The tents have been built. The class banners have been hung. Alumni are walking around campus. ReedFayre ’14 is less than 12 hours away. Let’s see what the June 2013 issue of the Reed magazine was telling us about Reed chemists one year ago …
Striking Keys in Africa (p. 6) looked forward to the Watson-funded travels of chemistry-physics major Cole Perkinson ’13 … School of Hard NOx (p. 7) described a $300,000 research grant awarded to Prof. Juliane Fry and her hard-working associates: Hannah Allen ’14, Danielle Draper ’13, and postdoctoral research associate Dr. Ben Ayres … a photographer caught chemistry junior Mark Angeles ’15 and biologist Katie Halloran ’15 sharing good times and good weather in front of Lane Middle School, the site of the LASER project (Reedies Mentor Portland Kids in LASER Program, p. 12) … Jim Kahan ’64 described a class that he had audited from music professor (and former chemist) Prof. Virginia Oglesby Hancock ’62 [music 1991- ] (Music to My Ears, p. 14) … and Garbage and Gutenberg (p. 24) described the innovative uses that Matt Rogge ’97 has found for 3D printers (an especially Rogge-esque example: the world’s first 3D printed boat; see below) … and Radiating Enthusiam (p. 47) caught up with Kathryn Higley ’78, who recently took over the reins of Oregon State U’s nuclear engineering and radiation health physics department.
Class Notes caught up with three chemists. Bev Karplus Hartline ’71 and husband Frederick ’67 are back “in the West” again and Bev is working as vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at Montana Tech … Kris McNeill ’92 shared news of the birth of Bosco McNeil on 12/12/12 at 12:55 pm in Zurich, noting that Bosco’s “numerological correctness was a pleasant, but unplanned, surprise” … and Casey Jones ’05 has taken on a tenure-track position as assistant professor of chemistry and Lewis & Clark College in Portland. Casey also passed along a wedding photo (p. 53). If you look closely, you will see Casey and her husband, Michael Schwartz, flanked by three other Reed chemists: Joy Wattawa ’05, Kitty Richards ’05, and Sarah Griner ’05.
The passing of two chemists was reported in the In Memoriam section of the magazine.
- John C. Siegle Sr. ’47 (deceased January 6, 2013 in New Castle, Delaware) received a BA in chemistry from Reed and a PhD in organic chemistry from Oregon State U. He served in the navy during WWII and taught chemistry at Reed and Purdue after the war. He worked for the DuPont Chemical Company, where he held 6 patents, retiring in 1985. John was also a member of the Calvary Episcopal Church and the DuPont Country Club. His survivors include his wife of 34 years, Marilyn, two daughters and two sons, a stepdaughter, eight grandchildren, seven stepgrandchildren, and a great grandson.
- Donald E. Kephart ’54 (deceased December 24, 2012 in Portland). A year before graduating from Reed with a BA in chemistry, Don married Silva Austin ’54, his Grant HS sweetheart. His 37-year career as a process engineer was at Tektronix, and he was the coinventor of 3 patents. Don’s love of music led him to sing in the Boar’s Head Ensemble at Reed for many years (reported by Virginia Oglesby Hancock ’62) and to perform as a violinist in the Marylhurst Community Orchestra for 25 years. He also enjoyed astronomy and did woodworking and home remodeling projects. In addition, he was a U.S. Army veteran and a 50-year member of the Valley Community Church. Survivors include Silva, two sons and three daughters, eight grandchildren, and a sister.
Finally, on behalf of the Reed chemistry community, I would like to express our thanks to the Reed alumni who volunteered for the 2012 and 2013 Working Weekends. I can’t tell you how much this means to the current crop of Reedies, who will probably benefit from the experience for years to come. My extra thanks to chemists Chantal Sudbrack ’97, Luke Kanies ’96, and Steve Carlson ’93.