In Memoriam

Honoring alumni, faculty, staff, and friends who have recently passed.

1940s

Garthe Brown JD ’41, March 3, 2010, age 95. Brown attended night school at what later became Lewis & Clark Law School. In 1943, he joined Jacob, Jones, and Brown as a partner. A year later, he married Grace Stowaser; they enjoyed 64 years together. After his law partners retired, he headed the firm that later became Brown and Hansen. When that firm dissolved, he practiced part time with his close friends Lyle Lien and Edward Cooper, who were certified public accountants. Brown fully retired in 2006. Brown, a loyal Trail Blazers fan, was a season ticket holder for more than 30 years. He also enjoyed traveling. Brown is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, his grandchildren, and his great-grandson.

Chester Cardiff BS ’46, MA ’53, October 24, 2010, age 90. Cardiff served in World War II as a radio man aboard the carrier USS Brennan. After his military service, he was a three-sport athlete at Albany College and later earned his MA in education. He worked 36 years in the Oregon public schools, 33 of them as a principal. In 1963, C.J. Cardiff School in Clatskanie was named after him.

Richard Akers JD ’48, December 4, 2009, age 90. He was born in Weiser, Idaho. Akers worked as a lawyer for a title insurance company. He is survived by his niece and his nephew.

Earl Reinertson BA ’49, November 30, 2010, age 88, in Beaverton. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Upon his return to the States, he married Barbara Beck. They raised their family of three daughters in Lake Grove. Reinertson worked for NW Natural for 30 years until his retirement in 1983.

1950s

Ray Cramer BA ’50, MEd ’51, September 10, 2010, age 83.

James Honey BS ’50, April 23, 2010, age 82.

Margaret “Maggie” Sachtler Rabe BS ’50, November 9, 2010, age 82, in Winston- Salem, North Carolina. Rabe’s mother was from Scotland, and her father was from Germany. She grew up in Portland and attended Lewis & Clark, where she met Eugene Warren Rabe BS ’49 of Honolulu, whom she married in 1950. Rabe started her teaching career at the Punahou School in Hawaii and later took leave to raise four children. In 1982, the Rabes parted. She followed her younger children to Winston- Salem, North Carolina. She worked for the Child Guidance Center and later for a bookstore until her retirement. She enjoyed attending Bible study, her two book clubs, and especially choir at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where she was a member for more than 25 years. Rabe leaves behind four children and four grandchildren.

Donald Wright BS ’50, July 1, 2010, age 83.

Irving Damitz BA ’51, May 3, 2009, age 84.

Donald Lindsay BS ’51, May 24, 2010.

William Perrin BS ’52, September 23, 2010, age 81.

Martha Ann Sumption BA ’52, September 5, 2010, age 79.

Barbara Westervelt Hood BA ’54, September 26, 2010, age 78, from complications following heart surgery. While at Lewis & Clark, she met her future husband, Stuart Hood, who was attending Portland State College. They married in 1955. After retiring from a 20-year career with the Bellevue School District, Barbara and Stuart traveled the world together. She was active in her church; a supporter of cancer awareness and research; and a devoted friend, wife, mother, and grandmother.

1960s

Reid Arthur Ferriss BS ’63, May 11, 2010, age 69, in Gallup, New Mexico. Ferriss was born in Portland, raised in Clackamas, and graduated from Milwaukie High School. After receiving his BS, he spent 12 years in the U.S. Air Force. He then earned a master’s degree in teaching and spent 25 years teaching accounting and computer applications at David Douglas High School. Ferriss was an avid marathon runner. After retiring, he paddled dragon boats. He is survived by his wife; two daughters, Dr. Diana McNulty BA ’87 and Gail Ferriss; and two grandchildren. Ross “Mike” McCarty JD ’63, November 8, 2010, age 86, in his Laurelhurst home. McCarty served as a combat driver for the 49th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division in Central Europe during World War II. His philosophy, “Life is a journey, enjoy it,” was reflected in his love for family, friends, animals, career, sports cars, skiing, boating, and golf.

Elizabeth “Anne” Svarverud ’66, October 3, 2010, age 67, from cancer. She also attended the University of Oregon and worked at the Oregon Employment Department for 35 years.

1970s

George Jenks JD ’71, April 16, 2010, age 77. Jenks was born in Dickinson, North Dakota. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and served with NATO forces in Europe. When he returned home, he married his high school sweetheart, Elaine. He attended Multnomah College and Oregon State College, and he graduated from the University of Oregon in 1960 and 1962. Jenks taught school in southeast Portland for 12 years. After graduating from law school, he practiced in northeast Portland until 1987, when he retired. Jenks was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years.

Allan Sobel JD ’77, November 23, 2010, age 63, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. For 20 years, Sobel practiced law in Oregon and Michigan. From 2000 to 2006, he was executive director of the American Judicature Society in Des Moines. He and his wife, Elayne, then moved to central Pennsylvania, where he served as director of the Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society at Susquehanna University. A huge fan of Detroit sports teams, Sobel was a hard worker and a cherished husband, father, and grandfather.

1980s

John Bierer M.P.A. ’82, October 28, 2010, age 70, after a long battle with lung disease from exposure to Agent Orange while serving with the 173rd Airborne Rangers in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. He was an entrepreneur, educator, and a proud Vietnam combat veteran.

Scott Caplan BS ’82, JD ’86, October 5, 2010, age 49, from a heart attack. He built a successful legal practice in Portland at Jordan Caplan. A devoted husband and father, he is survived by his wife, sons, parents, sister, brother, and many friends.

Jeffrey Miller JD ’87, October 12, 2010, age 48. Miller received a BA in business from the University of Washington. After graduating from Lewis & Clark Law School, he started a law practice in Myrtle Creek. In 1999, he moved to Prineville, where he worked in the law offices of Van- Vorhees and Larson. He then started his own law practice. He is survived by his wife and son, as well as his father, mother, and two sisters.

2000s

Tyrel Mears BA ’06, July 4, 2010, age 26. A mathematics and philosophy major, Mears was a member of Lewis & Clark’s cross country and track teams. After graduation, he received a full-time teaching assistantship at the University of Washington, where he earned his MA in 2009 and continued on in the PhD program. After his death, Mears’ collection of books on various mathematical and philosophical topics was donated to the University of Washington to start a graduate philosophy library in his honor.