Oregon Quarterly Summer 2007 Volume 86 Number 4
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SUMMER 2007 MUSIC ON THE BRAIN KESSLER ON FATHER’S DAY LINDA BRADY PLAYING HARD CARL MORRIS THE NORTHWEST WAS HIS MUSE Summer Session 0LANªYOURªSUMMERªNOW ô35--%2ô3%33)/.ôôôôô*5.%ôm!5'534ô %ARNªCREDITªINªAªVARIETYªOFªFORMATSªFOUR )MMERSEªYOURSELFªINªARTªWORKSHOPS ª WEEKªCOURSESªASªWELLªASªSHORTERªWORKSHOPSª LANGUAGES ªENVIRONMENTALªSTUDIES ªª ANDªSEMINARSªAREªAVAILABLEªTHROUGHOUTª COMPUTERªSCIENCE ªJOURNALISM ªMARINEª THEªSUMMERªTOªSUITªYOURªNEEDSª&ORMALª BIOLOGY ªORªMUSIC ADMISSIONªTOªTHEªUNIVERSITYªISªNOTªREQUIRED 4AKEªADVANTAGEªOFªINNOVATIVE ªSUMMER ONLYª 3ATISFYªYOURªCURIOSITYªANDªEXPANDªYOURª COURSESª%ARNªCREDITªFORªANªARCHAEOLOGICALªDIGª WORLDª4AKEªAªWEEKLONGªSEMINARªJUSTª ORªAªPHOTOGRAPHYªWORKSHOPªWHILEªENJOYINGª BECAUSEªTHEªSUBJECTª THEªDAZZLINGª FASCINATESªYOUªªª Book your summer /REGONªSUMMERª /R ªIFªYOUªCANTªWAITª ).ô/2%'/. 3UMMERªSESSIONª TOªlNISHªCOLLEGEª COURSEªOFFERINGSª ANDªSTARTªSHAKINGª AREªLISTEDªONª UPªTHEªWORLD ª OURªWEBSITE ª SATISFYªAªMAJORª UOSUMMERô REQUIREMENTªWITHª UOREGONEDUªª AªFOUR WEEKªCOURSEª /R ªTOªORDERªAªª ANDªGRADUATEªEARLYª 3UMMERª3ESSIONª WITHªAªCOMPETITIVEª #ATALOG ªCALLªª EDGEª7HETHERª ª ªª YOUREªADVANCINGª ORªTOLLªFREEªª PROFESSIONALªGOALSª ª ORªPERSONALªGROWTH ª SUMMERªSESSIONªHASª SOMETHINGªFORªYOU UOSUMMERUOREGONEDU 2007 Summer Schedule &IRSTôFOUR WEEKôSESSIONô*UNEôm*ULYô 3ECONDôFOUR WEEKôSESSIONô*ULYôm!UGUSTô %IGHT WEEKôSESSIONô*UNEôm!UGUSTô %LEVEN WEEKôSESSIONô*UNEôm3EPTEMBERô A Northwest Artist p. 14 Kent Peterson OREGON QUARTERLY SUMMER 2007 VOLUME 86 NUMBER 4 FEATURES 14 THE NORTHWEST AS ARTISTIC MUSE by LiDoña Wagner New York seemed the natural place for a painter like Carl Morris, but he couldn’t leave the light and landscape of his adopted home. Chris Michel 18 FATHER’S DAY by Lauren Kessler Father p. 18 Missing the not-so-perfect father. 22 SCIENCE AND SONG by Tracy Ilene Miller Daniel Levitin mixes his love of music with some serious cognitive neuroscience. 26 MEET LINDA BRADY The UO’s new senior vice president and provost explains how international arms negotiations prepared her for university administration—and more. DEPARTMENTS 2 Letters 6 Currents Lest We Forget by Ryan Coonerty Ross West Music on the Mind p. 22 Eyewitness to History by George Wickes Pulp Philosophy by John Lysaker Good Mornin’ America, How Are You? by Clay Eals 30 University Academics Play Hard / Character-driven Fiction / Cool School Tools / Oregon’s Killer Crocodile / New Bach Festival Head / PROFile: Elizabeth Reis 38 Old Oregon Larry McQueen, Bird Artist / Global Warming and Risk Perception / Designer Tableware / Class Notes / Profile: Tom Killion Ph.D.’78 52 Oregon Trails Welcome to the MySpace Generation by Kelsey Friedman ’07 Ian Bradshaw Linda Brady p. 26 Cover: From the Carl Morris mural Lumbering, 1943 (see above), which is in the United States Post Office, Main Branch, Eugene. Photograph by Kent Peterson; used courtesy of the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, Eugene. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR HO S ANGEROUS cal, freethinking opposition to the “status ing to the other. Perhaps the tone of the W ’ D ? quo,” but rather of the exact opposite; the rhetoric needs to be moderated. If we lose The dangerous professor is not the one with intense leftist intolerance for any position the ability to have civilized dialogue with radical ideas [“Danger,” Spring 2007], but that opposes its own. people with differing points of view, then the one who harbors, exhibits, and instills in The irony is that these old hippies and we have lost a great deal, indeed. students an arrogant condescension toward yippies still haven’t come to realize that Evan Mandigo ’67 opposing ideas. My eleven-year journey they are the status quo of the university Bismarck, North Dakota through academia began at Oregon and today and, paradoxically, they exhibit more ended at Harvard, with six other colleges, intolerance for thinking that runs counter I was amused when I saw “Danger” in the universities, and seminaries along the way. to their doctrines than their “status quo” Spring issue. I suspected the gist and was I encountered many brilliant minds who predecessors ever did. Real open-minded not disappointed. A subtle and idyllic myth were acclaimed in their fields yet who were critical thinking will reign at the UO only is that liberal academia is the bastion of smugly closed toward competing viewpoints. when independent-thinking students are the free, open-minded exchange of ideas America has nothing to fear from expos- no longer bullied by liberal professors who and that its detractors, the “powerful,” the ing its brightest young minds to extreme delude themselves that they are open- right, consider such exchange of ideas dan- viewpoints, but our nation has much to minded, and when the criticisms from for- gerous. The mirror image comes closer to fear from those who, contrary to all their mer students like Horowitz (and thousands the truth. proud rhetoric about “academic freedom,” of others like myself) are granted genuine I reflected on my own experience are hostile toward the serious consideration consideration. at the UO. In 1973, I and three or four of contrary worldviews. By contrast, my fin- Philip B. Bean, M.Arch. ’87 other business students were given failing est professor made every effort to present Umpqua marks in a sociology course. The bias was every view on the subject in question—and so egregious that Dean West of the busi- to do so in a way that enabled the student to I read my copy of Oregon Quarterly from ness school intervened with his counter- understand how a reasonable person could cover to cover and eagerly await the arrival part in sociology. My mistake had been in hold that position. That was the high point of the next edition. thinking critically about the exploitation of my education and the approach I used I read “Danger” with great interest. of labor in America. I had to defer gradua- in my career in journalism. Finally, I sug- While I disagree with the perspective of tion for a summer pending “reeducation.” gest that a powerful antidote to intellec- the article and the views of the UO faculty This was the worst, but not the first, price tual arrogance and academic exclusivity is expressed, I also disagree with the view- I paid for “dangerous” opinions during my Harvard psychologist Daniel Goleman’s point that their ideas are dangerous and academic years. book, Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychol- should be suppressed in some fashion. What Danger is defined by consequences and ogy of Self-Deception. is dangerous, in my mind, is for either side for liberals, particularly in academia, there Don Clark ’66 of the philosophic spectrum to stop listen- are few consequences. It was ironic to see Arvin, California Lee Bollinger showcased in “Danger,” pon- tificating about academic freedom. It was at Pete Peterson’s seizing upon Horowitz’s hall OREGON QUARTERLY his Columbia that Minuteman speaker Jim of “dangerous thinkers” is both a straw man Gilchrist was recently shouted down. LETTERS POLICY It is difficult to see how academics can diversion as well as an evasion of the real The magazine welcomes all letters, but point. Have you considered the possibility affirm their insular myth about intellectual reserves the right to edit for space and freedom. Both from personal experience that the recent avalanche of conservative clarity. Send your comments to Editor, criticism might be due, not to an ideological and observation, it is clear that there is Oregon Quarterly, 5228 University a deep-seated, ruthlessly enforced liberal backlash, but rather to the truthful accuracy of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-5228; of the charge? And contrary to Peterson’s bias at universities. via fax at (541) 346-5571; or via Bob Bell ’73 (summer!) assertion, the actual criticism directed at e-mail at [email protected]. faculty’s liberal prejudice is not of its radi- Brooklyn, New York EDITOR OFFICE WEB SITE E-MAIL ADMINISTRATION Guy Maynard Shelly Cooper oregonquarterly.com [email protected] President: Dave Frohnmayer; MANAGING PROOFREADERS OFFICE OREGON QUARTERLY Senior Vice President and Provost: Linda Vol. 86 No.4 EDITOR John Crosiar, Scott Skelton 130 Chapman Hall is published by the UO in March, Brady; Vice President for University The University of Oregon Ross West INTERNS 5228 University of Oregon June, August, and November and Advancement: Allan Price; Vice President is an equal-opportunity, ADVERTISING Whitney Malkin Eugene OR 97403-5228 distributed free to alumni. Printed for Finance and Administration: Frances affirmative-action institution DIRECTOR EDITORIAL Phone (541) 346-5045 in the USA on recycled paper. Dyke; Vice President for Research and committed to cultural Susan Thelen ADVISORY Fax (541) 346-5571 Copyright 2007 University of Graduate Studies: Richard Linton; diversity and compliance DESIGNERS BOARD EDITORIAL Oregon. All rights reserved. Views Associate Vice President for Public and with the Americans with Tim Jordan, Jennifer Casey, David Funk, (541) 346-5048 expressed do not necessarily reflect Government Affairs: Michael Redding; Disabilities Act. This Chris Michel Cathy Hamilton, Kathleen ADVERTISING the views of the UO administration. Executive Director of the UO Alumni publication will be made CONTRIBUTING Holt, Mark Johnson, Ann (541) 346-5046 CHANGE OF ADDRESS Association: Daniel Rodriguez available in accessible PHOTOGRAPHER Mack, Alexandra Mock, SUBSCRIPTIONS Alumni Records, 1204 University UO INFORMATION formats upon request: Jack Liu Michael Redding, Barbara $30 per year domestic of