Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Dr. Joseph Laythe

My writing has been sparse lately because, well, life gets in the way sometimes. Sadly it's death that has spurred my fingers to move across the keyboard once again.

As I try to recall Dr. Laythe, there's not much there. And it's not anybody's fault, it's just how my brain works. I don't remember a specific moment in his class or a specific conversation with him, but I do remember his face. His wispy blonde hair that was rapidly thinning. His infectious smile that was very much like a cat-ate-the-canary grin. And his insane skill to memorize your name. After learning about his death this past weekend, I learned that the hair was gone, the smile was still there, and I learned a bit about his trick to memorizing your name.

I had planned on writing a decently long essay of sorts about Dr. Laythe but realized it simply wouldn't do him justice. Nor would it score a decent grade in his class. So instead, I'm giving you what little I do have from my own collection of ephemera.

My notes from October 8, 1997 for my American Urban Development class (HI377):
Portland
- at the Columbia and Willamette Rivers
- Oregon City was the headquarters of the Hudson Bay Company (HBC)
- just north of the Willamette Falls
- HBC was a large British trading company
- 1820s to 1840s - important city
- 1845
- Pettygrove set up a better trading site at current day Portland
- with in 2 years Oregon City has lost to Portland
- warehouses and wharves were built
- plank road was built into the Willamette Valley
- Portland expands rapidly after gold rush in CA
- 2/3 of the population went to CA while the remaining 1/3 remain and make money
- the elite in Portland are very conservative
- Portland’s population
--- 1880 - 17,000
--- 1890 - 46,000
--- 1910 - 200,000
- Seattle’s population
--- 1880 - 3,500
--- 1890 - 42,000
--- 1910 - 250,000
My list of classes for 1996 through 1998:



And finally, the best image I have of our History Club shirt. It says "Think Historically, Act Hysterically:"


Resources:

Leigey, Macala. Longtime Professor Reflects on Career, in Midst of Cancer Battle. edinboronow.com February 17, 2006. Retrieved March 16, 2016. http://www.edinboronow.com/article/longtime-professor-reflects-on-career-in-midst-of-cancer-battle

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