Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you receive it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened.
Perhaps I reached for the title of this post a bit, but I like captions with alliteration and my intent is to just cover a number of miscellaneous topics – just on the surface without overanalyzing – just a facade, if you will. That way I’ll have more time for football…..(# External photo attribution at the end of the post – #1)
The image portrays an Oregon State University Beaver football player. I can’t get excited about PAC 12 football or athletics, however, with the realignment.
It essentially decimated the “Conference of Champions (nicknamed by the unforgettable former Washington State basketball coach George Raveling).
I was at OSU during the Giant Killer years in the late 60’s when we beat #!-ranked USC led by OJ Simpson – who in those years tried to escape defensive linemen rather than sheriff’s deputies.
That said, I was pleased and entertained to see how the Beavs played in their 20 to 33 loss to #23-ranked Houston in the first game. Quarterback Braden Atkinson showed real potential as did some of his young receivers. Not to be cynical, but if that kind of showing continues, he will in all probability be in the transfer portal at the end of the season.
The Good Old College Years
One’s freshman year at college was often a life-changing experience and the first time many young people were relatively independent. Without trying to be overly sentimental, I remember with fondness being a “Rook” in 1966 at the SAE house. We got up at 6:30 every weekday morning to start “chores” – cleaning the showers/urinals, serving on kitchen crew, mopping floors, etc.
Similarly, at the NROTC unit, we were the pitiful 4/c midshipman who screwed things up whenever we marched at drill, didn’t spit polish our shoes correctly and struggled with the academic regimen. Our first-term Naval History professor told us that if we got sleepy during class to go stand in the back of the room.
I still have memories of my wonderful late fraternity brother, Dan (Foghead) Riley. Dan, after commissioning, served six years as a Navy aviator and landed on aircraft carriers.
As he nodded off sitting at a desk next to me, piece of chalk (thrown by instructor Lt. Reece) whizzed by his head and splattered on the blackboard in the back of the room. By the time we were seniors, however, (see photo below) we were squared away.
Those were times of joy, but challenge. The first time away from home marked a significant transition that required adaptation, resilience and learning from mistakes. Being away from family, friends, and familiar surroundings can cause feelings of loneliness and sadness.
Juggling academics, social life, extracurricular activities and for some – a part-time job – could be overwhelming. That said, regardless of whether you were studying for a professional career or just trying to figure out your major, it was a first step in learning how to deal with life’s future challenges.
I was therefore befuddled – maybe unjustifiably so – with two new developments on college campuses. First, as stated in the Morning Brew 8/12/2026: (#2 – #3)
“The University of Michigan won’t release official grades for its freshmen’s first semester. The university said that the pivot to a pass/no credit system for first semester classes is an effort to ‘curb the mental health crisis’ among students. (emphasis added)
…. Professors will still give students grades on assignments (in the Colleges of Literature, Science, and Arts) and the school will internally track grades for scholarship and athletic requirements. But the letter grades won’t show up on students’ transcripts”
Other colleges – California Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College, MIT (since 1968) and Wellesley College – all have similar programs for first-semester grades. I guess if I knew my first term grades for physics and calculus (I was a Political Science major, but needed them for my Navy scholarship), wouldn’t go on my transcript, I would have slept a lot better.
Perhaps a Statistics major could do a class project determining the statistical significance of frosh beer consumption and patronage at Good Time Charley’s – a traditional UM hangout for both students and faculty – both before and after this policy is implemented. (#4)
The good news is that it won’t go into effect until 2027. Maybe Michigan can fix its football scoreboard synchronization by then.
A Step Too Far?
While I can accept with a bit of skepticism, the grade scheme above, I unequivocally question the wisdom of another trend at some of the elite universities as reported in the Washington Post 8/11 – a college concierge service.
“College Concierge empowers students to focus on what is important in their academic and social journey during these important years or their life.” (#5)
I couldn’t find a specific cost without booking an appointment, but most are on a monthly fee basis. For example, College Concierge – a Dallas-based company (go figure..) emphasizes consequences?!:
“Based on the parent’s preferences, students can take on the responsibility of submitting their grocery order by a certain date each month or bi-weekly, with a consequence of groceries not being present the following week.“
And to further emphasize personal responsibility, College Concierge will not arrange the delivery of alchoholic beverages — regardless of age!
The service shown in the photo above might be awkward in a fraternity sleeping porch.
Before leaving these two trends, however, it’s worth noting that young people today have real challenges which didn’t face us during our college years – climate change, the implications of AI, the perception of the US by our traditional allies, among others.
My intent is not to demean those in Generation Z. But ingraining a sense of personal responsibility is more important than ever.
Farewell Counselor!
In a 2023 blog post, I highlighted my friend of almost fifty years – attorney Mark O’Donnell. I was saddened when he passed away on August 26th. Mark was one of the best business, land-use and real estate lawyers in the state.
His robust practice also included legal work for non-profit organizations. Besides his skill as a lawyer, Mark was also a wonderful human being and a man of strong faith.
He’s a guy who showed compassion, a dry and sophisticated sense of humor and an ethic which involved helping others on a daily basis. (#6)
A lawyer of skill, intellect, wit and compassion.
We first met a Clackamas County Commissioner’s land-use hearing in 1979 and started our friendship with a series of letters – continued for many years. My initial letter to him culminated with Mark’s letter responding dated 7/11/1979.
It addressed a check I sent him for $1.07 for “legal services in kind.” The final paragraph in his letter stated:
“The El Gazebo Saloon has the finest super nachos that I’ve ever tasted. Please call me so that we may discuss these important matters over a plate of super nachos and large amounts of beer.”
In my many years working with lawyers, I learned they don’t like to be outdone. True to form, Mark followed up with a letter to the proprietor of the Saloon. The check sat there for six months until we used it as a credit against our beer.
Mark’s memorial service will be on Saturday, October 11 at St. John the Fisher Catholic Church in Beaverton.
He will be missed.
And Farewell Iconic PacWest Center Fir Tree….
In a 2023 blog post, I chronicled the story of the celebrated evergreen on the 25th external terrace of the PacWest Center in the heart of Portland. I worked in the building for twenty-five years when my law firm occupied the 16th – 20th floors.
The PacWest Center had character and reflected the dynamic personality of its developer – John Russell, President of Russell Development Co. who has both an engineering degree and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
I quoted a fascinating 2023 KOIN News article entitled, “This Portland pine may be the world’s tallest tree planted on top of a high rise:” (#7 – #8)
“Standing approximately 40 feet tall, the pine prominently planted atop the Pacwest Center’s 25th-floor terrace could be the tallest tree growing from any high-rise rooftop on Earth.
Commuters anywhere southwest of Jefferson Street and 6th Avenue are bound to notice the coniferous evergreen towering above Downtown traffic. Planted shortly after the office building’s completion in 1984, the tree has quietly matured with the Portland skyline, drawing little attention in the last four decades.”
Unfortunately, as recently reported in Willamette Week “The PacWest Center Pine Tree Has Died at Age 42.”
“The quirky fixture of the Portland skyline was removed in March for safety reasons…. An exact cause of death was not given, but an arborist evaluated the pine and determined it was ‘in declining health and no longer viable.’”
Perhaps replanting the fir will be symbolic of the regeneration which needs to take place in the City of Portland.
Happy Anniversary!
The Benedictine Brewery and St. Michael Taproom at the Mount Angel Abbey, celebrated its sixth anniversary on August 31st. I got involved with the group that helped plan the Brewery starting in 2016 and still remember the structure raising on a cold day in November in 2017.
Check out the amazing video in this post on Thebeerchaser. https://thebeerchaser.com/2017/11/21/the-benedictine-brewery-beam-me-up/
“In 2018, the taproom opened quietly on August ahead of the soft opening of the brewery in September. The dollar bill in the glass case is from the first purchase at the taproom, made by Mount Angel Seminary alumni, classes of 1971 and 1975.
We are grateful to God that St. Michael’s Taproom continues to offer Benedictine hospitality to all our guests eight years later.” (#9 – #13)
Fr. Martin Grassel has built a regional following with his excellent beers and the Brewery has been a wonderful addition to the Abbey. And cheers to Br Lorenzo Conocido now working with him and Taproom Manager, Nicole McCall, for her wonderful staff. Congratulations on this milestone. You should pay a visit to Taproom.
Cheers and Blessings
External Photo Attribution
#1. Open AI Image Generator
#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:West Hall, University of Michigan, University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI – 54380287947.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license Author: w_lemay – 8 September 2024.
#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:University of Michigan Logo.png – Wikimedia Commons). This image is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain. Source: University of Michigan Global Communications – 8 January 2015.
#4. Facebook site for Good Time Charley’s Ann Arbor (https://www.facebook.com/GoodTimeCharleys/photos)
#5. Open AI Image Generator
#6. O’ Donnell Law Firm LLC Website (https://www.odlf.net/about-us/professional-team/attorneys/mark-odonnell/)
#7. – #8. Photos courtesy of Dan R. Swift, SIOR, CCIM – Senior Vice President
CBRE | Advisory and Transaction Services – Investor and Occupier. #9 – #13. Benedictine Brewery Facebook and Website (https://www.facebook.com/BenedictineBrewery/photos) (https://www.benedictinebrewery.com/home-1
#9 – #13. Benedictine Brewery Facebook and Website (https://www.facebook.com/BenedictineBrewery/photos) (https://www.benedictinebrewery.com/home-1
