October 2018

Friends and Fellow Alumni,

I count living much of my life in rural Oregon as one of my greatest blessings. Growing up on a farm, coupled with unwavering parental love and support provided me with innumerable values-based experiential learning opportunities. It was easy to see the fruits of my labor and consequences of poor decisions. Trust, love, and support were constant. Growing up rural was an advantage for me and I believe that EOU’s rural location is also a tremendous advantage.

Earlier this year, ��ݮ��Ƶ was officially designated “Oregon’s Rural University.” This recognition of EOU’s unique status has already garnered national attention, and represents our deep connection and commitment to rural places. Most important, it signifies the experience students have at EOU.

Embracing our rural roots allows us to provide the six elements of emotional support and experiential learning in college that are correlated with long-term career and life success: EOU students connect with professors that make them excited about learning. They develop authentic relationships and feel truly cared for as individuals. They discover mentors, who support their goals and dreams. With this support, they experience meaningful long-term projects, jobs or internships where learning is applied, and involvement in extracurricular activities.

The stories in this issue provide examples of our rural values manifesting themselves locally and globally. We celebrate the first graduate of our Oregon Teacher Pathway program, a partnership with regional school districts providing a unique and personal teacher development program to rural students. We highlight Mountaineer altruism in one student’s mission to collect shoes for Nigerian youth, and new EOU trustees serving our great institution.

We are Oregon’s Rural University! We have grit and can provide a transformational educational experience few others can. It is the Eastern Edge.

Sincerely,
Tom Insko, ’94
President

Last spring, the sudden closure of Marylhurst University left more than 700 students without an academic home. Andrea Williams, Regional Center Director for EOU in Gresham, stepped up to help displaced students navigate the uncertain path forward.

There was such a range of students, from seniors with a couple of terms left, to recently enrolled students who had just begun envisioning their futures.

Being at that first transfer fair on Marylhurst’s campus was different than others we attend. There was a different feeling. It was more about guiding students through the next steps.

I can’t imagine being in those shoes. One student said she felt like she’d been in a one-sided relationship that broke off without warning. But EOU offered a light at the end of the tunnel.

The provost approved a special waiver that will allow MU students to appeal the residency requirement. Usually, transfers have to complete at least 45 credits of EOU coursework to obtain an EOU degree. In this case, though, we’ve lowered that barrier so students in distress can graduate from EOU. This is huge for upperclassmen who were on the verge of completing their degrees. One student burst into tears when I told her about it.

This willingness to work with students and meet them where they are says so much about EOU. That, coupled with our low tuition rate makes a really attractive package for students who need to fill a void left by their home institution. Our online offerings are such a good fit for working adults who don’t have the freedom to up and move when a class isn’t offered.

I find myself being more of a tour guide than a salesperson in situations like this. I’m providing some solutions and a way forward in the midst of confusion.

GO-STEM
About 50 young scientists became Chief Science Officers through a June leadership camp at EOU. Participants from four Oregon STEM Hubs returned to their schools empowered to expand awareness of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The Greater Oregon STEM (GO-STEM) Hub has its home at EOU and serves six counties, engaging PreK-20 students, teachers and professionals in hands-on learning activities.
go-stem.org

 Urban-Rural Ambassador Institute
EOU and Portland State University partnered to bridge the gap between Oregon’s rural and urban communities. The Urban-Rural Ambassador Institute took students from both schools to the Portland metro area and then to Eastern Oregon to analyze place-based factors that influence social, political and economic issues. The six-credit course equips students to become ambassadors in their professional and civic lives.
eou.edu/academics/urban-rural

Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute
In just six days, 24 high school students helped develop a state park, strengthened partnerships between institutions and individuals, and built skills for the classroom and world. EOU students and faculty joined Oregon State Parks and Arlington High School teachers to lead distinct curriculum tracks focused on botany, biology, creative writing, solar engineering and exercise physiology in Cottonwood Canyon.
eou.edu/cottonwood-crossing

Four college friends left Eastern Oregon College and scattered across the U.S.: Satwant lives in California now, Sami is outside Washington D.C., Riad’s out in Ohio, and Sally lives near her mother in La Grande. But when they get together, it’s like no time has passed at all.

This year their reunion was inspired by Riad’s “dear, departed brother,” Fouad Ajami, ’68,who received the EOU Alumni Association’s 2018 Distinguished Alumnus Award for his work as a scholar and political advisor on the world stage.

The group gathered to receive the award at Homecoming and celebrate his memory. In 50 years of changing locations, occupations and relationships, they’ve all held onto a special fondness for Eastern Oregon.

Two of the bunch, Sally (Brownton) Wiens, ’66, and her sister Carol, ’64, grew up in La Grande, where their father was a well-known judge. Sally remembers bringing her friends from the International Student Club to her parents’ neighborhood get-togethers, and said those bonds were an integral part of their experience.

“We’ve been a college town for so long,” she said. “We know that we benefit from learning new things, and from the diversity people bring.”

Sally enrolled at Eastern Oregon College in 1962, and Riad Ajami arrived in January 1963.

“I was the first person from the Middle East, from Lebanon, to attend Eastern,” he said. “People were kind, and I felt very welcomed.”

He had first seen information about Oregon at the John F. Kennedy Center in Lebanon, and sent a letter to the registrar at EOC. His father was on-board to let Riad study abroad, but he was thinking France or England would do.

“I wanted the farthest place from home — Washington, Oregon or California,” Riad said.

He and his younger brother, Fouad, had heard that the U.S. was a place of freedom and opportunity. Plus, maybe they could meet Elvis.

Riad Ajami in EOU’s 1965 yearbook.

Riad and his new roommate, Satwant Singh Thind, didn’t have much in common at first. Satwant, an international student from India and a member of the Sikh religion, wore turbans and a long beard, while Riad blended in more with his American peers.

Riad remembers Satwant asking: “You always have dates on the weekends, what about me?” Riad responded: “Satwant, I cannot date you.”

His first attempt to set Satwant up with a friend was thwarted by Satwant’s heavily scented beard wax, as well as his pungent breath.

“Between girls and garlic, he’d pick garlic,” Riad said.

Satwant eventually found a date who didn’t mind his beard or his breath: Carol (Brownton) Lindsay. The two went together when Carol returned to EOC to finish her degree.

On a trip to Walla Walla, Riad suggested that Satwant cut his beard and hair. But Satwant’s parents would stop his allowance if the annual photo he sent revealed that he’d shaved.

Satwant Thind in the 1963 yearbook.

“So I brought six shirts and six turbans to a photographer, and we did photos with each different outfit,” Riad said. “I told him, ‘Now your education is assured.’”

Satwant and Riad soon met the rest of the Browntons, and when the girls’ parents embarked on a world tour in 1964, Riad’s parents were ready and waiting to greet their son’s American friends.

“My dad attended a World Peace Through Law conference in Greece for a week,” Sally said. “And they made it a seven-week ’round-the-world trip, including a stop in Lebanon.”

Riad’s uncle, a member of the Lebanese parliament, greeted the Brownton’s alongside the police chief, whose son Sami Asfahani was Riad’s childhood friend. During that meal, Riad’s parents found out their son wasn’t studying medicine like he’d promised, but was preparing for a career in engineering.

Sally (Brownton) Wiens in the 1969 yearbook.

“My dad stopped sending me money,” Riad said. “He read me the riot act, but it all worked out in the end.”

Riad went on to graduate from Western Michigan University, and then earned his master’s and doctorate degrees. He started as an assistant professor at Ohio State University, and has since held positions at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University. He is an expert on the petroleum economy, teaching at Wright State University while conducting research, publishing books, and hosting clinics around the world.

But the Browntons’ trip had other effects. Sami and Fouad decided to study in La Grande, too, and arrived in 1965.

“Suddenly La Grande became a hub for Lebanese and Middle Eastern students,” Riad said.

He had taken a Greyhound bus from Portland to La Grande, and he suggested Sami do the same. But Sami and two other students had a different idea. They hired a taxi to drive them 260 miles from the Portland airport all the way to campus.

“I was in Hoke Hall trying to find coffee or Coke or a date or something, and this car pulls up that says Portland and Sami got out,” Riad said. “The story started circulating in town about these rich foreign students who paid a taxi to drive them from Portland to La Grande.”

Fouad Ajami was a more serious student than his big brother, and graduated from EOC in just three years.

“Fouad was smarter than I’ll ever be,” Riad said.

Riad’s work earned him features in People magazine and on ABC News, but he said his brother’s famous connections far outstripped his own. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and taught Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University and Stanford University.

He advised three sitting presidents and received the National Humanities Medal from George W. Bush in 2006. He was also a MacArthur Prize fellow and an advisor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“Anderson Cooper interviewed Fouad extensively on CNN,” Riad said. “He knew more important people than most. He was my brother and my friend.”

Riad has established a scholarship through the EOU Foundation to honor his brother’s memory and his lasting connection to the region.

“La Grande was a wonderful place for us,” Riad said. “I love Eastern Oregon. It was an excellent experience for me, and a great beginning.”

A numbers game

A love for baseball and talent for athletics in general guided Denver Ginsey from student body president at La Grande High School to Eastern Oregon College in 1946, and his aptitude for math and science kept him in the game long after graduation.

Denver, ’48, and his wife Jean, and her two younger brothers, grew up in the Grande Ronde Valley. Denver’s brother in law and sister in law, Jim and Char Evans, still live in La Grande. Denver played baseball, basketball and football in high school, then collegiate baseball and basketball under coach Bob Quinn after serving in the U.S. Navy.

But science professor Ralph Badgley had the most lasting impact on him. As a student, Denver passed the Badgley’s house every day after class and when he stopped to ask about his coursework Professor Badgley always had time for his pupil.

Denver graduated from EOU and transferred to the University of Washington alongside four of his classmates. The cohort often took classes together, and when grades were posted they consistently finished in the top five. Denver said his and his classmates’ success was the result of Badgley’s diligent work during their studies in La Grande.

Originally planning to study electrical engineering, Denver switched his major and instead became the first person to graduate from UW’s business program with a BA in mathematics.

Armed with his degree, he went to work for Wendell Milliman Consulting Actuary, then New York Life Insurance Co., and finally the oldest insurance brokerage firm in the world and the largest that was privately owned — Johnson and Higgins. Denver became president of the firm’s Washington State Corp., and a senior partner of the international organization.

Now 93, Denver has shifted his focus to the final innings of his career. After decades of faithfully supporting EOU students, he has established an endowed scholarship that will continue his family’s legacy in perpetuity. At $1 million, the Jean and Denver Ginsey Scholarship is the largest gift to the EOU Foundation by a living donor in the university’s history. The endowment will supply scholarships for several students in business or STEM programs every year.

Denver has also served on the board and on the senior council of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. His work with Boeing earned him an honorary law degree from the law firm Perkins Coie. He and Jean, who passed away in September 2011, have three children and six grandchildren.

Eke left home at 16, pulled to the U.S. by a basketball scholarship.

“I was scared to leave my family, but it was a smooth transition,” he said. “America is a basketball country, Nigeria is all about soccer.”

He finished high school and received his associate’s degree in Atlanta, where he planned to stay until his scholarship fell through in August 2017 and he was without an educational home.

“I was devastated,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

But he kept contacting college coaches across the country. Carlito Labarda Jr., had joined the Mountaineers as head coach of the men’s basketball team two months earlier. He saw video of Eke in action and offered him a spot with the Mountaineers.

“I learned the importance of keeping faith even when it seems like the doors are closed,” Eke said. “I’m really grateful for that.”

Less than a month later, Eke was enrolled on campus in La Grande. He’ll graduate this spring with a degree in exercise science. Labarda integrated him into the line-up as a forward, and by January he paced the team with 6.6 rebounds and 13 blocks.

“He’s an anomaly,” Labarda said. “He’s the most unselfish guy I’ve met in a long time. He’s a prime example of students trying to give back to their home country.”

During his pilgrimage home to Nigeria this summer, Eke ran a youth basketball camp at his old high school, providing food, lodging, activities and T-shirts for about 250 kids.

Last spring, he raised $2,600 and collected almost 200 pairs of shoes. The camp featured his former teammates as coaches, and will serve as a jumping-off point for his capstone project.

“I wanted to do this camp for young basketball players in Nigeria because I was there where they are,” he said. “There were times I didn’t have shoes, when I played in flip-flops or barefoot.”

Eke identifies himself as a dreamer. Graduating high school and college were dreams once, and he became the first person in his family to attain them.

“My whole family is looking up to me to bring change — to them, to the community and to Nigeria,” he said. “I’m excited to see the smiles on those kids’ faces when they see that dreams can come true anywhere, anytime.”

Eke got his first job working on campus, took part in the International Dinner and Show, and coordinates the Student Council. He hopes to be a physician’s assistant, but his big dreams have already made a difference.

“My goal is to have a foundation that empowers dreamers,” he said. “EOU opened my mind to how I can do that.”

No matter what path his career takes, Eke said he will continue to put others first.

“My passion is people, which makes it hard to choose a major,” he said. “I want to reach as many people as possible.”

From a young age, Shelby Spriet knew she wanted to teach.

“I honestly just always had the mindset that I was going to be a teacher one day,” Spriet said. “I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else really.”

During her senior year of high school in Pendleton, she became one of the first students to enter the Oregon Teacher Pathway (OTP) Program through EOU. Tawnya Lubbes, an education professor who directs the program, said Spriet’s passion for teaching stood out right away.

“Upon first encounter I could tell she was a natural leader,” Lubbes said. “She was already mature beyond her years and understood what it means to be a culturally responsive educator.”

Culturally responsive teaching, mentorship and a focus on equipping local people to work in local schools are at the center of the Oregon Teacher Pathway Program’s work. The program partners with regional high schools to offer an Intro to Education class for dual credit, then offers those students fee remissions to attend EOU. In return, they mentor high school students, student teach in rural classrooms and represent the College of Education at local high schools. This cycle of mentorship is the hallmark of the Oregon Teacher Pathway Program.

Students in the high school course mentor elementary students, and EOU freshmen mentor high school classes. Education professors mentor EOU students, as well as the high school teachers they work with. And elementary teachers mentor EOU seniors completing practicums.

Lubbes said an advisory group developed the curriculum and principles to suit rural schools. Today, the program is active in 11 high schools and at Blue Mountain Community College. It has been recognized at local, state and national levels, and has inspired a number of others like it.

Spriet said she’s discovered inspiration at every turn — from her first grade teacher, to the high school teacher who led the OTP class, to Lubbes and other professors, back to a kindergarten teacher she shadowed during practicum.

This fall she’ll student-teach in a second grade classroom in Pendleton, and then graduate with a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies and Elementary Education, plus an endorsement in English for Speakers of Other Languages.

“OTP seriously helped shaped me to who I am today,” she said. “It forced me to branch out of my shell, it taught me how to be a leader, it assured me that I really do want to be an educator, and it opened my eyes to so many new experiences.”

One of the first students to enter the program as a high schooler, Spriet is also the first to complete it as an EOU graduate. About 30 percent of high school participants end up attending EOU, and once they get here 93 percent of them stay. In fact, every member of that first high school cohort will graduate from EOU. Spriet’s peers Lindsey Caldera, Mykal Weissenfluh and Anay Mendoza are on track to finish in the spring.

“My goal is to include every student and make sure they’re learning to their best ability,” Spriet said. “I never want my students feel like they just coasted through my class or were looked past. I want to provide the individual resources they need to succeed, and EOU helped prepare me to do that.”

“We discussed it and he said yes because we figured it was just one night a week,” his wife Kathryn Shorts said. “We laugh about that now.”

Kathryn and John are both staff members on campus. He works as a General Maintenance Mechanic in facilities, and she is the Director of Student Success and Transition. Combined, they spend more than 20 hours a week on Trap Club, which is now one of the largest and fastest growing student organizations on campus.

John has taken gunsmithing classes, coordinated Hunter’s Safety, and supervised a Boy Scout camp shooting range. He fell in love with trapshooting at 11 years old and hasn’t looked back.

“Anyone who talks to John for more than two minutes will hear about Trap Club and the students involved,” Kathryn said. “He is a hard worker that goes above and beyond taking care of students.”

Her role in the Learning Center and as Week of Welcome coordinator puts Kathryn in contact with students on a daily basis. John said those relationships are one of the strengths she brings to the club.

“Any time that a student needs anything they know that Kathryn will always make the time to help,” he said

Weekly or even twice weekly practices, tournament travel, fundraisers, grant writing, recruiting and volunteering for trap-related events keeps the whole Shorts family engaged.

“John and I never dreamed this club would go so far so fast,” Kathryn said. “It can be overwhelming at times, but fortunately our daughters also like the sport.”

In fact, they hooked up the trailer and took a two-week trip to Michigan last summer, where their oldest daughters competed in the high school trapshooting national championships. John said Trap Club has given his family “a whole new area of adventures to take.”

“We have always done things as a family, and when we started Trap Club, our kids were with us that first night,” he said.

EOU Trap Club made its first appearance at the ACUI Collegiate National Championships last spring, becoming the first Oregon team to compete and placing sixth in its division for sporting clays. The eight-day trip to San Antonio was John’s first time leaving the Pacific Northwest. He said they never would have made the trip if not for Trap Club, and Kathryn added that the 13 students who traveled to Texas with them have become like family.

“It is as if John and I adopted a bunch of 20-year-olds at once,” she said. “He laughs with them and helps them with anything they need. I encourage them to go to class and play the team mom role.”

That family is growing, as Kathryn helps welcome the first cohort of students this fall who chose EOU specifically for its trapshooting program. John eagerly invites students to try the sport, and last year more than 100 of them did.

“Kathryn likes to tell people about the friendships that develop and how students in the club make everyone feel welcome and wanted,” John said. “She spends a lot of her free time to make sure this program will truly benefit the students.”

Relationships play a key role, but the team members and advisors are serious about the sport. Their first goal was competing at nationals, but now John has his sights set on the trophy.

“He has a dream of not just competing but winning titles at that level,” Kathryn said. “With all that has been accomplished so far, I have no doubt that he can make that happen.”

The men’s team reclaimed the Cascade Collegiate Conference title for the first time since 2015. Ranked third and expected to lose by 40 points, the Mountaineers won by an even larger margin.

Matt Kirkendall closed his collegiate career as conference champion in the 400-meter and 110-meter hurdles, breaking EOU’s oldest standing record (set in 1962 by Lou Thorn). Nic Maszk won the 5,000-meter race and placed third in the steeplechase, later coming in second at nationals. He was named the CCC Men’s Athlete of the Year.

“When you get a group that really buys into it that’s what makes this happen,” Welch said. “It’s not just that they didn’t want to be second or third — they were flat-out unwilling to be.”

Regional Champ
EOU’s track and field program has competed at nationals for more than 30 years, and Ben Welch has been coaching at EOU for 27. Welch said he consistently works with about 80 student-athletes.

“It’s a lot of work, but the student-athletes make it worth it,” he said.

His hard work was rewarded this year when his fellow NAIA coaches from the West Region voted him Men’s Coach of the Year for both indoor and outdoor track. The award followed his selection as CCC Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year.

“It’s a testament to having good help from assistant coaches and having good athletes,” Welch said.

National Champ
Several standout student-athletes set the bar for their peers, Welch said. This year, Rachel Roelle, ’18, was one of them. She’s the NAIA’s reigning national champion in women’s steeplechase and was named CCC Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

“When you have people like that it shows the rest of them it can be done,” Welch said.

In 2018, the Mountaineers took 11 men and six women to the outdoor national championship. The men’s 4×800 relay placed second, and the men’s team landed at No. 15 in the nation.

Steeplechase Success with Rachel Roelle
The 3,000-meter race takes athletes around the track 7.5 times, encountering five hurdles and a water pit in each lap. Roelle called the event chaotic and unpredictable — one missed hurdle or an inefficient exit from the water pit can change everything.

“There are so many variables in it,” she said. “The only time I did everything right was in the championship.”

Here are her tips for coming out on top:

1. Take it slow
   “The worst thing you could do in steeplechase is start out fast,” Roelle said. “It’s a patient race.” Harnessing her adrenaline is key to a good race, and she plans a calculated push for the final two laps.

2. Find your rhythm
   “You could be the fittest person out there, but if you get off on the timing of hurdles you’re going to struggle,” she said. In practice, she drilled that rhythm into her muscle memory.

3. Keep your cool
   “You have to be a mentally tough person because it’s such a broken-up race,” she said. “Just don’t panic, trust yourself.” Composure is key to avoiding mishaps when you’re approaching a barrier.

4. Lose the socks (or don’t)
   “I’m a sock person, but I’m in the minority,” she said. Socks help prevent blisters and improve foot comfort, but they get wet in the water pits. Roelle said steeplechasers are hotly divided on the topic.
   ]]> /mountaineer-magazine/running-away-with-it/feed/ 0 /mountaineer-magazine/climbing-the-rungs/ /mountaineer-magazine/climbing-the-rungs/#respond Wed, 01 Aug 2018 18:02:59 +0000 /mountaineer-magazine/?p=135

   A bachelor’s degree from ��ݮ��Ƶ unlocked upward mobility for alumnus Aaron Markham’s already successful career.
   In 2006 the Sunnyside, Wash., fire chief and 15-year department veteran started online courses with EOU.

   “I was looking at professional development,” Markham said. “To be a chief in a larger department the minimum education requirement listed on job announcements was a bachelor’s degree.”

   With the help of his EOU advisor, Markham combined credits from Yakima Valley Community College, Columbia Basin College and Portland Community College to enter the university as a junior.
   While working full-time Markham finished his course work in five years, graduating magna cum laude with a BS in Fire Services Administration in 2011.

   Not only were other higher level positions in fire service open to him upon completion of his bachelor’s degree, so was the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

   “I was looking at professional development, and to be a chief in a larger department the minimum education requirement listed on job announcements was a bachelor’s degree.”

   “They had changed the requirements from needing an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s and I had received my degree right before I applied,” he said.

   The four-year program entailed two weeks a year onsite in Maryland followed by six months of research on a topic relevant to his department.

   “After all is said and done, part of the paper has to either have a policy you drafted or created for your department or other department-related research,” Markham said.

   The research culminated in 60-page papers covering all aspects of the topic in great detail. One of his first papers discussed the impacts of budget constraints that led to eliminating positions in the fire service. Another developed a policy around active shooter incidents.

   He received his certificate in 2017, and this year he attained that coveted next rung in the fire ladder.

   In March Markham became the deputy chief of the Yakima Fire Department’s logistics and support services, and on June 1 he was selected to serve as chief. His new positions includes oversight of 103 firefighters at six stations, as well as a large 9-1-1 center and administrative staff.

   Markham said for now his continuing education is on-the-job.

   “For the most part I’m focused on learning the functions of a larger fire department and maintaining good communications among all shifts,” he said. “I’m getting an opportunity to meet everybody and put faces to names.”

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   Heather Tomlinson in the costume closet

   Courage and charisma can get a theatre production pretty far, but there is one thing every actor depends upon: a costume. Centerstage stars and background extras alike rely on clothes that fit, function and help tell the story, said Heather Tomlinson, a member of EOU’s theatre faculty for almost a decade. “You can’t go on stage without costumes,” she said. “Every single person needs one.” That constant need has generated a sizeable inventory that varies from metallic to medieval, from breeches to boatnecks, and from ruffles to rollerblades. Tomlinson keeps the countless garments clean and organized between shows. She teaches Fundamentals of Costuming, where many students learn to sew for the first time. After a few weeks of practice, they help assemble costumes for an EOU production. But Tomlinson said costuming reaches far beyond cutting and sewing. First she reads through the script, noting seasons of the year, character traits and any descriptions of clothing. Then she does the research — a lot of it. She considers social class, historical era and location, gathering binder-fulls of images for reference. Next, she sketches the designs. After about three weeks spent building and fitting costumes, they debut at dress rehearsal just days before a premier. “Nobody sees your designs,” she said. “The audience just sees what’s on stage, but there are a lot of little details in between.” Tomlinson oversees costuming for all EOU productions, often piecing things together in off-hours and coaching new seamstresses through mishaps. In the end, though, she said all the extra effort is rewarded when a student becomes passionate about costuming. “I love seeing that excitement mirrored in someone else,” she said.

   ]]> /mountaineer-magazine/centerstage-seamstress/feed/ 0 /mountaineer-magazine/mountaineer-tracks-2/ /mountaineer-magazine/mountaineer-tracks-2/#respond Sun, 01 Apr 2018 19:24:01 +0000 /mountaineer-magazine/?p=172 WEDDINGS
   Kelsha (McCabe) Erickson, ‘12 eloped with Abram Erickson on December 31, 2017 in Bend. Kelsha is a former EOU Alumni Association board member.
   Nikki (Osborne) Strock, ’15 and ’16, married Austin Strock, ’17 and ’18, on July 14, 2018 in Selah, Wash. Both the bride and groom earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from EOU.
   Sidronio Rangel, ’18, married Karina Gastelum on July 7, 2018 in Fruitland, Idaho. Karina is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at EOU, and Sidronio served as ASEOU President in 2017-18.

   BIRTHS
   Carrie (Worley) LaMar, ’01, and Bobby LaMar welcomed Anaya LaMar on Nov. 3, 2016 in Portland.
   Cory (Nelson) Teckman, ’04, ’06, and Nick Teckman welcomed Tatum V. Teckman on March 5, 2018 in Portland.
   Adriana (Mendoza) DalSoglio, ’06, ’08, and Kyle DalSoglio, ’07, ’09,welcomed Mateo DalSoglio on Feb. 6, 2018 in Boise.
   Julie (Butterfield) Justesen, ’08, and Zack Justesen welcomed Jaxon Justesen on March 9, 2018.

   OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
   Don Heuberger, ’76, retired in May after 35 years as head baseball coach and 29 years as athletic director at Regis High School in Salem.
   Rusty Bradshaw, ’82, got a publishing deal for his first book, titled, “The Rehabilitation of Miss Little.” A student journalist at EOU and newspaper reporter for 40 years, Bradshaw makes his debut in fiction next year.
   Stephanie Bray, ’06, is serving as interim principal at Franklin Elementary School in Pullman, Wash., after teaching first grade in the district. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from EOU.
   Austie (Gregory) Baird, ’07, ’09, launched A.B.Baird Publishing, which brings undiscovered poets together to achieve their dreams of publication.
   Karen Spears Zacharias, ’15, received the 2018 Appalachian Heritage Writer’s Award. In conjunction with the award, her novel Mother of Rain was chosen for this year’s One Book One West Virginia program.

   Obituaries

   

   Jennie (McPherren) Messmer, ’96, led a life of public service. She passed away at her home in Silverton on March 11 at age 58 after battling pancreatic cancer.
   Born in Eugene in 1960, Jennie met Rhine Messmer at 25 and they got married soon after. Jennie earned her bachelor’s degree and worked in EOU’s distance education department during the 1980s and ’90s. A mother of two, she worked at the League of Oregon Cities and the other local governments. Jennie served as interim city manager for several communities, and received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the PSU Center for Public Service.

   
   
   

   FACULTY & FRIENDS

   Hary Jack Harmon, La Grande, July 25, 2018
   Joseph T. Hart, Sequim, Wash., March 5, 2018
   Louis Kollmeyer, Ellensburg, Wash., April 14, 2018
   Mary V. Koza, Cove, March 30, 2018
   Dwight Lippe, Scottsdale, Ariz., March 29, 2018

   ALUMNI

   1940s
   Homer W. Herald, ’42, Portland, April 20, 2018������
   Doris Knighten, ’47, Portland, April 12, 2018
   Richard G. Hiatt, ’48, South Jordan, Utah, May 2, 2018

   1950s
   Mary Lou Gunis, ’55, Oregon City, July 30, 2018
   Nora L. Holdman, ’55, Pendleton, July 30, 2018
   Kathryn J. Webster, ’57, Eagle, Idaho, July 8, 2018
   Ked Dejmal, ’59, Eugene, March 14, 2018
   Joe Miller, ’59, Bend, April 9, 2018

   1960s
   Carol J. Clark, ’60, La Grande, July 3, 2018
   William H. Keyser, ’61, Salem, April 12, 2018
   Martin L. Jensen, ’67, Renton, Wash., April 13, 2018
   Margaret M. Johnston, ’67, Milton Freewater, March 29, 2018
   Warren R. Young, ’67, Pendleton, June 12, 2018
   Dan E. Cool, ’69, Summerville, March 29, 2018

   1970s
   Eutiquio M. Elizondo, ’71, Edinburg, Texas, July 5, 2018
   Catherine J. Dowrey, ’75, The Dalles, July 1, 2018
   Dennis L. Tyler, ’75, Enterprise, June 4, 2018
   Ronald R. Cornmesser, ’77, Ontario, March 29, 2018
   Miguel L. Reyes, ’78, Woodburn, March 7, 2018

   1980s
   Richard N. Sorn, ’80, Tillamook, May 6, 2018
   Catherine C. Doern, ’82, Portland, July 31, 2018
   Stephen Woods, ’84, Estacada, March 23, 2018������
   Benjamin F. Hill, ’86, Kennewick, Wash., May 1, 2018

   1990s
   Florence M. Allen, ’92, Brogan, May 3, 2018
   Charles L. Bennett, ’94, Show Low, Ariz., April 29, 2018
   Martin C. Cranswick, ’95, Portland, March 7, 2018
   Jennie L. Messmer, ’96, Silverton, March 11, 2018

   2000s and 2010s
   Christopher T. Thornhill, ’08, Atlanta, May 14, 2018
   Raquel E. Rolfe, ’11, Spring Hill, Kan., July 25, 2018

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