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About The OSEA news. (Salem, Oregon) 1970-1981 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1970)
A member of the Association of Governmental Employees (AGE), which includes over 500,000 public employees ....... Delegates Elect Jones-Young-Egan Chalmers L. Jones, Richard F. Young, and Adele L. Egan were elected to OSEA's top three offices at the close of the 28th General Council in Por tland Oct. 17. Jones, who was elected president, ran unopposed for the office. A former two-term president of the association, he held that position in 1963 and 1964. He works for the Em ployment Division in Portland. Young, a Highway Division m aintenance forem an from Klamath Falls, defeated two candidates for the office of vice-president. He was opposed by Dr. Lester B. Strickler, a professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis, and Ronald W. Nairn, who works for the Employment Division in Salem. Miss Egan, a Highway Division employe from Salem, was re-elected to her second term as secretary-treasurer. She ran unopposed. In elections for the other e lg tr t p o s itio n s on O S E A 's Board of Directors, five can didates ran unopposed. One new director was elected and four incumbent directors were re-elected. They are: ■ .. i I ____ I CHALMERS L. JONES President • Patrick Gregory, who is employed by the Highway Division in Roseburg, was elected director of law and legislation. Outgoing director A. R. Panissidi from Salem did not seek re-election. • Jam es R- D y e r, RICHARD F. YOUNG Vice-President C orvallis, was re-elected director of academic and un classified services. • Delbert C. Chaney, Eastern Oregon Hospital and Training Center, Pendleton, was re- elected director of Institutions. Em - ptoyment Division, Salem, was re-elected director of public relations. • D r. Paul H. Weswig, Oregon State U nive rsity, • A rth u r K r ic h e v s k y , P u b lic W elfare D ivision, P ortland, was re-elected d ire c to r of retirement. Three of the eight elections were contested. Those elected: A D E LE L. EGAN Secretary-Treasurer • Kenneth P. Stueve, Oregon State U n iv e rs ity , C orvallis, was elected director of employe representation. He defeated the incumbent director, Raymond Ruff, who works for the Board o f H e a lth in Portland, and Carl H . W in f r e y , a H ig h w a y D iv is io n employe from M yrtle Creek. • David L. Backman, Board of Education, Salem, was elected d ire c to r of m em bership. He was opposed by Past-Presidents Honor Forrest Cooper For 48 Years of Distinguished Service Forrest Cooper, who recently retired after a 48-year career with the Highway Division, was named recipient of OSEA's distinguished service award at the General Council Oct. T7. The award is given each year by the association's Past- Presidents' Council. It was presented by Alfred C. Kelley, former president of OSEA in 1960. "Cooper began his rem arkable ca re er—which spans nearly a half century—at the bottom of the ladder with the Highway Division as a chainman in 1922. He climbed that ladder step by step to become state highway engineer in 1961," Kelley said. Kelley said Cooper started work for the state just five years a fte r the Highway Division was organized in its present form "and Oregon was struggling to get out of the mud. He stayed on not only to see the state's highway system get out of the mud, but to see it recognized as one of the finest in the nation." Kelley praised Cooper for his innovations, and said many of his projects w ill serve as a memorial to his achieve ments. "Perhaps one of the most notable Is the safety rest area program along the interstate Forrest Cooper« left, was presented with OSEA's Distinguished Service Award by Alfred C. Kelley, form er president of the association in i960. Cooper was one of a handful of state employés from the Highway Division who helped form OSEA. He served as its firs t vice-president in 1943. highway system running through Oregon. With few, if any, guidelines, and facing opposition all the way from those who thought building rest areas would be a waste of high way tax funds, Forrest Cooper insisted on going ahead," Kelley said. "Nineteen of the rest area fa c ilitie s —unique to Oregon until copied by other states— were built. The success of the program is now legendary." "Probably one of Forrest Cooper's most important ac complishments is the manner in which Oregon's interstate highway system is moving tow ard c o m p le tio n ," Kelley noted. "The state has been con- sistently among the nation's leaders in the completion of its system. When Interstate Five through Oregon was completed to four lanes in October, 1966, it marked the longest non-toll, cross-state route completed to date under the federal in terstate highway program ." During Cooper's tenure as state highway engineer, Kelley said, the number of state parks increased by 42, for a present total of 222. Nearly 20,000 new acres were added to the state park system, and campsites were nearly doubled to the present level of 4,900. "D ay visitor-use of our state parks w ill surpass 21-million, which is about double the persons who used Oregon parks when Forrest Cooper began his job of guiding the Highway Division," Kelley noted. Cooper was one of a handful of Highway Division employes who met in 1943 to form OSEA. He served as the association's fir s t vice-president and director of District Four. "He and his fellow founding officers and members formed the organization that obtained for state employes a civil service system and a retirement system. For that, every state em ploye owes Forrest Cooper an unending debt of gratitude," Kelley said. Jesse E. Bryan, who is em ployed by Fairview Hospital and Training Center in Salem, and Isadore G. Maney, who works for the Employment Division In Portland. • Jack A. Dan ley, Oregon State U n ive rsity, C orvallis, was elected director of in surance. He defeated Eugene J. Watson, who works for the Bureau of Labor in Salem. Some 215 delegates, representing 16,500 OSEA members throughout the state, attended the three-day con vention. They acted upon 122 resolutions submitted by local chapters, d is tric t councils, state committees and the board of directors. Of the 122 resolutions, 57 were adopted. Only 15 failed. A total of 32 were withdrawn by the submitting chapters, 1.1 were tabled and 7 were referred to the Board of Directors. Convention speakers in cluded Oregon's two guber natorial candidates. Gov. Tom McCall, Republican, and State Treasurer Robert W. Straub, Democrat. For a com plete lis t of resolutions adopted by the 1970 General Council, see pages 8-9- 10-11. Count Sets N e w Record M em bership in OSEA climbed to 16,738 last month. That figure is an all-time high in the 28-year histqry of the association. The membership report of Nov. 2 shows 565 new members were enrolled during October. A total of 293 members quit state service during the same period, which left OSEA with a net gain of 272. That's thé largest monthly gain recorded by the association since October, 1967, when it had a net gain of 344. Eight of OSEA's nine districts recorded net gains. District Six led with a gain of 111. It was followed by District Two with 58, District Five with 47, D is tric t One w ith 29, Districts Three and Four with 8 each, and Districts Eight and Nine with 7 each. District Seven had a net loss of 3. Many chapters recorded large net gains. They were led by Corvallis Chapter 29 at Oregon State University with a gain of 53. It is OSEA's largest chapter with 1,084 members. Oregon College of Education Chapter 43 in Monmouth followed with a net gain of 25 members. Next came Chemeketa Chapter 64 in Salem with 23 and Pendleton Chapter 52 with 22.
