With an effervescent smile, the graceful wave of a hand and lots of hooting and hollering, Darlene Thompson ’07 fulfilled a lifelong dream this summer

Davis, Laura

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Linfield Magazine Volume 3 Number 2 Fall 2006 Article 12 Fall 2006 Riding High in Pendleton Laura Davis Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine Recommended Citation Davis, Laura (2006) "Riding High in Pendleton," Linfield Magazine: Vol. 3 : No. 2 , Article 12. Available at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine/vol3/iss2/12 This article is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. he also learned about the difficult and sometimes con-flicting issues of lumber and development versus recre-ation and wildlife habitat.“(Foresters) are assigned enormous spans of acreagethat include great diversity,” he said. “It takes years tounderstand all of the different considerations of terrain,climate and wildlife.”The students came from both the Adult DegreeProgram (ADP), where students pursue their bachelor’sdegrees while working full time, and fromMcMinnville’s more traditional-age student population.Mike Marshall ’06 of Chehalis, Wash., an environ-mental studies minor working on his degree throughADP, is a logistics manager for a wood products firm.His father was a forester for Boise Cascade, and Marshallspent a great deal of time in the forest while growing up.He was interested in getting a broader knowledge aboutthe product his company ultimately puts out.“The majority of what we manufacture is madefrom Douglas fir and Western larch,” he said. “Here I canstudy the species and its climate and get a better under-standing of why it is so dominant.”Del Rayo, a business major on the McMinnvillecampus, took the class to explore a different field.“I learned the effects of wildfires in ecosystems andhow they play a big role in saving forests. Thinningforests to reduce fuel buildup can make a big differ-ence,” he said. “It was a fun class because I could see formyself how things are really done.”The best part of the class was the chemistry amongthe students, said Chris Hukill ’09 from Monmouth,who works full time at Hewlett-Packard.“We really bonded,” Hukill said. “Everyone had anattitude that fostered good learning and took it serious-ly. Everyone had respect for the learning and respect forthe knowledge people brought to the class. It was goodto have the diversity of ages.”Schoonmaker is the founding board president ofIllahee, a non-profit organization that provides a forumfor environmental innovators to exchange ideas andincrease the scientific rigor of public discourse about theenvironment in the Pacific Northwest. He has workedwith conservation organizations, government agenciesand natural resource businesses to craft mutually benefi-cial forest, fisheries and watershed partnerships through-out the region.Schoonmaker likes teaching field-based classes, wherea question is posed and the students pursue an answer inthe field, instead of the class being defined by a text.“In the course of asking a question, the studentsusually have to tackle all those things they see in a textand I think they learn it better,” he said. “They are learn-ing the theory wholistically, in a hands-on way and Ithink at the end of the class they see the whole picture.”– Mardi MilehamLinfield instructor Peter Schoonmaker explains a point to the students after recording the number of rings on a stump. He prefers teach-ing field-based classes which approach a subject wholistically and give students hands-on experience.1 8   -   L I N F I E L D  M A G A Z I N EWith an effervescent smile, thegraceful wave of a hand and lots ofhooting and hollering, DarleneThompson ’07 fulfilled a lifelongdream this summer.Thompson, an accounting andmath double major from Weston,served as a princess for the PendletonRoundup, one of Oregon’s largestand most renowned rodeos.“Ever since I was a little girl I’vebeen going to the rodeo, sitting in thestands and waiting for my turn to beout there riding,” said Thompson.Her turn came in Septemberwhen she successfully maneuvered thePendleton grand entry, one of the mostdifficult entries in the PacificNorthwest. Riding Red, a 16-year-oldsorrel gelding, Thompson entered thearena at a full gallop, jumped twofences, came to an abrupt halt in frontof 20,000 spectators, then raced aroundthe quarter-mile track twice – all one-handed while waving to the crowd.“It’s dangerous,” Thompsonadmits. “It’s a pressure cooker forhorses, too. A horse has a mind of itsown so anything can happen.”The Pendleton Roundup, whichbegan in 1910, is practically a familyaffair for Thompson, who has attend-ed the rodeo every year since age 5.Her grandfather has led the dress upparade for 42 years and family mem-bers are devoted volunteers. So it wasonly natural that Thompson, a skilledhorsewoman, would take her turn inthe spotlight. The five-member court spentthe spring and summer appearing atelementary schools, nursing homes,luncheons, banquets, rodeos andparades, leading up to the roundup.But Thompson was unfazed by thehectic schedule.“It was lots of work, but theroundup organizers want to havegirls representing them who areinvolved in their communities anddoing something with their lives,” shesaid. “Those are the kinds of thingsLinfield looks for, too.”As if the responsibilities of therodeo weren’t enough, Thompsoninterned with Chris Cockburn ’91of Fife, Cockburn and Co., LLP, anaccounting firm in Pendleton.Cockburn is a director for HappyCanyon, affiliated with the roundup,and understood the demands placedon Thompson.“The experience introduced meto a different side of accounting,” saidThompson, who audited school dis-tricts along with Ronna (Ayers)Lindstrom ’98. “I’m thinking aboutcoming back to the area and this willhelp me decide.”Now back on campus for hersenior year, Thompson’s pace hasnot slowed. She sings in the choirand took part in the OperaWorkshop performance last year.She played volleyball, served as apeer advisor and is a member ofFellowship of Christian Athletes,Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and threenational honor societies for busi-ness, service and academics.This is a typical Thompsonachievement, according to MikeJones, professor of accounting andThompson’s advisor. “She’s probably accomplishedmore in 21 years than many peopledo in a lifetime,” Jones said. “She’sinvolved in so many different thingsand she’s usually at the top of theheap. I’m proud to know her.”Jones traveled to Pendleton towatch Thompson “spin around thetrack on her horse at what seemedlike 90 mph.” And he wasn’t theonly Thompson fan there. OtherLinfield community members alsomade the trip.“Faculty and staff cheer you on,”said Thompson. “So many of themwere excited for me when they foundout I made court. A school likeLinfield is interested in their studentsand wants to celebrate with them.”– Laura DavisDarlene Thompson ‘07 completes a grand entry jump atop Red, one of three horsesshe rode as a princess for the Pendleton Roundup in September.Riding high in PendletonF A L L  2 0 0 6 -   1 9Student Profile

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