Winter 2024 7 FROM THe PUBLIsHeR ILLUSTRATION BY JOÃO FAZENDA I have been a fan of Pac-12 teams my entire life. Oregon State is one of the three Pac12 institutions that educated my wife, my son and me. We’ve run onto home fields in jubilation, ridden red-eye flights to make it by tipoff, shrieked at buzzerbeaters, tailgated with old friends and instant chums, cried in frustration and prayed for miracles. We’ve booed mascots riding horses, coaches named Chip and bands who think they’re funnier than they actually are. We’ve witnessed national champions, Heisman winners, Olympians and legends. We’ve cheered walk-ons, returning injured warriors and those who play for love of the game. The dismantling of a conference that’s defined the West’s athletic footprint for more than a century was shocking and sad. To us the “Conference of Champions” was perfect, with natural and intense regional rivalries, similarly constituted academic institutions and unparalleled success. The Pac-12 experience created multiple generations of passionate fans and almost mythical lore. Our school songs, points of pride and memories are intricately tied to athletic tradition. I’ll miss our rivals, as I imagine many of you will. It was a gut punch seeing OSU cast aside in the conference realignment wreckage created by television greed, conference bungling and misguided priorities. I’ve heard from countless alumni — many of whom aren’t typically sports fans — who are angry, sad and nervous. Still, I have confidence in OSU’s feistyyet reasoned approach so far. As I write this in October, there’s not much clarity about the immediate or long-term impact on OSU or our new best friends at WSU. That is, except for this: Beavers are resilient. We don’t need a different uniform each week to prove our value. We show up in orange and black, no matter our record. We bring our children and grandchildren to meet Benny and know that this alone makes it a great day. We fiercely root for victories and hurt when those don’t come. But never do we let television networks define us. We are Oregon’s university — one of the most interesting and productive research universities on earth. An OSU degree illustrates smarts, diligence and a deep sense of pride. OSU alumni help students find jobs and support research that enhances our economy and drive discovery. Our rivals’ shocking choices don’t change any of that. Beavers are so united in our pride and perseverance that we started a media campaign about it: “When others take flight, Beavers unite!” No matter what happens in this next chapter, we’ll be right there with our friends and loved ones, with Benny, wearing orange and black, blasting our chain saw and showing the world what Beaver Nation is all about. Go Beavs! John V lv Publisher, Oregon Stater WHEN BEAVERS UNITE OFF I CeRs Chair, Julie Lambert, ’85, Aptos, California Vice Chair, Dan Jarman, ’88, Lake Oswego Treasurer, Bob Bluhm, ’82, Portland MeMBeRs Jay Boatwright, ’78, Sacramento, California Sharada Bose, ’84, M.S. ’88, Milpitas, California Claire Conroy Brown, ’00, Los Angeles, California Jim Coats, ’93, Portland Mary Coucher, ’83, Lake Oswego Eric Feldhusen, ’02, Salt Lake City, Utah Sean Gordon, ’13, Stockholm, Sweden Conrad Hurdle, ’96, MAT ’97, Portland Pam Johnson, ’83, Dallas, Texas Kelley Kaiser, ’93, MPH ’99, Corvallis Doug Kutella, ’98, Lake Oswego Keith Leavitt, ’88, Wilsonville Holly McKinney, ’91, Bend Lee Miller, ’80, Blodgett David Molina, ’04, Portland Jayathi Murthy, OSU president, ex officio Victoria Thanh Nguyen, ’95, MAIS ’06, Portland Candace Pierson-Charlton, ’73, Ed.M. ’02, Corvallis Denver Pugh, ’97, Shedd Johnathan Riley, ’09, Portland Michele Rossolo, ’01, Portland Lori Rush, ’78, Dallas Shawn Scoville, OSU Foundation president and CEO, ex officio Syesha Holliman Thomas, ’02, Seattle, Washington Marcia Torres, ’01, Clackamas Michael Whitten, ’12, Portland Jessica Wolfer, ’10, M.S. ’11, Newberg ADDRess 204 CH2M HILL Alumni Center Corvallis, OR 97331 541-737-2351 osualum@osualum.com ForOregonState.org sOCIAL MeDIA Facebook: facebook.com/ oregonstatealum X/Twitter: @oregonstatealum Instagram: @oregonstatealumni Sign up for the bi-weekly Beaver Lodge newsletter at ForOregonState.org/ BeaverLodge
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