Fall 2021 Inbox

Fall 2021

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS

Compliments on the current issue of Portland State Magazine. While (obviously), as a historian, I appreciated the historical perspectives the issue provides, it is good journalism and design, plain and simple. You and your team deserve the University’s thanks. —Chet Orloff MA ’80, Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies and Planning 2000-16

While (obviously), as a historian I appreciated the historical perspectives the issue provides, it is good journalism and design, plain and simple.

Regarding “Pieces of History” and Professor Frederic Littman, artist extraordinaire: As a freshman, I took one of Fred’s sculpture classes and spent time in his open studio, on an upper floor in Cramer Hall, most late afternoons during the spring of 1970. On May 11, I was working on a piece that was soon due. There were no other students and Fred was in and out of his office in the back. Soon, we heard a racket outside and looked down towards the Park Blocks. Across the park, we could see police lining up in military formation on the street and students moving towards the medical tent farther down the park, but out of view. As we watched the police march toward the students, Fred said it brought back so many memories of Hungary during WWII. He told me some of his experiences, which were shocking. Juxtaposed with what we were watching outside, it was a big experience for an 18-year-old. I learned a lot from Fred that day and left thinking I had just witnessed Portland history through the eyes of an artist who survived WWII. —Kathleen (Nolf ) Granderson ’73

Thank you for the lovely writeup [in “Pieces of History”] about the Debbie Murdock Clock Tower and the legacy of Debbie Murdock. As you mentioned, Debbie’s impact touched every aspect of PSU and went a long way toward shaping the Park Blocks and the University District as we know it. A humble visionary, a relentless worker and an invaluable mentor and friend, Debbie was truly larger than life. She left us way too soon. To ensure her legacy is not forgotten, a number of her friends established the Debbie Murdock Scholarship Fund to support inspiring graduate students continuing the work that Debbie started. To learn more or donate, please visit giving.psuf.org/murdock. —Beckie Lee, Chris Pierce, Mary Carroll, Debbie Kirkland and Ian Ruder

That beautiful “130-plus-year-old” copper beech at the Millar Library [in “Pieces of History”] has to be one of my all-time favorite trees! I loved looking at it from inside while studying. I also loved learning about it in Dr. Joe Poracsky’s class on the urban forest. (R.I.P. Joe. You were such a great teacher!) He loved that tree, too, though he lamented that the University wasn’t planning on the tree’s eventual demise, saying that its lifespan of 150-200 years meant the tree could have only a few decades left. He would have liked to see a sapling planted alongside it that could grow to take its place as the old one ages and dies. Joe’s obituary suggests planting memorial trees. Maybe we PSU alumni could arrange for the planting of a baby copper beech in Joe’s honor. I’ll gladly pitch in. —Jan Dougall MA ’07

Maybe we PSU alumni could arrange for the planting of a baby copper beech in Joe’s honor. I’ll gladly pitch in.

Thank you so much for the spring edition of the alumni magazine. I enjoyed tracking the landmarks, especially from “the old days,” as
I attended 1964-69. During those years I worked in the Middle East Studies Center office, on the third floor of South Park Hall and spent much of my time delivering and collecting documents from the History and Political Science departments and standing in line to use the Xerox machine in the basement of Smith Center. (Actually, I had to hand over my document to the official operator.) So I can attest that the first sky bridge opened well before 1970, as I used it often. I vividly remember being on the bridge when a small earthquake caused the floor to undulate. —Lillian Avery Carbone ’69

I had no particular attachment to the old Outdoor Program axe [shown in “Pieces of History”], but the yearbook behind it brought back a flood of memories of climbing trips to Horsethief Butte and to Smith Rocks, of kayaking trips, all encouraged and enabled by the late (alas!) mentor and part-time leprechaun, [Outdoor Program founder] Sam McKinney. The black-and-white photos in that yearbook article were all taken by Outdoor Program member Margie White; the text was written by me. Thanks for the memories! —Ellen (Sandberg) Cameron ’71

SEEING PSU EVERYWHERE

I enjoyed the [“Know Your Viks”] quiz in the Spring 2021 issue very much. For question No. 10, you could have also added that the inspiration for the [University] logo even predates the four-leaf clover. I was visiting this Roman ruin in Geneva a few years ago and the PSU logo jumped out at me! —Sally S. Mudiamu EdD ’20, Director, PSU Office of International Partnerships & Initiatives

Courtesy of Sally S. Mudiamu

ENTERTAINED AND EXASPERATED

Hats off to the creative editors and writers of Portland State Magazine’s 75th Anniversary issue. It was clever, entertaining and informative. However, I was equal parts exasperated with and embarrassed by the latter part of President Percy’s introductory statement and could only wonder who wrote this sophomoric, cut-and-paste pablum for him (what does “decolonizing ourselves” even mean?). As president of a school of PSU’s caliber, he should stick to spotlighting the university’s academic, artistic, research, philanthropic and even athletic successes. —Jeanne Kurzenhauser ’80, MST ’81

Read the virtual print edition of the Spring 2021 Portland State Magazine or download a PDF.

REACTIONS TO FACULTY VOICES

I read the three responses in Faculty Voices [“What Have We Learned from COVID- 19”] with great pleasure. As each professor correctly points out, if we do not learn the societal lesson of this pandemic, the medical lessons are all for naught. Believe it or not, like it or not, everything in life is interconnected. Similar to viruses not respecting the invisible lines on the ground humans revere as “national borders,” the social issues of health, climate, justice and equality do not respect the separate, invisible silos many have attempted to place them in. On the contrary, they greatly impact each other, along with everyone and everything else throughout society. Ironically or cynically, the greatest teaching on the interdependence of humanity is ignored by many: “Love your neighbor as yourself ” (Mark 12:31). The only way to live this powerful admonition is to realize there are no “others”—we are all in this together. — Brad Stephan ’77

Similar to viruses not respecting the invisible lines on the ground humans revere as ‘national borders,ʼ the social issues of health, climate, justice and equality do not respect the separate, invisible silos many have attempted to place them in.

What a great thinkpiece you published from Dilafruz Williams [in Faculty Voices]. I’ve shared it with others, including on my Facebook account, so that my fellow professors across the country and world could see her reflections. She turned our challenges into opportunities in such wise ways. —Prof. Tom Hastings, Conflict Resolution

After reading the recent edition of Portland State Magazine, I am reminded of all the discussions I had with my over-the-top liberal professors, defending my conservative perspective. This idea that structural racism is the problem in the U.S. is phony. It’s causing class warfare and hatred. This continual blaming everything on the “system” or blaming the rich guys just breeds contempt and hatred. Look at the cities in this country where the leadership is the most progressive. How have these progressive ideas improved crime, poverty and drug abuse? Where is the success of this leadership? The cities that these liberal politicians lead, that continually push the victim mentality, are the worst off in nearly every category of measured prosperity. It is time for leaders like [Professors Petteway, Williams and Golub] to embrace the principles that made this country great. I’m not saying that things are perfect. I’m saying change your focus if you want a different result. —Charles Blatner ’85

THE CHANGING NORTHWEST

“The Changing Northwest” confirmed the tragic trajectory of climate crises and what we’re experiencing here in the Pacific North- west. Our beloved Northwest of mild climate and nature’s beauty is fast changing to dry and hot summers resulting in ever-worsening wildfires. The disappearing glaciers are not only sad to see but contribute to the worsen- ing fire season. We have piled the kindling; just a spark is needed to set it off. —Janet Liu

I was delighted to read “The Changing Northwest.” I had some experience with the Eugene Bureau of Land Management office (six summer jobs) during my profession as a science teacher. [One fire] (started by a road grader!) burned up 40,000 acres west of Eugene in the 1960s. Also, my daughter Karen Nielsen MS ’82 lost her lovely cabin up the Breitenbush River where 70-plus other cabins burned, too. She had the cabin for over 40 years. I hope we can get better fire control in our beautiful forests. —Victor D. Nielsen

MORE MEMORIES OF 1970

To read [the Spring 2020 story, “1970: The Year that Shaped PSU”], one might get the idea that PSU was a cauldron of political activism sparked by the U.S. National Guard actions against student protestors on the Kent State campus. A more balanced narrative about May 1970 on the PSU campus is a story of a minority of off-campus radical activists who tried to engage a vulnerable student body which was countered by a few non-violent students who showed a more peaceful way to preserve a campus climate for calm deliberation. Students who have not experienced the hyper-emotion of group protests or riots orchestrated by trained radicals unfortunately will learn from their own destructive actions that they are culpable to being led like sheep to the slaughter by those who have another agenda. —Bob Jones ’70

[The May 11th Committee is] happy to report that our commemorative gathering has been rescheduled for May 11, 2022. We’re officially calling it “50+2.” Much has occurred since spring of 2020, from the pandemic to the mass protests over the murder of George Floyd to the defeat of Trump to the dangerous right-wing insurrection on Jan. 6. We no doubt can expect many more upheavals and changes between now and next May 11. Those of us who are still around from May 1970 when we were youthful PSU students look forward to returning to the Park Blocks to reconnect with each other and try to say something useful to today’s generation of young people. —Doug Weiskopf ’7

CORRECTIONS

In the feature “Pieces of History,” the last name of Charles W. and Julia Bursch, mentioned in “No. 5: Clay and Community,” was misspelled. We apologize for the error.

Construction began on Portland State’s first skybridge in 1968, not 1970.

We want to hear from you! Send your letters and comments by email to psumag@pdx.edu or by mail to Portland State Magazine, University Communications, P.O. Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751. We reserve the right to determine the suitability of letters for publication and to edit them for clarity, accuracy and length.