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Glenn Otto ’53
Glenn Otto ’53, April 24, 1994, in Portland, of a heart attack. He was a construction electrician who entered local politics in 1964 and stayed in Oregon politics for nearly 30 years. He was elected to the Troutdale City Council in 1964 and became mayor of Troutdale in 1966. He served in the Oregon House from 1973 to 1984 and was elected to the Oregon Senate in 1984, serving until 1992. He became known for his ability to use his influence in the state legislature to help local governments. He also served on the board of Mt. Hood Community College from 1982 to 1991. In addition to his political achievements, he continued to work as an electrician. He was the recipient of the Robert P. Burns Life Award from the Oregon Columbia Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association in 1992, an award given to honor leadership and ethics within the electrical construction industry. He is survived by his wife and five children.
Joan E. Olson Hundtoft ’75
Joan Olson Hundtoft ’75, of ovarian cancer, February 19, 1999, in Salem, Oregon. After graduating from Reed, she worked for the city of Portland for several years in the nuisance division. She resigned in 1983 and moved to the Oregon coast, where she married and raised three stepchildren. During this time, she was the manager of a bakery and bookstore on the coast. In 1991, they moved to Salem, where she worked on a master’s degree in public administration. She worked for the Oregon Department of Revenue in the tax help section for about six years. Survivors include her husband; two stepsons; a stepdaughter; a brother; and a sister.
Margaret Young Oberteuffer MAT ’62
Margaret Oberteuffer MAT ’62, February 8, 2000, in Island City, Oregon. She taught and was a counselor in high schools in Portland, Cove, and Union, Oregon, for 40 years, retiring in 1984. After retiring, she and her husband, Bill Oberteuffer ’47, lived on their ranch in Elgin, Oregon, and raised sheep and goats for wool and mohair. They were also avid travelers, visiting 27 countries in one year. She was a member of the Mazama Mountaineering Club and in 1997 was recognized by the club as an educator, mountaineer, leader, conservationist, and progressive forester. She is survived by her husband and a brother.
Charlotte Odgers Hall ’43
Charlotte Odgers Hall ’43, May 3, 2000, in Bryan, California. After graduating from Reed, she taught school at Shumway Junior High in Vancouver, Washington, for several years. In 1947, she earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Washington. While there, she met Arthur Hall, whom she married in 1947. They moved to Sacramento in 1954. She was a homemaker and substitute teacher in Sacramento City School District, retiring in 1994, where she particularly enjoyed assignments working with handicapped adults. Her outside interests included gardening, playing the piano, and participating in church activities with the First United Methodist Church. Survivors include a son, a daughter, and two brothers. Her husband died in 1980.
D. Valentine Olsen Erickson ’43
D. Valentine Olsen Erickson ’43, March 12, 2002, in Sonoma, California, where she had lived since 1986. After graduating from Reed, Valentine was a social worker in San Francisco. She married Robert Erickson ’43 in 1955, and, because of his work with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, they lived in many parts of the world, including Australia, Bangkok, Rome, Paris, and London. While living abroad, she studied couture sewing for many years, and her knowledge of fabrics, both modern and from traditional cultures worldwide, was significant. Upon retiring, the couple moved to Sonoma, California, where she became involved in a number of organizations, including the AAUW and the Opera Guild. She also participated in the United Nations Association and the World Affairs Council, and she helped organize the Great Decisions Program in Sonoma. Her other interests included bonsai and gardening in general, fly tying, and mosaics. She is survived by her husband, a son, and a brother, Theodore Olsen ’39.
Elinore Fike Olson MAT ’62
Elinore D. Fike Olson MAT ’62, April 3, 2003, in Portland. Elinore earned a BS degree at Portland State University in humanities and general studies in 1957. She taught art at Cleveland High School in Portland for more than 20 years, during which time she completed an MAT at Reed, and retired as chair of the art department in 1974. Elinore was reported to have had a lifelong connection to her students, and to have lived and taught with great enthusiasm. Her connections to people were primary, and she generously nourished her relationships—as she did her intellect—through communication, travel, study, and artistic pursuits. She married Richard Olson, who predeceased her, and they had two children. She is survived by her daughter, son, and grandchild.
Elaine Overholser O'Rourke ’67
Elaine Overholser O’Rourke ’67, January 27, 2004, in Irving, Texas, from cancer. Elaine received a bachelor’s degree from Reed in general literature and began working for the Transamerica Insurance Company in Portland as an administrative manager. She married Jerry Adam, and was transferred to her company’s Southern California office, where she was manager of licensing and residual markets. The division in which she worked was sold, becoming TIG Insurance Company in Irving; she maintained a position with the company until the time of her death. Elaine volunteered for the Insurance Education Association, and participated in continuing education programs in the insurance industry. She is survived by her husband and sister.
Eddie H. Oshins ’66
Edward H. Oshins ’66, October 11, 2003, in California. Eddie attended Reed for a year, then transferred to Renssaeller Polytechnic Institute before studying at Yeshiva University on an NDEA Fellowship in 1969. He earned his MA in physics from Yeshiva in 1970, a BA from Reed in physics in 1971, and an MS in Urban and Policy Sciences from SUNY-Stony Brook in 1974. Beginning in 1978, Eddie worked as a visiting scientist in the theory group at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, focusing on the theory to adopt quantum physics to the logic of human reasoning. Oshins was the scientific representative outside of the USSR for Yuri F. Orlov’s "wave logic" from 1980 to 1986, and edited Orlov’s work for publication. He also worked at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, and was an instructor in the San Francisco Wing Chun Student Association.
Helen Elaine Spradling Olschowka ’45
Helen Elaine Spradling Olschowka ’45, April 29, 2005, in East Gridley, California, following a short illness. Helen received a bachelor's degree from Reed in mathematics, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and earned an MA in mathematics, and a secondary teaching credential, from UC Berkeley in 1946. She taught school in Fort Bragg before moving to Gridley, where she met and married Alfred Olschowka. They had two sons. Helen taught mathematics in the local high school, and transitioned to school counseling. She was instrumental in the formation of Butte Community College in 1969, part of the original staff and faculty, and first to be granted professor emeritus status when she retired in 1989. She taught mathematics, and her counseling position grew to be that of coordinator of counseling and advising for the college. Olschowka was involved with the Gridley Friends of the Library, the A.A.U.W., and the Butte County Retired Teachers Association. She received the lifetime achievement award from the Gridley Chamber of Commerce in 1993. She was also active in parish work for Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Survivors include her sons, four grandchildren, and a sister. Her husband died in 1994.
Rita Lucille Leibrand Othus ’42, MAT ’64, MALS ’71
Rita Lucille Leibrand Othus ’42, MAT ’64, MALS ’71, March 28, 2007, in Portland. Rita met Byron J. Othus ’41 at Reed; they married in 1942. She later earned a bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College. Rita worked as a freelance writer, taught English to juniors and seniors at Roosevelt High School, and was an instructor at Portland Community College for 20 years. Survivors include two daughters, including Jane Othus ’68, and two grandchildren. Byron died in 1969.
Albert Ott ’34
Albert Ott ’34, July 16, 2010, in Portland. Albert grew up on his family's farm in Sunnyside, a couple miles southeast of Portland. He was a day-dodger at Reed, commuting, as he put it, in “two- or four-wheeled vehicles.” He majored in economics and wrote his thesis on banking legislation. Long after graduation, he said: “My only claim to distinction during my undergraduate years was in handball, which I was encouraged to pursue by everyone's friend, coach Charles Botsford [1912–52].” Albert joined the workforce in the depths of the Great Depression, and got several short-term jobs through the New Deal. He also lent a hand at his family's farm. Later, he became senior statistician for the Oregon Department of Employment and was a manpower economist for the Portland metro area for 15 years; he retired in 1976. “The efforts of my distinguished mentors, Dr. Clement Akerman [economics 1920–43], Dr. Blair Stewart [economics 1925–49], and Dr. F.L. Griffin [mathematics 1911–56], provided splendid background in economics, mathematics, and statistics, which were basic to my position.” Albert and Lorene Hinkley were married for 62 years. They raised two children, and enjoyed travel, dancing, golfing, and camping. They operated the Ott family farm, selling off the last acres in 1981, and, thereafter, assisted family and friends who had filbert and blueberry crops. Albert was an active member of the Beaverton Elks Lodge and held the distinction of being their oldest living member. He is survived by a daughter and son.
Homer Leroy Owen ’50
Homer L. Owen ’50, August 2, 2010, in St. George, Utah. Homer enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942 and flew 50 missions out of Italy as a radio operator and ball-turret gunner in B-17 bombers. During one raid on oil fields in Ploesti, Romania, four of the seven planes in Homer's squadron were shot down. Homer's plane returned to the airfield with more than 100 flak holes, to the frustration of the ground crew who had to repair them. After the war, he came to Reed and earned a BA in history. He and Marjorie Emery ’49 were married in 1947; they had two sons. In 1954, Homer and Marjorie were both called before the House Un-American Activities Committee for its hearings in Portland. Homer testified about his activities in the Communist Party; according to historian Mike Munk ’56, Homer also named names, reporting 21 former classmates to the committee as having been affiliated with the party. Some classmates lost their jobs or suffered other consequences as a result of this exposure. After Reed, he earned an MA in industrial relations from Cornell University. Most of his working career was spent with Blue Cross Blue Shield; he retired as director of internal auditing in 1989. Homer is survived by Marjorie, his sons, six grandchildren, a sister, and a nephew.
Julia Opp Johnson ’23
Julia Opp Johnson ’23, October 15,1993, in Milwaukie, Oregon. After graduating from Reed with a degree in general literature, she taught school in Bandon and Eugene, Oregon before obtaining a teaching position at Grant High School in Portland. In 1928, Julia married Clifford Johnson ’23, who was working at his father's music store in Portland. After her marriage, she continued to teach until 1944, when she decided to retire from teaching and become more involved in the community as a volunteer. She was an active volunteer with the Portland Area Girl Scout Council, both as a troop leader and as a volunteer trainer. She also was involved in political work as a precinct committeewoman. Survivors include a sister, Gertrude Opp Nutting ’22; and a niece, Rosy Foster ’52. Clifford died in 1986.
Harold J. Oatfield ’31
Harold Oatfield ’31, August 3, 1998, in Milwaukie, Oregon, where he had lived since his retirement. He attended Reed for three years and then transferred to Rice University, Houston, where he earned a BA in 1931. He earned an MS in organic chemistry from Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1933. He worked as a chemist for the Intelligence Division, Experimental Station for E.I. Du Pont for 11 years and was a research fellow in biology at MIT in 1945–47. He was a professional associate for the division of medical science, National Research Council in 1947–51. From 1951 until his retirement in 1972, he was with Pfizer in Groton, Connecticut, where he was head of technical information services in the medical research lab for 12 years. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and many other professional associations. After retirement, he and his wife, Virginia, moved to Oregon and built a house on the site of his grandfather’s farm in Milwaukie. He was active in the Foster-Scholz Club. He is survived by his wife.
Abraham C. Olshen ’33
Abraham Olshen ’33, October 2, 2000, in San Francisco, California. Abraham earned a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Iowa in 1935 and a PhD in 1937. In 1934, he married Dorothy Olds ’37. He held various jobs as a statistician and actuary in Portland and Iowa before joining West Coast Life Insurance Company, San Francisco, in 1946 as an actuary. He held increasingly responsible positions with the company, retiring in 1968 as senior vice president and member of the board of directors. He continued to work as a consultant after retiring. He was a member and officer of many professional organizations and committees during his career and was a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science. He contributed research articles to scientific and trade journals and publications, including the Annals of Mathematical Statistics and the Encyclopedia Britannica. Survivors include a son and a daughter. Dorothy died in 1998.
Robert Ornduff ’53
Robert Ornduff ’53, September 22, 2000, in Berkeley, California, from complications of metastic melanoma. He was an expert on California plants and former director of the University of California, Berkeley, botanical garden. After graduating from Reed, he spent a year in New Zealand as a Fulbright scholar, where he collected materials for his master’s thesis. He earned a master’s in science at the University of Washington in 1956 and a PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1961. After teaching biology for one year at Reed and one year at Duke University, he joined the faculty of the botany department at UC Berkeley, where he remained until his retirement in 1993. At Berkeley, he served as director of the Jepson Herbarium, chair of the botany department, and curator of seed plants. He created a popular course on California flora that became the basis for his popular field guide, Introduction to California Plant Life, published in 1974. In 1986, he made headlines when he cultivated the only Bolivian Puya raimondi in the Northern Hemisphere, a plant that only blooms every century and shoots up a stalk two stories high to produce its flower. His research took him all over the world, and he was also active in local and state conservation organizations. After retiring, he continued to curate the botanical garden, and was grants director of the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust for seven years. In 1999, he was appointed cogeneral editor of the California Natural History Guides series, published by the University of California Press. He is survived by a sister.
Louise Odale Simonson ’32
Louise Odale Simonson ’32, July 11, 2001, in Pasadena, California. She worked in hospital laboratories in Portland and Los Angeles following graduation from Reed and was a registered and licensed medical technologist. She married Harry Simonson in 1943, who was in the publishing business. Together, they started Sidale Publishing Company, Los Angeles, and beginning in 1949 she published Lab World magazine, a medical and allied health news magazine. The publication became recognized nationally and internationally as objectively reporting on news related to the clinical and scientific laboratory fields. In 1975, they merged their business with North American Publishing Company, Philadelphia due to her husband’s ill health. After his death in 1976, she continued to write for the company. In 1985, she was appointed a consulting editor with two international medical publications, HospiMedica and MediLab, published bimonthly by Technology Communications. She was the executive director of the Metabolic Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit corporation that funds camping experiences for diabetic children, for more then 30 years. She was a member of the American Academy of Microbiology and served on a police advisory board for community policing. In 1988, as a result of her several trips to China, she researched and wrote the background information used for publicity for the first U.S. tour of the National Dance Company of China.
William H. Oberteuffer ’42
William Healy Oberteuffer ’42, September 24, 2006, in Portland. Bill attended Reed College for one year, and then attended Oregon State University, earning a BS in agricultural sciences in 1942. He also earned a master’s degree in agriculture from OSU in general studies and education. In 1941, he married Margaret Young MAT ’62, his childhood sweetheart. During World War II, Bill taught school and worked at the Portland shipyards. His career as a secondary school biology teacher lasted 32 years, during which he was awarded Oregon Teacher of the Year (1964), and also Outstanding Secondary Teacher in Portland. He was an honorary lifetime member of the Mazamas, active in the organization beginning in 1947, and leader of hundreds of climbs, including to the summit of Pico de Orizaba in Mexico in 1965. He was also a 25-year member of the Oregon Mountain Rescue Team, and a member of the Sierra Club and the NEA. During a sabbatical year in the early 1970s, the couple backpacked through 27 countries. In retirement, they moved to Elgin, Oregon, and created the Smilin’ O Ranch, which they opened to students for practical-land and recreational opportunities. Bill became a master woodland manager, and in 1994, received the U.S. Forest Service National Award for Volunteerism. That same year, the couple donated 113-forested acres to the College of Forestry at Oregon State University; the land has been preserved for research and demonstration as the Oberteuffer Research and Education Forest. Margaret died in 2000. Survivors include his wife, Jacque Lee, whom he married in 2001.
Jean Hazen Oliver ’39
Jeanne Hazen Oliver ’39, November 12, 2009, at her home in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, where she lived for 62 years. Jeanne attended Reed and the University of Arizona. During World War II, she served with the U.S. Navy. She was a member of the Century Club of Scranton and Covenant Presbyterian Church. She also was a weaver, sculptor, and dog-lover. Jeanne married William J. Oliver; they had two daughters, a son, and two grandchildren, who survive her, as does a sister.
Gertrude C. Osborne Gill ’43
Gertrude C. Osborne Gill ’43, July 27, 2008, in Hawaii. Gertrude was a missionary with the organization Youth with a Mission. For many years, she went with her husband, an orthopedic surgeon, to third world country health clinics in order to teach indigenous physicians modern orthopedic surgery techniques.
Stanley Lawrence Olds ’46
Stanley Lawrence Olds ’46, October 7, 2010, in Worcester, Massachusetts, following a lengthy illness. Stanley received a BA from Reed in mathematics and an MS from the State University of Iowa in actuary science, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. For over 30 years, he was an actuary for State Mutual Life Assurance Company; he retired in 1989. In retirement, he was a volunteer math tutor for at-need students at South High Community School in Worcester. He was a member of Temple Emanuel and cofounder and president of the Jewish Service Center for Older Adults. In his public obituary, we read: “He was the consummate community volunteer and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.” Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Rosalie Lasker Olds; a son and two daughters; four grandchildren; and a brother.
Kaoru Carlos Ogimi ’54
Kaoru Carlos Ogimi ’54, September 18, 2009, in Ninomiya, Japan, from pneumonia. Carlos, who was born in Spain, earned a BA from Reed in philosophy, and became editor and designer for Tuttle Press in Japan. Later, he was the president of Readers Digest in Japan, a consultant to Seibu retail, and a representative director of the Kaio Corporation. Carlos’ passion was sailing. He led Japanese tall ship sailing as chairman of Sail Training Association of Japan Preparatory Committee and was vice commodore of Nippon Ocean Racing Club. Survivors include his wife, Kikuko, his son and grandson, and his sister, Ayame Ogimi Flint ’54.
Caroline Conklin Odlum MALS ’71
Caroline Conklin Odlum MALS ’71, of cancer, February 24, 1995, in Portland. She received her undergraduate degree from Smith College. She taught mathematics at Catlin Gabel School in 1965–66 and in 1972–79. She left her teaching career to enter Portland State University's electrical engineering program, earning a BS in 1982. She was employed by Tektronix in Portland from 1982 to 1990 as a product evaluation engineer and a technical writer. She left the company in 1990 to cofound with her husband Salt Spring Technical, a firm providing technical writing, editing, design, and typesetting services. She is survived by her husband, a daughter, a son, her mother, a brother, and a stepbrother and stepsister.
Dorothy Olds Olshen ’37
Dorothy Olds Olshen ’37, January 12, 1998, in Burlingame, California. She attended Reed College for one year, leaving to marry Abraham Olshen ’33, and later attended the State University of Iowa. After spending several years in Iowa and in Portland, the couple moved to the San Francisco area and settled in Burlingame. She was a homemaker, raising two children and participating in school, community, and temple activities. In 1960, she completed a BA from San Francisco State University. She helped found Temple Beth Elin San Mateo and Peninsula Temple Shalom in Burlingame, and was a three generation life member of Hadassah. She was decorated for her service to the League of Women Voters, and served as president of the local PTA. Dorothy and her husband were longtime supporters of Reed College. She is survived by her husband; a son and daughter; six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Mary Gertrude Opp Nutting ’22
Mary Gertrude Opp Nutting ’22, February 3, 1999, in Milwaukie, Oregon. After graduating with a BA in biology, Gertrude worked as a lab technician in a TB research lab for one year. She met and married Forrest Foster ’22, a banker with the Federal Reserve Bank in Portland, and they had two children. While raising her family, she also worked part time for a number of years in market research and was active in the American Association of University Women, Girl Scouts, and the Red Cross. Her husband retired in 1959, and they moved to the suburbs of Portland. After his death in 1960, she worked as assistant librarian in the Milwaukie Public Library. In 1965 she married Haven Nutting, and together they operated a holly growing farm. Shortly after the death of her second husband in 1979, she moved to the Rose Villa Retirement Center in Milwaukie, and there she lived with her sister, Julia Opp Johnson ’23, until Julia's death in 1993. Gertrude maintained an active role in the Reed community and was a frequent visitor to the campus to attend events. Survivors include her son and daughter, Rosalind Foster ’52.
Maurice J. Ostomel ’32
Maurice J. Ostomel ’32, February 20, 1998, in Laguna Hills, California. After graduating from Reed, he moved to Albany, New York, and became manager of a grocery store. There he met Anne Muraven, whom he married in 1934. In 1940 he enrolled in the New York School of Social Work and earned a master’s degree in administration and community organization in 1942. Due to health problems, he was unable to enlist in the military during World War II, so he worked in the Pacific Area Office of the American National Red Cross. In 1945 he moved to Los Angeles and became assistant director of the Welfare Planning Council of Metropolitan Los Angeles. While there, he helped form a community committee on the aging and wrote a number of reports on public assistance in California that laid the foundation for state laws. In 1957 he accepted a post as executive director of the Jewish Home for the Aged, where he served until retiring in 1977. During his career, he served on the California State Board of Social Work Examiners and was the first president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He also helped found the National Association of Homes for the Aged and, as its first president, attended a White House Conference on the Aging initiated by President Eisenhower. After retiring, he was active in the Retired Senior Volunteers program and the California Welfare Heritage Foundation, and he was involved in conferences on the aging both locally and nationally. Later, the couple moved to Leisure World, in Laguna Hills. He is survived by his wife.
Ruth Carter Oswald ’35
Ruth Carter Oswald ’35, April 14, 2000, in Eugene, Oregon. She earned a master’s degree in special education from the University of Oregon in 1957, and worked as a reading specialist in the Eugene area until her retirement. She married Norman Oswald ’35, and they had one son.
Jean Olsen Wheeler ’44
Jean Olsen Wheeler ’44, February 21, 1996. Jean earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Reed. She married Gordon Wheeler, and lived in Washington state.
William LeRay Owen MAT ’59
William LeRay Owen MAT ’59, January 29, 2005, in Lake Oswego, Oregon. During World War II, Bill served with the U.S. Marine Corps, and, after the war, entered Lewis & Clark College on the G.I. Bill. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1953, and taught at Lincoln High School. In 1957 he joined the arbor service that had been in his family since 1924, General Tree Service. Bill felt that the Reed MAT experience provided him with personal growth that ultimately helped him run a successful business. In 1985, after 20 years as owner of General Tree Service, he moved to a consultant position, creating Tree and Landscape Consulting Services. Bill had a remarkable connection to the trees of the greater Portland area and beyond, even traveling to China to observe urban tree care. He was consulting arborist for the city of Portland and of Lake Oswego, a member of the Portland’s Street Tree Advisory Committee, president of the Portland Beautification Association, and president of the National Arborist Association. In 1998, he was accepted as Diplomat, American Board of Forensic Examiners. As a gift to Reed, and in keeping with his generous nature, Bill surveyed the college’s trees, which he documented in A Survey, Inventory and Analysis of Reed College Campus Trees. According to Reed’s facilities services director, Townsend Angell [1989–], this survey identified the value of the tree population, promoting the idea that landscape is an asset, and thereafter making tree maintenance a permanent facilities operation. In 1944 Bill married Bobbie L. Rose, who died in 1996. In 1997 he married Louise Baldwin ’45. He is survived by his wife; a daughter; two sons, including William K. Owen ’82; three grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a sister. Two daughters predeceased him.
Elizabeth Orr Kratz ’23
Elizabeth Orr Kratz ’23, July 17, 1994, in Corvallis, Oregon. After attending Reed, Elizabeth transferred to Monmouth State Teachers College, graduating in 1923. In 1927, she married David Kratz, a pastor in the Christian Church. Together, they served parishes in Iowa and California until 1959, when he became the regional minister for the state of Nebraska and they moved to Lincoln. During this time, in addition to raising a family and working with her husband on parish activities, she held positions as an art supervisor, an adult education teacher, and director of a Christian education program. After her husband's death in 1960, she became the executive secretary of the Christian Women's Fellowship of Northern California/Nevada. In 1962, she was appointed associate regional minister of the Christian Church of Northern California-Nevada and was ordained by that church in 1963. She continued there for 13 years, serving as president, regional minister, and director of the Northern Council of Churches. She also served as chairperson of the California Migrant Ministry and worked closely with César Chávez in his efforts to improve working conditions for farm workers. In 1972, she was a representative to the Protestant Church Executives consultation to the Paris Peace Talks. She retired in 1975 and moved to Connecticut, where she continued her volunteer activities. In 1989, she “re-retired” and moved to Corvallis, Oregon, with her sister. She received the Disciples Fellowship Peace Award from the United Church of Christ General Assembly in Indianapolis for her years of activity on behalf of peace and justice causes. In 1993, she was awarded the Foster-Scholz Club Distinguished Service Award. Survivors include three sons; a daughter; two sisters, a brother; eleven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Donald E. Olson ’43
Donald E. Olson ’43, a retired pulmonologist and internist, reported missing June 6, 1996, while fishing with friends on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. He earned a PhD in neuroanatomy from what is now Oregon Health Sciences University in 1948 and became staff physician at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland in 1955. He was president of the medical staff in 1961 and 1962, the youngest physician to have held the office. He was a senior faculty member of the department of medicine at St. Vincent, a responsibility that included serving as chair of the residency review committee and the curriculum committee. He was a "role-model physician, teacher, and human being." After his retirement in 1992, he continued to teach and act as attending physician at the Veterans Administration Hospital and Medical Center. In 1992, he was named a Master of the American College of Physicians, the third Oregon doctor to receive the honor since its creation in 1926. Survivors include his wife, two sons, two daughters, a brother and sister, and five grandchildren.
Edwina Olsen Duncan ’38
Edwina Olsen Duncan ’38, May 29, 1997, in La Habra, California. After graduation from Reed, she attended the University of Washington Graduate School of Social Work and pursued a career in social work for about 10 years. She married Robert Duncan ’38 in 1941. For most of her life, she was a homemaker. In later years, she was active with the Fullerton, California YWCA, took adult education classes, and traveled in the U.S. and abroad. Her known survivors include a son; a daughter; a sister, D. Valentine Olsen Erickson ’43; a brother, Theodore Olsen ’39; and a grandchild. Her husband died in 1979.
James L. Orem ’60
James Orem ’60, August 13, 1997, in San Francisco, California.
Thomas N. Olmstead ’59
Thomas Olmstead ’59, October 3, 1999, in Duluth, Minnesota. He earned a master’s in English from the University of Kansas in 1961 and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in 1970. He taught English at the University of Wisconsin’s Baraboo extension campus for three years, and then accepted a job as associate in curriculum at New England College, Henniker, New Hampshire. He later worked as a printer in Wisconsin, and he was also a writer. He was married and had three children and several grandchildren.
Mary Louise Ormsbee Wilson ’42
Mary Louise Ormsbee Wilson ’42, July 4, 2001, respectively, in Blue River, Oregon, of age-related causes. Mary studied at Simmons College and worked as a legal secretary for a group of patent attorneys at MIT’s radiation lab. Mary and William Wilson ’43 were married in 1942 in Montana, and in 1943 they moved to Santa Monica, California, where he took a job with Douglas Aircraft Company as a stress analyst on military aircraft and also taught classes at UCLA. Mary worked at an aircraft products firm and later worked at UCLA in the undergraduate dean’s office. After World War II, they moved to Portland and then to Spokane, Washington, where he worked in engineering firms and became a partner in a Spokane architectural firm. He began his own practice in Spokane in 1953. During this time, Mary was a homemaker, raising their four children, and also attended classes at Eastern Washington University, Cheney. In 1956 they moved to Eugene, Oregon, where William enrolled in the University of Oregon School of Architecture and continued to build his architectural and engineering practice. He retired in 1991 and they moved to Blue River in 1996. In the 1970s Mary developed a hat-making business, designing and producing ski hats for a major Northwest ski manufacturing company. The couple enjoyed downhill skiing, white water rafting, volunteering in a literacy program, and music. Survivors include three sons, a daughter, and five grandchildren.
Abe Oyamada ’41
Abe Oyamada ’41, May 1, 2002, in Glendora, California. Abe entered Reed in 1937, but World War II relocation and internment delayed his bachelor’s degree in biology. In 1947 he received an MD from the University of Oregon (Oregon Health & Science University) and worked as a pathologist for over 40 years. His practice included an associate professorship at the University of Oregon medical school in 1956, and laboratory work in Oregon, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and California. Survivors include his brother.
Joseph James O'Connell ’44
Joseph James O’Connell ’44, September 12, 2000, in Rockville, Maryland. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Joseph worked as a tunnel patrolman as a teenager. He enlisted in the Army in World War II and served as a military police officer in Okinawa. He attended Reed and graduated from Queens College. He received a master’s degree in American history from Columbia University, where he also worked toward a doctorate in history. For 25 years Joseph worked for the Civil Service Commission, then the army department in France, transferring to the National Institute of Health in 1966. He was a classification specialist with what is now the Department of Health and Human Services until his retirement in 1976. He and his wife, Peggy, had a daughter and two sons, and later divorced. He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Elizabeth; three children; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister.
Marie Parenti O'Day ’38
Marie Estelle Parenti O’Day ’38, June 23, 1994, in Sun City, Arizona. She received her bachelor’s degree in history and married Marcus D. O’Day, a Reed physics professor in 1926–45, who died in 1961. The couple had two daughters.
Frances Olsson Overstreet ’49
Frances Olsson Overstreet ’49, September 4, 2003, in Alexandria, Virginia, from pancreatic cancer. Frances attended Reed, then moved with her family to New York, New Delhi, Moscow, California, and Pennsylvania, before settling in the Washington, D.C., area in 1963. For nearly 20 years, she worked as an administrator at the Labor Department, in a senate office, and at the Conservation Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization. Following that time, she worked in sales and office administration in Florida and Texas. In 2000 she moved back to Virginia, and although she suffered from macular degeneration, Frances was active in Fairfax County programs for the blind, among other organizations. She is survived by her son and daughter, Leslie K. Overstreet ’71. Her husband, Gene D. Overstreet ’49, died in 1965.
Rowena Imogene Owen Newton ’50
Rowena Imogene Owen Newton ’50, June 21, 2003. Rowena attended Reed for two years, then studied voice at the Conservatory of Lausanne in Switzerland in 1949–50. From Lewis & Clark College, she earned a BA in music in 1953 and an MAT in music education in 1974. She married Frederic J. Newton in 1953 and they had two sons and a daughter. In addition to being a homemaker, Rowena worked as the executive secretary for the Japanese Garden Society, and was active in Mu Phi Epsilon Portland alumni chapter, and the Portland Beautification Association. Moshe Lenske ’50 remembers Rowena as a "big voice" in Reed’s Gilbert & Sullivan productions. She is survived by her husband, children, and two grandchildren.
Theodore Olsen ’39
Theodore A. Olsen ’39, July 2, 2002, in New York. Ted earned a BA from Reed in economics. He married Betty J. England in 1949; they had a son and daughter, and later divorced. In 1962 he married Jane Peet ’42, who predeceased him. His career included work as a regional sales manager for Bole-Midway, a division of the American Home Products Corporation in California, and Top Value Enterprises in New York.
Francis Oliver Whipple ’48
Francis Oliver Whipple ’48, March 16, 2008, in Richmond, British Columbia. Francis attended Reed for a year-and-a-half before military enlistment in World War II. He returned to the college and completed a BA in chemistry. From Oregon State University, he earned an MS in chemistry and a PhD in physical chemistry. He then took a position in the central research office of Crown Zellerbach in Camas, Washington, where he was project leader in charge of wood products and agricultural papers research. In 1959, he accepted a transfer to Vancouver, B.C., where he was manager of new product development for the Canadian Western Lumber Company, a subsidiary of Crown Zellerbach. In an oral history interview with E. Gail Miedema ’95, in 2003, Francis noted that he “fell in love” with the humanities program at Reed. “I would have to say it was one of the highlights of my experience at Reed . . . I found that it influenced me a great deal in my later life. My attitude later became one—when I was a teaching assistant, when I was in graduate school—to encourage students to get a liberal education foremost, and a scientific education secondary. And I still believe that and I would certainly encourage any young person to do that.” Survivors include his wife, Edita.
Albert Yoshio Ouchi MA ’49
Albert Yoshio Ouchi MA ’49, May 2, 2013, in Portland. Al was enrolled at the University of Washington in 1942 when the federal government ordered him to report to the Minidoka internment camp in Idaho. During World War II, he enlisted with the 442nd Army Regimental Combat Team and went to Italy, Germany, and France, earning a Purple Heart and, he remarked, a hearing disorder. In 1946, he married Yoshie Terayama, whom he had met in Minidoka. Al completed his bachelor’s degree at Whitman College and taught high school social studies in Portland; he was greatly revered by his students. He also was the economic education coordinator for the school district and helped develop programs and textbooks for elementary students. Al was a resourceful individual, who supported his family and provided for his children’s education by taking on many additional positions, such as driving Gray Line buses on weekends. (Highlights of his work with Gray Line included teaching his passengers about the geology of the Columbia Gorge and transporting the Beatles.) Al worked for the U.S. interior department in Washington, D.C., and the Bureau of Land Management, specializing in training, evaluation, and compliance. He developed education programs for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was superintendent at the Chemawa Indian School in Salem. In addition to completing an MA at Reed, he also did graduate work at Purdue. Al and Yoshi settled in Portland in retirement and enjoyed golfing, fishing, and traveling. Yoshie died in 2007. “Al led a long and full life with many twists and turns, but always with his own sense of direction and his own brand of humor.” Survivors include a daughter and son, two grandchildren, and a great-grandson.
Marian J. Wing O'Neill ’42
Marian J. Wing O’Neill ’42, November 26, 2012, in Auburn, California. Marian traveled widely as a child in England, Canada, and the western United States. She studied at Reed for three years before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a BA in psychology with a minor in art. She later took coursework at San Jose State, Sierra Junior College, and at other UC campuses, and was an occupational therapist at Newcastle School for Exceptional Children and a teacher. She also was an artist, whose watercolors and prints appeared in many exhibitions, and she was an active participant in the Sierra Foothills Unitarian Fellowship and the UC and Reed alumni associations. Marian and William Belcher ’42 married and had a son and four daughters. Survivors include her husband of 42 years, Robert J. O’Neill, and her children and five grandchildren. We thank Marian’s daughter Nina Belcher for providing the details for this memorial.
Michael J. Owren ’77
Michael J. Owren ’77, January 15, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia. A teacher and scientist who analyzed the biological foundations of animal and human communication, Michael was born in Oslo, Norway, and raised in Alaska; New Hampshire; and Bergen, Norway. He attended Reed, along with his sister, Turid L. Owren ’74, and earned a BA from Reed in psychology, working with adviser Prof. Allen Neuringer [psych 1970–2008] to complete the thesis “Dejection, Disgust, and Despair: A Layman’s Guide to Two Theories of Blocking and Overshadowing.” Michael went on to earn a doctorate from Indiana University in experimental psychology in 1986 and taught psychology and neuroscience for over 25 years, first while doing postdoctoral work at the University of California, Davis, and later at the University of Colorado at Denver, the University of Otago (New Zealand), Reed (1995–97), Cornell University, and Georgia State University. At the time of his death, he was an adjunct professor at Emory University. Michael loved teaching and served as a mentor to many undergraduate and graduate students. His research analyzed vocal phenomena in both animals and humans. He pioneered digital spectral analysis techniques, first developed in speech science for use in studies of animal communication. His work challenged a predominant view by showing that animal vocalizations “work” by influencing attentional, arousal, emotional, and motivational states in the listener, rather than by imparting representational messages. Michael’s empirical studies are widely recognized for their rigor and attention to detail. Longtime colleague Drew Rendall, chair of the University of Lethbridge psychology department, characterized Michael’s work as exceptional in its clarity of thought, expression, and vision. “His research techniques were widely embraced and became a standard part of the analytic toolkit of animal bioacousticians. Michael deployed his technical and methodological rigor investigating phenomena of very broad importance to theories of the origins and evolution of signaling systems in animals and humans, and he thus made enduring theoretical contributions to the discipline.” In addition to its academic recognition, Michael’s work generated interest in the popular media, including a Chicago Tribune article in 2003, which described his feline communication research as the “how of the meow.” Throughout his life, Michael enjoyed running and singing, and performed professionally with an a cappella group, Cool Shooz, in Denver. Friends and family enjoyed his dry wit and extensive knowledge on a great many topics—from beer to basketball to politics and world geography. Survivors include Turid, brothers Henry and Thomas, and 13 nieces and nephews. A memorial service for Michael was held in the Psychology building at Reed in March. Michael’s family, who provided this memorial, suggests remembrances to Reed College.
Michael Gordon Owen ’62
Michael Gordon Owen ’62, January 29, 2014. Shortly after completing a BA in anthropology from Reed and graduating Phi Beta Kappa, Gordon (or Mike, as he was known) and five Reed friends were involved in an automobile accident, which caused permanent damage to Gordon’s spine. Classmates, including organizers Dave Ragozin, Paul Siegel, and Don Treiman, established the Gordon Owen Fund to assist with his overwhelming medical expenses. The fund grew with contributions from classmates, faculty, and staff, revenue from the sale of coffee and fruit, and proceeds from a bazaar, a hootenanny, a rummage sale, and a dance. Gordon later converted the funds into the Michael Gordon Owen Book Fund, which today is supports the purchase of anthropology periodicals for the Hauser Library. Gordon earned a PhD in anthropology from Yale, and did fieldwork in Mexico in Quintana Roo and in Yucatan, where he married Constance Fries, a graduate student at the University of Chicago. In 1966, he was named Honorary Sterling Fellow at Yale. He taught at the University of Washington until 1978, when he resolved the politics of academia by leaving the university and becoming a partner with Connie in a successful Copy Mart quick print business in Seattle. He retired from the business in 1994 and planned to devote time to the study of the history of Indo-European languages. Gordon served as director of the Washington Wheelchair Athletic Association. The couple lived in a home overlooking Puget Sound and also had a home at Cannon Beach. Gordon’s brother, William S. Owen ’68, died in 1965.
Karen June Baumann Osterlund ’57
Karen June Baumann Osterlund ’57, August 4, 2014, while on a cruise to Alaska, with her daughters beside her. Karen was the eldest of five children born to Franz Baumann ’35 and his wife, Barbara. She spent two years at Reed and married Erik Osterlund; they raised four sons and two daughters in San Bruno, California. She also was married to Bob Marshall, who predeceased her. Karen was a certified travel consultant and a 25-year volunteer for La Leche League. “Although I’m not doing anything of noted significance, nor have I accumulated fancy letters to put after my name,” she wrote, “I’m so thankful for my years at Reed College and the many friends that shared my life at that time.” In retirement, she lived in Reno, Nevada, and enjoyed travels abroad and in the U.S., along with visits to her extended family. Karen’s final residence was in Millbrae, California, where she was close to her family. Survivors include her children, 21 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Stanley Oleson ’54
Stanley Oleson ’54, August 29, 2014, in Denver, Colorado, from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. Raised on farmlands in Alberta, Canada, Stan received his education in a one-room schoolhouse and earned his keep doing chores—everything from milking cows to chopping wood. He moved with his family to Oregon when he was 15 and excelled at Colton High School, graduating as valedictorian. Following this, he worked on a dairy farm, attended night school, and delivered telegrams by bicycle for Western Union. He trained as a marine electrician and worked in the Portland shipyards until he enlisted, and received U.S. citizenship, to serve in the army air forces during World War II. He spent three years as a cryptographic technician in the Pacific Theatre. Stan then attended Reed and MIT in the 3-2 program in physics, receiving a BA from Reed and a BS from MIT. During summers, he worked as a forest ranger on Mount Hood, and he spent a year working as a rural mail carrier before completing his final undergraduate year. He also earned an MS at MIT. Stan met Mary Riddle while he was at MIT working as a research engineer; they were married for 58 years. The couple moved west in 1957, when Stan went to work for Boeing in Seattle and then at the Stanford Research Institute. He went on to make a 20-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. and Colorado. In retirement, he did freelance writing. He is remembered for undertaking challenges and endeavors on behalf of others, for his keen interest in scientific developments, and for his positive attitude and wry sense of humor. Survivors include his wife; three children, Keith, Nan, and Karen; and four grandchildren.
Bruce Garr Oldfield ’45
Bruce grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, and earned a BA from Reed in physics. His thesis, advised by Prof. A.A. Knowlton [physics 1915–48], was on ice crystal formation. Following graduation, he worked at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station in China Lake, California, and was sent on by the navy to Harvard for a graduate program in computing. He completed an MS in 1948 and continued to work for the navy and then IBM. Working in the company’s federal systems division, he participated in the early space program. He led a computing system project for NHK Broadcasting in Japan, and ended his career with IBM as director of the systems engineering division for IBM Europe. Bruce and Martha Kenyon married in 1958 and had five children, three sons and two daughters. They settled in Washington in 1989. Bruce purchased a cherry orchard, which he managed with one of his sons. He played golf, and Bruce and Martha achieved life master status in bridge. “Bruce will be remembered for his larger-than-life personality and his determination to live life to the fullest.” Survivors include his wife and children and five grandchildren.
Joann Osterud ’68
She flew high. She flew low. She did loops, spirals, hammerhead turns, tailslides, and tumbles. A magnificent woman in a flying machine, Joann Osterud broke world records as a stunt pilot, shattered gender boundries as an aviator, and survived a harrowing crash during a notorious stunt known as the Ring of Fire.
Joanne was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where her father taught biology at the University of Minnesota. When she was three years old, the family, which included an older brother and younger sister, moved to Seattle, where Kenneth Osterud taught at the University of Washington.
Alvin F. Oien ’57
As a young boy Al served as junior prime minister in the Portland Rose Festival. He graduated from Benson High School and began at Reed in 1953. He left to get pilot training and served as a USAF pilot at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, flying down-range missions during the early years of the space program. Al also served as a military pilot in the 304th Aerospace Rescue Squadron, USAF Reserves, Portland, flying search and rescue missions in SA-16 amphibians.
In 1960, he married Sally Dinsmore and attended Portland State College. Al began his career as a commercial pilot in 1962, flying for Delta Air Lines in Dallas, Texas, retiring as captain in 1985. Following the death of Sally, Al married Carol Thomas, his “Sweetbaby,” in 1975. For many years he served as alderman for the town of Westlake, Texas, and was “noted for his candor” by the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Al was privileged to have flown many types of aircraft in his lifetime, including helicopters, amphibians, single- and multiengine props, and jets. He flew the last commissioned B-17 during his Air Force service and, as a civilian, the last operating Boeing 307, now in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. In recent years, Al collaborated with author/pilot Ross Nixon on the book Finding Carla, a recollection of the tragic loss of his father, Al Senior, in a private plane crash in 1967. His wife, Carol, survives him, as do his brothers, Ronald and Charles.
Barbara Jean Heigel Orr ’58
February 18, 2018, in McMinnville, Oregon.
Barbara was born in Longview, Washington, and grew up in Portland, where she attended Reed. She worked as a bookkeeper and for more than 20 years bred, raised, and trained Labrador retrievers. Raising her children in California, she later relocated first to Carlton, Oregon, and then to Yamhill, Oregon. She is survived by her three children.
Miriam Orzech ’52
August 31, 2018, in Corvallis, Oregon.
Born in New York, Mimi graduated from high school in Portland, attended Reed and Lewis & Clark College, and then graduated from UC Berkeley. At Berkeley, she met her husband and partner in life, Ze’ev, and they married in 1952. The couple moved to Corvallis, Oregon, where in the mid-’60s Mimi was asked to teach in the history, department at Oregon State University. This prompted her to get a master’s in history, followed by a PhD in education from OSU in 1974. She accomplished this while working full time in the Educational Opportunities Program, first as an academic advisor and then as its director. Mimi later served as assistant vice-provost for academic affairs at OSU, overseeing all diversity-related programs, including the Educational Opportunities Program. In addition, she spearheaded the creation of OSU’s Holocaust Memorial Program.
Ray Ownbey ’66
June 22, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ray and his twin sister were born in Portland. After graduating from Gresham High School in 1954, he volunteered for military service in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and became a staff photographer, stationed in Hawaii. Following his service, Ray completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of Oregon, got his master’s degree in teaching from Reed, and then earned a PhD in English from the University of Utah. Ray taught literature, writing, and communications in high school, then at the University of Utah, the University of Hawaii, the University of Maine at Fort Kent, and Westminster College in Salt Lake City, where he also served as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences for 10 years. He retired in 2001, and he and his wife, ShruDeLi, continued to travel. He led student and alumni study tours to Europe and taught the writing component of an Italian photography tour. Ray made pottery; pursued his interests in music, reading, writing, photography, architectural design, and family history; and volunteered with Salt Lake County’s Department of Aging Services.
Marie O’Shea ’81
November 10, 2018, in Greenport, New York, from bile duct cancer.
Marie’s great respect for the world around her and those inhabiting it was evident in all aspects of her life. Her professionalism and dedication at the Environmental Protection Agency have been acknowledged by naming an agency-wide award for excellence in research in her honor.
Marilyn Morgan Olmstead ’65
September 30, 2020, in Davis, California, from an accident while riding her bike.
A renowned international leader in the crystallographic study of fullerenes or buckyballs—spherical, crystalline allotropes of carbon— Marilyn devoted her life to deciphering nature’s rules for the assembly of molecules and atoms.
John Oliver ’68
December 31, 2020, in San Francisco, California.
A sensitive kid with a love of learning, John spent his formative years in Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and, after a stint in the U.S. Navy, served in the Peace Corps for two years as an English instructor in Mwanza, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in East Africa. Upon his return to the United States, John got his master’s degree from Reed College.
He joined the faculty at City College of San Francisco, Alemany Campus, as an ESL instructor. At Alemany he met the love of his life, Faina Shukhat, who had been a student, and they married in 1998. John is survived by her; his brother, Jim; his sister, Fran; and his stepdaughter, Lucy.
Ruther Oser Newman ’55
April 25, 2021, in Sunnyvale, California.
Ruthie was born in Berkeley, California. The family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then, in 1935, to the Soviet Union. Two years later, they fled the threat of Stalin’s Great Purge, taking refuge with Ruthie’s grandparents in Tel Aviv. In 1938, they returned to Berkeley, where Ruthie met Dirk Newman at Garfield Junior High. They began dating in high school and married in 1954, following his graduation from UC Berkeley. The following year, Ruthie completed her BA degree at Reed, having written her thesis, “An Analysis of Louis MacNeice’s Ten Burnt Offerings,” advised by Prof. Kenneth Hanson [English 1954–86]. She credited Reed for providing an intellectual foundation that set the course for her work as a teacher, and for establishing her enthusiasm for art, music, philosophy, poetry, and literature.
Kaori Hopkins O’Connor ’68
October 4, 2022, at St. John’s Hospice, London, following a brief illness.
Contributed By John Cushing ’67
A social anthropologist whose writings fused history with archeology, Kaori studied material culture, including the commodities of empire, fashion, and the anthropology of food.
Midori Oller ’42
October 15, 2019, in Tuckahoe, New York.
The daughter of Sueyoshi and Taka Imai, Midori grew up in Portland and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Reed. She married George Oller and, during the ’50s, was employed as a chemist by Merck and Company. She resided in Franklin Park, New Jersey, for many years and was a longtime congregant at St. Augustine of Canterbury Church.