McCoy heads Alumni Association
By Ann Kinkley

McCoy heads Alumni Association
By Ann Kinkley

They are "portable billboards" according 2001-2002 OSU Alumni Association president Nancy McCoy, ’65. That’s what she calls Beaver license plates.

And McCoy would like to see a lot more of them as she regularly commutes to Corvallis from her home in Sherman County.

McCoy and her brothers all graduated from Oregon State (Erskine Austin, ’62 and Larry Austin, ’69.) But her road to the presidency of the Alumni Association began with a suggestion six years ago from Steve Burnet, ’63, that she should consider accepting an opening on the board. Even after 10 years of living out of state, she said, "I never let go of my link with OSU, which has always been dear to my heart. My work with the Association has been so much more than I ever imagined. I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve as president."

Enthusiasm about the Beaver license plates was the "first thing to get me standing up and talking at board meetings," according to McCoy. She had investigated their scholarship-earning potential and helped present the idea to board members in 1996. More than 1,000 automobiles have Beaver plates. In the past fiscal year almost $30,000 was raised through this program and distributed to students through university and athletic scholarships.

McCoy received a bachelor’s degree from OSU in science education in 1965. She earned her master’s degree in education from Stanford University in 1967. In 1975 she, her husband, Tom McCoy, and their two daughters returned to Oregon to operate a wheat farm near Wasco. For 12 years, she served as Sherman County treasurer.

McCoy’s goals this year include promotion of the university through increased alumni networking efforts, helping with student recruitment, and improving the social, cultural, and educational programs of the Association.

With the assistance of the Student Alumni Association, the OSUAA is currently developing a career-mentoring program that will be available through the Internet. When it’s up and running, the service will link OSU graduates to authorities in a wide range of fields. McCoy has studied other university’s student alumni associations and is impressed with the discussions that OSUAA executive director Dwayne Foley has had with the OSU Student Alumni Association.

"We hope our talented and accomplished alumni and friends will volunteer their expertise for this program," McCoy says. "This will add a new value to our young alumni and encourage them to become Association members."

She has plans to encourage alumni to assist the university in its student recruitment efforts through hosting receptions, meeting prospective students at career fairs, being more visible in communities and alerting admission officers to potential star students.

She mentions alumni tailgaters and picnics, the Association’s travel program, and cultural events like the recent reception at the Portland Chinese Gardens and the Linus Pauling Exhibit at OMSI as ways of "spreading the good news about OSU" —especially through the efforts and contributions of the dues-paying members of the OSUAA.

Nancy McCoy is looking forward to her year of presidency and reminds fellow alumni, "the next time you renew your license plate – ask for a Beaver!"

Alumni Association events on Web

Want information on an upcoming class reunion? Interested in participating in Homecoming events, tailgaters or alumni travel trips? Scheduled Alumni Association activities and information about how to sign up for them are included on the Web at http://osu.orst.edu/dept/alumni/events.html.

Photo caption: Jean Starker Roth (second from left) receives congratulations from OSUAA President Mike Macnab (left) and OSU President Paul Risser and Les Risser.

Jean Starker Roth, ’42, a Corvallis community volunteer and philanthropist has been named the 2001 recipient of the E.B. Lemon Distinguished Alumni Award at OSU.

Sponsored annually by the OSU Alumni Association, the award is the highest honor given by the Association to OSU graduates.

Roth is the daughter of T.J. Starker, the first recipient of the E.B. Lemon Award and one of the first four graduates of the university’s forestry school.

She received her bachelor of science degree from Oregon State College in 1942 in home economics. She taught for two years at Blue River High School and then worked for the OSU Extension Service’s Clatsop County Office for four years. She continued for many years to judge food and clothing events at fairs and other events.

Roth is an honorary trustee of the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation in Corvallis and recently co-chaired the hospital’s campaign for a new regional heart center. She has been involved with the Majestic Theatre, the Horner Museum Society and the OSU Folk Club in Corvallis.

She has been a strong supporter of Oregon 4-H programs and has served as trustee of the Oregon 4-H Foundation. Her family provided the funds to build a swimming pool at the 4-H Center, and she continues to help financially to support and improve the pool.

Throughout her life, Roth has been an active supporter of OSU. She served as the first chair of the College of Home Economics Development Council. She led efforts to raise funds for the Mercedes Bates Family Study Center and was one of the major contributors to the center.

She has been a trustee of the OSU Foundation since 1989 and is a member of the OSU Foundation Scholarship Awards Committee. She has been a member of the Presidents Club since 1975 and is former chair of the OSU Foundation Presidents Club Committee and former vice chair of the OSU Foundation Real Property Committee. She was named the "Presidents Club Most Honored Member" last year.

Roth has contributed to a wide variety of university programs including marine mammal research, athletics, scholarships, the Trustee Leadership Fund, the Valley Football Center, the CH2M-HILL Alumni Center and The Valley Library.

Her late husband, Kermit Roth, graduated from Oregon State in 1948. Three of the couple’s four children are OSU alumni.

Alumni and friends gathered in Washington, D.C., in April for a social cosponsored by the OSU Alumni Association and OSU National Capital Chapter. Enjoying the event are (left to right) Kerry Ross; Bill Garber, ’96; Brian Fortune, ’93; Allison Davies; Saji Prelis, ’98, ’99; and Debra Phelps, ’96, ’99.

Classes Without Quizzes
Interested in touring OSU’s College of Engineering wave lab and radiation center or playing with TekBots? Want to learn more about weather forecasting, Islamic fundamentalism or American film censorship?

The Alumni College is offering "Classes Without Quizzes," short one-hour courses, during Homecoming weekend to expose alumni and the general public to some of OSU’s programs and faculty expertise.

The program will be held Friday, Oct. 26 at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center. A morning shuttle tour will provide participants an insider’s glimpse into some of the College of Engineering’s projects and facilities.

OSU Provost Tim White will speak at a noon luncheon, followed by the one-hour classes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The registration fee for all or any part of the program is $5. Lunch is an additional $10. For further information contact (541) 737-2676 or (800) 235-6559. Preregistration by Oct. 18 is preferred and required for participants planning on having lunch

	Alumni and friends participating in OSU Alumni Days at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in June had a chance to view displays and talk with shark expert Jim Wharton (right).

	Left: Former OSU president John Byrne and his wife, Shirley, chat with OSU Alumni Association Director Dwayne Foley at the Corvallis picnic.
	One of the picnics was held in Corvallis.

They came back after the war, some with spouses and families in tow, eager to finish their education and head out into the world. Some came straight from high school, full of energy and youthful pranks. But what has the class of 1951 been up to for the last 50 years? Stories were abundant during the weekend celebration that was held June 1-3 at the Alumni Center. Here is a glimpse into some of the fascinating activities of members of the class of ’51.
Herb Holbeck used his civil engineering degree from OSC for a 42-year career working with the Explorer, Pioneer, Mariner and Hubble Recovery space missions.

	Alumni, spouses and guests enjoy dancing at this year’s Golden Jubilee Reunion, held at the Alumni Center. The Alumni Association hosts the reunion annually for alumni who have been out of college for at least 50 years. One of the highlights is a luncheon at which new members are inducted into the Golden Jubilee Association.

In October 2000, Margie Evenson Allen’s synchronized swimming team became national champions at the Masters National Competition in Washington D.C.

One of the many jobs Jo Byerley Barrett has held was serving as a volunteer director of the Vision of Christian Coffee House for 15 years in Portland.

Val Don Hickerson’s favorite memory at OSC was dancing and listening to Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the MU Ballroom.

Bob Barnett remembers the time his physics electronics lab teacher left the room and "Willi Unsoeld began a tale. The class became riveted as Willi described how he found himself pinned on a vertical rock wall. At this critical moment, the lab instructor returned, wanting to know about our progress in the lab experiment. Nobody gave a whit about the experiment, but Willi was silenced, ending the story. To this day, I do not know how Willi got out of this scrape." Unsoeld, also class of 1951, was killed in an avalanche on Mt. Ranier in 1979. He helped form the OSC Mountain Club in 1947 and was shown unfurling the club’s flag on top of Mt. Everest in the August 1963 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

Marilyn Christopher Krahn has been busy operating her family furniture store in McCall, Idaho.

Jackie Jacobs Rusch has enjoyed traveling to Africa and is currently secretary of a local Jaguar Owners Club.

Pat Kelly Swan, along with her husband, Bob, published over the years the Milwaukie Review, the Roseville Press Tribune and the Charbonneau Villager.

Glenn Klein spent his career working with the OSU Extension Service, representing OSU at local, regional and national levels.

Richard Laine has had many top finishes in his age group in 50-100 mile marathon trail runs.
Welcome to the new members of the OSU Golden Jubilee Association!