Class Notes

Shelley Müller (Nash) married Thomas Müller in 2013. They reside in Houston, Texas, with their three furkids, Peanut, Lucy, and Rio. Shelley received her J.D. in 2005 from the University of Houston Law Center. She practiced law from 2005-2012. Shelley received her M.A. in Psychology in 2011 from the University of Houston - Victoria. She practices in Houston as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Thomas is self-employed as a carpenter/woodworker with his company Wooden Wonderful (woodenwonderful.com).

Aloha - Wondering if there are any UOAA functions on Maui. - I see there is a "Ducks on the Beach" event happening on Oahu. Thanks - Corey

Denise Dirks was born in Eugene, Oregon and grew up in the Medford, Oregon area. She graduated from Central Point Crater High School. The daughter of a well known fallen police officer, Lane County Sheriff Detective Roy Dirks, Denise received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. She graduated with her law degree from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. Ms. Dirks is the managing partner of the Law Offices of Denise L. Dirks with offices located throughout Northern California. She handles primarily Family law matters. However this success was not enough for this attorney. Ms. Dirks pushed herself into Radio and is now starting to become a successful radio co-host on the popular show, Radio Law Talk.

The host of Radio Law Talk, Frederick Penney, has a company that is part owner in some California radio stations. Having ties in the radio industry has allowed Mr. Penney to pull three time Northern California Emmy Award nominee Cal Hunter into the studio to produce Radio Law Talk. The radio show is fun, exciting, entertaining and yes informative.

The host, Frederick Penney is a personal injury attorney, and co-hosts Denise Dirks is a family law attorney and Todd Kuhnen is a criminal law attorney. Occasional co-host, Chris Rodriguez is a corporate, general civil and employment attorney. Radio Law Talk has law students from all over the United States, research current topics and the law. The students are given a $100 scholarship and an autographed mug. Their names and that of their respective law schools are announced each week on the show.

Denise Dirks is one of the most important personalities needed for the show. She says that "Yes I am the stable figure among the four of us and I am there not only to discuss the latest topics of the law but also to rein in the three crazy guys when they forge off topic. We make the show fun, entertaining and informative, but I am the one that keeps the unruly guys on task. We all love the law and it shows.”

The show opened live on Saturday mornings for one hour in April 2017. Soon the radio stations were asking for 3 hours and were interested in putting the show on the air three hours every Saturday from nine to noon. By December 2017, Radio Law Talk is now in a three hour format on SRN satellite radio and can be found on stations throughout California, Nevada, Minnesota, Texas and soon Illinois. Future states are being contemplated including other stations throughout California.

"The show is becoming fabulously successful and it is crazy just trying to hold on to the speed at which it is growing. We have already done live shows at a fair and we are planning on live shows from other venues. It is exciting to see how fast things are moving. I have a network of attorneys in most states that can answer legal questions on certain topics if needed. These attorneys can answer questions from callers within a reasonable period of time,” states Frederick Penney.

In the Sacramento Region where the show airs, it can be heard every Saturday on KTKZ AM 1380 and KAHI AM 950. KAHI keeps the show on podcast for one week until the next show airs.

If you are not near a radio station, you can listen live every Saturday from 9:06 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard time at www.radiolawtalk.com . You can also download and hear all of Radio Law Talk podcasts on the website as well.

Denise Dirks Class of 1985

In 2016 Dr. Jason Houston was named Director of Gonzaga University in Florence, a branch campus of Gonzaga University in Florence, Italy. Gonzaga in Florence has hosted students from Gonzaga and other partner universities in Florence since 1963. In his first year Houston has increased the program's community engagement efforts, including co-hosting with RFK Center for Human Rights Italia a symposium on human rights and terrorism, immigration, and women. GIF hosts nearly 500 students annually.

Seth Ehlinger, BArch ’02, joined Ascent Architecture and Interiors in Bend as a design professional. He has 15 years of experience in the design and construction industries. Previously, he was a licensed general contractor operating his own design-build company.

Julia (Grover) and Kevin Holmquist welcomed their son, Sebastien Charles Holmquist on May 29, 2017 at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, CA. Sebastien weighed 6 lbs. 5 ounces, and measured 22 inches tall at birth.

United States Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel (ret) 27 Years service, retired December, 2002. Air Traffic Control Officer

Current employment: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Air Traffic Control Specialist, FAA HQ, Washington D.C. 13+ years federal civil service

Masters Degree Psychology/Human Behavior, 1988, National University

Hobbies: working out, youth sports coach, watching old/classic movies

Ginger Leaming, BA ’65, has published her second novel “Never Done” (The Wild Rose Press, 2017). An historical fiction piece inspired by the life of her great-grandmother, the story takes place in southwestern Colorado c.1885 to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.

Former UO School of Journalism dean Everette E. Dennis, BS ’64, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dennis is currently the dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar; at Northwestern’s home campus, he is a professor in the Medill School of Journalism. 

Harry F. Noller, PhD ’65, received the prestigious 2017 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

Leesa Mayfield, MArch ’05, owner of Leesa Mayfield Architecture, was the speaker for the Sterling Women of Winchester, Virginia luncheon on February 14. Mayfield has served on numerous boards and her architectural focus is residential design.

Albert A. Menashe, BS ’71, cofounder and shareholder of Gevurtz Menashe Larson & Howe law firm in Portland, was awarded the Classic Wines Auction Koerner Rombauer Award for Service. The award recognizes individuals, who consistently serve, fund, and support the Classic Wines Auction and its benefiting charities.

A former Los Angeles Times editor, John Gottberg Anderson, BA ’71, is now a full-time freelance travel writer living in Bend. The North American Travel Journalists Association honored him in 2016 and 2017 with its Gold Award for best self-illustrated travel story.

Susan Greenlund Phinney, BS ’63, moved to Seattle right after graduation and spent 44 wildly wonderful years writing ad copy for Nordstrom; 28 years as a reporter, editor, and feature writer at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; and a stint of corporate PR. Retired for 10 years, she loves traveling, spending time at a cabin in the San Juan Islands, and volunteering for writing projects.

Tyler R. Elliott, MA ’09, JD ’09, launched a new financial planning firm, Watershed Wealth Planning LLC, in Portland. He began his career as a bankruptcy attorney, and then shifted to a financial planning focus. WWP will specialize in planning for legal, medical, tech, and other professionals who are members of generations X and Y.

David Rankin, BS ’60, MS ’68, and Dianne McKrola Rankin, BS ’60, MS ’69, were announced as Oregon’s 2016 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year. They have owned their 194-acre forestland just outside of Florence for 43 years.

Ron Wigginton, MFA ’68, recently published “Cloud Of Uncertainty” (Land Studio, 2016) containing a series of his paintings. The book’s preface is written by Peter Ruddick, whom he met at the School of Architecture and Allied Arts in 1965, and its introduction is by Peter Clothier, an art critic and writer living in Los Angeles.

On March 18, the Bamasaaba Cultural Institution hosted the launching of a new book by James E. Lassiter, MS ’75, PhD ’83, Circumcision and Coffee in Uganda: Bamasaaba Responses to Incursion, Colonialism, and Nationalism 1840—1962. The book is an account of the prehistory and cultural history of the Bamasaaba (Bagisu) ethnic group of eastern Uganda.

David Rankin, BS ’60, MS ’68, and Dianne McKrola Rankin, BS ’60, MS ’69, were announced as Oregon’s 2016 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year. They have owned their 194-acre forestland just outside of Florence for 43 years.

David Hercher (BA 77) became a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in Portland on 1/23/17.