Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2015)
4 CLACKAMAS PRINT • MAY 2 0 ,2 0 1 5 CCC bids ‘Bon Voyage’ to this year’s retirees > L K O d II D by Saige Keikkala Chris Whitten, the emcee of the event, presents Susan Brown, book store bookkeeper, with a vase that has the W hen they announced the annu al Retiree Party was to m eet In the Gregory Forum on May 5, not everyone expected such a large and tear jerking occasion. Fused w ith the strong smell of cake and coffee, many people gathered around w hite linen tables to watch the slideshow presentation o f each person retiring from Clackamas Com munity College. A com bined to ta l o f 193 years of work were put into Clackamas College among the 12 retirees at the form al gathering. That’s more years than the college doors have been open. W ith so many beloved members of the staff retiring, Theater Instructor Chris Whitten, emcee, told numerous jokes th at took advantage of the old logo also leaving the college. Dave Arter, a science instructor, when summoned on stage to give his short speech, threw a stack of papers into the air after prom ptly stating he was sad to leave but he was glad for, “No more grading.” The paper wafted around his jubilant face like a burst of confetti, followed by laughter and applause from the crowd. Lynda Elllngsen, who worked at CCC for a whopping 31 years, retold some of her childhood memories when her family owned a cafe w ith a strip club in the back. As she recounted, she was never allowed in th e back, b u t she would often help sew the costumes for the strippers. She was also lucky enough to accidentally m eet Bruce Lee once. Michelle Meyer, w ho has been at Clackamas fo r 2 4 years, was often teased for finding her husband here after only three weeks. Becky Ogden was often a favorite co-worker. She frequently had weird snacks th at she passed around to the other staff members and was the, “only woman who had the ability to make teenage boys cry,” said the lady who gave the trib u te speech fo r Ogden. According to one memorable account, Ogden would stop by her office to see her still hard at work and say, “Jane, you ignorant slut, go home." Even with the amiable theme of “Bon Voyage” w ith suitcases, postcards on the tables and flags from foreign coun tries stuck on the cake slices, there was a bittersweet atmosphere in the room. This is one generation leaving to pass on their duties to a fresher generation. They’ve put their life’s work into this school and it has had a w orthw hile impact upon us students. But as the retirees regularly to ld everyone on the mic tim e and tim e again, it wasn’t just the students’ lives that were being changed for the better, but the staff’s as well. new logo. Oregon City Bookstore I June 8 - 1 2 M on. - Wed.. 7:45 am - 6:00 pm Thurs., 7:45 am - 5:00 pm Frl, 8:30 am -2 :3 0 pm Harmony Bookstore June 8 - 1 2 Mon. - Wed.. 9:30 am -1:30 pm. 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm Thurs. & F rl, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Lenda Black, publications coordinator, walks to the front of the room for her goodbye retirement speech. Photo ID Requiredfl
