Former Faculty, Staff, Friends of College Mourned

Elizabeth “Becky” Johnson, whose lifelong passion was education, died January 1 at age 93. She was a life trustee of Lewis & Clark and a recipient of the College’s Aubrey Watzek Award.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in education from Miami University of Ohio and a master’s degree in English literature from Wellesley College, Johnson taught in Ohio and Michigan high schools. During World War II, she volunteered for the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service in the U.S. Navy. While recruiting in Portland, she met Captain Samuel Johnson, and they married in 1944. Sam Johnson, mill owner, lumberman, investment manager, and seven-term Oregon legislator, was mayor of Redmond when he died in 1984. Together the Johnsons founded the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation, and they owned, managed, and provided public access to the 160 acres of central Oregon forest land that include Camp Sherman and the headwaters of the Metolius River.

Becky Johnson’s many civic activities included service on the state Board of Higher Education and other Oregon educational agencies.

Survivors include her daughters Betsy Johnson JD ’77, Oregon state senator from Scappoose, and Patti Johnson.

Kenneth H. Pierce, former faculty and trustee of Lewis & Clark, died December 28, 2006, at his home in Boca Raton, Florida, at age 82.

Pierce enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and flew 35 missions despite being shot down on his first mission. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard and taught in Harvard’s MBA program in Tehran and at Oregon State, Portland State, and Lewis & Clark.

He cofounded Precision Castparts in Portland and retired as CEO of Instromedix, a medical electronics company.

Survivors include his wife, Susan Resneck Pierce, who was vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College at Lewis & Clark from 1990 to 1992, and president of the University of Puget Sound from 1992 to 2003; daughter, Faith Morningstar; son, Michael Pierce; stepdaughter, Sasha Siegel; five grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Alexander “Sandy” Davidson BS ’59, who was instrumental in raising funds for Lewis & Clark’s class of ’59 scholarship fund, died December 21, 2006, at age 82. 

Born and raised in Scotland, Davidson served in the British Royal Navy during World War II. In 1948, sponsored by relatives in Portland, he immigrated to the United States to attend Lewis & Clark. The year after graduating, he was assistant dean of men under Football Coach and Dean of Men Joe Huston. Davidson went to the Midwest, earning a master’s degree from the University of Iowa and marrying Bonnie Reid in Iowa in 1963, then returned to Lewis & Clark as director of residences.

Davidson retired in 1985 from Dakota State University at Madison as dean of students and director of counseling. After retirement, he worked at the Madison Career Learning Center and as a motivational speaker.

Survivors include two daughters, Barbara Harmdierks and Jennifer Weatherill; two brothers, George and William; three sisters, Betty French, Dorothy Amos, and Isobel Ellis; and four grandchildren.

Doreen Stamm Margolin JD ’81 died January 8 of cancer at age 59. She was president of the law school’s Alumni Board at the time of her death.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Doreen Stamm attended New York University, where she met law student Phillip Margolin. They married in 1968, and she earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1969. After the couple moved to Oregon, Doreen Margolin worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst until 1975, when she started her family and then decided to attend law school.

Margolin became a sole practitioner in Portland, specializing in family law. She served as a Multnomah County circuit court judge pro tem from 1994 to 1999 and was very active in legal, community, and education affairs.

She continued to be involved with the law school through work on the Board of Visitors, with the Gantenbein Society, and on the Alumni Board.

Survivors include her husband; son, Daniel; daughter, Ami; brother, Neil Stamm; and a granddaughter. 

Harlow F. Lenon JD ’37, who served as a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge for 16 years and taught courses at the law school for 24 years, died October 25, 2006, at age 92.

A native of Portland, Lenon began his legal career in private practice with his father, Charles, continuing there until he entered the service during World War II. Returning as a much-decorated veteran, Lenon resumed his law practice in 1945, and was appointed in 1965 to the circuit court in a new domestic relations department.

Following his retirement, Lenon volunteered for 15 years as a reader taping books for the blind.

Survivors include his wife, Jane; sons, Walter and Tom; sister, Esther Setterberg; and three grandsons.

John Anderson, professor emeritus of religious studies and a longtime friend of the College, died December 8, 2006, at age 97.

Anderson graduated from Coe College in Iowa and received a master’s degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. In 1935, he married Sarah Elizabeth Park; she died in 1991.

During his 30-year tenure at Lewis & Clark, Anderson served as department chair and chaplain, led overseas programs to Greece and Iran, chaired the Western Civilization program, instituted a course in Old Testament studies, volunteered as golf coach, and initiated a study program in Hellenistic Greek.

He also coordinated a Religious Emphasis Week at educational institutions throughout the Northwest for more than 10 years, helped write the national exams adopted by the Presbyterian Church for ordination to the pastorate, and spoke on spiritual issues at churches throughout the region. After retiring from Lewis & Clark, he became pastor of Springwater Presbyterian Church in Estacada, where he served until 1987.

“John was a wise, witty man who always had a twinkle in his eye,” remembers Anne Brown BA ’60, a lifelong friend of the Anderson family. “I often turned to him for advice and inspiration over the years.” 

Survivors include his daughter, Margaret; sons, James and H. Lenox; two grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Dorothy Berkson, professor emerita of English, died April 7 at age 68. A feminist scholar and educator, she taught at Lewis & Clark from 1981 until her retirement in 2004.

“Dorothy embraced literature as a source of meaning, value, and beauty in the world, and transmitted to me, as well as to others, her conviction that a life devoted to literature, and balanced with devotion to family, had no regrets,” says Rishona Zimring, associate professor of English and department chair. “She gave tremendously to her students, many of whose lives she changed. Her great gusto will be missed.”

Berkson was a presenter in Lewis & Clark’s first Gender Studies Symposium 26 years ago. For the gender studies minor, she designed a course titled Gender and Aesthetic Expression, which she continued to teach for many years.

Berkson’s research focused on 19th-century American literature, with particular expertise in the works of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Among many honors and distinctions, she received the Jane Bakerman Award for the Best Essay in Feminist Criticism of the Popular Culture Association in 1989. She was also active in service to the College through leadership on innumerable projects and committees during the course of her career.

She is survived by her husband, Michael; daughter Margaret Berkson BA ’93; son, David; brothers, James, David, and Charles Warren: and one grandchild.

Contributions toward an annual lecture at the College’s Gender Studies Symposium may be made to the Dorothy Berkson Lectureship Fund.