Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
On-line edition: www.dailyemerald.com
The outpouring of genuine
feelings about University
President Dave
Frohnmayer are well i
deserved by a man that has
made truly great
contributions to the
University.
As University President Dave Frohn
mayer is scheduled to undergo
surgery this morning to have a cardio
defibrillator implanted in his chest to
regulate his heart beat, it is important to realize
that the care being shown for his wellness is a
genuine response to all the man has done for Ore
gon and the University.
There aren’t many people who would say a bad
word about Frohnmayer. And there’s a good rea
son. While it would be easy for a person relatively
unfamiliar with the workings of the University to
assume Frohnmayer is mostly a figurehead, it is
indeed the genuine concern and vast efforts the
man has consistently given that has garnered the
respect and gratitude of all those who know him
or of his work.
The outpouring of wishes for his speedy and
full recovery coming from the campus are the nat
ural consequences of his compassion for others,
foresight into the future and his amazing resume
of career achievements in Oregon public service.
Usually not on the same page of a given issue
all at one time, students, faculty, University
trustees and Gov. John Kitzhaber all wished
Frohnmayer a speedy recovery on a video tape
greeting card sent to Maryland over the weekend.
One student, freshman Keigo Nakaide, initiated
an effort to fold 1,000 paper cranes to send in
place of cards or flowers. These are extraordinary
demonstrations of respect for an extraordinary
man.
Frohnmayer’s leadership at the University has
affected almost everyone in a positive fashion.
Two of his main focuses, diversity and technolo
gy, have shaped the way the education process
molds the minds of all students as they face the
future. It would seem that his efforts in those two
regards have been accurate and have started to
produce citizens who are equally capable of deal
ing with people and the technologies around
them. , '
Frohnmayer also set record fundraising levels
at the University and has been a key to building a
commendable athletic program, a new law
school, a library renovation and improved acade
mic standing of the University as a whole. Oregon
has twice been named by Fiske Guide to Colleges
as one of the nation’s best bargains.
It is not only Frohnmayer’s abilities and fore
sight that make him so cared-for by the communi
ty, but it is also the dedication he has shown to
civic duty throughout his life. He is a native Ore
gonian who served three terms in the state legisla
ture from 1975 to 1980 and was the state’s attor
ney general for 11 years. He made a bid at the
governor’s job. Frohnmayer even successfully ar
gued six of seven cases before the United States
Supreme Court.
While any success in personal, career or public
service arenas earn an individual respect, it is the
man’s care for others that explains the emotional
responses from those concerned. Whereas many
notable names make the news for tragic events
everyday in America, the kind of personal loss
felt in this instance could only be for a man
who’d spent decades endearing himself in the
hearts of Oregonians.
While the lists of unpublicized kindnesses
from Frohnmayer would be too long for one story
to hold, there are a few that have been retold by
those who the president has touched. For Pam
Fields of the Office of International Affairs, she
was buoyed by a personal letter that he sent to her
after her son was seriously injured by a car while
trying to cross a street, she told The Register
Guard in the Oct. 30 issue.
All that adds up to an amazing blend of talent,
compassion and dedication that is all too rare in
this world.
In a statement released last week, Frohnmayer
said “Please know that I am touched beyond mea
sure by the expressions of support for me and my
family.” That’s the kind of result one deserves af
ter showing such remarkable life-long dedication
to others.
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Re
sponses may be sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
CORRECTION
The story “Students deliver pumpkins to retirement cen
ter" (ODE, Oct. 29), should have said Hayley McGee is
the resident advisor for Sweetser hall in the Walton
Complex. The Emerald regrets the error.
V
Thumbs
To tying the
knot... tight.
' '
To lighting the
holiday for elders.
Last Thursday nine
students from
Sweetser resi
dence hall in Wal
ton Complex took
five carved pump
kins to the Farm
ington Square As
sisted Living
Community in an
attempt to give
back to the com
munity.
Politics over
democracy.
GOP Presidential
front runner
George W. Bush
skipped last week’s
Republican debate
in New Hampshire,
which was attend
ed by five other
hopefuls. It ap
pears a political de
cision outweighs
democracy’s basic
need for discourse.
To a lack of cents.
in a survey by the
Consumer Federa
tion of America,
one quarter of
Americans said
. they believed their
best chance to
build wealth for re
tirement is to play
the lottery. Those
living paycheck to
paycheck, who
would most benefit
by saving small
amounts continu
ously, are even
more likely to feel
that way.