Alumni
Mary Ann Haisch ’80 MPA ’93
Mary Ann Haisch, 80, a proud graduate of Portland State University, died March 2 in Vancouver, Washington. After studying dental hygiene at Clark College, she graduated from Portland State and later earned her Master of Public Administration. Mary Ann enjoyed a successful career as a dental hygienist and university professor, teaching at Clark College, Mount Hood Community College and the School of Dentistry at OHSU, finishing as professor emeritus. She was actively involved in community outreach and incorporating interactive technology to improve dental hygiene curriculums. She was an educational consultant and speaker for Nobel Pharma and Procter & Gamble, held offices in the American Dental Education Association, and was on the editorial board for the Journal of Practical Hygiene. Generous at heart, Mary Ann volunteered extensively, providing dental care to local underserved communities. Blessed with an inquisitive mind and a sense of adventure, she traveled extensively. She loved going to farmers markets, camping, gardening, cooking, and dreaming up creative outings and gifts for her four grandchildren. Mary Ann is survived by her sister, Betty Lou, and her three sons, Loren, Brian and Darin. Condolences may be sent to haischm@msn.com.
Nancy Anne Hill ’80 MS ’88
Nancy Anne Hill ’80 MS ’88 died June 1, 2021 at age 66 surrounded by her family, following complications of liver cancer. Nancy was born and raised in the Portland area and graduated from Tigard High School in 1973. In sixth grade, she discovered a love for riding when the family bought their first horse. Preferring the view from between the ears of a horse to any other, she never spent another year of her life without one. Nancy spent summers at Foxfield Riding Academy and worked as a groom while studying science at PSU. She began her teaching career after getting her undergraduate degree in 1980, which led her to Mountain View High School in Bend, Oregon. There, she taught chemistry and physical science from 1984 to 2013. Accolades throughout her career included the Oregon Science Teachers Association Science Teacher Award for 1991-1992 and the Tandy Technology Scholars Outstanding Teacher Award in both 1992-1993 and 1993-1994. She became a well-known, admired educator of many future scientists who grew up in the Bend area. An educator to the end, Nancy donated her body to Oregon Health and Sciences University. She is survived by two brothers, Martin and Thomas Hill; one sister, Margaret Smith (Betsy); nieces and nephews; horse, Woody; dog, Jackson; and cat, Leonie. See her obituary and tributes.
Raymond “Ray” Mariels ’61
Ray Mariels, English faculty emeritus, passed away Oct. 13, 2021 at the age of 85. Born in Astoria on Aug. 25, 1936 and and a veteran of the U.S. Army, Ray was both a graduate of Portland State and a faculty member for 35 years. He earned his undergraduate degree at Portland State College in 1961 before going on to get his master’s and doctorate at the University of Oregon, returning to his alma mater to teach in 1967. Considered a “you must take a class from him!” professor throughout his career, Ray’s courses often packed in 50 to 100 students. Ray was an avid reader with a particular love for the English poet William Blake and made multiple trips to the Blake Museum and other historical sites related to British Romantic Literature in England. He wrote and published numerous poems in reviews and journals between 1959 to 1994, as well as a work of unpublished historical fiction. Ray loved England, Scotland and Ireland, but most of all, the Oregon coast. He and his late wife, Maureen Mariels (Anderson), loved to be near the water and often visited the coast and traveled abroad. Ray is survived by his younger sister, Jan Wagner; his eldest son, Kurt Mariels; his middle son, Tim Mariels, from his first marriage; and his youngest son, Nathan Mariels, from his second marriage. Ray is also survived by his step-daughter, Jennifer Turner Bitterman, and her two sons Austin and Hugo Bitterman. Ray’s ashes will reside next to Maureen’s at Riverview Cemetery. See his obituary and tributes.
Katie-Jay Scott Stauring ’05
Katie-Jay Scott Stauring ‘05, an international activist, died at age 40 in a car crash in Manhattan Beach, California on Nov. 23, 2021. Katie-Jay attended Islander Middle School and Mercer Island High School in Mercer Island, Washington. She earned a B.A. in sociology with a focus on community development from PSU as well as a certificate in Executive Management from the Center for Nonprofit Management. Following a speech from the president of the American Jewish World Service about genocide in Darfur, she helped initiate and build PSU’s Genocide Awareness Week in 2006. Her work on campus led to her hiring at Stand for Darfur, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of genocide in Darfur on U.S. campuses. After graduation from PSU, Katie-Jay worked in the hospitality business. In 2007, she joined iACT, a Los Angeles-based international nonprofit non-governmental organization that provides humanitarian action to refugees. Beginning as a volunteer about a year after the organization’s founding, she became the co-executive director of the organization in 2019. She also held positions as founding Board of Peers member of Education Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange, AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Coordinator with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation-Oregon and founding Coordinator of the Portland Coalition for Genocide Awareness. Her work and volunteerism took her to countries in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe. In 2011, Katie-Jay married Gabriel Stuaring, iACT’s founder and the couple most recently lived in Redondo Beach, California. Gabriel Stauring, 55, also died in the four-car crash. A GoFundMe campaign was organized to help support the couple’s 9-year-old child, Leila. They are also survived by two grown children from Gabriel’s first marriage, Mimi Stauring and Gabriel “Gabo” Stauring.
Faculty
John “Jack” Cooper
John “Jack” Cooper, English faculty emeritus, died peacefully at his home March 29, 2021 at age 88. Cooper was born in a taxicab in Edmonton, Canada. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University at Albany in 1954 and became a U.S. citizen while serving in the Army. Jack later earned an master’s degree and doctorate in English from Yale University and taught at the University of Chicago and Reed College. He joined PSU’s English Department in 1970, concentrating on poetry, comedy and Shakespeare and later serving as head of the department. Jack also served as president of the Faculty Senate and president of the Inter-Institutional Faculty Senate for the Oregon University System, receiving the George Hoffmann Award for Faculty Excellence in 1997. After retiring in 1999, he continued to teach for several years and earned the Outstanding Retired Faculty Award in 2007 from the Retirement Association of Portland State. Jack was an active hiker, cross-country skier and runner. He volunteered as a speaker for the Oregon Food Bank, drove for Meals on Wheels and was a member of the Multnomah Athletic Club, Elizabethan Society of Yale, and the Ferdinand Society. He is survived by his wife Terry, son Matthew and daughter-in-law Minnie, daughter Jenna, granddaughter Samantha, sister-in-law Nell Cooper, nephews Tim and Chris and their families, cousins Charles and Heather Ireland, and many friends.
Victor “Vic” Dahl
Victor “Vic” Dahl, history professor emeritus, died earlier this year at age 93. Vic was born in Dickinson, North Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science in 1950 and master’s degree in political science in 1951 from the University of Montana. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1952 to 1954, rising to the rank of lieutenant, before earning a Ph.D. in history from the University of California-Berkeley in 1959. He joined Portland State later that year and worked for three decades along with several appointments to other universities. Vic’s numerous academic and institutional pursuits included five terms on the PSU President’s Advisory Council. His teaching and research interest focused on the history of the Western Hemisphere. Vic was regarded as a consistent source of ideas and knowledge, regarded by PSU presidents as a valuable aid in evaluating proposed procedures and activities. Known to absorb foreign languages quickly, Vic was a top leader in overseas study abroad programs in multicultural eastern Europe and South America. In later years, Vic was an active member of the Retirement Association of Portland State.
Elizabeth Furse
Elizabeth Furse, a former congresswoman and founding director of Portland State University’s Institute for Tribal Government, died peacefully at her home on April 16, 2021. She was 84. Elizabeth was born a British citizen in Kenya and primarily grew up in South Africa, where she was active in the anti-apartheid movement. In 1992, she became the first person born in Africa to be elected to Congress. She served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her experience in South Africa carried over to her work in Congress, where she advocated on behalf of the rights of minority populations and bipartisan cooperation. Elizabeth was regarded as a champion for Native American rights and tribal sovereignty. In addition to establishing the Institute for Tribal Government at the Hatfield School of Government in 2000—where she also served as a member of the advisory board—she helped five Oregon tribes regain federal recognition. Elizabeth also worked to advance women’s rights and the rights of children and farm workers. She promoted nuclear disarmament, environmental regulation and land-use rules. For nearly three decades, Elizabeth co-owned and operated Helvetia Winery with her former husband, John Platt. Elizabeth is survived by her children, Amanda Briggs of Beaverton and John Briggs of Seattle and by Platt, with whom she remained close friends. This Oregonian article talks more about her life.
Michihiro “Michi” Kosuge
Michihiro “Michi” Kosuge, a longtime PSU School of Art + Design faculty member and important figure in Portland’s art community, died Oct. 13, 2021 at the age of 78. Kosuge was a sculptor, philanthropist and arts educator who taught at PSU from 1978 to 2003, earning professor emeritus status after his retirement. Michi was born in Tokyo and came to the United States in 1967 to attend the San Francisco Art Institute. He worked largely with large-scale stone sculptures, speaking to the relationship between nature and humanity. He was represented in several large museums around the country, including exhibitions at the Portland Art Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Oakland Museum and the Seattle Art Museum, as well as in public installations and landscape projects. Michi’s work was also featured in the Russo Lee Gallery and was the life partner of its founder, Laura Russo, who died in 2010. A sculptural work Michi created, “Beacons of Creativity” (2016), can be seen in the Broadway Gallery of Lincoln Hall. It is composed of two granite pillars, each with a foundational stone representing the College of the Arts and topped with four stones representing the schools within the college (Architecture, Art + Design, Music & Theater and Film). Gifts in memory of Michi may be made to the Portland State Michi Kosuge Scholarship in Art. See his obituary.
Richard “Dick” Lycan
Richard “Dick” Lycan, geography and urban studies faculty emeritus, died peacefully at his home on Dec. 20, 2021 at age 88. Dick taught at the University of Victoria in British Columbia for six years before joining PSU in 1970. He was the chair of the Geography Department from 1974 to 1983. Dick was an an early user of and contributor to Geographic Information Systems and co-creator of the Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Born Dec. 17, 1933 in St. Paul, Minnesota, he studied geography and geology at the University of Idaho, later earning a master’s degree in geography from George Washington University and doctorate from the University of Washington. Dick participated in Naval ROTC at the University of Idaho and served seven years in active duty in the U.S. Navy. He served on the USS Yorktown and the USS Wisconsin (BB-64) as a watch officer and division officer before transferring to Naval Intelligence and retiring as a captain. Dick enjoyed reading, canoeing, rafting, fishing and driving in the countryside. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elaine Lycan, of Portland; son, Paul Lycan (Patty) of San Diego, California; daughter, Anne Marie Lycan of Boston, and three grandchildren, Paula Lycan of New York, Molly Lycan of Portland, and Jesse Lycan of Brunswick, Maine. See his obituary and tributes.
Norm Wyers
Norm Wyers, a professor emeritus who taught in Portland State’s School of Social Work for over twenty years, died Dec. 14, 2021 of lung cancer at age of 89. Norm began working in the School of Social Work in 1974 and retired in 1996, serving as Assistant Dean from 1987 to 1988. He was the first director of the Master of Social Work program from 1991 to 1996 and the coordinator of the undergraduate degree program from 1976 to 1982. He authored 15 peer-reviewed publications and taught more than 30 courses at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. A beloved scholar, advocate, teacher, mentor and friend to many, Norm was invited five times by School of Social Work students to give commencement addresses at graduation ceremonies. In 1990, he was selected as Social Worker of the Year by the Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. In 1996, he was awarded the annual George Hoffman Award for Faculty Excellence. Norm was active in numerous community boards and organized dozens of town hall meetings across Oregon. After retiring, he continued to teach at PSU until 2004. Norm is survived by his son, Peter; his daughter, Abby; his grandsons, Forrest Augustus Sage and Jasper Joseph Sage; his son-in-law, David Sage; and many beloved extended family members and friends who were like family. Donations may be made in his name to the School of Social Work’s Emergency Fund. See his obituary and tributes.