AC_1965_Web

83 AN T I OC H CO L L E G E C L A S S O F 19 6 5 5 0 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y B O O K A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z K I N G darling little kids. A year later we got married and a year after that we added a baby girl to our family.We also bought a house on Bainbridge Island, on which I did some substan- tial remodeling. So, in barely over a year I went from a bachelor to be- ing married with four kids, two dogs, three cats, while working, studying for a Ph.D. and remodeling an old house! A couple years later, we picked Oregon State University, in Corvallis for my job. In particular, it was listed as one of the best small college towns in America and a great place to raise a family.There I finished my Ph.D. and started working for the College of Business. Lucky for me, they had just started a new required course—for which there were no textbooks!—called “Business and Its Environment.” So, for the next nearly 30 years, I was able to teach what I wanted to teach.Aside from the above course—which I eventually changed to “Managing Organizational Systems,” I started classes in “creativity,”“moral philos- ophy” (aka “Business Ethics”), and a couple of “systems thinking and practice”courses jointly taught with several professors from other disci- plines—agriculture, public health, engineering! We did this for “free” and typically had classes including college sophomores through Ph.D. candidates. I jokingly refer to my/our course as HE101,401,601 Stupid 1- 3. I.e.,“Higher Education,” freshman through Ph.D. students, and focus- ing on transcending the limitations of 1) linear, analytical methods, 2) ra- tionality, and 3) objective framings- assumptions to include 1) patterns of interactions, 2) emotional intelli- gences, and our 3) constructions of social realities. During the last thirty plus years, I have also indulged my handyman desires,doing a lot of plumbing, elec- trical work, carpentry, painting, etc. Along with my wife’s guidance, the results have been most satisfy- ing—right up there with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I’ve loved teaching “systems” stuff which undoubtedly has some- thing to do with getting a couple teaching and service awards, insti- gating some significant changes in the university including revamping our general education requirements, etc., etc. Plus several of my articles have won awards and one even got me invited to MIT to give a lecture. But I finally decided to retire in 2008, moving to Portland, Ore., where three of our daughters had lived and worked—one still does. We now live in an old 1916 crafts- man house in the Richmond neigh- borhood.However, I still continue to teach in the honors college winter terms at OSU, though I’m eventually going to have to quit, which I really don’t ever want to do. Meanwhile, here in Portland I have volunteered for a number of things over the last six years includ- ing the Food Bank, crew leader for Friend of Trees, volunteer driver for the Veterans Hospital (one of the best in the country), and treasurer for our Richmond Neighborhood Association. My wife and I also putz around the house—gardening, re- painting, etc. Just added a full bath- room to the second story. However, we’re finding that retirement is something that takes getting used to. A couple years ago, I attended the 50th class reunions for both Woodstock School and Grinnell (Iowa) High School. Quite an expe- rience seeing grandmothers I once f lirted with. Plus the weird little things we remembered from back then. Time flies.... I remember saying to my father once upon a time,“Wow, that was ten years go.” He replied with a smile,“Try fifty.” Indeed. Barbra with daughters.