WWHS Alumni e-newsletter

Woodrow Wilson High School Alumni Update - December, 2018
http://www.wilsonalumni.com
edited by Linda Doyle

SAVE THE DATE - WILSON AUCTION
Watch for ticket sales starting in January, 2019 at: https://www.pps.net/domain/4324.

WILSON SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE ... Did you know…
• One in four college students graduate with student debt.
• Tuition and fees to attend a public four-year university have jumped 275% since 2000.
• Over 1.48 trillion in loan debt is collectively owed which is about 790 billion more than the total U.S. credit card debt.
• Oregon has fallen to the bottom tier nationally of states providing financial support for its neediest students.

All of this might be bad news for new high school graduates except that Wilson High School is unique. Wilson has a community that supports our commitment to helping our most deserving seniors succeed after high school. They first appealed to alumni in 2015 to join the Scholarship Initiative and your response was overwhelming. Your generosity has enabled them to provide two $1000 scholarships annually.

Wilson is asking once again for your support as they begin a drive to raise $50,000 to endow perpetual scholarships for Wilson students through the Oregon Community Fund program.

Benefits include:
• Donations are tax-deductible.
• For local businesses, you will receive a Wilson Student Supporter sticker, and the opportunity to advertise on Wilson's website.
• For donations of $1000 or more you can name your scholarship and attend the June awards ceremony to present your gift in person.
• Changing the lives of deserving Wilson students!

How to Donate:
• Checks can be mailed to: Wilson Scholarship Initiative, 1151 SW Vermont, Portland, OR 97219, ATTN: Erica Meyers. Please include your graduation year.
• Credit card contributions can be phoned to: Ana Curtis, Wilson bookkeeper, 503-916- 5280, ext. 75266.
• Donations can be made online through the Schoolpay link below: https://www.schoolpay.com/pay/for/Scholarship/Id7CX

Please support Wilson's future leaders! No amount is too small. They thank you.
Questions? Contact Tina-Marie Baskin, scholarship coordinator (tmbaskinwriting@gmail.com).

WHERE ARE THEY NOWWHERE AREHEY NOW?HARE YOUR STOR

MERLE CHARLES LOTZ PASSES AWAY (WILSON CHOIR TEACHER)

Merle Lotz went to share his music with the angels on November 30, 2018 at the age of 91. Merle’s life was guided by his love for music, family, and God. Born in 1927, Merle’s dedication to music began as a child in Altoona, PA, where he practiced the piano while other neighborhood children played kick-the-can on the street outside. His hard work paid off with music scholarships to Valley Forge Military Academy and to the Curtis Institute of Music, where he also played the bassoon; he eventually enrolled in the Naval School of Music and served in the Navy from July 1945 to August 1946. After his time in the service, Merle attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where he met and fell in love with Patricia Frederiksen, a fellow piano student. The two married on June 26, 1949, and soon after, they moved to Portland to take jobs as music teachers in 1950. For the next three summers, they returned to Drake so that Merle could complete his Master’s degree. Merle’s life in Portland had many branches reaching deeply into the heart of Portland’s music world; he served as choir director at Bethany Lutheran, then Central Lutheran, and finally at St. Luke Lutheran in SW Portland. He also held positions as choir teacher at Jefferson, Benson, and Wilson High School; with the support of American Heritage Society, he and Pat took the entire Wilson High choir on a European tour in 1971, creating lifetime memories for 70 young singers. In addition, Merle performed with his dance band--frequently joined by his sons Matthew and Mychal - at social events throughout the Portland area. Merle was also the pianist for the Oregon Symphony Pops under Norman Leyden for 24 years, forming a deep musical partnership and performing memorable and spirited concerts. Despite his busy schedule, “Papa” always had time for his family and friends. He and Pat were part of several bridge groups, and their many parties, with music and laughter spilling out onto their deck in the warm months, were memorable. His children and grandchildren also cherish the memories of their family summer camping and boating trips during which Merle presided at the campfire as the executive pancake chef and bacon fryer. “Papa” will be kept closely in the hearts of his wife Pat of 69 years, their four children, Matthew (wife Chris), Mychal (wife Theresa), Meridee (husband Mark), and Mark (wife Louanne), and their 15 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, as well as their many friends and former students. A celebration of Merle will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 30 at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 4595 SW California St. in Portland. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Merle Lotz Music Scholarship at Wilson High School by check payable to Wilson High or online at http://pps.schoolpay.com/pay/for/Merle-Lotz-Scholarship-Fund/lej4q.

STEVE ANDERSON RECONNECTS (WILSON TEACHER)

Steve Anderson taught at Wilson from Fall, 1984 through Spring, 1996. He taught Political Science, Economics, and Practical Law. Steve also coached the Wilson Mock Trial Competition teams. His youngest son attended Wilson for two years in the early 2000s. Mr. Anderson recently had the good fortune to reconnect after all these years with former Wilson High School student M'Leah (Molly) Woodard '92. He says, "Molly's father and I were fraternity brothers at Oregon State University). Molly sent me the link to your Wilson HS Alumni newsletter." He says, "I have had the pleasure of keeping in contact with a number of Wilson HS students and staff, which has been great. Prior to my teaching at Wilson, I taught at John Adams HS, Grant HS after Adams closed, then Wilson. I left Wilson at the end of the 1995-96 year to teach with former Adams HS colleagues at the Portland Night High School (not Benson), which had started at Adams, but was relocated to the basement at Grant HS when Adams was closed in 1981. I retired from PPS at the end of the 1998-99 school year, and am now in Corvallis." We'd like to post of photo of Mr. Anderson during his teaching days at Wilson. Does anyone have a 1990 Troyan yearbook? We understand that there is a good photo of Mr. Anderson on page 173. We'd appreciate a copy of the photo for the alumni e-newsletter. He says the photo, "best captures my skill as a teacher that former students would remember. This photo was taken with a grand sense of humor, which makes it all the more memorable." Steve tells us that he has taken the time to look through the Wilson alumni website and spent some time going through the "no longer with us" postings. He says, "I found that Nick Hanches had passed away recently. That really hit me, as I had been meaning to swing by their place for years. Saw many other dear friends, colleagues, students who have passed, made me treasure even more my years at Wilson." If you would like to reconnect and reach out to Mr. Anderson, you can send him an email by clicking on this link.

CLASS OF 1978 HOLDS 40TH REUNION

Classmates came from all over to meet up for their 40th reunion. First, they met on Friday, July 27, 2018 at the Cider Mill Restaurant in SW Portland (owned by Toby Harris '89). Then off to Gabriel Park for a picnic on Saturday, July 28. Thanks to Linda Lieberman Evans '78 for the photo. Thanks to Maureen Berrie-Lawson, Brian Rosenthal, Cathy Murphy, Debbie Boyce, Brian Haber, Karol Pearson Smith, Tamara Croft Trapp, Lorrie Morris, Charlotte Rich, and Kent Fairfax. Maureen Berrie-Lawson agreed to spearhead the reunion, by insisting they "KISS", made Gabriel park reservations and bought nametags. Brian Rosenthal brought and set up the sound system and playlist, Cathy Murphy and her alum husband, Kevin Murph,y brought extra chairs, coolers. Debbie Boyce made a balloon memorial, and Lorrie Morris brought green star balloons so everyone could see where we were. Kent Fairfax contacted the Cider Mill creating a meet and greet on Friday night. Everyone contacted classmates they knew were not on Facebook, so they were able to contact close to half of their class. Classmate Dan Baltus offered his home when weather discussion came up about how hot it would be at the park. They decided to have an annual meet up from now on, so alum Eric Starr will host one at his pub in Battle Ground - Northwood Public House, and Dan Baltus will host another time too. They absolutely "Kept It Simple, Stupid" and everyone had a great time at both events. People should be checking their facebook page for further details of meet-ups to come: Woody Hi PDX '78 Reunion. There is an Event tab to check on the page and we are not closed to our class only. Wilson grads from other classes are welcome too! People can always contact Maureen Berrie-Lawson: grumpyswife925@gmail.com.

CLASS OF 1968 HOLDS REUNION
Classmates held a weekend of reunion events on September 7-9, 2018. You can find all of their reunion photos at:
wilson68.org > Photo Gallery. Full details of the reunion plans can be found at: http://wilson68.org/50th-reunion/.

MR. HANCHES REMEMBERED (JACKSON, WILSON SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER)

I was sorry to see that Nick Hanches (teacher) passed away. He was one of the greatest things to happen to Wilson, no doubt about it. Definitely one of the finest teachers in the school for many years. I remember him saying on the first day of class, "I hate standing up here lecturing and talking all day long to my classes" but he was so good at it. He never gave a boring lecture, ever. He also said "I don't want to give easy exams!" and he never did,
they were always at least somewhat challenging and some were extremely difficult! But, he loved students. He got the Golden 'W' and other awards, richly deserved. I was lucky to have him for both US History and Political Science, which he taught equally well. I was always impressed by the fact that he worked a second job at Safeway over on Powell Blvd. as a checker/stocker on the weekends for many years even while teaching at Wilson. I don't think he wanted everyone to know about that but I think he just liked to work..."he who works weekends gets rich!" ANDREW RAMAGE '93

Send us the details on where/what you have been doing since graduating from Wilson, and we'll post in an upcoming WWHS Alumni Update e-newsletter. Send details to Linda Doyle.

IN MEMORY OF

KNOWN CLASSMATES/TEACHERS NO LONGER WITH US
Please send an email with details to Linda Doyle if you have an obituary that should be posted here. Below is a list of classmates who have just been added to the list:

REUNIONS
Lots of reunions are being planned, so reach out to your classmates for the dates/details. Please send those details to us and we will post on the alumni website. Send details to: Lsdoyle@earthlink.net.

GET ALL THE DETAILS about upcoming reunions at: http://www.wilsonalumni.com/reunions.htm

REUNIONS ALREADY HELD
CLASS OF 1963 ... held June 16, 2018
CLASS OF 1964 ... held September 8, 2018
CLASS OF 1965 ... held September 29, 2018
CLASS OF 1967 ... held October 20, 2018
CLASS OF 1968 ... held September 7,8,9, 2018
CLASS OF 1978 ... held July 28, 2018
CLASS OF 1988 ... held July 21, 2018
CLASS OF 1998 ... held September 22, 2018

CLASS OF 1961 ... held August 19, 2017
CLASS OF 1964 ... held September 16, 2017
CLASS OF 1965 ... held September 16, 2017
CLASS OF 1967 ... held August 4, 2017
CLASS OF 1977 ... held July 22, 2017

CLASS OF 1959 ... July 23, 2016
CLASS OF 1961 ... July 15, 2016
CLASS OF 1965 ... August 13 2016
CLASS OF 1966 ... September 24, 2016
CLASS OF 1971 ... September 24, 2016
CLASS OF 1976 ... August 6, 2016
CLASS OF 1991 ... July 30, 2016
CLASS OF 1996 ... August 5-6, 2016
CLASS OF 2006 ... September 24, 2016

MILITARY SERVICE

Please check out the WWHS Military Alumni page and read all about our amazing military graduates. To add your name and information to the WWHS Military page, Send your information to Linda Doyle at LSDOYLE@EARTHLINK.NET.

Name:
Year graduated from Wilson:
Military branch:
Years of service:
Service description:
Photo (optional):
Do you give permission to post this information on our website (required):

WWHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Alumni and community members are continuing to move forward to establish the WWHS Alumni Association. Application process for tax-exempt status of association is progressing (with special thanks to Jack Bertell '58). If you would like to join them, contact Jack Bertell '58.

WWHS ALUMNI - WEBSITE
Check out the WWHS Alumni website and don't forget to complete the simple online form to join the WWHS Alumni database. To help us reach as many graduates as possible, please consider adding the link to our website (http://www.wilsonalumni.com/) from your website. Pass the word along to your Wilson High School classmates about the Wilson High School Alumni website and the opportunity to register. Tell your friends.

UNSUBSCRIBE
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