The University has had some mighty ducks — and they include more people than just the graduate who became the head honcho of Nike.
Other alumni, including U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Eugene, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and professional golfer Peter Jacobson called the University home at one time. Plenty of prominent Ducks have made their way in a variety of fields.
But others have claims to fame that are simply too intriguing to be forgotten. They have left their marks through odd twists of fate.
Paul Simon went to the University. So did Ann Bancroft. But neither had anything to do with the movie “The Graduate.” The two alumni share their names with the singer who lent his voice to the movie soundtrack and the actress who made the film’s Mrs. Robinson famous.
Yet through their own accomplishments, these alumni have made names for themselves.
Simon is a former U.S. representative and senator from Illinois who attended the University for one year. He actually met Paul Simon — the singer — because of the numerous times they’ve been mixed up.
In 1988, the two appeared together on Saturday Night Live in a debate about who was the “Real Paul Simon.” Alumnus Simon said he’s received several requests from groups that want him to sing for them.
“I ask them if they’re sure they want me to sing,” he said. “My wife doesn’t even like it when I sing in the shower.”
Simon said he sang “Hello Dolly” once at his daughter’s school, and news spread afterward that Paul Simon performed at a school.
“I sent Paul Simon a letter that said his reputation was getting ruined,” he said. “And he replied that he’d received requests to sing “Hello Dolly.”
Bancroft, who graduated in 1981, never seduced Dustin Hoffman on the big screen. But she was the first woman to reach the North Pole by dogsled, was named Ms. Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” in 1987, and has spent her life leading polar expeditions. Diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, Bancroft also taught special education and sports.
She is currently on a quest to be the first woman to ski and sail across Antarctica.
Carol Schuler, a staff worker for Bancroft Arnesan Expedition, said many people mistake Bancroft for Anne Bancroft, the actress.
“The first time I heard about her I thought they were the same person,” Schuler said. “I was like, ‘Gee, for an old lady that’s pretty amazing … How does that work?’”
People have also mistaken John Frohnmayer for his older brother, University President Dave Frohnmayer. John Frohnmayer, who graduated from the law school in 1972, said newspapers inadvertently use his name when referring to the University president and vice versa.
He said it happened when he was chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts from 1989 to 1992, and the organization was criticized for displaying controversial art. The mistake also occurred during the Worker Rights Consortium debate.
“We’ve been blamed for things the other one was involved in,” he said. “But sometimes it’s for good things. Occasionally someone will compliment me for the good job I’m doing at the University of Oregon.”
Other prominent names that are frequently overlooked include film director James Ivory, who garnered an Academy Award nomination for “Howard’s End.”
Ivory graduated in 1951 with a fine arts major and now directs films in New York. He said his experiences at the University led to his success.
“Something told me I was in the right school at the right time,” he said.
Many University graduates also became well-known leaders. These include Jack Courtemanche, former deputy assistant to President Ronald Reagan, and Carol Hallett, who was the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas in 1986 when much of the cocaine coming to the United States was being shipped through the Bahamas.
“It was a very important time in history between the two countries,” she said.
John Frohnmayer, who now works in Bozeman, Mont., as a trial lawyer, said he and his brother were especially close during their years at the University. The younger Frohnmayer said he never took a class from his older brother, although the president taught law at the time.
He added that he still keeps up on University news and talks to the president.
“I’m very involved with the University,” he said. “But it’s not like I give Dave advice or anything … he wouldn’t take it even if I did.”