Retiree Network – Calendar of Events, September 2018

Here are the events coming up in September:

Wednesday, September 12th, 1:00 p.m. Happy Lunch. We’ll gather this month at Milo’s City Café, 1325 NE Broadway, Portland. As always, we’ll need RSVP’s to make our reservation so please reply to the emailed version of this message or use the comment box below by Monday, September 10th.

Monday, September 17th, 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. PCC District In-Service Breakfast, kick-off for Fifth Annual Retiree Network raffle to raise funds for the Rose Scholarship.

Tuesday, September 18th, Art & Conversation, Portland Art Museum. Coffee at 9:15 a.m. in the Fields Ballroom, Mark Building; lecture at 10:15 a.m. in the Whitsell Auditorium, Main Building. This month, Grace Kook-Anderson, The Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art, will present on Picturing Oregon, a special installation of work from the Museum’s collection celebrating the geographic diversity of Oregon and the range of artist interpretations it inspires.

This series occurs monthly on the third Tuesday, is free for adults 62 and over and includes Museum admission.

Wednesday, September 26th, 11:30 a.m. Pinot & Prose Book Club.  This month our reading selection is Waking Up White by Debby Irving. Come join us for what promises to be a lively discussion. (Note: We’ve also announced our book selections for October and November, they can be found by following this link: Fall Readings.)

Wednesday, September 26th, 1:00 p.m. Retiree Network Monthly Business Meeting. As always, all retirees are welcome to join us as we plan the coming month’s activities and discuss ways in which we can continue to be of service to PCC. Tickets for the Fifth Annual Rose Scholarship raffle will be available for sale to Retirees at this meeting. The winning ticket will be drawn on October 5th at the Faculty/AP Federation meeting.

And, mark your calendar for these events coming up soon:

Wednesday, October 3rd, 11:00 a.m. PCC Foundation Annual Retiree Luncheon.  This year we’ll gather at the PCC Willow Creek Center in Washington County.  If you haven’t received your personal invitation by mail from the Foundation, let us know and we’ll pass along the information.

Friday, November 2nd, Annual PCC Foundation Scholarship Reception. An opportunity to meet students helped by your donations to the Foundation.

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Pinot & Prose Book Club Selections for Fall 2018

The Pinot & Prose book club has decided to announce its selections for multiple months so that our regular readers and others who may wish to join us will have more advanced notice of what we have selected to read.  Each of these books has been read by one or more members of the book club who have highly recommended it for our group.

Here are the books for the next three months:

For September:  Waking Up White: And Finding Myself In the Story of Race by Debby Irving

Publisher Comments
“For twenty-five years, Debby Irving sensed inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships. As a colleague and neighbor, she worried about offending people she dearly wanted to befriend. As an arts administrator, she didn’t understand why her diversity efforts lacked traction. As a teacher, she found her best efforts to reach out to students and families of color left her wondering what she was missing. Then, in 2009, one “aha!” moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan. In Waking Up White, Irving tells her often cringe-worthy story with such openness that readers will turn every page rooting for her-and ultimately for all of us.”

Our discussion of Waking Up White is scheduled for September 26th , at 11:30 a.m. at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant.

For October:  Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

“Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.

Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager–obsessed with music, food, and girls–but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.

In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier–a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders.

Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share.”

Our discussion of Beneath A Scarlet Sky is scheduled for October 24th , at 11:30 a.m. at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant.

For November:  Sisters In Law by Linda Hirshman

“The relationship between Sandra Day O Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Republican and Democrat, Christian and Jew, western rancher s daughter and Brooklyn girl transcends party, religion, region, and culture. Strengthened by each other s presence, these groundbreaking judges, the first and second to serve on the highest court in the land, have transformed the Constitution and America itself, making it a more equal place for all women.

Linda Hirshman s dual biography includes revealing stories of how these trailblazers fought for their own recognition in a male-dominated profession battles that would ultimately benefit every American woman. She also makes clear how these two justices have shaped the legal framework of modern feminism, including employment discrimination, abortion, affirmative action, sexual harassment, and many other issues crucial to women s lives.

Sisters-in-Law combines legal detail with warm personal anecdotes that bring these very different women into focus as never before. Meticulously researched and compellingly told, it is an authoritative account of our changing law and culture, and a moving story of a remarkable friendship.”

Our discussion of Sisters In Law is scheduled for November 28th , at 11:30 a.m. at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant.

 

In Memoriam: Alice Jacobson

Alice Jacobson
Jan. 16, 1946 – June 24, 2018

A beautiful light left our world when Alice Jacobson died June 24, 2018. She will be remembered by family and friends for her infectious laugh, her loyalty and her powerful love for life.  Alice, blessed with a sharp wit, strong mind and work ethic, valued education as a path to a well-lived life and committed her life to expanding educational opportunities for all.  After earning her doctorate at Columbia University, she enjoyed an inspirational 36 year career teaching and serving as college and university administrators and sharing her expertise and leadership skills on numerous boards and commissions. In retirement, she coached existing and emerging educational leaders and helped non-profit organizations to improve effectiveness.

As President of Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus (1991-2004), she was beloved for her visionary guidance, integrity and humane leadership. Her work is evidenced today in the facilities and excellent programs she initiated; but her legacy is also found in the many people she mentored and befriended.  A true educator, her greatest passion was mentoring others to succeed.

Alice was brilliant, wise, supportive, fun-loving, loyal, kind and generous. Her passing has left her family, many friends and colleagues bereft, but she is missed most by her wife, AJ Arriola, the love her life and partner of 23 years and their sweet companion, Wally.  In addition to AJ and Wally, survivors include her nephew, Steven Jamieson (Cheryl); great-nephew and great-niece, Michael and Carolyn; sister-in-law, Sue Michaels (Stu) and several cousins.  She was immediately loved and integrated into AJ’s welcoming family. Alice had numerous friends and colleagues who mourn the loss of this remarkable woman. Preceding her in death were parents, Marian and Lawrence; and brother, Larry Jr.

A “Celebration of Alice” will be held from 2 – 5 p.m., Aug. 26, 2018, at PCC’s Sylvania Campus Performing Arts Center. In memory of Alice, please consider a donation to the Alice Jacobson Scholarship Fund through the PCC Foundation PO Box 19000, Portland, OR 97280 or by visiting www.pcc.edu/give and writing her name in the tribute section.

Published in The Oregonian from July 31 to Aug. 5, 2018

Retiree Network Calendar of Events for August 2018

Here are your Retiree Network events for August, come join us!

Wednesday, August 8th, 1:00 p.m. Happy Lunch at an old Southeast Portland favorite: Papa Haydn East, (5829 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, OR 97202). We will need to make reservations, so please RSVP by Monday, August 6th.  You can RSVP reply to the emailed version of the calendar or using the comment box below.

Tuesday, August 21st, Art & Conversation, Portland Art Museum. This month, Julia Dolan, The Minor White Curator of Photography, will speak about the exhibition In the Beginning: Minor White’s Oregon Photographs. Coffee at 9:15 a.m. in the Fields Ballroom, Mark Building; lecture at 10:15 a.m. in the Whitsell Auditorium, Main Building.  This series is free for adults 62 and over and includes Museum admission.

Wednesday, August 22nd, 11:30 a.m. Pinot & Prose Book Club discussion of our summer reading selection Killers of the Flower Moon, The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. We’ll hold our discussion at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant.

Wednesday, August 22nd, 1:00 p.m. Retiree Network Monthly Business Meeting. Come join us as we begin planning for the coming academic year’s events! We’ll hold our meeting as usual at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant.

Pinot & Prose Book Club Summer 2018 Selection

The Pinot & Prose Book Club will take our annual summer break in July and return to our regular monthly schedule as of Wednesday, August 22nd.  Our summer reading selection is Killers of the Flower Moon, The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann.

Publisher Comments

New York Times Bestseller – National Book Award Finalist

“From New Yorker staff writer David Grann, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Lost City of Z, a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. Her relatives were shot and poisoned.  And it was just the beginning, as more and more members of the tribe began to die under mysterious circumstances.

In this last remnant of the Wild West–where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes like Al Spencer, the “Phantom Terror,” roamed–many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. Based on years of research and startling new evidence, the book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward American Indians that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long.  Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly compelling, but also emotionally devastating.”

We’ll hold our August discussion session at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant on Wednesday, August 22nd at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch and our August business meeting.

Update on Chinese Garden Tour!

We won’t have a large enough group to schedule our own docent led tour, but there happens to be a ‘public tour’ that we can be join.  That tour is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m., so we need to ask those retirees attending to be sure to arrive 15 minutes or so early in order to purchase tickets and join that tour. 

When:  Wednesday, June 20th: Chinese Garden Tour followed by lunch at the Golden Horse Restaurant. Please come join us at this special event planned to offer an early opportunity for the new 2018 retirees to join us for fun and relaxation.

Where:  We’ll gather at the Lan Su Chinese Garden (239 NW Everett St, Portland) at 11:00 a.m.  Senior tickets for the garden are $9.

Lunch:  We are planning to follow the tour with lunch at the Golden Horse Chinese Restaurant, just a block from the garden at approximately 12:30 to 1:00 depending on how long we spend at the garden.

RSVP:  We will need a count for both the Chinese Garden tour and the lunch, so please RSVP by reply email or use the comment field below, no later than 5 p.m. Monday, June 18th.

Retiree Network Calendar of Events, June 2018

Friday, June 8th:  The 39th Annual Retirement Dinner will begin with a no-host social hour at 4:30, dinner and program begin at 6 p.m.  This year’s dinner celebrates the service of more than 60 PCC employees as they join the ranks of we retired folks!

Sunday, June 10th:  Members of the PCC Retiree Network for the third consecutive year will support for the annual Zero Cancer Run/Walk on Sunday morning June 10th.  They run/walk raises funds for prostate cancer research, education and patient support at this important summer event. Know that one in eight guys, friends and family, will contract this scary and too frequently deadly disease!

As in the past two years, we will assemble volunteers to help out the run/walk site and/or to join their one-mile course walk on Portland’s scenic South Waterfront course.  It’s a festive, heartwarming way to spend a couple of hours.  To join our team, contact Gary Lesniak at garylesniak@yahoo.com for details or click on their website to pledge support, http://www.support.zerocancer.org, (Sign up info: Group = PCC Retiree Network, Company = PCC Foundation.)  Thanks so much for your continued support!

Wednesday, June 13th:  Happy Lunch!  Come join us at 1:00 p.m. for our monthly lunch, this month we’ve selected a new location on the west side:  Bargarten Bavarian Social Haus (2905 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton – they are located at the Cedar Hills Crossing mall, in a separate building near the corner of SW Cedar Hills Blvd and SW Jenkins Rd, plenty of free parking as you enter through the mall parking lot.)  We will want to make reservations for this lunch, so please send your RSVP by reply email no later than Monday, June 11th. 

Tuesday, June 19th:  Art & Conversation, Portland Art Museum.  This month, Portland-based artist Hannah Piper Burns will speak about her solo exhibition, now on view in the APEX exhibition space in the Museum’s Northwest art galleries.  Coffee at 9:15 a.m. in the Fields Ballroom, Mark Building; lecture at 10:15 a.m. in the Whitsell Auditorium, Main Building.  This series is free for adults 62 and over and includes Museum admission.

Wednesday, June 20th:  Chinese Garden Tour followed by lunch at the Golden Horse Restaurant.  Please come join us at this special event planned to offer an early opportunity for the new 2018 retirees to join us for fun and relaxation.  We’ll gather at the Lan Su Chinese Garden (239 NW Everett St, Portland) at 11:00 a.m.  (If we have sufficient attendance we will try to arrange a docent led tour, seniors tickets for the garden are $9).  We are planning to follow the tour with lunch at the Golden Horse Chinese Restaurant, just a block from the garden at approximately 12:30 to 1:00 depending on how long we spend at the garden.  We will need a count for both the Chinese Garden tour and the lunch, so please RSVP by reply email no later than Monday, June 18th.

Wednesday, June 27th:  Pinot & Prose Book Club, we’ll meet at 11:30 a.m. for our discussion session of this month’s book selection The Windfall by Diksha Basu.  Enjoy the book then come join us for the discussion at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant.

Wednesday, June 27th, 1:00 p.m.  Retiree Network Monthly Business Meeting.  We’ll have our last meeting before our summer break at Walter Mitty’s Restaurant.  The business meetings are open to all PCC retirees.