5
Jacquie Fitch battles breast cancer bravely
Wednesday,
March 11, 1998
her cancer. A double mastectomy .took place eight days
after Fitch’s diagnosis of breast cancer. Chemotherapy fol
lowed. And Fitch recently finished a bone marrow trans
“Everybody needs to live one day at a time and to ap plant and is now awaiting radiation, which is the last step
preciate what they have,” advises the amazingly strong in the series of treatments.
voice of Jacquie Fitch, “because they never know when
The treatments have taken their toll on Fitch physically.
it’s going to be taken away.”
“I’m real tired. I just got a new immune system,” she said.
For Fitch, a 1991 graduate of Clackamas, everyday things But her attitude is clearly positive. “Everyday gets better.
are becoming more precious. The faces of her husband, This is what I have to do to get better. I don’t really have
Wally, and 22-month-old son, Cooper, are things Fitch any other choice but to be positive.”
doesn’t take for granted. Diagnosed with breast cancer on
Paul Fiskum, health and PE instructor, and head softball
Oct. 14, Fitch began the battle to stay alive. An aggressive coach of Clackamas, had only good words for Fitch.
“Her attitude throughout this whole thing has been re
form of cancer called infiltrating ductal carcinoma was
found in the 27-year-old’s breast.
markable. She’s been very, very positive. She says she’s
Fitch has undergone several steps of treatment to end going to battle cancer and do everything to be around with
her son and family.”
Fiskum had the opportunity to be
acquainted with Fitch while she was a
part of the Clackamas softball team.
In the school years of 1989-91, Fitch
was an outstanding student athlete—
she was named the female scholar ath
lete in 1991. Fitch was also recognized
by NWAACC for her outstanding skills
as a softball player. Always a partici
pant in softball, Fitch made her way
from player to assistant coach at
Clackamas.
“Jacquie has been involved ongoing
since her playing days. Her schedule
afforded her the time to be come back
and be an assistant softball coach,”
said Fiskum. “She also helped with
big community softball activities, kid
TIMOTHY BELL / Clackamas Print
softball camps and high school hitting
In a moment of peace, Jacquie Fitch tends to her botanical
clinics. She’s continued to help even
after her assistant coaching days.”
friends. Her cancer bout is an ordeal, but she is undaunted.
LAURA ARMSTRONG
Staff Writer
A part of Fiskum’s coaching philosophy is to value team
mates as friends. Fitch easily adapted to that idea.
“I met a lot of my best friends [at Clackamas],” she said.
“Now, they’ve become my life-long friends, including
Paul.” These friends are among the many that have helped
support Fitch tremendously throughout her battle with tary-
cer.
When Fitch left Clackamas with her Oregon transfer de
gree, she followed her hteart to Western Oregon State Col
lege, now Western Oregon University, where she pursued
her dream to become an elementary education teacher. She
also met her husband there.
Searching for a teaching career, Fitch found her way back
to the Clackamas County area. Substitute teacher posi
tions and a kindergarten teacher-assistant job kept Fitch at
Carus Elementary School for two years. Moving into a
more life-long career, Fitch found a full-time first- and sec
ond-grade teaching position at John Wetten Elementary
School in Gladstone.
Reflecting on the choices that she has made in her life, Fitch
quickly said that coming to Clackamas for initial schooling
was the best decision in her career. This is what led her into
teaching, she said.
Now that the majority of treatments for Fitch’s cancer has
taken place, Fitch is making plans for the future.
“I hope to go back to John Wetten,” said Fitch. Another
more light-hearted plan is to “take my son to Disneyland. That
plan was my light at the end of the tunnel.” The Fitch family
plans on making the Disneyland venture in the fall of this year.
Those who want to help the Fitch family can stop by any
U.S. Bank and make donations to the Jacquie Fitch account.
Donations can also be sent to her at P.O. Box 565, Wilsonville,
OR, 97070.
Fitch’s high-spirited outlook is one of admirable quality.
“I want to live to be 100. That’s always been my goal,” she
said matter-of-factly. With her attitude, Jacquie Fitch just might
make her dream come true.
A civic gospel: Political Science gets serious
JOEL P. SHEMPERT
Feature Editor
You're
going to
get a
scientific
analysis
ofthe).,
present
state of
American)
politics,
and it's
not a
happy
story.
■
Dean Darris
Political
Science
Instructor
The Political Science department is
somewhat of an unsung hero—extolled
by students who have taken courses in
that field, but little-known to the rest of
the student body. There could be sev
eral reasons for this, but one reason may
be that the diverse and comprehensive
program rests largely on the shoulders
of one man: Political Science Instructor
Dean Darris.
Darris, who has been teaching full time
at Clackamas for approximately four
years, is a bit unconventional in ap
proach, but he is far from unqualified;
he possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in
Political Science, a Master’s in Political
Theory and Public Law, and a Doctor
ate in Government. He has brought an
expansive vision to Political Science at
Clackamas.
“Political Science really covers di
verse disciplines, such as International
Relations, Comparative Politics, Ameri
can Government, Political Theory, and
Public Law,” Darris explains.
Darris, then, fits the bill quite well with
his diverse training. “I think one of the
reasons I was hired was because of my
versatility,” he concludes.
Students, therefore, can expect an edu
cation in each of the above fields within
the array of Political Science classes
Darris teaches. The complete package
of US Government: National Political
Process, US Government Institutions,
State and Local Government, and Inter
national Relations touches on the many
disciplines that Political Science entails.
Stuart King’s Model UN class rounds
out the group with further forays into
International Relations and International
Law.
Furthermore, Darris stresses that stu
dents entering his classes can expect “in
tellectual challenge. I require students
to think for themselves, and that means
having opinions and backing them up
with reasons.” Darris’ usual technique
is to challenge students directly in class
so that they can hone their persuasive
skills and defend their position. Critical
thought is always encouraged.
“I see myself as kind of a civic mis
sionary preaching the gospel of self-gov
ernment,” claims Darris, “So you’re go
ing to get a very Jeffersonian approach
to politics.
“It is my opinion as an American gov
ernment scholar that Jefferson’s philoso
phy—that government is there to pur
sue the interest of all Americans—has
been lost in the the Democratic and Re
publican parties, which always serve,
under scientific analysis, the wealthy
few.”
If this sounds pessimistic, it isn’t be
cause Darris is down on America, but
rather concerned about injustice toward
Americans. And he truly believes, as
Jefferson did, that before we can change
our present situation, we must be edu
cated, and that’s where his classes enter
the picture.
“You’re going to get a scientific analy
sis of the present state of American poli
tics,” says Darris, “and it’s not a happy
story.”
Darris is deeply concerned about the
condition of our nation, and he traces the
roots of the problem back to education.
“How many Americans can name
three things a Senator has actually
done?” he asks. “How many of us can
name the Secretary of the Treasury?
How many of us can name two things
the Secretary of the Treasury has actu
ally done? But I’ll guarantee you we
know the President’s pets’ names.”
This is important because America,
once a republic, is now in many ways a
democracy. The masses run the country.
This fact is powerful and perhaps even
a little frightening.
“No democracy has ever lasted in his
tory,” Darris expounds. “As James
Madison said, ‘they are as short in their
lives as they are violent in their deaths,’
and here’s why: we tend to get the privi
lege of voting too easily.. .there’s no edu
cational concept. And so what happens
is, too many citizens in a democracy—
and America is no exception—assume
that because they have the throne, they
have political educations.”
Darris is committed to providing the
education that is so lacking in today’s
voting public, and has even written his
own textbook, American Democracy:
Promise and Betrayal, to this purpose.
“What motivated me to write the text
was two issues,” says Darris. “One was
the cost of textbooks.. .and at the same
time, the expensive texts tended to fo
cus on the process of government rather
than the effect of politics.”
Darris, in both his text and his classes,
has set out to focus on the latter con
cept. Government affects the lives of
citizens, and therefore Darris believes
that citizens should be informed. That
is his aim for students in his classes. And
in this area Darris is at his most optimis
tic.
“I think it’s a grave injustice to those
students who are informed,” says Darris,
“to stereotype all students as ignorant.
For what it’s worth, this year’s students
are the best I’ve had.”
Dean Darris feels passionately that his
work here is the fulfillment of a civic
mission. And he wouldn’t trade it for
anything (He has had both a legal ca
reer and government office within his
grasp.). He believes that political science
matters.
“The question I always get is,
‘What’s the practical value of all this?’
And I can on a superficial level say,
‘well, you can save quatrillions of dol
lars by understanding the tax code,”’
he jokes. Yet in all seriousness, he con
tinues, “but on a much deeper level,
we can change the world and bring
justice to it. I can’t think of anything
more practical than that.”
Because your health is important..
If you:
• Are 40 or older...
• Lack health insurance or have limited benefits...
• Have a total monthly income of no more than $1,644
+ $567 for each additional person...
You may be eligible for a FREE Women's
Health Check and Mammogram!
Call Chris at (503)557-6446
^*o‘**>
Clackamas County Breast and
Cervical Health Program
Paid for by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Susan G. Komen Foundation
Wednesday, March 11, 1998