In the beginning (1971), there was Togo’s on Monroe Avenue, one of the first sandwichshops founded by TOm and GOrdon. On the menu was #20: a grilled steak sub with peppers, onions and salami. And behold, this was excellent. This was the Bomb. For generations of Beavers, the Bomb at Togo’s was the go-to sand­wich. But around 2004, the store moved, and the grill and the sandwich — a Corvallis original — were no more. Togo’s owner Chris Martin of­fers this guidance for recreating the Bomb in your own kitchen.

Print

The Bomb

Servings

4

sandwiches

Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 green peppers, thinly sliced

• 1 large red onion, sliced

• 1 20 oz. uncooked rib eye steak, sliced thin

• 1 6 oz. cotto salami, chopped

• 8 slices of American cheese

• 4 hoagie rolls

• Optional toppings: mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, pepperoncini

Directions

• Freeze the steak; then put it in the fridge overnight.
• Slice the partially frozen steak as thinly as possible with a very sharp knife or meat slicer.
• Sauté peppers and onions over medium heat until tender. Set aside. Add beef to pan and sauté until cooked. Add pepper mixture and salami and sauté until heated.
• Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and top it with cheese. Cover and heat until cheese melts.
• Split the hoagie rolls partway through with a hinge cut. Spread with mayonnaise if desired.
• Pile in the meat, vegetable and cheese mixture and add optional “Togo style” toppings to taste.

In this episode of the Oregon Stater Spotlight, the first Oregon State University alumnus to become mayor of Portland, Keith Wilson, ’86, reflects on his time at OSU and the pivotal experiences that led him to public service. Join us as we launch a new series highlighting Beaver leaders.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I set out to find and interview Oregon State superfans. We write a lot about the players — their feats, their fumbles and, as college sports changes, the new choices they face. But if you expand your view or, better yet, turn the camera around, you see that every game, every competition, is made up of not only those on the playing field, but also those in the stands.

Year in and year out, each new generation of student-athletes looks up to see Reser alive with black and orange, feels the Gill floorboards (and their eardrums) vibrate with the roar of the crowd. The players’ faces and names change, but the spirit, that fervor, that community, remains. We learned something about how important that is during the pandemic — it’s just not the same to play to empty seats, or even to a sea of cardboard cutouts.

I wondered what I could learn from talking with some of the die-hardest of die-hard Beavers. Those who dedicate their time and, in some cases, considerable creativity to the OSU community. (See our cover story, “Super Fans!” on page 38.) When I asked them why they do what they do — whether it’s spending hours every day keeping a popular Facebook forum kind, baking cookies for the baseball and gymnastics teams or wearing Beaver gear 9,000 days in a row — a theme quickly became clear. Almost every answer came down to two things: the people and the fun.

They talked about spouses met and best friends made, the pleasure of reconnecting with old friends while tailgating or watching games together, and the pride they have for their university and its achievements, both athletic and academic.  

Lu Ratzlaff, ’78, better known as “Cookie Man,” who has faced multiple health problems in recent years, described a moment with Mitch Canham, ’11, Pat Casey Head Baseball Coach: “I thanked him. I said, ‘You don’t realize what you guys do for me. If I have a bad day or something, I forget about it because I’m watching the guys run.’”

Being a fan, it turns out, is about more than following a team. It’s about finding connection, joy and sometimes escape. In other words, being a fan, like being part of the
Oregon State University community, just makes life better.

Come eat cookies, make buttons and tell us about your favorite superfan at the Alumni Center before the Homecoming game on Oct. 11. We want to celebrate what no NCAA rule changes can touch: you.

Much like two years ago when the Pac-12 collapsed, today we’re discussing something altogether unexpected, which is the disruption of federal research funding. OSU’s strategic plan lays out the goal of doubling research expenditures over the next five years. Do you still think that’s going to be possible in the new climate we find ourselves in? We’re focused on continuing to deliver on our mission. We’re focused on OSU being a place where big ideas lead to big solutions. There is, of course, a lot of uncertainty in the federal research funding landscape. As we do long-term planning, we have to be prepared for instability and turbulence — we have to harden our research enterprise against this instability. This means broadening our research base, pursuing research opportunities aggressively and across the spectrum — federal, industrial, philanthropic. If we do things right, I think we will succeed.

It’s June as we speak, and Congress is working to finalize a budget. What’s at stake in the large-scale cuts to research funding being discussed, and what does it mean for Oregon State? Before we talk about what that means to universities and to OSU in particular, we’ve got to recognize the potential consequences to science and the loss of American dominance in scientific research, which has really existed since World War II. The payout to American society has been enormous in all kinds of ways: in conveniences, in advances in medical care and in cutting-edge technologies that we all use every single day.

Universities do a lot of that fundamental research. People have been talking about industry doing it more efficiently and how we should send this research over to industry. But the truth is, the arrangement that we’ve come to, which has worked well, is that the federal government funds high-risk research, and the results are owned by the public, not locked away as private intellectual property. This arrangement takes away the risk and expense for industry so they can create practical solutions and applications based on that research. Universities also train the next generation of researchers.

The federal government funds high-risk research, and the results are owned by the public, not locked away as private intellectual property.

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Can you give an example of what you mean by high-risk research? Look at quantum science. Nowadays we’re talking so much about quantum computing, and all these folks are spinning off quantum computing companies. But quantum mechanics was developed in the early 1900s. And at the time, it was invented to explain certain measured phenomena that could not be explained by classical mechanics. Nobody thought that that was going to be the basis of microelectronics or computing — computers as we know them didn’t even exist. If a company took the risk of developing something like quantum mechanics with the view that it was going to pay off in 100 years — they would never do it. There’s no board of a company that would ever allow a company to invest in that way. We should also think about whether such fundamental knowledge can really sit in private hands. Imagine if Newton’s laws of motion sat in private hands. What would that even mean?

A patent fee? Right? For use of Newton’s laws! There are things that have to sit in the public domain. So for OSU, what does this mean when we think about potential big funding cuts? We’ve got huge investments in all things sustainability, all things environment, all things climate. That means cuts to NOAA or the Department of Energy would mean the loss of valuable intellectual work. We won’t be training as many graduate students because we won’t be able to support them on research funds. We will have fewer undergraduates in the labs doing hands-on work and learning about the fun of science and perhaps choosing scientific careers. It means that the high-end workforce pipeline, particularly the science and tech workforce pipeline, will be much, much thinner. These hits will be felt five, 10, 15 years from now. These are very real losses, not just for OSU, but also for society more broadly.

Have we felt any impacts already? Yes, we’re certainly beginning to feel them. For example, federal funding for an OSU project on K-12 mental health and counseling services for rural and Central Oregon schools was discontinued. Many Oregon school districts have very high student-to-counselor ratios and low retention rates for counselors, so this is a big blow. There are other types of impacts as well. Job prospects and internship opportunities for students have also fallen off due to federal funding cuts and uncertainty about the future.

Do you think scientific research can survive without federal funding? I don’t think it can in its current form. Philanthropy doesn’t have sufficient scale. I mean, if you look at what foundations do, they’re incredibly generous and they fund good work. But nothing compares to the size of the federal government. Similarly, industry could fund it. Industry does have scale. But they just won’t support long-term research. And of course, industry will want to protect intellectual property.

About 7% of Oregon State students — that’s about 2,500 — are international students. It’s not clear yet how new policies will affect them, but perhaps you can speak to why they’re important to OSU. For OSU, as for most U.S. universities, international students bring a wealth of talent and a connection to the world that we would not otherwise have. It is true that international students pay full freight, and this helps offset the costs that Oregonians bear. But they bring so much more — different cultures, different perspectives, food, music, the arts — all of this is incredibly enriching.

As a land grant university, our connection to the world is especially important. The issues we work on — issues around food, water, climate, health, energy — these are global issues. International students connect us to the places and people to whom these issues matter most.

And we shouldn’t forget the other advantages. The affinity we create in these young people for American values, for the American system, for democracy, for the general idea that the U.S. stands for good in the world — this is very important currency. Currency that is much more important than the money these students bring in.

How is OSU taking action on these issues? We are working to identify the things that we can actually act on. We’re hardening our research enterprise, figuring out a way to deal with long-term uncertainty. We’ve got to broaden the base of research. We have to build relationships in Washington D.C. We’ve got to advocate for research support. But we’ve also got to work extensively with national bodies on the advocacy front. Individual universities can do some things, but I think the collective is much more powerful. That collective must find its voice.

We also have to tell the story of higher ed as the ultimate soft power. Immigration issues are important, but student visas are not the central reason for the mess in immigration that we have. We’ve got to continue to educate the public about the issues around immigration and the extraordinary role international students have played in American prosperity.  And when we recruit international students, we must support them, we must provide them with security and safety.

A lot of what you’re talking about is us telling the story of why the university is important and why science is important. Have we not told that story? To some degree we have, and to some degree we have not. For example, I’ve been very surprised at the lack of understanding around what research funding is. The federal government is paying universities to do this research because it wants the results. It’s not a favor. They’re not paying our bills for the sake of being nice. They want the work that we’re doing. So I’ve got to ask whether we’ve ever really educated the public on how research is done in the country, how it’s funded, how it’s deployed. None of that appears to be clear.

These are very real losses, not just for OSU, but also for society more broadly.

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At the state level, we also need to tell the story that the university creates knowledge, but that this also has an economic impact in Oregon and the world. That’s the reason that we recently commissioned a study of the university’s economic impact. We’ve tried to tell the story there, and the numbers are pretty stunning. We have an impact of $3.5 billion a year on the state. For every dollar that the state spends on OSU, we generate more than $13. The multiplier is really big. That’s exactly the story we need to be telling. [Editor’s note: Learn more in “OSU’s Impact Felt Across the State.”]

Is there anything else you’d like to share? We are here to provide education of the highest quality to every Oregonian who is capable and has the desire to take advantage of it. We have our mission of student access and student success. We will continue to pursue big ideas that lead to big solutions and that translate into use for society. We have a mission of service to the community as a land grant university. All of these ideals have been driving us for 150 years. They’ll drive us for 150 more. In the deeply turbulent and unstable environment we find ourselves in, we need the help of our alumni and our community to tell our story and to help us stay true to these values. This interview was edited for clarity and length.

When I ask our alumni which Oregon State faculty and staff members left the greatest impression on them, I’m often rewarded with tales of the Ron Lovells of our world.

Each issue of this magazine includes a list of community members we’ve recently lost. We review these entries with care, because behind every name is a story and a lasting connection to Oregon State. Nowhere do we feel the limitations of print space more acutely.

This Stater’s list includes Ronald P. “Ron” Lovell. He died in March at age 87. The basics of his life are this: He was a journalism professor for 25 years and, in retirement, a prolific author of mystery novels and academic textbooks. He was a true gentleman — brilliant, witty and generous.

At Ron’s memorial service in Lincoln City, former students shared memories of his powerful mentorship. In his eulogy, longtime Stater editor Kevin Miller, ’78, recalled how the professor once cornered him in a parking lot to urge him not to waste his storytelling ability. Kevin reflected: “I still don’t understand how this little man fired in me a desire to become useful. But I do know he cared about me, and I know that whatever is good about my life is partly and irrevocably due to him.”

Alumni rose one after another to share anecdotes of a scholarly man who pointed out their talent and then insistently helped them refine their skills. Retirement didn’t slow him in this vocation. He reached out to his extensive professional network to help former students land jobs, joined them on mutual book-signing tours and stepped in with publishers to advocate on their behalf.

Ron returned to Oregon State in his final decade — this time as a volunteer. Kevin and I asked him to help launch the Oregon Stater Advisory Council to provide a sounding board for ideas. Ron organized critiques with our standout council members. He was a professor again — tireless and fully engaged.

After Kevin’s retirement, Ron helped us select and onboard our latest in a lengthy line of exceptional editors, Scholle McFarland. She’ll miss the email messages from Ron (almost always with the subject in all caps) — praising the latest issue as “OUR FINEST YET,” before providing constructive feedback. We loved Ron. We’ll miss him. He embodied the too-often-overlooked impact of Oregon State faculty, staff and coaches — mentors who see in us what we can’t seem to recognize on our own. Their kind words and critical interventions alter our course, and their caring guidance lasts a lifetime.

Javier Garcia, ’24

Software engineer, Atlassian

After moving to New York City, I thought the toughest part of starting as a software engineer would be learning new programming languages, systems and tools. In reality, the bigger challenge was navigating ambiguity: balancing projects, managing time and making decisions without clear answers. College gives you structure, but sometimes the real world doesn’t. With each new responsibility and opportunity, I’ve relied on the solid foundation from Oregon State to help me learn, adapt and grow.

Photo by Karl Maasdam, ’93

Zac Pinard, ’19

Research and GIS associate, Clean & Prosperous Institute

I graduated in December 2019 and got a job in the state legislature for the three-month session. I supposed I would figure out my next step in March 2020. The pandemic sort of ruined that. I expected finding the first job out of college to be the biggest challenge, but really it was keeping my career on track while the world was shut down. My connection to the OSU community was instrumental in that.

Courtesy of Zac Pinard

Casey Anderson, ’14

Assortment planning manager, Nike

I thought my biggest challenge would be landing a great job. Because I got involved with the OSU Design Network, I ended up getting interviews very quickly. What has been more challenging is staying energized and engaged. At OSU, I loved getting a fresh start every term and being able to try different things. But in my career, I need to fight the repetitiveness by volunteering on side projects and working in roles that are cyclical so that I still get those “begin again” moments.

Courtesy of Casey Anderson

Rachel Legard, ’19

Human capital senior consultant, Deloitte

I thought my biggest challenge would be waking up early for my new nine-to-five after avoiding morning classes during my four years at Oregon State. But then COVID hit, and my commute to the office (aka my couch) got a lot shorter. The real challenge became figuring out how to navigate learning, networking and making an impact in a completely remote environment.

Courtesy of Rachel Legard

Marcia Torres, ’01

Founder and principal consultant, Imagen Talent Solutions

After graduation, I started at Anheuser-Busch as a brewing manager — despite not being a beer drinker! I assumed the product would be the challenge, but as a young, diverse woman leading teams old enough to be my parents or grandparents, the real test was earning trust and finding my footing in an unfamiliar environment. That experience taught me how to adapt, build credibility quickly, lead confidently outside of my comfort zone and learn from others’ experiences.

Courtesy of Marcia Torres

Denver Pugh, ’97

President, Pugh Seed Farm Inc.

I had the security of already having a job when I graduated because I was headed back to the family farm, but I was nervous about starting over socially. It turned out that I not only maintained the friendships I’d fostered in Greek life at OSU, but also stayed in touch — and even worked on research projects — with former professors. My biggest challenges were learning how to work with family and integrating new ideas into a generational farm.

Photo by Karl Maasdam, ’93

Beaver Brags

is OSU Athletics’ annual economic impact across the state in jobs created, visitor spending, ticket sales and more.

OSU students since 2007 have been named semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, honoring the nation’s top amateur baseball players. Shortstop Aiva Arquette made this year’s list.

consecutive seasons is how long OSU gymnastics has qualified for postseason competition.

conference championship in the program’s history is what women’s rowing brought home this May in a decisive victory at the West Coast Conference Rowing Championship.

Briefs

Electric Discovery

Cheng Li, Ph.D. ’17, and Distinguished Professor Emerita Clare Reimers identified a novel species of bacteria that acts as electrical wiring, potentially ushering in a new era of bioelectronic devices for use in medicine, industry, food safety, and environmental monitoring and cleanup. The researchers discovered it in sediment samples from the Yaquina Bay estuary and have named it Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis in honor of Native Americans of the region.

AI Can Improve Creativity

A new study from Oregon State University indicates that artificial intelligence can significantly enhance creativity in student fiction writing, but only when instructors teach students how to incorporate it into the creative process. Researchers found that when students receive instruction on how to use AI, there was an increase in creativity over both their original writing and their AI use without instruction. “It took us less than 20 minutes of instruction to change the way students interacted with the technology,” noted lead author J.T. Bushnell, senior instructor in the School of Writing, Literature and Film.

Pharmacy Program Bound for Portland

Oregon State University’s College of Pharmacy will relocate its Pharm.D. program primarily to Oregon Health & Science University’s Portland campus in 2026, expanding a long-established partnership that will create more opportunities for students. OSU and OHSU jointly award the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, which currently enrolls around 250 students. The partnership offers both institutions various academic, research and clinical connections within a shared space.

Outdoor recreation isn’t just about having fun, it’s also a public health necessity, according to Oregon State University researchers. A study from OSU’s HEAL research lab found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people who spent more time outdoors reported better mental health. “Even after controlling for numerous COVID-specific risk and protective factors, outdoor recreation emerged as an important protective factor for mental health during the crisis,” said Assistant Professor Xiangyou (Sharon) Shen, director of the lab. The findings have policy implications. During the pandemic, many public spaces such as playgrounds and parks were closed to limit virus spread — a move Shen suggests should be reconsidered in future crises. Policymakers, Shen said, “should prioritize outdoor recreation access with the same urgency they apply to other essential health services.”

The sun had just set on a November evening last fall as a group of roughly two dozen undergraduates filed into a conference room in the Memorial Union. It had been scarcely a week since the presidential election, and students had come to discuss the outcome. They wrote on sticky notes in response to prompts like “How has this election season changed your relationships with people?” and “How confident and informed did you feel around voting?” Then, they talked. “We heard from students that voted for different parties,” said Addie Schneider, a junior studying electrical engineering, who facilitated. “People on both sides were saying, ‘I’m worried about how this will affect me, and I’m worried about how this will affect my relationships.’”

She was surprised by the range of opinions shared, and though she found it challenging to take in the stress and fear some participants expressed, she said she left “feeling more connected to the community.”

As part of the Community Engagement and Leadership dialogic programming team, Schneider, along with program lead Ismael Rodriguez Cardoso, a junior studying business, was accustomed to coordinating conversations on delicate social and political subjects. They’re called Community Dialogues, and they tend to follow a pattern: After a moderated conversation with an expert on the day’s subject, participants gather into small group round tables to briefly share their experiences. They might be allotted three minutes or given a handful of marbles as conversation pieces: participants can speak as many times as the number of marbles they hold. The goal is to encourage students to partake in conversations about tricky, polarizing subjects with people whose perspectives might not perfectly align with their own.

Sharing a postage-stamp-size space with a total stranger has never been easy, but these days, roommate conflicts have transformed.

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Across the university, a constellation of activities shares a common goal: provoking discussion across political divides. This includes Community Dialogues and dialogue facilitation training for residential hall staff, as well as a series of expert lectures and panels under the banner Democracy in Action, the semester-long Dialogue Facilitation Lab on subjects like free speech, and a new university website dedicated to freedom of expression.

The hope is that, by creating a framework for OSU community members to have structured, productive conversations about difficult topics, the school can fight some of the entrenched political divides that administrators say they have observed on and off campus. This polarization, they say, is even reflected in how undergraduates interact in lower-stakes settings. Sharing a postage-stamp-size space with a total stranger has never been easy, but these days, roommate conflicts have transformed.

“It’s as though students are adopting the same conflict lens that is used in political disagreements and applying it to their interpersonal conflicts,” said Stephen Jenkins, the executive director of University Housing and Dining Services. “If you think that your roommate is fundamentally a bad person, it makes you less likely to be willing to compromise.”

The point of these programs is not to avoid conflict; it’s to demonstrate that it’s OK to disagree. In the spring, Oregon State invited the political theorist Patrick J. Deneen, a prominent conservative critic of liberalism, to speak at the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts, as part of the Democracy in Action lecture series. After an hour-long talk, Deneen sat for a discussion with Scott Vignos, OSU’s vice president for mission and impact (at that time, vice president and chief diversity officer), and Andrew Valls, a professor of political science.

“Freedom of speech is usually considered a hallmark achievement of liberalism,” Valls said. “So to what extent would that be retained in your vision of a post-liberal society?” It was an interesting moment — on its surface, a literal conversation about free expression, but also, in a meta way, an attempt to model how to talk about speech. Valls describes himself as “more of a defender of liberalism,” so he wanted to gently challenge some of Deneen’s ideas. “I tried to approach it as someone who really wanted to hear more,” he said.

The Deneen lecture was the last in a program subtitled “A Lecture Series on American Pluralism,” which had also featured conversations between Reza Aslan and
Aaron Hahn Tapper about “Muslim and Jewish Americans in the Age of ‘MAGA,’” and Nicholas Jacobs and Daniel Shea, who discussed their work on the heterogeneity of rural voters — a group often portrayed as monolithic.

Each event, in its own way, emphasized difference. According to Vignos, they were designed to counter the idea that there are right and wrong ways to talk about issues — an idea that, he said, is at the root of political polarization.

“Oftentimes, we’re not trained to have those conversations. We’re trained to avoid conflict at all cost,” Vignos said. “It doesn’t matter what political viewpoint you have — a fear of hard questions is sort of universal.” The conversations he wants to foster aren’t about proving a point; they’re about being able to consider and evaluate different perspectives. At its best, a conversation across some seemingly intractable divide makes you interrogate your own assumptions and beliefs.

Combating polarization is also about protecting the university’s learning environment. “Research shows that students learn better when they have a sense of belonging in a class,” said Inara Scott, who helped develop programs designed to make space for opposing viewpoints as senior associate dean of the College of Business. “It seems crazy, right? But, if you feel emotionally connected to people in your class, you’re going to learn more chemistry.”

It doesn’t matter what political viewpoint you have — a fear of hard questions is sort of universal.

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Oregon State is not alone in wrestling with how national political divisions are reflected on campus. Colleges and universities, both public and private, across the nation have been instituting similar programs around civil discourse and critical thinking — the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Princeton and University of California, Los Angeles, to name just a few. “For the first time, we are seeing wide and deep and sincere interest in having more viewpoint diversity, in training students to engage in dialogue,” the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt told The New York Times last year.

That notion of getting a chance to practice talking about difficult topics is key. In the real world, you don’t always get three minutes to say your piece. You probably won’t have a handful of marbles to spend. You might not have clear community guidelines. And yet the structures these programs provide are like training wheels for later disagreements, participants say, and reflect the role of the university as a site of learning and experimentation.

“Obviously, in real life, you’re not going to say, ‘Here are the guidelines,’” said Paula Coto, ’23, M.S. ’25, who participated in the winter session of the university’s Dialogue Facilitation Lab, a series of afternoon workshops.

“I like having difficult conversations,” Coto said. “Being a woman and a woman of color in engineering, it’s a double whammy. It puts me in many positions where I have to explain my point of view.” The seminar encouraged her to approach these conversations fearlessly, she said: “Our facilitator used to say, ‘Just lean into the uncomfortable’ — because that’s where the juiciest conversations and the best connections come from.”

Over the past two decades, Oregon State has played some great baseball, reaching the College World Series seven times, including this past season. And before each game, Beaver baseball has featured a one-of-a-kind tradition.

“We called it the ‘high-five line,’” says Michael Gretler, ’18, a starting third baseman from 2016 to 2018, the latter the season the Beavers won their third national championship.

It goes like this: Once the starting pitcher warms up, he leaves the bullpen for the playing field, with the starting catcher trailing. On the field, the rest of the pitching staff and the pitching coach wait in line. The pitcher and catcher exchange high-fives and hugs with each of them. Once they pass a player, he flips around and follows them. Everyone exchanges a high-five and hug with the rest. Then they proceed to the dugout, where the position players are lined up in single file, waiting to continue the process.

Moments later, it’s “Play ball!”

The ritual has been going for at least 15 years.

“It was probably initiated by a player who was thinking, ‘Let’s jump out there and get the pitcher going,’” says Pat Casey, who coached the Beavers from 1995 to 2018 and won three College World Series crowns. “We probably won the game, and off it went.”

What’s the significance?

“I feel like it’s the starting pitcher leading the pack, letting his guys know that he is going to compete for them,” says Rich Dorman, who completed his sixth season as Mitch Canham’s pitching coach in 2025. “Oregon State baseball is a family. Our guys truly care about one another. It’s the starter telling his teammates, ‘I’m going to go to war for you,’ and the other guys saying, ‘We’ve got your back. Go get ’em.’”

Andrew Moore, ’24, a starting pitcher from 2013 to 2015 and now pitching coach for the Lake County (Ohio) Captains, the Cleveland Guardians’ High-A affiliate, recalls those moments with fondness. 

“I would get to high-five Ben Wetzler and Max Englebrekt and Matt Boyd and all the guys,” he says. “It became a thing. It got me going. It got us going.”

Sometimes it gets a little rowdy.

“When Jake Thompson was pitching, he liked to go full speed on the hug, like he was a fullback,” says Anderson, a starting outfielder from 2016-18. “He would really go for it.”

Last season, some players added pre-arranged handshakes, too.

“A lot of the pitchers started to do that this year,” says Wilson Weber, starting catcher on the Beavers’ 2025 squad. “Guys have different handshakes with other guys. Dax [Whitney] and Nelson [Keljo] had a certain handshake. Dax and [Ethan] Kleinschmit had a different one and a special hug.” The Beavers’ high-five line was unique in college baseball, at least at first. Dorman says in the past two seasons, he has seen other teams try to replicate it. “I always looked over and thought, ‘I don’t think any other teams do this,’” Anderson says. “It was a very cool thing. Every player wanted to do it. It never felt forced. It was super fun. Every time I see [OSU players do] it now, I think about the continuity and the brotherhood that keeps rolling along.”

As part of the OSU Days of Service, the Changemakers program — hosted annually by the OSU Alumni Association — honors Beavers who create meaningful change in their professions and communities. This year’s honorees illustrate the far-reaching impact of individuals committed to service and innovation.

Marisa Chen, ’20

Marisa Chen channels her creative sensibilities into one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic brands as a product line management specialist at Columbia Sportswear. She’s also gained a following of nearly 90,000 across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, where she shares fashion advice and design insights. But it’s her ability as a young professional to build community, create meaningful connections and advocate for others that made her a 2025 OSU Changemaker. Chen is a committed mentor for aspiring creatives from historically underrepresented backgrounds. After participating in a mentorship program herself, she stepped up to lead efforts as the organization’s Portland event manager. In this role, she’s organized networking events and collaborated with regional design organizations to bridge the gap between students, recent graduates and working professionals. Chen has become a connector — someone who not only advances her own career but actively opens doors for others.

Casey Clapp, ’12

Portland arborist, author and podcaster Casey Clapp has made a career of helping people connect to nature — whether deep in the forest or just outside their front door. After earning a degree in forest management at Oregon State, he pursued graduate studies in environmental conservation and then returned to the Pacific Northwest to begin a career in tree inspection and arboriculture. But a chance invitation to appear on a podcast showed him a way he could share his enthusiasm more widely. Today he serves as a co-host of the popular podcast Completely Arbortrary, exploring how everything relates to trees and drawing connections to topics such as religion, history, culture and ecology. “Trees affect people in every realm of our existence,” he said. He also recently authored The Trees Around You, a field guide from Mountaineers Books due out this October. His drive to make science approachable to all audiences is the reason he was selected as a 2025 OSU Changemaker.

Kenny Lowe Jr., ’08

As a diversity, equity and inclusion manager for the Oregon State Police in Salem, Kenny Lowe Jr. works at the intersection of public service, identity and trust. Lowe grew up in northeast Portland and was the first in his family to attend college. During his time at Oregon State, inexperience navigating financial aid left him temporarily homeless — a turning point that helped shape his lifelong dedication to improving systems and making sure fewer people slip through the cracks. Now as professional staff in law enforcement, he leads efforts to foster equity, mutual respect and connection through training and open dialogue — inspiring people to do, and be, their best. As one nominator wrote: “In a world where the divide between different ideologies often seems insurmountable, Kenny’s ability to bring people together around common goals is a rare and invaluable skill.”

1940s

Frances May Croff-Garren, ’42, Corvallis, OR • Bertha Jeannette Houk, ’47, Redmond, OR, Panhellenic • Peggy Shelburne Childs, ’48, The Dalles, OR, Sigma Kappa • Harrison Clyde Jamison, ’48, Tucson, AZ

1950s

Frances Hendricks, ’50, Walla Walla, WA, Delta Delta Delta • Arleen Frogley Olson, ’50, Salem, OR • James Edmonds Creswell, ’51, Klamath Falls, OR • Herbert Lindy Haglund, ’51, Portland, OR • Marshall William McMurran, ’51, Livermore, CA • Barbara Jean Memovich, ’51, Sherwood, OR, Alpha Delta Pi • Jeanne Neff, ’51 ’52, Flagstaff, AZ, Delta Delta Delta • Marjorie Graves Ericson, ’52, Brentwood, TN, Kappa Alpha Theta • Arvid Trevor Jacobson, ’52, Salem, OR, Lambda Chi Alpha • Phyllis Briggs Meyers, ’52, Portland, OR, Delta Gamma • Dorothy Ellen Myrick, ’52, Portland, OR • Russell L. Olson, ’52, Portland, OR, Pi Kappa Alpha • Leland Mather Perkins, ’52, Newbury Park, CA, Sigma Alpha Epsilon • Ernest B. Price Jr., ’52, Redmond, OR, Delta Sigma Phi • Marie Sullivan, ’52, Colorado Springs, CO, Delta Delta Delta • Byron A. Ward, ’52, Cape Girardeau, MO • Antranik Barsamian, ’53, Carmel By The Sea, CA, Acacia • Clarence Dale Becker, ’53 ’55, Richland, WA, Alpha Gamma Rho • Beverly Jean Bergkvist, ’53, Cashion, OK, Kappa Kappa Gamma • Diane Teckla Buckiewicz, ’53, Forest Grove, OR • Robert Stoddart Cahill, ’53, Columbus, OH, Sigma Alpha Epsilon • Henry Leland Chambers, ’53 ’64, Lebanon, OR • Beverly Friedman, ’53, San Mateo, CA, Alpha Phi • James E. Gingrich, ’53, Lafayette, CA, Phi Kappa Tau • James Nelson Holmes, ’53, Lake Oswego, OR • David F. Schmidt, ’53, Gainesville, FL • Maryanne Mitchell Solberg, ’53, Fresno, CA, Chi Omega • Bonnie Ten Eyck Thomas, ’53, Tigard, OR, Kappa Alpha Theta • Douglas Barnes Vickers, ’53, Tarpon Springs, FL, Phi Kappa Sigma • Roger Ernest Vorderstrasse, ’53, Portland, OR • John Alan Young, ’53 ’89, Portola Valley, CA, Alpha Tau Omega • Mary Ann Allemann, ’54, Richland, WA, Kappa Kappa Gamma • Lois Johnson Hopkins, ’54, Irvine, CA, Delta Zeta • H. Gordon Jensen, ’54 ’55, Portland, OR, Sigma Nu • Gordon Dale Kohler, ’54 ’55, Cameron Park, CA, Theta Xi • Suzanne Lindstrom, ’54, Medford, OR, Alpha Delta Pi • Doris Rausch, ’54, Chico, CA, Alpha Phi • Everett Arnold Reinikka, ’54 ’59, Coatesville, PA • Elaine Grace Twietmeyer, ’54, Oregon City, OR • Jerald Elliott Backstrand, ’55, Salem, OR, Phi Sigma Kappa • Neva Tipley Campbell, ’55, Portland, OR, Alpha Chi Omega • Richard Alfred Coleman, ’55, Danville, CA, Phi Delta Theta • Alfred Dennis Dahlin, ’55, Portland, OR, Sigma Chi • John P. Enger, ’55, Portland, OR, Theta Chi • Faye McConnell Fulwyler, ’55, Wasco, CA, Alpha Chi Omega • Vernon R. Larson, ’55, Westlake Village, CA • Robert Eugene Pailthorp, ’55 ’57, Oregon City, OR • Catharine Parcher, ’55, Canby, OR, Alpha Xi Delta • Henry Gladstone Watts, ’55, Winslow, AZ • Robert Lynn Bennett, ’56 ’57, Ramona, CA, Sigma Chi • Frederik Bolkestein, ’56 • Susanne Perrins Carter, ’56, Phoenix, AZ, Alpha Chi Omega • Loretta T. Kaneko, ’56, San Diego, CA • Rasma Kurmins, ’56, Oceanside, CA • Dale L. Potter, ’56, Aurora, CO, Pi Kappa Alpha • Bonnie Louise Reeder, ’56, Portland, OR • Marjorie Knapp Reuling, ’56, Salem, OR, Delta Zeta • Ray Sidney Rothstrom, ’56, Hillsboro, OR, Sigma Nu • Gordon Doyle Dodge, ’57, Bingham Farms, MI, Sigma Chi • Kenneth L. Evans, ’57, John Day, OR • Lewis Arthur Frederickson, ’57, Oakland, CA, Sigma Phi Epsilon • Joseph S. Fritts, ’57, Scio, OR • Warren K. Moore, ’57, Northridge, CA • Edwin Sanger Rolph, ’57, Clackamas, OR, Chi Phi • John D. Bauer, ’58, Salem, OR, Tau Kappa Epsilon • Walter M. Beyer, ’58, Salem, OR • Helen K. Dale, ’58, Gold River, CA, Delta Gamma • Sydney G. Honey, ’58, Seattle, WA • Gerald Lee Knaeble, ’58, Huachuca City, AZ • Austin Robert Magill, ’58, Woodbine, MD, Delta Tau Delta • Frank S. Wright, ’58, Mukilteo, WA • Norma Jean Adams, ’59, Springfield, OR • Donald Campbell Austin, ’59, Mesa, AZ • Carl W. Fetty, ’59, Lake Oswego, OR • James Preston Harris, ’59, Dupont, WA • Rusel Charles Hause, ’59 ’60, Edmonds, WA • Dale Arthur Hein, ’59, Fort Collins, CO • Charles Wesley Johnstone, ’59, Powell, WY • Marco Anthony Lopez, ’59, Renton, WA • Mary Helen Mikesell, ’59, Albany, OR, Kappa Kappa Gamma • James A. Reeher, ’59, Tillamook, OR • Janet Nelson Reimers, ’59, Carmel- by-the-Sea, CA, Kappa Kappa Gamma • Judith Mae Setzer, ’59, Bend, OR, Alpha Phi • Anne Lenox Snodgrass, ’59, Gilbert, AZ, Alpha Delta Pi

John A. Young, ’53, ’89 (Hon. Ph.D.)

John A. Young, the pioneering executive who succeeded founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, passed away on May 26 at the age of 93. A transformative force in technology and business, he helped shape the trajectory of Silicon Valley, modern computing and U.S. industrial policy. As an HP executive, he was key to the company establishing a Corvallis division and an enduring partnership with Oregon State. As CEO from 1978 to 1992, he transformed the company from a pioneer in test and measurement equipment into a global computing powerhouse. He was recognized for his contributions with the highest professional honors in his field, becoming an inductee into both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Young was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Rosemary Murray Young, ’54. He is survived by his children Gregory, Peter and Diana, and four grandchildren.

Photo courtesy of Chevron Media Relations

1960s

Brent H. Carter, ’60, Boise, ID • Gordon G. Culver, ’60, Boardman, OR • John O. Dunkin, ’60, Grants Pass, OR, Beta Theta Pi • Alvin L. Hashberger, ’60, Coos Bay, OR • Marion Faye Hovey, ’60, Decatur, AL • Lynn C. Howard, ’60, Lebanon, OR • Ronald Alvin Thompson, ’60, Roseville, CA • William Biddle Ayars, ’61 ’68, Apex, NC • Jerry S. Davis, ’61, The Dalles, OR, Theta Xi • Dianne Lawton Ettlich, ’61, Folsom, CA • Glenn Russell Harrison, ’61 ’65, Albany, OR • Marvin Heupel, ’61, Nipomo, CA • James Leroy Hiatt, ’61 ’64, Walnut Creek, CA • Carlene Krueger, ’61, Forest Grove, OR • Edward Dean Schroeder, ’61, Davis, CA, Delta Tau Delta • Virginia L. Woodley, ’61, Klamath Falls, OR, Alpha Chi Omega • Frank Brown, ’62, Chapel Hill, NC • Stephen L. DeMaria, ’62, Lafayette, CA, Phi Gamma Delta • Boyd W. Gentry, ’62, Kearney, NE • Berton Eugene McVay, ’62, Lincoln City, OR • Patricia J. Petersen, ’62, Bend, OR, Kappa Alpha Theta • Merwyn C. Powell Jr., ’62, Clayton, CA • John K. Bowman, ’63, Tomahawk, WI • Thomas L. Buckley, ’63 ’64, Laguna Hills, CA, Sigma Alpha Epsilon • Nancy Jo Carey, ’63, Lodi, CA, Delta Zeta • Wayne Edward Chambers, ’63, Albany, OR • John D. Shurtliff, ’63, Manassas, VA, Phi Kappa Sigma • Catherine Elledge Bruffey, ’64, Dover, DE • Gary Lee Hufford, ’64 ’68, Eagle River, AK, Sigma Chi • William Melville Kizer, ’64, McMinnville, OR, Sigma Alpha Epsilon • Eva Morkved, ’64, West Salem, WI • Marilyn Jean Owen, ’64 • Stephen M. Webb, ’64, Bowie, MD • Donald William Creek, ’65 ’66, Canby, OR • Charley Alton Culver, ’65, Lake Oswego, OR • Robert B. Ingram, ’65, Salem, OR, Alpha Sigma Phi • Melinda Koth, ’65, Frisco, TX, Delta Delta Delta • Robert C. Lindsay, ’65, Birmingham, MI • Ronald B. McCoy, ’65, Lakewood, CO • Kenneth R. Sandstrom, ’65 ’74, Redmond, WA • Maurice R. Stevens, ’65, Springfield, VA, Phi Kappa Theta • Dennis Robert Straub, ’65, Vancouver, WA • Albert J. Anderson, ’66, Harlingen, TX • Jerry Ferdinand Cuderman, ’66, Albuquerque, NM • Karen Shoemaker Hawkins, ’66, San Jose, CA • Martin W. Hirt, ’66, Lewiston, ID, Sigma Nu • Kevin Ken Mihata, ’66, Redmond, WA • Edgar Paul Peloquin, ’66 ’69, Vancouver, WA • Michael A. Sisk, ’66, Hockessin, DE, Sigma Phi Epsilon • Mary Diane Vreeland, ’66, Littleton, CO, Alpha Omicron Pi • Wilmer Leo Waldman, ’66, Longview, WA • Frederick H. F. Au, ’67, Las Vegas, NV • Allan W. Barnes, ’67, Vancouver, WA • Larry William Belt, ’67, Yamhill, OR • Hugh Duffey Brown, ’67 ’69, Hillsboro, OR • Julian Damian Ceniga, ’67, Wilsonville, OR • John Russell Hutchins, ’67, Seattle, WA • Paul Fletcher Johnson, ’67, Seaside, OR, Alpha Kappa Lambda • David Oscar Ohde, ’67 ’68, Portland, OR • Clark N. Starry, ’67 ’68, San Francisco, CA • Neil John Berg Jr., ’68, Raleigh, NC • Leroy Adam Bieber, ’68 ’69, Vacaville, CA • Helen Paulus-Constatine, ’68, Issaquah, WA, Alpha Chi Omega • Kenneth L. Pierce, ’68, Atlanta, GA, Sigma Pi • James Richard Silkensen, ’68 ’69, Somerset, NJ • Erich Hellmut Hoffmann, ’69, Portland, OR, Phi Kappa Psi • Curtis K. Kenagy, ’69, Carrizozo, NM • Jacqueline Kay La Chapelle, ’69, Freeland, WA • William Edward O’Connell, ’69, Palm Springs, CA • Katharine Julia Rosling, ’69, Orange, CA • Richard W. Saunders, ’69, Seattle, WA, Pi Kappa Phi • Sarah Jean Tennant, ’69, Camas, WA, Alpha Phi, Panhellenic

1970s

Danny R. Avery, ’70, Westborough, MA • Cabot H. Clark, ’70, Eugene, OR • John Thomas Elmore, ’70, Irving, TX • Ronald Lynn Marx, ’70, Dallas, OR • Lowell E. Smith, ’70, Grass Valley, OR • Dennis M. Callaghan, ’71, McMinnville, OR • David B. Collins, ’71, Kent, WA • Daniel J. Fontanini, ’71, Salem, OR • Peter Anthony Garcia, ’71, El Paso, TX • James Dennis Hansen, ’71, Wallowa, OR • Luella Hawley-Sedlak, ’71 ’76, Santa Barbara, CA • Trista Ann Nelson, ’71, Sherwood, OR • Milton L. Bartholomew Jr., ’72 ’74, Roseburg, OR, Alpha Gamma Rho • Ernest Arnold Dunning, ’72, Manchester, MO • John Roger Penn, ’72, Albany, OR • Judith L. Wilkins, ’72, Beaverton, OR • Pamela Jean Nelsen, ’73 ’74, Vancouver, WA • Eric Mauritz Schoblom, ’73, Medford, OR • Berelian Seymour, ’73, Saint Louis, MO • Kathy Ann Beck, ’74, Portland, OR • Ruth Anne Dean, ’74, Albany, OR • Gregory Scott Jones, ’74, Portland, OR, Sigma Phi Epsilon • Albert Gary Miller, ’74, Santee, CA • Alan J. Schuyler, ’74, Roberts, MT • George Lamont Sullins, ’74 ’76, Billings, MT • Grant A. Walker, ’74 • Janet Keck Beamer, ’75, Walla Walla, WA, Kappa Kappa Gamma • Molly Jane Brog, ’75, La Grande, OR • Kathleen Kay Keef, ’75, Reno, NV • Harold L. Longaker, ’75, New Orleans, LA • Alexander William Macnab, ’75 ’84, Dufur, OR • Fred Beebee, ’76, Madras, OR • Sharon Haas Belanger, ’76, Milbridge, ME • Arthur Ray Bowman, ’76, Klamath Falls, OR • Keith Arthur Hutchinson, ’76, Kelso, WA • Surendra P. S. Bhatia, ’77, Kent, WA • Janice Marie Ebert-Dix, ’77, Woodbridge, VA • Sally Ann Cain Houck, ’77, Vancouver, WA • Michael Steven Kiyokawa, ’77 ’78, Camas, WA, Sigma Chi • Scott R. Landrey, ’77, Newberg, OR • Louise Vick, ’77, Beaverton, OR, Alpha Omicron Pi • Cindy Michelle Erickson, ’79, Carlton, OR • Brian William Kramer, ’79 ’93, Corvallis, OR • Lester Donald Olson, ’79, Fargo, ND

Carol Hill Pickard, ’76

A proud Oregon Stater and long-standing volunteer leader, Carol Hill Pickard died on Dec. 28, 2024, in Los Gatos, California, at age 70. Her family called her “the original Elle Woods from Legally Blonde”: an Oregon State home economics graduate who went on to law school, worked with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps and U.S. Navy, and then was a partner in a San Jose insurance defense law firm for 24 years. She served on boards for the OSU Alumni Association, OSU Foundation and Honors College, and was named an Honors College Alumni Fellow in 2013. She was also active as a volunteer judge pro tem in the Santa Clara County District Court, as a fill-in traffic commissioner and with her synagogue community. She is survived by her husband Rich; sons Rob and Jake; daughter Jamie; and two grandsons.

Photo by Richard Pickard

1980s

Michael Edward Alder, ’80, Portland, OR, Tau Kappa Epsilon • Ronald Alvin Bush, ’80, Sandy, OR • Colleen Carris Hughes, ’80, Cookeville, TN • Yvonne McCallister Caddy, ’81, Corvallis, OR • Lynette H. Okazaki, ’81, Newberg, OR • David Wayne Schmidt, ’81, Chehalis, WA • Phyllis Jean Bolsinger, ’82, Portland, OR • Sharon Ehlers, ’82, Portland, OR • Kathy Denise Munoz, ’82, Buckeye, AZ • John Alfred Anderson, ’83, Eugene, OR • Gerald Timothy Baker, ’83, Starkville, MS • Jon Stuart Beaty, ’83, Seattle, WA • Judith Irene Landauer, ’83, Caldwell, ID • Karl Francis Pelkan, ’83, Seattle, WA, Kappa Delta Rho • Gary Lee Kiemnec, ’84, Boise, ID • Kirk John Staker, ’84, Corvallis, OR • Ling-Ling Leonea Hong Hung, ’85, Marlton, NJ • Todd William Le Vigne, ’85, La Quinta, CA • William Raymond Quinn, ’85, Keizer, OR • Jack Wesley Alford, ’86, Myrtle Creek, OR • Troy Christopher Jewell, ’87, Aloha, OR • Matthew Allen Davis, ’88, Germanton, NC • Linda Henderson, ’88, Sherwood, OR • George Edmund Moon Jr., ’88, Spokane Valley, WA

1990s

Steve Kann, ’91, Longview, WA • Blake Cole McKinney, ’91, Milwaukee, WI, Lambda Chi Alpha • Frank Twiss Babcock, ’92, Corvallis, OR • Eric William Heller, ’97, Tacoma, WA • Jeffrey Morse Leonard, ’97, Corvallis, OR • Sherry M. Johnson, ’99, Bend, OR

2000s

Larry Bill Bevens, ’00 ’06, Salem, OR • Julian Corey Ceniga, ’02, Sherwood, OR • Lauren D. Crum, ’03, Ione, OR • Nathan Robert Pliska, ’03, Portland, OR, Sigma Chi • Paul Wayne White, ’03, New York, NY, Chi Phi • William Russell Miller, ’07, Melbourne, FL

2010s

Heidi Ann Mannenbach, ’12, Portland, OR • Susan Kay Perritano, ’13, San Antonio, TX • Hailey Okula, ’15, Los Angeles, CA

Hailey (Gaspar) Okula, ’15

Former Beaver gymnast Hailey (Gaspar) Okula, who helped lead her team to a Pac-12 championship in 2013, died during childbirth on March 29 in Los Angeles. She was 33. A standout at Boise State in vault, balance beam and floor exercise, Okula transferred to Oregon State with one year of eligibility left. Though an injury limited her to the vault, she was named Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week, earned Pac-12 Second Team and set a season high of 9.925 at Stanford. “Hailey approached life with a fearless energy and an entrepreneurial drive that inspired everyone around her,” said Head Coach Tanya Chaplin. After graduating, Okula became an emergency room nurse and Instagram influencer, with nearly half a million followers viewing her posts and resources for new and aspiring nurses. She is survived by her husband, Matthew, and son, Crew.

Photo courtesy of OSU Athletics

2020s

Daniel Brewer, ’25, Oakdale, CT

Faculty, Staff and Friends

David J. Aldrich, Oregon City, OR • Rudolph T. Allemann, Richland, WA • Claudia M. Annis, Corvallis, OR • William Allen Atkinson, Sebastopol, CA • Judy Bassett, Philomath, OR • Susan Wendel Black, Lake Oswego, OR • Ralph Bolliger, Portland, OR • John R. Braaten Sr., Stevenson, WA • Warren L. Brekke, Corvallis, OR • Marjorie Briskey, Waunakee, WI • Mary J. Brog, Salem, OR • Cornelius Browne, Bend, OR • Moses Buckner, Corvallis, OR • Joanne T. Cady, Scottsdale, AZ • Ronald D. Callahan, Portland, OR • M. Dale Christensen, Walnut Creek, CA • Nancy L. Cloud, Bishop, CA • Neil Cox, Corvallis, OR • Robert H. Davidson, Portland, OR • Kelly M. Davis, Farmington, MN • James Denham, Florence, OR • Donald H. Dillinger, Stamford, CT • Richard D. Doran, Grand Junction, CO • James Duff, Portland, OR • Betty A. Duncan, Bozeman, MT • Albert H. Ellingboe, Madison, WI • Joanne F. Ellis, Sacramento, CA • Robert D. Espeseth, Savoy, IL • Margery Fargher, Columbia City, OR • Daniel F. Farkas, Raleigh, NC • Barbara A. Fisher, Salem, OR • Albert Fowlkes, Dyersburg, TN • Vera M. Fox, Seattle, WA • Edward L. Freed, Carmichael, CA • Merle M. Fulmer, Lynnwood, WA • Geraldine Gettis, Lincoln City, OR • Jane Ginn, Corvallis, OR • Leonard A. Girard, Beaverton, OR • Dixie Diane Harms, Canby, OR • Vera Harper, Prineville, OR • Lorraine Harris, Albany, OR • Thomas W. Hayes Jr., Walla Walla, WA • Gladys J. Hildreth, Denton, TX • Bernice E. Hill, Springfield, OR • John G. Holden, Portland, OR • Arzalea Hostetler, Albany, OR • Colleen V. Hull, Gresham, OR • Ann Huntley, Portland, OR • Bernice-Claire Ideta, Honolulu, HI • Joyce L. Ielmini, Patterson, CA • Lillian Ito, Kailua, HI • Marvin W. Jacob, Albany, OR • Jorgene Marie Jensen, La Jolla, CA • Dolores G. Jones, Corvallis, OR • LaVerne H. Jordan, Gresham, OR • Gregg S. Kantor, Portland, OR • Galen Kawamoto, Portland, OR • Marian S. Kelley, Port Angeles, WA • Velma Kathleen Kerr, Santa Fe, NM • Robert K. Keveren, Gloucester, VA • Robert J. Kimes, Corbett, OR • Shirley Kosesan, Salem, OR • Teresita Ladd, Eugene, OR • Robert Langridge, Berkeley, CA • Nadine Larabee, Jefferson, OR • Jane LeMaster, Murrysville, PA • W. Wayne Lichtenberger, Gold Canyon, AZ • Richard M. Lieberman, Hilton Head Island, SC • Mary Jane Lipp, Kailua, HI • Ronald P. Lovell, Gleneden Beach, OR • Barbara Magnuson, Spokane, WA • Bruce Maltman, Sandy, OR • Myron D. Marchant, Coos Bay, OR • Barbara Marinacci, Pacific Palisades, CA • Elizabeth Ann McGovern, Philomath, OR • Jerry McNerney, Wilsonville, OR • Ronald Meier, Aumsville, OR • Nelia C. Mendonca, Corvallis, OR • Malcolm Miner, Philomath, OR • Dan B. Moore, Purcellville, VA • William Morrisette, Eugene, OR • Popi Natsoulas, Davis, CA • Maurene Patsy Norman, Chadds Ford, PA • Grace Ogden, Covington, WA • Ardeth A. Overbay, Mill Creek, WA • Barbara Dohr Pappas, Advance, NC • Russell J. Parkinson, McKees Rocks, PA • John M. Pavkovich, Cupertino, CA • Virginia Peabody Polits  • Hazel M. Porter, Sublimity, OR • Maggie Powers, Philomath, OR • Barbara J. Prowell, Baker City, OR • Julie Reiersgaard, Portland, OR • Merle Alvin Reinikka, Brush Prairie, WA • Delores Russell, Talent, OR • Irene E. Schulz, Sisters, OR • Howard Simmons, Hendersonville, NC • Sara Sower, Corvallis, OR • William H. Stoller, Elk City, OK • Werner Storch, Sisters, OR • Juanita Struble, Portland, OR • Dorothy Summers, Grants Pass, OR • John C. Tidball, San Tan Valley, AZ • Donald R. Tonkin, Philomath, OR • Jack K. Towns, Albany, OR • Russell Tripp, Albany, OR • Philip D. Van Buskirk, Medford, OR • Rosetta C. Venell, Corvallis, OR • John M. Vranizan, Portland, OR • Phyllis M. Wade, Portland, OR • E. Caroline Waterman, Irvine, CA • Paul B. Weaver, Toledo, OR • Connie B. West, Corvallis, OR • Bob Whitehead, Albany, OR • Donald L. Williams, Lakeside, OR • Margaret A. Wilson, Cornelius, OR • Robert C. Wilson, Monmouth, OR • Aaron Woods  • Robert M. Wynhausen, Lebanon, OR • Richard Yates, Colorado Springs, CO • Joe Benjamin Zaerr, Corvallis, OR • Robert G. Zimbelman, Georgetown, TX

Ronald P. Lovell

Ron Lovell, professor emeritus of journalism, writer and mentor to many, died on March 26 in Gleneden Beach, Oregon. He was 87. Lovell’s Oregon State University career lasted nearly 25 years. During that time, he helped launch the careers of dozens of notable journalists, encouraging and advising many of them for the rest of his days. In retirement, he volunteered as a teacher of English for Oceana Family Literacy and wrote two series of mystery books, including one featuring a private investigator and former journalism professor at a college closely resembling OSU. He also served as informal chair of the inaugural Oregon Stater Advisory Council, helping shape the pages of this magazine. He is predeceased by his mother, father and grandmother, with whom he lived for many years, and is survived by cousins Edwin and Richard Lawrence.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Miller, ’78

To share losses with the Oregon State community, please send a name, class year and link to the person’s obituary using our submission form.

The Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts has announced its 2025–26 season, which features an increased slate of events and exhibitions to keep its many venues booked and busy.  Standout events include performances by artist-in-residence, percussionist and steel pan musician Andy Akiho, along with several performances and lectures exploring the season’s theme of “Arts + AI.”  PRAx hosted about 160 events in its inaugural 2024–25 season. Center staff had projected they would sell 19,000 tickets in their first year. As of June, they were on track to sell more than 32,000. 

Harry Yeff’s Voice Gems visualizes the human voice. See him perform on Oct. 3 at PRAx.

With many events selling out, one of the main goals of the new season was to expand ticket offerings so more people can experience more art, and to maintain a good balance between content that is joyful and content that is meaningful, said Peter Betjemann, Patricia Valian Reser executive director of the center and associate vice provost of arts and humanities.  “Variety is the lifeblood of PRAx; no doubt about it,” Betjemann said. “We ask people to step outside of their comfort zone. If we can get someone to try out a genre of music they haven’t tried, at least once per year, that’s great.” Learn more and buy tickets here.

Oregon State University’s annual contribution to the state economy exceeds $3.5 billion and supports more than 22,000 jobs, according to an economic impact report released by the university in June.

That equates to $13.18 in value returned to Oregon’s residents for every $1 invested by the state. These benefits are felt across the region, with $2.7 billion landing in the seven counties surrounding OSU’s main campus in Corvallis, $477 million in the Portland metro area and $120.9 million in Central Oregon, home to the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend.

“We deliver tangible and purpose-driven impact to communities rural and urban. From the coast to the high desert, across Oregon’s forests, farms and fields, OSU is an engine for economic prosperity,” said President Jayathi Murthy, who shared the report’s findings at the Portland Metro Chamber’s annual meeting in June.

When you think about innovation, entrepreneurship, research and development, that’s the backbone of the Oregon economy, and that’s what we do here at OSU.

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Oregon State research is a significant part of that impact, providing $797.5 million in value (salaries, taxes and more) as well as 3,300 jobs. The university is one of the state’s largest recipients of federal research dollars, but the future of this funding is now uncertain, as the federal agencies that underwrite much of academic research nationwide drastically reduce their budgets.

Of about 2,400 federally funded projects affiliated with OSU — worth $370 million in federal investment in fiscal year 2024 — 49 had been terminated as of July, with only 12 of those funding sources restored.

Read the full economic impact analysis, conducted by Parker Strategy Group and based on fiscal year 2024 data. See the 2024 Research and Innovation Annual Report here.

A less-talked-about technical change to federal rules also poses a challenge to ongoing work. Grant recipients have traditionally been allowed to bill for the costs of maintaining research faculties and administrative support.

However, several agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, have instituted a new caps on these overhead costs (all temporarily blocked by court cases).  At Oregon State, the cost of this change would total tens of millions of dollars per year.

“Research is not political. Scientists, economists, engineers and other innovators are developing solutions to problems that affect everyone. Federal research funds are also critical for future economic growth and development in our state,” said Brian Wall, OSU associate vice president of research innovation for economic impact.

The university is advocating for federal funding to continue uninterrupted, as part of a group of the nation’s leading research universities that has filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of Harvard University’s lawsuit over frozen grant money. It has also filed declarations in two lawsuits brought by multistate coalitions against the termination of existing grants and changes to reimbursement caps.

“When you think about innovation, entrepreneurship, research and development,” said Wall, “that’s the backbone of the Oregon economy, and that’s what we do here at OSU.” 

Jack Barth, professor of oceanography in Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, has been on a lot of ships in his time. He has deployed instruments and collected data aboard research vessels throughout the Pacific and Atlantic, with an emphasis on the California Current ecosystem that spans the U.S. West Coast.

This spring, he set out on a research vessel like no other, on an incredible voyage that traveled as much through history as it did through the waves of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. And it involved Oregon State people every step of the way.

Barth spent two weeks aboard the Western Flyer, the California sardine fishing vessel chartered in 1940 for a sample-collecting trip by author John Steinbeck and his friend biologist Ed Ricketts easily identified as the character “Doc” in Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row. Steinbeck’s documentation of the trip eventually contributed to the book he co-authored with Ricketts, The Sea of Cortez, from which the better-known The Log from the Sea of Cortez was extracted.

Top Left: The Western Flyer in the Sea of Cortez. Top Right: Adrian Munguía-Vega, the Mexican lead scientist for the expedition, with Barth. Bottom: Jack Barth talks with students. Photos by Pat Webster

After that expedition, the Western Flyer was put to work by many West Coast fisheries from California to Alaska, changing owners and names. For a time, it was lost to history. When it reemerged — twice sunk, dilapidated and waterlogged — in Anacortes, Washington, the Western Flyer Foundation was formed. Now chaired by Tom Keffer, Ph.D. ’80, the group lovingly restored the boat as a platform for research and education. After the restoration was complete, in 2023, the vessel sailed under a new captain, Paul Tate, formerly captain of Oregon State’s research vessel Elakha, to its old (and new) home in Monterey Bay.

This March, 85 years nearly to the day after the Steinbeck/Ricketts expedition began, the Western Flyer returned to the Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California) to retrace the steps of its most famous journey. American and Mexican scientists partnered to plan science and education programs for the trip. The boat stop-ped at many of the original Ricketts sampling stations, and local communities welcomed the Flyer with celebrations along the way. Students came aboard for education programs.

Barth serves on the board of directors of the Western Flyer Foundation, and he helped lead the installation of the vessel’s oceanographic equipment and plan the scientific aspects of the voyage. Aboard, he collected information about water temperature, dissolved oxygen, light penetration, salinity and more. He intends to compare his findings with the data collected by Rickets 85 years ago.

“One thing that I try to get across to people is the sounds of the vessel,” he says. “There’s one phrase in the book about the wind going through the forward stay of the boat sounding like a deep organ note, but there’s hundreds of other tones, too — the wood shifting and creaking, and the slapping of the water. It’s a totally amazing experience.”

For Barth, the trip was about connection to the past, and optimism for the future. He recalls the first time he stood on the bridge during the boat’s restoration. “I literally got a tingle down the back of my neck,” he says.

Oregonians interested in seeing the Western Flyer in person should stay tuned: Barth says he hopes to organize a visit to Newport and other Oregon ports in spring of 2026. In the meantime, follow the boat’s adventures at here.

Tucked away in a garage at Snell Hall, a student-staffed book press has quietly begun turning out carefully crafted photobooks. Composit Press, which launched last year, offers hands-on experience designing, pitching and producing books using industrial-grade equipment. The studio’s first project was Within the Bittersweet by Allison Grant, artist and professor of photography at the University of Alabama. Grant selected a design by Holly Thompson, ’25, then a senior majoring in graphic design, featuring vines and forest overgrowth from Grant’s photos.

“There’s something that happens when you know what you’re making is ‘real’ and will be out in the world,” said Evan Baden, senior instructor of photography in the School of Visual, Performing and Design Arts. “I saw the students’ deep investment in their designs.” Proceeds will go both to the artist and to support the press. Composit also accepts commission-based projects, which students produce for independent study.

1. Alive Day

By Karie Fugett, MFA ’18

When Karie Fugett married her boyfriend, she was a 20-year-old high school dropout, living out of her car in a Kmart parking lot. It was a marriage of both love and convenience. After her husband was severely injured during military service in Iraq, she suddenly found herself thrust into the demanding role of caretaker — navigating the less-than-helpful veterans’ healthcare system and his dangerous addiction to painkillers. Alive Day is both a love story and an unflinching debut memoir. Learn more here.

2. Mapping the Deep

By Dawn J. Wright, ’25 (Hon. Ph.D.)

Take a journey to the most unexplored place on earth with oceanographer and courtesy appointment OSU faculty member Dawn J. Wright, the first Black scientist to visit Challenger Deep. Named one of the journal Nature’s 10 essential science reads of the year. Learn more here.

3. When We Go Missing

By April Henry, ’83

From prolific mystery writer April Henry comes a story about a teenage photographer who stumbles across a camera card filled with pictures of young women — some of whom have gone missing. Henry’s last book was a 2025 Oregon Book Award finalist. Learn more here.

4. Children of Darkness and Light

By Lori Hellis, MFA ’18

From retired criminal lawyer Lori Hellis comes a searching look at the infamous Vallow-Daybell murders — a series of deaths linked to a Mormon fundamentalist doomsday cult. Learn more here.

1960s

David Bushnell, ’61, M.S. ’63, published Oregon Coast: A Family Travel Adventure with Advanced Media LLC.

Mike Gaulke, ’68, who spent more than 20 years as an executive in Silicon Valley, including 13 years as CEO of Exponent Inc., was awarded the 2025 John W. Gardner Award by the American Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley. The award recognizes exemplary individuals who inspire other leaders and build bridges between diverse communities.

Marvin Lee, ’65, retired former owner of Portland’s Cal’s Pharmacy, was honored by the College of Pharmacy as an Oregon State University Icon of Pharmacy for pioneering the use of computerized pharmacy systems in Oregon and becoming a leading provider of HIV medications during the AIDS epidemic.

Patricia Valian Reser, ’60, ’19 (Hon. Ph.D.), board chair of Reser Fine Foods and of the Reser Family Foundation, was honored as a 2025 Oregon Historical Society History Maker. The award honors living individuals and organizations that are positively shaping the history, culture and landscape of the state.

Roy Saigo, Ph.D. ’69, and Barbara Saigo, M.S. ’69, were honored by Southern Oregon University with the rededication of the Drs. Roy and Barbara Saigo Multicultural Alcove in SOU’s Hannon Library. The collection was originally established during Roy Saigo’s tenure as the university’s interim president and then president, from 2014 to 2016, and contains books that celebrate, support and recognize the diversity of the university’s community.

1970s

Ellen Morris Bishop, M.S. ’79, Ph.D. ’83, published the second edition of her book Living with Thunder: Exploring the Geological Past, Present, and Future of the Pacific Northwest with OSU Press.

Dr. Dennis Godby, ’79, a Sacramento-based naturopathic doctor, begins the final leg of his trek across the U.S. to raise awareness for health equity on Aug. 25. He invites naturopathic doctors and others to join him i from Fargo, North Dakota, to Bozeman, Montana. Learn more at here.

Lan Zhang, M.S. ’96

Co-founder of Century 3 Shanghai, Inc., an engineering and construction company, as well as an Oregon State University Foundation trustee, recently finished development of the Legoland Shanghai Resort, the largest Legoland in the world, which opened on July 5. No stranger to complex theme park projects, Zhang and Century 3 Shanghai were also key partners in the construction of the Shanghai Disney Theme Park. While attending Oregon State in the 1990s, he served as president of the Chinese Student Association

Photo courtesy of Lan Zhang

Duane Nellis, M.S. ’78, Ph.D. ’80, president emeritus and former trustee professor at Ohio University, retired. Nellis, who previously worked as the president of Texas Tech University and the University of Idaho, served as the 21st president of Ohio University from 2017 to 2021 and then transitioned back to teaching and research in geography. He is recognized internationally for using satellite data and geographic information systems to analyze dimensions of the Earth’s land surface.

John O’Connell, ’83, president and CEO of RP Healthcare, a California-based pharmacy focused on serving the assisted living community, and a co-founder of Westcliff Compounding Pharmacy, was honored by the College of Pharmacy as an Oregon State University Icon of Pharmacy.

Don Pettit, ’78, NASA’s oldest active astronaut, returned to Earth on his 70th birthday after 222 days on the International Space Station. Read about his journey here.

Rick Spinrad, M.S. ’78, Ph.D. ’82, former NOAA administrator and College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences faculty member, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

1980s

Eric R. Eaton, ’83, a writer and entomologist, released a new book Bugwatching: The Art, Joy, and Importance of Observing Insects with Princeton University Press. Visit here.

Katie Walsh Flanagan, ’80, was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame. Currently an adjunct faculty member at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Flanagan is a professor emerita at East Carolina University, where she worked for 29 years with their NCAA Division I football team and served as the director of sports medicine. A former member of the NATA board of directors, she has worked internationally with U.S. soccer teams and at the Olympic and Pan American Games. She is also the author of three medical textbooks.

Ian Madin, M.S. ’87, worked on the performance piece, Oregon Origins, an epic new musical work and art exhibition depicting the dramatic events of Oregon’s geologic history, which debuted at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton this June. Learn about it here.

1990s

Nick Otting, ’93, M.S. ’99, Barbara L. Wilson, Ph.D. ’99, and Richard E. Brainerd, ’82, co-authored Field Guide to the Grasses of Oregon and Washington, Second Edition, published by Oregon State Press. This comprehensive reference has become the definitive identification resource for the region.

2000s

Dr. Amanda Achterman, MPH ’06, was named Rural Health Practitioner of the Year by the National Rural Health Association. A primary care physician at Summit Pacific Medical Center in Elma, Washington, Achterman is one of fewer than 20 family medicine providers, fewer than two fluent Spanish-speaking providers, and fewer than four obstetrics providers for more than 70,000 residents in Grays Harbor County.

Kyle DeVan, ’08, former Oregon State offensive lineman and most recently offensive line coach for the Beavers, was hired by the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

Haley Lyons, ’04, partner at Kernutt Stokes, was named to the prestigious Forbes 2025 list of Best-in-State CPAs.

Ryan Meldrum, ’04, was appointed director of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University.

2010s

Erin Bodfish, ’19, completed her third year teaching art history and studio art at OSU-Cascades. Her first major solo exhibition appeared this spring at the After/time Collective Gallery in Portland. A fourth generation OSU graduate, Bodfish comes from a long lineage of OSU women. Her mother, Julie Bodfish, ’84, was a member of the OSU track team. Her great grandmother was a music major at OSU in the early 1920s.

Lara Jacobs, ’15, Ph.D. ’24, edited Indigenous Critical Reflections on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, published by OSU Press.

Tim Cook, Ed.D. ’05

President of Clackamas Community College, set off this June from Hood River on a journey to run 1,500 miles in 50 days, crisscrossing the state to reach each of Oregon’s 17 community colleges. By running the equivalent of more than a marathon per day, he hopes to raise awareness of — and funds for — Oregon college students struggling to meet basic needs. A 2019 survey found that 52% of Oregon community college students had experienced housing insecurity, 46% struggled to afford balanced meals and 20% had been homeless. See updates and learn more here.

Photo courtesy of Tim Cook

Rakan Khaki, ’11, MPH ’12, chief operations officer and co-founder of Biome Analytics in Denver, was named to the Cardiovascular Business “Forty Under 40” list for his work transforming complex data into actionable strategies, allowing hospitals to make informed decisions that improve patient outcomes and operational performance. 

Malory Turner, ’16, a special education professional learning coach with the Northwest Regional Education Service District in Hillsboro, Oregon, was awarded the Noel Connall IPD Award by the Oregon Education Association. The award recognizes her work providing training and technical assistance to K-12 special educators across Washington, Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties.

Ed Woods, Ed.M. ’10, director of the Mid-Willamette Education Consortium, was honored by the Northwest Council for Computer Education as the NCCE 2025 Outstanding Technology Leader of the Year, in recognition of his work securing student access to industry-leading tools and for his integration of new technology into Oregon’s classrooms.

Maj. Mason Zhang, ’19, director of pharmacy operations at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, and adjunct professor of pharmacy practice for the University of the Pacific, was honored by the College of Pharmacy as an Outstanding Young Alumni Inductee. In his four years of service with the military, Maj. Zhang has been recognized as the Society of Air Force Pharmacy’s Clinical Pharmacist of the Year, 60th Medical Group’s Officer of the Year, 60th Medical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Squadron’s Officer of the Year, 60th Air Mobility Wing’s Officer of the Quarter, and 15th Healthcare Operations Squadron Innovator of the Quarter.

2020s

Sara Anne Brandt, ’23, began service with the Peace Corps in Costa Rica this July as a youth in development volunteer.

Hailey Coll, ’24, goalkeeper for the women’s professional soccer team Spokane Zephyr FC, was nominated for the USL Super League, Players Association, Player’s Choice Humanitarian of the Year Award. Coll volunteers approximately 20 hours a week with River City Youth, a Spokane-based nonprofit organization.

Fabricio Costa, M.S. ’22, recently joined Amazon Web Services as a program manager for Data Center Design Engineering, where he leads global initiatives in high performance infrastructure to support next-generation AI and cloud computing. He also began his doctorate in business administration at the University of the Potomac, focusing on innovation in engineering management and technology-driven project delivery.

Morgan Eckroth, ’20, was honored at the 16th Annual Sprudgie Awards, presented by Pacific Barista Series, for Best Coffee Writing. Read the winning essay at here. Eckroth, “your friendly internet barista,” creates popular coffee-related online content with 1.2 million followers on Instagram and 6.1 million followers on TikTok (@morgandrinkscoffee).

Jaydon Grant, ’20, MSB ’22, former Beaver Football defensive back, signed with the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders this April.

Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber, M.S. ’11

Was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award, announced by the White House and National Science Foundation in January, recognizes educators for their teaching skills, deep knowledge of their subjects, and commitment to continual improvement of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. It is the nation’s highest honor for K-12 science and math educators. Fuentes-Tauber, known as “Dr. T” to her students, has been teaching for 18 years, and teaching at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, for the past four.

Photo courtesy of Poudre School District / PSDTV

Faisal Osman, ’24, took a new position as the constituent services lead for the Office of Mayor Keith Wilson, ’86, in Portland.

Ben Riddell-Young, Ph.D. ’23, published a paper in the journal Nature that found that global increases in wildfire activity likely occurred during periods of abrupt climate change throughout the last Ice Age.

Dean Skillicorn, ’20, manager for imaging services at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, was recognized with a fellowship with the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). This lifetime appointment honors individuals who have dedicated their careers to improving healthcare technology, standards development and the AAMI’s mission.

Connect with us to share your good news with the Oregon State community.

For this experiment to work, I had to become one with the hot dog — to believe in the hot dog as an extension of my own finger, both of us mostly salt and water merging into one salty watery body. I stood before a spinning table saw, holding the frank fast to a piece of plywood. The teeth bit the wood, sharp disc churning closer and closer. Then, with a loud snap, the blade disappeared. The hot dog bore only the tiniest nick.

Humans, like hot dogs, are good electrical conductors. Our electrical charge is why we can think thoughts, and why we risk electrocution if we are caught swimming during a thunderstorm. In 1999, Steve Gass, ’86, considering this fact, had an idea: What if a table saw blade could retract fast enough, upon contact with flesh, to avoid serious injury? He set up a rudimentary prototype consisting of a circuit that would respond to blips in its electrical current and stop the blade within a fraction of a second. He called it SawStop.

Though I don’t consider myself squeamish, I am afraid of saws. And this fear, I have come to learn, is valid: In the U.S., table saw injuries cause more than 30,000 hospital visits each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These fall into four gruesome categories: “lacerations” (cuts), “fractures” (broken bones), “amputations” (digits cut off entirely) and “avulsions” (in which a body part is torn off). Every day, more than 10 people lose fingers to their saws.

The gadget responsible for making a SawStop blade halt as soon as it senses flesh.

Gass has a gnarly scar across the base of one thumb, the product of playing unsupervised in his dad’s workshop when he was 4 years old. “I am someone who by nature perhaps needs SawStop more than almost anybody else,” he said. We sat in a conference room at the company headquarters in Tualatin. “I get stuff done, but I am also, uh, subject to injuries doing it.”

At first, Gass — a lifelong “tinkerer” then working as a patent attorney in Portland — approached the table-saw problem as an interesting physics equation. A first-generation college student, he decided to study physics at Oregon State after reading an entry on Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity in the Encyclopedia Britannica. (He went on to get a Ph.D. in physics and a law degree.) He wondered: How fast would you need to stop a saw to prevent injury, and where would the force of all that spinning fury go?

In hindsight, good design work turned out to be the easy part. Even finding a willing human test subject — himself — proved easier than the monumental task ahead: He had to sell it. Gass approached table-saw manufacturers. He show-ed executives the same hot-dog demonstration that I participated in — and in meeting after meeting, he was rebuffed.

If you design your product, relying on humans not to make mistakes, you’ve made a mistake in the design of your product.

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Large companies were wary. According to a 2004 report by NPR, they resisted adopting a technology that hadn’t yet been proven at scale, and feared that implementing an emergency brake on some, but not all, saws “would make them vulnerable to lawsuits.” They also seemed to think that, given the difficulty of manufacturing, should they decline to license SawStop, it would simply go away. “Had I known what I know now,” said David Fanning, a law colleague who became one of Gass’ partners in SawStop, “I would’ve said, ‘That’s a good bet.’”

It’s not like Gass had harbored any particular interest in consumer safety. SawStop was the latest in a string of inventions he and Fanning had devised in hopes that they could license their patents “and sit on a beach somewhere and collect royalties,” Fanning said. But once Gass understood the scope of the problem and devised a solution, he started to think in ethical terms. You can sense his frustration even now in the way that he describes risk and liability. “If you design your product relying on humans not to make mistakes, you’ve made a mistake in the design of your product,” he said.

So if major companies weren’t willing to make their saws safer, he would just have to sell his own saws. Being patent attorneys, Gass and Fanning filed patents — dozens of them. They described this as necessary to protect both their invention and, once they decided to strike out on their own, their investors. They figured they would make 100 saws, maybe, and then manufacturers would come around and license the technology.

In 2001, SawStop received the CPSC Chairman’s Commendation for product safety. In 2002, Popular Science named it one of the Best New Innovations of the year. Still, no deals came. But as the business grew, it revealed that table saws could be safer. Nonetheless, manufacturers argued against regulations, saying the technology was too expensive or that the patents stood in their way. Some commenters on Reddit’s woodworking subreddit have compared the saga to the battle over seatbelts in the 1980s.

“It’s kind of a disillusioning education to come up with a technology like this, that has the potential to prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries — devastating, life-changing in some cases — that cost the country billions of dollars a year,” Gass said. “And for a fraction of that, you could prevent all those injuries. Yet the nature of corporations making decisions is such that if corporations don’t have economic responsibility for the injuries, or externalities, created by their products, they won’t change.”

In 2003, Gass and his colleagues petitioned the CPSC to create an industry-wide safety standard. More than 20 years later, it still appears unlikely to pass. However, at a recent CPSC hearing, SawStop cleared the way by announcing that it would relinquish its remaining patent, which was set to expire in 2033. “I felt like that was the right thing to do,” Gass said. As of today, SawStop has received reports from some 10,000 table saw users whose digits have been spared by their technology. The very first time a customer called the company’s landline phone, Gass picked it up himself. “We had an accident on your saw today,” the customer told him. A long pause. “It worked.”

Game Time

Join the fun at OSUAA Tailgate Town before OSU Football games. You’ll find great food, fun activities and Beaver spirit at the Alumni Center at Oregon State before all home games, as well as at many games on the road. Don’t miss our themed tailgaters: Oct. 11: Multicultural Alumni & Friends; Nov. 1: AgSci Land-Grant Showdown; and Nov. 8: Beavs, Brews & BBQs. For the full tailgate schedule, see here.

Be a Mentor

Support the next generation of Beavers by becoming a mentor through OSU Connections. In as little as one hour a week, you can guide a student as they navigate college and plan for their future. Following successful programs in the Colleges of Business and Engineering, more colleges are ready to launch mentoring programs, but they need alumni like you to make it happen. Sign up here.

The 2024-25 Homecoming Court Ambassadors visited with Bernice during last year’s Homecoming festivities. Photo by Alteza Films

Turn out for Homecoming 2025

Oct. 10–12

It’s time to don the orange and black — your Beaver family is waiting to celebrate Homecoming weekend with you! Whether you graduated five years ago or 50, this is your chance to reconnect with classmates, revisit favorite campus spots and see all the ways Oregon State continues to grow. Cheer on the Beavs as they take on Wake Forest on Saturday, Oct. 11. Come honor the 2025-26 Homecoming Court Ambassadors and take part in events both time-honored and new, like the OSU Latina Luncheon on Oct. 12. For details, see here.

Ready to have an adventure with your fellow Beavers? Listen to  the Travel Talks webcasts to learn how you can take the trip of a lifetime. Photo by Kate Sanders

Let’s Talk Travel

Tune in to our award-winning Travel Talks webcasts to explore OSU’s global connections and gain valuable travel insights, from expert tips to destination highlights and beyond. Upcoming talks will cover everything from “local” tours with destinations like the Kentucky Derby and Indy 500 to worldwide adventures in Bordeaux and the Basque Country. Learn more.

The Class of 2025 celebrated their achievements at the Alumni Center at Oregon State for Grad Night: Giddy Up Grads event in June. Photo by Amanda Loman

Howdy, Class of 2025! 

This June, more than 8,000 graduates rode off into the sunset as the newest members of the Beaver alumni family — now 230,000-plus strong! We sent them off in style with nearly 750 seniors wrangling some fun at our Western-themed Grad Night, complete with boots, line dancing and plenty of OSU pride. Hundreds more saddled up for the Sweet Beginnings Commencement celebration. Want to tip your hat to the newest Beavs? Send a message here.

Save the Date

Columbia Employee Store Member Shopping

Aug. 15–Sept. 7

Adidas Employee Store Member Shopping 

Sept. 1–30

Away vs. Texas Tech — OSUAA Tailgate Town  

Sept. 13

Away vs. Appalachian State — OSUAA Tailgate Town

Oct. 4

College of Engineering Oregon Stater Awards Ceremony

Oct. 23

CEOAS Geology on the Rocks Lecture

Oct. 29

OSUAA Membership Challenge

Nov. 1–30

Fall Parent and Family Social and First-Gen Reception

Nov. 7

Columbia Employee Store Member Shopping

Nov. 14

Away vs. Washington

The energy was electric at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field on June 8, as a boisterous home crowd cheered Oregon State to a 14-10 victory over Florida State in the decisive third game of the NCAA Corvallis Super Regional. With the win, the Beavers punched their ticket to the College World Series for the eighth time in school history. Afterward, Head Coach Mitch Canham, ’11 — who played on OSU’s legendary national championship teams of 2006 and 2007 — shared a heartfelt moment with his former coach Pat Casey, namesake of the endowed coaching position Canham now holds. The triumph was especially sweet as this was OSU’s first year with an independent schedule, which included only 19 home games out of 54 — among the fewest in the nation. When the team’s College World Series run ended in Omaha a little over a week later, Canham brushed off reporter questions about whether that had been tough: “Who cares about an independent schedule? … We don’t shy away from what everyone else perceives as difficult things — those great opportunities.” All he had for his players was pride: “Just an incredible group the entirety of the year. … Their heads should be held high.”  (See his remarks here.)

Oregon state faithful have stood by stood by the beavers through every high and low — from notorious losing streaks to heart-pounding wins to Olympic podiums. Through it all, they’ve shown up, loud and proud, to cheer with friends and celebrate what it means to be part of Beaver Nation. But there are fans and there are superfans. In a world where college sports seems always to be in flux, we went on a quest to find some of the special people at the heart of school pride — the ones taking fandom to the next level. Still, this is just a small sampling. Know a superfan? Tell us about them here.

Mr. Beaverman

Marvin Yonamine, ’87

IG: @MarvinBeaverMan

Location: Mililani, Hawaii

Occupation: Retired Teacher

Marvin Yonamine knows what it’s like to love a sport that doesn’t love you back. As a student, he endured Oregon State Football’s record-breaking 28-year losing streak. He told friends that if the university ever had a winning season, he’d wear Beaver gear nonstop. The streak ended in 1999. On Jan. 1, 2001 — the day OSU trounced Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl — Yonamine kept his word. By the time you read this, he will have worn Beaver shirts for more than 9,000 days in a row.

Courtesy of @MarvinBeaverMan

Fifteen years in, Daily Barometer reporter Josh Worden, ’17, discovered the Twitter account (there’s now an Instagram account, too), where Yonamine documents his daily exercise in Beaver pride. “From there,” Yonamine says, “it just took off.” He’s been celebrated by OSU teams, met former OSU president Ed Ray and was even written up by The New Yorker. But he wants to be clear: “People think a university is only its sports. And I really hate that,” he says. “Being a college sports fan is only 25% of my love for OSU. The other 75% is my love for the whole university.” He met lifelong friends and his wife, Laurie Satomi Yonamine, ’87, here. (As first-year students inbound from Hawaii, they sat together outside the Eugene airport for four hours waiting for a shuttle.) His father, daughters and son are Beavers, too. “You should be proud of your university, not only in the good times, but also in the bad times,” he says. “I thank all those Oregonians who sat through 28 losing seasons, and they still supported OSU.”

Cookie Man

LU RATZLAFF, ’78

Location: Corvallis, Oregon

Occupation: Former owner of Schaefers Recreation Equipment/ Schaefers Stove & Spa

You might know Lu Ratzlaff for his dyed-orange game-day beard or his years of outrageous tailgating. (For the 2000 rivalry game, he towed a hot tub to Reser and set it up in the parking lot.) But the most important work of his fandom happens in the kitchen with Imperial butter and bag upon bag of chocolate chips. For more than two decades, Ratzlaff has baked cookies for all the baseball team’s home and away games, and for the gymnastics team to boot — more than 10,000 cookies a year. It began as a way to say thank you to an athletic trainer who hooked him up with a special helmet decal, and somehow just kept going.

Lu Ratzlaff in 2018 at the College World Series game against University of North Carolina.

Many celebrity helpers have tied on an apron in Ratzlaff’s kitchen, from players to former OSU president Ed Ray and his wife, Beth Ray. Since Ratzlaff encountered health troubles recently, his wife, Dori Ratzlaff, ’78, helps more, along with a volunteer baking crew that comes every Thursday morning. Why has he kept it going this long? He’s in it for the fun, he says, but it’s now also part of OSU baseball tradition. “When Mitch took over, he was going to quit the cookies, because he wanted healthier things,” Ratzlaff says of Mitch Canham, ’11, the Pat Casey Head Baseball Coach. “The thing is, the first game that he was coaching, they had a rally cookie late in the game, and they rallied and won. He said, ‘[Redacted], we’re keeping the cookies!’”

Keepers of the Dam Flag

Andy Lake, ’81

Location: Denver, Colorado

Occupation: Owner, IAG Packaging

Todd Butler, ’87

Location: Elkmont, Alabama

Occupation: Retired Senior Operations Planner, U.S. Army

After the Pac-12 as we knew it disintegrated in 2022, leaving Oregon State and Washington State behind, Todd Butler had an idea. Washington State fans had waved their flag on ESPN’s College GameDay broadcasts since 2003. In the name of solidarity, he thought, Oregon State should be there, too. That weekend’s show was in Alabama. Butler bought a flag, got in his car and drove. Afterward, he posted photos on the Beaver Blitz message board and posed a question: Can someone in Colorado do the same next week? “I saw that and I thought, ‘That’s really cool,’” says Andy Lake. In that moment, a homegrown Beaver movement was born. With advice from the WSU group; help from the OSU Alumni Association; and, soon, social media coordination by Ben Forgard, ’12, the effort took off. Butler and Lake started shipping flags from fan to fan. They haven’t missed a single broadcast in the two seasons since.

It’s really cool to see our flag flying next to Washington State’s ol’ crimson.

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With locations announced just a few days in advance, sometimes that means scrambling to book last-minute flights across the country. “Number one, we’re diehard Beaver fans,” Lake says. “After the pain of what happened to us and the Pac-12, you can either curl up in a ball and just give up or you can do what we’re trying to do, which is to get people motivated and get the Beaver flag noticed on national TV.” To grow the tradition, Butler created custom tokens and certificates for volunteers who sign up to wave the flag. “Through all the years ESPN GameDay has been on, it’s been part of Saturday mornings,” Butler says. “But to see it live and feel the energy — when you get a crowd that’s really fired up, you can feel it in your chest, the noise. It’s really cool to see our flag flying next to Washington State’s Ol’ Crimson. It’s also a little bit of a poke in the eye to ESPN, who contributed to this destruction.”  Get involved here.

The Collectors

Susan Mayer Schmidt, ’64 and the late Bob Schmidt

Location: Corvallis, Oregon

Occupation: Retired Realtor

For nearly 50 years, Susan Mayer Schmidt and her late husband, “Beaver Bob” Schmidt, never missed a football game — home or away. They tailgated with the same crew for 38 years, had season tickets to multiple Oregon State sports and built what might be the most jaw-dropping Beaver memorabilia room there is. Every inch of the couple’s sunken family room bursts with orange: 376 vintage pins and buttons; 202 ornaments, bracelets and keychains; 32 hats, including an OSU Santa hat, a beaver-head hat, and two original rook lids (“I probably snatched one of those off of someone’s head at Bonfire!” she says). Plus, there are autographed photos and footballs; collages of iconic OSU sports moments; pennants; stuffed animal and figurine beavers; and even a neon “Beaver Bob” sign. “I wish I could remember how this started,” she says. “We’d go to a game, find something cute and bring it home.”

Some of her favorites? A hula-dancing beaver found at a Honolulu swap meet during their 1999 Oahu Bowl trip and a newspaper clipping from an early ’80s college football prediction contest where she ranked in the top three. Schmidt was the only woman to place then, just as, for years, she was the only woman on the Beaver Club Board. (She served with the booster club’s leadership for 15 years.) Now a retired real estate agent, she laughs when recalling a home full of teddy bears she once showed: “I thought, ‘How can anyone live like this?’ Then I hit myself on the forehead and said, ‘I do live like this!’” For her, fandom has always been about friends and, above all, fun. “I keep telling the gripers around me that they’re kids playing a game!” she says. “I just love watching them play.”

Mama Heckers

Sharon Heckers

Location: Corvallis, Oregon

Occupation: Retired

You might not have seen Sharon Heckers in the stands, but if you attend home football games, you’ve witnessed her influence on the field. Better known as “Mama Heckers,” she’s been ensuring that the roughly 300 members of the OSU Marching Band are fueled up and ready to play since 1999. It all started when her daughter, Kristin Heckers, performed with the Color Guard. (Now she’s the Color Guard’s instructor and choreographer.) Sharon took a look at what they were eating and said, “We can do this a lot better and a lot cheaper.”

Anytime anybody needs a hug or just wants to talk, I’m there for them.

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So she built an all-volunteer operation to acquire and serve nutritious food — like baked potatoes with all the fixings or a pick-your-toppings pasta bar. Game days for the band start five hours before kickoff and continue until the final strains of “Carry Me Back to OSU.” The food crew begins even earlier, setting up in the Truax Indoor Practice Center. They’ve got it down to an art: two meal shifts, each in and out in half an hour. “I believe in the students. They’re like my kids,” Heckers says. Knowing they’ve had one good meal makes the long hours worth it. (Until last year, on top of everything, she drove nearly three hours from Grants Pass). But that’s not the only reason she’s called “Mama.” “Anytime anybody needs a hug or just wants to talk, I’m there for them,” she says.

Sharon Heckers feeds the marching band at a September 2023 game. (Photo by Blake Brown)

Heckers considers herself a sports fan, but also a fan of music and its crucial role in making game days come alive. “I think that sometimes it’s taken for granted that the band is there.” She says with a laugh: “I like to say, the football team’s just on the band field for a while.”

The Beaver Behind Enemy Lines

Alan Thayer, ’81

Location: Eugene, Oregon

Occupation: Business Lawyer

Alan Thayer practices law deep in Duck country — but step inside his office in Eugene, and it’s all orange. As he says: “We’re doing what we can to spread the Beaver faith here in Lane County.” After local Beaver Club meetings ended, Thayer wondered for years how to regain that sense of community. Then clients started having trouble with employees “doing stupid stuff on social media.” Maybe, he thought, he could learn more about Facebook and promote Oregon State at the same time. The Beavers Behind Enemy Lines Facebook group launched in 2012. At 9,400 members strong and growing, it could be bigger. “Unlike a lot of other groups, we actually investigate each and every person,” he says. “These are real Beaver fans. These aren’t fake accounts. And it’s been a pretty cool thing.” The goal is an “online refuge for Beaver fans wherever they may be” without the negativity that too often consumes social media. That takes time. Quite a lot of time.

Even with two other moderators, Thayer is at it at least two hours a day. The reward is a community that some coaches and even players’ families feel comfortable in. “When someone is wanting to trash a player, I think of those people,” he says. “Would the person who made the comment say that directly to the player’s mother?” Most people just need a reminder to be kind. “There are people who are great contributors who started off negative,” he says, “and then they mellow out.” All the effort seems to be working. A few days after OSU’s College World Series run ended, outfielder Gavin Turley’s dad posted a long, heartfelt thank you. “Through … the great moments and the hard ones — you stayed. And you loved him,” he wrote. Thayer says that’s exactly how a Beaver community should be. After all, sports are important, but they’re not the most important thing. “It’s really the people,” he says.

The Dam Builders

Shelby Poggio

Location: Corvallis, OR

Occupation: Rising Junior

Nick Abele

Location: Corvallis, OR

Occupation: Rising Junior

Most alumni remember the electricity of the student section — the roar of the crowd, the teeth-rattling exhilaration of chanting and cheering together. Back in the day, the Rally Squad led the action. Now, it’s the Beaver Dam Leadership Council. Reestablished in 2022 after a pandemic hiatus, it offers application-based, paid positions to about four students who want to turn their love of sports into professional experience. Rising juniors Nick Abele and Shelby Poggio, marketing students in the College of Business, meet weekly with OSU Athletics to strategize ways to make games fun. How can they build excitement on social media? What student giveaway item will be so iconic that it will be kept as a souvenir for years? Sure, they’ve seen changes, from the dissolution of the traditional Pac-12 when they were first-years to the continual loss of players through the transfer portal.

But Abele doesn’t begrudge players his age who do what they think is best for their careers. “It makes you appreciate the ones that stay even more,” he says. “But I have a hard time finding fault in those that choose to pursue other opportunities that they’ve been given.” Poggio agrees. Her advice for fans grappling with the new reality is this: “I would just try to remember that little kid in you that just enjoys it.” She notes: “School is hard. You’re trying to navigate all these new changes and living on your own. It’s a lot of new learning curves, but being able to be a fan, honestly, changes people. You find a home and a community, and that’s something that some people don’t ever have if they don’t get that college experience. It just feels like having a huge family, a big forever home.”

Oregon Stater presents: OSU Superfans: Celebrate fandom this Homecoming at an immersive experience highlighting the passion of Superfans, Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Alumni Center at Oregon State. Record your fan story on a vintage phone, take themed photos, view Superfan bios, make a superfan button and enjoy free giveaways. Learn more.

Time was — not that many years ago — that college student-athletes who transferred from one school to another had to sit out a season or two before resuming their careers. And that the NCAA handed out sanctions to student-athletes and their schools for anything deemed an improper reward for athletic work or abilities.

Now, looser rules regarding transfers and payments have thousands of student-athletes spreading their four- or five-year careers over two, three or more schools. (See timelines for more on how this developed.) It’s been a dramatic shift in the control of student-athlete movement and compensation from institutions to athletes.

Fans accustomed to rooting for — and following the development of — student-athletes over four years bemoan this new world order, but some alumni student-athletes who spent their entire careers at Oregon State University give a more nuanced view.

“I feel like the pendulum may have swung too far, like anything,” said Mark Radford, ’85, a key figure on OSU’s “Orange Express” men’s basketball teams of the early 1980s. “But I always felt it was unequitable and unfair when we played. It was a long time coming.”

And some former Beaver athletes who were at OSU from start to finish say there are situations that warrant transferring: a coaching change, a switch in academic focus, wanting to be closer to home, finding that the academics or coaching styles aren’t the right fit, or being offered name, image and likeness (NIL) payments that are just too big to turn down.

LEFT: Oregon State Hall-of-Fame pitcher Tarrah Beyster now runs Beyster Elite Softball Traning in southeast Michagan. RIGHT: Larry Bumpus played as a Beaver defensive back in the mid-1990s. Courtesy of OSU Athletics

“When you talk about the money portion, it’s a hard one,” Radford said. “How can you advise a broke teenager not to take $100,000, $200,000, $300,000 — whatever? It’s unfathomable to me to tell them not to. It would be an injustice. Most of them aren’t going to play pro and the opportunity to make this kind of money may disappear.”

Casey Bunn-Wilson, ’07, known as Casey Nash when she led the Pac-10 in scoring during the 2006-07 women’s basketball season, agrees. “The ones that are transferring for NIL money — it’s life changing,” she said.

Still, student-athletes’ newfound freedom can be a mixed blessing.  Some athletics alumni say they hate to see players miss out on benefits that don’t come with dollar signs — from identifying with something bigger than themselves to lifetime bonds with teammates, coaches and a community of fans.

Tarrah Beyster, ’01, coached NCAA Division I softball for 12 years; now the Oregon State Hall-of-Fame pitcher runs Beyster Elite Softball Training in southeast Michigan. Her coaching includes advising high school student-athletes on how to choose a college or university.

How the Transfer Portal Evolved

It’s a fact of life in today’s college sports: Here’s how we ended up with a world in which, for many sports, the end of regular season is now followed by the transfer season.

1922

The NCAA turns 17, and its new 10-point code establishes a definition of amateurism, bans freshman eligibility, bans athletes from playing pro football or for non-collegiate teams, limits varsity participation to three years, bars graduate students from play, establishes faculty control of athletics, institutes anti-betting measures and restricts transfers.

1931

The NCAA implements a one-year sit-out rule for transfers, initially due to high school recruiting practices. Eventually some conferences initiate rules requiring a two-year sit-out for student-athletes transferring to another school within the same conference.

2006

The NCAA votes to allow Division I graduates to transfer without penalty.

2018

The NCAA introduces an online transfer portal, streamlining the process and providing more transparency.

2020

The NCAA provides eligibility extensions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021

The NCAA adopts a one-time transfer rule, allowing athletes to transfer once with immediate eligibility in Division I football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey and baseball.

2024

The NCAA eliminates transfer limits, allowing athletes to transfer multiple times and remain immediately eligible.

Photos – Mitt: Sharon Waldron/Unsplash; Football: Deric Yu/Unsplash; Basketball: The New York Public Library Digital Collections; Runner: Jadon Johnson; Covid: CDC/Unsplash; Football: Denis Rozhnovsky/Adobe; caps: Dmitry Kropachev/Unsplash

She presents one consideration in a TikTok video: If a broken leg or another medical issue ends your athletic career — if you become a “student” rather than “student-athlete” — would you still want to be at your school? She emphasizes a sense of community and comfort with the campus as key to that.

What Beyster thinks is important to high school seniors could benefit college seniors as well.

“I think you have this sense of, this is my home field, this is my hometown, this is my community, this is where I play,” said Beyster, who played at OSU from 1997-2000. “You’re not a stranger walking to your field or your practice field or even your weight room or indoor facility.”

An early 1900s Beaver football player runs with Waldo Hall in the background. Courtesy of OSU Special Collections and Archives

Larry Bumpus, ’01, a defensive back on Beaver football teams from 1994-97, believes players should have career mobility equal to coaches’. “But on the other hand, I really think there’s a lot of things being lost if you transfer,” Bumpus said. “The stick-to-it-iveness, the competitiveness — trying to stick it out and get better to win a job and be loyal to a school.  … If you’re hopping around … you’re just kind of a nomad; you’re everywhere and nowhere at once.”

Mark Radford arrived at OSU in the fall of 1977, part of a men’s basketball recruiting class that included Ray Blume, Jeff Stoutt and Bill McShane; Steve Johnson, a year older, played with that group for its final three seasons after missing a season due to injury. In their senior season of 1980-81, they were ranked No. 1 in the nation most of the winter.

“We played so much together we knew what each other was going to do,” Radford said. “Everything was second nature.” Spending four years in head coach Ralph Miller’s regimented system also gave them a role in sustaining OSU’s success: “We would groom the next teams,” Radford said. “Then when we left, they could carry the torch.”

If you’re hopping around…you’re just kind of a nomad; you’re everywhere and nowhere at once.

---

Miller was a stern taskmaster. “We were the fortunate few that were willing to stay and to put up with a lot,” Radford said, wondering how many of today’s players would leave in that environment. Sometimes, criticism is what’s needed, he said. “And I think in hindsight some people realize that. … There are a lot of benefits to having the truth being told.”

There are changes Radford would like to see in college athletics. One is some form of insurance for former student-athletes — he is still paying medical bills for conditions from his playing days. And as for those large NIL payments, he said, perhaps those could go in a trust fund.

“I didn’t know what to do with money at 17, 18, 19, 20 — maybe up until I was 25, 26 — then the light bulb started coming on,” he said.

Radford has enjoyed a long real estate career in Portland and occasionally sits behind the Beaver bench with former teammates. Many live in the Portland area and have remained close, including playing city league basketball together. Radford has also connected with OSU men’s basketball assistant coach Roberto Nelson, ’14, who encourages other former Beavers to be more involved with the program: “Ultimately we’re very pleased to be part of that, and we long for that.”

Bunn-Wilson, Beyster and Bumpus remain in contact with former teammates and coaches, too. Those long-term relationships were built over years of games, practices, bus rides, hotel stays, early-morning workouts and the like.

LEFT: Casey Bunn-Wilson (also known as Casey Nash) led the Pac-10 in scoring during the 2006-07 women’s basketball season. She’s now head coach at Linfield University. RIGHT: Oregon State Hall of Famer Mark Radford was a four-year letterman guard for Head Coach Ralph Miller and was part of two Pac-10 title teams. Courtesy of OSU Athletics

Beyster joined a softball program that had been at or near the bottom of the Pac-10 for over a decade, and many in her softball world thought she had thrown away her career by choosing OSU. But she believed in head coach Kirk Walker’s vision and helped the Beaver program climb into the national rankings. “That was really inspiring for me, and I knew I wanted to be a part of this sport for the rest of my life,” she said.

Bunn-Wilson recently completed her 10th season as women’s basketball head coach at Division III Linfield University. She sees a “huge jump” in her players between sophomore and junior years: “They know what the expectation is. But more so, they’re set in their classes, they’re projected to graduate, they have everything lined up.”

Beyster recalled doing camps, clinics and elementary school visits during her OSU playing career. “Just building my connection with the community and just watching our crowds grow over the years, the excitement over our program, that was huge.”

Lifelong membership in Beaver Nation has other benefits, too. At Linfield, Bunn-Wilson works with former OSU athletic staff members. “I see another Oregon State person and I automatically feel connected to them,” she said. “Or in some way a little bias. I like them.”

Bumpus, who with his wife, Summer, owns the Oak Creek Collection gift store in Corvallis, finds the identification as a Beaver also helpful in business. “You get a lot of customers that will come just because you were a graduate here at Oregon State,” he said.

Given the transfer portal’s impacts, Beyster sees star players having great seasons at individual schools but missing out on the big picture.

She remembers Walker telling the Beavers they were playing for more than themselves: “Kirk would always say, ‘It’s not about you, it’s about playing for the pride of the university, the community, building a legacy.’”

To walk into the Portland airport’s new main terminal is to find yourself in a spacious glade within a Pacific Northwest forest, complete with dappled light streaming through skylights to highlight the golden hues of floor-to-ceiling wood. The star of the show is the 9-acre, undulating Douglas fir roof — part of the largest mass timber project of its kind in the world. (Mass timber is smaller pieces of wood fastened together into beams, columns or panels that are as strong as steel or concrete but less carbon intensive.)

More than two dozen Oregon State alumni worked on the PDX project — recently named one of the world’s most beautiful airports — and it reflects OSU’s role in bringing mass timber construction to the U.S. Late College of Forestry Dean Thomas Maness encouraged the Oregon-based DR Johnson Lumber Company to become the first commercial mill in the U.S. to produce cross-laminated timber panels for use in buildings. Partnering with the University of Oregon, he also helped create the TallWood Design Institute, one of just 31 national “Tech Hubs.” The institute conducts testing in OSU’s A.A. “Red” Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Lab and other facilities, innovating new products, influencing building codes and advocating for investment. 

 “The PDX project wouldn’t have happened without the mass timber revolution that started because of activities at OSU,” says Thomas DeLuca, Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean of the College of Forestry. “When I walk into the Portland airport and see the beautiful display of wood, it feels like Beaver town.”

Latticed Timber Ceiling

Inspired by local weaving techniques, the lattice is made up of 35,000 3-by-6-foot pieces of Douglas fir, which can all be traced back to their forests of origin. The lattice wood came from Oregon and Washington small family forests, local tribes, nonprofits, community forests, university forests and other landowners practicing ecologically driven forestry.

Big Glulam Beams

Eugene business Zip-O-Laminators manufactured these lightweight, mega-strong laminated beams, made from wood sourced from Yakama Nation (the largest contributor of wood to the roof), the Coquille Indian Tribe and a mix of Oregon landowners, including OSU research forests.

Mass Plywood Roof Panels

Freres Engineered Wood supplied the roof’s mass plywood panels (not visible here), a product that company vice presidents Tyler and Kyle Freres first envisioned on a trip to Europe with OSU professors. Under the leadership of JELD-WEN Chair of Wood-Based Composites Science Arijit Sinha, OSU collaborated with Freres to develop the first panels. The Department of Wood Science and Engineering and the TallWood Design Institute tested the panels used on the PDX roof.

A Multitiered Roof

The biggest challenge, says Dan Gilkison, ’95, director of engineering for the Port of Portland, which led the project, was installing the roof without disrupting airport operations. Crews built it in modules across the airfield and carefully slid each into place like a cassette — a feat never done before. “It was like running a marathon and doing open-heart surgery,” Gilkison says. “But we didn’t cancel a single flight.” KPFF Consulting Engineers, which includes two alumni, designed and proposed the roof.

More Green, Less Stress

Tree-limb and boulder-shaped seating alongside 72 mature trees, 5,000 plants and 49 skylights promotes visitors’ connection with nature to curb travel stress. Even the irregular, curved pattern of wood grain in the terminal’s floor-to-ceiling wood construction was designed to have a psychological effect, say project architects ZGF, whose team included three Oregon State grads.

Branches of Steel

Each of these 34 steel Y-shaped columns stands 55 feet tall, mimicking trees as they support the massive roof. Special kinds of “shock absorbers” called seismic isolation bearings atop each column will let the roof shift up to 2 feet during an earthquake. This, plus 150-foot-deep foundations and curtain walls that move with the roof, will allow the terminal to withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Hoffman Skanska Joint Venture, which employs 16 OSU alumni, led construction of the Y columns.

Photos provided by Ema Peter Photography and Dror Baldinger (More Green, Less Stress)

The classroom just got 3,110 acres bigger for Oregon State forestry students. Gifted to the university in May, the Tualatin Mountain Forest is the 10th research forest managed by the College of Forestry and the first in the Portland area. Located west of the city’s Forest Park, and made up primarily of Douglas fir stands less than 40 years old, it offers a rare opportunity to study how to restore biodiversity, resilience and structure in a landscape previously managed for industrial timber. The forest also creates new possibilities for nature-based education, particularly for urban and underserved youth. “The Tualatin Mountain Forest will offer incredible opportunities for educational programming, public access and the co-identification of research and management priorities with tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, on whose ancestral lands the forest is located,” said Tom DeLuca, Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean of the College of Forestry. The Trust for Public Land acquired the private forestland worth $27.3 million with funding from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, Metro Regional Government and private gifts, and then transferred ownership to OSU. The forest will be financially self-sustaining with all activities funded through revenue generated by sustainable timber harvests, grants and philanthropy.

AI Everywhere

We rarely run out of extra copies of the magazine, but we came awfully close with the Spring 2025 issue. Its cover story, “6 Things You Might Not Know About OSU and AI,” got the word out about the university’s artificial intelligence prowess at events including the Portland Business Journal’s April AI Forum. And our story about the OSU steam tunnels — and the myth and mystery that surrounds them — generated the most reader excitement, especially online. It was the most clicked story in the Stater’s email newsletter and prompted a few readers to share their own experiences below ground.

Diamond drops of condensation shimmer on the ceiling of an OSU steam tunnel passage. Photo by Katterlea MacGregor, ’24

Underground Stories

My husband [Dr. Mark Rampton, ’72] has interesting steam tunnel stories. As a high schooler growing up in Corvallis, he and a group of friends would enter the steam tunnel at night, and they knew how to come up into the women’s gym and swim in the pool. I think they even took a canoe down and rowed around. It seems that they almost got caught once. By the time my high school class came of age, three years later, the tunnels were locked up.

 —Alice Rampton

It was spooky, and we heard strange noises. The older workers told me it was the pipes.

I enjoyed the article regarding the steam tunnels. My wife, Sally Blanc, was a secretary for the athletic department from 1976 to 1978 while I attended school. Paul Valenti got me a job with the plumbing department across the street from Gill. In the summers of 1976 and 1977, they turned off the steam so we could go underneath for repairs — new gaskets and fittings and various repairs. Even with the steam off, it was hot! I didn’t mind. I was young and needed the money for school. It was spooky, and we heard strange noises. The older workers told me it was the pipes. Never worked alone. We had a buddy system. Thanks for the article.

—Larry Blanc, ’78

Faith and Firsts

As an Episcopalian, I read the article about Katharine Jefferts Schori [“Gospel of Change”] with interest. I knew that she had roots in Corvallis and with the Good Samaritan Church, but the piece I didn’t know was that we were on campus at the same time. She finished her master’s in 1977 while I completed my bachelor’s. The other part is that my family lived in Philomath until I was entering sixth grade, and we attended the Good Samaritan Church. My parents were married there and both of my sisters and I were baptized there.

Fast forward to her being elected as the Presiding Bishop; it was awesome because she started at the same place I did, and she was the first woman to lead the Episcopal Church. “How cool is that!” I thought. When the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon elected their 10th Bishop at the annual convention in November 2009, the Presiding Bishop would conduct the ordination and consecration. This was held in Eugene, at the Hult Center (if I remember correctly). Michael Joseph Hanley was ordained to the episcopate and installed on April 10, 2010. I stood in line to meet Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, shook her hand, introduced myself and shared our common thread. I will never forget her smile and kindness to me. She was, and continues to be, a great human being.

—Linda (Clark) O’Hara, ’77

Memorable Mentors

When I read “The Things We Carry” Perspectives column in the Spring 2025 issue of the Oregon Stater, I thought of my former journalism professor, the late Rob Phillips.

I was a first-generation college student back before “first-gen” was even a thing, and I came from a home full of trauma. Kids raised that way either shrink or expand in an attempt to keep aggressors at bay.

I did the latter, and was therefore often the most talkative — and clueless — person in Rob’s classroom. I once overheard him talking to another journalism professor when he thought the hallway was empty, and the gist of his evaluation of me was “so much
potential, but distractable and immature.”

Those latter two attributes reared their head in the spring of my sophomore year, and I dropped out. Rob single-handedly got me back in school and kept me there so that the “so much potential” he saw would have time to materialize. (I’m proud to say it did throughout my career.) Rob’s influence in my life was the subject of a recent Substack I wrote, where readers can find more details of that story.  There’s rarely a day I’m not grateful for him and for having attended OSU. I’m proud to say my great-niece, Faith Boswell, currently attends and is finding it as life-giving as I did!

—Renée Schafer Horton, ’82

Photo courtesy of OSU Special Collections and Archives

Share Your Food Memories and Mysteries

We’re cooking up a special food-themed issue of the Oregon Stater, and we want to hear from you! Whether you have fond memories of campus restaurants or, like the protesters in this 1963 photo (the sign reads, “This guy (pictured above) ate dorm food”), you still shudder at the thought of cafeteria fare, we’d love to include your story. Likewise, we want to get our hands on favorite OSU-related recipes and hear about much-missed delights we might be able to track down. Email us. 

With drums thundering and regalia flashing, hundreds of performers celebrated Indigenous culture in Gill Coliseum at the 44th annual Klatowa Ina Competition Pow-Wow. The May 20 event — the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began — was organized by the OSU Native American Student Association and the Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws cultural center in collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs. Dancers competed in the Jingle, Grass Dance, Women’s Fancy, Men’s Fancy, Women’s Traditional and Men’s Traditional dance styles, with awards from $500 to $1,000. The spring weekend began with the cultural center’s annual salmon bake, which honors the salmon leaving freshwater spawning grounds to return to the ocean, as well as the fish’s importance to Pacific Northwest tribes. Both events were free and open to the community.

More info on this year’s Pow-Wow is here.

Building In Ethics

Two researchers tackling tricky issues of safety and bias.

Thorny problems of AI ethics have captured the attention of university community members in diverse fields, but in the College of Engineering, researchers are working to build ethical behavior into AI systems themselves. A professor and a student offer two good examples.

Houssam Abbas, Assistant Professor

We trust AI to navigate us to new locations and one day it could drive our cars. But should we let AI make ethical decisions for us? Houssam Abbas, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, often shares this thought problem: A self-driving car is faced with an unavoidable accident. In the seconds it has before impact, it can choose to either plow into the car in front of it, possibly harming the occupants, or drive off the road into a ditch. What guidelines does it use to make that choice? To make ethics accessible to machines, Abbas is working to boil down the delicate balance of human decision-making into mathematical equations. He uses deontic logics, a family of mathematical languages that model how we think about our obligations and permissions. Abbas and his students work on several collaborative projects that include academic and industry partners to develop formal methods for verification of engineered systems.

Eric Slyman, Ph.D. candidate in artificial intelligence; research engineer at Adobe

Many artificial intelligence models are trained with information from the internet, which is steeped in stereotypes. For example, an AI image generator, when asked to produce a picture of a doctor, might return an image of a white man by default. And this can get even worse when companies remove seemingly redundant photos — through a process called deduplication — to speed up AI training. Eric Slyman, Ph.D. candidate in artificial intelligence and now engineer at Adobe — creator of Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat and other industry-standard apps — helped create a cost-effective tool with researchers there that builds in awareness of social biases that may be in training data. Called FairDeDupe, it makes it possible to instruct an AI to preserve image variety by not pitching out photos of nondominant groups. “We let people define what is fair in their setting instead of the internet or other large-scale datasets deciding that,” Slyman said.

In the spring of 2024, Oregon State’s first Global Futures Forum on artificial intelligence explored the technology’s potential economic, scientific and creative impacts on the university and the world. Here’s an excerpt from a panel discussion with OSU President Jayathi Murthy and alumnus and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, moderated by Provost Ed Feser.

Feser: My first question to Jensen and then President Murthy is “so what” about AI?

Huang: Let me take a step back first and explain why NVIDIA is at the center of the AI revolution.

We started the company 31 years ago to pioneer a new way of doing computing. Our observation was that in many important applications — it could be scientific, it could be computer graphics, it could be artificial intelligence or robotics — 5% of the code consumes 99.9% of the time to run. And if that’s the case, why would we compute using a general-purpose computer that does everything the same way? It’s not really sensible.

So we invented a programming model called CUDA that has effectively driven down the cost of computing over the past decade or so by a mil­lion times. Just do that thought experiment: If the cost of doing something — weather simulations, molecu­lar dynamics simulations — goes down by a million times, how would that change what you do? And it turns out because computers are such a foundational part of al­most everything we do, and the computer is such an important instrument in nearly every field of science, this changed everything.

For example, look at a few sample data points. Make an observation and apply the scientific method. Write some software to process that data and try to make that prediction that you’ve observed and then test your hypothesis against more experimentation. Go through that loop over and over again. That’s called the software development method.

Instead of doing it that way, why not just give the computer as many examples as you could and let it go figure out what the program is by itself? Let it write the program. Let the computer observe all of this mountain of data and find the patterns of relationships within the data, to extract, if you will, the defining features by itself, the predictive features by itself, and then write the program.

That is the gigantic breakthrough. And what I just described is the foundational technology called machine learning, which led to deep learning, which led to the breakthroughs that we know of today called artificial intelligence. That’s the “so what.”

When something of great value, something that’s hard to do, becomes a million times or a billion times or a trillion times faster or cheaper, how would that change behavior? We observed that it was going to change the industry completely, that software programing would be revolutionized, that the type of software we could write, unimaginable in the past, we would do on a routine basis now and a whole bunch of new applications would be created.

An example is applying artificial intelligence to one of the largest multi-physics problems: climate science. Or an incredibly tough problem for computers — easy for us, but a tough problem for computers — the articulation and manipulation of things, which is called robotics.

These types of problems are now within the practical imagination of developers around the world. That’s the “so what.”

Feser: President Murthy, how would you respond from a higher education and Oregon State University standpoint?

Murthy: If you look at the problems facing the universe or the world — the climate crisis is such a big part of it — our ability to handle big datasets give us tools that we’ve never had before. And this is particularly relevant for OSU: big on oceanography, on forests, on agriculture. AI gives us tools to address these problems, to create new models, to predict the future, to control the future. That’s a huge, big deal.

Enabling our graduates to be able to use these tools to address climate science, to address biotech, to address human health, to address robotics — that’s the big “so what” for me. Just expanding the possibilities of the problems that we can solve and enabling our students to address these big problems.

Tucked away on the second floor of Milam Hall, a surprising collection is bursting with 527 hats, 2,939 garments and decades’ worth of fashion history. Whether students are constructing corsets in the sewing lab or exploring late Victorian mourning dress, the Historic and Cultural Textile and Apparel Collection offers beautifully preserved examples of clothing and textiles from the 17th century onward for up-close viewing. During winter term, Jennifer Mower, M.A. ’06, Ph.D. ’12 — the collection’s manager and a design instructor in the College of Business — asks students in her historic fashion class to pick a decade during the 20th century and curate a display based on items found within the apparel collection. Their work is then exhibited for the campus community, and the Corvallis Museum selects one group to show there. Started in the 1930s when home economics professors began donating fashion samples, the collection has taken on a life of its own. Now, with the two rooms overflowing, Mower must be strategic about what new items to add. Her dream is to remodel the space so there is more room for garments and more public display space. Learn how to see the collection and donate here.

The media tends to emphasize the scary aspects of AI, from it making artists and writers irrelevant to it fueling disinformation. They don’t talk a lot about what AI could do for science. How do you think AI is going to change OSU research?

AI is going to be transformative. There’s no question about that in my mind, and I don’t consider it to be hype. At Oregon State, AI will be used to gain deeper insights, to drive new kinds of research and to drive the kind of work that we’re already doing — but to do it faster, to do it better, and to pull in more data.

AI can supercharge the rate at which we work. Right now, that rate is determined by how quickly we can synthesize information. In the old days, you’d go to the library, and you’d read a bunch of articles and put in requests for books that needed to be found for you. That’s of course accelerated since the World Wide Web came along. But now with AI, there’s a way of not just searching but synthesizing human knowledge and making it available in a way that allows you to move much, much faster. The kind of research and the kind of results that took you years are possible in months. That is huge.

That’s such an important point about searching versus synthesizing. Readers who haven’t experimented with AI yet might think of it as sort of a high-powered search engine.

It’s much more than that. It’s going from data to information to knowledge and perhaps, eventually, even to wisdom. You brought up the idea that AI may make artists and writers irrelevant. I don’t know that I agree with that. It’s sort of like when photography came along, there were lots of people who said, “Gosh, why paint anymore?” But artists found a way to interact with that medium to create new things that at one point didn’t exist as art. And the same thing is going to happen here. Sure, there’ll be a certain kind of art that AI will make, but humans, because of their nature, because of their humanity, will interact with the things that AI makes. And there’ll be new modes of expression.

What role will the new Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex play in integrating AI into the student experience at OSU?

It’s given us a way of focusing on AI on campus. Otherwise, it would be a lot of people doing good things, but without a stake in the ground, without a way of pointing to something that is the heart of AI at the university. The building plays that symbolic role first and foremost.

But there’s also a lot of stuff in the building. There is certainly the supercomputer, which provides capacity in a way that most universities in the country don’t have. OSU has always been really good at robotics, but robotics will increasingly have more and more AI in it.  All of the investments in robotics get folded into this AI vision.

Then there’s all the other work that’s going to draw on AI — for example, the experimental infrastructure tied to use in semiconductors. That’s going to get rolled up in not only new generations of materials and semiconductors and processes, but also things like semiconductor design, which increasingly draws on AI. And students will get exposed to and get to participate in all these programs.

Do you anticipate that the university will need to make policies for student use of AI?

At this stage, I’d prefer to have guidelines rather than rigid policies. You’ve got to allow this to evolve. My hope is to go beyond constraint to really look for the creative. I can’t think of a community that is better suited to deal with this question than an academic campus. We will debate it. We’ll test it in the classroom. We will think it through in deep ways. From this, we will evolve guidelines and — as our understanding of AI use matures — we will know enough to make strong policies.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about this spring?

AI is disruptive, and there are so many other disruptions sweeping through our world right now. In a time of extreme change, finding your guiding light, finding your vision, finding your mission and holding true to your values is a very useful way of living your life. When we’re looking to make decisions at OSU, our focus must be on students, students, students. We are here to educate in the broadest possible way. Maintaining access, maximizing opportunity, building excellence — that’s our guiding light. Everything else follows.

This interview was edited for clarity and length.

I was seven when my family replaced our rotary dial with our first push-button telephone. My siblings and I endlessly pressed the lit numbers to hear the beeps. Some older brothers even held a contest to determine the fastest button-pusher in the household. We felt very modern.

Some time later, our TV console with its rabbit-ear antenna was replaced by a sleek Zenith model with a remote control. Not only could we navigate six local channels — the new device also had a mute button. We would never have to listen to annoying commercials again.

While in school, I shared a Royal typewriter with my seven siblings. During college, my part-time office job introduced me to IBM word processors — no more editing with messy Liquid Paper. IBM marketed its auto-save capabilities, but after losing 23 pages of my senior thesis, I learned to be skeptical when something sounded too good to be true.

My father never quite mastered the remote control, and my mother’s Hotmail account outlived the brand. My parents have since passed away, but I would love to see their reaction to almost every American adult carrying a pocket-sized, all-in-one computer, camera and phone.

The rapid modernization of consumer tech over the past 50 years has been staggering. Those of us who’ve been around more than a handful of decades — and, honestly, even those of us who haven’t — have navigated lives filled with constant technological change. This issue’s cover story celebrates Oregon State’s significant role in the newest of these changes — artificial intelligence.

AI is more than a trendy catchphrase. This technology that OSU alumni like Jensen Huang and faculty like Distinguished Professor Emeritus Thomas Dietterich have helped pioneer has the potential to deliver stunning analyses of vast amounts of data at unimaginable speeds, accelerating breakthroughs in research and development, automating workflows and processes, reducing human errors and eliminating repetitive tasks.

I don’t know what changes AI has in store, but when I think about it in the context of our great university, I feel the same excitement I did when I held my first cellphone.  What unyielding global problems will AI help our researchers solve? How will it position today’s students to achieve what we never imagined?

The future is now. While I admit to some trepidation, I have never been so proud that Oregon Staters are leading the way.

In 2011, I got a chance to see one of the last space shuttle launches. A NASA program to harness the growing power of Twitter picked enthusiasts for special access to major space agency events in exchange for a continuous stream of tweets. Within days of getting my invitation, I’d bought a plane ticket and signed up to stay in a house with strangers I’d met on the internet.

What happened next was an incredible experience made possible by social media. My housemates were NASA and European Space Agency engineers, science teachers and journalists. We toured sites like the awe-inspiring VAB — one of the largest buildings in the world — which held the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo missions to the moon. We met astronauts, scientists and celebrities, and posted photos by the iconic countdown clock.

After a week of delays, I had to return to Oregon, but I was invited back to see the very last launch, Atlantis. Even three miles from the launchpad, the shock waves shook my whole body. I tweeted: “Beautiful, mind-bending: this tiny toy rises up on flames carrying humans inside, pierces the sky and disappears.”

Back then, social media seemed to be pure connection — to people with shared interests, to high school and college friends you’d lost touch with, to an endless supply of cat videos. The trolls and bots and extremists hadn’t joined us in full force yet. 

All that’s to say that when it comes to technology, many of us have seen something that starts off great go sideways — because technology gets used by people, and people are complicated. So I realize that even with adorable robots on the cover, you may have had mixed feelings when you saw that this Stater delves into Oregon State’s impact on artificial intelligence.

It’s true we don’t yet know all the challenges to come, but for the span of these pages, I invite you to set that aside and be amazed. Because AI — the engineering, the sheer intellectual creativity of it — is an extraordinary accomplishment, and Beavers have helped make it happen.

From teaching robots to walk (and run!) to making chatbots that help doctors diagnose rare diseases, our researchers are already using AI to accomplish dazzling feats. And once the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex is complete and they have access to one of the most powerful supercomputers in the nation, the acceleration of scientific discovery here is bound to be astonishing.

Can we use this technology to find our way out of problems instead of just into new ones? That’s what our university is banking on. After talking with Oregon State scientists about their work, I’m willing to embrace the wonder. I hope you will be, too.

It’s like something out of a dream: four women dressed in ethereal white twirl before a misting waterfall. Each holds a corner of a sheet, as they move together and apart, so that the white cloth billows, cloudlike. Then the camera cuts to a wide shot, revealing the source of 50-foot arcs of water cascading around the dancers — hoses wielded by local firefighters — as well as the familiar sight of Community Hall.

The Oregon Agricultural College Extension Service caught this surreal scene on film in 1929. But what the heck was actually going on?

Preserved by OSU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives as 16 mm film in an old metal canister, this clip was part of a silent newsreel that played in local movie theaters before a feature film. (The complete reel includes everything from the dedication of the Memorial Union to a bizarre stop-motion comedy sequence of toy bears playing billiards. Watch here.)

Labeled “May Day Pageant,” our mystery dance seems to be an example of a forgotten Oregon State spring tradition. The Barometer details outdoor celebrations on campus as far back as 1908, complete with elaborate processions, a May Queen seated on a throne, and dances around a beribboned maypole. The 1914 student handbook — carried and memorized by all first-year students back then — listed this Spring Pageant as a treasured “custom of old OAC.”  Even the broader Corvallis community got involved — a Barometer article from May 4, 1911, describes a parade “headed by daintily dressed tots from the public school.”

Photos from the early 1900s of the once popular Spring Pageant. Photos courtesy of OSU Special Collections & Archives

Plenty of photographic evidence exists in the archives, too, much of it as striking as the dance caught on video. In one photo, women in Grecian dresses link arms as they follow a chariot driven by a crowned man (a May King, perhaps?) and pulled by two white horses. In another, more than 30 young people stand under a huge tree, straight-faced in bonnets and flower crowns. A woman in a tiara stands at center, draped in a robe and adorned with jewelry.

The tradition of crowning May royalty seems to have faded as the context of the pageants shifted. Starting around the time our dancers were filmed, the pageants began to be performed during Women’s Weekend — perhaps as a showcase for women’s physical education.

“In the 1920s, women were involved [in athletics] in ways that kind of fade out in the ’30s and ’40s, and there’s a real question as to ‘What did [the pageants] mean for women’s athletics?’” said Karl McCreary, OSU staff archivist. “Was there a tie to the dancing? Was dancing an art form, was it considered part of physical education? Is this a counterpart to men’s ROTC drills and formations? You are kind of left wondering.”

But “first and foremost, [this tradition] is just about the celebration of spring and sunny weather,” said Larry Landis, former director of OSU’s Special Collections and Archives Research Center. And when the long gray winter is over and the spring flowers come, don’t we all feel like dancing?

Somehow, Scott Rueck, ’92, MAT ’93, pulled it off. After guiding his team to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2024, the women’s basketball head coach lost four starters to the transfer portal because of the breakup of the Pac-12. As a result, many thought this season would be about the rebuild. But on March 11 in Las Vegas, OSU beat the Portland Pilots 59-46 to win the West Coast Conference tournament championship and secure another berth in the NCAA Tournament. Afterwards, Rueck reflected on the tenacity of his team: “For this group to cover the ground they did this year is one of the most special things I’ve ever been a part of.”