Museum Presents Lecture, Discussion and Documentary Film

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University will present several free educational programs to help contextualize its exhibition When 6 WAS 9: Rock Posters from San Francisco, 1966-71, on display through Aug. 26.

All events are free and will be held in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the museum.

Salem collector Gary Westfjord, whose 56 posters are featured in the exhibition, will present a lecture June 8 from 5 to 6 p.m. on the history of rock posters during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The posters, used to promote concerts at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium and Avalon Ballroom, were created by Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse and other major poster artists. They are characterized by their psychedelic colors and powerful imagery.

The documentary film “Monterey Pop” will be shown June 14 at 7 p.m. The film features the Monterey International Pop Festival, held in June 1967, which captured the mood, spirit and tempo of the 1960s and helped launch the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and others.

Bob Schnepf, a 1960s poster artist and longtime Portland resident featured in the exhibition, will participate in a roundtable discussion with Westfjord and Museum Director John Olbrantz on June 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. They will discuss the San Francisco music scene.

In addition to these programs, the Humanities and Communications Department/Film Studies Program at Chemeketa Community College and the Historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem will present “Altered States: The Cinema of the Sixties,” at the Elsinore during the summer months. For more information on films in that series, call (503) 375-3574 or visit www.elsinoretheatre.com.

When 6 WAS 9: Rock Posters from San Francisco, 1966-71 has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the campus of Willamette University. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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McGuirk Named NCAA Division III Women’s Track and Field National Coach of the Year

Willamette University Head Coach Matt McGuirk has been named NCAA Division III Women’s Track and Field National Coach of the Year for 2007, as selected by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

McGuirk previously was selected NCAA Division III Men’s Track and Field National Coach of the Year in 2004. He led the Willamette women’s track and field team to its sixth consecutive Northwest Conference (NWC) championship this spring, as the Bearcats took first place at the NWC meet by more than a two-to-one margin. Ten athletes (plus a relay alternate) competed for the Willamette women’s team at the NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championships this past weekend in Wisconsin.

“This is a great honor for Matt and our track and field program,” said Mark Majeski, Willamette Director of Athletics. “He develops well-rounded young men and women who maximize their potential as athletes and human beings. Matt’s accomplishments provide a model for Division III athletics and one to which all coaches should aspire.”

Last week, McGuirk was named NCAA Division III West Region Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year for the third time, and in the fall he was chosen 2006 NCAA Division III West Region Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. He was named West Region Coach of the Year in men’s and women’s track and field in 2004 and 2005.

McGuirk joined the Willamette coaching staff in 1999 as interim head coach of men’s cross country, assistant women’s cross country coach and assistant men’s and women’s track and field coach. He became head coach of men’s cross country in 2000 and has been the head coach of the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams since the spring of 2004.

“You don’t get one of those awards [National Coach of the Year] unless you’ve got great people around you,” McGuirk said. “Our coaching staff is excellent and of course our athletes are, too.”

McGuirk has been selected NWC Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year all four years since becoming head coach. He was named NWC Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

McGuirk has guided both of Willamette’s track and field teams to national rankings this season. The women’s team is ranked fourth in the USTFCCCA Poll for NCAA Division III, while the men’s team is ranked 19th.

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Zerzan Finishes Second in 5,000-Meter Run at NCAA Championships

OSHKOSH, Wisc. — Willamette University’s Sarah Zerzan (Jr., San Carlos, CA/Notre Dame HS) took second place in the finals of the 5,000-meter race at the NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championships May 26 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Zerzan, who won the NCAA Division III women’s cross country national title in the fall, registered a time of 16.51.18 Saturday to finish less than two seconds out of the lead. Shauneen Garrahan, a senior from Amherst College, won the race in 16:49.54 to set a J.J. Keller Field record.

“Sarah almost pulled it out. The other girl [Garrahan] didn’t pass her until the last straight away, the final 80 yards or so,” said Willamette Head Coach Matt McGuirk.

Zerzan was running at the national championships for the second year in a row. Last season, she finished 11th in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:41.82.

In the final race of this year’s event, the Willamette 4x400-meter relay team took fifth place in a fast race for the championship. Wartburg College won the race in 3:44.20, setting a J.J. Keller Field record and earning the top time in Division III this season.

Willamette finished the relay in 3:47.42, as Andrea May (Sr., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS), Jennifer Luecht (Fr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS), Lydia Marsalli (Fr., Klamath Falls, OR/Klamath Union HS) and Mariah Hanson (Sr., Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap HS) broke the school record by 43 one-hundredths of a second. The previous record, set at the NCAA National Championships a year ago by May, Lindsey Patterson, Jordyn Smith (Jr., Henderson, NV/Green Valley HS) and Hanson, was 3:47.85.

“It was a very physical race with lots of contact,” McGuirk said. “I think our ladies, especially the freshmen running the second and third legs [Luecht and Marsalli], were really good at not getting intimidated. All of our relay runners ran their best relay splits of the year. It was a great way to finish the meet.”

Jordyn Smith finished seventh in the finals of the women’s 800-meter run. Smith, who completed the race in 2:11.82, was less than a second out of fifth place and just over a second away from fourth. Heidi Porter of Wartburg won the event in 2:09.49 for a J.J. Keller Field record.

Zerzan, a two-time All-America selection in cross country, added track and field All-America honors on Saturday. All-America status also went to Smith and to all of the runners on Willamette’s 4x400-meter relay team. For Smith and May, this was their third straight All-America season.

Representing the men’s track and field team Saturday was Grant Piros (So., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS), who competed in the javelin throw. Piros recorded a toss of 181’ 11” for sixth place in the first flight, but did not advance to the finals.

The Willamette women finished in 18th place in the team standings with 14 points.

“We went to nationals with a whole lot of young kids, and we came out with six All-American awards,” McGuirk said. “That’s a pretty good week.”

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Bearcats Selected for National Championships

Indianapolis — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced its selections for the 2007 NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championships. Willamette University will be represented by two members of the men’s team and six members of the women’s squad, plus both women’s relay teams. The National Championships will be held May 24–26 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

“We’re really excited because we’re bringing a large group, a fine mix of newcomers with veterans,” Willamette University track and field head coach Matt McGuirk said. “It should be a very fun weekend. And after not having any men’s team members with previous experience at nationals, we had two guys get into the meet, so that’s exciting, too.”

Leading the list of selections for the Bearcats is Sarah Zerzan (Jr., San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame HS). Zerzan, who won the NCAA Division III individual women’s national championship in cross country last fall, achieved the top time among all athletes selected to compete in the women’s 5,000-meter run. Her qualifying time of 16:28.54 set Willamette University and Charles Bowles Track records. Zerzan, who also earned an automatic qualifying time in the 1,500-meter run at 4:31.52, will be competing only in the 5,000-meter run at the National Championships.

Mariah Hanson (Sr., Poulsbo, Wash./North Kitsap HS) will compete in the 400-meter dash. Her qualifying time was 56.86 seconds. Jordyn Smith (Jr., Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) will run for the Bearcats in the 800-meter run, after registering a qualifying time of 2:10.87. Smith also qualified in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:02.34, but will concentrate on the 800 at the National Championships. She is seeded sixth in the race.

Other individual competitors set to compete for the Willamette women’s team next weekend are Maddie Coffman (So., Boise, Idaho/Boise HS) in the 1,500-meter run, Andrea May (Sr., Bellingham, Wash./Sehome HS) in the 100-meter hurdles and Jena Winger (So., Bonney Lake, Wash./Sumner HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Coffman’s top time in the 1,500 was 4:32.99. May qualified in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.72 seconds, while Winger registered a time of 10:52.71 in the steeplechase to set a Willamette record and qualify for the National Championships.

Both of the Willamette women’s relay teams will compete in Oshkosh for national titles. The 4 x 100-meter relay team of Autum Schmeck (Fr., Beaverton, Ore./Aloha HS), Lydia Marsalli (Fr., Klamath Falls, Ore./Klamath Union HS), Kaitlin St. John (Fr., Bend, Ore./Mountain View HS) and May earned its entry with a time of 48.19 seconds at the Western Oregon Last Chance Meet. The time set a new Bearcat record.

“Three-quarters of the relay (4 x 100) are freshmen,” McGuirk said. “It’s great for them to get in, to be in their first year and be going to nationals.”

WU’s 4 x 400-meter relay team includes Hanson, Jennifer Luecht (Fr., Milwaukie, Ore./Rex Putnam HS), Marsalli and May. Willamette’s qualifying time in the 4 x 400 relay was 3:50.19 during the Western Oregon Twilight Meet April 27.

The actual makeup of the relay teams will be determined by McGuirk and his assistants later in the week. Any of Willamette’s female athletes who have already been selected for the National Championships may run in one or both relay events. Also, Katie Klein (So., Forest Grove, Ore./Forest Grove HS), a sprinter who has participated in Willamette’s relays this season, will make the trip to the National Championships as a relay alternate.

Grant Piros (So., Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) in the javelin throw and Julio Vieyra (Sr., Salem, Ore./McKay HS) in the 1,500-meter run will represent the WU men’s team at the National Championships. Piros is seeded seventh in the javelin with a throw of 199’ 3”. Vieyra qualified in the 1,500 by achieving a time of 3:52.57.

Willamette has an outstanding history in track and field competition. The men’s team has benefited from the efforts of 25 All-Americans in NCAA Division III. Willamette’s men tied for third at the National Championships in 2004 and finished fourth in 2005. The Bearcat men have won nine individual national championships in Division III to go with five individual national titles in the NAIA.

The Bearcat women’s team has included 33 All-Americans in Division III. Willamette’s women tied for 11th at the National Championships in 2005. Willamette athletes on the women’s team have claimed one individual national title in Division III plus four individual national titles in the NAIA.

Willamette’s National Championship Entries

Men:
Grant Piros, Javelin Throw, 199’ 3”
Julio Vieyra, 1,500-Meter Run, 3:52.57

Women:
Maddie Coffman, 1,500-Meter Run, 4:32.99
Mariah Hanson, 400-Meter Dash, 56.86
Andrea May, 100-Meter Hurdles, 14.72
Jordyn Smith, 800-Meter Run, 2:10.87
Jena Winger, 3,000-Meter Steeplechase, 10:52.71
Sarah Zerzan, 5,000-Meter Run, 16:28.54

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Jones Named NCAA Division III Second Team All-America

Willamette University junior rower Laura Jones (Boise, Idaho/Boise HS) has received a prestigious honor by being named NCAA Division III Second Team All-America by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) for the 2006-07 season. The CRCA Pocock All-America squad includes eight rowers on the first team and eight rowers on the second team.

“Laura Jones works hard,” said Willamette Head Coach Susan Parkman. “Her work ethic is contagious, and she is able to row either side and to row in any seat. Her goal is to win and to do all she can in preparation and on race day to assure she is not alone with her goals. Her ability to build a team through her actions is evidenced by our team’s improvement with each race.”

Jones helped Willamette rank third in the Northwest Region of NCAA Division III in the women’s varsity eights and first in the Northwest Region in the women’s varsity fours. She was a leader as Willamette took second place in the Petite Final at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships and placed seventh at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (NCRC) Championships. Jones also helped WU place fifth in the Grand Final for women’s varsity fours at the WIRA Championships. WU’s fifth place finish was the top result for an NCAA Division III crew in the WV4 race.

The Willamette women’s varsity eight is ranked #20 this week in the cMax rankings for NCAA Division III. Other Northwest teams in the rankings are the University of Puget Sound at #4, Pacific Lutheran University at #8 and Lewis & Clark College at #22.

Jones recently was chosen to participate in the U.S. Rowing National Team Development Camp and at the Women’s National Team Freshman Camp, both this summer. She was one of just 22 rowers and two coxswains selected for the Freshman Camp.

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Dempsey Foundation Funds Environmental Chair at Willamette

The Dempsey Foundation has endowed The Dempsey Chair in Environmental Policy and Politics at Willamette University.

The $1.5 million endowment will support an endowed chair in the Environmental and Earth Sciences Department in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA.) The endowed chair furthers Willamette’s commitment to interdisciplinary and collaborative teaching and research in environmental science. The chair holder will also coordinate the nationally recognized Dempsey Environmental Lecture Series with a focus on environmental concerns such as forest management, sustainability and conservation.

The first occupant of the Dempsey Chair will be Professor Joe Bowersox, who has taught politics at Willamette University since 1993 and who has served as chair of the University’s Sustainability Council since 2004. He published work has focused on forest management and environmental politics.

Willamette University has 17 endowed chairs: 10 in CLA, two in the College of Law, four in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management and one chair that rotates among the three schools. Endowed chairs, awarded to faculty members who exemplify the highest standards of scholarship, offer financial assistance with publication, collaborative research and programmatic enhancements.

Willamette University President M. Lee Pelton said, “The timing of this gift is particularly meaningful. Willamette is now part of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, a pledge to broaden our pedagogy to involve students and faculty in the challenges of climate change and its influence on global ecological and social systems.

“Additionally, Willamette was recently recognized for our commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility in the construction and design of Kaneko Commons. The residence hall is currently being considered for a LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating of silver or gold with its energy saving systems, lighting, water recovery and sustainable building materials. With these efforts in mind, we believe the Dempsey Chair in Environmental Policy and Politics is the perfect match for Willamette University.”

The Dempsey Foundation will provide a gift of $500,000 to be added to an earlier gift of $1 million, which in 2004 created the Dempsey Environmental Science Fund.

Heather K. Dempsey graduated from the Environmental and Earth Sciences Department at Willamette University in 1997 and has been a University Trustee since 2004. She presented the gift on behalf of the Dempsey Foundation at the May 12 Board of Trustee meeting.

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Exhibition of Rock Posters Marks Summer of Love Anniversary

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University will mark the 40th anniversary of the “Summer of Love” — when thousands of young people flocked to San Francisco for free love, drugs and rock ’n’ roll — with an exhibition featuring rock posters created in the Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. When 6 WAS 9: Rock Posters from San Francisco, 1966-71, featuring 56 posters from the collection of Salem resident Gary Westfjord, will be on display May 26 to Aug. 26.

The museum will present a free lecture, roundtable discussion and film in conjunction with the exhibition. On June 8 from 5 to 6 p.m., Westfjord will give a lecture on the history of rock posters. The museum will show the documentary film “Monterey Pop” June 14 at 7 p.m. Poster artist Bob Schnepf, Westfjord and Museum Director John Olbrantz will have a roundtable discussion June 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. about the San Francisco music scene. All events are free and will be held in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the museum.

Included in the exhibition will be posters by major San Francisco poster artists of the period, including Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley, Bonnie Maclean, Stanley Mouse, Victor Moscoso, Bob Schnepf and Wes Wilson. These posters, remarkable for their strong design, psychedelic colors and powerful imagery, promoted concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium and the Avalon Ballroom by such legendary performers as Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and others.

Originally tacked on telephone poles and displayed in storefronts, the posters were commissioned by music impresarios Bill Graham and Chet Helms and were often given away at weekly concerts. In recent years their value as works of art has been firmly established as they have been featured in major exhibitions in San Diego, New York and elsewhere.

A companion exhibition, American Music Posters, 1935-2007, will be presented at the Bush Barn Art Center in Salem from July 6 to Aug. 5. The Bush Barn Art Center is located at 600 Mission St., in Bush’s Pasture Park. For more information, call (503) 581-2228.

When 6 WAS 9: Rock Posters from San Francisco, 1966-71 is supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the campus of Willamette University. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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Willamette University Sends Off Class of 2007

Libby Appel, longtime artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, will deliver the Willamette University College of Liberal Arts commencement address Sunday, May 13.

Appel also will be awarded an honorary doctor of fine arts degree. Other honorary degree recipients are Mercy Corps founder Dan O’Neill, honorary doctor of humane letters; physicist and Professor Carl E. Wieman, honorary doctor of science; and Cao Jianming, vice president of the People’s Supreme Court in China, honorary doctor of laws.

The College of Law commencement speaker is Steven T. Wax, federal public defender for the District of Oregon, and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management speaker is Tim Boyle, president and CEO of Columbia Sportswear Company.

The College of Liberal Arts will award 489 bachelor’s degrees, the College of Law 156 JD and LLM degrees, Atkinson 57 MBA degrees, and the School of Education 92 MAT degrees.

The College of Liberal Arts and School of Education will hold commencement at 3 p.m. on the Quad. The College of Law ceremony is at 11:30 a.m. on the Quad. Atkinson Graduate School of Management’s commencement is at 9 a.m. in Hudson Hall.

College of Liberal Arts
Commencement speaker Libby Appel is the first woman to hold the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s top artistic post. For 15 seasons, she has served as artistic director on numerous plays, including The Winter’s Tale, Bus Stop, Richard III, Richard II, Macbeth, The Trip to Bountiful, Three Sisters, King Lear and Henry VI Parts One, Two and Three, for which she also was co-director. She has directed more than 50 plays at more than 20 professional theatre companies, and has served as dean and artistic director at the School of Theatre at the California Institute of the Arts, and head of the acting program at California State University, Long Beach. Appel wrote Mask Characterization: An Acting Process, created and produced the video Inter/Face: The Actor and the Mask, and is co-author of two plays, Shakespeare’s Women and Shakespeare’s Lovers.

Honorary degree recipient Dan O’Neill founded Mercy Corps in 1981, and since then the agency has generated more than $1 billion in humanitarian aid in more than 81 countries, assisting children and families through emergency relief projects, self-help development programs and civil society initiatives. O’Neill has authored award-winning books and articles and his editorials have appeared in national and international publications.

Honorary degree recipient Carl E. Wieman, a 2001 Nobel Prize recipient, is a physicist at the University of British Columbia who in 1995 produced the first true Bose-Einstein condensate. In 1998 he was awarded the Lorentz Medal, which highlights important contributions to theoretical physics, and he also has received the National Science Foundation’s highest honor for excellence in both teaching and research.

Honorary degree recipient Cao Jianming is a well-known international trade and economic law scholar and serves as justice and executive vice president of the People’s Supreme Court in China. He has numerous honors in international law, and he spent most of his career at East China University of Politics and Law serving as professor, associate dean, dean of the international law department, vice president and president.

College of Law
Commencement speaker Steven T. Wax is the federal public defender for the District of Oregon. He is a frequent writer and speaker on federal criminal issues, and has been the attorney in a number of high-profile cases, including several involving Guantanamo Bay detainees. Wax is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Districts of Oregon, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Atkinson Graduate School of Management
Commencement speaker Tim Boyle is the president and CEO of Columbia Sportswear Company, one of the largest outerwear brands in the world and the leading seller of skiwear in the U.S. Boyle oversees operations of the company from its Portland headquarters. In 1992, he and his mother, Columbia Chairwoman Gert Boyle, were co-recipients of Inc. Magazine’s Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year award. Boyle is a board member of Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, Northwest Natural and Oregon Trout.

For more information about Willamette University’s commencement, call (503) 370-6209 or go online to www.willamette.edu/events/commencement/schedules.

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