducks

retired in 1988, but con-

and viewing artwork.

chapter, a UOAA board

tinued to volunteer for the

member, and a Ducks

rest of their lives.

Join OLLI-UO in Eugene-Springfield or Central Oregon

LEARN MORE 800-824-2714 • 541-346-0697 • http://osher.uoregon.edu EO/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity. ©2016 University of Oregon.

CELEBRATE THE YEEEEHAAA the kids are back in school SEASON

eral Relations and vice

BRENDA BELL ALLEN,

fanatic. His obituary in the

BS ’73, of Portland, died

Spokesman-Review noted

JOAN ACKER, PhD ’67,

October 22 at age 65. She

that “his spirit lives on in

died June 21. A sociology

worked for the offices of

. . . his dear friends, espe-

professor at the University

Pendleton Woolen Mills

cially those whose love of

of Oregon, Acker was an

for 37 years as a credit ana-

the Oregon Ducks defied

internationally recognized

lyst. She was married to

reason.”

feminist scholar whose

her husband, Pete Allen, for 32 years.

ZOLA G. DUNBAR, MEd

research centered on gen-

FACULTY AND STAFF IN MEMORIAM

’65, EdD ’79, died at age 88

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62

O R E G O N Q U A R T E R LY

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AUTU M N 201 6

der inequalities. She also taught for several years at the Swedish Center for Working Life. She received

on October 8 in Portland.

JOANNE MARIE

the American Sociologi-

She was director of admis-

CARLSON, BA ’50, died

cal Association’s Career

sions, field services, and

June 25 at the age of 87.

of Distinguished Schol-

certification for the School

A member of Alpha Phi

arship Award and the

of Education at Portland

sorority and Phi Beta

Association’s Jessie Ber-

State University. During

Kappa, she worked at the

nard Award for feminist

her career, she taught

UO for more than two

scholarship.

F L A S H B AC K

1996

The Eugene City Council has banned both dogs and skateboards on East 13th Avenue between Kincaid and Ferry and on Alder Street between East 12th and East 14th. The ordinance is meant to relieve congestion in the area. No word on whether dogs riding skateboards will receive special dispensation.

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F L A S H B AC K

1956

A cartoon in Old Oregon depicts the complexities of life in married student housing, where one family has five kids ranging from 10 years to five months. Rent is currently $26 per month.

A former professor in the

War II and later worked

School of Music and Dance,

as a prison psychologist.

PETER BERGQUIST died

After receiving his degree

June 11. After serving in the

from the UO, he spent 25

US Air Force, he earned a

years as a faculty mem-

bachelor’s degree in bas-

ber, and is remembered

soon performance and

as a peaceful man of great

then received a doctorate

intelligence.

Wherever you are, whatever amazing things you’re doing, we want to hear about it.

Submit class notes to Quarterly@uoregon.edu or by mail to: Oregon Quarterly 5228 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-5228

IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN PORTLAND

UO RATES START at

$145 BENSONHOTEL.COM

888.523.6766

from Columbia University.

He became the foremost

THELMA RAY

American authority on

FAULKNER, better known

16th-century Italian music

as “T-Ray” by her students,

theorist Orlando di Lasso,

died June 9 at age 84. She

earned the UO’s Ersted

taught modern dance at the

Award for Distinguished

University of Oregon.

Teaching, and remained an active bassoon player in

Surrounded by friends,

New York and Eugene for

EARLE M. CHILES died

many years.

June 23 at the age of 83.

He was the president of

SAUL TOOBERT,

the Chiles Foundation,

PhD ’65, a former profes-

whose gift in the name of

sor of counseling psychol-

his father helped renovate

ogy, died on May 29. Born

what is now known as the

into an immigrant family,

Earle A. Chiles Business

he and his siblings were

Center. The Chiles family

often given only a kiss

was dedicated to improv-

and some tears for din-

ing the education of all

ner. He served in World

students.

www.EugeneAleTrail.org

We love it when you take flight.

Just don’t forget us back at the nest.

Send your latest contact information to: alumrec@uofoundation.org 541-302-0336

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63

Old Oregon

DUCK TALE

The varsity ski team in the 1951 Oregana.

First row: Neil Mathison, Dick Portwood, Saul Zaik, George McMath.

Second row: Clayton Foster, Stewart McCollom

T

Ski Bums

Meet the varsity ski team of 1952.

his is a story about how a small

BY STEWART group of enthusiasts persuaded the University of Oregon administration to establish competitive skiing as a varsity sport.

In America, collegiate skiing started in several Ivy League colleges in the 1930s. It was not until shortly after World War II that a few Eugene-area citizens started a ski club. The owner of a small local winter resort volunteered to provide some modest financial support for the UO skiers who had aspirations of skiing competitively with other college skiers from Washington, Colorado, Utah, and California.

University of Oregon athletics director Leo Harris was asked to give his blessing to the plan to establish a team. A creditable university voice for the idea came from track-and-field coach Bill Bowerman. He had been a major in the 10th Mountain Division during World War II and was a longtime winter sports enthusiast. Bowerman volunteered to conduct the time trials leading to the selection of the team from about 30 aspirants. Harris agreed to the plan, and competitive skiing was launched at the UO. Later, Bowerman stood for four hours in the rain and slush of Hoodoo Bowl, with stopwatch in hand, recording the racing times of those attempting to qualify for the team. The competitive events involved jumping and cross-county competitions and downhill and slalom racing.

Around the same time, athletes in other sports were advocating to elevate various “minor sports” to varsity status. Somehow the fledging ski program made the cut. Harris set the qualifications for individual competitors to earn a varsity letter at a very high level. He also made sure these fun-loving skiers kept on the straight and narrow. A chaperone— usually a faculty member—accompanied the ski team to every ski meet.

64

O R E G O N Q U A R T E R LY

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AUTU M N 201 6

Harris traveled with the team to the Reno Winter Carnival. Gene Harlow was the team’s nonskiing “coach.” Also, a training schedule was developed, which was supervised by a graduate student. Much of the training was at Hoodoo Ski Bowl, where the team occasionally helped reduce their room-and-board costs at Suttle Lake Lodge by waiting tables for the breakfast and dinner guests.

It was not unusual for a team member to make a delicious cup of tomato soup from the free ingredients of tomato ketchup, hot water from the tea water dispenser, and a very liberal number of saltine crackers.

After graduation, this group of carefree, fun-loving, low-budget skiers moved on to new challenges. Larry Black, BS ’52, with a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, started Black and Company, one of the first investment banking firms in Oregon after World War II. Dick Portwood, BBA ’51, became director of home and personal services in five western states for the US West telephone company after serving in the Korean conflict as a naval officer. Architects Saul Zaik, BArch ’52, and George McMath, BArch ’59, left their imprint as widely acclaimed leaders in their fields of design and historic reconstruction. Zaik received coveted American Institute of Architects awards for the Timberline Lodge renovation, construction of the headquarters building at Crater Lake National Park, and construction of the Salishan shopping center. Norwegian exchange student Arne Borgnes, BA ’52, earned a graduate degree at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and became the international sales manager for Ford Motors. Jan Onsrud, BA ’52, became a CPA and settled in Eugene. And I became the president of Clatsop Community College in Astoria and acting president at Southern Oregon University. I also served as a Jackson County commissioner.

Not too bad for a bunch of carefree, fun-loving ski bums!

McCOLLOM

Stewart McCollom, BS ’55, was a varsity skier for the UO and lives in Ashland.

PHOTOGRAPH: 1951 OREGANA

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