Good Samaritans put house together
By Sandy Carter
Of The Print
On Dec. 9, 1979, early
morning flames engulfed the
Molalla home of Al Hodges,
78, and his housekeeper,
Virginia O’Donnell, 72. When
the fire was out, the home
Hodges had lived in for the
past 10 years was in ruins,
leaving them with their lives,
three walls, and a wood «strive»
Today, thanks to the initial
concern of one man and the
combined efforts of dozen of
other individuals, Clackamas
County public and private
agencies,
and
Good
Samaritans from Washington
to California, Hodges and
O’Donnell once more have
walls, windows, and a roof
over their heads, but much
more work still cries out to be
done.
Tom Weiss, a Colton
resident and brother of A.S.G.
Vice President Richard Weiss,
was the catalyst in the
movement to help the elderly
couple, who refused to move
from their burned-out home,
regardless of hardship.
Determined not to buckle
under to the disaster which
took all of their food, clothes,
canned goods for two years,
and Hodges’ automobile, they
faced the task of survival on
Social Security checks amoun­
ting to less than $500 per mon­
th.
After discovering the elderly
couple still living in the gutted
building, Weiss tried to enlist
help in Molalla, but, according
to his brother Richard, met with
a cool response. After six
weeks, he decided that
something had to be done, and
began beating on doors of
churches and commercial
establishments throughout the
area.
Finally, word of the old
couple’s plight reached Roby
Robinson, member of the
College drama department and
the Oregon City JayceeS, who
passed the story along to Leslie
Bangs, one of five community
development coordinators of
the College in Clackamas
County.
Bangs’ job, she says, is to
“mobilize
resources
for
problems within the com­
munity,” and from her desk,
the ball started to roll in ear­
nest.
Lobdell wants to teach;
doesn’t want promotion
cesses and you have a quiet,
extremely intelligent man. His
first dedication is to his wife,
Lois, and their two grown
children. He will soon be
celebrating his 36th wedding
anniversary.
Zinc referred to him as a
“contradiction” and a “gentle
giant.” “There’s no way a man
could come out of two or three
rough wars and still be gentle.
But Lobdell did,” he explained.
BySusy Ryan
Of The Print
Teaching such courses as ac­
counting, introduction to
business, and data processing
isn’t instructor John Lobdell’s
way of putting food on the
table. It’s his ideal way to spend
his time.
According to philosophy of
management instructor Earl
Zinc, “Lobdell doesn’t have to
teach, but he loves teaching
and young people so much
that it’s the ideal thing for him
to do. The thing you consisten­
tly hear about him, said Zinc,“is
that his classes are tough, and
they are, but boy, do you learn!
He’s a great teacher, and
despite his reputation, his
classes fill up like crazy.”
Lobdell came to the College
in 1972 with a long, successful
Navy career behind him. He
had attended the United States
Naval Academy in Annapolis,
Md. He was stationed for two
years on the World War II
destroyer, the USS Cummings.
He spent time as a pilot and
then went on to design airplane
cockpits. In 1946, he was in at­
tendance at the first atomic test
on Bikini Island in the Pacific
Ocean. His last military duty
before retiring after 30 years of
service was as the accountant
for NASA on the $2 billion
military space programs.
Lobdell, raised in Tacoma,
Wash., is a product of the
Pacific Northwest, so it was
only natural to move back here
after leaving the Navy. Zinc
adds, “We’re luckier then hell
to have him. He loves it here,
and thank God for us.”
Set aside Lobdell’s outstan­
ding achievements and suc­
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Several of his former studen­
ts described him as very
organized. “Everything has its
place and everything is in its
place,” one student recalled.
Leona Ryan, who took his
data processing class well over
a year ago, wasn’t a bit sur­
prised when he remembered
her not too long ago. “He
never forgot a name or a face.
He’s amazingly accurate with
small details.”
Lobdell, who has been of­
fered numerous promotions
here at the College, has turned
them all down. “This is what I
enjoy, being right here in the
classroom. It’s where I want to
be. I want to teach, not become
one of the ‘heads’. I’ve had my
ego trips and I don’t want
any more,” he says.
He is oil the executive com­
mittee
of
the
Oregon
Association of Accounting
Educators. His purpose in­
cludes compiling a composite
of community college and ac­
counting credits and texts with
a register of community college
instructors. “The reason I’ve
had this job for so long is
because I can’t get rid of it,” he
jokes.
Besides teaching, Lobdell’s
other interests include hiking,
working out in the gym, and
nature.
In a time of uncertainty and
unrest for many people, John
Lobdell seems to have found
what he’s looking for right here
at the College. “There’s no
other thing I’d rather be doing
than what I’m doing right
now,” he states.
Red tape was leaped in
almost a single bound, and by
late January grants of aid to the
tune of $1,500 and $800 were
made available for the project
of reclaiming and weatherizing
the Hodges home.
Two
College
Jaycees,
Richard Weiss and David P.
Doty, were on hand Jan. 19
and 20 when volunteer labor
assembled at the scorched
building and put a backhoe and
40 to 60 willing hands to work
on the job of cleaning up and
renovating the charred struc­
ture.
Articles about the Hodges
help-project appeared in the
Jan. 21 Oregonian and the
Jan. 27 Salem Statesman
Journal, and soon offers of aid
were coming in from in­
dividuals and groups from as
far away as California and
Washington.
How do Hodges and
O’Donnell feel about the com­
passion shown them after their
disaster? In a phone interview
March 3, O’Donnell expressed
their gratitude, saying, “There’s
a lot of great people who’ve
helped us, and I sure ap­
preciate what they’ve all
done.”
early on the Sunday moil
of the fire. “A neighbor wd
us up,” she said, as flames!
smoke quickly spread throi
the 50-year-old house. At
the fire, she said, “We lived
15-foot camp trailer forth]
days, where we could cot
until we could move into t
front end of the house, whi
wasn’t burnt too bad.”
, “Today,” said O’Donfl
“we got this grant and we
been waiting for material
we can go ahead and wo
Nobody’s been here for
couple of weeks now,” shl
ded. “I guess they have tl
own work to do.”
Bangs
expresses I
preciation for all the help I
to the elderly couple, bul
phasized that more w
remains to be done. “W|
need people who can
finishing work,” she sa
“Flooring, sheetrocking, pi
ting, insulation, and m’
cleanup still need to be do
They also need wood foil
stove.”
The thing that makes pa
take such an interest in
Hodges and Virginia 01
nell, according to Bangs, is
one important possession
She remembered that she fire couldn’t take from tH
and Hodges were still in bed an abiding pioneer spirit. I
ASG Senator Taylol
has diversified
By Denise Kline
Of The Print
This is the first in a series
of
interviews
with
Associated Student Gover­
nment senators and of­
ficers. It is the intent of
these interviews to let you,
the student, know who your
representatives are, what
they are doing and a little
bit about them.
Tony Taylor was recently
appointed to the ASG senate.
Taylor has a very diversified
background. In his spare time,
Taylor writes and plays music
on his guitar and flute.
Taylor, 26, is a pre-law
student at the College. In the
past he has been involved in
ASG as well as with several
committees at the College.
When asked why he became
involved in ASG, Taylor
replied, “I thought I had
some very good ideas and
energy to offer the association,
the students, and the school,
thereby benefiting the whole
community.”
Taylor sees his function in
the Associated Student Gover­
nment “trying to give them a lot
of new ideas.” He says he likes
to keep ASG stirred up, so that
they don’t get too comfortable
in their thinking.
Taylor likes what he is doing
for the most part. However, he
does feel that he may not
always give as much as he
could to student government.
Taylor has reservli
about the direction AS
going. He states, “I don’tl
the direction ASG is go
Too much emphasis is pul
entertaining the students,
should be teaching the st"
ts, allowing them to lei
much as they can, in ligh
the purpose of an institut
higher learning: to teach, nl
entertain.”
When asked about probli
he sees in ASG, Taylor rep
“One of the biggest pro»
see is the interjection of |
sonal goals and lack of
thusiasm. I don’t think mW
the people in ASG see or
derstand the progress they
make.”
Taylor believes that m
bers are sometimes rusffl
their decision making,
present, the ASG meet»
limited to one hour. He f
there are times whenM
time is needed to thoroui
discuss an issue before votin
In closing Taylor maaa
following remark: “It woulc
nice if the students who®
part of the ASG couHI
back in a few years affi|
something that they woirced
still in existence, so th®
can say, i helped with th
They can be happy that it i
worthwhile enough to still b
existence, thereby mei
self.”.
Taylor would like to
ASG become the best]
government possible, j
Clackamas Community Colli