What’s new with you matters to us.
Have you been recently promoted or started a new job? Perhaps you are starting on a new educational journey. Maybe, you are newly married or recently added to your family. Let your fellow Ducks know what is happening in your life.
When you submit a class note, it will be considered for publication in the UOAA’s monthly Shout! newsletter, posted to the UOAA alumni website, or highlighted on social media.
Featured Class Notables
Grace LeBlanc
Class of 1969
On a trip to see the northern lights in Norway, Grace LeBlanc, BS '69 (journalism), MS '73 (English), stopped at the Russian border near Kirkenes, 250 miles above the Arctic Circle.
Janice Johnson
Class of 1976
Jan Johnson, MS '76 (communication disorders and sciences), and her husband, Marty, shared Duck spirit with students from Makindu Advanced Training College, the vocational school they founded in Kenya.
Victoria Edwards
Class of 1990
Victoria Edwards, BA '90 (speech: rhetoric and communication), visited Obidos, Portugal, a walled city settled by the Romans, while attending the European Congress of Speech and Language Therapy in Cascais last May.
Kip Knight
Class of 1968
On their recent trip to Uzbekistan, Kip Knight, MEd '66 (education), DEd '68 (curriculum and instruction), and his wife, Eileen, stopped by the Tashkent Museum of Railroad Techniques.
Mike Mellum
Class of 1969
Mike Mellum, BS '69, DMD '72 (dentistry), came face-to-face with the famous stone figures known as moai ("statue") when he visited Easter Island in February.
Grace LeBlanc
Class of 1969
Grace LeBlanc, BS '69 (journalism), MA '73 (English), left teaching in Salem after 23 years in 1991, but continued in staff development. She retired in 2001, lives in Portland, works as an educational consultant, and travels as often as possible.
Sandra Gangle
Class of 1968
Sandra Smith Gangle, MA '68 (French), a retired Oregon lawyer and labor arbitrator, received the "Maggie" Emerita Award from the Oregon Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association for a career in labor relations of more than 30 years.
Harlen Springer
Class of 1970
HARLEN SPRINGER, BA ’70 (management), appointed to the Oregon Arts Commission in 2019, was named vice chair.
Jacob Werner
Class of 2000
Jacob Werner, BS '00 (political science), was named to the chairman's council of D.A. Davidson Companies, a financial planning firm in Bozeman, Montana.
Michelle Penaloza
Class of 2011
Michelle Penaloza, MFA '11 (creative writing), was the national winner of the 2018 Hillary Gravendyk Prize for her full-length collection, Former Possessions of the Spanish Empire, which will be published this fall.
Sadie Concepcion
Class of 2011
Sadie Concepcion, BA '11 (psychology), has joined Portland law firm Tonkon Torp as an associate.
Nichole Mead
Class of 2011
Nichole (Mead) Zahner, BS '11 (psychology), completed the legal requirements to become a licensed insurance and annuities agent and is an associate advisor at Finley Davis Financial Group in Eugene.
Phillip Hawkins
Class of 2012
Phil Hawkins, BS '12 (journalism: news-editorial), has been named managing editor of the Woodburn Independent.
Drew Eyman
Class of 2012
Drew Eyman, BS '12 (political science), was hired as an associate for the litigation department of Portland law firm Sussman Shank.
Haley Campbell
Class of 2016
Haley Campbell, BA '16 (planning, public policy and management), has been hired as a planner at Schirmer Satre Group, a Eugene consulting firm specializing in land-use planning, landscape architecture, and environmental resources.
Samantha Bennett
Class of 2013
Samantha Bennett, BArch '13 (architecture), was hired as a project architect at Hennebery Eddy Architects in Portland.
Andrew Loia
Class of 2018
Andrew Loia, MArch '18 (architecture), was hired at FFA Architecture and Interiors in Portland.
Daniel Alton
Class of 2017
Danny Alton, BS '17 (human physiology), was hired as a resident reserve firefighter at South Lane County Fire and Rescue.
Derek Buchheit
Class of 2018
Derek Buchheit, BS '18 (business administration), has been hired as the Corvallis Knights baseball team's first box office and facilities manager.
Nadja Quiroz
Class of 2018
Nadja Quiroz, MLA '18 (landscape architecture), was hired as landscape designer for GreenWorks in Portland.