* The Distinguished Service Awards will honor three people important to the development of Oregon
The University faculty will honor three Oregon leaders with Distinguished Service Awards at the 2001 commencement ceremony.
This year’s honorees are Umpqua tribal leader Sue Shaffer, recognized for her work in advancing the well-being of the Cow Creek tribe and Douglas County; Eugene attorney John Jaqua, recognized for his leadership in the legal profession and in his support of higher education; and Portland businessman Harold Schnitzer, recognized for his outstanding civic leadership.
The faculty annually selects recipients for this award who, through their knowledge and skills, have made a significant contribution to the cultural development of Oregon or society as a whole.
“These three recipients are widely recognized not only for their long hours of service to the larger community but also for their clear-sighted vision and leadership that has helped transform the quality of education and other opportunities in the lives of the general politic and for special groups who have special needs,” University President Dave Frohnmayer said of this year’s honorees.
A $1.5 million gift from the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, an independent family foundation, established the University’s Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies.
“Harold Schnitzer has an inspiring reverence for education, history and culture,” said Duncan McDonald, University vice president for public affairs and development. “His vision for a Judaic studies program is testament to his belief that we all grow because of our diversity and differences, not in spite of them.”
Schnitzer, who is chairman of Harsch Investment Properties, a Portland-based real estate development company, has been active in supporting dozens of civic ventures aimed at improving the quality of life for Oregonians, McDonald said.
Jaqua, who is a senior partner and founding member of the Eugene law firm of Jaqua & Wheatley, is the former president of the Oregon State Bar. He has served on and headed numerous national, state and local bar committees, including the Board of Bar Examiners, the Board of Governors and the American Bar Association House of Delegates. He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a past member of the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel and a past member of the International Association of Insurance Counsel.
Jaqua received his undergraduate degree from the University in 1948 and his University law degree in 1950. Since 1973 he has served on several University committees and boards including the law school’s board of visitors, development board and scholarship selection committee; the Museum of Natural History’s Board of Directors; the University Athletic Hall of Fame selection committee; and the University Foundation Board of Trustees.
“For more than half a century, John Jaqua has been an exemplar of the best of the legal profession and what the profession can contribute to the community, the state and the nation,” said Rennard Strickland, dean and professor at the University’s School of Law. “For the University, John has been a vital link between legal education and the practicing bar.”
One of Shaffer’s major accomplishments was getting the U.S. Congress to formally recognize her tribe, the Cow Creek band of the Umpqua Indian Nation.
“Sue Shaffer cares about people. She cares about the world and just wants it to be a better place. She does more than want; she finds a way to make it happen,” said Gloria McGinnis, a retired mayor of Canyonville. “You couldn’t have found a better person for this award.”
Tribal members recently re-elected Shaffer to another four-year term as chairwoman — a job she has held since 1983 — reaffirming the leadership of a woman who has resisted efforts to distribute the tribe’s money directly to its 1,100 members. Instead, the initial settlement and subsequent profits from the successful Seven Feathers Casino Resort and other tribal businesses have been invested in scholarships, housing, health care — and growing other new tribal businesses.
“We want to build people, not dependencies,” Shaffer said.
Her supporters say the 78-year-old Shaffer’s most important and lasting legacy is her vision — one that gives top priority to education, self-sufficiency and community building.