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Identifier
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EvergreenReviewV09N3May1988
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Title
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The Evergreen State College Volume 9, Issue 3 (May 1988)
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Date
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May 1988
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extracted text
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Sally Cloninger is embarking on the
biggest challenge of her life—joining a
project to change the way broadcasters
present images of women throughout
Asia—working in a country where
critical media are silenced, sometimes
behind bars.
"Development of a nation and
women's issues go hand in hand. You
can't have one without the other," says
Cloninger, an Evergreen faculty
member who teaches film production
and visual anthropology—the study and
recording of cultures through the
camera's eye.
She's a lone American on a team of
women from the Philippines, Malaysia,
New Delhi, India and Franca They'll
work through May in Malaysia to edit
hundreds of hours of broadcast footage
into five video short-courses designed
to persuade television executives and
educators to change their thinking.
"There is a glorification of violence in
much of Asian media. In one Hindu
commercial a woman is sexually
harrassed through the streets by a
group of men, and it's portrayed in a
glamorous, romantic way. It's saying
women don't have the same rights as
men, they don't deserve the same level
of respect," says Cloninger.
It's one example from a slate of
issues including murder and oppression
examined in "Into Focus: Changing
Media Images of Women in Asia." Each
video-course in the kit will use actual
broadcast footage from across Asia to
illustrate negative images of women
under one of five themes: violence,
family, work, health and the way
women are portrayed in general.
"In some ways, Asian media use
stereotypes more so than others, and
there are issues they won't touch. The
kit is saying there are things we need
to talk about," says Cloninger. Sometimes exploitation and violence against
women is shown in news broadcasts
and documentaries, but these issues,
according to Cloninger, are seldom
presented critically, and that practice
reinforces stereotypes.
Each short-course will show positive
examples and feature interactive
segments. They'll encourage coverage
of issues like dowry murder and birth
control which are traditionally ignored.
Hours of work before editing
machines, reaching consensus about
aesthetics and ideology; these are just
the beginnings of a complex web of
concerns for Cloninger. There's a
myriad of interpersonal, intercultural
and political challenges she'll face
working with a cross-cultural group on
a controversial project.
Development
of a nation and women's
issues go hand in hand.
You can't have one
without the other.
"Aesthetic decisions—I make most of
those. The ideological decisions I
always concede to my Asian colleagues.
There are issues in Asian culture I
can't ever completely understand or
relate to," she says.
These are just the internal concerns.
The "Into Focus" crew is working in
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia,
a country facing tumultuous times.
Malays rule under Islamic codes,
though 45 percent of the population is
composed of Chinese and Indians.
"There's a lot of racial tension but
the government wants everything to
appear harmonious. One way to see
•
Altering Views:
Images of Women in Asia
By Mike Wark, Information Specialist
Images from "Keeping a Balance" by
Faculty Members Sally Clonlnger and
Marilyn Frasca. Cloninger Is pictured
on far right. Collage by TESC
Photographer Steve Davis.
that this impression gets across is to
shut down overly critical media. The
situation is tightening up," says
Cloninger.
Over the past year, several foreign
media have been thrown out of Malaysia. Two of three English language
papers are gone, and a TV station that
aired criticism and analysis was recently censored—some of its executives
were jailed. However, a safety factor
for Cloninger and her colleagues is
that their project is regional in scope,
focusing on Asian broadcasts rather
than Malaysian.
Cloninger has been fascinated with
Asian culture since she lived with a
family in the Philippine village of
Binan while in high school. She's put
her skills and knowledge to work on
Asian issues since 1981. "I've always
been interested in these issues and it
was just luck I happened to be in the
right place at the right time," she says.
"Luck" began in 1981 by winning a
Senior Fullbright Scholarship to spend
a year in the rare role of consultant on
two projects in Malaysia: designing a
curriculum for the National Arts Society to preserve national heritage, and
working with the Ministry of Culture
to start a National Film Board.
"There were a lot of things I couldn't
do because I was an official guest,
working with the Ministry of Culture,"
she says. "I was trying to get as far inside the culture as I could."
While there, she paid a courtesy visit
to the Asia-Pacific Institute for the
Development of Broadcasting (AIBD).
AIBD is dedicated to improving broadcasting with training designed for
virtually all levels of media professionals. They asked her to help teach
their first workshop for Asian women
television producers on technical skills.
She was re-invited for a similar workshop on women and development in
Bangladesh in 1986, and was later put
to work on "Into Focus," another
AIBD project.
"It's crucial that women have the
ability to make their own images, to be
critical and explore important issues,"
she says. "Women have expertise and
access to issues like health, sexuality,
religion, violence and relationships,
offering perspectives that men in that
culture cannot provide."
That's partially because it's very
embarrassing for women in Asian
cultures to discuss certain topics
around men. If women have the ability
to photograph other women, they can
get open, honest interviews and cover
critical issues in depth. Important to
Cloninger's job in Bangladesh was
familiarizing students with equipment.
"The women were very excited to
touch the equipment for the first time.
They were producers and had directed
programs, but had never made a videoWhile in Asia, Cloninger has made
tape themselves," says Cloninger.
several influential friends, including
The women, says Cloninger, normally
fellow workshop collaborators
censored themselves, limiting their
Evangeline Valbuena, head of the
focus to traditional norms. Finally, they
Philippines' broadcast research staff
broke through those limits, and gained
and Jai Chandiram, director of Indian
confidence to take on controversial
broadcasting in New Delhi.
issues. "And they left with the techPhilippine documentaries are a
nical ability to film it themselves if
possible project for Cloninger and
they have to," says Cloninger.
Valbuena. "One thing the Philippine
Cloninger and two other instructors
people don't understand is democracy.
moved the group from their first
They haven't practiced it in 20 years.
awkward use of broadcast equipment
The media would be one way to deal
to working as editors, reporters, prowith that," she says.
ducers and camera operators on a team
"I'm hopeful I can get permission to
that produced a 17-minute documendo a documentary on Aquino; a pastary called "Nobody Cares For A
sionate, intimate look at the female
Garments Girl." The film takes an inpresident of a country in Southeast
depth look at the Bangladesh garment
Asia," says Cloninger.
industry that thrives by exploiting a
It's all part of her efforts to bring the
workforce of 80,000 women.
voices of women to the forefront. "Why
The graduates of the workshop took
can't women," she asks, "produce altertheir skills home to countries including
native visions, the truth about women
India, Iran, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
in the world?" Her students in Asia
Malaysia and Nepal, where this year
and at Evergreen have learned they
the first television signals originated
can.
from within the country's borders.
"We're addressing inequality
Their experience is captured in a
between sexes, which is partly cultural
15-minute documentary called "Keepand partly not. There's still a lot of
ing a Balance," produced by Cloninger
violence against women in Asia and
and Faculty Member Marilyn Frasca
we're trying to keep the media from
with a partial grant from the Asia
reinforcing that behavior. In every way,
Foundation in San Francisco. It shows
our work really is about changing the
Cloninger's personal view of the workway people think about themselves,"
shop from the initial teaching stages to
the long hours spent interviewing,
editing and meeting deadlines to make
a quality documentary despite continA premiere of "Keeping a Balance"
ually failing equipment. "Keeping a
and "Nobody Cares for a Garments
Balance" is followed by "Nobody Cares Girl" will be shown in Lecture Hall 3
for a Garments Girl" so viewers can
at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 7. Clonsee the development of the documeninger and Frasca will be there. Call
tary and the film itself.
(206) 866-6000, ext. 6043 for details.
In every
way, our work realty is
about changing the way
people think about
themselves.
Food for Thought,
Organic Farm Produces Bumper Crop
By Dennis Held '88
Information Specialist
In a rough-sided farmhouse just a tenminute hike from Red Square, 15
students and a faculty member take
turns reading aloud from The Populist
Moment by Lawrence Goodwyn. Some
are better readers than others, but
everyone takes a turn and raises a
point about the text.
Faculty Member Pat Labine interrupts. "Shay's Rebellion was a bunch of
farmers raising hell, and they were put
down by the government with brutal
force. Why don't we hear more about
these kinds of popular uprisings?"
The discussion heats up, moves
quickly to media portrayals of popular
struggles, to the roles of women in
revolution, to antiwar activism in the
60s. Labine pulls it back to Goodwyn.
"He's arguing against some major
political economists here—Marx, for example." A student disagrees, and the
discussion tightens, focusing on Marx
and the realities of organizing popular
support for social change.
The next morning, Sue Moser, the
manager of Evergreen's Organic Farm,
is giving instructions to two students
from the same program. "After she's
done rototilling that patch, spread
some lime and chicken manure on it,
and water it down good."
Three other students, two men and a
woman, are digging out a huge tree
stump, breaking a sweat in the cool air,
stretching muscles gone soft from too
many hours of pushing a pen and flipping pages. But they smile between
grimances—the hard work feels good,
and the farm is alive with the sounds
of people working together.
Fruit trees bend in the breeze,
recently-grafted shoots wrapped tight
and sealed in wax. A flock of chickens
hunts for bugs and peck the sallow remains of last fall's squash.
The student with the thorough
understanding of Marx is learning the
fine points about mulch, and the worst
reader in the group turns out to be a
great stump digger.
Mulch and Marx? Compost and composition? Just what's being taught?
Ecological agriculture. Advocates
say it's a way to feed the world's
hungry, heal America's crippled farm
industry and help rid our environment
Cover photo: Susan Sniado and John Motley bring Grant Wood up to date. Sniado
(below) finds she can break a sweat and still crack a smile.
of toxic substances. Its growing influence is being felt throughout the
world economy, and tomorrow's leaders
of sustainable agriculture are learning
its methods at Evergreen.
Interest in food that's free from contaminants is not new. But advances in
the technology of small-scale organic
farming, and growing awareness of the
dangers of pesticides have spurred a
phenomenal growth in the industry.
The evidence of the rising impact of
organic farming is dramatic:
• The Farmers Wholesale Cooperative, located in Olympia and marketing primarily to the Northwest, increased its business tenfold in four
years to $1.7 million in 1987. Like
many suppliers of organic produce
nationwide, they can't keep up with the
rising demand. (See related story on
Rick Kramer '75, page 4)
• $3.9 million for new, low-input
agricultural research was signed into
law by President Reagan last year.
• Many states, including agricultural
giants like Texas and California, are
aggressively promoting diversified,
low-input farming. Wisconsin committed $2 million to on-farm sustainable projects for 1988.
• 17 major land grant colleges have
sustainable agriculture programs,
many of them formed recently.
Increasingly, many others are looking
to sustainable agriculture for answers
to the problems of world hunger. A
team from the Rodale Press, publishers
of Organic Gardening magazine,
helped develop a research plan in
resource-efficient farming methods for
the government of Tanzania in 1984.
Tomorrow's
leaders of sustainable
agriculture are learning
its methods at Evergreen
Dave Whlted digs deep to break up the
hardpan with a U-bar at the Farm.
"The Peace Corps program in
Senegal is also very interested, and
we'll probably be working with them
soon," says Mike Sands of Rodale International. "CARE is focusing on lowinput systems, and Save the Children
and Lutheran World Relief are also
becoming involved in sustainable agriculture." The Agency for International
Development, a federal program that
administers aid and agricultural expertise to the Third World, is also shifting
its emphasis to low-input farming.
The move toward sustainable farming
methods has been fueled by advocates
who know the methods of farming and
policy making. Labine came to Evergreen from William James College of
the Grand Valley State Colleges in
Michigan, where she bought a small
farm of her own. She heard about
Evergreen's Organic Farm, and has
been coordinator of the Ecological
Agriculture program since coming here
in 1981.
She found Evergreen's style of learning, emphasizing hands-on, interdisciplinary education, the right
medium for teaching sustainable
agriculture. "You can't pull this off at
other schools because of turf battles,"
Labine says. "Along with actual farming methods, we teach chemistry,
economics, statistics and research
design. Here, you can put something
together and not worry about departmental boundaries."
Labine sees two driving forces
behind the grassroots support of
ecological agriculture. "One is the ethic
and desire for food that's not contributing to the poisoning of our land
and bodies. The other is economic.
Especially in the Midwest, it's just not
feasible to farm with such expensive input costs as chemical fertilizers, herbcides and pesticides."
"High-input" farming was encouraged by the Green Revolution.
High-yield grains and large doses of
chemical fertilizers, herbicides and
pesticides helped raise world grain production from 620 million tons in 1950 to
nearly 1.7 billion tons in 1985. But it
also left a legacy of world hunger, a national farm crisis and contaminated
land and water.
The basics of sustainable agriculture
include biological methods of fertilizing
and pest control, and efficient use of
soil and water resources. The goal is to
promote food production that disrupts
environments as little as possible, and
that incorporates self-sustaining
features of natural ecosystems.
Whited and Kelly Ford perform soil
texture tests.
i
jtimmj. ^8*ssa^«»«iaR
'&fim*L.;,
•
The Organic Farmhouse and map of this year's garden.
Labine's program begins with
ecology, and includes a profound
respect for the natural landscape and
the place of humans in it. "To study
ecological agriculture with integrity,
you need to address economic, social
and environmental issues," she says.
"You need to talk about values, tooaesthetic, cultural and spiritual values.
Fortunately, you can do all that at
Evergreen."
"For ecological agriculture to make a
difference," adds Moser, "it's going to
take a change of values for the whole
society, not just a few people who are
aware. The emphasis here is not so
much to teach good farmers as it is to
teach good bureaucrats, good voters."
Labine's program builds on a tradition that goes back to Evergreen's early years. Beginning in 1974, about 50
students applied hands-on work to
their learning, spending five years
building a new farmhouse. The 2450
square-foot building has a large
meeting room, kitchen, and quarters
for two caretakers.
Manager Sue Moser lives there with
her husband, Michael Dempster, and
their son, Robin. She's been the farm
manager for four years, in a half-time
position funded mainly through
academics. She directs the students on
Fridays, the program's practicum day.
"A big advantage for these students is
the chance to get dirty, to get some
real farming experience," Moser says.
"That's so important, especially if
they're going to work in other countries."
Students receive two credits each
quarter for the practicum work.
"Essentially, they run the farm under
Susan's direction," Labine says. "They
repair fences, tend the orchards and
clear the land. And they handle the
market garden."
"We sell about $350 worth of produce
a week on campus, about five months a
year," Moser says. "The rest of the
year we sell to the Corner, the studentrun restaurant in Housing."
Students never miss a chance to
work on the farm, Labine says, even
when other work is piling up. "I've had
perfect attendance on Fridays, and I
asked why, with a chemistry exam
coming up, they'd blow a whole day to
work on the farm. They love the
release. It clears their minds, and it
gets them outside.
"The farm gives them public, tangible evidence of their work. Too often,
that's missing for students. Their work
together just sort of disappears when
the quarter is over. Here, we've got
cleared fields, pruned trees and food to
eat. People feel good about themselves,
and about their work."
Jill Van Hulle, a junior, agrees. "We
just slimed out the duck pond," she
says, proudly pointing to the freshlyturned vegetable beds, the soil a rich
chocolate brown.
Slimed it out?
"Well, the algae grows in the pond
and warms the water, and makes a
good fertilizer. So we water the beds
with it."
That's fun?
"Maybe not exactly fun, but believe it
or not, I like it because it's what I
want to learn. There's so much to take
in, and you learn so much quicker by
doing it than by just hearing or
reading about it."
For Junior John Evans, the farm
reinforces some lessons he learned in
Guatemala when he was in the Peace
Corps from 1985 to 1987. "Guatemalans have few resources, so you have to
make do with what you've got," he
says. "This program shows you how to
make that kind of low-input farming
work." Evans might return to the
Peace Corps and train others in
forestry or possibly teach forestry in
Guatemala. "The universities there
don't have any forestry programs of
their own," he says.
The "low-tech" approach to organic
farming makes it especially suitable to
Third World countries. "They need
high-labor, local resource agriculture,"
says Labine, "and that's exactly what
organic farming offers."
For example, the biodynamic/French
intensive method of growing, similar to
that used on Evergreen's farm, uses
about half the water required by commercial systems, and can produce four
times the amount of food in the same
area. "Organic soils are more drought
resistant in general," Labine says,
"because the soil holds the water level
better than other soils."
Soil composition is so important that
testing soil samples is a major component of the program in Spring Quarter.
"Instead of just reading about experiments, we perform all the major soil
tests in our textbook," Labine says.
The program is also conducting experiments that may sound about as
glamorous as a ride on a manure
spreader, but the results are critical to
the success of Northwest organic
growers. Students are testing the effectiveness of predatory nematodes
(primitive parasitic worms) which are
sprayed on plants to combat cabbage
root maggots. This is the first scientific
test of the nematodes in this region,
and local farmers are anxious for the
results. The cabbage root maggot is a
voracious consumer of cabbage and
other kale plants. One grower lost
$4000 worth of Brussels sprouts to the
pest in a recent season.
Students learned how to design the
research and operate software for the
experiment last fall and winter. Now
they're conducting the research under
rigorous standards," Labine says.
"When they're through, they'll have
the makings of a professional paper."
Sound like a busy spring? Add an entomology lab, and a bit of bug catching.
"They're each preparing a museumquality collection of insects from 15 different families," Labine says.
Her students also wrote a one-page
paper about their seminar book each
week, on topics from genetic engineering to Third World agriculture.
Labine has them work on verbal
skills as well. "They realize that to be
effective you have to be able to get up
and speak, so they're willing to give it
a try," she says. "After a public speaking workshop, they all made presentations to the class, simplifying a
complex research paper into understandable language. Three were
absolutely terrified, but when they got
up to talk, everybody was really
supportive"
You can't
pull this off at other
schools because of turf
battles.
The part of the program that
students learned the most from,
Labine says, were the field trips, including a three-day trip to a sustainable agriculture conference in winter,
and a week-long tour of the Willamette
Valley this spring. "Those field trips do
something to the students," says
Labine. "It's a different kind of learning. It's diffuse—I could take the content of most field trips and boil it down
into a one-hour lecture.
"But they never forget anything they
learn on those trips. A farmer can tell
them something, and they'll quote him
word for word, six months later. Most
college students don't know a great
deal about the ways people get by in
the world. It empowers them to see
there are a lot of ways to make a living,
and to do it with integrity."
Labine takes the class out to the
gardens, and brings gardens into the
classroom through the Garfield
Gardens project. In 1981, a garden was
set up at Garfield Elementary School
in Olympia. A greenhouse has been
added, and Evergreen students have
served internships, developing environmental curriculum for first- and fourthgraders.
"Teaching gardening to kids is a
radical activity," she says. "It goes
against much of what their culture
teaches. They learn respect for nature,
the value of physical work and of seeing the fruits of their own labors."
That kind of "radical teaching" at the
college level is what brought Jill Van
Hulle to Evergreen. "I've always been
interested in studying how life processes work," she says. "Farming and
gardening is a small but important
piece of the universe, and I'm glad to
be a part of it."
Increasingly, people all over the
country are becoming "a part of it."
"There's a move to convert from largescale farms that use chemicals to
smaller, organic farms," Labine says.
"You can take a conventional farm with
residual poisons, and in three years,
convert it to a working organic farm,
almost free from chemical residua"
She smiles. "I've been at this quite a
while, and it's satisfying to see people
find they can make a living and do the
right thing at the same time. Makes me
feel like maybe I was right all along."
Potatoes, Profit and Meaning
TUmwater Alum Grows It All
by Keith Eisner '79
Acting Director of Information
Services and Publications
If your image of an organic farm is a
tiny, backyard operation where high
ideals prosper at the expense of profit
and volume, then take a look at Kirsop
Farms and think again.
Rick Kramer '75 is proving that
growing organic foods is not only
healthy for the individual and the environment, but can be economically
healthy as well. And he's doing it in a
classic Evergreen way—through collaboration and lots of hard work.
Kramer's farm, located outside Turnwater, Washington, is bustling these
days. There's brand-new equipment, including a shiny red tractor, a walk-in
cooler and a new two-person planter,
capable of planting 20,000 seedlings a
day. There are also two new 100-foot
greenhouses, and a work crew is putting the finishing touches on a massive
storage shed where Kramer expects to
process over 90 tons of potatoes this
season (up 30 tons over last year). This
summer will be humming as Kramer
also plans on harvesting 400 cases of
brocolli a week, as well as truckloads of
spinach, peas, beans, and cucumbers.
Where will the food go? Much of it
will appear in grocery stores and food
co-ops in Seattle, Bainbridge Island,
Olympia and other Washington locations, but produce will also be shipped
to California, Alaska, Hawaii and
points beyond.
"It's all possible," says Kramer,
"because of the Farmers Wholesale
Cooperative." He's one of 12 organic
farmers from across the state who
make up the cooperative which Steve
Buxbaum '80 helped organize six
years ago. Headquartered in Olympia,
the co-op is a key player in the crucial
business of connecting food and buyers.
"The big trick," says Kramer, "is
maintaining a consistent supply. A
major reluctance on the part of many
retailers is the notion that organic
farming can't be efficient, that they'll
have to turn to other producers to
meet their customers' demands."
Kramer and other co-op members (including Pat Moore '81 and Gordon
White '77) have demonstrated then*
dependability. Member farms are
located in a variety of climates,
resulting in differing growing seasons
and varying capabilities. "Each farm,"
says Kramer, "has very different
strengths and weaknesses. The neat
thing is working together in a noncompetitive way to keep our warehouse
filled and our producers supplied. It's
teamwork."
Sound like a description of an
Evergreen seminar? It's probably more
than coincidence. Kramer first heard of
Evergreen while teaching a course on
alternative colleges at Denison University in Ohio in the early 70s. Impressed
with Evergreen's coordinated and independent study programs, and its
public status, he decided to check it out
first-hand in 1973. "I loved it," he says.
"Evergreen was the finest education I
ever had."
Curiously, Kramer didn't work on the
Organic Farm or study ecology or
agriculture, but focused on psychology.
He enrolled in the "Freud and Jung"
program and then interned at the Community Mental Health Center in Olympia. He earned a master's degree in
organizational psychology from the
Leadership Institute in Spokane. While
he still works part-time as an organizational consultant, Kramer quit full-time
consulting in 1981 to "get off the road
and onto the farm."
But his training in organizational
psychology is by no means an unused
tool in his primary occupation.
Although there are more than a dozen
projects demanding his attention,
Kramer takes the time to answer questions in a thoughtful, gentle manner.
"As a consultant, I don't have a
formal responsibility in an organization. Now I see what it's like. As the
farm grows, I have to spend more time
managing, being on the phone and running from place to place, keeping
everything together.
"It's been a growing experience for
me. Take relating to the weather, for
example. You've got a crew of five coming to finish an important project, but
the weather conditions are just impossible. How hard are you going to
push reality? How flexible can you be?
It's a constant battle between wanting
to control situations and learning to
manage effectively."
Rick and his wife, Ada, have managed effectively indeed. When the two
moved onto the farm six years ago,
they came on a shoestring budget with
no subsidies or land ownership. They
raised spinach, peas and beans on one
acre their first year, then graduated to
five acres of crops in 1986. This season,
they'll farm 50 acres. They've also
added Kelsey, age six, and Galen, two,
to their family.
What's next? "I want the farm to get
to a point where there's enough of an
infrastructure so I won't kill myself
maintaining it," he says. "I really want
to make it sustainable, to show it can
be done!"
It's a
constant battle between
wanting to control
situations and learning
to manage
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effe&welfiM^s
•
.
Rick Kramer 75 and 100,000 proteges.
Kramer doesn't have to leave the
farm to do the "showing." Over 50 extension agents from counties across the
country visited Kirsop Farms throughout last year. "They're really looking to
find ways to transition from a highinput, commercial farm to an organic
operation. The funny thing is, is that
we're not doing anything new. Everyone before World War II was an
organic farmer." What's "new," says
Kramer, is combining the best of both
worlds—organic farming and technology—to make the process a viable one.
There's something else at work here,
too. It's an invisible harvest that's
every bit as important as the mountains of chemically-free potatoes,
brocolli and beans that Kirsop Farms
will send out to the world.
"I see the farm," says Kramer, "as a
place where people can learn to grow,
to find meaning in producing
something that's important."
TESC Alumni Board
Looks at the Future
by Val Thorson '75
President
Two words: Alumni Association...
what comes to mind? Images of formally clad diners waxing nostalgic about
their youth, or mobs of rowdy football
fans? Does the very idea that there's an
alumni association for Evergreen
bother you?
When Evergreen's alumni board
members came together one Saturday
in March to articulate visions and
begin planning the future, we realized
these images and feelings create one of
our greatest challenges: how do we
develop an alumni association that is
responsive to the diverse needs and
priorities of Evergreen's graduates? In
other words, how can we move beyond
those traditions, in terms of what
Evergreen's Alumni Association actually becomes as well as how you, the
alumni, see it?
To answer that question, we know we
will need to respond effectively to
some other challenges we face. For in-
stance, how can we involve more alumni in Association activities? How do we
ensure that we obtain the resources
the Alumni Association needs to survive? How do we create better visibility for the Alumni Association with
alumni and the general public?
Are these questions as intriguing to
you as they are to us? Board members
are bursting with ideas and possible
answers. Among other things, we'd like
our future to include an alumni-funded
scholarship program, a retreat center
(any designers or financiers out
there?), summer seminar weeks for
Evergreen graduates, and to increase
the variety of activities and services
available to alumni. Are any of these
ideas especially interesting to you? Do
you have other ideas or wild dreams
about what your Alumni Association
could be doing? Your responses, in care
of the ReView, are welcoma Watch for
more from us on the subject of the
Alumni Association's future.
Super Saturday is Coming—
By Elena Guilfoil '79
First Vice President
Super Saturday, June 4, is also
Greener Gathering Time. So dust off
your sprouts and spend the day with
old friends and new.
Alumni Breakfast
Festivities start with a tasty breakfast
featuring croissants and fruit salad.
The alumni morning chowdown will be
held in CAB 110 from 9 to 10 a.m. Cost
is two dollars. Join the fun—you might
win a door prize!
Annual Meeting
Immediately following the breakfast,
the Alumni Association will hold its
annual meeting. If you graduated from
Evergreen, you're already a member.
Come find out what your Association
did last year and help shape its direction for next year. New board members
will also be elected.
The meeting will take place in CAB
110 and get underway promptly at 10
a.m. and adjourn by noon. This is your
chance to be counted on alumni issues.
Surprise Food Booth
This year the Association is going to
try something new at its "food" booth.
Grilled geoduck or fish on a stick? You
are forewarned, be ready! The booth is
staffed entirely by alums, so come out
and support your Greener Team.
Couch Potatoes Arise—Alumni and
Friends Lounge
During Super Saturday, high atop the
famous Evans Library, in LIB 4004
next to the beer garden, an informal
lounge will be set up to host Greeners,
faculty and staff.
Annual Alumni Dance to the Ducks
The annual Greener Gathering Dance
finishes off Super Day in style Evergreen alums and their 21-year-old
friends can rock the night away to the
sound of that popular Bellingham band,
The Ducks. I mean how Green can you
get! It all gets going in LIB 4300 at
9 p.m. and ends at 1 a.m. Admission is
five dollars and all proceeds support
the good works of the Alumni Association. One dollar off for alumni with
your "Duck Buck." Watch for it!
Come On Board! Have Some Fun
with the Alumni Association
Pamela Benton Lee's Life
Celebrated and Remembered
Her life touched many with inspiration, strength
and love. Pamela Lee, 28, was a student, an accomplished outdoor athlete and coordinator of
Evergreen's Wilderness Resource Center, where
she taught cross-country skiing, Third-World
travel, rock climbing and mountaineering. An
avalanche brought Lee's life to a tragic end Sunday, March 6, while cross-country skiing with a
friend in the Mount Rainier National Park. More
than 200 people gathered March 10 in the Housing Community Center to share memories and
heartfelt goodbyes during what was both a
solemn and lighthearted memorial celebration.
Photographs showed Lee in the wilderness and
during her extensive travels through Asia and
Central America. People wrote to Lee in an
"empty" book, talked of her sense of humor and
caring, and told stories of adventures they'd
shared with her. A memorial Fund in Pamela
Lee's name has been started to help pay for tranceivers that help trace and save people buried in
snow. The tranceivers will be loaned or rented to
people traveling in high avalanche risk areas. If
you would like to contribute, call The Evergreen
State College Foundation, (206) 866-6000, ext.
6565.
Brian Williamson '83 died of pneumonia last
year. Classmate Mason Bowles '83 wrote the
following eulogy. Williamson's friends and family
have established the Brian Williamson Memorial
Scholorship Endowment Fund at Evergreen.
by R. Christopher Shaw '84
Second Vice President
Pamela Benton Lee
"I love a good safari." And if he couldn't find
one, he created it out of whatever situation he
was presented with. It was part of his duty as he
pushed at the limits, to the consternation of his
companions, expanding the limits of the "acceptable" as he explored both his internal and exter"For me there is only the traveling on paths that
nal connections to the world.
Risk was a central theme to any activity that
have heart, on any paths that may have heart.
There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge Brian engaged in, whether it was skiing unthinkably steep culoirs, or stepping boldly into
is to traverse its full length."
Don Juan, A Yaqui Sorcerer unknown situations. Once, his family was driving
up First Avenue in downtown Seattle, only to find
There was in Brian a bit of the sorcerer; in his in- the traffic slowing to the figure of Brian, a leg in
satiable and ferocious curiosity, in his willingness
the air, arms outstretched, performing perfect
to take risks; physically, socially, spiritually, inarabesques in the middle of the road.
cessantly exploring the edges of his connections
One of his favorite quotes was: "Life is not a
dress rehearsal." He took it to heart, in the
to people, places, himself.
The force of his looking, the constancy of his in- boldness of his excursions into the outrageous
Upon meeting up with some old Evergreen
quisitiveness sometimes overwhelmed people,
demanding from them an attention and confriends in Yosemite, Brian naturally threw himself
nectedness which often exceeded their capabilinto the new world of rock climbing. After four
days of sweating it out on the sheer granite walls,
ities. On occasion, this would cause Brian to
bemusedly dismiss those incapable of performing
Brian was leading 5.9 and 10 climbs; exhausting
to his standards. "Tourist" he once yelled, leaning old limitations, and extending his mental and
out of his old orange Volvo like some estranged
physical horizons as he danced precipitously, defying gravity in high vertical worlds.
foreigner gesticulating from behind his Ray Ban
Provocateur, conniving inquisitor, friend, son,
Americans as he contemptously mocked a slowbrother, lover. Always reveling in the search for
moving car full of befuddled Yuppies.
Brown eyes that loved, interrogated, and plead- an essence, finding humor in situations both comed to go out and play; be "bad." Smiling eyes that monplace and unexpected, as he worked and as
he lay dying. Perhaps that was his peril: that inwrinkled at the edges into the scar he wore so
well across his left cheekbone. The gift of some
satiable appetite for excellence, the search for an
essential style of living in a world that cared only
crash-and-burn skiing accident, it was a prop in
occasionally, when he cared to create unceasingly,
his performance as an impassioned pirate, sexual
dying as he lived, with the heart of a warrior.
provocateur, lampooning exorcist of human pretensions. He wore that scar with dignity, hardknocks humor, and a bit of the devil-may-care.
It's about this time every year that we
search alumni haunts and hollows,
seeking new people to join the Board
of Directors of the Evergreen Alumni
Association. We are now accepting
nominations for the 1988-90 term.
To nominate yourself or someone that
you know is interested, just fill out the
ballot below and mail it to the Alumni
Association Office, CAB 214, TESC,
Olympia, WA 98505. It's important that
we get your name, address and telephone number so we can confirm your
interest prior to the annual meeting. If
you're nominating someone else, please
include their address and phone number so we can tell them that someone
in Greenerland thinks they're special.
What do board members do? As a
member of the board, you'll be part of
a team of volunteers offering differing
perspectives about the Association's
future. You'll join a group that plans
and successfully carries out events and
activities throughout the year. Starting
with our planning cycle in the summer,
we solicit and formulate project proposals that will be considered by the
Board at an exciting Fall Retreat. Once
a calendar of events has been ap-
•Of 1988*1990
ie Evergreen State College Alumni Association
U3 214, The Evergreen State College
Deadline for nominations is
ftl
»:;
proved, you may elect to become
members of project committees or even
plan and carry out an event of your
own design.
The Alumni Association provides an
outlet for alumni ideas and concerns,
and offers social, cultural and educational events for alumni. Board
members also serve as representatives
of the Association on Evergreen's
Board of Trustees, the Evergreen
Foundation Board and participate in
functions such as fundraising, student
recruitment and advisory panels.
Board members are expected to attend quarterly meetings, serve on committees and participate in Association
activities.
What do you receive in return? You
get a chance to relive some of your
favorite Evergreen memories, to work
with other alumni and an opportunity
to meet folks that you thought were
lost in the woods. (And besides, the
board sure does get to eat some great
cinnamon rolls once in a whila)
So now that you're convinced that
the Alumni Association sounds like a
group you'd like to work with, just sign
on the dotted line below.
Class of 1973
Class of 1977
Class of 1980
Class of 1983
Marc Solignac O'Connor, Washington, D.C., has
been on assignment since January as a systems
manager with the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. He supplies file management for the
Data Systems Division of the office of Command,
Control and Communications.
Ken Christman, Longview, WA, is a boat builder
and spends his free time Whitewater rafting in
Washington and Oregon.
John Paul Jones, Olympia, WA. After 14 years
working in government, John left the Washington
State Senate a year ago to start his own consulting/lobbying business.
Kathleen White, Olympia, WA, has been elected
chairman of the board of the Tacoma-Pierce County Visitor and Convention Bureau and is the
director of marketing and public relations for the
Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma. Kathleen is
active in local television as a Thurston County
Community Television board member, and as executive producer and co-host of "Park Place" on
Cable #12 in Tacoma.
Pamela Bowe, Seattle, WA, owns and operates a
manufacturer's representative agency and serves
on Evergreen's Alumni Association Board of
Directors. Pamela reports, "I am happily married
to the ex-chef of the Melting Pot restaurant and I
still pay on my student loans!"
Victoria Randlette, San Francisco, CA, earned
her master's in geography and human environmental studies at San Francisco State.
Previously, Victoria performed children's theater
in Bay Area elementary schools for four years.
Harriet Arnold, Redmond, WA, teaches first
grade in the Riverview School District in Duvall,
Washington.
Len Carr, Seattle, WA, spent last year teaching
in New Zealand. He is back teaching English and
history at Bush School in Seattle. Len also
coaches soccer, directs summer programs and enjoys family and travel.
Linda Bookey, Bellevue, WA, and husband,
David Gerstenberger, are the proud parents of
Robert Samuel Gerstenberger, born December
10, 1987.
Sarah Stranahan, Philadelphia, PA, is working
on her Ph.D. and is the proud mother of
Sebastian Nicholas, born October 18, 1987.
Deborah Mersky, Seattle, WA, received her
M.F.A. from the University of Washington in
1986. She is currently teaching printmaking in
the Dominican Republic on a fellowship.
Marissa Zwick, Chicago, IL, is the marketing
manager for Weber-Stephen Products Co. where
she helps develop strategic marketing plans for
new and existing products. She previously worked
in communications with the Wyatt Co. and
Savlin/Williams Associates, Inc. Marissa also
serves on the executive board of Ad-Net Chicago,
and is an active member of the International
Association of Business Communicators and
Toastmasters.
Richard Holmes, Santa Fe, NM, does soil and
forestry work, still wears a kilt (occasionally), and
would love to hear from Carol Ernst '76.
Jonathon Scheuer, Boston, MA, is working on a
master's degree in library science at Simmons
College Jonathon says he acquired his love of
libraries from Malcolm Stilson.
Betsy Wolf, Cambridge, MA, is a lawyer with
Fanger, Salloway and Greeley in Boston.
Carolyn and Simon Ansell, Short Beach, CT,
have two sons, Julian and Graham. Carolyn
graduated from Yale University with a master's
degree in midwifery and is "working her buns
off!" Simon is the director of Killam's Point Conference Center.
Priscilla Pierce, Seattle, WA, works for a water
quality/waste control engineering consulting firm.
Her family, master's courses at the University of
Washington and her unmitigated passion for dancing fill out the rest of a hectic schedule.
Amy Holonics, Anchorage, AK, is working
toward her teacher's certification at the University of Alaska.
Cindy Drew, Moab, UT, has worked for the past
five years helping to manage Tag-A-Long Tours,
the largest Whitewater and four-wheel drive outfitter in the Southwest. (Students and alums are
welcome to write for tips on getting into the river
business.) Cindy also reports that she got married
in January, is working toward an R.N. degree and
is planning to specialize in "very" rural medicine,
and is planning a passive solar house.
Kathleen Waugh, Shelton, WA, and husband,
David Hastings, announced the birth of their
daughter, Rebecca Hastings, in August, 1987.
Abbo Peterson, Milton, WA and Lisa Holliday, a
current Evergreen junior, were married on
Whidbey Island last September. Abbo has been a
commercial photographer's assistant in Seattle
and is currently stepping up marketing research
for his natural light photography.
I. Julia Kassens, Olympia, WA, is currently a
volunteer with the Olympia AIDS task force She
spent last summer traveling in England, Ireland,
Scotland, Norway and Sweden.
Richard T. Kelley, Sr., passed away on February
13, 1988, after a long illness.
Class of 1974
Richard Bender, Seattle, WA, and wife,
Charlene, are owners of Bender Pettyjohn. They
design, create and install multi-user business
computer systems. Clients include Pacific West
Sport and Racquet, The Bon and Muzak.
Marilyn Odegaard Hazelton, Seattle, WA, is a
registered nurse in cosmetic and reconstructive
surgery.
Kent Christman, Charlestown, MA, is an interior
designer for a construction management firm. He
worked in the Middle East in 1984 for his firm.
He's looking for a chance to take a long vacation
in Alaska. Kent lives with Lyda Kuth '80 who
works in marketing aHd publicity for Yellow Moon
Press, an independent publisher.: She's also a
freelance editor, and points out that she and
Christman didn't know each other in Olympia,
but happened to meet in the Boston area. Lyda
also says, "Hi, Laura!"
Class of 1975
Wesley Norman) Parker, CO, is the director of
FTIR Programs with Lear Siegler Measurement
Controls Corporation in the Denver area. Wesley
has both new product and product line responsibilities and reports that "business and technology
is still a great combination for me"
Gary Mozel, Seattle, WA, is an education
specialist at the Woodland Park Zoo and has had
recent freelance writing assignments for the
Seattle Times and Peninsula Magazine.
Sarah Gunning Moser, Vashon, WA, reports,
"My husband, Lawrence, and I have just relocated
back to our beloved state of Washington following
five years as engineers for McDonnell Douglas
Helicopter Co. in Mesa, Arizona." They have one
child, Grace Elizabeth, born March 10,1987.
Charles Heffernan, Seattle, WA, is listed in the
first edition of Seattle's Best as "most helpful real
estate leasing agent."
Mary Bley, Arlington, VA, graduated from the
Library School at Catholic University of America
in September, 1987, and is a reference librarian
for the Congressional Research Service at the
Library of Congress.
Steven Davy, Oakland, CA, is a graphic artist
with the Bank of America and is working on producing a multi-image show.
Class Of 1976
Ellen Armfield Ladenheim, Ellensburg, WA, is
working toward a Ph.D. in neurophysiology at
Washington State University. Husband Bruce
Ladenheim works in the Psychology Department
atWSU. % \i;|i,::
Jasper Hunt, Belitfjjffiam, WA, has accepted a
faculty position at Western Washington University as Associate Professor of Philosophy of Education. He was most recently Associate Professor of
Experiential Education at Mankato State University in Minnesota.
Janet Stannyton, Louisville, CO, works as a
physician's assistant in Boulder.
Pamela Farr, Olympia, WA, completed her M.Ed,
in Computer Education at Saint Martin's College
and currently teaches third grade at Pleasant
Glade Elementary. She also teaches computer
classes for teachers and coordinates the annual
Science Fair.
Jill Stewart, Los Angeles, CA, is a Los Angeles
Times reporter covering city issues. She recently
wrote a story about L.A. gangs. Jillsays, "It gets
a little rowdy. I went to cover one story on a
shooting and gunfire broke out while f'wasi>::|here."
The Evergreen ReView
Editing: Keith Eisner
Writing: Keith Eisner, Dennis Held, Karen
Huntsberger, Chris Shaw, Val Thorson, Mike
Wark
Graphic Design: Cindy Broadbent, Mary Geraci,
Marianne Kawaguchi
Typesetting: Shirley Greene
Illustrations: Randall Hunting
Photography: Steve Davis, TESC Photo Services
unless otherwise noted.
Other help: Patricia Barte, John Gallagher, Larry
Stenberg, Sue Washburn, Forrest Wilcox
Class of 1978
Sanford Wolgel, Minneapolis, MN, received a
M.S. in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota in June, 1986, and plans to complete a
Ph.D. in the same field this spring. Sanford is interested in hearing from anyone who was in Jeff
Eland's nutrition group' Contract, 1977-78. Address: 30 Arthur Ave. SE #8, Minneapolis, MN
53414.
Man Brockhaus, Seattle, WA, is in her sixth
year of teaching eight-11 year olds at The Little
School in Bellevue.
Laura Van Dilla, Los Alamos, NM, teaches at an
Indian Pueblo school and at the University of
New Mexico.
Laurie Schaetzel-Hill, Chicago, IL, and husband, Burnell Schaetzel-Hill, '76 are the parents
of Logan, 3, and Terra Deneb, born October 1,
1987. Burnell is completing a fellowship in adolescent medicine. :
Nancy Connolly Blum, Seattle, WA, and Joseph
Blum. Nancy recently became a board member
of the Association of Women in Landscaping. Joe
is working on the inaugural issue of Sawmill
Ballroom, a literary-environmental magazine
Class of 1979
Rita Keating, Olympia, WA, general manager of
the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, has been
selected as a fellow to the National Endowment
for the Arts in Washington, D.C. She will work in
the Challenge Grant Program through April.
Previously, Rita was a Suzuki music program
coordinator, a Berkeley Youth Symphony board
member and a management analyst and computer
information specialist for the state Department of
Social and Health Services.
Judith Shoshana, Boulder, CO, passed the Colorado Bar Exam and is working for the city and
county of Denver as an Assistant City Attorney.
Patrick Williams, Pasadena, CA, is working On
his Ph.D. in geology at the California Institute of
Technology. He has been studying recent earthquakes in southern California and prehistoric;, ,.u..,.
earthquakes of California, Oregon and
;:
Washington.
Louise Williams, Lacey, WA, was selected in a
competition for an Artist's Residency and Solo
Show at Norttie|sj State College, Aberdeen,
South Dakota. As a Washington State Centennial
Artist, Louise is giving lectures and workshops
and working in an open studio. Her show, "Cut
Flowers," responds to Washington's Green River
murders and was a catalyst for a rape forum held
in the gallery.
Neill Kramer, Rochester, NY, is the development
coordinator for Sagamore Institute, a nonprofit
educational organization in the Adirondack
Mountains.
Joncord, MA, have
Siani and Andrea!
two children, ArrK'l
vfe,saud':0tta?io, age
two. Andrea is a m
aunselor. Sergio is an
engineer for an ent
ulting firm specializing in shared energ
s projects for both
public and private :
Robin Waters (Bra
>nng6,
;pO, received a mas
Science in 1982. Sh
loapital,
^oes a lot of hiking
•d and has
two children: Colin
ix
months.
Interested in sharpening your writing skills?
Consider the Fifth Annual Sitka (AK) Summer
Writers Symposium, June 19-25. Carolyn
Servid '74, program director, invites all
Greeners with a passion for writing to attend.
This year's theme is "The Art of the Story," an
exchange of ideas on the narrative form. Symposium faculty includes: Evergreen Faculty
Member Pete Sinclair, Barre Toelken, Jim
Dodge and Eliza Jones. Write: Sitka Writers
Symposium, Box 2420, Sitka, AK 99835, or call
(902) 747-3794.
Class of 1981
Catherine Williamson, St. Louis, MO, recently
obtained her Nurse Practitioner Certification' in '
Wofen'j Health fiom i tit University of California
at Los Angeles and is working in St. Louis.
Carmen Hanna, Olympia, WA, received her M.A.
degree in December, 1987. Carmen works as a
marital and family therapist for Children's Home
Society of Washington.
Leon Werdinger, Lajitas, TX, writes: "I've
moved back out West and have started a new
career—manufacturing and selling anti-satellite
dishes (they seek out and destroy other satellite
dishes!). Also, I will be leading the first-ever
lobstering expedition down the Dirty Devil River
in Utah. Donations of aquatic sonar and/or explosives appreciated."
Scott Englander, Lambertville, NJ, is a firstyear graduate student in the department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at
Princeton University.
Craig Chance, Olympia, WA, helps small
businesses obtain financing through his position
as a finance specialist for the Washington State
Department of Community Development.
Rhyena (Diane) Halpern, Los Angeles, CA.
Rhyena's film, Language Says It All, was
nominated for an Academy Award in the short
subject documentary category. The film also won
highest honors at the International Film and
Television Festival of New York and was awarded
a silver medal from the Chicago Intercom Film
Festival. Rhyena wrote, directed, edited and was
the associate producer of the film which describes
the impact of deafness on young children and
their parents.
Class of 1982
Robert Campbell, Walkersville, MD, is enrolled in
the American College Chartered Life TJnderwriieV program, and working toward professional
designation. Robert and wife, Lori, are the
parlnts of Ryan Edward Campbell, born May 2,
1987.
James Rymsza, Seattle, WA, has recently completed his master's of architecture at the University of Washington. He's working for a downtown
architectural firm and tries to find time inbetween things for his wife, Cil (Pierce) '83, his
dog, Ted, and his fiddle
Laurie Dieterich, Washington, D.C., graduated
from Harvard Law School in June, 1987. She married Tom Kellenberg in August on Orcas Island.
In September, she began her job as a law clerk to
a judge on the D.C. Court of Appeals.
Tbdd Gustin, Tacoma, WA, has been promoted to
assistant manager for South Tacoma
Steelhead/Trout Hatchery. He began at the hatchery as a fish culturist.
Class of 1984
Rodd Pemble, Chattanooga, TN, is an organizing
teacher for the first county environmental education program for Chattanooga.
Johanna Pemble, Seattle, WA, is in her second
year of graduate studies at Seattle Institute of
Design in the Community Art program.
Amos Davis, Boise, ID, works with the U.S.
Forest Service as a public affairs specialist with
the Boise National Forest.
Anson Olds, Great Barrington, MA, is working
on his first reeord album. .
.,,_.,.,„,_ . ,->
Class of 1985
Steve Schneider, Seattle, WA, is an accountant at
Rainier National Bank and a company commander in the Army Reserve at Ft. Lawton,
Seattle.
Rob Dailey recently completed two years with
the Peace Corps in Thailand and came home the
long way—via Nepal, India, Turkey, the Middle
East, Greece and England.
Ray Sachs, Seattle, WA, and wife, Cathy, had
their first child, Emma, on December 18, 1987.
Ray works as an environmental analyst for the City of Issaquah.
Class of 1986
Kimberly Fiedler, Seattle, WA, and former
Greener Harvey Bowen, were married on March
12. Kim works as an editorial assistant for the
Pay 'n Save advertising department.
Sara Algots, Evanston, IL, is working at the
Baha'i National Center near Chicago as a traveling teacher/consultant. She helps Baha'is to plan
trips abroad and contact Baha'is in other countries. She also trains youth who plan to do a year
of service in another country.
Douglas Peters, Olympia, WA, was selected by
Governor Gardner for a fellowship sponsored by
the government of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Douglas will be on leave from his position with
the Department of Ecology for the one-year, selfstudy program focusing on solid waste management. While in Japan, he hopes to study mass
incineration, recycling land filling, sewage treatment plant technologies and financial planning.
Class of 1987
Brett Redfearn, Chadds Ford, PA, is currently
traveling in South America until June When he
returns, he plans to attend graduate school in the
San Francisco area studying political science.
Tbni Bailie, Camas, WA, is a publication assistant
at Northwest Public Power Association.
James A. Jones, Pukalani, HI, is employed at
Kalima 0 Maui, a nonprofit, sheltered workshop
for mentally and physically challenged adults. He
coordinates sales and marketing efforts in the
center's plant nursery. In addition, James spends
his time coaching soccer, surfing, playing baseball, basketball and coordinating a community litter pick-up campaign.
geonews
V
Evergreen benefactors John and Mary
Trlmm at their Duckabush home.
,
Photo by Mike Wark
Evergreen Adopted by TVimms
on the Duckabush
by Mike Wark,
Information Specialist
ments to achieve my career objective,"
says John. "A lot of people going
through on the G.I. Bill felt the same
way I did," he says. "Then at one point
in my life I said, 'what happened to the
classical part of my education?'
"To whatever degree I have become
interested in literature, history, art and
culture, these interests came after
college—not during or because of it. I
don't think an Evergreen student could
possibly look back on their education
and say the same things I do now."
The cross-disciplinary style of learning-" holds much interest to them, as
does the potential of students who will
take an Evergreen education into the
world.
"By taking our action here, some
bright young minds that might not
otherwise have had the opportunity to
do something significant will have that
chance," says John. "That gives us a
warm, satisfied feeling."
John worked several years with the
Montgomery Ward Company before he
was transferred, at age 42, from an
auditing position to head of the computer shop in charge of putting catalog
functions on line. "At my age, the
change was refreshing," he says. The
switch from the rigid status quo of a
number crunching office to a fast-paced
computer shop was exciting. Young
employees worked by a new work ethic
that would keep them at their terminal
overnight if a problem was important
to them. The move west came after
retirement in 1981.
"When your main office is in Chicago,
you'll probably end up living there,"
says John, a native of Portland,
High angular ceilings made of
Oregon. He and Mary, a Bay Area
hemlock supported by a natural treenative, lived in California for years.
pole beam offer a spacious and comfort- The last 10 years in Chicago were
able feeling when you stand in the
spent in a condominium called "Malibu
main room filled with light from wallEast." When early retirement grew
to-wall windows and carefully-placed
from a possibility to reality, their vacaskylights. The cold Duckabush River
tion cabin on the Duckabush was transflows a few feet below. The river's
formed into "Malibu West" at the
water is so pure the rocky bed is conhands of an architect friend and a
cealed only during muddy floods, milky building crew.
glacier melts and when th,e stream is
More than 40 elk visit their backyard
packed with salmon once a year.
stream and front yard garden twice a
The Trimms learned about Everyear, eating the tulips but not the dafgreen from articles in newspapers and fodils. Hummingbirds usually begin
visiting on St. Patrick's Day. John says,
magazines. John's affinity for the college actually began when he attended
"After 15 years in Chicago, the Duckcollege after World War II. He was
abush River is..." Mary finishes,
concerned about being five years
"paradise."
behind on a career track and earned a
And they enjoy their home that much
bachelor's degree after two years and
more, knowing they've made a significant gift to an institution forwarding
eight months of continuous study.
"I had to satisfy university requireone of their highest values—a liberal
arts education.
After you've lived in Chicago for 15
years, there's something special about
driving from a freeway onto a two-lane
highway, then a country road, a mountain lane, and finally the dirt driveway
of a very personable but spacious home
on the Duckabush River. It's a piece of
paradise on the Olympic Peninsula.
That's how John and Mary Trimm
view their dream retirement home.
And very important to that dream is
Evergreen. The college will be the
beneficiary of the Trimm's entire estate
and the house they love.
"It gives us a great dear of satisfaction," says John Trimm, "to think that
a house we've come to love so much
could be used to support such an important institution."
John and Mary Trimm are delighted
to learn they've made the largest bequest so far to Evergreen. They knew
their gift would be of major significance to the college compared to a
huge school like the University of California at Berkeley, John's alma mater.
At one
point in my life I said,
"What happened to the
classical part of my
education?"
Greeners Lend Focus to AIDS
AIDS has woven its way into every
aspect of our lives and it's time, says
Evergreen student Ed Wells, we took
an all-encompassing look at the virus's
impact on individuals and society.
That's what he and a lineup of
Greener grads and representatives of
community organizations did when
they pulled together more than 80
regional and national authorities and
artists for the April 21-23 "Evergreen
State AIDS Symposium." Over 350
people, including 200 students, attended
the event on campus.
"We've had a course in AIDS 101
through the media, so most people
know the basics. Now people need to
take a broad look at all the pressing
issues the virus has created," says
Wells, who coordinated the event with
Jutta Riediger '83, education director
for the Olympia Thurston County
AIDS Task Force.
The depth of Evergreen's connection
to the symposium wasn't clear until the
17-member steering committee was
asked if they were grads or otherwise
connected with Evergreen. Seven, including Wells and Riediger, raised their
hands. Maureen Parker '83 and Ronni
Hacken '82 are partners in Counseling
Consultants which works with families
and friends of people with AIDS. Wen
Yee Shaw and Amy Harris work in
Evergreen's Health Center which coordinates AIDS education on campus.
Dorothy Tenkhoff '82 is a promotions
coordinator with St. Peter Hospital,
and Betty Kutter is an Evergreen
faculty member.
Randy Shiltz headlined the cast of
special guests with a keynote address
based on his best-selling book, And
The Band Played On, about social and
political responses to the virus from
his perspective as a San Francisco
Chronicle reporter. Other speakers and
seminar leaders included doctors,
nurses, therapists, state and federal
policy makers, social workers, a
molecular biologist and the health
education coordinator for the Highline
School District in Seattle. There was
an acclaimed photo exhibit, The Faces
Of AIDS, and a local premiere of the
award-winning play, 'As Is."
"I was absolutely flabbergasted and
about 10 feet off the ground. It's a
powerful play and we received standing
ovations," says the manager of Evergreen's Communication Building Ed
Trujillo, who performed in "As Is"
along with New York singer/songwriter
Kim Keenan. Keenan, who has AIDS,
played the leading role and wrote a
song featured in the production that
was directed by former faculty member
Ruth Palmerlee.
Though the symposium covered an
array of issues, the focus always
returned to individuals. On the symposium's first day, Rick Holderman,
who has AIDS, took the stage to talk
about his life to an audience packed into the Library Lobby. The audience
was moved to tears.
"There was a man from KING TV
filming that session and he was overwhelmed. In all his years of work, he'd
never seen an audience react that way.
He was filming through his own tears,"
says Riediger.
Funding came from the student
associations of Evergreen, South Puget
Sound Community College and Saint
Martin's College, as well as from local
and regional foundations and health
organizations.
Holder-man's words closed the conference. "I've learned that my reaction
to having AIDS won't change the
world. But the way that you people,
and people like you, react to my having
AIDS, will change the world."
Swimmers Best Season Ever Buoyed by Community Support
Evergreen swimmers made their biggest splash
ever, sprinting through a season that ended with
personal records for all, and some unexpected
trips to the land of alligators, oranges and palm
trees.
Victories in swimming are often won only
between an individual and the clock, which ticks
every hundredth of a second. On February 18-20
the Evergreen pool was packed with 300 swimmers from Northwest colleges for the NAIA
District I meet. Evergreen swimmers were
psyched—all 16 women and 13 men beat their
season's best. Several Evergreen records were
smashed, and eight swimmers won the chance to
compete at nationals.
Bruce Fletcher, one very proud coach, immediately turned his attention to raising money.
Six more swimmers qualified for national competition in Orlando, Florida, than anyone
expected—including the swimmers. Flights to
Orlando are expensive and the team had only
raised enough funds to send two swimmers.
So they dove into fundraising, selling brownies,
breads, T-shirts, and all kinds of second-hand
items, including Coach Fletcher's old swim suit.
Requests for donations from the Evergreen community and announcements through local media
drew an enthusiastic response. But still the swimmers were a couple of laps short.
Enter Forrest Wilcox, director of the Evergreen Fund, who pulled the team out of the red
and into a clear-blue Florida pool by providing
the team with phones, phone numbers and
coaching for a mini phone-a-thon. The eight swimmers and coach made 148 calls to Evergreen community members as far away as Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, raising $935 in pledges in three hours one Sunday
evening, just 48 hours before the plane took off.
In a good phone-a-thon, 65 to 70 percent of
those who pledge money on the phone send the
promised cash. For Evergreen's swimmers, 108
percent of the money pledged made the bank.
The team swam strong. The four Greeners on
the men's 400 yard medley relay team placed 20th
and the four swimmers on the women's 400 yard
freestyle relay placed 24th, rebreaking the school
record. Senior Max Gilpin swam on the men's
relay, and also placed 21st in the 400 yard individual medley event. More than 35 individuals
or teams swam in each event.
"The whole team did a great job this year, and
we're already looking forward to next year," says
Fletcher. "We're hoping to go to the nationals
again."
But whether or not anyone qualifies, there's still
the benefit derived from trying .to better yourself
and beat the clock.
"Swimming is one heck of a hard sport, and
these students are really dedicated. They swim to
improve their times, get their bodies in shape,
and make some good friends," says Fletcher.
"Physically, mentally and emotionally they get a
lot out of it. The experience makes them stronger
people."
Fuller Poetry Contest Winners Announced
Poems, poems, poems—Southwest Washington
high school and college students responded to the
Judge Carol and Herbert Fuller Poetry Contest
with 245 entries.
Evergreen students Dennis Held, Anthea
Lawrence and Paige McThenia took first, second
and third place honors, respectively, in the college
division. Evergreeners Claire Davis, Paul Pope
and Amelia Haller (Tacoma Program) won
Honorable Mentions.
Roderic Crooks, a student at Hudson's Bay
High School in Vancouver won first prize in the
high school division, while Kari Tjersland of
Olympia High School and Kelly Brown of
Timberline High in Lacey won second and third
place prizes, respectively. Honorable Mentions
were awarded to Eileen Ryan of Timberline, and
Kate Leguy and Meghan Dougal, both Hudson's
Bay students.
The annual contest is held in conjunction with
Evergreen. All winning entries will be published
in a limited edition booklet. Call contest
facilitator Keith Eisner at (206) 866-6000, ext.
6128, for complete details.
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Olympia, WA
Permit No. 65
THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE
HP P i ri
The Evergreen ReView
Spring, 1988
May, 1988; Volume 9, Number 3
Published by the Office of Information Services
and Publications
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505
Address Correction Requested
Forwarding and Return
Postage Guaranteed
Greener Books
of Spring
Take a walk across Red Square these
days and you'll see more than sunworshipers, hacky-sackers and frisbeethrowers. You're bound to see
Greeners reading some of the following books:
»• "Great Books" program
Candide by Voltaire
The Prince by Machiavelli
>- "Technology and Human Reason"
Vietnam Revisited by Bellinger
Quick Calculus by Kleppner
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Dillard
*• "Science and Society"
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by
Doyle
Voyage of the Beagle by Darwin
Middlemarch by Eliot
*• "Autobiography"
/ Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by
Angelou
West With the Night by Markham
The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh
>• "American Studies"
The Beans of Egypt, Maine by Chute
The True Believer by Hoffer
The Centaur by Updike
If these titles strike your springtime
fancy, you can order any of these books
in stock at Evergreen's Bookstore by
calling (206) 866-6000, ext. 6213. The
Bookstore mails books to any location
in the country free of charge.
Hang 10!
Ten years, that is, of outrageous fun, frolic and free bedazzlement. Super Saturday X is ready to blast off on June 4. Be sure you're on board! The fun begins at
11 a.m. and runs to 7 p.m. Check out details on the big day's Alumni Greener
Gathering on page 5.
•
M'
N " - /J
Super Saturday
Chairman Larry Stenberg:
"Be there!"
• • - < - • -
