alumni
News articles
From College Sweethearts to Blue & Gold Legacies
In a cozy corner of the Library on EOU’s campus, longtime alumni Mary Jo Lemon, ’66, and her husband Terry Lemon, ’69, reminisced about their memories as adults, students, and children. “I remember my mother bringing my sister and me to her office and just playing in the halls of Inlow,” Mary Jo said smiling....
Mounties Show Their Support for EOU This Season and All Year Long
“I give to the Foundation in support of The Voice because I believe no college or university is complete without a student newspaper. For decades, The Voice and The Beacon before it, informed and represented the student body – creating valuable content for a specific group of students attending the university at a particular point...
Scott Fairley’s Legacy
Connecting communities and building bridges Embarking on a journey with her classmates through the bustling heart of Portland, EOU student and Pendleton, Oregon native Addison Bonzani experienced the rush of city life for the first time. But getting here was not a simple process. Two powerful forces conspired to make her adventure possible: the Urban-Rural...
Paving The Way For Bright Futures
EOU donors make record-breaking $880,000 in scholarships possible At Eastern Oregon University, we’re on a mission to provide quality education and transform the lives of our students who face financial challenges. Thirty-four percent of EOU students come from low-income families, and 38% are first-generation college students striving to break the cycle of limited opportunities. In...
Welcome Home Mounties
Two new members of University Advancement returned to their alma mater to further engage alumni and enhance student experiences through the EOU Foundation. Michelle Mudder, ’14, Assistant Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Engagement Q: What’s something you are working on that you’re excited about? A: Growing our Alumni social media presence and continuing to...
In Memoriam
Honoring those who made lasting impacts on EOU Howard Bailey, Professor Emeritus Dr. Bailey was born Nov. 5, 1925 in Iowa and after a life of activities and accomplishments, passed away in Island City on Oct. 15, 2021. Dr. Bailey served in the U.S. Army from 1944-46. He later earned his doctorate of mathematics and...
An Ambassador for Change
How an EOU education instilled a sense of belonging and inspired social consciousness Doctor Abio Ayeliya, ’08, was selected by the EOU Alumni Association as the 2022 Distinguished Alumni for his work helping others and he continues to affect change years after his graduation from Eastern Oregon University. The young man, who once went to...
The Ripple Effect of a Musical Legacy
Only recently has Duane Boyer started thinking about his legacy after five decades in the classroom. After graduating from Eastern Oregon College cum laude in 1969 the Eastern Oregon University guitar and banjo instructor was hired in 1973 to teach music. Eastern Oregon State College would not change its name until 1997 when it became...
Far From Home
Two EOU alumni, each with their own stories, found themselves teaching at the same school system in the remote Alaskan Bush Conrad Woodhead, a 2002 EOU alum, was looking for a one-of-a-kind experience and found it in remote Alaska. “I was in this village, a remote whaling community with a totally subsisting lifestyle. You can...
Kindergarten Queen
Katy Nesbitt Somewhere between a miscommunication and the eagerness to start a new career, Lynette Longchamps found herself teaching kindergarten, a job she vowed to never have. After graduating from EOU with a bachelor;s degree in education Longchamps interviewed for a third grade position in Shoshone, Idaho. “After the interview I was told the job...
Every room a classroom
Room 214 in Inlow Hall is not a classroom, but it’s where two recent graduates learned critical skills, discovered mentors and applied theoretical knowledge. Briana Rosenkranz, ’20, and Samantha Wegermann, ’20 and ’21, earned degrees in business from EOU, while gaining real-world experience through on-campus jobs and internships with the university’s marketing team. After graduation,...
A student’s teacher, and a teacher’s student
Jose de Jesus Melendez went to college at the age of 27 in order to expand his career opportunities. By the time he graduated, education was both the journey and the destination. Born and raised in a remote village in Mexico with no electricity or services of any kind, Melendez said he was barely literate...
