Class Notes - 1980s

Class Notes - 1980s

1980

Mark Geistfeld BA has been named the Crystal Eastman Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. He hopes his book Principles of Products Liability, published by Foundation Press last year, will be of some benefit to the law school, as partial payback for all the time he spent studying in the law library while he was an undergraduate.

Cynthia Phillips JD has joined Jordan Schrader’s municipal law practice group. Previously, she served as assistant county counsel in Douglas County, county counsel for Clackamas and Lane counties, assistant city attorney for Lake Oswego, and deputy district attorney for Clatsop County.

Kathryn Root BA ‘80, JD ‘84, a shareholder in Johnston, Root & Leibenguth, serves on the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation board of directors and chairs the foundation’s investments committee.

Richard Yugler JD, a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, has been appointed to a joint committee on Oregon’s civil justice system. The committee includes the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel and members of the Oregon Court of Appeals. 

1981

Alice Bartelt JD, an attorney with SAIF Corporation, has joined the Oregon Women Lawyers executive committee as historian.

Robert Connell JD is a senior assistant attorney general in the Government Services and Education Section of the General Counsel Division with the Oregon Department of Justice.

John Connors JD, of the Metropolitan Public Defenders Office in Portland, is 2006-07 president of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

David Decker BS and Douglas Freeman BS ‘78 launched Arnold Creek Productions, a media production company focused on sustainability and health. Recently they received a 2006 Portland BEST Award for new product development, and one of their educational videos was selected for the Charleston Documentary Film Festival. Other award-winning videos include an inspirational program on children with diabetes and a diversity education program used in schools nationwide.

Ellen Pitcher JD, of the Federal Public Defenders Office in Portland, is 2006-07 secretary of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

1982

Arts & Sciences 25th Reunion Oct. 18-21, 2007

Law School 25th Reunion Aug. 17-18, 2007

Trudy Allen JD is general counsel of U.S. Bancorp Equipment Finance, a commercial-finance subsidiary of U.S. Bank. She is serving as historian for the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation board of directors.

Janet Kreft JD, a family law attorney in the Gresham area, is a member of the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation board of directors.

Maureen Leonard JD, a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, has been appointed to a joint committee on Oregon’s civil justice system. The committee includes the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel and members of the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Richard Whittemore JD, a senior trial attorney in the Portland office of Bullivant Houser Bailey, has been elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates and its Oregon chapter. His practice includes products liability defense, toxic tort litigation, estate litigation, and other complex business litigation matters.

1983

Joanne Reisman JD writes Spanish-language articles for the bimonthly newspaper Noticias Latinas to inform the Latino community about common legal issues. She has been interviewed in Spanish on community TV on topics such as domestic violence. Reisman is an active member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, the Multnomah County Bar Association, the Washington County Bar Association, and Oregon Mensa.

1984

Jordanna Christensen BA is economic development director for the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership. Her position helps McMinnville businesses grow. Previously, she was sales operations manager at Cuneo Cellars, responsible for growing Cuneo’s retail sales program. Christensen has served on the Yamhill Valley Visitors Association board and McMinnville Mayor’s Charity Ball auction committee and has volunteered with the Girl Scouts of America and Boy Scouts of America. She and her husband, Rick Smithrud, have three children: Christian, 14, Lexie, 12, and Sören, 7.

Clifford Johnson JD and his wife climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Todd Nissen BA and family have pulled up stakes and two of their three pets and moved to Bonn, Germany, where Nissen works in corporate communications at Ford Motor Company. Kids now clock in at Jack, 12, Tom, 10, and Edie, 8.

1985

Constance Abel-Rojas Haines BA relocated to southern Oregon after 20-plus years in the Portland area. Following many years as a counselor in Multnomah County jails and interpreter in federal court, she continues her career in social work, coordinating volunteers for CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates for Children). She is also a child advocate in the court system. Her oldest son, a sophomore, plays varsity basketball, and her junior high son plays on a traveling soccer team. Her husband keeps busy as an anesthesiologist. They enjoy river rafting, home restoration, and attending the symphony whenever they’re up north. 

1986

Brita Doty BA finished her master’s degree in public health at Dartmouth Medical School in 2004 and is now working as a research coordinator at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, New York. She’s spent a lot of time over the past 15 years running marathons in different parts of the United States and Canada, including a couple of Boston’s.

Michelle McComb BA is an assistant attorney general covering child and adult protection cases. In her former life, she was a public defender. She married a lawyer and they have two daughters, ages 12 and 3. She would love to hear from Pat or anyone from the Egypt trip. 

1987

Arts & Sciences 20th Reunion Oct. 18-21, 2007

Law School 20th Reunion Aug. 17-18, 2007

Karen Black BA is executive assistant to the vice president of facility services at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, her home away from home. Come visit!

Kyle Martin BA ‘87, JD ‘91 is now the attorney in charge of the Business Activities Section of the General Counsel Division with the Oregon Department of Justice. Before joining the Department of Justice in 1999, Martin had been a securities enforcement attorney for the Hawaii Securities Enforcement Unit and a securities compliance officer for the Oregon Division of Finance and Corporate Securities.

Cindee Matyas JD has been elected to the Clatsop County Circuit Court. Previously, she was a municipal court judge for the city of Cannon Beach and a pro tem municipal court judge for the cities of Cannon Beach, Astoria, Seaside, and Warrenton.

1988

Blair Bobier JD, a political activist and Corvallis-area lawyer, has joined the campaign staff of Pat LaMarche, the Maine Green Independent Party candidate for governor. Bobier, a founder of Oregon’s Pacific Green Party, coordinates the LaMarche campaign’s public policy and community outreach programs.

Dave Jorgensen JD is the managing partner of Ing, Horikawa, Jorgensen & Stewart in Maui. Jorgensen practices in the areas of real estate, administrative law, estate planning, and civil litigation. He and wife Mits have two daughters, Megan, 14, and Amanda, 12.

Wendy Paris JD  and Gary Abbott JD ‘72 announce the formation of Abbott & Paris, with offices in downtown Portland.

Gail Vore JD has joined the new Portland firm Kivel & Howard, which practices in the areas of real estate, business, estate planning, succession planning, and charitable giving.

1989

William “Barney” Later JD has left his position as of counsel to Steenson, Schumann, Tewksbury, Creighton, and Rose and opened the Law Offices of William N. Later in downtown Portland.

James Ustasiewski JD has been appointed by the American Bar Association as chair of the ABA’s Forest Resources Committee for 2006-07. Ustasiewski continues to represent the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska as a senior counsel with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.