In Memoriam

1930s

Nell Mary Morton CAS ’39, January 7, 2008.

1940s

Barbara Berry Haseltine BA ’49, July 20, 2008, age 81. She was a homemaker, wife and mother, pianist and teacher, and lifelong Oregonian. Haseltine performed as a piano soloist in symphonic appearances and recitals, and she taught piano at Reed College and in her home.

1950s

Raymond Brown BA ’50, June 9, 2008, at home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was born in Baker City and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. At Lewis & Clark he met his future wife, Alice Irving BA ’50. He was a junior high teacher in Baker City and a school counselor at Portland’s Cleveland High School before settling in Hillsborough, California, for 35 years and eventually retiring in Scottsdale.

Henry “Hank” Ehleringer BS ’50, July 2008, age 84, at his Beavercreek home. He was born and raised in South Dakota. Ehleringer graduated with a mathematics degree, although his time at Lewis & Clark was interrupted by Navy service in the Pacific during World War II. He devoted most of his career to the Navy, where he saw action in the Korean conflict, the Suez crisis, and the Vietnam War. His numerous assignments included a liaison role between the U.S. government and the governments of Vietnam and the Philippines. In retirement he was active in his church and enjoyed traveling, steelhead fishing, and rockhounding.

Kilbourne Pickett BS ’50, July 5, 2008, age 84. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Pickett met his wife, Terri Carey, in Portland. The couple moved back to the Northeast, where he held a number of positions, eventually becoming a senior cartographer and graphics specialist for the Tri-State Transportation Commission. He worked for that agency for 30 years, commuting two hours each way from Long Island to the 82nd floor of the World Trade Center. Pickett’s serious interests included piano playing; singing and harmonizing; gardening; scoutmastering; camping; sailing; boat maintenance; navigation; bird watching; astronomy/cosmology; and tree, rock, and mineral identification. He had a special affinity for his Native American heritage and became a craftsman of finely detailed, traditionally made items–in particular, his own brand of leather drumsticks. He also traveled and performed with the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers and Singers to raise money for Native American scholarships. He was honored with adoption into the Shongo family on the Seneca reservation.

J. Richard Canning BA ’51, February 19, 2007, in Eugene.

Donn Deal BS ’51, July 14, 2008, age 77, of esophageal cancer. Deal served as a Navy officer in the Korean conflict, remaining in the Naval Reserve after his tour of duty ended and retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1990. His love for being at sea transferred to sharing many cruises with his wife, Marlene. Deal’s career was selling complex technical equipment for clinical and research applications; he laughingly called himself a scientist (chemist) and a peddler. After retiring in 1986, he returned to school, earning his degree in enology at California State University at Fresno, then passed along his passion for winemaking as a teaching assistant at CSUF. He and his wife traveled widely after their retirement. Memorial gifts may be sent to the Class of 1951 Scholarship Fund at Lewis & Clark.

Dean Vaage BA ’51, July 28, 2008, age 84, of cancer. He was born in South Dakota and served in the Navy in the Atlantic during World War II. He moved to Portland in 1944. After graduation he was an elementary school teacher for Portland Public Schools for 31 years, primarily at Collins View and Smith elementary schools. He married Zolene Carpenter in 1967; they moved to Yamhill in 1970 and to McMinnville in 2003.

Clair Howard Bartel BS ’52, September 27, 2008, age 80. He worked for Gilsonite, a business originally owned by his father, for 50 years and retired as president of the company. He married Diane Lois Clark in 1985.

Donna Deen Huggins Clark BS ’52, September 19, 2008, age 78. Raised in Castle Rock, Washington, Clark attended Oregon State University before transferring to Lewis & Clark. She and her husband, Richard Clark, were married the day she graduated. They raised their family and lived in Longview and Everett, Washington.

Evelyn Norman BA ’52, June 11, 2008, age 79, in Scio. Norman was born and raised in Portland. After earning her business degree, she worked for Mutual of New York Life Insurance Company, retiring after 25 years. She married Donald Norman in 1977 and the couple settled in Lebanon.

William Oekerman BA ’52, June 11, 2008, age 81, of lung cancer. He served from 1944 to 1946 in the Army Air Corps, then attended several colleges and universities before receiving bachelor’s degrees from the University of Portland and Lewis & Clark. Later he also earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Oregon. He taught in Portland public schools for 34 years and was active in teachers union affairs before his retirement in 1986. He married Garnet Jean Gihring in 1954. He was active in Zion Lutheran Church and enjoyed fishing, golfing, and RVing.

Joanne Ellis Pinder BA ’53, August 14, 2008, age 76. Pinder was born in Eugene and moved to Portland as a child. In addition to her bachelor’s degree, she earned a master’s degree from the University of Oregon. She married Robert Pinder in 1955 and was a homemaker and private piano teacher.

Dean Alexander Binn BA ’54, April 1, 2008, age 76. Born in Portland and raised in Milwaukie, Oregon, Binn served in the Army after graduation. He was an account executive for TransAmerica Insurance for 25 years. In 1959 he married Joyce Buckner.

Jerry Shank JD ’54, January 20, 2008, age 87. Shank was born in Portland, where he lived all his life. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army in China. He was an attorney in Portland for more than 50 years and a founding partner with Gilbert Sussman in the firm Sussman Shank. Specializing in bankruptcy law, Shank was a frequent speaker and writer on bankruptcy-related topics. He was selected for inclusion in the first edition of Best Lawyers in America. In 1964, he married Harriet Kowitt Meier, who died about a week after he did.

Howard Wesley Gilmore BA ’55, August 6, 2008, age 75. A Portland native, Gilmore served in the Navy after graduation. He was a retired accountant.

Otto Thomas Hogg BS ’56, July 19, 2008, age 74. Hogg served in the Naval Reserves. He married Nancy Hess in 1958. He co-owned Hogg Bros. Furniture in Oregon City, where he was raised, for about 20 years and then was a horse racing official in Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Texas.

James Grenfell BS ’57, August 8, 2008, age 79, of complications from lung cancer. Born in Longview, Washington, Grenfell flew 43 missions for the Air Force in the Korean War and was a graduate of three Air Force wilderness survival schools. He followed up his Lewis & Clark business administration degree with an advanced degree in general science at Portland State University, then became a dentist at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry. He spent the majority of his career teaching at the OHSU dental school and the University of California at Los Angeles. Grenfell liked to work with metal, crafting exotic tools and weapons. He served as an expert consultant for the Bend Bulletin’s Winter Survival Guide and volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America, teaching campers to construct and use survival camping equipment. He was married to Chari Grenfell.

Jeanine Steiner BS ’57, August 10, 2008.

Donald Roblye Ebert BS ’58, September 21, 2008, age 73, of multiple myeloma, at home in Portland with his partner, Michael Johns. Ebert studied clinical psychology in graduate school, completing his doctoral studies at the University of Alberta. He taught at the University of Oregon’s College of Education and Central Washington State University’s School of Education, the University of Manitoba, and Portland Community College. An advocate for students with psychiatric problems, he served as president of the International Council for Innovation in Higher Education and spoke frequently for that organization around the globe. He was also a board member and editor of the International Journal of Innovative Higher Education. He was a member of the City Club of Portland and actively supported William Temple House and several Portland arts organizations. After his 2005 cancer diagnosis, he volunteered at Good Samaritan Hospital in the Kern Critical Care unit for three years.

Robert Groce JD ’58, September 22, 2007, age 84. Groce was born in Portland. During World War II, he served in a patrol bombing squadron in the U.S. Navy. Groce was an attorney with a private practice. In 1960, he married Shirley A. Flook.

Catherine Jo Curtz Stockman BA ’58, October 29, 2008, age 72, at her home in New Britain, Connecticut. A lifelong promoter of the arts, Stockman was executive director of the New Britain Symphony at the time of her death. She was instrumental in establishing a community arts center in New Britain and served on the board of directors of the New Britain YWCA and the New England Foundation for the arts and was a founding member of the Greater New Britain Arts Alliance. Previously Stockman had spent 20 years advancing the arts in Brattleboro, Vermont, and served as executive director of the Seattle Youth Symphony. Throughout her career, she taught piano and inspired generations of children in the love of music.

Douglas Donaca BA ’59, October 18, 2008, age 70, of cancer. Donaca was born in Albany, California, and raised in Portland and Roseburg. Returning to Portland to attend Lewis & Clark, he also served in the Oregon National Guard. He was a certified public accountant for several companies and chief executive officer of Dennis Uniform. He was a treasurer and president of Portland Opera. In 2001, he married Patricia Weber.

1960s

Charles Hodges Jr. JD ’60, October 2007, age 76. Born in Portland, Hodges practiced law for 50 years and retired just a year before his death. An avid sports enthusiast, he especially enjoyed coaching his children’s teams. He spent most of his last years at his Surf Pines beach house.

Genevra Grace Shockey Erickson BS ’64, September 20, 2008, age 77, of a hemorrhage. She received a master’s degree from Western Oregon University and became a preschool teacher for Oregon School for the Deaf. She and her husband, William Erickson, were married in 1952. They moved to Vancouver, Washington, in 2001.

Jerry Kobelin JD ’67, June 28, 2008, age 73. Kobelin was born in Billings, Montana, and earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington. In 1959, he married Maryhelen Pauly. Kobelin continued to practice law until his final illness intervened.

Susan Dale Guyton BA ’68, September 17, 2008, age 62. Born in Oregon City and raised in Wilsonville, she received a master’s degree from the University of Portland. Guyton was an electrical engineer for Tektronix and Sayler Custom Controls for about the past 20 years.

1970s

Christopher Vander Kley BA ’71, March 15, 2008, age 59, of cardiopulmonary disease. Born and raised in Cottage Grove, Vander Kley studied theatre set design at Lewis & Clark. He was a contractor and the owner of Vander Kley Construction.

Cline Otey Jr. M.M.E. ’74, August 5, 2008, age 77. Otey hailed from Baltimore and graduated from the Eastman School of Music before earning his master’s degree at Lewis & Clark. He was a violinist for the Oregon Symphony for 10 years and for Portland Opera for more than 20 years. He also taught music for the North Clackamas School District, played for pickup orchestras and concerts, and was an assistant conductor for the Portland Youth Philharmonic. He married Linda Simpson in 1988 and they moved to West Linn in 1989.

Bryan Coover III JD ’75, March 12, 2008, age 58. Born in Shelby, Ohio, he graduated from Milwaukie High School. In addition to practicing law, his interests included photography, baseball, gardening, camping, singing, and spending time with his family.

James Albert Varon JD ’75, May 16, 2008, age 64, in Chandler, Arizona, after a two-year battle with leukemia. Born in Seattle, he graduated from the University of Washington in 1966 with a degree in broadcasting. After college, Varon served as an officer in the signal corps in Vietnam. He worked as a corporate attorney for GTE Directories for 26 years and for Valley Yellow Pages of Fresno, California, for 8 years. His community involvements included serving as judge pro tem in small claims court and as president of the Fresno Better Business Bureau. He retired to Chandler in 2005 to pursue his love of golf.

Sandie Hobson M.E. ’77, July 16, 2008, age 60. Hobson was born in Portland and moved to Baker as a child. After receiving her master’s degree from Lewis & Clark she moved to Vancouver, Washington, where she taught elementary and junior high school for the Vancouver School District. She moved to Battle Ground, Washington, in 1987. Most recently, she co-owned Salmon Creek Big John’s Driving School.

Sandra Saunders Gallagher JD ’78, June 16, 2008, age 64. Born in Cleveland, she graduated from Brown University and received a master’s degree from Fordham University. In 1970 she moved to Portland, where she practiced as an attorney for 20 years. She married Senior Judge Stephen L. Gallagher Jr. in 1990.

1980s

Katherine “Katie” Walker BA ’82, July 2, 2008, age 48, at home in Bellingham, Washington. She died of complications from metastatic breast cancer nearly nine years after the initial diagnosis. Walker was born in Roseburg and lived in several Oregon communities while growing up, including Portland. At Lewis & Clark she participated in the 1980 Ecuador overseas study program, majored in biology, and met her husband, Chris Friday BA ’82. They married in August 1982 and lived in China in 1983, then moved to Los Angeles, where she earned a master’s degree in physical therapy. Walker continued to practice as a physical therapist specializing in postmastectomy care up to about a month before her death. She and Friday had three children.

Eddye McClure JD ’86, May 8, 2008, age 57. McClure was born in Houston. After graduating from the law school with a JD and certificate in environmental and natural resources law, McClure became a staff attorney for the Montana Legislative Services Division, where she remained until her death. During her employment, she focused on education law and state-tribal relations. She was a cofounder of the Indian Law Section of the Montana State Bar. McClure loved Montana and committed herself to helping the people of the state through her work at the legislature and in her private life.

Bradley Peterson JD ’87, June 27, 2008, age 46, at home in Overland Park, Kansas. A Kansan by birth, Peterson married Mary Elizabeth Bennett in 2001. He was active with the American Cancer Society and a recipient of the Founders Award for his work. Peterson was a self-employed attorney licensed to practice in Kansas, Washington, and Oregon. He enjoyed hunting; fishing; watching the Royals, Chiefs, and Jayhawks; and spending time with family and friends.

1990s

Brett Roy Chytraus JD ’90, March 16, 2008, age 47. Chytraus was born in Fullerton, California. He attended Montana State University, where he met his wife and received a bachelor’s degree in history. Chytraus married Christy Ross in 1984. They moved to Albany, where he established his law practice with Weatherford Thompson. Chytraus was an avid skier, mountain biker, and hiker. He loved the outdoors and was a member of the National Ski Patrol for many years. He enjoyed fly-fishing and watching hockey on television. Chytraus also loved being a father and being with his family.