The Riffin' Griffin

There is still time

Posted on June 2, 2011 by

…for time (imagine proper accent here, i.e., the Greek word for honor), if you register this week for Centennial Reunions!

We already have more than 1,700 people scheduled to attend one or more of the 230+ events occurring as part of the grand celebration, June 6-12, 2011.

You know Reunions will be a great convergence of many Reedies, interesting ideas, and boundless energy… but this year Reed College is turning 100! This is a momentous celebration for all alumni, newly minted or longer in the tooth–and irrespective of class year. It will be a week filled with festivities, including live music, food showcases, and a carnival with a hot-air balloon and Ferris wheel, not to mention a full schedule of amusements (one tour, the Reed & Ladd legacy tour, still has spots available).

With so many balls in the air, it helps us immensely when you make a good faith effort to sign up (if you have already done so, we greatly appreciate it!). If you have not pre-registered for a certain day, but show up on that day, we will need to send you to Reunions Central in Eliot 207 (not in the SU this year) to register and pay before being allowed to attend.

During busy times–especially Friday and Saturday before dinner–you may have to stand in line and wait to register. Please have patience with the good people putting on this party; may the Honor Principle flourish!

With so many people coming to campus, we ask that you take public transit or acquaint yourself with the best parking options, especially on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the east, west, and north parking lots, we have asked neighborhood organizations to make additional spaces available. You’ll see “Reed Parking” signs in all three of these lots on Friday, June 10.

1. Friends of Reedway Church, 2901 SE Steele St.

This is between of SE 28th St. and the north parking lot, on the north side of the street.

2. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, 6015 Southeast 28th Ave.

Not too many spots here, but it’s located directly across from the west lot.

3. Lot on the corner of SE Steele St. & SE 28th Ave.

This is the vacant lot (not striped) at the NE corner of campus, kitty corner from the 7-11.

If these fill up, street parking is encouraged on Steele St. Please do not to park in the neighborhood, especially off of Woodstock Blvd. Also, keep in mind that Saturday at 2 p.m. we will close the west lot, rhody garden, and the church for the set up of fireworks.

See maps and learn more about on-campus and off-campus shuttles, wi-fi, and other logistics on our FAQ webpage. Oh, and pray for sun!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged centennial, parking, register, reunions, timé | Comments Off

Keep the tee love going…

Posted on May 31, 2011 by

A couple of months ago, we told you about Travis Greenwood ’01 and his growing gallery of Reed-related t-shirts (“Atheism, Communism, and Tee Love,” April 2011). We are happy to report that this archive is now thriving online.

Travis reports that he’ll be adding 100 additional images to the gallery over the next week as we approach Centennial Reunions. Help him spread this thing virally to your fellow classmates!

Also, he is still looking for new submissions; send him email at travis@founditemclothing.com. Or, even better, bring them to Reunions! He’ll be on hand Saturday afternoon to document the occasion and photo shirts (whatever people bring with) in the SU between 2 and 4 p.m.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged centennial, olde, reunions, tees | Comments Off

Ceremonial exercises at Centennial Reunions

Posted on May 25, 2011 by

Reed’s 97th annual commencement ceremony took place Monday, May 23, and the class of 2011 jubilantly joined the ranks of alumni. If the above cartoon by the multi-talented Mateo Burtch ’82 makes you nostalgic, consider coming back to campus for Centennial Reunions, June 6-12, 2011, to celebrate Reed’s 100th birthday and conduct your own ceremonial exercises…

–Find your thesis in the tower

–Take a nap at your old thesis desk

–Read that obscure primary source that provided a bright idea

–Look for that log in the canyon on which you carved a love note

–Climb the tree that you sat in during Thesis Parade

–Scrounge in Commons

–Find the comic book you donated to the MLLL

–Talk with your favorite faculty advisor

–Sit down in your old dorm social room

It is not too late to sign up, and nobody will hassle you about that outstanding PE credit!

See the full schedule, including the full array of Alumni College sessions, musical entertainment, dance happenings, and off-campus explorations. Also, as of today, there are still spaces remaining on the Reed & Ladd legacy tour on Tuesday, June 7.

Hope to see you then!

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cartoon, centennial, nostalgia, reunions | Comments Off

Mt. Hood hike with Arlene Blum ’66 & friends

Posted on May 20, 2011 by

Join renowned mountaineer and environmental chemist/activist Arlene Blum ’66, Columbia Gorge naturalist and environmental activist Barbara Robinson ’68, Professor Dell Rhodes, and wildflower nut Will Bloch for a guided hike near Mt. Hood on Thursday, June 9 of Centennial Reunions. Meet at Eliot Circle at 8:15 a.m. for prompt departure on Eco Shuttle bus by 8:30 a.m. Return to Reed between 5 and 6 p.m. Price per person, box lunch included, is $35.

According to the trip leader (Will Bloch, for logistics and route selection), the exact itinerary will depend on weather and snow line, with destination chosen from three options: Bald Mountain (west side: subalpine, 4500 ft), Surveyors Ridge (east side: subalpine, 4000 ft), and Tamanawas Falls (east side: riparian, forested, 3500 ft). Estimated total time on the road: four hours; estimated time on the trail: five hours. Hike is designed to serve people with a range of ability and energy level. All three trips involve minimal elevation gain.

Whichever destination is chosen, the tour will be split into several groups, each with a guide and its own hiking pace and distance; Arlene will circulate among the groups. This tactic also reduces wear on fragile trailside ground cover and enhances the wilderness experience. Before enrolling, please read more information on the routes, required clothing and equipment lists, and the liability-waiver form (on next screen). To sign up, send email to alumni@reed.edu.

Continue reading →

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Ladd and Reed legacy tour

Posted on May 18, 2011 by

THE LADD AND REED LEGACY: Building Portland 1851-2011

Tuesday, June 7, from 8 a.m. through 12:45 p.m.

The Ladd and Reed Legacy talk and tour during Centennial Reunions, organized by Richard Ross ’69 MAT, explores and celebrates the lasting impacts of two remarkable Oregon pioneer families on Portland’s development over a century and a half. William S. Ladd was Portland’s most prominent 19th-century business and civic leader, and Simeon Reed was Ladd’s foremost business partner and friend. Ladd and Reed shaped Portland and the Northwest by joint ventures over four decades, in public service, steamboats, telegraphs, macadam roads, model farms, railroads, and iron. Ladd and Reed both arrived in Portland in the 1850s, starting as pioneer liquor dealers, and served on the city council in the crude frontier village known as “Stumptown.” Their sturdy spouses, Amanda Wood Reed and Carolyn Elliott Ladd emigrated together by sea from Boston in 1854 and became lifelong friends.

As they prospered together, the Ladds and Reeds pursued a common vision of building a thriving Renaissance city out of soggy Stumptown. In turn, they were driving forces in the formation of Oregon’s educational, cultural, economic infrastructure, and model communities. Amanda Reed’s 1904 will set in motion the final Ladd and Reed partnership, the creation of Reed College (1911), with help from Ladd son and college trustee William M. Ladd. This program shows how the Ladd and Reed family vision built Portland’s strong neighborhoods, its civic, educational, and economic institutions, and the vibrant downtown of today.

Tour visits five Ladd and Reed living legacies:

1. Oregon Iron Company, Oregon Iron and Steel (1865-1894) Lake Oswego

Guides: Marylou Colver, Susanna Kuo, Lake Oswego historians

Dominant Northwest iron producer for the “Pittsburgh of the West.” Company town supplied construction of Northwest railroads, pipelines, bridges, and Portland’s ironfront buildings. Iron lands around Lake Oswego (Sucker Lake) became the basis of the 20th-century suburb.

2. The Ladd Carriage House (1883) SW Broadway

Guide: Jim Heuer, Friends of the Ladd Carriage House

Last remnant of the Ladd family’s former downtown estate and an elegant, rare survivor of prestigious 19th-century South Portland, where the Ladds and Reeds both lived.

3. The Reed Building (1890) SW 1st and Ankeny

Guide: Amy Kohnstamm, Mercy Corps

Simeon Reed’s solid four-story brick and stone warehouse, once in Portland’s business core at Skidmore Fountain, houses Mercy Corps world headquarters today.

4. Ladd’s Addition (1891)

Designed by William S. Ladd himself, thrives today as a national and regional icon for green and walkable neighborhoods and “New Urbanism.” First of many notable Portland neighborhoods created by the Ladd Estate Company under William M. Ladd out of Ladd farms and holdings: Laurelhurst (1909), Eastmoreland (1910), Dunthorpe, and Lake Oswego, all landmark communities of the 20th century.

5. Reed College (1911)

Celebrates its centennial in 2011-12, was endowed by Amanda Reed, on part of William S. Ladd’s Crystal Springs Farm donated by trustee William M. Ladd.

Schedule:

• 8 a.m. PowerPoint Talk at Vollum Lounge, Reed campus

• 8:30 a.m. Board a Raz bus at Eliot Circle for Lake Oswego

• 11:15 a.m. Ladd’s Addition, coffee break and restrooms at Palio (the Elm Room), Ladd Circle

• 12:45 p.m. Tour concludes with wrap-up comments on the founding of Reed College

The cost for this half-day tour is $20. Sign up by sending email to alumni@reed.edu.

Presenter and guide (except where noted):

Richard N Ross ’69, American Institute of Certified Planners

H: 503/235-8194 C: 503/807-0612 richardnross@earthlink.net

• Urban and regional planner in Oregon 1977-2011, teacher of Oregon and US history 1970-79

• BA in History Middlebury College, MAT Reed College, MUP Portland State University

• Led regional coalition to restore the Historic Columbia River Hwy (1986-92)

• Ladd’s Addition community leader and resident 1976-2011

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged centennial, ladd, legacy, reed, reunions, tour | Comments Off

Making Waves 100 (by Brad Wright ’61)

Posted on May 17, 2011 by

Most people, when they go swimming, think it’s all about
them. But it’s actually all about
the water. Take the Reed pool for
example. What’s going on with the
water there? Nothing much. It just
lies there. There’s a good physics
reason for that. And when you go
swimming, the water still doesn’t do anything exciting. It keeps you afloat, and you kind of
stir it around and scatter waves about in all directions. But those waves are just small
fry. They’re just minnows. In June, at Centennial Reunions, we’re going to rouse a
leviathan.

The “Mother of All Waves” has lain dormant in the Reed pool
for all these years. We’re going
to enter her lair and wake her up.
To see her in action, that is our quest. Guided by Rubber Duckie and armed with the Pendulum of
Destiny, we will go in … and out … and in … and out … and in … and the wave will grow until the
spectators are shouting “Hey wait a minute! It’s getting too big!
It’s beginning to slosh onto the floor! Make them stop! Make them stop!”

And we will stop.
We will stop to paddle to the middle of the pool, there to be carried
back … and forth … and back … and forth … propelled and exhilarated by the
power of a wave of our own making.
But as we bask there, going back … and forth … and back … and forth … we
are left pondering that age-old question:
Between the human race on the one hand, and the laws of physics on the
other, who is the master? Who is
the master?

Here’s a chance for alumni to consider this question and get
a different kind of workout, either Thursday at 10:30 a.m. or Friday at 10:30 a.m.

So be sure to remember your swimsuit when you pack. And if you plan to join us, please send
a note to the course instructor, Brad Wright ’61, at bandrwright@yahoo.com so he’ll know
whom to expect.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged centennial, physics, reunions | Comments Off

An array of art exhibitions at Reunions ’11

Posted on May 5, 2011 by

Stephanie Snyder ’91, Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery Director, has shared this amazing scope of shows and tributes, including exhibitions celebrating Lloyd Reynolds, images of dance, Native American basketry, art from the collection of Leslie Scalapino ’66, archival photography of Reed’s beginnings, and Mary Barnard ’32. Read about them all…

LLOYD REYNOLDS, A LIFE OF FORMS IN ART

April 5-June 12, 2011

Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery

Special Reunions Reception: Thursday, June 9, 7-9 p.m. at the Cooley

Please join curators Stephanie Snyder ’91, Gay Walker ’69, and Cooley Education Outreach Coordinator Greg MacNaughton ’89 for a special reception honoring one of the most beloved and influential professors in the history of Reed College.

The Cooley Gallery is proud to present the first comprehensive exhibition of the work of renowned Oregon calligrapher, visual artist, Reed College professor, and humanist Lloyd Reynolds (1902-1978). The exhibition includes fine examples of Reynolds’ calligraphy, in addition to his etchings, wood-block prints, drawings, puppets, books, graphic design, teaching examples, and hand-made studio implements. The exhibition also features rare films and photographs of Reynolds at work.

A color exhibition catalog will be published by Publication Studio, Portland, and will be available at the Cooley Gallery during Reunions.

Open every day during Centennial Reunions (Mondays too)

Hours: 12-5 p.m., in the Library

www.reed.edu/gallery

100 YEARS, 100 IMAGES OF DANCE

Vollum Lounge

Special Reunions Reception: Wednesday, June 8, 6-8 p.m. in Vollum Lounge

(The exhibition will be open during Reunions, for specific hours please check your schedule booklet upon arriving.)

This stunning exhibition is presented by the dance department alumni in honor of the Reed College Centennial and includes archival photographs of dance classes, rehearsals, and performances from Reed’s 100-year history.

Please join us to celebrate these truly spectacular photographs with live music, light refreshments, and a brief talk by Hannah Kosstrin, visiting professor of dance. You will also have the opportunity to meet some of the people who made this installation possible. Presented by the ReediesDance Gallery Committee: Peter Abrahams ’77, Lisa Gillette ’79, and Brynna Hurwitz ’81.

BASKETRY AND A SEARCH FOR AUTHENTICITY IN ARTS AND CRAFTS

An exhibition of Native American, South American, and African baskets from the Reed College Art Collection

Curated by Anna Frattolillo ’11

Eric V. Hauser Memorial Library

In the Case Works vitrines, located in the open reading room just past the circulation desk

Special Reunions Reception: Thursday, June 9, 7-9 p.m. (concurrent with the Lloyd Reynolds reception)

In conjunction with her studio art thesis, Anna Frattolillo ’11 spent the 2010-11 academic year researching the baskets in the Reed College Art Collection, working with Cooley Director Stephanie Snyder ’91 and Cooley Registrar Colleen Gotze. In the process, Frattolillo initiated the re-interpretation of the baskets by the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild, providing valuable new insight into these beautiful indigenous and, sometimes, not-so indigenous objects.

WORKS OF ART FROM THE COLLECTION OF LESLIE SCALAPINO ’66 AND THOMAS J. WHITE

Eliot Hall, 3rd floor, open during public building hours

In honor of Leslie Scalapino ’66 (pictured above), and in conjunction with Reed’s celebration of her life and work, Thomas J. White and Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery Director Stephanie Snyder ’91 have organized a public exhibition of artworks from Scalapino and White’s personal collection of Asian art and artifacts and contemporary art. These beautiful works are part of a generous gift to Reed College by Scalapino and White. Leslie Scalapino often collaborated with visual artists and lived with works by well-known artists such as Petah Coyne and Cindy Sherman. The exhibition includes a diverse array of contemporary and Asian art.

100 YEARS AGO

Through July 2011, Eric V. Hauser Memorial Library

In the long display cases, located just past the circulation desk

Special Reunions Reception: Thursday, June 9, 7-9 p.m. (concurrent with the Lloyd Reynolds reception)

Special Collections Librarian Gay Walker ’69 has curated an exhibition of objects, photographs, and documents that chronicle Reed’s beginnings. Many of our earliest traditions, such as Campus Day (pictured), are elucidated in this one-of-a-kind project.

SELECTIONS FROM THE MARY BARNARD ’32 PAPERS

Vollum College Center, in a vitrine adjacent to the Reunions seminar on Mary Barnard ’32

Open through Centennial Reunions week only

Special Collections Librarian Gay Walker ’69 has curated a selection of documents from the Mary Barnard ’32 papers on the renowned poet, Sappho translator, and Lloyd Reynolds advisee, as a special accompaniment to centennial events.

Continue reading →

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Pianissimo to fortissimo, Reunions ’11 has it all!

Posted on April 20, 2011 by

Here’s the Student Union in 1943, blended with the “vintage” couches of today… Now imagine the SU filled with all manner of bands and other tuneful entertainment! We’re kicking off a year of centennial celebrations with an all-class reunion for the ages, and to make sure that joyous sounds fill the air each and every day, we are pleased to present more than 20 talented alumni musicians and their friends at Centennial Reunions, June 6-12, 2011.

But the music is only part of the harmony. See the full schedule, including the full array of Alumni College sessions, dance happenings, informal social activities, and off-campus explorations. Then register today!

Also, you can engage in conversation and construct plans with friends via our channels on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

Here’s the score of musical offerings (times are tentative and subject to change)…

Continue reading →

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Off-campus lodging during Reunions

Posted on April 13, 2011 by

Here are some alternatives for lodging during Centennial Reunions, including guesthouses in our SE neighborhood and hotels offering Reed rates. Reserve soon, as Portland’s Rose Festival is that same week!

The Bluebird Guesthouse

http://www.bluebirdguesthouse.com/

The Evermore House

http://www.evermoreguesthouse.com/

The 1907 Taylor Guesthouse

http://www.vrbo.com/179496

Brooklyn Center Suites

http://brooklyncentersuites.com/

Also, Reed has some discounted rates in place at hotels listed here:

http://www.reed.edu/apply/accommodations.html

If all else fails, you could post a note about couch surfing, crashing at The Dustbin, etc. on our Centennial Reunions Facebook page!

http://www.facebook.com/ReedCollegeCentennialReunions2011

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Atheism, Communism & Tee Love: Reed T-Shirts Unite!

Posted on April 7, 2011 by

I recently caught up with Travis Greenwood ’01, kitschy shirt connoisseur, to get the scoop on his efforts to collect and document Olde Reed t-shirts.

Please give us your vision for this project?

This project mixes personal and professional interests. I’ve always had collector tendencies, progressing from comic books to records and then, later, bicycles. These days, it’s all of the above, plus t-shirts, which is convenient because I write and edit a blog, “It Goes to 11,” for my employer. It’s focused (somewhat loosely) on t-shirts, t-shirts from the reel world, t-shirt trends, movie memes, the overlap there between and whatever else I stumble across on the web. Combine all of that with extremely fond memories of my Reed experience (I majored in history and managed KRRC) and here you have it, my contribution to the college’s collective history. Don’t say I never gave anything back to the community!

Seriously though, it dawned on me that the typical Reed experience was accompanied by several t-shirt traditions (experiential mile markers if you will), namely O-Week, Renn Fayre, and Beer Nation, but also encompassing several smaller events and tropes. Following from that, it seemed that someone–namely, me–should consolidate and archive material of this type online. If the Internet has room for LOL Cats, defamatory weekly newspapers (zinger!), and second-tier social networking sites, then certainly we can carve out a niche for our humble t-shirts, which when taken collectively, constitute an enormous and revealing trove of Reed minutia.

Does it have a catchy name?

I haven’t given much thought to the moniker, but a simple bit of brainstorming yields this bastardized gem:

“Atheism, Communism & Tee Love: A Pictorial History of Reed T-Shirts”

(groan…)

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged centennial, o-week, olde, Renn Fayre, reunions, tees | Comments Off

There is still time

Keep the tee love going…

Ceremonial exercises at Centennial Reunions

Mt. Hood hike with Arlene Blum ’66 & friends

Ladd and Reed legacy tour

Making Waves 100 (by Brad Wright ’61)

An array of art exhibitions at Reunions ’11

Pianissimo to fortissimo, Reunions ’11 has it all!

Off-campus lodging during Reunions

Atheism, Communism & Tee Love: Reed T-Shirts Unite!

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