Bill Thompson vinyl artist featured at Gallery Calapooia in Albany Oregon

Vinyl artist Bill Thompson is the featured artist for the month of March at Gallery Calapooia, 222 First Ave. W., Albany. The title of the show is “Experimentation and Evolution -- 5 Years of Vinyl.”

Thompson, an Albany resident and accomplished artist in many types of media, uses layers of thin sheets of vinyl paper to create fine art images in a four step process. Scenes of boats, trees, birds, rivers, animals and coastal scenes are some of the intricately detailed images on display.

Thompson discovered the process several years ago while attempting to cut a stencil for a multi-color screen print.

"I've been addicted to it ever since," said Thompson, as he bent over his small work table next to the  

entrance at Friday’s gallery opening. Several people gathered around Thompson as he demonstrated swift, precise cuts on a square of vinyl with an x-acto knife. Two minutes later he transferred the geometric image using contact paper onto a coaster-sized tile, and handed the finished art piece to an onlooker. “For you,” he said with a smile.

Thompson makes it look easy. He follows a four step process which he has written out on a board beside his work table. However a closer look at the beautiful and intricate layered images on display in the gallery reveals meticulous planning and handling, not to mention great patience for “all the little bits” that make up key shadows and outlines.

Retired now for eight years, Thompson said the skills he used in his career as an electrical engineer influenced his desire to pursue and develop his work in layered vinyl.

Eighteen other mid-valley artists have works on display in addition to Thompson’s and all art can be viewed during open hours 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information contact gallerycalapooia.com or call 541-971-5701.

Story and photos by Becky Howell


At a Glance:

Who:       Bill Thompson, vinyl artist

What:      Featured artist at Gallery Calapooia

Where:    222 First Ave.W., Albany, Oregon

When:     11 a.m. to 6 p.m., month of March 2018
Contact:  Gallery Calapooia at 541-971-5701

photo by John Gambatese

Linn-Benton Community College Campus Voice

If you could make anything into an Olympic sport, what would it be?
photos by Becky Howell

“Acapella competition, you know like in ‘Pitch Perfect’, but in the Olympics.”

- Elizabeth Crawford

“Extreme dodgeball...this includes every country that participates in the Olympics has a a two-man team on the field at the same time.  A pile of balls is in the middle of the field.  And those are all the rules.”

- Dylan Brooks

“Video game contest… a ‘Call of Duty’ competition.”

- Michael Tucker

Linn-Benton Community College International Culture Night Call For Talent

LBCC International Student Ambassadors 2017-18   photo courtesy LBCC

LBCC International Programs and international student ambassadors are recruiting now for entries for the second annual International Culture Night performances, which will take place Friday, May 4 from 6-8 p.m  in the Russell Tripp Theater at the Albany Campus.

Students are invited to sign up to share their talent or fashion that has a cultural connection at this fun event using the link bit.ly/ICN2018 or by contacting IPambassadors@linbenton.edu, said Kim Sullivan, LBCC international student coordinator.  Sullivan said purple posters advertising the event and sign-up were created by international students and have been posted all around campus, and on LBLive.

Wondering what to share?  International students My Tran and Safiya Jameel, both sophomores, recalled a few examples from last year: students from Malaysia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico performed songs or dances, fashions were shared by students from China, India, Saudi Arabia, Columbia, Vietnam, Morocco, and Algeria, and a Lebanese student performed magic.

Tran said if a student doesn't want to share a talent but just wants to come and watch the event, that's great too  - it's another reason the event is free.

"We're working hard to connect with students on campus," said Sullivan.

At a Glance:

What:     2nd Annual LBCC International Culture Night

Where:   Russell Tripp Theater Linn Benton Community College

When:    Friday, May 4, 6-8 p.m.

Who:      Students performing talent or fashion with a cultural connection
Contact: Kim Sullivan at sullivk@linnbenton.edu

Linn-Benton Community College's Living Legacy: Bob Ross

Bob Ross is still going strong, even after teaching 50 years at Linn-Benton Community College.

"It doesn't feel like 50 years of teaching.  It sneaks up on you because you're having a great time," said Ross.  

Ross looked right at home sitting comfortably at a table in the sunny hallway in the White Oak Hall science building, the brand new "BIOLOGY"  mosaic behind him.  His voice is bright as he speaks, taking thoughtful pauses meant for a listener to write or think.

"I can't imagine a better life," said Ross.

Bob Ross shows "adaptation," using iPhone.
Photo by Becky Howell

LBCC's first full-time contracted employee and biology instructor Ross shares a significant milestone in his career along with LBCC's 50th anniversary.  One might even say the two grew up together.

Ross remembers the earliest days and compares them to being a pioneer arriving at a new, uncultivated land.

"There was so much excitement and creativity at that time.  We were asking, ‘What are the students asking for?  What do they need?’  We were listening.  It was fun to hear the feedback," said Ross.

What students asked for, Ross taught. Over the next five decades Ross taught at one time or another courses in biology, botany, natural history, foods and nutrition, zoology, vegetable garden ecology, reproductive strategies, Oregon ecology, wedding photography and nature photography.

Ross’s philosophy was all about teaching students how to be curious, to observe, to make connections in their learning.

“Bob Ross is a true scientist and educator” said colleague Greg Mulder, LBCC physical science instructor.  “As a scientist he is always making observations of the universe around him and learns from what he sees.  As an educator, Bob teaches not only what he knows, but also teaches how to go about observing for yourself.”

Most days, observations were made in a classroom lab with four walls and tables and microscopes. Other times, the lab was outdoors where Ross and other instructors brought students to explore and study plants and animals in Oregon wetlands, coasts, forests, streams, mountains and fields. One class watched elk swimming in the ocean.  Another fortunate group of students were among the few allowed to hike into the crater of Mt. St. Helens.

Meanwhile, years of observations and experiences made by students and Ross were caught on film by Ross, an avid photographer.  In fact, nature photography became one of Ross’ most popular classes.

Many of the photographs in Ross’ enormous collection were used as teaching materials and in self-published student manuals for his classes.  They also provided selections for a book he co-authored in 1988 with Henrietta Chambers, “Wildflowers of the Western Cascades.” At one time Ross had 40,000 nature slides, which he pared down to 2,000 when he digitized his images.
Ross officially retired in 1998, but continued to work full-time, and donated his salary to the Peace and Justice Institute.  A few years later, Ross began to work part-time.  Ross said he is frequently honored to give slide shows and programs throughout Oregon to all kinds of organizations on topics related to nature, science, religion and our future. Yet, he still believes his best work is helping students grow right here.

“College is about folks who blossom into the futures they envision for themselves. My greatest honor comes from LBCC that allows me to continue to share the wonders of life with students so that they can be more successful people,” said Ross.

And, even after all this time, that original pioneer spirit promoting the LB ideal still rings clear.

“Our goal here at LBCC is to foster a civil community that is our sanctuary, our home; our environment that nurtures us, and we it,” said Ross.

These days, Ross enjoys time with his wife of 54 years, Judy Ross, and their three children and three grandchildren.  He also works out at the YMCA, and makes regular checks on his 30 research sites from the Three Sisters to Mt. Jefferson. He continues to stay current in his field, especially as he teaches Oregon Ecology, scheduled for spring term.

One thing Ross doesn’t do is slow down.

“I’m 75 now.  At 70 and 71 it took three tries to hike up to 3,000 feet in one day and back home for supper.  At 74, I did it on my first try.”

“By the way, that was on snow shoes.”

Photo courtesy of LBCC

Photo courtesy of LBCC

Photo courtesy of LBCC

At a Glance

Who:       Bob Ross
What:      50-year employment anniversary
Where:    Linn-Benton Community College
When:     June 1968 - present
Contact:  Bob Ross at rossb@linnbenton.edu

Greg Mulder remembers

“Bob and I had the opportunity to hike together into the caldera of Mt. St. Helens.  During this amazing adventure we came across hot water waterfalls, house-sized boulders shattered by the eruption but still standing in place, and biology struggling to reclaim ecosystem.  After a great lunch on the lava dome we got chased out of the caldera by a rain storm that lasted for 3 days and that then melted the glacier causing a volcanic eruption a few weeks later.”

Stephen Lebsack remembers

“For my first 5 years at LB I was the lab prep person.  Bob had a lab on respiration which is the consumption of oxygen. I would make 6 big bowls of dough and students rolled  it into small loaves and I would pick them up and bake them, and by the end of the two-hour class students ate it. There was yeast in the bread and that was the connector....yeast are using sugar that's making carbon dioxide which is making the bread rise. It was a real application of what was going on. Students would bring jam and butter and honey.”

“One of the things Bob got me started on was how to graft apples. At one time I had so many grafts on my tree I didn't know what they were anymore. Each tree had 10 - 12 grafts on it.”

“One of the funnest things we ever did was we used to have apple shows. We would get 30-40  varieties of apples, all cut up in our lab room. We would use all the counters to have all the apples out.  People could bring apples in because there was a guy from OSU who could identify what kind of apple tree they had.  We called it the Biology Dept Apple Show. It became really popular…. people would stop by on like a Friday afternoon at 3:00.”

Ross has had a photography business for many years, taking photos for Oregon businesses, farms, and weddings.  He even shot the wedding photos of long-time LBCC colleagues Carolyn and Stephen Lebsack.

Linn-Benton Community College Family Fun Day

Photo courtesy of LBCC

The LBCC Parenting Education and Family Resource Center will host its 41st annual Family Fun Day fundraiser on Saturday, March 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the LB Activities Center Gym located in the southwest corner of the Albany campus.

Come join this fun event geared towards families with children aged 0-6.  Entrance is free with a suggested donation of $5 per family. Activities are .25 cents each and will include lots of prizes, bouncy castles, face painting, target toss, spin art, putt-putt golf, Little Gym gymnastics and much more. Concessions will be available.

All proceeds go to build the Parenting Education Tuition Grant Fund, which helps cover the cost of tuition for qualifying parents who wish to take parenting classes, especially the "Live and Learn" courses.

Drawing tickets for Family Fun Day are $1 and ticket holders are entered into a drawing of more than 60 prizes, donated by local businesses and organizations.

Photo courtesy of LBCC

Photo courtesy of LBCC

At a Glance:

What:       41st Annual LBCC Family Fun Day fundraiser

Where:     Linn-Benton Community College Activities Center Gym

When:      Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Who:        Families with children aged 0-6

Why:        Raise funds for Parent Education Grant Fund

Contact:   LBCC Family Resource Center Office at 541-917-4899

Photo courtesy of LBCC

Play in a Day for Student Theatre Clubs with Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State University

Photo courtesy of natashaelkhoury10dramadw-home

A full house packed the Lab Theater at OSU’s Withycombe Hall Saturday night. Actors. directors, and playwrights sat to one side talking and laughing as audience members filed in. The house lights dimmed.

The annual Play in a Day performances were about to begin.

Play in a Day is an annual collaborative event with students of LBCC’s Black Curtain Society Theatre club and OSU’s Masque and Dagger Theatre club. Ten-minute original one-act plays are written, directed, rehearsed and performed by 25 students all within a 24-hour period. Performances took place Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

“This event levels the playing ground, everything is decided randomly,” said Tinamarie Ivey, LBCC’s theatre club student advisor and creator of the event, as she introduced the program.

Ivey explained to the audience how the process worked.

The night before the performance the theme was chosen out of a hat. The playwrights then received their gender combination and hurried off to write the play overnight. Next morning at 9 a.m. playwrights returned with a play in hand. After that, they picked their director out of the hat, and directors picked their actors out of the hat. Then all day Saturday directors and actors rehearsed until the evening when all five plays were performed.

“Students are always intimidated at first, and then they’re always super glad that they did it. That none of these plays existed 24 hours ago is pretty incredible,” said Elizabeth Helman, OSU’s theatre club student advisor.

Play in a Day was started by Ivey and LBCC theatre faculty member Dan Stone 13 years ago in northern California with their theater company, Sanctuary Stage. Both faculty members came to Oregon in 2010 to teach for the LBCC theater department and since then Sanctuary Stage has become a permanent foundation of LBCC, and an extension of the campus Theater Department.

Several years ago Ivey and Stone contacted Elizabeth Helman in OSU’s theater department regarding Play in a Day and the two schools began to collaborate. Since then LBCC and OSU have alternated hosting the event each year.

This year’s theme was rivalry. Actors and directors brought to life the playwrights’ scenes written to depict feuding sisters, dog parenting, apocalyptic ponies, and military friends and frenemies using a simple set and a few essential props. The result was five humorous, surprising, and completely entertaining performances.

“It’s fun to watch the director take what I'd written and make it something more than what I had on the page,” said Jalen Todd, an OSU senior theatre major, a playwright who stayed up until 2:30 a.m. writing. “It’s nerve-wracking, but a ton of fun.”

Although rivalry was picked out of the hat, the theme of the night felt more like comradery.

“It’s such a social art, and so fun to see what everyone comes up with,” said Dari Lawrie, an LBCC and OSU graduate and Play in a Day alumnus who came back to take part again this year.

“There are very different levels of experience and abilities and ages all being creative together. It's a very different way of connecting … magical things can happen.”

The event was free but donations collected were split between the schools’ theatre clubs.


At a Glance

What:      Play in a Day
Where:    OSU Withycombe Hall Lab Theatre
When:     Saturday, Jan. 27 at  7:30 p.m.
Who:       LBCC Black Curtain Society Theatre Club and OSU Masque and Dagger Theatre Club
Contact:  Tinamarie Ivey at iveyt@linnbenton.edu

Student Leadership Council Serves and Leads at Linn-Benton Community College

Photo courtesy of LBCC

With 17 Student Leadership Council officers coming and going, the Student Life and Leadership office at LBCC hums with constant activity.

The SLC is the governing body of the Associated Students of Linn-Benton Community College which advocates for students and communicates student desires and concerns to the college administration. It also provides students with opportunities for networking, social interactions, and outreach activities.

“We’re a group of students trying to enhance the college experience for LB students, with clubs, activities and volunteering,” said SLC finance director Caleb Hedin, a freshman.

Hedin keeps track of the SLC accounts for the ASLBCC, which amounts to around $44,000 to spend for the 2017-18 school year.

“Students come to us, if they need help funding a school-related activity, such as $40 to put posters around campus, to start a new club, or to pay for new monitors,” said Hedin.

Hedin said the account has even provided a few thousand dollars for students to attend conferences.

“Anything that will enhance the college,” said Hedin.

Barb Horn, Student Activities coordinator and advisor for the SLC, said the officers vote and make decisions for how students’ money will be spent.

 “They try to get the most bang for the buck. They’re great stewards of the money,” said Horn.

SLC can also help with basic needs like food insecurity. According to Horn November’s food drive event provided for more than 150 student families’ Thanksgiving meal, which included breakfast.

Food is also available at the Linn-Benton Lunch Box, LBCC’s food pantry run by SLC officers and funded through proceeds from The Hot Shot Café, a campus co-curricular. Horn said six or seven families take advantage of the food pantry every week.

Another form of assistance offered to students through the SLC is the upcoming energy assistance program event planned for Jan. 30. SLC events planner Jacob Senske, a freshman, is one of the officers trying to get the word out through LBLive and posters placed around campus.

 “A real goal right now is trying to find ways to introduce ourselves and what we are doing to provide help to students,” said Senske.

 Students also come looking for community outreach opportunities, where they will find community outreach director Marta Nunez. Nunez, a sophomore, is often the first to greet you when entering the office.

“I’m the BFF that sees students through community events they want to plan,” said Nunez.

 If students want to get involved in volunteering opportunities, Osvaldo Galvez, a sophomore, is the one to see. Galvez assembles and organizes volunteers for one-time events or to staff the Hot Shot Café. He can also pair a student volunteer with an SLC officer to learn job-specific skills in a more involved student leadership experience.

SLC President Brian Ixtlahuac encourages students to voice their ideas and concerns. They can stop by the office or attend student government meetings, which are open to all students and held throughout the month.

“When it comes to the SLC, if there is ever a problem that presents itself, we want to make sure that students know they can come talk to us and know we are here to help them,” said Ixtlahuac

At a Glance:

What:     Student Leadership Council, Linn-Benton Community College
Who:      Brian Ixtlahuac, President
Where:   LBCC, Forum Building Room 120
When:    Meetings held Mon, Tues, and Wed check website for times and locations
Contact:  Brian Ixtlahuac, SLC president at slcpres@linnbenton.edu