FINANCIAL SAVVY | TECHNOLOGIES OF RESISTANCE | OSCAR HONOR SUMMER 2021 Faculty, friends, and grads flock toward a new era of service T H E M A G 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 Imagine the possibilities. Upon reflection, if there’s something this past year has taught us, it’s to fear a little less and live a little more. To take the time to look closely for opportunities that make strategic sense, but also just feel right. To take actions that enhance our lives. At the start of this year, we welcomed Valentine Ventures, one of Central Oregon’s leading wealth management firms, to our ASI team. This merger was based on exploring the possibilities and realizing that our shared values and commitment to amazing customer services make us even stronger together. Like you, we’re imagining a new future—and we’d love to learn more about what that means to you. Serving the Pacific Northwest asiwealthmanagement.com 800.377.1449 YOU DON’T HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR TO EXPERIENCE UNFORGETTABLE Action packed adventures await in Southern Oregon. Between the true blue waters of Crater Lake and the prehistoric tunnels of the Oregon Caves is a land of lush farms, vineyards growing every variety of grape, wild rivers, waterfalls, hiking trails, breweries, craft coffee shops, restaurants, and picturesque downtowns to shop and stroll. Experience Southern Oregon hospitality from the center of it all. Choose from three unique Ashland properties. Downtown Ashland - Historic Ashland Springs Hotel Enjoy mineral soaking baths, historic ambiance, lush gardens, retro-modern design, and more. BOOK YOUR GETAWAY & SAVE! NeumanHotelGroup.com Ashland Springs Hotel • Lithia Springs Resort Ashland Hills Hotel & SuiteTsH •E LMAARGKASZ I•N EL uOnF aT HCEa UfNeI V•E WRSaITtYe rOsFto OnReE GSOpNa s 5 dialogue FROM THE PRESIDENT that build on the UO’s academic strengths to meet students’ and societal needs, and contribute to the greater good. Read about these efforts starting on page 26. In addition to advancing new curriculum and research, universities of the future need THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON to be committed to providing students with SUMMER 2021 • VOLUME 100 NUMBER 4 the tools necessary to use their educations to create fulfilling lives. Another article in this edition describes how the Lundquist PUBLISHER George Evano College of Business is putting fresh energy gevano@uoregon.edu | 541-346-2379 into career readiness and financial literacy. MANAGING EDITOR Matt Cooper New course requirements and networking mattc@uoregon.edu | 541-346-8875 platforms are providing students with CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Alice Tallmadge the guidance and the means to identify CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION Oregon Media promising careers and connect with alumni info@oregonmedia.com | 541-389-4383 and professionals in them. PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATOR Shelly Cooper The business college is also teaming scooper@uoregon.edu | 541-346-5045 Building On up with the financial aid office to provide PROOFREADERS Jennifer Archer, Sharleen Nelsonstudents with unprecedented support in INTERN Griffin Reilly Our Strengths developing money-management skills and other budgeting savvy best described as WEBSITE OregonQuarterly.com “financial wellness.” That support includes MAILING ADDRESS 5228 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-5228 peer financial coaches, workshops, and he University of Oregon recently access to faculty and alumni expertise in tax EMAIL quarterly@uoregon.edu PHONE 541-346-5045 T planning, investing, and even car buying. ADVERTISING SALES Ross Johnson, Oregon Media celebrated the Class of 2021’s graduation with our first large-scale Our ability to build on strengths owes ross@oregonmedia.com | 541-948-5200 OREGON QUARTERLY is published by the UO in January, campus event since the start of the pandemic. in part to the success of our $3 billion April, July, and October and distributed free to members of the Watching our jubilant graduates parade fundraising campaign. Powered by more alumni association and cost-sharing schools and departments. down 13th Avenue was glorious—a sign of than 146,000 donors, it’s the most ambitious Printed in the USA. © 2021 University of Oregon. All rights better times to come. This extraordinary year and successful fundraising campaign ever reserved. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of challenged us like never before and revealed undertaken in Oregon, and we intend to the UO administration. the depths of our resilience and ingenuity sprint right through the goal and keep going. CHANGE OF ADDRESS Alumni Records, as a community. As we prepare to come As Bill Bowerman once said, “There is no 1204 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1204; back together in fall, we will tap into this finish line.” 541-302-0336, alumrec@uofoundation.org strength and draw from all that we learned Also in the summer issue: a wonderful ADMINISTRATION to create a better normal—one that helps collection of essays from a student-poet in our President Michael H. Schill, Provost and Senior Vice our community recover and prepares our rigorous Kidd creative writing workshops President Patrick Phillips, Vice President for University students to help shape a brighter future. program, which is celebrating 30 years; a Advancement Michael Andreasen, Interim Vice President for University Communications Jennifer Lindsey, Vice President Likewise, this issue of Oregon Quarterly profile of Raoul Liévanos, a sociologist who for Student Services and Enrollment Management Roger showcases areas in which the UO is is laser-focused on inequalities in how people Thompson, Vice President and General Counsel Kevin Reed, building on strengths to create new and experience their environments; and features Vice President for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt, innovative programs to serve the state, on alumni Michael Govier—winner of an Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation Cass region, and world. Academy Award this year—and Jerica Pitts, Moseley, Vice President for Student Life Kevin Marbury, who is on the frontline of pandemic response Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Rob Mullens, Executive Our work on the environment is one Director UO Alumni Association Raphe Beck example. The University of Oregon is known as director of science media relations at Pfizer throughout the world for its commitment to pharmaceutical corporation. UO INFORMATION 541-346-1000 the environment and sustainability. Indeed, These Ducks underscore ways in which these principles are enshrined in our the UO contributes through research, HONORING NATIVE PEOPLES AND LANDS creativity, and professional expertise. The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya Ilihi, the mission statement. Teaching and research traditional homelands of the Kalapuya people. Following occur in virtually every school and college, Building on these strengths and others treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were yet we have never been able to pull all of the across our beautiful campus promises an dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United activity together in a way where “one plus even brighter future for us all. States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, their descendants one equals three.” are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Recognizing our strength in environmental Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the concerns, Provost Patrick Phillips and Siletz Indians of Oregon, and continue to make important faculty members from across the university contributions in their communities, at the UO, and across the land now referred to as Oregon. are working together to build and collaborate on new ways to teach, conduct research, and The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, serve the state of Oregon and beyond. This affirmative-action institution committed to cultural Michael H. Schill diversity and compliance with the Americans with effort is one of a series of academic initiatives President and Professor of Law Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request. 6 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 CHARLIE LITCHFIELD, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS dialogue CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS DIALOGUE 6 6 From the President 10 Letters INTRO 13 14 Campus News 16 Technologies of Resistance 18 Campaign Success 20 Career Readiness 22 Dollars and Sense 24 Profile: Raoul Liévanos, Sociology 25 Bookmarks OLD OREGON 35 36 Michael Govier, Oscar Winner 39 On the Frontline at Pfizer 40 Class Notes 40 Class Notable: Sara Goodrum, Baseballer 42 Class Notable: Faris Cassell, Author 45 Class Notable: Sean Andries, Arts Advocate 48 Ducks Afield 50 Duck Tale: A Home Run 20 for Industry FEATURES 36 26 BUILDING ON STRENGTHS Through fresh collaborations on academic strengths, the UO will reimagine public service for a new era BY ANNA GLAVASH MILLER 30 CREATING THE WRITER As the Kidd creative writing workshops turn 30, a poet reflects on a year in the program BY ANDI BUTTS ON THE COVER As UO graduates of the class of 2021 embark upon their life’s journey, new academic initiatives are taking shape that will offer greater contributions to students and society. On Instagram: #DuckGrad21 COVER PHOTO BY CHRIS LARSEN, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS 30 8 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 BOB DELSOL (TOP); OH GOOD PRODUCTIONS (INSET); DUSTIN WHITAKER, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY RENEWABLE BUILDING MATERIALS Did you know that Oregon is the #1 lumber- producing state in the nation and yet has more trees today than it had 100 years ago? At Seneca we manage our timberlands for thriving wildlife, healthy soil, and cool clean water. Seneca is proud to uphold its legacy of sustainable forestry and renewable building Follow the Seneca Family of materials. ComTHpEa MnAieGsA ZoInN EF OaFc eTbHEo UoNkI V&E RInSsITtaY gOrFa OmREGON 9 dialogue LETTERS multidisciplinary. Please congratulate Dr. Parr for her work. It touches many topics that are of real importance in today’s world. Clarence Baer, PhD ’75 (health education) Lakewood, Colorado The Physics of Perseverance I thought the spring 2021 Oregon Quarterly was excellent! I particularly found Ed Dorsch’s outstanding article about physicist Nicole Wales and her personal struggles to attain academic achievement entirely inspirational. It was a moving and brilliant piece of journalism, but Ms. Wales’s personal story really brought me to tears of joy. Wow! Summation, great reading. Keep up the great work. Daniel Borsuk, BA ’70 (journalism) Anne Helen Petersen Pittsburg, California Calling Out prepared, though it certainly can take some Can’t Even of the fun out of college life. Allan Bird, PhD ’88 (management) Praise for “12 Words”On reading Forest Grove, Oregon A belated thank you for a magnificent piece of author Anne writing, “12 Words,” by Brian Trapp [winter Helen Petersen’s I’m looking forward to reading Anne Helen 2021]. I read it and sobbed. Months later, I observations (Boosting the “Burnout Generation,” spring 2021) about the plight Petersen’s book Can’t Even, about how discovered it in a pile on my desk and read it of Millennials, I was outraged to learn that Millennials might be misperceived. They again. And again I cried. Thanks for keeping someone had crippled them with huge were the first generation to be wholly raised us alums updated and interested. college loan debts. Whoever did this should in the antisocial world of social media, a Susan G. Phinney, BS ’63 (journalism) be forced to pay for it—in full. Who forged world dominated by very little face-to-face Seattle, Washington their signatures on financial aid applications? interaction; I hope Petersen addresses this in Who lied to them about the ease of paying her book. It was telling that her [academic] off student loans? And who spent all of that focus was on “celebrity and celebrity Athletics or Academics? money for what apparently was not a very studies.” Perhaps it’s the Millennials’ I worked my way through college, graduating good return on investment? obsession with how celebrities live—and in 1972 with bachelor’s degrees in anthropology I must confess that I don’t recognize the absurdity of pursuing a career as an and psychology. I deeply resented being forced any of my four children or their friends “influencer”—that has led older generations to pay a fee to support the athletic department in Petersen’s description of Millennials. to denigrate Millennials. However, every every term, since I had no interest in sports Perhaps because my children and their generation derides up-and-comers as lazy events and needed to be careful with my money. friends avoided as much as possible taking and not as formidable as folks were “back in It’s almost 50 years later, but removing that out college loans, instead creatively and the day,” right? Millennials aren’t unique in fee will be a relief to students who don’t follow persistently finding other ways to pay being called out for this. Writing a book about sports. There are a few of us who attend college for their education. They have also not it seems to strengthen the very assertions the for academic reasons. been surprised by the precariousness of author is trying to dispel. Julie Reynolds, BA ’72 (Clark Honors the economy or the misguided economic Matt Emrich, BS ’94 (political science) College, anthropology, psychology) policies of politicians bent on saddling them Cottage Grove, Oregon The Dalles, Oregon and their children with debt in perpetuity because they learned about these issues Making a Difference in their youth. Consequently, they soberly by Design We want to hear from you. pursued educations that would position Submit your letters by email to quarterly@ them to lead productive AND fulfilling lives Congratulations on the fine spring 2021 uoregon.edu, at OregonQuarterly.com, or and were well-prepared upon graduation to Oregon Quarterly. There are several articles by mail to Editor, Oregon Quarterly, 5228 make their way in the world. Life can often that captured my interest; however, “An University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403- be challenging. There is prudence in being Explorer by Design” about Dr. Adrian 5228. Published letters may be edited for Parr stood out. Her work looks to be very brevity, clarity, and style. 10 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 ERIC MATT Studio S Collection The Studio S Collection of bathroom faucets and accessories was inspired by the cool, modern look of urban spaces. Studio S has details and modern silhouettes that will stand out in the bathroom, creating interest and an aesthetic that’s sure to impress. Studio S Collection sets the tone for this urban-inspired bath collection. Visit our showrooms today. thefixturegallery.com SHOWROOMS: SEATTLE | PACIFIC | TIGARD | SALEM | EUGENE | BEND 16 Technologies of Resistance 20 On the Job 22 Dollars and Sense 24 Raoul Liévanos MAKING A SPLASH New in the Allan Price Science Commons and Research Library: 1116 Pages, commissioned through the Oregon Arts Commission Percent for Art program, is a two-ton, steel waterfall-shaped sculpture that appears to pour from the wall. It’s composed of laser-engraved, aluminum-sheet facsimiles of student and faculty lab notes, thesis title pages, numbers, and diagrams—1,116 pages of them—from the library repository. The installation, which spans two floors, celebrates our pool of knowledge, says Eugene sculptor Lee Imonen, MFA ’96 (sculpture). THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 1 3 NICO FLORESCA, PRODUCT DESIGN, CLASS OF 2022, UO LIBRARIES intro CAMPUS NEWS OQ: Name this domestic duck, originally bred as a decoy to draw flying mallards down into hunters’ traps. DH: Call ducks. I don’t hunt, personally, but just some old hunting knowledge. OQ: Correct! Next question—which five Ducks are depicted on the Hayward Field Tower? DH: Steve Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman are on it, but there’s a couple more . . . if I wanted to cheat, I could walk outside, I can see the tower from my house . . . I know one other track-and-field athlete—Otis Davis, so maybe Otis is on there, too. OQ: Well done! Also: Raevyn Rogers and Ashton Eaton. Next question: this Duck won an Emmy for her reporting on QUICK QUACK the Darfur crisis. QUIZ DH: You know, I studied for this quiz last night, but I do not know this one. Mathematician Daniel Hothem, who received his University OQ: How long did you study?of Oregon master of science in DH: About 20 minutes. 2019 and in June completed his PhD here, recently represented the UO in a national OQ: Ann Curry, BA ’78 (journalism). intercollegiate academic quiz tournament. Last question: what are the names of Who better to challenge with OQ duck—and Donald Duck’s children? Duck—trivia? DH: His children, or his nephews? OQ: Name the two categories of ducks. OQ: Ahem. What are the names of DH: There are diving ducks and, um, let’s Donald Duck’s nephews? see—bobbing ducks? DH: Huey, Dewey, and Louie. That’s payback for the Ann Curry question. OQ: Very good! Diving and dabbling. DH: It’s all good, we’re just dabbling a bit in duck trivia here. PROUD PAPAS pregnancy environment: the brood pouch. knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Researchers will collect genomic data “This is science for the joy of Seahorses, pipefishes, and seadragons are from dissected pouch tissues. They will understanding the world, because we’re different from other vertebrates in a also gather imaging data from virtual human and we’re curious and we sometimes critical way: among these fish, it’s the dissections—no actual cutting involved— just want to discover,” Cresko says. “These male that becomes pregnant. using an x-ray microscope, a powerful, are simply beautiful and fascinating Why have the fish evolved this way? ultra-high resolution 3D imaging system. organisms. Sometimes research is worth That’s the million-dollar question—or rather, This microscope was recently acquired doing simply to know how the diversity of a $1.6 million National Science Foundation with a grant to UO researchers from the MJ life evolves.” grant that will fund collaborative University Murdock Charitable Trust and is housed of Oregon and University of Idaho research in the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for on genetic and developmental changes in Accelerating Scientific Impact. the fish over millennia that produced this The study may eventually inform our evolutionary innovation. Researchers understanding of health and disease. But will also examine how microbes and their according to Bill Cresko, evolutionary biologist, vertebrate hosts interact in this novel the project is, first and foremost, about gaining pregnant male pipefish 14 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 CHARLIE LITCHFIELD, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS (HOTHEM); ALLISON FUITEN/CRESKO LAB ON THE MOVE Thomas brings hip- hop and urban dance It’s a national first and it’s coming expertise to the UOto the University of Oregon this fall: a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance that requires mastery of both African- and European-based dance forms. Ten years in the making, the new program—the only BFA dance degree offered in Oregon—is “worthy of the UO’s heritage as the first school in the United States to offer an academic dance program beginning in 1914,” says Sabrina Madison- Cannon, Phyllis and Andrew Berwick Dean of the School of Music and Dance. “We will immerse our students in a complete program covering everything from ballet to hip-hop, and we look forward with great anticipation to seeing what they create from this diverse training.” The degree will prepare students for dance-related careers such as performing and teaching, arts administration, technical fields such as lighting design, and opportunities in health fields involving somatics, a practice that helps heal the body through movement. In addition to the BFA, the certificate in dance from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s in school will continue its popular liberal arts degree in dance. interdisciplinary studies from Georgia College. Concurrent with the new program, the school hired Hannah The dance department is also excited about summer Victoria Thomas, a hip-hop and urban dance specialist, as an improvements to its home in Gerlinger Annex, including assistant professor. Trained in styles including contemporary dance, renovation of the student lounge and costume area, made possible jazz, ballet, modern, and African, she earned an MFA and teaching by a generous gift from the Giustina Foundation. “Meaningful change is —Cheyney Ryan, Clark made by young people. Honors College professor emeritus of philosophy We look to the activism and law, during his of young people to May commencement address at Quinnipiac define for us new University, Connecticut, which awarded Ryan possibilities—which an Honorary Doctor of is why hope always Humane Letters for his “impact as a leading begins with them.” scholar on the frontier of peace and conflict studies and numerous awards for human rights activism.” THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 1 5 JAMIL DAWODU (THOMAS) stronger together Jones of the New York Times magazine; and Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Starks, who earned a bachelor’s degree in general science, is ferreting out common threads of the works for university-wide conversations, academic collaborations, and other exercises to better appreciate Black, Indigenous, Afro-Indigenous, and related racial identities. Says Starks: “I hope to contribute to the ongoing conversations within and across the Black and Native communities around decentering white supremacy and settler colonialism”—the ongoing replacement of Indigenous populations by an invasive settler society. “Hopefully, in doing so,” she adds, “we can fully realize that our movements for Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty are parallel technologies of resistance. They are interconnected. They are compatible. And without romanticizing our complex histories, hopefully we can acknowledge the ways our peoples have managed to build community and invest in kinship modalities with one another despite the oppression we’ve both endured under the US project.” An activist, model, and owner of Portland-based Conscious Coils salon, Starks drew broad media attention in 2013 while leading a legislative effort that legalized the work of natural hair stylists, whose Starks is helping the UO use of braids, twists, and other styles is a cultural tradition among explore Indigenous and Africans and African Americans. She has worked with the Urban Black concerns League of Portland, a Black civil rights organization that supported her legislative campaign, and has led racial-awareness activities Technologies of through the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation of Washington, Seattle’s Indigenous People Festival, and the Center for Race and Resistance Gender at University of California, Berkeley, among others.Julie Voelker-Morris, director of UO Common Reading, a program of UESS, says Starks is essential to Common Reading’s goal of BY MATT COOPER building community, enriching curriculum, and engaging research through the shared experience of important literary works. s a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma and a “Amber Starks is a living embodiment of the UO Division of Equity Black American, 2003 alumna Amber Starks is immersed in and Inclusion’s LACE model,” she says. “She absolutely leads with issues important to many Native Americans and ‘love, authenticity, courage, and empathy.’” African Americans. Professor Kirby Brown, director of Native American and She has devoted her life to sovereignty for Indigenous nations and Indigenous Studies at the UO and a partner with Common Reading, liberation for Black people. She believes partnerships between Black says Starks will help the UO community to better understand the and Indigenous peoples—and all people of color—can dismantle the Kalapuya people, the Indigenous nation on whose traditional land in beliefs that drive anti-Blackness and white supremacy and redress the the Willamette Valley—called Kalapuya Ilihi—the university is located. damage wrought by settler colonialism globally. “Situated at the intersections of Indigenous and Black history and Now she’s helping the University of Oregon examine these issues. experience, Amber’s art and activism importantly center, celebrate, Under a grant from the UO Savage Endowment for International and affirm those relationships,” Brown says. “At the same time, Relations and Peace, Starks is in residence through 2022—virtually her work challenges us to reckon with the complicated histories, as necessary—with the UO Common Reading program. The Portland relationships to place, and responsibilities to each other and to the resident is working with stakeholders to explore intersections of Indigenous peoples, lands, and other-than-human relations that have Indigenous and Black concerns through the Common Reading long called—and continue to call—Kalapuya Ilihi home.” selections This Is My America, by Kimberly Johnson, BS ’01 (ethnic studies), vice provost for the Undergraduate Education and Student Matt Cooper is managing editor for Oregon Quarterly. Success division (UESS); The 1619 Project podcast, by Nikole Hannah- For more, visit fyp.uoregon.edu/common-read 16 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 JOSUÉ RIVAS (@JOUSE_FOTO) HNW_NRG_C_Inset_Mask 2021 2021 Forbes/SHOOK Forbes/SHOOK Best-In-State Best-In-State Wealth Advisor Wealth Advisors Charles Gall Kelly Hale Senior Vice President – Senior Vice President – Financial Advisor Financial Advisor Senior Portfolio Manager – Senior Portfolio Manager – Portfolio Focus Portfolio Focus The Gall Hale Team 805 Southwest Broadway, Suite 1800 | Portland, OR 97205 (503) 833-5244 | www.gallhale.com RBC Wealth Management is pleased to announce that Charles and Kelly were named to the Forbes/SHOOK Best-In-State Wealth Advisor list in the U.S. Best-In-State rankings were developed by SHOOK Research and are based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations and quantitative criteria, including assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Please join us in congratulating Charles and Kelly on this noteworthy honor. Investment and insurance products offered through RBC Wealth Management are WHERE YOU CAN... not insured by the FDIC or any other federal government agency, are not deposits or RELAX, ENJOY, ESCAPE other obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank or any bank affi liate, and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested. Source: Forbes.com (January 2021). Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and Discover the Oregon Coast. is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance Discover the Overleaf Lodge. is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and not indicative of future performance or representative of YACHATS, OREGON any one client’s experience. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the 800-338-0507 • OVERLEAFLODGE.COM ranking. The financial advisor does not pay a fee to be considered for or to receive this award. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients. This is not indicative of this financial advisor’s future performance. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com. COME EXPERIENCE OUR NEW WINE © 2021 RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. CELLAR AND TASTINGS! All rights reserved. 21-PO-00801 (05/21) stronger together THANK YOU, DUCKS! Since the UO began its fundraising campaign with a silent phase in 2010, 146,698 donors have given 548,834 gifts exceeding $2.72 billion. As of May 31, 2021 Thriving with Help 2,000 donors have contributed to an innovative program that has assisted more than 6,500 students. At the heart of campus, the new Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall from Friends houses an academic support hub made possible by gifts from the late Willie and Don Tykeson, BS ’51 (business administration), and Shirley Rippey, BA ’53 (psychology). Students meet with academic and career BY MONIQUE DANZIGER advisors to plan course schedules, build résumés, and make informed decisions about their academic path. They’re connecting with guides What can Ducks do in a decade? In the last 10 years at the virtually during the pandemic, but in-person conversations return University of Oregon, much has happened: a record this fall.increase in four-year graduation rates, a dramatic These efforts and more contributed to a significant milestone in 2020: expansion of facilities, and the formation of an independent governing the university achieved the goal of increasing the four-year graduation board. There was also the UO’s community-focused response to a rate by 10 percentage points, reaching a record 61.3 percent. pandemic that fundamentally changed university life. Through it all, the UO’s alumni and friends have strengthened EXPANSION INTO APPLIED SCIENCE the institution by donating to the current $3 billion fundraising The UO’s traditional research strengths in fundamental science have been campaign—the largest such effort by an organization in the history of bolstered by campaign gifts such as the Lillis family’s $10 million pledge the state. The unprecedented generosity of donors has touched every to increase faculty in volcanology and the Boyles’ $10 million investment corner of campus and energized key areas. in zebrafish and genomics. With the launch of the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, donors have also ushered in a FOR THE STUDENTS new era of applied science at the UO, in which discoveries from the lab or Student success is a defining priority of the campaign. With students field quickly become applications, such as medical devices and findings in mind, nearly 40,000 Ducks have given to scholarships, advising, about human behavior that could lead to policy changes. internships, emergency funds, and more. One example of this work is materials scientist Jonathan Reeder’s A pivotal $25 million gift in 2015 from Steve and Connie Balmer, research on pain management. BS ’84 (journalism), ensured long-term stability for PathwayOregon, Modern pain management techniques rely largely on the same which provides tuition, fees, advising, and—most of all—opportunity method that has endured for thousands of years: oral delivery of an to Pell Grant-eligible students from Oregon. In the last 10 years, about opioid. Reeder is studying the efficacy of miniaturized, implantable 1 8 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 CHARLIE LITCHFIELD, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS stronger together devices that automatically detect and eliminate pain signals, June through early September, while participating in professional potentially improving the lives of patients with chronic pain with an development and social activities. alternative to opioids. Under this year’s theme, Student Recovery Corps, participants are focusing on areas such as social justice, community building, racial ECONOMIC RECOVERY equity, and economic revitalization. Students are building career skills The University of Oregon Portland Internship Experience is and connections while assisting employers with projects, outreach, supporting post-pandemic economic recovery efforts. and other work. Students participating in the donor-funded program earn a $5,000 Monique Danziger is director of Development Communications. stipend and gain professional experience while assisting small businesses and nonprofit, civic, or educational organizations in Portland. Articles on the following pages feature new and improved programs bolstered by the generosity of Ducks. Visit Interns work up to 40 hours per week for 10 weeks from late uoregon.edu/give-to-uo for more stories of impact. PACIFIC HALL and new science labs renovation started in 2016 ALLAN PRICE Science LYLLYE REYNOLDS- Commons and Research PARKER BLACK Library opened in 2016 CULTURAL CENTER opened in 2019 TRANSFORMING CAMPUS Lead gifts from friends have spurred new construction and updates to facilities TYKESON HALL, a campus hub for student BERWICK HALL, home of success opened in 2019 the Oregon Bach Festival at the School of Music and Dance opened in 2017 THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 1 9 CHARLIE LITCHFIELD, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS (TYKESON, ALLAN PRICE, PACIFIC); DUSTIN WHITAKER, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS (BLACK CULTURAL CENTER); COURTESY OF OREGON BACH FESTIVAL stronger together The relocation of career services to the first floor of Lillis underscores the commitment to students On the Job their path as soon as they enter the building. discover careers, land internships, and build The reorganization of space in Lillis isn’t the professional skills that will make them the only evidence of the emphasis on job competitive job candidates. Prioritizing career readiness preparation in the business school. New “If you have those kinds of things along in the business school initiatives, networking platforms, and gifts are with your college degree, then you’re walking connecting students, alumni, and employers tall into an interview,” he says. “You’re BY EMILY E. SMITH like never before. definitely feeling good about marketing Mohr Career Services recently unveiled yourself and standing out from the pack.” The Lillis Complex, home of the Lundquist Career Fundamentals, mandatory Last September, Mohr Career Services Lundquist College of Business, is course work embedded in specific core also launched Lundquist Connect, an online iconic on the University of Oregon courses that requires every student to give platform where students can connect with campus. With its floor-to-ceiling solar glass, a serious thought to the future and take steps alumni, employers, recruiters, and peers. giant “O” on its south façade, and a light-filled toward their professional goals. Students can meet professionals, ask atrium, it’s been a photogenic hub for Ducks For example, students in the business questions, and find mentors, and the platform since opening in 2003. analytics class of instructor Erik Ford learn to uses an algorithm to suggest professionals and A recent reconfiguring of the complex navigate Microsoft Excel—and the job market. others who share students’ interests. About underscores a driving focus of the college: Jessica Best, senior associate director of Mohr 800 alumni and 800 students participate. career readiness. Visitors entering Lillis from Career Services, visits weekly and assigns Bailey Hartwick, a junior in business the south now see Lundquist admissions on students to brainstorm careers, contact administration and a first-generation college the left side of the atrium and Mohr Career alumni in those careers, and prepare for student, says connecting with professionals is Services on the right. The message: careers are informational interviews. vital to building her career. not the byproduct of higher education, they’re Those activities, says Ford, BS ’13 (general Hartwick often reached out to people on the destination—and students begin carving social science), MBA ’15, help students the online employment service LinkedIn for 2 0 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 TRAVIS WORRELL, STUDENT SERVICES & ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT stronger together My goal is that our For Joel Wyman, who is pursuing an MBA in into who they are going to become throughout sports business, Lundquist Connect makes the the rest of their life.” students leave with act of sending messages to strangers a lot less Many of the school’s career-readiness a job, with that next intimidating. “People are already signed up and efforts are made possible with the help are interested in talking to current students or of donors, most notably Jay Mohr, BS ’76 step in place. other professionals in the industry, so you get (marketing), and his wife Kim. that awkward part out of the way,” he says. A major donation from the Mohrs in Sarah Nutter, Edward Maletis Dean of 2018 bolstered career services, funded the business college, has set a goal for every scholarships, and allowed the school networking, but the response rate was low: undergraduate business student to amass to implement Salesforce, relationship for every 10 people she contacted, she might one year of professional experience before management software that helps the school hear back from one. The first time she used they graduate. stay engaged with employers. Lundquist Connect, she messaged 20 people; To that end, the college hosts more than For Mohr, the new location of career within days, 18 of them replied—and all agreed a dozen groups where students can gain services on the first floor and the new career- to participate in informational interviews. leadership experience—among them, the preparation programs are important moves “I wanted to learn about people’s career Oregon Consulting Group, Women in that will prepare students for their next steps paths, how they got into the positions Business Club, UO Investment Group, and in life. they were in, why they chose to take those Warsaw Sports Business Club. “Get in there early—start thinking about it,” paths,” she says. “The next couple weeks For Nutter, student success is not just about he says. “Begin with the end in mind and then were insanely fast, just talking to all of these earning a degree—it’s about preparing for work toward it.” amazing people.” what comes after graduation. Emily E. Smith, BA ’10 (women’s and gender Hartwick credits those conversations with “My goal is that our students leave with a studies, journalism: news-editorial), is a writer helping her land an internship as a social media job, with that next step in place,” she says. and editor in Bozeman, Montana. marketing manager for Rituals + Alchemy, a “When they leave, they have a plan for what holistic wellness brand in San Francisco. they will do, and that gives them a solid step Discover Newport at Sunset The Coast You Remember 1-800-COAST44 DISCOVERNEWPORT.COM THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 21 stronger together Rogers Dollars financial literacy program at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he quickly became known as a rising star in the financial wellness world. “Students are investing both their time and energy to attain their and Sense degrees,” says Rogers, whose doctoral dissertation analyzed the need for financial literacy programs. “As they take on more and more debt, universities need to help them make an easier transition to the real New financial wellness program helps world after graduation. The Financial Wellness Center enables the students manage money investment in their education to start paying off much earlier in life.” Rogers says what made it worthwhile for him to move his family BY MELODY WARD LESLIE from Oklahoma to Oregon during a pandemic is the vision for a culture of financial wellness at the UO, a vision made possible by a gift Every fall on campuses across the country, a new crop of from Nancy and Dave Petrone, BS ’66 (economics), MBA ’68 (business students experiences the exhilaration of being on their own, environment).often for the first time in their lives. Right off the bat, they “We are reaching students by getting into the spaces where they are, encounter a battery of information tables loaded with free stuff. Some explaining how financial literacy will help them all their lives,” Rogers of those freebies come with expensive strings, as Gilbert Rogers says. “The support from the Petrones allows us to do this the right way.” learned the hard way. In contrast to schools that offer only a simple website with tips and Rogers is an expert on personal finance now, but as a first- tricks for managing money, the UO center provides peer financial generation, first-year student at Western Kentucky University, he was coaches, delivers workshops to student and campus organizations, an easy mark for banks handing out T-shirts. “All you had to do was and taps into faculty and alumni expertise in tax planning, investing, sign up for a credit card,” he says. “Pretty soon I am walking around and even car buying. The center, a joint project of the Lundquist campus with four or five shirts, not thinking about what it will mean College of Business and the Office of Student Financial Aid and when all these credit cards arrive in the mail.” Scholarships, expands on its predecessor, Financial Flight Plan. As director of the University of Oregon’s new Financial Wellness Dave Petrone says the couple’s gift comes from noticing over the Center, Rogers is developing the student financial literacy program years that many young people struggle with financial literacy. he wishes had existed when he naively collected those “free” shirts. “If I could come up with one set of lessons that students should get He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, from working in the before earning their diplomas, so that they can leave the university US Army’s financial counseling program at Fort Knox to launching a ready to succeed and take care of themselves, this is it,” says the 2 2 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 SASHA HEYE, ART AND TECHNOLOGY, CLASS OF 2022 (ILLUSTRATION); COURTESY OF GILBERT ROGERS stronger together GILBERT ROGERS’S Top Five Financial Tips Webster Escorcia-Nuñez former Wells Fargo senior vice president. resource because when it’s all written down, Rogers says the UO program is special students can see how much they will save by YOUR BUDGET IS YOUR BFF Budgets are the foundation for money because the Petrones’ gift provides funds to pay cutting things out.” management and by far the most a large, diverse team of student coaches. “Most Kleefeld speaks from experience. It was only important skill for students to master. universities that I have seen offer students after filling out the worksheet during training volunteer financial coaching positions,” he that she realized canceling her unused Hulu says. “Recruiting coaches from a wide variety of account would save $12 a month. “I didn’t even academic majors, personal backgrounds, and remember I had it,” she says. Her training, interests will help us reach more students.” combined with her paycheck, is already easing BUILD YOUR CREDIT Still, he leaves nothing to chance. Of the her anxiety about making ends meet. WHILE IN COLLEGE 20 students working as coaches, four were Peer coach Alexandra Webster, a business By taking a few easy steps to chosen for their social media and design skills. major from Houston, says the students she graduate with a higher credit score, They operate as an in-house marketing agency. counsels who report feeling the most stress have students can realize significant “We look forward to holding in-person taken out loans that began charging interest the savings down the line. meetings, but for now we are engaging minute they signed on the dotted line. students in a virtual environment,” Rogers “We can help them find ways to manage says. “Getting people to want to come to monthly payments, so this interest won’t another Zoom event is challenging.” pile up while they are in school,” she says. PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY Angel Escorcia-Nuñez, a sophomore “But I hope other students will contact us Students need to monitor their from Albany majoring in journalism and before they take out loans, so we can talk credit reports for fraud and protect communication, is glad he made the effort them through all their options, including their online accounts by setting up to add one more Zoom to his schedule, a loans that do not accumulate interest until multifactor authentication. one-on-one with a peer coach. Although he after graduation. Now that I have learned has PathwayOregon and Diversity Excellence so much from my training, I feel like I can scholarships, he ranks financial worries have a better future for myself and my family among his greatest sources of stress. without money problems down the line.” “I want to learn how to be smart with For his part, Rogers gets up every morning UNDERSTAND YOUR my money,” he says. “I found out the main focused on helping more students avoid CURRENT LOAN SITUATION thing is to address your financial situation, missteps, from paying a premium for a loan to Students should know their current whether you are having issues or doing well, risking their future credit rating for a T-shirt. loan balances and how much they and reach out for help when you are ready for “No one talks to students about money will owe after graduation. future steps, such as investing.” management unless they’re lucky enough Carly Kleefeld, of Fair Oaks, California, to have financially savvy parents,” he says. is running track for the Ducks and working “This is an area where a mistake early on can as a peer coach while she earns a master’s in impact your life a lot.” INVEST IN YOURSELF prevention science, a College of Education Attend financial education workshops Melody Ward Leslie, BA ’79 (humanities), is a program focused on interventions to help staff writer for University Communications. and seminars. Read, listen to children and families. “I love our budgeting podcasts, and explore investing. worksheet,” she says. “That’s my favorite COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA WEBSTER AND ANGEL ESCORCIA-NUÑEZ intro PROFILE If you go to a doctor for chest pain, you don’t want a prescription for a sore throat. That’s how Raoul Liévanos looks at government policies for disadvantaged groups: will the remedy solve the real problem? Or could it be misguided due to an incomplete diagnosis? As an environmental sociologist, Liévanos studies spatial and institutional factors—segregation and governmental policies, for example— that create inequality in how people experience their environments. It’s the difference between the experiences of privileged and disadvantaged neighborhoods regarding, say, toxic exposures, flood protection, or access to healthy, affordable food. Liévanos and fellow University of Oregon sociologists Clare Evans and Ryan Light recently analyzed the 2014 water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan. They discovered that the city’s switch to drinking water from the Flint River disproportionately threatened areas with high percentages of single- father Black and single-mother Latina families. Research and public debate have historically focused on the role that racial and class discrimination played in the concentration of lead exposure in specific parts of the city. But the findings by Liévanos and his colleagues highlight the importance of race, gender, and family structure as factors at the finer scale of the neighborhood block level. It’s an important distinction, Raoul Liévanos says, in part because the government’s failure to recognize these factors meant that the vulnerabilities of Black fathers, Latina mothers, and their respective Liévanos families have been overlooked. In addition, local officials initially distributed only English-language lead advisories, instead of Spanish-language advisories for Spanish- speaking people. “If we develop policies geared ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SOCIOLOGY toward one particular understanding BY MATT COOPER, OREGON QUARTERLY of a problem but the policies are very PHOTO BY DUSTIN WHITAKER, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS 2 4 OREGON QUARTERLY | S U M M E R 2021 broad,” Liévanos says, “they may not BOOKMARKS address other aspects of the problem that need attention.” SHORT TAKES: Latest titles of interest from alumni and faculty authors. Visit oregonquarterly.com/bookmarks for more, or to submit a book for consideration. ALL IN THE FAMILY When Liévanos was growing up, family conversations revolved around politics and justice. His father, Jorge, grew up in a working-class Mexican American family, was active in the Chicano movement in college, then became a 2 community-oriented police officer and baseball coach for Liévanos and other diverse youth in Santa Maria, California. His mother, Christina, of English and French background, was a jeweler and supporter of women’s rights. 3 “My family taught me not to take my privileges for granted,” Liévanos says. “They taught me service, 5 empathy, sympathy, and advocating for civil rights.” 1 BAD BREAK Liévanos was a catcher for California State University, Fresno. But dreams of the majors ended in 2003, when a fielder’s throw inadvertently shattered the bones in the thumb of his throwing hand. “My thumb was mush—it had to be reconstructed,” Liévanos says. “I sat out the season but played in 2004 and 2005. I hit well, but I wasn’t the same and I knew my career would end in college. I started thinking about 6 graduate school.” 4 INSPIRING THROUGH Countering Violent Extremism in The Canyon Cuts Both Ways: EDUCATION Pakistan: Local Actions, Local Hidden Stories by Dan T. Cox, He savors his diamond days, but Voices by Anita Weiss, professor of BS ’76 (journalism) Liévanos wouldn’t trade his impact as global studies an educator for more of them. H ops: Historic Photographs of the “I can contribute to these broad, T he Kite that Touched the Sky by Oregon Hopscape by Kenneth I. Jim Mockford, BA ’76 (Clark Helphand, professor emeritus of important conversations about Honors College, Asian studies) landscape architecture our unequal experiences of the environment,” he says. “Talking with Brick by Brick: Building Hope and my undergrads—seeing all the different Opportunity for Women Survivors A Place for Inquiry, A Place for ways in which they can go on to apply Everywhere by Karen Sherman, BS ’85 Wonder: The Andrews Forest by these ideas in work, business, life— (political science) William G. Robbins, MA ’65, PhD ’69 that’s exciting.” (history) THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 2 5 THE UNIVERSITY OREGON Through fresh collaborations on academic strengths, the UO will reimagine public service for a new era By Anna Glavash Miller 2 6 OREGON QUARTERLY | SPRING 2021 JULIA WAGNER, BS ’21 (PUBLIC RELATIONS), UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS stronger At first glance, a recent string of successes at the University together of Oregon may seem fundamentally unrelated: the launch Patrick Phillips of a data science major with about 50 students—double the projection. A landmark $4.7 million Mellon Foundation grant to examine environmental futures across various academic fields. New student startups in maternal health, sustainable skin care, digital currency, and more, all finalists in the Provost Innovation Challenge. The completion of a reimagined Hayward Field—outwardly, a gleaming symbol of UO excellence in sport, and inside, the home of world-class laboratories for studying human performance. What ties them together? They exemplify a university that is drawing on its strengths to better serve the state, region, and world. One of the principal architects of this idea—building on strengths to maximize service—is Patrick Phillips, who became provost in 2019. The university’s chief academic officer has launched a campus-wide effort to build on strengths in academia, with initiatives in data science, diversity, environment, innovation, and sport and wellness. The goal: enabling more of the on interdisciplinary pursuits that meet the desires of an knowledge and research generated in labs and classrooms to engaged student body and the higher calling of a public reach all Oregonians. institution to help address societal ills. “We must move forward and be more than just the With the Innovation initiative, the UO will build on its University of Oregon,” Phillips says. “We must redouble identity as a place where research is increasingly connected our efforts to be a university for Oregon, and for our region to impact, as exemplified by the Phil and Penny Knight and the world. We have an opportunity to draw together Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. University strengths in a wide variety of areas and think about how we researchers are developing new ways to expand the role of can do both the internal work of the university and fulfill the UO as a major driver of economic activity in the state. our mission as a public institution to make sure that we’re The Sport and Wellness initiative will build on research in contributing to a greater good.” healthy living and environmental quality to help residents of the state live longer, healthier lives, while applying professional expertise to the state’s important sports product industry. A roadmap to impact Spurred by last year’s upswelling of awareness of racial injustice, the Diversity initiative is an affirmation of the UO’s In an era of unprecedented competition, says Phillips, the intent to use research and funding to address the complex best public universities must increase their contributions realities of racial inequity. This includes long-simmering to society, their relevance to students, and academic tensions around the experience of underrepresented groups collaboration on their campuses. in majority-white Oregon, according to Phillips. Backed by donor support, the provost’s initiatives align “Last year’s events—with all the lives lost, the pandemic’s research and scholarly strengths with student interests to disproportionate impact on BIPoC communities, and the enhance the UO’s academic impact. They are founded on the polarizing election cycle—advanced our desire to be an commitment of the university to fulfill its mission as a public antiracist campus,” he says. “All of these pushed us to ask institution and address the problems of our time. ourselves: What’s our role as an institution to not only be The Data Science initiative, which capitalizes on world- antiracist in how we conduct ourselves, but in how we are renowned faculty, will prepare students to understand data bringing our scholarly and educational work to bear on and chart careers relevant to the drive in the marketplace to making our communities antiracist?” make better decisions, faster. Faculty members are engaging For each of these initiatives, the Office of the Provost has with researchers statewide to leverage data science to sponsored listening sessions across campus to gain a broader address society’s biggest challenges, from curing cancer to understanding of opportunities and shortcomings. Faculty fighting global climate change. members and other participants are identifying where, and how, With the Environment initiative, the university is strategic investments in faculty hires, research, and curriculum responding to the crisis of climate change with a focus will improve inclusiveness and harness academic power. THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 27 JESSE SUMMERS, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS stronger together WEAVING THE THREADS “What is important to our alumni is important to what we’re doing,” he says. “Rather than us saying, ‘This is the way Phillips’s career is evidence of his unwavering belief in the students should be,’ it’s good to start by asking the question, power of partnerships to make change. ‘What does the world want our students to be?’ Because that As a distinguished professor of biology and Philip H. Knight will help our students in the end.” Chair who has studied genetics and evolution at the UO His approach resonates with Whitney Wagoner, director for two decades, Phillips has run his lab as an integrated of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, an instructor of system in which scientists with diverse backgrounds work on sports business, and a member of the steering committee their own projects and also help each other to implement for the sport and wellness initiative. She says the university’s innovative approaches to solving complex problems. ambitious reimagining of the five academic areas will redefine He was tapped to serve as acting director of the Knight the rules of engagement in support of collaborative work. Campus, where his ability to build consensus was essential to “There’s an openness to talk about productivity in a more liftoff for this world-class research campus. His success there diverse way, and that should make our colleagues eager to prompted President Michael Schill to name him provost. want to get involved and work across disciplines in a way In his new role, Phillips is determined to break down barriers where they maybe have more degrees of freedom to do so to collaboration and, through the initiatives, create a framework than we’ve had in the past,” Wagoner adds. “It’s been really that unites UO faculty members to address critical concerns. valuable just to be given the space to gather and listen to “Everything that we’re doing is organic to the University of our super-smart colleagues talk about the great work they Oregon. It’s a chance to draw those threads together to make do. There is energy and momentum and wind at our backs, the entire tapestry of the university even richer and stronger,” because we’re already doing great things.” Phillips says. “This is not at all a change in focus in what the As provost, Phillips knows he does not have the luxury university is or does. In many respects, it’s a distillation of of slowing down. Early in his tenure, he saw the value and just a few facets of who we are that can serve as initial focal volume of work being done in critical areas across campus but points that fully illustrate what we can become when we heard from faculty members and staff that institutional “silos” fulfill all aspects of our mission: the educational, the research, had hindered collaboration on the academic work’s impact in and the public impact role of a modern university.” the world. He was determined to break down barriers and, through the initiatives, create a new framework in which UO’s stellar faculty can work together to solve problems. Today and tomorrow Says Phillips: “My philosophy is always that we’re better together. In bringing together the different parts of the The initiatives are developing at different paces, each university, sometimes we’ll identify gaps; we’ll realize, if now in the hands of engaged faculty members. They’re we did this thing, then that would really knit these areas examining hires, partnerships, courses, and programs that together and allow us to do something that is really unique, will compound university strengths in the five areas while interesting, and transformative.” inspiring the next generation of students. Phillips is also enthusiastically inviting input from alumni, Anna Glavash Miller, MS ’18 (journalism), is a staff writer for the Office of who he describes as the UO’s biggest influence in the world. the Provost Communications. 2 8 OREGON QUARTERLY | SPRING 2021 stronger together PILLARS The UO is marshalling resources and collaborative efforts in these fields to produce greater benefit to the state and its people. DATA SCIENCE DIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT INNOVATION SPORT AND Under executive An engagement process Executive Director Andrew Nelson, WELLNESS director and biology for the initiative, Adell Amos, Clayton associate vice president Organized by Carlyn professor Bill Cresko, an organized by Lesley-Anne R. Hess Professor of for entrepreneurship Schreck, assistant undergraduate major Pittard, assistant vice Law, is identifying all and innovation and vice president for was launched this year president for campus and faculty members who associate professor presidential initiatives, and a graduate program community engagement, delve into critical areas of management, has and directed by a will follow soon. is ending. Meetings of the environment, been broadly engaging 10-member faculty Through the initiative, connected the Black including climate with interdisciplinary steering committee, the UO has partnered Faculty Collective, faculty change, environmental campus groups since this initiative leverages with researchers members representing justice, and resilience. summer 2020. This the high profile of UO from OHSU to build a Native American, A rigorous drive is initiative amplifies athletics, world-class center for biomedical Asian, Desi, Pacific underway to highlight the work of the sports facilities, athlete data science and is Islander, and Latinx research, promote Knight Campus, the health and performance developing a statewide communities, and other events, and spur Lundquist Center for programs, and the team of data scientists. UO groups. Engagement involvement across Entrepreneurship, university’s role as host The initiative played continues this fall with campus. In the the Office of the Vice of global competitions a key role in the start sessions enabling all UO coming months, an President for Research to shine a spotlight of the UO’s COVID-19 community members advisory committee and Innovation, and on programs in sports Monitoring and to help shape the will be appointed to other campus hubs for industry expertise, Assessment Program, vision for the Center on strategically support all innovation. health and the human which has provided Racial Disparities and efforts. condition, and societal tens of thousands of Resilience. An outcome transformation. tests to the university of the center will be the and community. hiring of faculty. THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 2 9 BRUCE DAMONTE (KNIGHT CAMPUS); CHARLIE LITCHFIELD, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS (FOREST); MICHAEL McDERMOTT WCREArTIiNGt THeE r As the Kidd creative writing workshops turn 30, a poet reflects on a year in the program By Andi Butts Photos by Dustin Whitaker, University Communications Launched in 1991, the Walter percent of applicants each year. Kidd workshops’ impact on my growth and Nancy Kidd Creative Writing Andi Butts, an English major and as a student of literature and a writer.Workshops offer University of Oregon junior in the poetry track, captured a Workshops are the Kidd’s heart. undergraduates an intensive, yearlong year in the program in four essays for During workshop, we present our immersion in poetry and fiction writing. Oregon Quarterly. writing aloud to our classmates, who The program attracts participants from then offer us feedback on what we all majors and provides a rigorous can do to improve it. When a piece of and supportive community for those “Shredded” By Friends mine is “up for workshop,” I prepare interested in the craft of writing and close reading of literature. (And Better For It) ahead of time to have it torn to shreds. (I have learned that entering workshop Classes are limited to 10 students. Creative writing is difficult, and needless expecting to have my ego coddled is Over the course of the year, participants to say, when you add a pandemic to the best way to leave it ready to quit workshop their writing with peers, the mix, it becomes even more of a writing.) On one particular workshop learn to read like writers, and attend challenge. There’s no doubt that class is day, I presented a poem that I believed lectures by UO creative writing faculty much different over a computer screen in my heart of hearts to be one of members and distinguished authors than in person, and no amount of my best. It combined some of my who visit as part of the creative writing skilled writing or nuanced critique can favorite poetic elements, including an program’s annual reading series. There prevent the many difficulties inherent extended metaphor, visceral imagery, are no prerequisites to apply and to doing school by Zoom. Some days, and a fervent tone. But when I read students eligible for financial aid receive technical issues seem to arrive in the poem to the class, I was met with a scholarship support from the Walter and abundance, turning even the most basic sea of perplexed faces on my computer Nancy Kidd Endowment (awards range class activities—such as reciting our screen, followed by questions about up to $3,000 annually). original work to one another—into tasks the metaphor and various critiques The Kidd workshops were envisioned that necessitate repetition. “Your audio about some of the other questionable and designed by creative writing cut out,” “You froze,” or the classic technical choices. professor Garrett Hongo. Led by “WE CAN’T HEAR YOU” have become My peers’ scrutiny stung. I hadn’t graduate student instructors, the the most commonplace of statements, anticipated it. Instead of allowing myself workshops are a cornerstone of UO’s made by students and instructors to sink into shame, I paused, took a deep highly regarded MFA program in through both chuckles and groans. And breath, and reminded myself, this is only creative writing, which admits only 2 still, none of this detracted from the going to help me. I thanked my classmates 3 0 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 for their responses, stepped away from the poem for a couple of weeks, and then revisited it, ready, at last, to apply the ideas my peers had offered me. My writing is all the better for it. “Do Whatever Works” Eminent writers and faculty members shed light on their work during craft talks, another critical component of the Kidd workshops. New-York-based poet Juliana Gray—whose collection, Honeymoon Palsy, was one of my favorite reads of 2020—provided my favorite craft talk of the year. Gray’s biting and infectious wit engaged me from the get-go, in spite of the fact that I had been cooped up in my bedroom for weeks on end, down with a case of COVID-19. More importantly, Gray offered a great deal of worthwhile advice for writers of fiction and poetry alike, the most notable of these being, “Do whatever works.” “Do whatever works,” a phrase that, at the time, seemed to be vague beyond measure, was one that Gray said in the context of a larger discussion about balancing the specific with the general. At first, I found this piece of advice frustrating. Gray spoke of the importance of being precise, but her advice to “do whatever works” seemed to abandon precision altogether. What am I supposed to do with that? I wondered. But as I kept listening, I realized how often I am so focused on meeting certain criteria in my poetry—such as making sure that my diction and tone are consistent or including enough concrete details throughout (but not too many!), or fleshing out the speaker—that I forget to notice the big picture. For me, doing “whatever works” means asking myself what the poem is trying to do, and then doing it. It means not losing sight of my voice and intuition for the sake of making the “correct” choices in technique. It means attending to the balance of the specific and general by seeing the poem THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 31 AN EMERGING VOICE I entered the Kidd workshops with a few other creative writing classes under my belt, but none that demanded the same speed, rigor, and imagination that the Kidd program asked of its students. I was adept at constructive criticism, though I was better at pointing out what wasn’t working in a piece of writing than what was. Coming up with ideas, and the language to express them, was a challenge at best, and I paid little attention to devices like meter and form. I was unsure of my poetic voice, fixated on how my writing stacked up against that of my peers and aiming for perfection, which came at the expense of my authenticity. Thanks to the workshops, my understanding of craft and technique has reached a height I did not foresee. This has deepened not only my grasp on poetry but my love for it, too. My imagination has expanded; ideas seem to bubble up in in its entirety, rather than as different, My LOI centers on modern female an endless supply, and I now have more distinct parts. poets’ works about abuse and trauma. I tools to bring them to light. Perhaps most Gray’s advice, though almost deceivingly analyze the technical choices that these importantly, I am beginning to develop straightforward, has encouraged me to poets made to render trauma in their my poetic voice, which has helped me feel trust myself; because of this, my poetry work and argue through a feminist lens more connected to and confident in my has been transformed. that writing about these subjects is an act writing. I spend less time comparing myself of resistance and necessity. to my peers and more time learning from The topic of my LOI, in and of itself, them, recognizing the privilege it is to be a LINE OF INQUIRY did not emerge out of thin air; it was part of a group filled with so many talented, developed and refined over the course of intelligent, and encouraging people, many The line of inquiry (LOI), a 12- to 15-page many months. Researching and analyzing of whom have become my friends. paper that we develop over the course this topic in depth has made me mindful I applied to be a part of the Kidd of the year, is the most demanding part of the extent to which sociocultural norms workshops not because of a passion for of the Kidd workshops. As an analytical and beliefs inform—and are informed technique but because poetry moves me. person by nature and a self-professed by—art and people’s values within it. It has moved me since I discovered it as English literature nerd, I also find the LOI This is most apparent to me in my own a sensitive 13-year-old, struggling to feel to be the most thrilling. In this paper, life. I have examined and reexamined the at home in the world around me, and it we are free to explore whatever topic teachings I’ve absorbed—from professors will continue to move me as I—and my interests us, so long as it is related to and others—about what is and isn’t writing—grow and change. craft. During fall term, we begin to narrow valuable in poetry and creative writing, Creative writing is not an aimless, the focus of our exploration, gathering more generally. I’m more willing to come impractical endeavor; it allows us—whether sources—poetry or fiction and craft to my own conclusions about what makes we are the writer or the reader—to make essays—related to our chosen subject. writing “good.” I feel more excited to sense of the events in our lives. It is the Winter term is dedicated to examining write, more in touch with my true values avenue by which we can notice the world these sources in depth and creating an in art. Writing the LOI was an immense around us, often in unexpected and, at annotated bibliography. At last, during undertaking, but I have learned more times, beautiful ways. We need this now spring term, we write essays, our LOIs, about my writing through it than through more than ever. based on our research, the findings of any other part of the Kidd. For that, I am For Andi’s poetry, visit which we present to our peers. genuinely thankful. oregonquarterly.com/poet 32 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 News. Worthy. Daily. opb.org | Full Spectrum News THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 3 3 ORQuarterly_slogans.indd 9 9/17/20 8:43 AM 3 4 OREGON QUARTERLY | SPRING 2021 36 Oscar Winner 38 Boosting Pfizer 40 Class Notes 48 Ducks Afield A BARN(ER) BURNER OF A GAME Oregon last played Fresno State in 2012, when Kenjon Barner (with ball) ran for 201 yards in a 42–25 win on the way to a 12-1 season. We hope fans can again fill the stands when the Bulldogs open the home season at Autzen Stadium September 4. But the most awaited game on the slate takes place September 11 in Columbus, Ohio, when the Ducks hit the Horseshoe to take on Ohio State. THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 3 5 ERIC EVANS/OREGON ATHLETICS Old Oregon CENTER STAGE Pocketing an Oscar Theater alumnus Michael Govier wins an Academy Award for his animated film BY DAMIAN FOLEY “Iw ish we were doing this interview at Rennie’s,” says the voice on the other end of the line.On the phone from his home in Los Angeles is Michael Govier, BS ’00 (theater arts). It is May 6, and Govier is simultaneously missing Eugene and the popular campus-area pub while trying to find a home for the Academy Award he won on April 25. “I just love Eugene,” Govier says. “I love hiking, and everything’s green. I did a lot of hiking Spencer Butte. The simple things, like going across that footbridge, walking to a game, those things are Will McCormick, Reese always so satisfying.” Witherspoon, and Michael Govier Also satisfying? Winning an Oscar after bringing to life an idea at this spring’s Academy Awards that until a few years ago only existed inside Govier’s head. “It was just so exciting,” says Govier. “In that moment it was, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and then you’re walking up and everyone’s cheering for It was just so exciting . . . you hit the you and you hit the stage and it’s, ‘Wow, this happened,’ and I felt so stage and it’s, ‘Wow, this happened.’ honored, felt so privileged, so grateful for all the wonderful people that helped us all get there.” Govier and fellow writer Will McCormick won the Academy Award for best animated short film for If Anything Happens I Love During an acting class, he struck up a friendship with McCormick, You, a 12-minute look into the world of parents whose marriage one of the writers of Toy Story 4. Govier told McCormick about an is suffering under the strain of losing their only child in a school idea he had: shadow souls. shooting. The powerful emotions stirred by the film amount to a In Govier’s mind, shadow souls are the manifestations of grief that a rebuttal of the desensitization that can accompany these tragedies. person can’t connect to. They live in a person’s shadow, acting out what Govier attended the University of Oregon due in large part to the that person is thinking and feeling, but cannot express. It wasn’t long theater program, and says he became “obsessed” with the Pocket before Govier homed in on exactly what that grief could be caused by. Playhouse, the student-run theater that gives Ducks the opportunity “Everyone’s constantly discussing school shootings,” says Govier. to experience every facet of putting on a show. “Sometimes the world gets a little desensitized to these kinds of He performed in Nicholas Nickleby and several Shakespeare plays, events, and it just kind of becomes a number. ‘Well, how many (dead)? and was a founding member of the UO’s Absolute Improv student That’s not that bad.’ We wanted to show that one is bad. I wanted to troupe. “I am always so happy to see that Absolute Improv is still show a story about the loss that one family is feeling and that grief, going strong,” Govier says. “I never thought that when we started and how that grief can be transcended. That grief, I think, is a point it in 1996 it would still be around.” (Coincidentally, classmate Skye we can all relate to. It’s a touchstone. Everyone wants their kids, their Fitzgerald, MFA ‘97 (theater arts), was nominated for an Oscar this families, their loved ones to come home safe. I think it’s a starting year for his documentary, Hunger Ward.) point, where we can all begin the conversation.” Govier is “really a very talented actor; Michael is very funny; he’s a very Govier and McCormick spent a year on the script. Their good comedian,” says Janet Rose, a senior instructor in the Department of animators—recent graduates from the California Institute of the Theatre Arts who taught the lighting classes Govier took as a student. Arts—created a world that is equal parts gorgeous and sparse. Govier After graduating, Govier moved to Chicago and honed his craft on wanted the art to be as empty as the worlds of grieving people who stage for a decade before heading to Los Angeles to break into the film are suffering from the loss of a loved one. industry. He starred in a number of short films and can also be seen While the husband and wife in the film largely go about their lives on This Is Us, NBC’s award-winning family drama. in silence, triggered by objects around the house that remind them of 3 6 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 MATT PETIT, ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES their daughter, their shadow souls project onto the walls behind them and act out their emotions and feelings. If Anything Happens I Love You is such a tearjerker that fans who cried while watching it started a viral sensation on the social media platform TikTok, filming themselves before and after watching the film to show whether or not they shed tears. The hashtag #IfAnythingHappensILoveYou has been viewed more than 70 million times. While Govier doesn’t know where he will end up keeping his statue—it’s currently on a chair in his living room, after spending time on his dining room table—the morning after the ceremony he took it with him when he went to get a breakfast burrito from Tacos Villas Corona. “I’ve been coming to Tacos Villas Corona since I first moved to Los Angeles,” says Govier. “It’s a couple of neighborhoods from where I live, but I always go to it, and they’ve always been so supportive of me. The next morning, I brought the statue in to show them because they had asked, and it was so fun to see their excitement. ‘Hey, we believed in you from the beginning, we’ve always loved you!’ It was so nice; there’s those kind of reactions from people, and they get to share in the win because they’ve been so supportive.” Govier’s “shadow souls” are Damian Foley is assistant director of marketing and communications for manifestations of grief the UO Alumni Association. “Hayward Magic” comes alive in new coffee table book Anyone who takes pride in being a Duck will appreciate reading about the history and prominence of Hayward Field –old and new. Meaningful and inspirational, this is a keepsake book to be embraced, enjoyed and treasured. ONLY $ 39.95 To order your copy go to dailyemerald.com/haywardbook WONDERFULLY WRITTEN • IMAGE RICH • 140 PAGES, HARDCOVER For more information call the Daily Emerald at 541-346-5511 ext. 302 or email kcarbone@dailyemerald.com THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 37 COURTESY OF OH GOOD PRODUCTIONS Old Oregon KEY COMMUNICATOR On the Frontline for Pfizer BY JOANNA MANN has really given me an opportunity to At Pfizer, Pitts (foreground) take down that wall and introduce the combines passions for world to what goes on and what goes science and critical into it,” Pitts says. “The people on the communications vaccine team are probably the best people I know. I feel so confident in the vaccine because of the incredible minds working on it and how dedicated they are.” For Pitts, the biggest challenge as the pandemic began was balancing her personal and professional life as the public pushed for information on possible vaccines. Once the Pfizer vaccine had been developed, she says, there was immense pressure to deliver it globally—her team addressed “nonstop questions” about which groups would receive the vaccine, and when. With vaccines now in wide erica Pitts moved to New York distribution, next for Pitts will be explaining how the technology to join the Pfizer pharmaceutical behind the Pfizer vaccine could be used for other diseases and corporation in January 2020, infectious viruses such as influenza. roughly six weeks before the Pitts grew up in Detroit, watching Bill Nye the Science Guy and pandemic lockdown began in the United dreaming of becoming a doctor. She came to the UO to study States. Her whole life quickly became about biochemistry but switched after taking journalism classes. She was still one thing: communicating vital information on interested in science but wasn’t sure how to combine the two fields. the Pfizer vaccine to the world’s waiting ears. She credits SOJC professors for helping her piece together a career As a 2012 public relations graduate of the University of Oregon track. Her mentors included Duncan McDonald, professor emeritus; School of Journalism and Communication, Pitts had unknowingly Debra Merskin, professor emerita; Kelli Matthews, public relations prepared herself for a critical role at the center of a global health crisis. senior instructor; and Tiffany Gallicano, a former associate professor. After graduation, Pitts worked for healthcare and pharmaceutical/ Nearly a decade later, Pitts still keeps in touch with them to share biotech communications agencies in Chicago for seven years. Now news and accomplishments. she is the director of science media relations at Pfizer, responsible for Pitts has applied what she learned at the journalism school, from informing the media about the company’s vaccine. how to network and build connections to proofreading and writing “I wouldn’t say it was the best timing, but it was probably the best stories. She says the friendships she made were instrumental in timing for me to be introduced at Pfizer,” Pitts says. “And then just helping her understand her potential and how to succeed. a few weeks later, the world changed and suddenly, my role was 100 “My advice for someone coming out of college who wants to be in percent focused on elevating the vaccine and what we were doing.” media relations is that perfection on the job is not everything that For Pitts, a typical day consists of learning the latest data and matters,” Pitts says. “Coming out of school you have a mentality of developments regarding the vaccine and updating reporters. She achieving a perfect ‘A,’ but work is subjective and you need to be open manages a small team that produces information about the vaccine to making mistakes.” and other Pfizer medicines for media, including international outlets. Joanna Mann, BA ’21 (journalism), is a writer for the School of Journalism “I think that there’s a big perception of what science looks like, that and Communication. there’s chemistry experiments exploding in the labs. And this job 3 8 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 COURTESY OF JERICA PITTS DISCOVER THE UNEXPECTED IN MEDFORD THE HEART OF THE ROGUE CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK An hour’s drive from Medford, Crater Lake is Oregon’s only national park and the deepest lake in the United States. An experience of a lifetime, you’ll be in awe of its pristine blue water surrounded by sheer, breathtaking cliffs. Hike, swim or take a boat ride to Wizard Island. ROGUE VALLEY WINE COUNTRY Named one of the top global wine destinations by Forbes and Wine Enthusiast, the award-winning Rogue Valley Wine Country is quickly being recognized for its boutique wineries and charm. 70 varietals and 53 tasting rooms dotted among four wine trails await your visit. CULINARY AND AGRICULTURE The rich soils and mild climate that make wine-making ideal in Southern Oregon also lends to the agricultural mecca in the region. Come ready to experience the World’s Best Cheese at Rogue Creamery, renowned Royal Riviera Pears at Medford-based Harry and David, and locally-sourced artisan foods and ingredients at one of the nation’s top-ranked farmers’ market. WHITEWATER FUN If outdoor fun and adventure is on your bucket list, a visit to the Rogue Valley is a must. The Rogue River is designated as one of the country’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and boasts Class V rapids among its 216-mile stretch. Whether you raft, kayak, tube or paddleboard, you’re sure to have thrills and spills while appreciating incredible forest and wildlife sights. SOUTHERN OREGON HAS GONE ROGUE Scan the code to download a map or visitor guide. TRAVELMEDFORD.ORG | @TRAVELMEDFORD Old Oregon CLASS NOTES FL ASHBACK Class Notes 192 I n April, engineering instruction is approved, with guiding principles that include high educational standards, student Do you ever wish we printed more notes from your class? Your classmates feel that way, too. Submit a note online at OregonQuarterly.com, email support, and “no straying in educational pastures.” it to quarterly@uoregon.edu, or mail it to Editor, Oregon Quarterly, 5228 University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-5228. Indicates UOAA Member but continues as MARILYN secretary for the MONTGOMERY 1960s Old Owyhee Ditch SMITH, BS ’75 Improvement (journalism), retired PHILIP District, which after 21 years as DEUTCHMAN provides water for public information , farmland. and communications PhD ’67 (physics), officer for the professor emeritus city of Albany. for the physics She and husband department at 1970s VIRGINIA STANFORD SMITH, the University of “GINNY” BS ’67 (journalism), Idaho, wrote an BURDICK continue to travel with article detailing the , MA their yellow Labrador contributions of ’73 (journalism), Retriever, May. Chien-Shiung Wu, currently the Oregon a nuclear physicist Senate’s longest- recently honored serving member at 25 KATHY with a USPS years, announced she SALTZMAN commemorative will leave her post ROMEY, BA ’77 stamp. serving Portland’s (music), received District 18 this Chorus America’s JOHNPAUL fall. She has been 2021 Distinguished CLASS NOTABLE JONES JR nominated to join Service Award for ., BArch Breaking The Grass Ceiling ’67, of Jones and the Northwest Power 30 years of service and Conservation at the University of Jones architecture, Council in November. Minnesota, where University of Oregon softball fans know Sara Goodrum as a reliable Seattle, received she is director of Ducks hitter and outfielder who played from 2012 to 2014. the 2021 Tau choral activities. Now Goodrum, BS ’15 (human physiology), is becoming Sigma Delta Gold ULRICH HARDT, familiar to Major League Baseball fans, too. Earlier this year, the Medal, recognizing PhD ’74, DA ’74 Milwaukee Brewers announced Goodrum as their minor league professionals (English), professor JOANIE BAYHACK, with a record of emeritus at Portland BA ’78 (journalism), hitting coordinator, making her the first woman believed to hold that a fitness advocate title in baseball. She oversees the team’s minor league hitting system, high distinction in State University, is including all hitting coaches, to ensure an approach that aligns with architecture. serving as coeditor and instructor, and a former the Brewers’ philosophy for player development. in chief of the Oregon media executive, Says Goodrum: “It took me a little time to process the significance of MIKE BLACKABY, Encyclopedia, an the hire and what it meant for the future, for women and girls who are BS ’69 (marketing), online resource of was featured in the “Know Your growing up to see me in this position and . . . how it could potentially former Ontario Portland State, the help younger women pursue roles like this.” school board Oregon Historical Neighbors” section of the Coachella Valley During college, Goodrum worked in the University of Oregon Bowerman member and third- Society, and the Independent, Cathedral Sports Science Clinic, helping Oregon Track Club Elite’s Olympic hopefuls generation owner of Oregon Council of Blackaby Insurance, Teachers of English. City, California.improve their performances and helping peers with research. She befriended Bryson Nakamura, MS ’14, PhD ’16 (human physiology), sold the agency and after he joined the Brewers organization, he encouraged her to apply for an internship in the team’s sports performance program. Goodrum FL ASHBACK interned in 2017, then became the coordinator of integrative sports 193 F rank Lloyd Wright—“noted performance. Last October she was promoted to her current position, architect and exponent of the modern coordinator of hitting development initiatives. The Brewers are “super open-minded” about her role, Goodrum says, trend in architectural design,” according to Old focusing not on gender but on whether she can help hitters hit. Oregon—lectures before 700 people in March, in “[Players are] just searching for people who are willing to help and care what is regarded as “one of the most important for them and provide them with good information,” she adds. “Everyone in this organization has always been open-minded and receptive.” events in the history of the School of Architecture —Damian Foley, University Communications and Allied Arts.” 4 0 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 COURTESY OF SARA GOODRUM Maylian Pak MA ’05 (geography) Eugene, Oregon Maylian Pak, originally from Alabama’s Gulf Coast, relocated to Oregon from Washington, DC, following completion of The University of Oregon Alumni Association undergraduate studies in geography and congratulates its 2021-23 board president, Maylian international affairs at the University of Pak, and welcomes eight new alumni directors. Mary Washington. While at the UO, Maylian served as a graduate teaching fellow and UOAA Board President on the UO Graduate Council. She currently serves as the director of donor relations at Dominique Beaumonte Oregon Community Foundation. BA ’03 (ethnic studies) Sacramento, California Dominique is the communications and development director for an education non profit. He has a passion for community engagement and is a founding board member of UO’s Black Alumni Network. His MEd is from the University of Kanealii Ng-Osorio BS ’98 (psychology) Nevada, Las Vegas, and he is completing an MDiv Honolulu, Hawaii at Fuller Theological Seminary. Kanealii is a portfolio manager at Kamehameha Schools. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at the UO and was involved in student Joyce Lynn Garrett government. Kanealii served as chapter BA ’68, MA ’73, MS ’81, president for the Hawaii Ducks. He earned an PhD ’82 (curriculum and instruction) MBA from Georgia State University and is a Milton-Freewater, Oregon Certified Project Management Professional Joyce enjoyed a 35-year career in education from PMI. before retiring from Boise State as Professor and Dean of the College of Education. She served on non-profit boards in several states and is a life member of Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta Pi, and Alexa Tieu Whippo BS '10 (journalism) the Association of Teacher Educators. She also Gilbert, Arizona holds a BS from Oregon State University. Alexa is the on-air promotions editor, producer, and graphic designer for Bally Sports Arizona in Phoenix. Alexa served as chapter president of the Desert Ducks. She is an active member of Debbie (Schloe) Kagawa the Association for Women in Sports Media, the BS ’80 (recreation administration) Asian American Journalists Association, and the Huntington Beach, California Arizona chapter of Women in Sports and Entertainment. Debbie is the branch manager for Capital Resources & Insurance, Inc., a registered investment adviser in California. She is president of the Orange County Ducks Chapter, having served in that position for six years. Next up will Julia Wong BS ’18 (business administration) be working with the chapter on increasing alumni Eugene, Oregon engagement. Debbie definitely loves her Ducks! Julia serves on the fundraising team at the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, a local rare disease nonprofit founded by the late UO President David Frohnmayer. During her time April Koda BA ’06 (business administration) as an undergraduate, Julia was a member of the Charlotte, North Carolina weightlifting club and competed on the state April is the director of trade promotions at The and national level. She is currently pursuing her Simply Good Foods Company. She is a masters of nonprofit management at the UO. first-generation Oregon graduate and former Oregon Ducks football intern and actively supports all Oregon athletics. April served on the board of the Denver Ducks and is a (Not pictured) Eduardo (“Eddy”) Morales ’04 volunteer for the Duck Alumni Recruiting Team. (planning, public policy and management; Spanish) Gresham, Oregon THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 41 Old Oregon CLASS NOTES FL ASHBACK 194 J ay Cooke Allen, ’23, a former Oregon journalist and correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance, is sentenced in March to three months’ imprisonment for crossing the demarcation line between unoccupied and occupied France without a permit from the German military. DENYSE McGRIFF, THOMAS law firm Ropes & MS ’78 (political COOKSEY, PhD ’82 Gray LLP, after science), MUP ’79 (English), professor practicing corporate (urban and regional emeritus of English transactional law planning), was and philosophy for 25 years in New appointed to the at Armstrong York City, the Silicon city commission State University, Valley, and San in Oregon City in Savannah, Georgia, Francisco. 2019 and elected to published the article, the body in 2020, “Pataphysical MARTIN MOLL, becoming the first Assemblages: Fascist BA ’85 (Clark person of color to Spectacle in Paul Honors College, join the commission. Grimault’s Le roi political science), and et l’oiseau,” in the MICHELLE LÖPEZ, CRAIG BOW, Comparatist, a BS ’06 (business PhD ’79 (geological literary journal. administration), sciences), was founded Tualatin- CLASS NOTABLE appointed a technical MIKE MILLER, based Breakaway Answering a Call for Help, advisor to Idaho MArch ’83, retired Bookkeeping & Champion gold after 19 years as Advising, a network 60 Years Later mines for two a principal and of advisors offering exploration gold owner of Bremerton, bookkeeping, virtual projects. Washington-based CFO and family- Months after Nazis seized Vienna in 1939, a Jewish merchant named Rice Fergus Miller, office services, and Alfred Berger poured all of his hope into a desperate plea to a 1980s an architecture, small-business stranger 6,000 miles away who shared only his last name. interiors, and marketing solutions.You are surely informed about the situation of all Jews in Central-Europe . . . planning firm. The only possibility we have to join our children, the dearest we have in this world, The Trail Back Out, is the way to America . . . the fourth book by KELLY ZUSMAN, But help never came. For more than 60 years, the letter went unan- JADI CAMPBELL, JAMES COYLE, BS BA ’86 (history), swered—until it landed in the hands of Faris Cassell MS ’90, a graduate of BA ’80 (Clark ’85 (computer and JD ’89, started a the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, setting Honors College, information science), scholarship fund her on a path to Israel, Austria, and the Czech Republic to retrace the steps English), was named was appointed sales named for Carmen of a family separated by war and genocide. a finalist for the director at Bangert, Sylvester, who became Now, with fascism once again rearing its head around the world, Cas- 2020 American Inc., a construction the Portland Police sell’s investigative odyssey has culminated in the book, The Unanswered Book Fest Best software company in Bureau’s first Black Letter: One Holocaust Family’s Desperate Plea for Help. Book Award in the Olathe, Kansas. officer in 1974. The “The letter moved me so deeply, I just couldn’t put it away,” she says. “It’s Fiction Anthologies scholarship promotes about what happened to people who were made to seem so unimportant category. BRIAN ERB, BS ’85 diversity in the they became nothing in their culture. And when democracy fell apart, the (journalism), retired criminal justice field. destruction swept them away.” as a partner with Her chronicle of the Berger family’s attempt to flee Europe has struck a the international chord with critics, earning the Jewish Book Council’s 2020 National Book Award in the Holocaust category as well as top honors from the American FL ASHBACK Society of Journalists and Authors. “Everyone is important. That is the thing I think this book has taught More than 6,500 fans come to me,” Cassell says. “Ordinary people, even in ordinary times, can make a big 195 Hayward Field June 19 for a dual difference in the world. In extraordinary times, it’s ordinary people who meet of stars from the Pacific Coast Conference make all the difference.” —Nicole Krueger, BA ’99 (journalism), School of Journalism and Communication and the Big Ten, in what is called “the biggest track For more, visit sojc.link/faris event ever held at the university.” 4 2 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 COURTESY OF FARIS CASSELL IN MEMORIAM Born in Berlin, Marion Walter dodged program. A mathematics theorem was imminent danger as a child: she named for Walter and in 2003 she was was whisked away from Nazi Germany elected to the Massachusetts Hall of MARION WALTER, through a rescue operation that Fame for Mathematics Educators. 1928–2021 evacuated thousands of Jewish children Walter joined the University of to England before the outbreak of Oregon in 1977 and taught prospective World War II. math teachers, retiring as professor She went on to become a world- emerita in 1993. In her honor the math renowned mathematics educator. department issues the Marion Walter Walter was teaching math to 16-year- Future Teachers Award each year to a olds by the time she was 16 herself. distinguished graduating senior. She immigrated in 1948, earned In appreciation of Walter, Jennifer undergraduate and graduate degrees— Ruef, an assistant professor of education including a 1967 doctorate from studies in the College of Education, Harvard—then taught teachers in the wrote: “Women and girls have been master’s program at the school. told, in many ways, that there is no Her trailblazing work on posing and room in math and science for them. solving problems led to the influential Representations matter. The more book, The Art of Problem Posing. She powerful women we see in mathematics, founded Boston-area math-instruction the more evidence we have that workshops that continue today and mathematics is for all people.” was a math consultant to several projects, including the venture that —Matt Cooper, Oregon Quarterly became Sesame Street. She authored a teacher’s guide for geometry, and for her children’s books, she twice received honorable mentions from the New York Academy of Sciences book awards IN MEMORIAM see, is disruptive. Ed Whitelaw was a disruptive visionary.” The economics professor emeritus ED WHITELAW, 1941–2021 was an advisor to governors and presidents and a tirelessly rigorous- As a University of Oregon economist, but-entertaining educator for a half-Ed Whitelaw demonstrated an century’s worth of UO students. Dozens unwavering dedication to spotting of Whitelaw “cub economists,” inspired trends playing out over decades, to pursue careers in the field, went on to not years. Among them: prescience the best graduate schools in the country. regarding the value that natural In recognition of Whitelaw’s impact, an amenities—forests, mountains, anonymous estate gift pledged in 2019 streams—can have for the economy. will create a chair or professorship in During the timber wars of the 1990s, urban economics named for him. Whitelaw drew intense criticism for “One would never forget meeting Ed, predicting to President Clinton that intensely curious, funny, bigger than life protecting old-growth forests and the and just obviously having a blast being Northern Spotted Owl would ultimately alive,” says Bruce Blonigen, Tykeson do more for the economy in drawing Dean of Arts and Sciences. “His students talented workers to a scenic Northwest will never forget his unique courses that than would turning those trees into were both fascinating and rigorous at lumber. His prediction was accurate. the same time.” “It can be a burden to see things before others do,” wrote John Tapogna, —Matt Cooper, Oregon Quarterly president of ECONorthwest, founded by Whitelaw in 1974 and today one Read more at around.uoregon.edu/ of the largest economic consulting whitelaw-obit firms in the Pacific Northwest. “Seeing the unseen, and acting on what you THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 4 3 CC BY-SA (WALTER); CHRIS LARSEN, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Old Oregon CLASS NOTES FL ASHBACK PAM HARDY, JD AMMINA forester for Grants 196 I n the spring, journalism professor ’06, who works KOTHARI, MA ’08 Pass, received the Warren C. Price, interviewed by Old for the Western (communication and Oregon Urban and Environmental Law society), an associate Community Forestry Oregon for riding a bicycle, says he is not part of Center in Eugene, professor in the School Award from the the “faculty bicycle-riding fad” and only does so was covered in a New of Communication for Oregon Department “when no other transportation is available.” York Times opinion Rochester Institute of Forestry and column about of Technology, New the nonprofit cooperation between York, received an organization Oregon 1990s environmental short film. SKYE environmentalists Eisenhart Award Community Trees.protection and FITZGERALD, and loggers in John for Outstanding NANCY RETSINAS humanity. MFA ’97 (speech: , Day. Teaching, the DAVID KARP, BA theater arts), director JD ’91, was appointed institute’s highest ’11 (history), president MEGAN SAYLOR, of Hunger Ward, to Clark County CHRIS THOMAS, honor for tenured of California-based was nominated in Superior Court, MS ’97, PhD ’01 BMus ’06 (music faculty. Cole Hardware, was (psychology), the short-subject Washington. composition), BA ’06 named to the “40 professor of documentary (political science), JOSEPH Under 40 Class of psychology and category. Works by won a Hollywood O’CONNELL, MA 2021” list of the San human development choreographer Music in Media ’09 (independent Francisco Business TIFFANY MILLS at Vanderbilt LIZ FEEZOR, , Award, and his study: folklore), Times. University, Nashville, BA ’04 (Spanish), BA ’92 (Clark Honors latest symphony and who performs as received the Ellen was accepted into College, dance), flute concerto were underground folk act ALICIA BALFREY, Gregg Ingalls Award American Mensa, were included in the named finalists for Elephant Micah, was MS ’14 (special for Excellence in an organization that 2021 dance festival, the American Prize featured in Indy Week, education), an autism Classroom Teaching. identifies and fosters La MaMa Moves!, human intelligence scheduled as a May JOANNA KEPKA, for the benefit of streaming event in FL ASHBACK MA ’98, PhD ’00 humanity, and was New York City. The March-April issue of Old Oregon (geography), a named director of faculty member communications for 197 reports that UO psychologists Hal ANSELMO VILLANUEVA with the University Hennessey Digital, a Arkowitz and Edward Lichtenstein are working , PhD of Nevada, Las digital marketing firm ’92 (curriculum and with 30 young men who “freeze up” when meeting Vegas, specializing for the legal field. instruction), was a woman by helping them rehearse ways to in cultural-political selected as executive geography in Europe ERIN DURY, BA approach the situation. director of diversity, and the Middle East, ’05 (women’s and equality, and inclusion received the 2020–21 gender studies), in composing, part a Durham, North training specialist, at Santa Barbara Alex G. and Faye MNPM ’13 (nonprofit of a new series of Carolina-based discussed the 2020 City College, Santa Spanos Distinguished management), was nonprofit national digital publication, pandemic challenges Barbara, California. Teaching Award appointed to fill the competitions in the regarding his new and opportunities for excellence and District 4 seat of performing arts. album, Vague Tidings. for students with CHAD T. HANSON, innovation in teaching Seattle Public Schools. autism during an JD ’95, published and mentorship. TRACI RAY, JD ’07, educational webinar Smokescreen: ELIZABETH executive director 2010s for edWeb.net. Debunking Wildfire LOCKWOOD, of Barran Liebman Myths to Save 2000s RACHEL BIArch ’05 (interior Attorneys, Portland, CUSHMAN, BS BEN BYE, BArch Our Forests and Our Climate, an MICHAEL GOVIER architecture), host received the 2021 ’10 (ethnic studies), ’14, and HALEY , Athena Award from DAVIS, BArch ’16, impassioned, BS ’00 (speech: theater of an interior design a member of the arts), cocreator of If podcast called Mile Dress for Success evidence-based Chinook Indian were promoted at Anything Happens I Long Trace, joined the Oregon for her argument for a Nation, was covered Los Angeles-based Kalispell, Montana, service to the group, new era of forest Love You, won a 2021 by High Country CO Architects, which advances which specializes management for Academy Award office of A&E Design. News in a feature and empowers in planning, for best animated about the threats women for economic facing tribal nations programming, and independence that don’t receive design in the higher FL ASHBACK through employment 198 J unior Leann Warren—named “the federal recognition. education, science opportunities, and technology, and nation’s outstanding collegiate career development, TONY MECUM healthcare sectors. , performer in women’s track and field”—wins the and professional Bye became a senior BS ’10 (Clark outfitting. associate, working on New York City Fifth Avenue Mile in September, Honors College, medical education, with a time of 4:25.31. psychology), urban higher education, 4 4 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 CLASS NOTABLE Great Art Makes Great Communities, Great Communities Make Great Art Sean Andries’s commitment to “Every kid deserves to have access to that bringing arts and culture to every kind of experience.”corner of Oregon has landed him Andries’s fascination for theater was on the board of directors of the Oregon kindled during his freshman year. After Cultural Trust, a funding engine for arts participating in a student-written play, the and culture established in 2001 by the pre-med major discovered his true calling Oregon legislature. was theater arts. His appointment couldn’t come at a more Andries credits his faculty mentors, critical time, as the trust works to ensure John Schmor and the late Jack Watson, that arts organizations get back on their of the London Theatre Program, with feet following the COVID-19 pandemic. guiding his career goals. “My experience “Getting the arts and culture in Oregon at the university and in Villard Hall was back on track is my number one priority,” wonderful,” he says. “It meant so much to says Andries, executive director of the be part of such a supportive community.” Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg. That spirit of community is what Andries As a kid whose parents introduced him believes art and culture can offer, especially early and often to the Oregon Shakespeare after the isolation of the pandemic. Festival, Andries (BS ’06, theater arts) Says Andries: “Art and culture have an appreciates the value the arts can bring to amazing ability to bridge the divides in rural communities. our communities.” “I have so much passion for making —Sharleen Nelson, BS ’06 (journalism: sure that kids who grow up in rural areas magazine, news/editorial), experience art and culture,” he says. University Communications Will Power “ Scholarships are the primary reason I have this opportunity to pursue a college degree.” Semeredin Kundin (political science and planning, public policy and management) Is the UO in your Will? giftplan.uoregon.edu Gifts from alumni and friends like you make it possible for outstanding young leaders like Semeredin Kundin to pursue their educations at the UO. Contact us 541-346-1687 | 800-289-2354 | giftplan@uoregon.edu THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 4 5 COURTESY OF SEAN ANDRIES Old Oregon CLASS NOTES FL ASHBACK OLLI-UO HAS 199 T he Grateful Dead announce they GONE VIRTUAL! will not return to Autzen Stadium for a summer show, despite a plan by a community At the University of Oregon task force—the Clean Scene Organizers—to curb illegal drug use. and healthcare website covering LAURENNE ROSS, projects; Davis the creative BS ’20 (art), was became an associate, industries, for her featured by Ski collaborating on role managing Racing Media, an projects that respond Black Women international media to context, climate, Photographers, company focused and culture. a platform on alpine skiing, in established in 2020 a story that dubbed GIAN DAVID as a community her “the spirit of the Thought-provoking lectures, discussions, and study groups PANETTA, BS ’15 that empowers world’s best speed for adults 50 and better. Six or twelve-month memberships (political science), Black women team.” and nonbinary available to you or a friend. has launched an effort to establish photographers. Instashowing, an Join OLLI-UO From Your Home a portrait of his online real estate tool grandmother, Tina Etana, a short film founded by WILLIAM LEARN MORE Panetta, in the produced by MAI SCHOEFFLER, 800-824-2714 • 541-346-0697 • osher.uoregon.edu US Senate dining AMALIE BAK, BA BS ’20 (business room to recognize ’18 (journalism), administration), EO/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity. her decades of was accepted to has received more ©2021 University of Oregon. cpe24341 government service the Cleveland than $1.5 million in as a lead waitress. International Film funding from industry Festival, Female veterans. O r e g o n ANDREA Voices Rock Film VALDERRAMA, Festival, and Venice IN MEMORIAM BA ’15 (Romance Shorts film festival. languages), THEODOCIA was appointed “GRACE” representative for 2020s TYRRELL, BA ’47 House District 47 Weekdays MANUELA BAEZ, (journalism), died by the Multnomah BA ’20 (journalism), January 21. She 4 am - Morning Edition County board of joined Telemundo worked for the US 9 am - Here & Now commissioners. 23, a TV news state department 11 am - The Takeaway organization as a decoder in the POLLY IRUNGU, on the Central American embassy 12 pm - Think Out Loud BA ’17 (journalism), Coast, California, in Czechoslovakia 1 pm - Fresh Air digital content editor as a multimedia and Rome, and at New York Public 2 pm - The World journalist and later as a social Radio, New York anchor. worker in Tucson, 3 pm - The Daily K L C C M u l t i m e d i a J o u r n a l i s t City, was featured Arizona. She enjoyed M e l o r i e B e g a y 3:30 pm - All Things Considered in Creative Review, playing golf with her a multiplatform husband, Tom. FL ASHBACK 200 D uring the spring, graduate students Jocelyn Eisenberg and Brian Gates are awarded $100,000 by the Associated Students NPR for Oregonians of the University of Oregon to design and install photovoltaic panels on top of the EMU, cutting LISTENER SUPPORTED NEWS AND CULTURE energy costs and serving as an educational model O n A i r S t r e a m i n g O n D e m a n d for solar power. 4 6 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 FL ASHBACK 201 P lans advance for the creation of the Center for Microbial Ecology of Indoor Environments, which will focus on the design of sustainable buildings and how use, climate, and airflow influence microbial ecosystems living in those structures and the health of humans occupying them. JOHN KNOX for programs that supports initiatives GRAM, BS ’52 train educators to that enhance (economics), died recognize the effects the quality of April 26. A member of trauma and help undergraduate of Phi Gamma Delta students find solace education at the who remained active and support at university. in the fraternity school. She helped for decades, he create the Trauma founded Portland- and Learning FACULTY IN based Forest Policy Initiative, MEMORIAM Utilization Inc. and a collaboration was appointed by between ROSS F. LANE, an President Reagan to Massachusetts associate professor the National Public Advocates for of chemistry from Lands Advisory Children and 1980 to 1986, died Council. He served Harvard Law January 19. An on the UO alumni School. early member of association board the UO Institute of of directors and SCOT L. CLARK, Neuroscience, he with his wife, Sally, BS ’90 (political was a popular and enjoyed travel science), JD ’93, youthful researcher, to France and died April 18. As educator, Clark to “spring fling” a trial lawyer and Honors College and weekends in the prosecutor in PhD thesis advisor west with fraternity Riverside and San whose research brothers and wives. Francisco counties and publications in California, he in electro- JAMES MARK tirelessly advocated neurochemistry SHEA, MS ’56 for abused women advanced (journalism), and the families of understanding of died March 20. murder victims. He brain processes, An avid runner retired as managing drugs, and therapies dating to his time deputy district used worldwide. He at the university, attorney of the major and his wife, Margo, he served as UO crimes division retired to Canada, director of university for the Riverside where he practiced relations, and later District Attorney’s a love of botany and as vice president of Office. a devotion to his university relations canine companions. at Temple University, THOMAS RAY Philadelphia, “TOM” WILLIAMS, where he retired as a former trustee of professor emeritus the UO Foundation, of communications. died May 8. He and his wife, Carol, SUSAN COLE, established the MS ’73 (special Tom and Carol education), died May Williams Fund for 1. The teacher turned Undergraduate lawyer advocated Education, which THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF OREGON 47 Old Oregon DUCKS AFIELD a d c b e 1 2 3 4 5 Ducks Afiel 1. In February 2020, just before the COVID-19 We love Duck migrations! pandemic was declared, Ducks BRUCE BERG (a), BS Send photos of you, ’81 (community service and public affairs), SHONDRA HOLLIDAY (b), BS ’94 (general science), classmates, family, and friends showing UO pride KIANA FINCHER (c), BS ’20 (human physiology), JASYN GOHL (d), BS ’21 (human physiology), worldwide. Visit OregonQuarterly. and KLARE AZIZ (e), BS ’17 (Clark Honors College, general science), were in Limbé, Haiti, as part of a com and submit a high-resolution JPEG image. medical mission through HBS Foundation to support critical surgery services to underserved communities 2. JIM FICK, BS ’93 (economics), was near Reykjavik, Iceland, recently for the eruption of the Geldingadalir volcano, an “amazing experience,” he says 3. BURKE ALSTON, BS ’94 (political science), and family swung by Washington, DC, during a vacation to Virginia 4. ERIN HOLLAND, BS ’89 (public relations), and her husband, Bernie, braved the ice of Antarctica in late February 2020 5. CARLA, JD ’07, and ROBERT SENH, JD ’08, and family cozied up to their favorite Disney character during a December 2019 trip to Aulani, a Disney resort and spa in Kapolei, Hawaii 4 8 OREGON QUARTERLY | S UP RMIMN EGR 2 2002201 MAI ENT IENANC D RE I RIGATIONSIG TN A& INSTAL L WHO WE ARE Our mission at Graham Landscape & Design is to serve. Plain and simple. We are at our clients’ service to help them enjoy the kind of life they deserve. Our main vehicle for this service is the creation, installation, and maintenance of beautiful landscapes that our clients love to come home to in Albany, Coburg, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Eugene, Junction City, Roseburg, Springfi eld, Veneta, and the surrounding areas. Call us at 541-729-8029 for a FREE estimate today! EXPERIENCED. INNOVATIVE. SUSTAINABLE. GRAHAM-LANDSCAPE.COM GRAHAM LANDSCAPE & DESIGN 541-729-8029 P.O. BOX 5125 LCB # 8920 EUGENE, OREGON 97405 ON Old Oregon DUCK TALE Livesay (below, with “the Monster”) played for the UO (top right corner, and sliding) before starting a company in 1967 Hitting high blood pressure and high heat forced company. My system was based on pounds me to give up my dream of professional per square inch, I said, “I’m going to name baseball. It was a hard decision, but I had my company ‘PSI.’” That was a no-brainer. Home Runs, to do it. I was 21 years old. I didn’t want In 1971, Roseburg Forest Products to have a heart attack and I didn’t want to owner Ken Ford wanted a 1,000-ton-per- have a stroke. I didn’t want to die. hour pneumatic conveyor to load chips in Industry I had played semipro baseball for into a ship going to Japan. The system he Archer Blower and Pipe of Portland— was using peaked at 565 tons an hour. It they built low-pressure air conveyors to didn’t take a genius to figure out if I put BY JAMES LIVESAY, AS suck up sawdust and shavings for the the feeder at an elevation above the ship wood products industry. I called August and “shotgunned” the chips down into the TOLD TO MATT COOPER Archer and said, “Can I visit you? I need hatches, I could do better. OF OREGON QUARTERLY to figure out what I’m going to do with We put the feeder at a 55-foot elevation my life.” He said, “If you want to learn the in a tower. On the second hatch of the first My mom always said, “Jimmy, business, you’re going to have to start as an ship, we broke 1,000 tons per hour. That whatever you do, do it the best you apprentice and work your way up.” I said, was a piece of cake. We average well over can. If you don’t succeed, at least “Let’s go for it.” 2,000 tons per hour today with the same you did the best you could.” I learned to build and install equipment. equipment. It was one of the world’s biggest I love baseball. When I was 14, we were Another company was selling all these air conveying systems. The longshoremen listening to the Boston Red Sox playing high-pressure pneumatic conveyors. The nicknamed it, “the Monster.” Today, the St. Louis Cardinals and I took an pulp and paper mills needed wood chips we do business with Georgia-Pacific, attachment to Boston and said, “Dad, from a sawmill blown into a railcar to be Weyerhaeuser, International Paper, all the someday I’m going to be a catcher and play taken to a mill to make pulp and paper. It big blue-chip companies. for Boston in Fenway Park.” At Oregon, I was a wide-open field! I’ve had a very exciting life. I guess I’m was a good hitter and had a good arm. In I taught myself these pneumatic systems. competitive. My mom always pushed me to May 1953, Mother’s Day weekend, coach There were several books available. I do the right thing. She always told me she Don Kirsch awarded me the Emerald developed a formula to determine the size was proud of me, that I was willing to take Award for citizenship, scholarship, and of the conveyor based on the tonnage to on a challenge and do the best I could. athleticism. When I received the award, I be handled and the distance to be blown. went into the stands and gave it to my mom Every sawmill had its own capacity, I James “Jim” Livesay, BS ’53 (physical and told her, “It was your coaching that designed the system for their capacity. I education), is the owner of Lake Oswego-based gave me that trophy.” made pneumatic systems work at Archer— PSI Conveying Groups and the father of three I was signed as a catcher with the Red our sales went to $4 million annually in Ducks: Bruce, BS ’79 (management), Rod, BBA Sox and they shipped me to Roanoke, four years, up from $250,000. ’78 (finance), and James, BS ’83 (sociology). Virginia, and the old Piedmont League. But I left in 1967 and started my own 5 0 OREGON QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2021 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES, UO LIBRARIES (BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES); COURTESY OF JAMES LIVESAY OREGON QUARTERLY 5228 University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403-5228 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Please Drink Responsibly. ©2021 King Estate Winery, Eugene, Oregon