Spring 2021
ALUMNI LOSSES
Derek Ott and his father at a Vikings football game.Derek Ott ’20 passed away Sept. 4, 2020 after a long illness, but not before fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a college graduate. A U.S. Navy veteran, he enrolled at PSU in fall 2016, helping to give purpose to his life while on the road to recovery. He was proud to be a PSU Viking and became a dedicated student. He received word that he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Arts and Letters in his last hours and celebrated in a special ceremony in his hospital room. He will be remembered as an engaging student who was full of optimism, positivity and humor.
FACULTY AND STAFF LOSSES
Mani speaker Ma Hawa Camara with Tucker Childs in Benty, Guinea.Professor Tucker Childs passed away Jan. 26, 2021 due to complications related to legionella. He joined PSU in 1996 and was planning to retire at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year after 25 years of teaching and conducting research in applied linguistics. He is remembered by colleagues, students and friends for his kindness, graciousness, support and humor. He was a well-known scholar in African linguistics, documenting the Mel family of languages (Kisi, Mani, Bom-Kim) and ideophones. In 2018, he received the Kenneth L. Hale Award from the Linguistics Society of America, which recognizes scholars for outstanding work on the documentation of a particular language or family of languages that is endangered or no longer spoken. Before he began his career in linguistics, Childs studied English literature at Stanford University and Trinity College, Dublin. From 1970-72, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English at Tamba Taylor Public School in Shelloe, Liberia. It was there he developed his interests in, and love for, the people and languages of the region. He earned an M.S. in Sociolinguistics at Georgetown University in 1982 and a Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley in 1988. His doctoral dissertation, directed by John Ohala, was A Kisi Grammar.
Assistant Professor Xander Davies earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Northern Iowa before obtaining his Ph.D. at the University of Central Florida in 2018. Davies began his career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the fall term of 2018, specializing in English as a Second Language (ESOL) and elementary education. He was a promising researcher, teacher and servant leader. He was a beloved professor and a well-respected colleague. Although he had been teaching at PSU for only a few years, his passion for educating future teachers came through in his work every day. Davies relished other languages and cultures, traveling recently to Egypt and Cambodia. He wrote his dissertation about an elementary school in its first year of transitioning to a dual language program. Davies used the paper as an opportunity to thank teachers who work in what he called “one of the most difficult professions.” He will be greatly missed.
Portland State University mourns the loss of the founding dean of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science and an advocate for “big picture” engineering education, Chik Erzurumlu. Erzurumlu first joined Portland State College in 1962 as a faculty member in civil engineering. In 1980, he was leading the Division of Engineering and Applied Science. By 1982, he became the founding dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Erzurumlu oversaw years of innovation and new initiatives as he worked to build a solid foundation for the new school. “To say that Chik Erzurumlu was an important figure in the history of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University would be a woeful understatement,” says Dean Richard Corsi. “He was a giant figure whose efforts transformed lives for the better and put Portland State University on the map as an important player in the technology landscape of Oregon. I feel so very fortunate to hold a dean position named in honor of Chik.” Erzurumlu also developed a pilot program with Portland Public Schools to expand educational opportunities for women and students of color. Oregon MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) was founded in 1985 and modeled after a similar program in California—long before initiatives designed to serve underrepresented communities in science and math were more commonplace. He was known for his excellence as an educator and dedication to innovation, as well as his involvement in the local community including volunteer positions at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the City Club of Portland and the Portland Advisory Committee for Engineering Education.
FALL 2020
ALUMNI LOSSES
Thomas T. Allsen ’62 was a scholar of the history and culture of Medieval Eurasia and of the Mongol Empire whose published books and articles are cited in virtually every work that deals with the peoples of that time and place. He won numerous awards, including fellowships from the prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities and Guggenheim Foundation, and published path-breaking books and articles, including his last, The Steppe and the Sea. After briefly teaching at Western Kentucky University, Allsen spent the rest of his career as a professor in the History Department of Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey. For many years he was also one of the editors of Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi (1986-2013). A Festschrift in his honor was published in that journal in vol. 21 (2014-2015) to mark his 75th birthday. Allsen gave willingly and generously of his time, broad erudition and sage counsel to an extensive range of scholars, from novices to aging veterans, as the “Acknowledgements” section of many books and articles attest. His impact on Central Eurasian Studies will continue for many years to come. Allsen always credited his years at PSU for stimulating his scholarly interests and was especially mindful of the influence of two of his professors: Morris K. Webb and the late Basil Dmytryshyn, history faculty emeriti. Allsen died in February 2019 at the age of 79.
Woodrow Mercer Blettel ’70, passed away at home in Salem, Oregon at the age of 73 from complications of stroke. Woodrow was born in 1946 in Milwaukie, Oregon, to VanNoy (Pruitt) Blettel and Isadore “Bud” Blettel. He received his bachelor’s degree in art from Portland State University, later marrying Susan Doward at The Old Church, in Portland in 1974. Woodrow and Susan spent a total of 13 years living and working on the campus of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee and several more in Portland and Salem, Oregon. Woodrow taught art in the Beaverton School District for 17 years. At Sunset High School he taught a variety of art courses including graphic design, printmaking and pottery. At Beaverton High School he taught advanced, experimental and beginning photography, including camera and darkroom techniques. A number of his students went on to successful careers as professional potters, graphic designers, photographers, and art professors. This brought him great pride and joy. In 1988, he left teaching to become a full-time assignment photographer working primarily with higher education clients and continuing until he retired in 2011. He is survived by his wife, Susan Blettel in Salem, Oregon; brother Dr. M.L. (Patti) Blettel and three nieces and three nephews: Amy Blettel, Emily Blettel Rosenthal, Kim Blettel Moe, and Kris Blettel, all in the Portland area, William Torres in San Francisco and Alexander Torres in San Ramon, California, as well as parents-in-law, Jean and Colin Doward, and sister-in-law, Claire Torres in Concord, California.
Paul J Willoughby ’65 passed away in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sept. 14, 2019 following a triple bypass surgery. He is the son of Paul H. Willoughby, founder and owner of Willoughby Hearing Aids in Portland. Paul is survived by two adopted sons and two grandchildren.
FACULTY AND STAFF LOSSES
Library Dean Tom Bielavitz passed away July 16 after a long illness. He is remembered as a strong and compassionate leader and a kind and thoughtful soul who consistently elevated his colleagues and the students of Portland State. He joined the Library in 2006, and before becoming the dean served as assistant university librarian for administrative services, planning and digital initiatives. He earned a Master of Library and Information Science from Drexel University, Philadelphia, in 2005 and began his library career in 1993, first working in Blackwell’s Book Services distribution center in Blackwood, N.J. and then in its U.S. headquarters in Lake Oswego. He was named interim dean of the Library in 2018 and was named full dean effective July 1 of 2019. An advocate for student success and access, Bielavitz was a leader in bringing Open Educational Resources to Portland State, saving students hundreds of thousands dollars in textbook fees every year. He truly embraced PSU’s mission to serve and lived it in his own service to the university through his innovation in information technology, diversity action and administrative leadership.
Former assistant social studies librarian Patricia “Pat” Helen Byrd died on August 14 at the age of 97. Born in Salem, Oregon, Byrd attended Willamette University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Collegian, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1944. After graduating, she attended Middlebury College in Vermont where she studied German literature and language. She then returned to Oregon and worked as a Department of Human Services caseworker for several years in Portland. In 1961, Byrd earned a master’s degree in library science from University of Washington in Seattle. She worked for a short time at the Multnomah County Library in Portland before becoming assistant social studies librarian at Portland State University, where she worked until she retired. While at the PSU library, Pat gained the admiration of all of the staff due to her high level of professionalism. She was also highly regarded by the university’s social work faculty because of her development and expansion of the PSU Library’s social work collection. While at the PSU Library Pat was selected by her peers to serve as Head of Readers’ Services.
Senior Instructor II of Management Brenda Eichelberger passed away in April at the age of 60 after many years of triumph over chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Brenda was a pillar of The School of Business community for over 20 years—her belief in colleagues and students was contagious and enabled many to become better people and better professionals. Her high-impact personal finance course and significant contributions toward the school’s entrepreneurship programs are just two pieces of her legacy.
Please send remembrances of 200 words or less to psumag@pdx.edu along with a photo.