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