RAPS Board 2004-2005

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Richard Brinkman: President 2004-05
Committee(s): Election
Richard received his education, a Ph.D. in economics, on the East Coast. He came to Portland State in 1961, and retired in June 2001. Richard and June were both raised in the inner city of Newark, went to the same high school, and were married in 1954.

June received a bachelor's degree (from PSU) and a Ph.D. (U of O) both in sociology. This interconnection between the economic and the sociological permeates their basic research focus which, overall, is directed toward the dynamics of culture evolution. Richard has received numerous teaching awards, has given ninety papers at professional meetings at home and abroad and has authored one book and co-authored another. Richard's current research interests relate to the issues of free trade and globalization.
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Mary Gordon-Brannan: President-elect/Program Chair
Committee(s): Membership, Election
Mary Gordon-Brannan completed her BS and MS degrees in Speech-Language Pathology at Purdue University in1965 and 1967, respectively and her PhD in Communication Disorders and Sciences at Wichita State University in 1993. She is a professor emeritus at Portland State University and served on the faculty in the Speech & Hearing Sciences Program from 1972 to 2002 in the roles of clinical supervisor, professor, Program Director, and Acting Department Chair.

During Winter, 2003, she taught at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Prior to working at PSU, she practiced as a speech-language pathologist in public schools in Minnesota and Oregon. She is the co-author of a major textbook in articulation/phonological disorders, Clinic Management of Articulatory and Phonological Disorders. Her primary areas of teaching and research include articulation/phonological disorders, phonetics, intelligibility, and articulation/phonological treatment efficacy.

Over the years, she was active in both state and national professional associations. Mary has made several presentations at professional conferences, as well as workshops and inservice presentations across the country. She is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Oregon Speech-Language and Hearing Association.

Mary is continuing some professional activities by writing the 3rd edition of the textbook and teaching a bit. Mostly, she is enjoying traveling and retirement!
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Maxine L. Thomas: Past President
Committee(s): Election (Chair), Awards
After growing up in Iowa and attending the University of Iowa, Maxine Thomas came to Oregon in 1957 to teach Health and Physical Education at a Junior High in Medford. She later moved on to Corvallis High School and, in 1959, to Portland Public Schools. In 1967, Thomas came to Portland State University to teach methodology classes and supervise student teachers. She received her master’s degree from PSU and doctorate from the University of Oregon.

In 1983, on a job exchange, Thomas taught at Bendigo College of Education in Bendigo, Australia. She spent 1986 on sabbatical at PSU's sister-university in Kaifeng, China. Thomas retired from the School of Education in 1991, was in the U.S. Peace Corps in Namibia, Africa 1995-97 and in Thailand in 2001. Thomas currently enjoys hiking, biking and kayaking in Oregon as well as enjoying family, friends and PSU colleagues.
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Robert Lockerby: Treasurer
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Lawrence J. (Larry) Sawyer: Secretary
Thirty-one years of staff service in PSU AV Services as an AV Technician. Retired as a management service Supervising AV Technician in 1997.
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Robert Pearson: Board Member-At-Large
Committee(s): Membership
Robert Pearson was born in Sacramento, CA while his parents were finishing their PhD programs in Agricultural Genetics at UC-Davis. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to the east coast and Robert grew up in the small town of Amherst, MA. He has a BS in Chemistry from Univ of Rochester, a MS in Physics from Illinois Inst. of Technology, and a PhD in Bio-Physics from the Univ. of Maryland. He did a Post-Doc at the Medical Chemistry Department of Sahlgrenska Hospital in Goteberg, Sweden and another Post-Doc in the Bio-Physics Dept of Roswell Park Cancer Hospital in Buffalo, NY. Robert became the Principle Investigator of a 3 year project funded by NIH on the x-ray structure of Lecethin, a principle component of most biological membranes.

Robert Pearson has taught at 3 institutions: as an Instructor of Physics at St. Lawrence Univ., an Associate Professor of computer science at SUNY-Buffalo (Med School), and as an Instructor of Computer Science at Lewis & Clark Univ. here in Portland. He has also served as Chairman of the Wilamette Valley Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery(ACM).

Robert came to Portland in 1985 with his bride, Susan. They have 2 teen-agers, Jennifer and Robert, Jr. Jennifer is a Junior here at PSU. In order to support this family, Robert took employment in the Administrative Computing Department of PSU just as the interactive version of BANNER was being installed here. He retired from this position after 10 years.

Currently Robert is spending his time: trying to keep up with his childern (being the at-home parent while his wife works at the VA), repairing and otherwise improving his 'fixer-upper' home, judging some of the ISEF High school science projects sponsered by Intel, and going on occasional camping trips. He has a web page at: home.comcast.net/~pearson_r.
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Gwen Newborg: Board Member-at-Large
Gwen graduated from Central Washington State University in 1968 with a BA in History.  She graduated from the University of Washington with a Master’s in Librarianship in 1969 and a Master’s in History in 1977.

Gwen came to Portland State University as the Documents Librarian in 1969 and retired from Portland State in 1999.  While at PSU, she was in charge of the Federal Regional Depository Collection, managed the State, Local and International Documents Collections, as well as worked as a Business Reference Librarian.

Since retirement Gwen has done a great deal of traveling, particularly with Elderhostel, spent time with her dogs and cats, and been an active member of the Columbia River Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club.  She recently became a member of the Sons of Norway and has become very involved in genealogy.  Gwen is also involved with the Scandinavian Genealogical Society of Oregon and the Genealogical Forum of Oregon. 
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Roger Moseley: Board Member-at-Large
Roger Moseley joined the faculty of the School of Business Administration at PSU in 1967 to teach in the new MBA program. Previously he served at the University of Hawaii for 12 years, primarily in such administrative posts as Assistant Dean and Interim Dean of The College of General Studies and the Director of the University of Hawaii, Hilo Campus.

At PSU his teaching and research was focussed on organization theory and organization behavior, which included strategic planning, decision processes, the relationship of organizations and their environments, and organization design. He also served as Head of the Management Dept. and Interim Dean of the School of Business. He served on numerous school and University committees and boards.

During his tenure at PSU he engaged in consulting with local organizations to enhance his theoretical background with the realism of experience. He was a consultant with US Bancorp for 10 years ( moving women into management Positions), US Forrest Service off and on for 15 years, Oregonian for 2 years (improving human relations skills of supervisors in the Production Department), and, after retirement, 6 years with Western Family Foods (Strategic planning and executive development).

He now devotes his time to RAPS (of course), his beloved wife, Sylvia, fund raising and other PSU support activities and events, friends, magic for various children's organizations and trying to keep up with the rapidly growing knowledge of the world.
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John Cooper: Newsletter Editor
John Cooper did his undergraduate work at what is now SUNY Albany and earned an M.A. and PhD in English at Yale. After teaching at the University of Chicago and Reed College, he came to PSU in 1970. There he taught English until the end of 1999. During his career at PSU, he was head of the English Department for seven years, President of the Faculty Senate for one year, and President of the Interinstitutional Faculty Senate, representing the entire Oregon University System, for one year. He has continued to teach part-time for the PSU English department every year since retirement. He has recently signed on as a volunteer speaker for the Oregon Food Bank.

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Steve Brannan: Awards Committee Chair/ Membership Committee Chair
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Gordon Solie: Awards Committee
After retiring from the Music Department in 1986 after 30 year's service, Gordon Solie
joined REPPS (at that time) and had the pleasure and honor of serving the board
as social chair (many years), vice president and finally as president. In
2000, he received the Outstanding Retired Faculty Award after working to get the
REPPS office located in the newly refurbished Benson house and putting together
a program whereby REPPS members get free admission to most of the School of
Fine and Performing Arts offerings.

He will rejoin the board this fall as co-chair of the Awards Committee.

In retirement Solie started a one-man music publishing company, Editions
VIENTO, and has published well over 100 works for woodwind instruments.
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Robert Vogelsang: Regional Retirement Association Committee Chair
Robert Vogelsang came to PSU as chair of the Speech Communication department in fall of 1970. Previously he had been on the faculty (full & part time) for 14 years in Speech, Theatre & Communication Disorders at Washington State University. Vogelsang held the department chair post for nine years, and during that time was Executive Secretary of the Western Speech Communication Association from 1969 - 76. 

Vogelsang has been an educational puppeteer since 1954 & belonged to local, national, and international puppet associations. The majority of his career has been spent in teaching and research in teacher training in Speech Communication & Theatre Arts. Vogelsang was president of Western Speech Communication Association in 1980 - 81. That year he was also awarded a Fulbright Fellowship as an exchange professor to West Germany.

He has been active since retirement doing volunteer work in the Communication department, with REPPS (now RAPS), and with the University of Washington Retirement Association (UWRA). He recently completed a three-year tenure as Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the North West Communication Association (NWCA).  Robert has previously served as President of RAPS from 2002-2003.  He is currently the Retirement Associations Committee Chair, which is working to form a coalition between retirement associations in Oregon.  Robert is married to Barbara Exner Vogelsang, they have two grown daughters and a son. Vogelsang is a caregiver who enjoys gardening and dear granddaughters – Teagan and Kiri Isabella.
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Vic Dahl: Social/Friendship Committee Co-chair
Vic Dahl began service at Portland State on January 2, 1959, and retired on July 1, 1990. In addition to teaching history courses nearly every term, Dahl served in various minor administrative posts in the offices of the President, Dean of Faculty, International Programs, and Graduate Studies, and with his wife Beryl's aid, fulfilled some assignments abroad. Together they travel 3-4 months annually, his preference being the Spanish-speaking world.

Dahl’s proudest bragging achievement at PSU was that after 1964 he was elected to serve on the President's Advisory Council every term for which he was constitutionally eligible. He used to be a gym rat, regularly playing handball and swimming, and was obsessed with auto mechanics and restoration, but aging has limited his activities--a lot! These days much of his time is devoted to reading the New York Times and yard maintenance.
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Beryl A. Dahl: Social/Friendship Committee Co-chair
Beryl A. Dahl has served Portland State University since 1959 as a Member and officer of PSU Faculty Women's Association. During this time, Dahl allocated scholarships to four students and subsequently delegated this function to PSU Financial Aid Office. Other bequests to the University included purchase of one of the first computer units for the library, hosting faculty receptions and teas for newcomers, assisting the President's wife at campus events, and making epaulets for graduating seniors.

Dahl held the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and various committee memberships until the organization disbanded around 1995. Subsequently, Barbara Alberty and Dahl were assigned responsibility to administer the remaining account consisting of about $100,000. Dahl was also heavily involved with PSU Friends of History as a member of the Board of Directors, 1994-2002. She also served as Vice President, member-at-large, and a member of the Arrangements committee at various times.

As a Volunteer Aid, Dahl was involved in the management of study abroad programs in Yugoslavia (1970-72); Soviet Union (April 1971); Ecuador and Peru (July-August 1979); and Mexico (April-June 1985). She also collected teaching and research materials for spouse on field trips in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil from 1979-1990.

Dahl is active in International and national travel on an annual basis; caring for her grandchildren; music, theatre, and artistic entertainment. She participates in community organizations and political party activities, and enjoys socializing with friends.
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Jill Shellan: RAPS Office Manager/Graduate Administrative Assistant
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