Spring 2020

In this issue:

A small-town CEO leads Oregon’s largest credit union
Theatre alumni embark on localized movie-making
Native American students build community on campus
A first-generation student brings his groundedness to the region’s largest winery

This issue is available for download, Flipbook viewing, and references to published articles.

Coyotes, badgers and bears, oh my!

Lauren Hull, ’11, uses her degree to turn animal remains into stunning art and wall mounts. Her business has found a thriving clientele in rural Oregon.

President’s Letter – Spring 2020

EOU President Tom Insko addresses alumni and friends regarding the institution’s COVID-19 response and how the university community remains an engine for rural places.

Creating community

EOU’s Native American Program, led by alumna Katie Harris-Murphy, ’16, connects Native students with one another while providing cultural opportunities for all members of the campus community.

Real communities, real solutions

The new Sustainable Rural Systems degree debuts this fall, and employers are already looking forward to graduates with hands-on experience as project leaders and community builders.

Abel Mendoza, ’72, and Cheryl Martin, ’76, serve together on EOU’s Board of Trustees. Their backgrounds in research, education, ranching and business keep affordability and access anchored in the university’s mission.

A mammoth undertaking

Students answered questions about their experience excavating giant mammoth fossils last fall. The remains were discovered in a gravel quarry owned by alumnus Craig Woodward, ’69, who donated them to his alma mater shortly before he passed away.

Your friendly, local CEO

Alumnus Rob Stuart, ’96, brought his small-town values to big-city banking, and now heads Oregon’s largest credit union.

Building character

Theatre alumni are on a quest to write, produce and direct a fantasy adventure film to showcase Eastern Oregon’s local talent and natural scenery.

Dancing in a new language

From traditional Pacific Island dance to the stomping moves of cheerleading, junior Brittney Hamilton has translated movement into a new context.

Baseball: Back at EOU

Nearly 50 years after he set a record for home runs, Steve Carter, ’60 is leading his teammates once again. This time, he’s scoring scholarships for a new generation of Mountaineers student-athletes.

Lacrosse: The first recruit

Sydney Shaughnessy of Meridian became EOU’s first-ever lacrosse recruit this spring. The team enters its first season in 2020-21.

Binding Time

One-of-a-kind art books get printed and bound in an old fruit warehouse in central Washington. An EOU alumnus found opportunity in this small community’s vacant downtown.

Where the arts speak

From bedtime reading out of textbooks, to steering Baker County’s art center, Ginger Savage has built a life and career out of creating welcoming spaces.

Around the world hospitality

The Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg now benefits from EOU alumnus Lonny Watne’s globe-trotting career in hotel finance.

Not your average table wine

Keith Kenison, ’90, got his first job at a winery shoveling grape skins out of the bottom of steel tanks. Now he oversees all of the reds as a winemaker for 14 Hands.