1940s & 1950s

Don Mittelstaedt ’42 visited the J-School in May. He retired in 1985 after a 20-year career as senior photographer at Pan American World Airways, a job that took him around the world. Don was a combat photographer in World War II in the South Pacific and Philippines and served in Japan as part of the occupation. He then joined the Spokesman-Review as a copy editor and later worked for weekly papers in the Seattle area and for the Las Vegas Sun before joining Pan Am. He lives in Sierra Vista, Ariz., where he is silversmithing and wood carving. His email is dobetmi@cox.net.

Joan Brooks Murray was on campus for the Class of 1955 reunion. She is retired and living in Beaverton, Ore. Joan worked 17 years at the Daily Interlake in Kalispell, first as a crime reporter, then as news editor. She also worked for 10 years as Delta Gamma house director at the University of Washington. She has three children, all UM grads, and five grandchildren.

Ann Thomson Beaman ’55 says she now majors in snow skiing, though she lives in St. Petersburg, Fla. She attended her 50th class reunion in May.

Glenn Chaffin was on campus in May and says he’s looking forward to seeing the new journalism building. His father attended the J-School when Dean Stone and students were in tents and WW I shacks. Glenn spent his life in insurance sales and says his training in the J-School helped make it easy to talk to people and ask questions.

Bob Newlin, who was Kaimin editor in 1954-55, says retirement is great and he recommends that retirees do something they’ve always wanted. He’s spent four summers working in resort areas, including Yellowstone Park, Big Mountain in Whitefish, Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Cape May, N.J. Though it’s minimum wage, he says it offers great fun, great vacations and no worries.

Ray Moholt ’55 retired after working for the Anchorage Times, Great Falls Tribune and Stockton, Calif., Record, then spending 25 years in association management and marketing communications. He lives in Portland with his wife Lorinda ’60. He has a son and daughter and three grandchildren. He was at his 50th class reunion in May.

Shirley DeForth Lucchesi ’55 struggled through a Montana spring snowstorm to get to her 50th reunion in mid-May, but says it was worth it to catch up on news from such interesting people. She’s enjoying retirement and says grandchildren are the best part of this stage of life.

Murdo A. Campbell ’55 re-retired in June. He first retired as administrative officer for the Montana Coal Board in 1995, but was hired by the board as a consultant. That stint ended in June 2005. He lives in Helena and joined his classmates for the 50th reunion at the school in May.

Verna Johns Kessner ’55 says she is delighted to find that her classmates enjoy one another after 50 years as much as they did in college. She says their talk always turns to beloved Professor Ed Dugan and his sayings, such as references to “the great unwashed.” “I came to his memorial,” she says. “I didn’t know one person in the room, but had one of the funniest evenings.” Journalism alums are always fun to be around, she notes.

Tom Needham ’55 and wife Clara live in Somers, at the north end of Flathead Lake and welcome friends for “five-minute or five-day visits.” He retired there in 1989 after 33 years of “chasing rainbows” through five states. They love to travel and visit six daughters, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Carla Wetzsteon Beck organized the Class of ’55 reunion in May. She retired in 1996 and says she’s been majoring in volunteer work for whatever organizations she and husband Jake are involved with. At present she’s the “scribe” for St. John’s Fellowship, a group of retired clergy and spouses of the Episcopal diocese of Washington, D.C. They’re also quite involved in their church in Thurmont, Md., a public library group, Democratic Party work, and newspaper guild interests.

Pat O’Hare Rhodes is a retired reporter who spent 20 years at the Ravalli Republic and still lives on the family ranch where she was raised. She does freelance feature writing. Pat was at the J-School in May, joining classmates for the 50th reunion.

Jewel Beck Lansing ’52 is the author of “Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851-2001” published by the Oregon State University Press in fall 2003, the definitive book on Portland’s political, social, and cultural history from 1845 through April 2001, the 150th anniversary of Portland city government. Jewell served as the elected Portland auditor from 1983 to 1986 and as Multnomah County auditor from 1975 to 1982. She is a founder of WIN-PAC, a political action committee supporting first-time Oregon women legislative candidates. She is the author of five other books, including two about women and politics, and a murder mystery set in Portland City Hall. She and her husband, Ron, a law professor at Lewis and Clark College, have lived in Oregon for more than four decades.

John Bansch ’57 can be reached at griz@netdirect.net. He is retired after a long career as a sportswriter and editor at the Indianapolis Star. He continues to live in Indianapolis.

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