In Memoriam
1940s
Fred Dupuis JD ’41, September 18, 2009, age 93, in Marin County, California. As a Sacramento lobbyist for California insurance agents, Dupuis was successful in getting a bill passed that prevented bank-holding companies from selling insurance. Previously, as an FBI investigator, he helped collect information on suspected Communist activities and sympathies in the film industry. His investigation led to the identification of screenwriters and directors who were held in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un- American Activities. Though he was socially and politically conservative, Dupuis had good friends with very different views. Family and friends remember him as open and accepting, with a welldeveloped sense of humor. Survivors include children Barbara Hames, Susan Dupuis, and Fred Dupuis; six grandchildren; and five greatgrand- children.
Edward Beach BA ’49, December 25, 2009, age 86, in Eugene. Beach was born in Winnipeg, Canada; his family eventually settled in Portland. As a young man he performed throughout the West with a jazz trio. A theatre major at Lewis & Clark, Beach did graduate work in theatre at Cornell University and worked as an actor for several years. In the late 1950s, he began working in radio, as a classical music announcer in New York City. In 1961 Beach started a radio show, Just Jazz, which became extremely popular and was highly regarded in jazz circles. Beach was known for his impeccable diction and for his scholarly approach and love of the music—honed by his experience as a jazz pianist and singer. Just Jazz originated in New York and was rebroadcast in several other cities; it ran until 1976. In 1977 Beach returned to Oregon, resumed playing music part time, and worked on cataloging his collection of thousands of LP recordings. He and Karen Lafky Nygaard BA ’48 were married in 1950 and divorced in 1992. Survivors include their son, Mark Peter Beach, and three grandchildren.
1950s
John Walter Buell BS ’52, March 19, at home. Buell was a member of the Delta Tau Rho fraternity. He married Dorothy Burow BA ’55, MA ’63 in 1952; they divorced in 1971. Survivors include his wife, Sandy Buell, and many children and grandchildren.
Robert Vern Palmer BA ’56, April 6, at home, surrounded by his family. Palmer taught at Ashland Junior High School and Lincoln High School in Portland before becoming one of the original staff members of Portland Community College. He held many positions during his 31 years with the college, including dean of student support services and first dean of the Rock Creek campus. He married Shirley Jeanne Barnett in 1955; they recently celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary. Survivors include his wife, several children and grandchildren, and many cousins.
Don Fink JD ’57, September 15, 2009, age 83, in Keizer. Born in Portland, he spent much of his boyhood on his father’s sugar beet farm in Montana. Fink enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at age 18 and served in Korea. Following military service, Fink returned home to earn his law degree. He worked in health insurance before becoming an administrative law judge for the State of Oregon in the Worker’s Compensation Division. Fink’s first priorities were his family, his church, and his country. He was an avid hunter, camper, and water-skier, as well as a big fan of John Wayne, Perry Mason, and Louis L’Amour books. He was passionate about being a grandfather. Survivors include three children, eight grandchildren, and a sister.
Clayton Couture JD ’58, October 9, 2009, age 79, in Sequim, Washington, under hospice care for cancer. Born in Mason City, Iowa, Couture earned his law degree following Army service in Germany and Korea. He worked at Standard Insurance from 1955 to 1995, as well as having a private law practice from 1958 to 1961. He had a passion for the outdoors and enjoyed hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, camping, and gardening. Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Marilyn; three children; six grandchildren; one greatgrandchild; two brothers; and three sisters.
Steve Haldors BS ’58, May 31, age 73. Haldors was born in Portland. He worked in the marketing department at Northwest Natural gas company for 34 years before retiring in 1999. In his retirement years he enjoyed travel with his family, skiing, golf, and attending and watching sports events. He attended St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in Gresham and was active in the Portland Executives and Gresham Rotary. He was also active as a Lewis & Clark alumnus and served on the Alumni Board from 2001 to 2007. His greatest love, however, was time spent with his family. Survivors include his wife, Marlene Haldors BS ’58; son, Bruce Haldors; daughter, Marlys Huston; four grandchildren; a sister; and a brother. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Steve Haldors Scholarship at Lewis & Clark.
1970s
Carol Stender-Larkin BA ’76, May 8, age 56. Born in Astoria, she majored in economics at Lewis & Clark and undertook a work-study program with the Internal Revenue Service in Portland during her junior year. After graduation she spent a few years as a revenue agent, then entered IRS management—a career that included positions in Oregon, California, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Stender-Larkin earned professional honors for her leadership and management skills; her promotions culminated in the title of field director, submission processing, in Andover, Massachusetts. As a theatre minor, Stender-Larkin went on Lewis & Clark’s off-campus study program to New York; this experience sparked her love of travel, which took her to Tanzania, Guatemala, and, in 2009, on a trip around the United States with her family. She was active in her church and with the Beta Sigma Phi nonacademic sorority. In 1995 she married John Larkin II. Survivors include her husband; their two children, John Larkin III and Kirsten; parents, Elden Stender BS ’51 and Marilyn Stender; and brothers Bruce and Eugene.
Susan Linda Youngstrom BA ’74, February 11, age 57, in Portland. She was born in Great Falls, Montana, and graduated from high school there in 1970 with classmate Phillip Peterson, her future husband. They married in 1984. Youngstrom earned her law degree at the University sof Oregon School of Law in 1979 and returned to Great Falls, where she was assistant city attorney from 1980 to 1983. She moved to Albuquerque with her husband, and worked there for Allstate Insurance. The couple moved in 1988 to a rural home outside Aurora, Oregon, where they raised horses and had many cats. Youngstrom’s interests included ethnic foods, wine tasting, the Red Hat Society, reading mysteries, and tending her rose garden and birdfeeders. She enjoyed the symphony, dance, and theatre, and she and her husband hosted exchange students from Europe and Japan. Survivors include her husband, Phillip Peterson; sister Juda Youngstrom and her husband, Pete Covell; sister Rebecca Youngstrom and her husband, Ronald Atwood BA ’73; and brother Pete Youngstrom and his partner, Jan Seubert.
