Memorial Union
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

"Get all the advice and instruction you can, and be wise the rest of your life."
Proverbs 19:20 NLT

Every pen stroke in this drawing is packed with emotions and memories. The Memorial Union at Oregon State University is the heart of the campus. I will always remember the day my dad and I visited OSU when I was in high school and we had a milkshake at the MU. I met Kathy across the street in the Weatherford Cafeteria where we ate all our meals. (Yes, there was one then; and, yes, that was the only place our meal ticket was valid. My, how things have changed!) We were married the summer before we graduated.

Now that we live only about 12 miles away, we often visit campus and think back to those times spent in and around the MU. We remember: the awe we felt as new freshmen walking across the quad in front of it; the day we sat glued to the TV at the MU Commons and watched Terry Baker run the length of the field to win the Liberty Bowl; quiet moments in the lounge; the 'coke dates' of first love playing cribbage in the Commons because that was all we could afford; and the carillon at 5:00 and on game days. We loved the carillon! It's still a thrill to be on campus when it plays. And then, of course, there was our graduation processional in 1965!

Memorial Union is so full of memories! This drawing, however, is in honor of our younger daughter, Debbi, who always wanted to be a Beaver from the time she was just a little girl. But, when she graduated from high school, planning to become a teacher, the elementary education program was moved from Oregon State to Western Oregon; so, she went there instead. After numerous twists and turns, she eventually became a corporate accountant in downtown Portland, but that was not where her heart was.

In 2011, she traded in an accounting career for student loans and a chance to make a difference in the lives of shelter animals and the people who rescue them. At last she became a Beaver and graduated with honors from OSU's pre-vet program in June, 2014. She was accepted into the Class of 2018 at OSU - College of Veterinary Medicine. Are we proud of her? Extremely!!

Upon graduating, Debbi immediately echoed a family friend's request for a drawing of the OSU Memorial Union to frame with her diploma. I had felt bad about not doing one for Mary, but there was absolutely no way I could refuse my daughter... and now Mary can have one too!

You can read more about this historic building by going to the MU website or blog.

ATTENTION Oregon State Grads: I can mount your diploma in a frame with a Memorial Union print. If you're interested, send me an email.
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