LCC's Merrill taking his retirement in stride.Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard When it came time to say goodbye, Frank Merrill Frank Dow Merrill (born December 4, 1903 in New Hampshire – died December 11, 1955 in Fernandina Beach, Florida) is best remembered for his command of Merrill's Marauders, officially the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), in the Burma Campaign of World War II. didn't really say goodbye. Merrill is stepping down as the Native American program coordinator at Lane Community College, and Saturday was the last time he'd preside pre·side intr.v. pre·sid·ed, pre·sid·ing, pre·sides 1. To hold the position of authority; act as chairperson or president. 2. To possess or exercise authority or control. 3. over the annual powwow powwow American Indian ceremony or gathering of various kinds. Powwows originally were healing ceremonies, but the word could also refer to exuberant celebrations, with dancing and singing, of success in hunting or victory in battle. he helped start 14 years ago. But he didn't see it as a retirement so much as starting anew. "I guess I don't believe in endings, I only believe in beginnings," he said as drums pounded in the background and Native dancers circled the floor in LCC's main gym. "There are stages in life, so walking away from this is no different from any other stage in life." But by any measure, this has been a successful stage in Merrill's life. He breathed life into the Native American program at LCC (Leadless Chip Carrier, Leaded Chip Carrier) See leadless chip carrier, CLCC and PLCC. 1. LCC - Language for Conversational Computing. Written at CMU in the 1960's. and helped raise the number of Native students from about 50 to about 300, the largest of any Oregon community college. And he revitalized the Native American Student Association, which he helped found as a student at LCC in the school's early years. The group once occupied an entire floor in the Center building on campus, he said, but it withered with·ered adj. Shriveled, shrunken, or faded from or as if from loss of moisture or sustenance: "the battle to keep his withered dreams intact" Time. Adj. 1. to just a few students in the 1980s before Merrill returned and became the club's adviser in 1991. Since then, he's been a friend and adviser to scores of Native American students, helping with much more than just academics. Morgan Caughey, who was the NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. president last year and now is a student at the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. , said Merrill has opened his home to many students struggling with loneliness or drug or alcohol problems or their personal identity and that it's hard to imagine the program without him. "He's like a father to everybody," he said. "He opens his home to everybody." A fireplug of a man with a barrel chest bar·rel chest n. A large chest with increased anteroposterior diameter and usually some degree of kyphosis, sometimes seen in cases of emphysema. and flowing, gray and black hair, Merrill, 67, is an enrolled member of the Karuk Nation in Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern and came to Lane County in 1949. He served in the military and was a logger for 20 years before a knee injury ended his days in the woods and sent him back to school. He already had a degree from the UO in community affairs and public policy and was taking refresher classes at LCC when he heard they needed a new Native American program coordinator. He got the job and immediately began looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. ways to encourage Indian students to attend Lane. The powwow was one of his first efforts. Merrill wanted a different kind of powwow, one that wasn't centered on dancing competitions and prizes the way most others are. He wanted a powwow where people came to share good spirit, enjoy each other's company and understand different cultures. "People keep coming to our powwow and it keeps growing because of the good feeling people get from coming here," said Sandin Riddle, this year's president of NASA, which sponsors the powwow. "I think it really is all about the good feelings it brings to the people." But it was a struggle at first. Merrill and his wife handled most of the logistics in the first few years, often staying up until 4 a.m. the night before and cooking food to feed the crowd at a free dinner. But over the years the powwow has turned into one of the biggest in Oregon and one that attracts loyal crowds from all across the West. "This is something the Merrill family created from scratch," Caughey said. "That just says so much to the Native community. All these people are here because their heart is with the family." Merrill said he hasn't really come to grips with life after LCC but said he isn't going away. He has another project he started when he first came to the college that he also wants to see completed: a new campus longhouse longhouse Traditional communal dwelling of the Iroquois Indians until the 19th century. The longhouse was a rectangular box built out of poles, with doors at each end and saplings stretched over the top to form the roof, the whole structure being covered with bark. . The college already has raised $500,000 and needs about $200,000 more to start construction. Merrill said the longhouse not only will provide a cultural home base for Native students but also will be a place where future generations come to find the wisdom of their elders. "We need to have a place where there is constancy con·stan·cy n. 1. Steadfastness, as in purpose or affection; faithfulness. 2. The condition or quality of being constant; changelessness. Noun 1. ," he said. "To us, it's probably one of the most important parts of our culture. This will be our home." If nothing else, Merrill is all about home and family and the circle of life. His children and grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. and great-grandchildren drum and sing at powwows and carry on the family traditions, and he hopes they'll one day be able to practice those traditions at the LCC longhouse. He hasn't really thought much about what it will be like to be without his LCC family, but he knows the old bonds never break, and there are new ones to be made. "I haven't come to that point yet," he said of leaving his students. "But I'm a family man, so wherever there's family is where I'm going to be headed." CAPTION(S): "There are stages in life, so walking away from this is no different from any other stage in life," Frank Merrill says. He is stepping down as LCC's Native American program coordinator. "I guess I don't believe in endings, I only believe in beginnings." - FRANK MERRILL, RETIRING LCC NATIVE AMERICAN ADVISER |
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