Football Home Game
Sat, August 31, 2024
Sat, August 31, 2024
Basketball Home Game
Fri, November 1, 2024
Fri, November 1, 2024
OregonAggie1
-
- Posts: 3920
- Joined: December 13th, 2010, 10:07 pm
- Location: Salem, Oregon
- Has thanked: 681 times
- Been thanked: 1167 times
- Contact:
OregonAggie1
Sad news. OregonAggie1 died today. He had been in decline for a couple of years, but the end was fairly precipitous. He became confused last weekend. He was taken to the hospital, where he was found to be in acute kidney failure. He went home on hospice on Thursday, and died quietly today.
Forget the Dos Equis guy, OregonAggie1 was the most interesting man in the world. Originally from Chicago, he attended Utah State on the recommendation of his older brother, graduating with a BS in history. He was a Sigma Chi, and once shined Merlin Olson's shoes, when Merlin was back visiting campus. He spent a semester abroad, studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, then traveling across Europe on a Vespa. After graduation, he spent some time writing for the Salt Lake Tribune, under that SOB John Mooney. He joined the Utah National Guard, and was deployed to Chicago during the Days of Rage at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention. He told me he was standing on a street corner in full combat gear, holding an M-1, scared stiff that someone on a rooftop would take a shot at him. After the Trib, he took a job teaching junior high history in Las Vegas. While in Vegas, he enjoyed sailing competitively on Lake Mead, and playing competitive amateur tennis. He got a masters in history from UNLV, mostly working nights and weekends. His thesis was on the history of the Arizona strip. It included original research, including retracing the Dominguez-Escalante expedition from the original notes of the padres. While doing that, he found a grotto in a lava field, with a cross carved in the back, something the padres had described. He told me he was probably the first white man to see it in 200 years. After Vegas, he came to Oregon to become the director of the Oregon State Fair. He got his pilot's license, and barnstormed the Willamette Valley. He and some pilot friends built from scratch some exact replica WW-1 French Nieuport fighter planes, which they subsequently flew. Being a bit of a thrill seeker, and having more enthusiasm than brains, one day he was flying his cessna so low the tires were brushing the tops of the wheat in a field. Unfortunately, he didn't see a fence, which caught the wheels and flipped his plane. He had lingering back issues from that. He did a six month Fulbright fellowship in India, to assess and make recommendations regarding the Indian educational system. After retiring from the State Fair, he taught history at the Oregon Youth Correctional high school. He leaves behind his dear wife (a Ute, but we still love her) and two daughters (one a BYU-I grad, one an Aggie). When I came to Oregon 18 1/2 years ago, he took me under his wing. He was a great friend, and a great Aggie. I will miss him terribly.
Forget the Dos Equis guy, OregonAggie1 was the most interesting man in the world. Originally from Chicago, he attended Utah State on the recommendation of his older brother, graduating with a BS in history. He was a Sigma Chi, and once shined Merlin Olson's shoes, when Merlin was back visiting campus. He spent a semester abroad, studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, then traveling across Europe on a Vespa. After graduation, he spent some time writing for the Salt Lake Tribune, under that SOB John Mooney. He joined the Utah National Guard, and was deployed to Chicago during the Days of Rage at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention. He told me he was standing on a street corner in full combat gear, holding an M-1, scared stiff that someone on a rooftop would take a shot at him. After the Trib, he took a job teaching junior high history in Las Vegas. While in Vegas, he enjoyed sailing competitively on Lake Mead, and playing competitive amateur tennis. He got a masters in history from UNLV, mostly working nights and weekends. His thesis was on the history of the Arizona strip. It included original research, including retracing the Dominguez-Escalante expedition from the original notes of the padres. While doing that, he found a grotto in a lava field, with a cross carved in the back, something the padres had described. He told me he was probably the first white man to see it in 200 years. After Vegas, he came to Oregon to become the director of the Oregon State Fair. He got his pilot's license, and barnstormed the Willamette Valley. He and some pilot friends built from scratch some exact replica WW-1 French Nieuport fighter planes, which they subsequently flew. Being a bit of a thrill seeker, and having more enthusiasm than brains, one day he was flying his cessna so low the tires were brushing the tops of the wheat in a field. Unfortunately, he didn't see a fence, which caught the wheels and flipped his plane. He had lingering back issues from that. He did a six month Fulbright fellowship in India, to assess and make recommendations regarding the Indian educational system. After retiring from the State Fair, he taught history at the Oregon Youth Correctional high school. He leaves behind his dear wife (a Ute, but we still love her) and two daughters (one a BYU-I grad, one an Aggie). When I came to Oregon 18 1/2 years ago, he took me under his wing. He was a great friend, and a great Aggie. I will miss him terribly.
- These users thanked the author LKGates for the post (total 22):
- GeoAg • flying_scotsman2.0 • slcagg • BLUERUFiO • sam tingey • tetonaggie • 3rdGenAggie • thegreendalegelf • Aggie19 • aggieguy13 and 12 more users
Freelance adventurer and international man of mystery.
- USU78
- Pick'em Champ - '16 Weekly
- Posts: 15337
- Joined: November 3rd, 2010, 6:43 am
- Location: Sandy
- Has thanked: 7111 times
- Been thanked: 2073 times
Re: OregonAggie1
Beautiful tribute, LK. You're one of the good ones.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
- AGGIEinIOWA
- Posts: 3488
- Joined: November 17th, 2010, 10:50 am
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 1628 times
Re: OregonAggie1
Good stuff and a testament to the Aggie brotherhood.
- These users thanked the author AGGIEinIOWA for the post:
- LKGates
-
- Pick'em Champ - '18 WTHCG
- Posts: 1033
- Joined: December 17th, 2013, 8:17 am
- Has thanked: 80 times
- Been thanked: 316 times
Re: OregonAggie1
Is it possible now that he's passed to mention his name? I personally don't know who he is outside of OregonAggie1. no problem is that is not to be shared. just wondering.
-
- SJSU Ultimate Loser Award Winner - Given to someone that should probably give up but won't.
- Posts: 23316
- Joined: November 3rd, 2010, 8:09 am
- Location: Where the sagebrush grows!
- Has thanked: 1397 times
- Been thanked: 3125 times
-
- Posts: 10490
- Joined: November 14th, 2010, 11:56 pm
- Has thanked: 349 times
- Been thanked: 3053 times
Re: OregonAggie1
So sorry to hear this. Thanks for the great tribute and for letting us know, LK. I always enjoyed reading his posts and takes on all things Aggies. For oregonaggie1,,,, I leave this tribute.
Eutaw St. Aggie
-
- Posts: 3920
- Joined: December 13th, 2010, 10:07 pm
- Location: Salem, Oregon
- Has thanked: 681 times
- Been thanked: 1167 times
- Contact:
Re: OregonAggie1
I've been careful to avoid using his name, but you're right. Now that he's gone, I assume it shouldn't be a problem. Moderators, if it is, please take this down.
William Victor McKinley. Bill to his friends, which was pretty much everyone who knew him. I used to call him "Father Bill", and we used to refer to our weekly Saturday lunch at the local greasy spoon as my trips to the confessional. He was the one person I could share all of my problems with. He was a sympathetic ear, and knew how to keep a secret. $20 for lunch with Father Bill was a whole lot cheaper than seeing a shrink, and probably more effective.
- These users thanked the author LKGates for the post (total 8):
- vegasaggie • Yossarian • tipitup • sam tingey • Aggiefan33 • aggies22 • BLUERUFiO • aggieguy13
Freelance adventurer and international man of mystery.
-
- Posts: 3920
- Joined: December 13th, 2010, 10:07 pm
- Location: Salem, Oregon
- Has thanked: 681 times
- Been thanked: 1167 times
- Contact:
Re: OregonAggie1
- These users thanked the author LKGates for the post (total 8):
- tipitup • Aggiefan33 • aggies22 • 3rdGenAggie • BLUERUFiO • USU78 • aggieguy13 • vegasaggie
Freelance adventurer and international man of mystery.
- BearLakeMonster
- Posts: 2391
- Joined: November 3rd, 2010, 10:45 am
- Location: The Caribbean of the Rockies
- Has thanked: 375 times
- Been thanked: 388 times
Re: OregonAggie1
Thanks for sharing, LK. My deepest sympathies to Bill's family and friends.
- These users thanked the author BearLakeMonster for the post:
- LKGates
"The evil I can tolerate. But the stupidity... Just knowing we're in the same genus makes me embarrassed to call myself homo!"
- ViAggie
- Posts: 24638
- Joined: June 16th, 2011, 6:49 pm
- Location: Temecula, California
- Has thanked: 5986 times
- Been thanked: 2503 times
Re: OregonAggie1
RIP Aggie Brother!BearLakeMonster wrote: ↑January 11th, 2021, 1:37 pmThanks for sharing, LK. My deepest sympathies to Bill's family and friends.
Just another day in the (Aggie) Brotherhood
-
- Aggie Insider, Pick'em Champ - '18 Kickoff, '19 Weekly
- Posts: 19217
- Joined: November 3rd, 2010, 8:17 pm
- Location: Smithfield, Utah
- Has thanked: 23187 times
- Been thanked: 14799 times
- Contact:
-
- Posts: 983
- Joined: November 3rd, 2010, 11:41 am
- Location: Perry, enfin
- Has thanked: 2120 times
- Been thanked: 409 times
Re: OregonAggie1
What a great writeup and tribute. My best wishes to you and his family and other friends.
-
- Posts: 7945
- Joined: October 22nd, 2016, 1:06 am
- Has thanked: 2207 times
- Been thanked: 2517 times
Re: OregonAggie1
Very sad news, but awesome you got to have a friend like that. Sounds like he was quite a guy.
- These users thanked the author Aggie formerly in Hawaii for the post (total 2):
- LKGates • aggies22
- Aglicious
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7106
- Joined: January 14th, 2004, 12:00 am
- Location: Vega$
- Has thanked: 910 times
- Been thanked: 2366 times
Re: OregonAggie1
Wow, that sounds like a man who did not waste his time on this planet - that is some serious living!