Class Notes

PhD ’01 (English), director of the Center for the Study of the American West at West Texas A&M University, gave a guest lecture February 23 at the University of Alaska—Fairbanks on Western American studies, climate work, and other topics.

PhD ’00 (philosophy), a professor of twenty years at Central Washington University, was appointed to the third seat of the Ellensburg School Board.

BS ’71 (political science), a real estate broker in Roseburg, was featured in the News-Review for celebrating fifty years in the business.

BS ’67 (political science), Oregon state senator representing District 29-Athena, announced he will not seek reelection, completing his term in January 2025 and ending more than four decades in politics.

Rebecca Kistler, Class of 2015, and Sam Woodell, Class of 2014, got married in Eugene, Oregon at Silvan Ridge Winery in August 2022!

Hannah (Fuller) Carleson, BS '15 (environmental studies) has earned a Master's in Public Administration and a Certificate in Nonprofit and Public Management from Portland State University's Mark O. Hatfield School of Government.

Judy MacLean Hedreen is Chairwoman of the Board at STRASSER Woodenworks. STRASSER is a family-owned, national manufacturer of high end bathroom furniture located in Woodinville, WA.

Wayne Schroeder (BA, Political Science 1974) was named a member of the Board of Advisors of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA. He is a Fleet Seminar Professor with the US Naval War College and an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of World Politics and Marymount University.

BS '93 (biology) UOAA Lifetime Member, launched Green Progression Consulting to help clients find solutions.

Don Wilt, B.S. ’70, M.S. ’75, published Working in Tall Buildings, a lighthearted memoir in two parts. Sub-titled The Story of How I Clawed My way to the Middle, it chronicles the author’s Oregon sawmill-town upbringing and how he called on his UO J-School education to forge a career in corporate communications, a field most people — including himself — had never heard of at the time. Sales benefit the Malheur Enterprise summer intern journalism program.

Brittany Morales, BA ’13 (Political Science and Sociology) was promoted to Teaching and Learning Coordinator in the Newberg School District.

Derek Houston, BA '93 (psychology) became department head of speech, language, and hearing sciences at the University of Connecticut

I got involved with my local UOAA chapters (PDX Ducks in Portland and now Lane County Ducks in Eugene) to give back to a university that gave so much to me. It allows me to connect with other UO alumni in my area and participate in fundraising events that raise money for chapter scholarship funds. The UOAA membership dues directly support our chapters in allowing us to put on events that are fun and draw the crowds needed to sustain our annual giving goals.

Mark Frandsen BS '70 (business) has been elected chair of the Board of Trustees of Pacific University. He has also serves on the board of the Portland Art Museum and on the board of Fall Creek Nursery in Eugene, the global leader in blueberry genetics and plant supply.

After 26 years as a professor of sociology and environmental policy, first at Washington State University, and then the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), I've commenced the next chapter of my personal and professional life. As of September 1, 2022, I am an active retiree, partner, father, and grandfather, and looking forward to the months and years to come!

Juergen Voigts
Was officer in US Army for 3 years and 4 months in Arizona and West Germany. Worked for 37 years as systems analyst for Sperry - Unisys, mostly at air lines all over the world, USA, Germany, Australia, India, Yugoslavia, Poland, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and China. Then 4 more years at Lufthansa in Germany. Retired and living in Los Gatos, CA.

John Essick completed a 29-year career at Reed College in Portland in May 2022 when he retired as the David W. Brauer Professor of Physics. After earning his PhD in physics from UO, John taught at Occidental College in Los Angeles for four years before joining Reed — fulfilling a promise to his wife that they would return to Oregon. In addition to conducting research with his students, he facilitated opportunities for several of them to study with UO physics faculty. John and his wife, Katie, have three children and a grandson. They live in Portland.

Chloe Spencer is an award winning queer filmmaker, writer, and game developer who holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Film and Television from SCAD Atlanta. She has published work with sites such as Kotaku, GameLuster, and TechRadar, and also written short stories for Ghost Orchids Press, Cloaked Press, and Queer Sci-Fi. She has won a variety of awards for screenwriting— most notably a Finalist Award in the 2020 Los Angeles International Screenplay Competition for her adult animated pilot VFXX, and two simultaneous Semi-Finalist awards for her pilots Fics and Meg and May in the 2021 Unique Voices Screenplay Competition. Her MFA thesis film, Serotonin, most recently won the Best Student Film award at the January 2022 Shiny Sparkle Independent Online Film Festival and will be screened at the Atlanta Horror Festival in October 2022. She is also the author of the upcoming YA sci-fi horror novel, Monstersona, which will release with Tiny Ghost Press in February 2023. 

In her work, Chloe seeks to combine her various passions, and tell stories with poignant themes, vivid worlds, and engaging diverse characters. 

You can follow her on www.chloespenceronline.com. 

DAVID ANTONUCCIO, MA '79, PhD '80 (psychology), retired after 40 years as a clinical psychologist and reconnected with musical partner and UO roommate Michael Pierce, PhD '82 (chemistry), reconstituting their college-era band, now called RainFall, which released the new album Deluge on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Sigma Nu fraternity brothers Mike Kimball (left), BA '63 (general science), and Chris McKenzie, BS '63 (general social science), at the Saturday Farmers Market in Waimea, Hawaii.