Oregon daily emerald., December 13, 1982, Page 3, Image 3

It’s not ‘retirement’
Bingham finally gets time to write
By Joan Nyland
Of th« Emerald
Bing Bingham dashes off to lunch from his office in
PLC. He doesn’t walk slower with his new artificial hip
and knee, but he does favor the left leg. Usually dressed
in slacks, plaid cotton shirt and a tie that doesn't quite
match, Bingham wears a smile for students — his lunch
partners.
'Prof. Bing (pause) Bingham," his explanation of
how to introduce him, retires this term from his 33-year
post in the history department
But retire is the wrong word
"I got my notice of being granted emeritus." says
More than 20 faculty and staff members were
honored at a retirement reception in Gerlinger
Alumni Lounge last week
Catherine Lauris, editor of University pub
lications, began her professional relationship with
the University in 1940. Prior to that, she was a
student here
The longest tenure among teaching faculty
whose service to the University ends this calendar
year belongs to Lloyd Sorensen, history, who
began in September, 1947
Other retiring faculty and staff and the year
they began work here are Roland Ball, English.
1952; Phyllis Bennett, University Foundation,
1967; Edwin Bingham, history. 1949; Leo Bras
seur, physical plant, 1967; Jake Dragt. physical
plant, 1975; Ed Hedden, athletics, 1969; and Jon
Kahananui, physical plant, 1971
Others are Richard Long, library, 1966, Joyce
Lang, education, 1971; John McManus, music,
1967; Robert Morris, biology. 1955. Nina Peter
son, education, 1979; Daisy Rooks, housing,
1969; Virgil Ross, physical plant. 1960; and Walter
Parsons, printing, 1964
Also retiring are Lois Schreiner, library, 1970;
Phyllis Schrader, registrar, 1965; Robert
Schwarz, education, 1971; Ray Wolfe, chemistry,
1956; Rena Whittington, counseling center, 1960;
and Melba Rothschild, library, 1976.
feted
the 62-year-old professor, but "I won't leave, and I don't
think anyone would try to make me But if they did I
would refuse I'd pull age." he jokes
Bingham will remain in his office between piles of
books, dissertations, old tests, sports equipment and
immerse himself in the biography of turn-of-the-century
Portlander Charles Erskine Scott Wood
That is. he will concentrate on the biography he
started 25 years ago while he teaches Pacific Northwest
History and American Biography each fall and advises
graduate students
The tall, blond-haired professor walks briskly into
his U S. History 201 class only to be stopped every few
seconds with questions from students and an Is that
OK?" from others
Though continuing teaching is important to Bingh
am. he admits he's tired of the "Big Class " He now
sighs when he talks of teaching
"He devotes a tremendous amount of time to his
students, and that takes a whole lot of emotional
energy." says Richard Brown, head of the history
department.
During the last two years Bingham has had two
major surgeries, and he has continued to teach
throughout the period despite "real agony." Brown
says
Bingham has potential for human understanding
that makes him extremely liked and remembered,
according to both Brown and Glen Love, English
professor and a 17-year colleague of Bingham's
He says "yes to committees, regional historians
and students seeking help, which, says Love, "is not the
way to get to Harvard
Despite retirement, Bingham will keep his positions
on the Oregon Geographic Names Board and the
editorial board of Pacific Northwest Quarterly, and he
will continue to narrate historical presentations such as
the one-woman play "Northwest Woman" he co-wrote
and toured with last year
He has just agreed to narrate an historical spoof on
the Oregon Democratic machine for the 1983 Legisla
ture
The community and University involvement takes
away from scholarly pursuits One reason Bingham
wants to retire is to rid himself of what he calls the
"nonsense" of academia — the committees and
reports
To me he is one pf the key figures in Pacific
Northwest regionalism, and I think he generally is
Photo by Bob Baker
“Bing” Bingham
regarded as such,'' Brown says
Bingham, who likes to think of himself as a would
be writer, says he is "coming around full-cycle" with his
retirement career as a biographer
"I can scarcely wait until I can turn full-time to this
project," says Bingham. "Biography is as close to
literature as I've been able to get.”
A few years ago, before she died, Wood's widow
released 80,000 pages of manuscripts — many of them
love letters. Bingham and his wife Ginny had visited her
and knew nothing of the papers.
"I had to start again. I still haven't assimilated
them," says Bingham.
If all goes well with the book, he and Ginny, his wife
of 30 years, intend to return in a year from January to
India, where they spent the 1978-79 academic year on a
Fulbright in Mysore, India
Meanwhile, Bingham is going to hang a "do not
disturb" sign outside his office and write.
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