Class Notes - 1950s

1950

Charles “Chuck” Babin ’50 and wife Virginia celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June 2006 at St. Anthony Church in Tigard. They met in 1943 at the Portland Rose Festival, shortly before Babin reported for Navy duty and served in the battle for Okinawa.

Robert Young ‘50 and his wife, Dar, a registered nurse, volunteered with the Red Cross for three weeks to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. Robert helped coordinate ham radio systems, making contact with countless displaced and worried family members. Dar helped evacuees find aid and shelter.

1957 

June Christensen Fleming ’57 was profiled in the “My Workout” feature of the Oregonian’s Living section on May 31, 2006. Her workout includes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and 18 to 20 miles of urban hiking each week. In May, she went on her first solo snow camping trip in 20 years. She told the Oregonian, “I’m in better shape now than I was when I was 50.” 

1958

Carol O’Connor ’58 is happily retired in Arizona and enjoying time with her two grandchildren: Trinity Ellison, 5, and David Ellison, 1. Her daughter just received a master’s degree in business and marketing. She welcomes contact with alumni friends who are visiting the Phoenix area.

John Sherrill Houser ’58 created the world’s largest equestrian bronze sculpture for the entrance of the El Paso International Airport. He devoted nine years to the 36-foot-high piece, creating a small-scale model in 1997 and the full-scale work in his Mexico City studio between 1998 and 2005. The statue depicts Don Juan de Oñate, Spanish colonizer of New Mexico, who introduced the Spanish settlement and the horse to the American Southwest in 1598. John’s father, Ivan Houser, taught art at Lewis & Clark, and was assistant sculptor to Gutzon Borglum during the early years of carving the granite presidential heads on Mount Rushmore.