Friday, May 24, 2013
Donald Becker
Hi, Guys! Thanks for posting your "bios". You brought back some pleasant memories; and I was impressed when reading about your life journeys since SLS. Here's what I've been doing. I must say that life is good. My life journey falls into 5 phases: Pre- seminary, seminary, priestly ministry (15 years), New York Social Worker (25 years), and retirement (beginning March 21, 2014).
I grew up in Two Rivers, WI with the "middle child syndrome". The middle of 3 boys I felt unloved and struggled for attention. (Paul Kedinger often said, with some justification, that I was always seeking attention while at SLS.) To get attention, I became an overachiever in grade school. The nuns loved me. I noticed that they liked priests. So, to get more attention, I told them that I would be a priest. They loved me even more. And so my "vocation to the priesthood" was born in 3rd grade. A high point in grade 8 was being on the best basketball team our school ever had. In 8th grade we won 32 games and lost none; we earned 7 first place trophies. It was a heady experience. The key to our success was teamwork; we were taught that we did so much better when we played as a team rather than trying to get glory as an "individual" player. The lesson to be a team player has remained with me throughout my life.
My SLS years were fun and confusing as I grew older (I hesitate to use the word "matured"). Some fond memories are the "blowouts"; getting attention by eating a lot and staying skinny; playing basketball 2 or 3 times a week with Steve Koszarek, Larry Koontz, and Mike Trainer, among others; Field Days, especially because I could smoke cigarettes for one day; impromptu parties in the TV Lounge on Sundays, especially after Packer games; involvement in plays; singing in the choir; and, in Senior year, sneaking down to the basement of St. Anthony's Hall at 1 am twice a month with Abbot Harris and others, whose names escape my memory, to smoke cigarettes, have "important, adult discussions", and feel very good because we never got caught. A very pleasant memory is that of entertaining the school with Steve K. as the SomeOther Brothers. I was jealous because Steve got most of the funny lines. Besides being a lot of fun, this helped me begin to learn how to "work the crowd", which was valuable later on in preaching and in giving retreats, etc. I also enjoyed being a driver to Fondy, along with Jim Gilgenbach, and others. The confusing part of those years was struggling with hormones, not knowing what to do with sexual feelings, talking about it in Spiritual Direction without getting any real "direction", frequent confessions before mass, and never getting an answer to the question, "What are 'particular friendships?" I was proud of the work we did on the Field Day Committee, introducing the B Level track and field events so that all could contribute to their class' scores and not just the "basketball jocks". And it was my idea to add french fries and milk shakes/malts to the Field Day Menu. I completed the seminary phase of my life at St Francis School of Pastoral Ministry. I responded well to the awakening in the Church with Vatican II, but there was a lot of confusion among seminarians and professors as things "loosened up". There were two highlights in this time. One was being director of the Madison Carolers. Although I lived in the Green Bay area, I joined the Madison Carolers because the Green Bay Carolers had more members than they needed, while the Madison group needed Basses. (Jim Gilgenback joined the Madison group, too, and we were buddies, goofing off a lot.) After 2 years they asked me to be Director, which I did for 4 years. It was a thrill to bring Christmas joy to people in the hospitals and nursing homes in the Madison area; and we had some crazy fun for four years. The other highlight was a feeling of pride when the director of the annual play stepped down and those involved in plays voted for me to be Director of the production of Macbeth. I used the "team approach" so that it was "our play" not "my play". During practices, I got a lot of good ideas from the others, ideas that I would not have thought of. Everybody felt that it was "their play". It was a success and I was proud. (We had 17 people covering 28 parts - I played the comic relief part of the Drunken Porter.) While at St Francis, I went into psychotherapy, for the first time, and struggled with accepting myself as a gay man.
The priesthood phase started in May of 1971 and lasted 15 years. For the most part I enjoyed ministry. I tried to help the parishioners develop their ministerial skills and offer their services on various committees and in ministries. I tried to convince them that no one's "job" was more elevated than another's, i.e., priests are not more important than the people; at certain times each one's job will be more prominent. (The Trustees make the parish run more than the priest does and the janitor is essential to the parish in may ways.) This attempt of mine to come down "off the pedestal" was not wholly successful, although some people caught on. I particularly fostered women offering their gifts to the community. Among my brother priests I never felt that I fit in. No one ever said this, but I think that most of them thought I was too idealistic and naive. I found only a few that I could be myself with. I struggled mightily with my sexuality, trying to find a way to develop it and express it that was congruent with my theological and moral sense. I was convinced that it would be spiritually and emotionally unhealthy to ignore or suppress my sexuality. I helped start a clandestine Gay Priests Support Group. Overall, I related well with the people, gave real challenges in interesting homilies, and particularly enjoyed working with some excellent nuns. I was very saddened when I saw quite a number of priests reject nuns who were better educated, had better people skills, and a better sense of ministry; I was convinced that these priests were simply afraid that the nuns would outshine them and they would lose power and prestige. During these years I developed a love of travel. I visited Malaysia, where I saw an 8 foot long leatherback turtle lay her eggs on a beach. I went to Bali, Indonesia 5 times and also visited a site in Sumatra, where an agency re-introduces "pet orangutans" into the wild. I spent a week running around naked with the Auca "Indians" in the Amazon jungle in Ecuador, topped off with two nights in the Andes Mountains. After that I spent a week camping in Glacier Bay, Alaska. I did a whale watching trip off of Baja, California and touched a baby gray whale that came up to our skiff to inspect us. I did scuba diving, including one night dive, in the Cayman Islands; later I did scuba diving in Belize. A big trip was one month in a mission parish in Tanzania, Africa, with my Dad and my brother; we camped one week on the Serengeti Plain and saw the migration of the wildebeest; also saw lions feeding on a kill and two lions mating. I took a trip to Brazil and saw the Iguazu Falls. And I did a week-long sea kayaking trip in the Sea of Cortez. I joined a group for a week-long trip to the Holy Land. Also visited Mexico City and Acapulco twice. Another thing I did for fun and adventure was to buy a small airplane with a friend and got my single engine pilot's license. The thrill was soon gone because flying a small plane is too noisy (you can't converse) and very soon all the topography looks the same; so we sold our plane after 5 years and bought a cottage on the bay of Green Bay. It was easier to share this with friends than to share an airplane. After about 12 years I joined the Green Bay Chapter of Dignity (a lay run Catholic LGBT organization) for whom I presided at liturgies with and for gay/lesbian people. In my 13th year, I knew that I could not continue this way. At that time the Diocese offered a Doctor of Ministry Program in which the Diocese would pay for half of the cost of the Doctoral Degree. I finished the courses in my 15th year, took a sabbatical, and got the degree. I thought that a Doctor of Ministry Degree might be helpful in the future, since I knew I was leaving the active priesthood. The doctoral studies were helpful in a general way, but I did not use the degree in any professional way. In my letter of resignation I stated that I had serious issues re. the official Church's refusal to allow/accept women in decision making roles in the Church, an attitude which I regarded as sinful. And I differed in the Churches stance on human sexuality, which I was convinced was outdated, scientifically inaccurate and harmful to many people. I stated that some can stay in the Church and fight to make changes, but that my spirit was not so constituted and my spirit would die in that kind of stress; I needed to leave the official priesthood and work for change from outside the Church. So I went on sabbatical in 1987 in New York for Social Work school and resigned from the priesthood 2 years later. I have not regretted this decision; indeed, it was a step forward. It was hard on my parents. They were so proud when they heard people praise my priestly ministry. However, they were supportive of me and of my work with Dignity; they even came to some of the Dignity Masses. Eventually they came to think that my ministry to the LGBT Community was more valuable, that is, had more impact than parish work.
In 1989 I got my Masters in Social Work and started working on a psychiatric ward and in the psych ER of a hospital in the Bronx. I also did individual and group psychotherapy at a Gay/Lesbian Counseling Center in Manhattan and had a small private practice. I entered a relationship with Herb D. in 1988, which lasted 5 years. I left when he started smoking crack and became verbally abusive and threatened me. In 1988 I joined the Bass section of the New York City Gay Mens Chorus. Until it became too expensive in about 2000, all our concerts were in Carnegie Hall; a GREAT venue to sing in! It was powerful to stand up and sing publicly and proudly as a gay man. In my 24 years in the chorus, we helped change many lives for the better through our singing. We helped many gay and lesbian people in our audience to embrace their own gay identity and be proud. I also joined in two European tours with the Chorus. During these years I presided at liturgy for 3 Dignity groups in the New York area. Though these Masses were illegal by Canon Law, since I was resigned and not connected to a diocese, I provided a much needed service to these Catholic Gay and Lesbian people. I helped them get in touch with God; how can this be wrong? They find in Dignity what they cannot find in a parish (although this is beginning to change): they find a place where they can fully be themselves and still worship in a "Catholic" liturgy. After my hospital work, I spent 7 years in a drug/alcohol treatment agency. When that became too stressful, I got a job doing group work and psychotherapy in a day program for mentally ill senior citizens in upper Manhattan. I found this work fulfilling, but draining. In 1994 I met Daryn Hassell. We dated for over 2 years before entering a relationship; I was very cautious about committing after my experience with Herb D. We've been together now for over 18 years. Daryn is a very sweet, gentle and good man. Though we both worked in Manhattan, we lived in Jersey City for about 7 years because it was cheaper. On Oct. 29, 2013, we got married in Jersey City. It feels GOOD to claim equality in society by publicly referring to him as "my husband" at a store counter, introducing him to others, etc.
On March 21, 2014 I began the fifth, and probably last, phase of my life. I retired. Daryn had left his job on Dec. 31, 2013. We found that we could not afford our mortgage and lifestyle in the New York area on "retirement income". But we knew that we could get the same kind of condo in Chicago for 1/4 the price of our Jersey City condo. So we made the move and bought a condo without a mortgage in Chicago. Daryn, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens is learning to love Chicago. And I have come full circle, back to the Midwest where I was raised. Starting a new life in a new city at age 69 is daunting, but invigorating. I have to meet new people and learn a new city. But there is help: Chicago has a Dignity chapter and a gay mens chorus and I am exploring places where I can volunteer my time, skills and energy. Still skinny, I am now145 pounds; my health is good. The only problem is an enlarged prostate - sound familiar? So I/we embark on this new chapter with vigor and enthusiasm. Life is good!
Growing up with you guys was a really good experience. I treasure all the good times, fun and support we shared at Mt. Calvary and hope that you do, too. Thanks! Elements of the Calvary Spirit do live on.
I grew up in Two Rivers, WI with the "middle child syndrome". The middle of 3 boys I felt unloved and struggled for attention. (Paul Kedinger often said, with some justification, that I was always seeking attention while at SLS.) To get attention, I became an overachiever in grade school. The nuns loved me. I noticed that they liked priests. So, to get more attention, I told them that I would be a priest. They loved me even more. And so my "vocation to the priesthood" was born in 3rd grade. A high point in grade 8 was being on the best basketball team our school ever had. In 8th grade we won 32 games and lost none; we earned 7 first place trophies. It was a heady experience. The key to our success was teamwork; we were taught that we did so much better when we played as a team rather than trying to get glory as an "individual" player. The lesson to be a team player has remained with me throughout my life.
My SLS years were fun and confusing as I grew older (I hesitate to use the word "matured"). Some fond memories are the "blowouts"; getting attention by eating a lot and staying skinny; playing basketball 2 or 3 times a week with Steve Koszarek, Larry Koontz, and Mike Trainer, among others; Field Days, especially because I could smoke cigarettes for one day; impromptu parties in the TV Lounge on Sundays, especially after Packer games; involvement in plays; singing in the choir; and, in Senior year, sneaking down to the basement of St. Anthony's Hall at 1 am twice a month with Abbot Harris and others, whose names escape my memory, to smoke cigarettes, have "important, adult discussions", and feel very good because we never got caught. A very pleasant memory is that of entertaining the school with Steve K. as the SomeOther Brothers. I was jealous because Steve got most of the funny lines. Besides being a lot of fun, this helped me begin to learn how to "work the crowd", which was valuable later on in preaching and in giving retreats, etc. I also enjoyed being a driver to Fondy, along with Jim Gilgenbach, and others. The confusing part of those years was struggling with hormones, not knowing what to do with sexual feelings, talking about it in Spiritual Direction without getting any real "direction", frequent confessions before mass, and never getting an answer to the question, "What are 'particular friendships?" I was proud of the work we did on the Field Day Committee, introducing the B Level track and field events so that all could contribute to their class' scores and not just the "basketball jocks". And it was my idea to add french fries and milk shakes/malts to the Field Day Menu. I completed the seminary phase of my life at St Francis School of Pastoral Ministry. I responded well to the awakening in the Church with Vatican II, but there was a lot of confusion among seminarians and professors as things "loosened up". There were two highlights in this time. One was being director of the Madison Carolers. Although I lived in the Green Bay area, I joined the Madison Carolers because the Green Bay Carolers had more members than they needed, while the Madison group needed Basses. (Jim Gilgenback joined the Madison group, too, and we were buddies, goofing off a lot.) After 2 years they asked me to be Director, which I did for 4 years. It was a thrill to bring Christmas joy to people in the hospitals and nursing homes in the Madison area; and we had some crazy fun for four years. The other highlight was a feeling of pride when the director of the annual play stepped down and those involved in plays voted for me to be Director of the production of Macbeth. I used the "team approach" so that it was "our play" not "my play". During practices, I got a lot of good ideas from the others, ideas that I would not have thought of. Everybody felt that it was "their play". It was a success and I was proud. (We had 17 people covering 28 parts - I played the comic relief part of the Drunken Porter.) While at St Francis, I went into psychotherapy, for the first time, and struggled with accepting myself as a gay man.
The priesthood phase started in May of 1971 and lasted 15 years. For the most part I enjoyed ministry. I tried to help the parishioners develop their ministerial skills and offer their services on various committees and in ministries. I tried to convince them that no one's "job" was more elevated than another's, i.e., priests are not more important than the people; at certain times each one's job will be more prominent. (The Trustees make the parish run more than the priest does and the janitor is essential to the parish in may ways.) This attempt of mine to come down "off the pedestal" was not wholly successful, although some people caught on. I particularly fostered women offering their gifts to the community. Among my brother priests I never felt that I fit in. No one ever said this, but I think that most of them thought I was too idealistic and naive. I found only a few that I could be myself with. I struggled mightily with my sexuality, trying to find a way to develop it and express it that was congruent with my theological and moral sense. I was convinced that it would be spiritually and emotionally unhealthy to ignore or suppress my sexuality. I helped start a clandestine Gay Priests Support Group. Overall, I related well with the people, gave real challenges in interesting homilies, and particularly enjoyed working with some excellent nuns. I was very saddened when I saw quite a number of priests reject nuns who were better educated, had better people skills, and a better sense of ministry; I was convinced that these priests were simply afraid that the nuns would outshine them and they would lose power and prestige. During these years I developed a love of travel. I visited Malaysia, where I saw an 8 foot long leatherback turtle lay her eggs on a beach. I went to Bali, Indonesia 5 times and also visited a site in Sumatra, where an agency re-introduces "pet orangutans" into the wild. I spent a week running around naked with the Auca "Indians" in the Amazon jungle in Ecuador, topped off with two nights in the Andes Mountains. After that I spent a week camping in Glacier Bay, Alaska. I did a whale watching trip off of Baja, California and touched a baby gray whale that came up to our skiff to inspect us. I did scuba diving, including one night dive, in the Cayman Islands; later I did scuba diving in Belize. A big trip was one month in a mission parish in Tanzania, Africa, with my Dad and my brother; we camped one week on the Serengeti Plain and saw the migration of the wildebeest; also saw lions feeding on a kill and two lions mating. I took a trip to Brazil and saw the Iguazu Falls. And I did a week-long sea kayaking trip in the Sea of Cortez. I joined a group for a week-long trip to the Holy Land. Also visited Mexico City and Acapulco twice. Another thing I did for fun and adventure was to buy a small airplane with a friend and got my single engine pilot's license. The thrill was soon gone because flying a small plane is too noisy (you can't converse) and very soon all the topography looks the same; so we sold our plane after 5 years and bought a cottage on the bay of Green Bay. It was easier to share this with friends than to share an airplane. After about 12 years I joined the Green Bay Chapter of Dignity (a lay run Catholic LGBT organization) for whom I presided at liturgies with and for gay/lesbian people. In my 13th year, I knew that I could not continue this way. At that time the Diocese offered a Doctor of Ministry Program in which the Diocese would pay for half of the cost of the Doctoral Degree. I finished the courses in my 15th year, took a sabbatical, and got the degree. I thought that a Doctor of Ministry Degree might be helpful in the future, since I knew I was leaving the active priesthood. The doctoral studies were helpful in a general way, but I did not use the degree in any professional way. In my letter of resignation I stated that I had serious issues re. the official Church's refusal to allow/accept women in decision making roles in the Church, an attitude which I regarded as sinful. And I differed in the Churches stance on human sexuality, which I was convinced was outdated, scientifically inaccurate and harmful to many people. I stated that some can stay in the Church and fight to make changes, but that my spirit was not so constituted and my spirit would die in that kind of stress; I needed to leave the official priesthood and work for change from outside the Church. So I went on sabbatical in 1987 in New York for Social Work school and resigned from the priesthood 2 years later. I have not regretted this decision; indeed, it was a step forward. It was hard on my parents. They were so proud when they heard people praise my priestly ministry. However, they were supportive of me and of my work with Dignity; they even came to some of the Dignity Masses. Eventually they came to think that my ministry to the LGBT Community was more valuable, that is, had more impact than parish work.
In 1989 I got my Masters in Social Work and started working on a psychiatric ward and in the psych ER of a hospital in the Bronx. I also did individual and group psychotherapy at a Gay/Lesbian Counseling Center in Manhattan and had a small private practice. I entered a relationship with Herb D. in 1988, which lasted 5 years. I left when he started smoking crack and became verbally abusive and threatened me. In 1988 I joined the Bass section of the New York City Gay Mens Chorus. Until it became too expensive in about 2000, all our concerts were in Carnegie Hall; a GREAT venue to sing in! It was powerful to stand up and sing publicly and proudly as a gay man. In my 24 years in the chorus, we helped change many lives for the better through our singing. We helped many gay and lesbian people in our audience to embrace their own gay identity and be proud. I also joined in two European tours with the Chorus. During these years I presided at liturgy for 3 Dignity groups in the New York area. Though these Masses were illegal by Canon Law, since I was resigned and not connected to a diocese, I provided a much needed service to these Catholic Gay and Lesbian people. I helped them get in touch with God; how can this be wrong? They find in Dignity what they cannot find in a parish (although this is beginning to change): they find a place where they can fully be themselves and still worship in a "Catholic" liturgy. After my hospital work, I spent 7 years in a drug/alcohol treatment agency. When that became too stressful, I got a job doing group work and psychotherapy in a day program for mentally ill senior citizens in upper Manhattan. I found this work fulfilling, but draining. In 1994 I met Daryn Hassell. We dated for over 2 years before entering a relationship; I was very cautious about committing after my experience with Herb D. We've been together now for over 18 years. Daryn is a very sweet, gentle and good man. Though we both worked in Manhattan, we lived in Jersey City for about 7 years because it was cheaper. On Oct. 29, 2013, we got married in Jersey City. It feels GOOD to claim equality in society by publicly referring to him as "my husband" at a store counter, introducing him to others, etc.
On March 21, 2014 I began the fifth, and probably last, phase of my life. I retired. Daryn had left his job on Dec. 31, 2013. We found that we could not afford our mortgage and lifestyle in the New York area on "retirement income". But we knew that we could get the same kind of condo in Chicago for 1/4 the price of our Jersey City condo. So we made the move and bought a condo without a mortgage in Chicago. Daryn, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens is learning to love Chicago. And I have come full circle, back to the Midwest where I was raised. Starting a new life in a new city at age 69 is daunting, but invigorating. I have to meet new people and learn a new city. But there is help: Chicago has a Dignity chapter and a gay mens chorus and I am exploring places where I can volunteer my time, skills and energy. Still skinny, I am now145 pounds; my health is good. The only problem is an enlarged prostate - sound familiar? So I/we embark on this new chapter with vigor and enthusiasm. Life is good!
Growing up with you guys was a really good experience. I treasure all the good times, fun and support we shared at Mt. Calvary and hope that you do, too. Thanks! Elements of the Calvary Spirit do live on.
Claude Kennedy
Claude Kennedy is originally a Fondy guy, who has lived most of his life in Milwaukee. George Niederehe says, "his family and mine lived a block apart on Fifth Street and we go back to kindergarten times. His email is kennedy08@wi.rr.com. Claude has served as a Catholic deacon for many years."
Michael Sadusky
Michael Sadusky has been a professor of psychology at Pasco-Hernando Community College in New Port Richey, Florida. His email address at the college has been saduskm@phcc.edu, and that appears to still be current (see: http://www.phcc.edu/content/michael-sadusky).
Thursday, May 23, 2013
George Niederehe
After graduating from SLS, I completed college and most of a novitiate year in the Maryknoll seminary system before deciding to leave. I subsequently got drafted and spent time in Vietnam as a conscientious objector Army medical corpsman. Upon returning to the U.S., I did graduate studies at the University of Chicago for the first half of the 1970s, earning a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with specialization in gerontology and geriatrics. During that time, I also married Roberta Staat, who was embarking on a career as a fine arts teacher and oil painter.
After grad school, we moved to Houston, Texas, where I did a postdoctoral fellowship and then worked for the next decade in the geriatric mental health field, mostly doing clinical research and helping run training programs in geriatric psychiatry and psychology – first at research center that was part of the state mental health system and later on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Medical School-Houston. During those years, I obtained various federal grants and served on grant review committees. I did research on topics like the impact of depression on memory in older adults, and the family dynamics surrounding care for older adults with dementia. Bobbie and I gave birth to two daughters, who are now in their early 30’s.
In 1987, I was recruited to the National Institute of Mental Health and we moved to the DC area, where I have been working ever since. I have held a number of administrative positions within NIMH, mostly helping run grants programs that support research projects and training of researchers around the country. Much, but not all, of the research which I have helped to promote and have overseen has consisted of clinical trials and other studies of treatment for mental disorders of later life. In my early years at NIMH, I was heavily involved in activities related to Alzheimer’s disease; subsequently this has changed to a focus on other mental health issues. I spend a good deal of time assisting investigators in developing their research plans and grant applications, and to some degree helping with the training of junior investigators. I currently foresee continuing in this line of work for a few more years.
As one of my outside interests, for many years, I devoted quite a bit of effort also to doing volunteer work and serving on the Board of Director for a local nonprofit organization called Beacon House, which operates as a multifaceted community center with various educational and recreational programs for inner-city youth in a particular neighborhood of northeast Washington, DC (see www.beaconhousedc.org).
After many years of mainly holding college and high school teaching positions, my wife Bobbie currently is focusing on pursuing her own artwork. You can see some examples at www.staatworks.com. Our older daughter Alison and her husband both have jobs at American University in Washington, DC and live pretty close to us in Maryland, which is nice because it allows us to see a lot of the two fine grandsons they have given us in recent years – Bence (almost 3) and Akos (1). For the past several years, our younger daughter Kate has been living in Utah and Colorado and finding seasonal work in the area of alternative/environmental education, serving as a field guide for river and backcountry trips, etc. This summer, she is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, partly as a fundraising project to benefit several nonprofit organizations. You can see more about this at www.hikingtogetkidsoutside.org.
Though my parents are no longer living, my 5 sisters all remain in good health. My older sister lives in Oregon, while the 4 younger ones still reside in Wisconsin (1 Madison, 2 in Milwaukee area, 1 Fond du Lac).
In terms of SLS classmates, though we have rarely had occasion to meet, over the years I have been in touch occasionally with my SLS “homies” from Fond du Lac (Pat Ahern, Dan Youra, Claude Kennedy), and with several others (Ken Rolling, Joe Kolb until his death 4 years ago).
Dan Youra
ABOUT ME
- Dan Youra
- Dan Youra lives in Port Hadlock on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Dan moved to Washington in 1971 to take a job in state government with the Council on Higher Education and the Washington State Library, where he designed the LIFE Project (Library Information Facility on the Environment) for EXPO 74 in Spokane.
Dan's professional love is drawing editorial cartoons, his avocation that started at St. Lawrence Seminary, illustrating the class yearbook and school play bills, such as inking FDR for How You Like It. In the 1965 Dupage at Maryknoll College he cast Charlie Brown as a cub reporter interviewing Lyndon B. Johnson. Youra’s cartoons appeared in The Advance-Titan newspaper at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he earned a BA degree in International Studies in 1967.
To make money Youra publishes travel guides and maps.
In 1982 Youra designed a local Hood Canal map to commemorate the reopening of Hood Canal Bridge, after it sank in 1979. The map, published annually since then, continues to be distributed to visitors.
Youra grew up in a family that supported his cartooning and artists talents. He reflects that, “As a little boy, I remember my dad drawing funny cartoon characters for the amusement of us kids.” He had one aunt who was an art teacher and one who was an artist. Both encouraged his artistic explorations.
“I can remember drawing cowboys, Indians, and armies in second grade at St. Mary’s grade school, where Sister Theodocia, asked me to help other students with their art,” Youra recounts. “That was prior to political correctness, when you could still draw guns in school.”
In 1983 he created his first map with all the counties of the Olympic Peninsula. In 1984 he was hired as executive directory of the Olympic Peninsula Travel Association (OPTA), an organization started in 1932. In 1984 he published his first Olympic Peninsula Guide. In 1986 Youra was selected by the Washington State EXPO 86 Commission to publish the Official Guidebook for the Washington State Pavilion at EXPO 86. Youra launched his Ferry Travel Guide in 1988. In 1991 he was elected first president of the Port Ludlow Chamber of Commerce.
In Jefferson County Dan worked for the Community Action Council to help find jobs for residents. He set up Jefferson County’s first office for the Washington State Department of Employment Security. The office in the First National Bank building on Tyler Street served residents with unemployment claims and job searches. As staff planner to the Jefferson County Economic Development Council, Youra wrote the 1975 Jefferson County Economic Development Plan.
While publishing guides by day, Youra continued to develop his cartoon characters by night. He has a whole family and zoo full of his creations. His “U” family is made up of Ulysses, Ureka, Uclid and Urana. His animal friends include Otto, Loony, Gooey and a whole bunch more. Youra’s “U” cartoons are online on the web at www.utoons.com.
Youra has drawn all the presidents since LBJ. Hundreds of Bush cartoons are moving into the archives, while Obama cartoons are now taking center stage. Youra’s technique has evolved from the black and white pen drawings of the 60s to color animations in the 21st century.
Youra’s latest exploration is sending his cartoons to cell phones on the mobile web at www.utoons.mobi.
Dan’s office in Olympia was on the campus of the newly opened Evergreen State College. Friends at the student paper, known then as The Paper (now Cooper Point Journal) discovered Youra’s talent for cartoons and published them. In subsequent years The Paper's cartoonist was Matt Groening of Simpson fame.
In 1971 Youra studied a course in cartooning at the University of Washington with Ray Colins, cartoonist for the Seattle Post Intelligencer. At that time David Horsey was cartoonist for The Daily, the university newspaper, before he went on the Seattle Post Intelligencer and the LA Times.
Youra was born in Wisconsin and received his high school diploma from St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary.
As a Fulbright scholar, Youra studied in Argentina for one year in 1968, before entering graduate school at Ohio State University. There he studied quantitative analysis and computer research in the Behavioral Sciences Laboratory for three years. He attended summer school in 1969 at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and he worked as managing editor of Current Thought on Peace and War, an international digest, published at the United Nations in New York.
Dan's email address is dan@youra.com
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