Class Notes
Have an achievement or milestone you'd like to share? Is there an Oregon Tech alum whose memory you'd like to honor? Submit a class note.
July 2026
| Leon William "Baby Lee" Wilson brought the same sharp mind and competitive fire to Oregon Tech that would define the rest of his life. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa in 1958, Leon played basketball for the Oregon Tech Owls, earning a reputation among teammates and rivals alike as "The Man," a standout student off the court and an unstoppable force on it. He carried that same drive onto the track, where his speed left the competition behind. Following his time at Oregon Tech, Leon served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1970, then built a 32-year career with McDonnell Douglas as a Procurement Shortage Detail Specialist. Leon passed away peacefully on July 13, 2026 at age 86, survived by his wife, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. |
| Rafael Jose Santiago passed away peacefully on July 10, 2026, in Klamath Falls at age 43, after a battle with cancer. A U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq with the 5th Special Forces Group, Rafael came to Oregon Tech to study Electrical Engineering after his military service, where he met his wife, Kendra (Corkill); they married in 2009. He is remembered as a devoted family man and an active member of the Hogback Strength & Wellness CrossFit community. Rafael is survived by Kendra and their two daughters, Catalina and Isabella. His memorial service was held at Oregon Tech, by the fountain. |
| Rosalia Olivera, a recent Oregon Tech Dental Hygiene graduate, passed away on July 5, 2026, at age 24 after a battle with cancer that began with her diagnosis in August 2025. Rosi was known for noticing people's smiles before anything else, and she carried that warmth to Whitehouse, Jamaica, where she provided free dental care through the department's International Externship Program, a trip she called her favorite memory from the program. Assistant Professor in the Dental Hygiene Department, Jeannie Bopp, says, "She was one of my IEP students and an overall excellent student here at OIT. So vibrant, happy, and teachable. She was so fun to be around and took on life as it came." |
| Past Class Notes | |
| Congrats to recent alumnus, Lachlan McKimm '22, hired as an insights analyst at behavioural research firm InsightsNow.
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| Congrats to civil engineering alumnus Joseph Zybach '20 on his new position with Westlake Consultants as a survey technician.
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| Radiologic Sciences alumna Christy Dressell '01 was recently selected as employee of the month at Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center. As a Rad Tech, Christy spends her days conducting X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and DEXA (bone density) scanning. Her excellent patient care earned her this recognition and we are so proud to call Christy an Oregon Tech alum.
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| Alumnus Ryan Russell ’00 was recently named senior vice president of design and user experience (UX) at Hinge Health. Prior to this new position, Ryan spent nine years as director of user experience at Amazon and was the Oregon Tech 2011 recipient of the Scientific Achievement Award for his innovations in software engineering and his various patents. |
| Stan Heaston '69 graduated from Oregon Tech's first class in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Stan flew airplanes for 39 years, including for the Air Force, Braniff International and Northwest Airlines and was lucky enough to fly both the Boeing 757 and the Airbus A-320 when they were brand new airplanes. He retired from Northwest in 2007 and finished his career with 25,000 hours in the air. Stan has lived in Burnsville, MN, in the south suburbs of the Twin Cities, since 1982 and has been married to Colleen (from Spokane, WA) for 43 years. |
| Congrats to Charlene Blumenthal '13 for being nominated as top talent (April-June 2021) for her work in respiratory care at Renown Health in Reno, NV. This honor was bestowed upon Charlene after five years at Renown and 1.5 years serving as the COPD Navigator. |
| J Andrew Parsons '15 was elected to the 2022 International Society of Automation (ISA) Executive Board. Though his three-year term was to start next year, he is filling a vacancy and starting immediately. Andrew will continue to support the important work the ISA does on behalf of the automation and industrial cybersecurity community. |
| Leila Farley from the class of 1973 is a retired nursery hospital and home health visiting RN. She would love to get in touch with former classmates. |
| Merlin '19 (Manufacturing Engineering) and Kirsten '20 (Mechanical Engineering) Faerber welcomed their daughter, Sophie, into the world on June 24, 2021. Congrats to the Faerber family! |
| Siddharth Arora 09’ was recently promoted to Director of Product Management at Razorpay in Bengaluru, India! Congratulations to Siddharth! It is great to Oregon Tech graduates across the globe. |
| Alumnus Mike Daily '84 was recently promoted to principal of Lewis & Van Vleet, Inc., a structural engineering firm that was founded by two Oregon Tech grads in Tualatin, Oregon in 1997. |
| Tom '92 and Angela '92 Sanchez recently won an award for their wines produced at Columbia Ridge Winery. |
| Kaitlin Endres '11 joined the Chaparro & Associates real estate team in San Diego, CA. |
| Chloe Smith '18 was accepted into the MIT - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography and Applied Ocean Science/Engineering. |
| Paul Randall-Grutter '88 was selected as County Engineer of 2020 in the state of Washington. |