OregonAUTUMN 2014 QUARTERLY tinr the upublic st Building case law for a climate in crisis. THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Untitled-17 1 7/31/14 3:35 PM EDITOR’S NOTE dialogue What’s New? The magazine you’re holding represents a nearly yearlong process of questioning and examining THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON everything about Oregon Quarterly—from the paper, size, and color palette to the editorial vision AutumN 2014 • VOLumE 94 NumBER 1 that guides our approach to storytelling—and asking ourselves how we could make it better. We surveyed readers, talked to alumni, and asked some of the best university magazine editors and EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Ann Wiens art directors out there to give us ruthless, no-holds-barred critiques. We talked about what makes [email protected] | 541-346-5048 great magazines great, and we thought about what connects Ducks to the UO. MANAGING EDITOR Jonathan Graham [email protected] | 541-346-5047 Then we found Matthew Bates ’96. A graduate of the School of Journalism and Communication, ART DIRECTOR JoDee Stringham Bates is the group creative director at Active Interest Media, where he oversees the design of 16 [email protected] | 541-346-1593 magazine titles (see our profile on page 28). He jumped at the chance to bring his expertise to his ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Susan Thelen [email protected] | 541-346-5046 alma mater’s magazine. His partner in the redesign was OQ’s new art director, JoDee Stringham, PuBLISHING AdmINISTRATOR Shelly Cooper who brings a wealth of experience in magazine design to her role at the UO, including stints at the [email protected] | 541-346-5045 New York Times Magazine and Washington Flyer. Working closely together with our editorial team, CONTRIBUTING EDITORS they conceived and executed the design you see here. Rosemary Howe Camozzi, Mindy Moreland We had a few goals when we set out: Let the visual elements of the magazine tell the stories, as CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jack Liu, John Bauguess well as the words. Create more flexibility in the ways we approach stories, and give readers more PROOFREADER Scott Skelton variety. Uphold our tradition of strong writing. Remind readers of the places and people that made INTERN Chloe Huckins their time on campus special, and bring them news of how the UO’s alumni, students, and faculty EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Mark Blaine, Betsy Boyd, Kathi O’Neil Dordevic, Kathleen are changing the world. Holt, Alexandra Lyons, Kenneth O’Connell, Holly Simons, We’re also excited to welcome a new managing editor on board with this issue. Jonathan Graham Mike Thoele joined our staff this summer, heading west from Richmond, Indiana, where he was creative direc- WEBSITE OregonQuarterly.com tor for Earlham College and editor of that institution’s magazine, the Earlhamite. OFFICE AddRESS 360 East 10th Avenue, Suite 202 As we send the magazine off to the printer, we’re quickly turning our attention to the new Oregon Eugene, Oregon 97401 Phone 541-346-5045 Quarterly website, set to launch right about the time this hits your mailbox. There, you’ll find addi- EDITORIAL tional stories between issues, content from other UO sites and publications, ways to connect with 541-346-5047 other Ducks via social media, and opportunities to submit your own content: class notes, letters, ADVERTISING SALES Susan Crow, SagaCity Media comments, and photos. So, what do you think? We hope you’ll let us know. [email protected] | 971-200-7024 E-MAIL [email protected] *** OREGON QUARTERLY is published by the UO in February, A few days before we went to press, Michael Gottfredson, the University of Oregon’s 17th president, May, August, and November and distributed free to alumni. resigned (we have a brief report on page 11). I first got to know the president and his wife, Karol Printed in the USA on recycled paper. © 2014 University of Oregon. All rights reserved. Views expressed do not Gottfredson, when I interviewed them for Oregon Quarterly shortly after their arrival in Eugene necessarily reflect the views of the UO administration. two years ago. I titled that story “In the Fullness of Time,” for this president struck me as someone CHANGE OF AddRESS Alumni Records, 1204 University who considered each action and decision in a broad context, who was deeply interested in the long- of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1204 term strength of the institution, and the lasting impact of research and education. 541-302-0336, [email protected] Although his tenure was short, he accomplished much—most significantly, a long-sought change ADMINISTRATION Interim President Scott Coltrane, Interim Senior Vice in governance structure that provides the flexibility and focus necessary to secure the UO’s stand- President and Provost Frances Bronet, Vice President for University Advancement Michael Andreasen, Vice ing among the nation’s top research universities, attract outstanding students and faculty, and President for Enrollment Management Roger Thompson, provide Oregonians ongoing access to a world-class research university. These are aspirations we Vice President for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt, Vice President for Institutional Equity and Inclusion all share for the University of Oregon, and they will continue to be realized, in the fullness of time. Yvette Marie Alex-Assensoh; Vice President for Student Affairs Robin Holmes, Interim Vice President for Research Brad Shelton, Associate Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the UO Alumni Association Paul Clifford, Associate Vice President for Communications, Ann Wiens, Editor Marketing, and Brand Management Tim Clevenger UO INFORMATION 541-346-1000 [email protected] The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request: 541-346-5048. contents DEPARTMENTS 52 We’ve got a set of rules DIALOGUE 1 that need to be fixed. And 1 Editor’s Note what’s key is that the public 4 Letters plays a role. It’s for them that safety standards exist. — RodGER VoELKER, PHD ’96 “ LAB DIRecTOR, InTRO 9 OREGON GROweRS ANALYTICAL 10 Campus News 14 Duck Treats: An Entrepreneurial Buffet 16 Excerpt: Nesting Instincts 20 Facts-5, Myths-0 ” 21 Bookmarks 22 Sex, Art, and Archives 28 Profile: 16 ON THE COVER Matthew Bates ’96 he cover photo for this issue of OQ is one of hundreds of pictures of clouds taken by the late John D. Day, PhD, a professor at Linfield College known as “The Cloudman.” A leading expert on cloud physics 22 Tand their relation to weather and atmosphere, he published many books, including Peterson’s OLD OREGON 49 Field Guide to the Atmosphere (Houghton Mifflin, 1981). Find 50 Good Call out more at cloudman.com. 52 High Standards 54 Class Notes 64 Duck Tale 2 OREGON QUARTERLY | AUTUMN 2014 CARLOS ApONTE The Magazine of the University of Oregon Autumn 2014 30 Vol. 94 No. 1 OQ ONLINE OregonQuarterly.com #OregonQuarterly CLICK AWAY As we unveil our redesigned print magazine, we’re also launching a new website designed to share content and engage dialogue with readers all year long — not just quarterly. TALK TO US Comment on stories and share your favorites with others via e-mail and social media. FEATURES MoRE TO LOVE From photo galleries, videos, 30 NATURAL LAW and other material related UO law professor Mary Wood’s atmospheric trust litigation provides to stories from each a new way for citizens to fight for the earth’s protection: by arguing print issue to additional that climate is part of the public trust. Some Eugene teenagers have stories about the UO, joined the fight in a case that is headed to the US Supreme Court. the site extends OQ BY MARY DEMocKEr ’92 beyond the boundaries of a printed magazine. LEARN MORE Read a 38 PIPE DREAMS little about the people What have recent economic struggles taught us about finding a balance who create Oregon between work and family? A driven journalism student reflects on Quarterly and learn about her father’s backbreaking work in the oil fields of Alaska following the our approach to covering recession of the late 2000s. the UO and its alumni. BY JESSICA HoLLOWELL THURMAn ’10 JOIN IN Submit letters to the editor, class notes, 42 A MoRE PERFECT UNION and photos for our “Ducks Afield” section. From toga parties, and rock concerts to political protests, we look back at the history and culture of the Erb Memorial Union before its renovation, and anticipate new possibilities when the building reopens next year. BY ALICE TALLMADGE, MA ’87 STeVE SMITH The MAGAZIne OF The UnIVERSITY OF OREGON 3 dialogue LETTERS Fun Run I forgot how much I enjoy reading the Oregon Quarterly until I sat down and read the latest issue [Summer 2014]. All the articles were excellent, but “Pre’s People” by Ben DeJarnette was over the top for me. I started run- ning for a PE class I took while at Oregon and vividly remember many jaunts up through Hendricks Park during good and not-so-good weather. I am like the high school runners who watch the movies about Pre’s life. My wife and I have them recorded and watch them regularly, but neither of us can watch the ending when he crashed. I will always remember a quote attributed to Pre, which went, “I don’t run to see how much guts I have, but to see how much the other guy has.” That says it all about Pre in my mind. Before I read the author credit, I knew it had to be a runner.