‘El Groupo’ Reunites 50 Years to the Day

On September 14, 1962, a Lewis & Clark professor and 23 students—along with a representative from the Experiment in International Living—boarded a bus heading for a four-month overseas study program in Mexico. As the bus pulled away from campus on that beautiful fall evening, hopes were high that it would be an experience of a lifetime. But no one imagined that most of the participants would reunite on another beautiful fall evening in Portland, exactly 50 years later to the day.

On September 14, 2012, 15 alumni gathered at the home of Nas Rassekh, professor emeritus of history, and his wife, Mona. We enjoyed their generous hospitality over delicious food while we celebrated being together again, sharing memories, and recapturing the highlights of that most amazing journey, oh, so many years ago. We laughed remembering the cast of characters, whom we affectionately refer to as “El Groupo,” who supervised our aptly named “Universidad de Cinco de Mayo” (a shadow college in which every student had a leadership role). The motto of the Experiment in International Living, “Expect the Unexpected,” could be aptly applied to the group. Whether laughing about the “Creeping Crud” (a school bus of erratic behavior) or recalling the festivities surrounding the Virgin of Guadalupe in Chiapas, attendees agreed that the overseas study program changed lives.

For some, it began a life-long relationship with the Spanish language: Linda Hanson Mendez B.S. ’66 married a Chilean and began her working career as a Spanish-speaking social worker; she later taught Spanish and English as a second language. Both Marlana MacDonald Opitz (who was unable to attend) and Karen Petersen Crane used their Spanish skills to teach English as a second language. Spanish came in handy for Lynn Barber Jones while teaching elementary school in a Latino community, and Gil Mathys B.A. ’66 became a medical social worker employing his language skills. Both Vic Baltursaitis B.A. ’65 (unable to attend because of a Peace Corps reunion in India) and Steve Wright completed postgraduate work at Thunderbird University. Vic worked for a mining company in Brazil and Argentina—Steve, in the cargo transportation industry on the West Coast, including stints as a marketing manager for companies operating between the United States and Mexico/South America. An evening at Pátzcuaro observing the Day of the Dead in 1962 led John Venator B.S. ’66 to a lifelong passion for Mexican folk art, now on display in his private museum in Valladolid. He retired as the president and CEO of a worldwide trade association and lives in Mexico.

Education and social work attracted several members of the group. Both Mark Gabbert B.A. ’66 and Mike Hobart B.A. ’66 earned Ph.D.s in history and became professors, following in Professor Rassekh’s footsteps. Marsha Easterday Leaburn supervised curriculum and instruction at the Adult Secondary Education Office of Los Angeles. Judy Christensen Jantzen B.A. ’66, after pursuing a career as a Pan Am stewardess, taught nursing. Eileen Hodgson Skoog (unable to attend) also taught in a nursing program. Mary Helen Hodgins Higgins B.A. ’65 taught elementary school in Hawaii, and Barbara Roberts Robertson taught high school business courses in Montana.

Two of the program participants, William “Grid” Toland B.A. ’66 (unable to attend) and Joan Gebhardt Townsend B.A. ’66, wrote for the Lewis & Clark newspaper, The Pioneer, while in Mexico and later became professional writers. Grid’s postgraduate journalism degree led him to both newspaper and corporate writing. Joan coauthored 11 books with her husband on the topics of quality and leadership.

Rounding out the remaining 15 alums who attended were Carol Hillesland cas ’66, owner of a small business in Portland, and Virginia Lea Skilton, whose interest in botany has led to photographing the plants of British Columbia. Only one member of El Groupo is missing after half a century: Lawrence Hills B.A. ’66 returned to Mexico to do volunteer work before becoming a mechanical engineer, but his current location is unknown. Classmates Charles “Ren” Breck B.S. ’67, Mary Kemp Cline, and Barbara Perkins B.A. ’64 are deceased, as is Ruth Heckman, the group’s Experiment in International Living leader.

El Groupo expects to reunite again. Maybe a mini reunion like past ones in San Francisco or Holden, Massachusetts? Maybe a reunion with families in Puebla? Or maybe something totally unexpected.

—by Joan Townsend B.A. ’66

Class Notes - 1930s

Virginia Poling B.A. credits her longevity, at age 100, to being stubborn. Three sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren later, she is still as stubborn as ever. 

Class Notes - 1950s

Class Notes - 1960s

1963

1966

John Venator B.S. owns Casa de los Venados in Valladolid, Mexico, a restored home showcasing more than 3,000 pieces of Mexican folk and contemporary art. The home was mentioned in the May/June 2012 Incentive magazine. The Mexican Tourist Board and Secretariat of Tourism for Mexico use the property to promote cultural tourism.

1968

Roger Ferland B.A. went on to receive his J.D. from Duke University. He has practiced publicly and privately in the areas of environmental and natural resources law. Ferland
was ranked for excellence in environment and water rights law in the 2012 edition of the prestigious Chambers USA directory.

1969

Dr. David Grube B.A., a former recipient of the Oregon Family Doctor of the Year award, has retired from Philomath Family Medicine, a successful and respected practice he helped to build over more than three decades.

Class Notes - 1970s

1970

Earl Blumenauer B.A., J.D. ’76, Oregon’s Third District U.S. Representative, was mentioned as a Wind Influencer of 2012 in an article by Windpower Engineering & Development. Blumenauer served from 1996 to 2007 on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, advocating for federal policies to address transportation, housing, sustainable economies, and the environment. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2001 to 2007, and he was a vice chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming from 2007 to 2010. He is a notable bike advocate, and, as he told the New York Times, supports biking to “burn calories, not fossil fuel.”

Larry Dunlap B.M. is working on three music publications, including The Cool Book (octet arrangements) for Sher Music Company. He has been performing and touring with his wife, vocalist Bobbe Norrise, and Mary Wilson of the Supremes. His career has taken him to Australia and back. He arranges and produces recordings for various artists.

1971

Linda Ledbetter Eterman B.M. retired after many years of teaching music for the Burnaby School Board in Burnaby, British Columbia, the International School of Amsterdam, and the Vancouver Waldorf School. In 2009, she received a British Columbia Music Educators’ award as Outstanding Music Teacher of the Year.

Fred Viehe B.A. ’71, professor of history at Youngstown State University, published “The Underworld Never Seemed So Fair: Women as Pirates, G’hals, Mafiosas,
and Gangsteristas” in the International Journal of the Humanities (2011), and “The G’hals of New York at Work and Play: A Flourishing Feminine Counterculture
in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Urban America” in the International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (2012).

1973

1975

Julie Frantz J.D. is vice president of the Multnomah Bar Foundation. Frantz has been on the bench since 1994 and is the chief criminal judge for Multnomah County Circuit Court.

David Stoller B.A. was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington
in recognition for his long-term involvement with the organization. He owns and operates a McDonald’s in southwest Washington.

1976

David Canary J.D. was honored with the Multnomah Bar Association’s 2012 Pro Bono Award of Merit. An attorney with Garvey Schubert Barer, he has been devoted to pro bono service since the beginning of his legal career. Canary has dedicated pro bono service to many organizations through the Community Development Law Center and its clients in property tax appeals and research projects.

Terry Christensen B.S. was determined legally blind after decades of work as a sea captain of large vessels for the towing industry. Seeking his teaching credentials, he earned a Ph.D. in the history of science at Oregon State University. He is an inspiration to others as the head coach of the George School junior football varsity team
in Newton, Pennsylvania, and also as a volunteer wrestling coach. Although he has yet
to land a teaching job, his perspective on life and work on the field has influenced many students.

Karen Christie B.A. and Patti Durr, both teachers in the cultural and creative studies department at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, produced and edited The Heart of Deaf Culture: Literary and Artistic Expressions of Deafhood. Five years in the making, this comprehensive DVD set—which explores deaf visual art, theatre, cinema, American Sign Language literature, and English literature—is now for sale.

Mary Sandell B.A., a production executive and producer of high-profile commercials,
television series, and feature films such as Coraline, has been named head of production by Laika, an American stop-motion animation studio located in Portland.

1977 

Peggy Nagae J.D. received the 2011 Trailblazer Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She is a consultant in Whitefish, Montana, with experience in change management, leadership development, executive coaching, diversity and inclusion, strategic planning, marketing, and activating the human spirit at work. She helped found and was president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She cochairs NAPABA’s Leadership Advisory Council and the Diversity Task Force. She is program director for the Center for Asian Pacific American Women. Nagae is recognized for her work on the national Japanese American Citizens League Redress Committee; as the lead attorney for Minoru Yasui in reopening his World War II Japanese American incarceration case, Yasui v. United States; and as a presidential appointee to the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund.

1978

Larry Burton B.A. is senior vice president of government affairs of CVS Caremark.
He brings more than 30 years of experience in strategy development, public policy, and government affairs into his new position.

Scott Kauffman J.D. won the Mighty River Short Story Contest, sponsored
by Southwest Missouri State University Press, with his short story “Cat Dance.” His first novel, In Deepest Consequences, was published by Medallion Press. As an attorney, he has tried dozens of criminal cases, first as an assistant state prosecutor, later as an assistant public defender in a rural Ohio community, which provides much of the background for his first novel. He lives in Newport Beach, California, where he maintains a law practice representing, among others, those charged with white-collar crimes. He is working on a second novel and a collection of short stories.

Ronald Marks B.S. is a member of the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan institution dedicated to promoting transatlantic cooperation and international security since its founding in 1961.

1979

Michele Longo Eder J.D. has been appointed to the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee for a three-year term. The committee advises the U.S. secretary of commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the department. Eder has practiced law for more than 30 years, is a commercial fishing vessel owner, and wrote Salt in Our Blood: The Memoir of a Fisherman’s Wife (Dancing Moon Press, 2008). She completed two terms as a presidential appointee on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and served six years on the North Pacific Research Board. She is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Commercial Fisheries Safety Advisory Committee.

Jonathan Horn B.A., principal investigator at Alpine Archaeological Consultants, recently had an article published in the Old Spanish Trail Association’s Spanish Traces. The article summarized a project that involved tracing and documenting various routes of the Spanish Trail in Colorado and Utah.

Mark Tratos J.D. is chairelect of the National Judicial College for the 2013–14 term. He will work on the NJC’s planning and preparation efforts as it marks its 50th anniversary serving the nation’s judiciary. Tratos has been a member of NJC’s board of trustees since 2008. He is the comanaging shareholder of the Las Vegas office of Greenberg Traurig. Tratos has been a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas for more than 20 years. He is a trustee and chair of Lewis & Clark Law School’s Board of Visitors. He also chairs the board of advisors for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas.

Class Notes - 1980s

1980

Thom Brown J.D. is director of the Multnomah Bar Foundation. He is a partner with Cosgrave Vergeer Kester and chairs the firm’s multisector litigation practice group. Kevin Coyner B.A. announced his candidacy for the Connecticut General Assembly’s 132nd House District seat. He is a former bond and options trader, and he now works as a firefighter in Greenwich.

Richard Yugler J.D. was named to Landye Bennett Blumstein’s 2012 management committee. Yugler has extensive trial experience representing clients in complex business litigation, securities, stockholder disputes, and real estate matters, as well as personal injury, insurance coverage, and professional malpractice cases.

1981

Gregory Gonzales J.D. has been appointed a Superior Court judge for Clark County, Washington. He began his legal career at the law firm Weber Gunn. Since 2005, Gonzales has been a municipal court judge while pursuing a general practice of law. Last year, he opened his own Vancouver firm, where he handles personal injury cases, misdemeanor criminal defense, and general litigation.

William Peniston B.A. translated, edited, and introduced the book Queer Lives: Men’s Autobiographies From 19th Century France, along with Nancy Erber (University
of Nebraska Press, 2007). The book has come out in a French edition as Bougres de Vies: Huit homosexuels du XIXe siècle se racontent (EroxOnyx, 2012).

1982

Cheah Chuan Lok B.S., a student from Malaysia, took part in an automobile journey with a group traveling from Malaysia to England. The journey’s goals were to fundraise for native children in eastern Malaysia in collaboration with Borneo Child Aid Society Malaysia, to spread the importance of education, and to promote Malaysia to remote areas by taking the road less traveled. Adair Law B.A. took on the challenge and joy of performing with a group of 160 volunteer dancers in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square on September 30, 2012. She was joined by Sydney Linden B.A. ’07; Reggie Raiford, Lewis & Clark Law School maintenance worker, and his partner, Brett Buckley; Toni Berres-Paul, professor of legal and analytic writing; and Andrea Hibbard, adjunct instructor in English. They danced in Le Grand Continental, a 30-minute work of seven different line dances by Montreal choreographer Sylvain Émard. The event marked White Bird Dance’s 15th year of presenting dance to Portland audiences.

Dana Plautz B.S. and Miles Sprietsma B.A. ’07 created The Martha Washington Hotel and the Women Who Built Her, an award-winning documentary about the first women’s boarding house in Portland, started in 1887. Nik Walton B.A. ’10 and Leslie Simmons B.A. ’13 also contributed to the film with music production. The documentary has been shown in numerous Portland venues.

Richard Whittemore J.D. was reelected to Bullivant Houser Bailey’s board of directors for a three-year term. Whittemore is a shareholder in the Portland office. He has experience practicing civil law in major exposure cases along the West Coast in both state and federal court.

1983

George Jugovic J.D. was named president and CEO of the environmental watchdog group PennFuture. Jugovic is the former southwest regional director of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

1984

Kay Abramowitz J.D. is on the Portland State University Foundation board of directors. Abramowitz is a partner at Ater Wynne and chairs the firm’s wealth preservation
and family business groups.

Daniel McInerny J.D. is on the board of directors of Progress House, which provides a long-term social model program for high-risk, predominantly homeless men who suffer from chronic alcoholism/addiction. McInerny is a partner with Bose McKinney & Evan in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Casey Mills J.D. joined the board of directors for Partners in Diversity, an organization that recruits and retains professionals of color in the Portland area. Mills has been with Miller Nash since 1987 and heads the firm’s bankruptcy practice. He is a member and former chair of the firm’s diversity committee and serves on the board of governors for the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

1985

Steven Dahlke B.M. received his doctor of musical arts and music education in 2008 from the University of Southern California. He and his family live in Long Island, New York, where he teaches vocal and choral studies as assistant professor of music at Queensborough Community College.

Larry Frank J.D. was promoted to vice president and associate counsel at Standard Insurance Company. He provides legal advice to the Insurance Services Group, as well as oversight of litigation related to the division’s insurance products and services. Paul Jorgensen B.A. was honored by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities at the 27th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards in September 2012. Jorgensen provides pro bono legal services to community groups and was honored for his service with the District of Columbia Mayor’s Arts Award in 2004. He is the area program director for Lewis & Clark’s off-campus study program in Washington, D.C., and he also serves as a volunteer with the Boy Scouts.

Alicia “Lisa” Lowe J.D. was honored by Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt with its client service award. Lowe focuses her practice on estate planning, business succession planning, and trust and estate administration. She is a longtime attorney within the Vancouver community, representing numerous individuals and private businesses.

1986

Jennifer Cahn B.A. started a one-year fellowship with the Fulbright Program as a visiting curator at the Ivan Honchar Museum and Ukrainian Centre of Folk Culture and a visiting lecturer in museum studies at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev. Peter Carlson CAS presented a solo exhibit, Plastic Boxes: Scenes From a Little World, which opened last fall, at the Main Street Gallery in Ketchikan, Alaska. The display included 100 sculptural dioramas of 4-by 5-inch clear plastic boxes, each with a story inside.

1987

Tom Lyden B.A. is a reporter whose work has led to the creation of new laws, a felon’s conviction, and a politician’s resignation. He has won regional Emmy Awards as well as awards for his investigative reporting from the Associated Press and the Minnesota Broadcasters Association.

Scott Staff B.A. was appointed to the Naturally Advanced Technologies board of directors. Naturally Advanced Technologies develops renewable and environmentally sustainable biomass resources from flax, hemp, and other fibers.

1988

Mallory C. Clark B.A. and her family have moved from Boise, Idaho, to Bangalore, India, where she currently works as a teacher.

Raj Mahtani B.A. recently translated Fujisan (Amazon-Crossing, 2012), a collection of four short stories threaded with the presence of Mount Fuji, Japan’s iconic, sacred peak, by the acclaimed Japanese author Randy Taguchi.

1989

Scott Anderson B.S. is president and chief executive of Vaxcom Services, an information technology company that focuses on threat management resolutions.

Emma Pawlicki B.A. was appointed to California’s Central Valley Flood Protection Board. She has served as an attorney in natural resources since 2007.

Heidi Van Schoonhoven B.A. ran as a Democrat for Oregon’s District 58 State Representative seat. She has not held office before, but served the party as a precinct committee chairperson.

Class Notes - 1990s

1990

Brad Avakian J.D. received the 2012 Equality Advocate Award from the Basic Rights Oregon Education Fund in recognition of his leadership to advance equality for gay and transgender Oregonians. Since 2008, Avakian has served as head of the Bureau of Labor and Industries.

John Olson J.D. was appointed to fill the vacancy on the circuit court for the Seventh Judicial District created by the retirement of Judge Donald W. Hull.

1991

Mark Esterman J.D. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was appointed to the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council, which promotes the state’s wine grape and wine industry by providing research and education. Esterman is the wine buyer and category manager for Meijer.

1992

Adina Cunningham B.A. has been hired by Washington’s San Juan County as deputy director of administration. Walter Lukken J.D. joined Futures Industry Association in Washington, D.C., as CEO. Previously, he served as CEO of New York Portfolio Clearing, a derivatives clearinghouse. Prior to that, he was counsel to the Senate Agriculture Committee, working under then-chair Senator Richard Lugar.

1993

1994

Stephen Kimball B.A. is the executive director of Light
in Winter, a weekend festival of science and the arts, which takes place February 22 to 24, 2013, in Ithaca, New York.

1995

Chuck Barlow J.D. is vice president of environmental policy and strategy for Entergy Corporation. He has served Entergy as environmental associate and assistant general counsel since 2003 and has an extensive background in environmental law and litigation. Barlow’s contributions at Entergy include litigation such as Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper and other cases before the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit Court on the role of the federal government in environmental regulation. He also currently supports environmental legal efforts on nuclear fleet license renewals and fossil fleet compliance and permitting. Before joining the company, Barlow was general counsel for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality from 1996 to 2003. Barlow served two terms as an appointed member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Environmental Justice Advisory Council from 2006 to 2010.

1997

Thomas Gibson J.D. was selected by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as general counsel at the California Department of Fish and Game in Sacramento. Gibson has been acting general counsel since 2010.

Marco Gonzalez J.D. was among 10 lawyers awarded the San Diego Daily Transcript’s top attorney designation in its multidisciplinary “Transcript 10” category. Gonzalez is a cofounder and managing partner of Coast Law Group, where he oversees the firm’s environment and land use, government relations, and election law practice area groups.

Jessica Kreutter B.A. is artist in residence at Oregon College of Art and Craft, where she creates ceramic art and sculpture. Notable residencies for her include Anderson Ranch, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and the Vermont Studio Center. She recently received her M.F.A. in ceramics from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

1999

Dana Krawczuk J.D. was appointed to serve on the City of Portland’s Development Review Advisory Committee as the “frequent development review customer” representative. DRAC represents those with interests in the outcome of policies, budgets, regulations, and procedures that affect development review processes. Krawczuk was also appointed to the Metro Regional Government’s Metro Technical Advisory Committee, serving as the commercial/industrial development association representative. Krawczuk is an attorney with Perkins Coie and is of counsel in the real estate and land use practice.

Nicolle Rager Fuller B.A. is an independent science artist who creates images for magazines, scientific journals, and textbooks. With her B.A. in biochemistry, she did not expect that she would find art as a viable career.

Laurel Pilar Garcia B.A. directed Stephanie Timm’s Sweet Nothing, a grim fairytale that explores the repercussions of violence and war, at Seattle’s Annex Theatre space in June 2012. She directed Royal Blood, by Sonya Schneider, with Northwest Playwright Alliance; Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl, for Lincoln Center Directors Lab; and Center of the Universe, by Dustin Engstrom, at Open Circle Theatre. Nicholas Wood J.D. was appointed municipal court judge by the Scappoose City Council. Wood began practicing law in Vancouver, Washington, in 2005 and opened his own practice as a private attorney in 2006.

Class Notes - 2000s

2000

Matt Wand J.D. was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives. Wand is an attorney with Wand Maddox Preston in Gresham. His practice focuses on litigation, business, construction, and real estate matters.

2001

Anne Kunkel J.D. is a 2012 Idaho Business Review Woman of the Year. Award recipients are chosen based on their professional accomplishments, leadership skills, community involvement, and long-term goals. Kunkel is a partner with Givens Pursley in Boise. Caroline Lobdell J.D. received the 2012 Service to Agriculture Award from Oregon Women for Agriculture. Lobdell is executive director of the Western Resources Legal Center, a nonprofit legal education program affiliated with Lewis & Clark Law School.

Emily Watson B.A. returned from western Ukraine, nowhere she served as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years. As a community development volunteer, she worked with the Sokal District Association of the Disabled, which seeks to integrate those with disabilities into the community. Watson helped start the district’s first social enterprise to promote the abilities of those with disabilities by offering an opportunity to make a modest income using existing craft workshops. The Oblast Administration, Voice of America, and the Ukrainian National News reported on the project.

2003

Galen Clark B.A., a jazz pianist with Trio Subtonic, has finished a tour across the East Coast from Pennsylvania to Maine. The band’s newest CD, I’ll Meet You There Tomorrow, was released in 2012.

Julian Dautremont-Smith B.A. obtained his M.B.A/M.S. in natural resources and the environment from the University of Michigan. He participated in the 2002 United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, and he received a Fulbright student grant to found an enterprise that processes waste vegetable oil into biodiesel in Barbados. Dautremont-Smith is the chief sustainability officer at Alfred State College. He was associate director for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and worked with Green Schools National Network, developing ideas for a new green school rating system.

Katie Williams B.A. is a museum educator with the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle. She is working with a colleague to make museum collections more accessible, as an average of 3 to 5 percent of any museum’s permanent collection is displayed in a public gallery at any time.

2004

David Aengus Anderson B.A. and Micah Saul CAS have started an online conversation project about deep issues facing America and the world on their website. Anderson interviews experts in various fields, such as Laura Musikanski at the Happiness Initiative, Rev. John Fife on human rights, Max More on cryogenics, Peter Warren on bringing together ranchers and environmentalists, and Gabriel Stempinski on the new sharing economy. People post replies to the videos, and Anderson and Saul respond, either in the comments or through another video, to truly make the project a conversation.

Daniel Barth B.A. was appointed professor of economics at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University.

Michele Christle B.A., after a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, went on to earn an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her short story “Lagon Bleu” was published in the fall 2012 issue of the Kenyon Review. In addition, she ran the Hartford Marathon to raise money for The Warriors Organization (TWO), a group that empowers indigenous people in Tanzania. Christle serves on TWO’s board. Her first visit to Tanzania was through Lewis & Clark’s overseas study program.

2005

Angela Chu B.A. received her M.P.H. in health policy and management from the University of California at Berkeley in May 2012.

Peter Ricoy J.D. received the Champions Award at the Oregon State Bar’s 2011 Convocation on Equality for advancing diversity. He was elected to serve as the 2012 president of the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association. Ricoy is also a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association. He is an attorney with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in Portland.

2006

Amelia Blakeman B.A. started a clothing line, Amelia, after deciding that clinical research in psychology was not for her. Blakeman is a prime example of how a liberal arts education can give a creative, entrepreneurial edge over more specific vocational degrees.

Bernard Chamberlain J.D. received the 2012 Multnomah Bar Association’s Pro Bono Award of Merit for his outstanding efforts in representing a low-income family involved in a dispute with the Oregon Department of Revenue. In a trial before the Oregon Tax Court in 2011, Chamberlain won a favorable ruling for the client.

Joe Decker B.A. is public information officer for Canyon County, Idaho.

Antonio Gonzalez J.D. received the Rising Star Award from Lewis & Clark Law School’s Recent Graduate Council for his professionalism and outstanding leadership.

Laurel Nakanishi B.A., a Honolulu poet, was awarded a scholarship to return to Nicaragua to implement an arts program at schools in Granata and Leon. A recipient of a Fulbright scholar grant, she will spend one year working with teachers and another with residents and students.

2007

Liz Nguyen B.A. is studying music therapy at California State University at Northridge. Her roommates from Lewis & Clark College, Jillian DeCoursey B.A. and Jamie Cassut B.A., are also living in Los Angeles. 

Miles Sprietsma B.A. and Dana Plautz B.S. ’82 created The Martha Washington Hotel and the Women Who Built Her, an award-winning documentary about the first women’s boarding house in Portland, started in 1887. Nik Walton B.A. ’10 and Leslie Simmons B.A. ’13 also contributed to the film with music production. The documentary has been shown in numerous Portland venues.

2008

Eric Atcheson B.A., a pastor at Longview [Washington] First Christian Church, learned about Taize—a quiet, candlelit prayer service—from a Franciscan nun whom he met at Lewis & Clark. He has adapted this night service of prayer meditation to his church.

Amber Case B.A. is a cofounder of Geoloqi, a platform for building location-aware mobile applications. Her company was recently sold to Esri, a large software company, which will further expand Geoloqi through research and development.

In an interview with Forbes, Case said, “Esri has the nouns and adjectives of geographic software— they’ve got maps and data down—they can describe those things and put them to use for thousands of customers. But we have the verbs—we’re mobile and real-time… . Really it’s a beautiful match.”

Parker Lewis B.A. works for Puzzazz, a company that creates puzzles for the digital world. He recently published a collection of crossword puzzles for the company titled Xwordz 4 Newbs. It contains 25 easy crossword puzzles geared toward beginning solvers. For more information visit the website.

Sonja Myklebust B.A. completed her M.M. in cello performance at the University of Washington.

2009

Mary Bodine B.A. is one of 12 students from 12 tribes and 12 universities selected for a 2012 Native American Congressional Internship. Based in Washington, D.C., the internship provides American Indians and Alaskan Natives an inside view of the workings of the federal government. Bodine is pursuing a law degree in environmental and Indian law at Lewis & Clark Law School.

Jake Kamins J.D. was named by the Animal Legal Defense Fund as one of the nation’s top animal defenders. The organization works to protect animals and advance animal interests through the legal system. Kamins is a deputy district attorney for Multnomah County.

Morgan Shaw-Fox B.A. collaborated with four other young filmmakers to launch the Watchword Film Collective, a Los Angeles–based project aimed at producing cutting-edge, artistic, high-quality content. He is studying improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.

Aleta Storch B.A. completed a 14-week internship focused on sustainable, traditional, and educational farming and living at Tentuta di Spannocchia in Italy.

2010

Meghan Cain B.A. has started a Ph.D. program in quantitative psychology at Notre Dame, working with Assistant Professor Guangjian Zhang.

Kali Harper B.A. was named a 2012 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow. The Woodrow Wilson Foundation provided her with this fellowship to support her completion of a graduate degree at Georgetown University. As a fellow, she will serve for three years as a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department
of State and participate in a domestic and an overseas internship.

Angela Webber B.A. and her sister, Aubrey Webber, have formed the Doubleclicks, a comedic, satiric, geek-centered duo. They got their start at open-mic nights in Portland and soon became part of the Nerd Folk genre. Using a cello and ukulele, they create music that is lyric intensive. “It’s not music for everyone,” says Webber, “but we make music we’re proud of.” The duo’s new CD is Chainmail and Cello. They have played in Seattle; Bellingham, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia. They plan to tour California and the East Coast.

2011

Nicole Pampanin B.A. was accepted into the Peace Corps. She will teach English in Madagascar for two years.

Robb Shecter J.D. received the law school’s Making a Difference Award from the Recent Graduate Council for his work within a non-traditional legal area. Shecter designed and built OregonLaws.

Disan Suarez B.A. was one of many former players inducted into the Imperial Valley Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Suarez was honored to share the night with his former coach, David Shaw. Suarez said, “Not only did Coach Shaw help me get into college to play, but he literally changed my life.”

2012

Olivia Erlanger B.A. created [Outer] Space Gallery, a portable gallery in Portland. She won the spring 2012 Emerging Artist Residency in Sculpture at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, Colorado.