Campus retiree Lair spends time vacationing
By Charlene Jensen
Of The Print
The loss of the levy elec
tion marks many conse
quences for Clackamas Com
munity College, one of which
is the hiring freeze.
The hiring freeze has been
enacted to save College money
for funding a summer session.
One position, vacant since
August when Alf Lair retired,
is the director of planning and
operations, although the
duties of that job have been
assigned to three other
employees.
In reminiscing over his 15
years with the College Lair
said, “It’s the best place I’ve
ever worked. Dr. Hakanson is
one of the best bosses I’ve ever
had.”
Lair’s job consisted of the
planning and construction of
campus buildings. He also
worked in purchasing, food
service, grounds, custodial
and other departments concer
ning the operation of the Col
lege.
HELLO AGAIN, COLLEGE—Former College Director of
Planning and Operations Alf Lair waves a greeting from the
doorway of his traveling trailer. Lair retired after 15 years of ser
vice with the College, and now spends time making trips.
His reason for retiring
was simple. “I found myself
getting crabbier than usual so I
thought, ‘Time I walked out
the door and did something
different.’,” Lair said.
Lair held a number of
social positions before coming
to Clackamas. He became a
contractor after World War
II, worked for the State
Department of Education and
performed many jobs for
several community colleges,
including dean of students,
and writer of instructional
materials for vocational
education.
“I like Clackamas
Community College
. . . it’s doing a
good job in conve
niences, program
and product. ”
“The reason I came to
Clackamas Community Col
lege in the first place, Lair
said, “was to plan the
buildings and write requests
for state funding, and I just
stayed on.”
“I think this College of
fers a real answer to a need
that wasn’t being met before.
The community college is
adaptable. When a new area
needed education, I think we
jumped right into it,” Lair
said.
“I like Clackamas Com
munity college. I think it’s do
ing a good job in convenience,
program and product,” he
said.
Lair misses the people he
worked with but said he is en
joying his retirement very
much. “I’m just going to loaf
until I get bored and then I’ll
find something else to do,” he
said.
However, Lair said he is
not bored with the leisurely
life of paddling a canoe
around Puget Sound, visiting
East Lake and the Bend area.
He also spends some of his
time in political writing.
Coping with illness aided by support groups
(Conclusion in a series dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease)
By Shelley Ball
volunteer Marty Schippers,
the group meets every fourth
Throughout his long Tuesday of the month from
ordeal with his mother, Enter 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the hospital.
prise Courier Editor John
Schippers explained the
Kanelis said most of the sup support group is designed as
port he received was from his “a place to come and maybe
family, rather than support find out some new informa
groups. For those who may be tion. Families are generally
interested in a support group, not able to deal with the emo
however, an Alzheimer’s sup tional situation, so it’s also a
port group has been meeting place where they can come and
up at Willamette Falls get comfort, cry and express
Hospital since June of 1983.
their frustrations. Most people
Initiated by community don’t have any concept unless
Of The Print
they’ve been there,” she add
ed.
Although attendance in
the support group was
sporadic at first, Schippers
said this was due to the fact
that most of the people atten
ding have Alzheimer patients
to care for, and as a result
couldn’t always show up.
With the group’s recent
meeting, however, the atten
dance rose from three to five
people to 20 to 25 people.
“When only a couple
people came in, I began to
z College History
Environment key to ELC
(Part two in a series of articles concerning
Clackamas Community College)
By Judy Barlow
Of The Print
Looking at the John Inskeep Environmen
tal Learning Center (ELC), it is hard to believe
that is was once a waste-water lagoon. The ELC
was previously the home for the J.M. Smucker
Company, jam and jelly producer. The land
was a barren industrial site.
As described in the center’s brochure,
“The ELC has been developed on a 314 acre
site that previously was the waste-water
lagoons, parking lots and roadways of the
Smucker’s Berry Processing Plant.”
“In the fall of 1974 the physical work
began, the moving of boulders and dirt. The
planting was done in the spring of 1975,” ELC
Project Director Jerry Herrmann said.
The National Guard helped us to move the
boulders. Jerry (Herrmann) said it was scary
sometimes. They were moving boulders from
another part of the campus so we got the excess
dirt and boulders,” Asst. Project Director Nan
Hage-Herrmann said.
“The guys would have races to see who
could bring back the biggest rock for Jerry, and
he said there were times he didn’t think that
they were going to make it, they were so big.
Jerry’s landscaping technique was such that it
was called informal Japanese style, with many
wandering paths and quiet special places. You
(don’t just plunk the rocks on the ground. You
Wednesday, November 30, 1983
have to bury them so that you actually see from
Vi to 'A of the rock,” she added.
There are several purposes behind the
ELC. “The Center is here as a wildlife habitat,
and it shows how you can recycle and industrial
site,” Hage-Herrmann said. “We also showed
alternative technologies such as a forced air
wood furnace, composting toilets and a solar
preheat water tank. Other things on the master
plan are to show hydraulics and also wind and
water energy.”
“We are also now in the process of doing
our fishery facilities, which is for the STEP
program (Salmon and Trout Enhancement Pro
gram). We are getting the creek beds ready and
we are actually getting a deck around the fish
tank. We are looking toward a dedication for
that in the spring,” Hage-Herrmann added.
Rock beds are now being made for the
salmon and trout eggs. “They need a certain
type of bed. So we are getting the right size
rocks, crevices and little pools,” Hage-
Herrmann said. “We go beyond just this
physical site now. We go to the schools, youth
groups and adult groups. We go to anybody
who is interested in the environment, about
landscaping, about alternative technologies,
and we share what we know. Our site is used as
an experimental site at times.”
wonder if I was doing a
worthwhile thing, but then
when I got comments like ‘I
don’t think I could have made
it another day without the
group,’ or ‘I finally found
people who know what I’m
talking about,’ I began to feel
that it’s worthwhile,” Schip
pers said.
Today there are,a number
of Alzheimer support groups
that have formed in Oregon, a
fact that Schippers said has
made Oregon one of the first
states to openly recognize the
disease since the formation of
the disease’s national
organization between two and
three years ago.
Another way Alzheimer’s
Disease has affected the com
munity is in Clackamas Coun
ty recently receiving a grant to
set up a respite, a program in
which Schippers explained peo
ple would be trained to help
out with Alzheimer patients so
that those who care for them
would be able to leave them
for awhile to run errands.
Schippers also said she
would like to set up an official
calling system for crises that
may occur with Alzheimer pa
tients, where people who
can’t attend the support group
because they are caring for
such a person can call in and
talk about their problem over
over the phone.
For those who suspect a
member of their family may
have Alzheimer’s Disease,
Clinical Psychologist Rodger
Meinz suggests the person be
taken to three doctors: a
neurologist, who will diagnose
the disease, a neuropsych
iatrist for the dispensing
of drugs, and a clinical
psychologist such as Meinz
himself.
“Most people don’t like
to be around Alzheimer’s
Disease patients because they
don’t like to be reminded that
they could lose total control of
their mind. You’ve got to face
you own phrenophobia (fear
of losing mind) to work with
these people. You need to face
your own emotions and realize
the patient is dying intellec
tually, and may not know you
(one day),” Meinz said.
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