8 OregonStater.org COURTESY OF ALAN WERNER, EVAN THOMSON AND SARAH CUNNINGHAM to the ground laughing hysterically, and the band stopped playing and dispersed. Bahaha! I think they were unsure what to do with me. So Benny and I ventured out to the parking lot — me cradling my tail like a baby in my arms — and we found then-head men’s basketball coach Jimmy Anderson’s motor home. His wife was able to reattach my tail — ironically enough, using duct tape — and I was back in business. —HOLLY DEEMER, ’96 Graduation of 2017 was a long day. Everyone kept saying, “Oprah was here!” My handlers at the time were great, and I had a little bit of time to kill. So we all kind of said, “Hey, let’s go try and meet Oprah!” She was up in the premium seating. There were a couple of cops for security around her. I motioned to a cop to take a picture, and from what I recall he shook his head no. I just walked closer, and she finally noticed Benny and said, “All right, let’s take a picture!” I went over to her section and gave her a hug, and a ton of people were taking their phones out to take pictures. She was very happy to do so, and then we said our goodbyes. As I’m walking out, she and her entourage were like, “Wait, Benny! We want to take another picture!” and it was my impression that this time it was on Oprah’s personal phone. I came back, and we took another photo that she ended up posting on her Instagram account. Very cool story and so unique. —EVAN THOMSON, ’ 19 I recently received the Oregon Stater Spring 2026 issue. The information about Benny and Bernice Beaver is fun-filled entertainment! I am also inspired by the creative collaboration between editor, writer and photographer! Thank you for the “Best of the Best” all these years! —CORDELIA BLAKE, ’63 Welcome Reminders I was delighted to see my father’s name mentioned in the Spring 2026 Oregon Stater article “Poet Laureate of the Locker Room.” My dad, Eugene “Gene” Winters, ’50, was given credit for giving William Robertson his nickname of “Ropes.” Dad also served in the 10th Mountain Division, 87th Mountain Infantry, at the same time as Mr. Robertson. This was likely where the two men became acquainted. You might be interested to know that my dad was a proud OSU graduate who went on to serve Oregonians through the OSU Extension Service as a wheat, crop and soil specialist. He retired in 1980 after more than 20 years as an extension agent, taking assignments in Clatsop, Douglas, Jackson, Morrow and Wheeler counties as well as two stints in Amman, Jordan. The article reminded me of listening to my dad share memories and stories about his life. Such remindL E T T E R S ers are precious since he’s no longer here with us. Thank you. —STEPHANIE WINTERS ENGLE, ’84 Corrections: In the article “Organizing for OSU,” we stated that Oregon ranks 36th for public university funding. That ranking is actually for the state’s total public investment in higher education, including community college funding. For public university funding alone, Oregon ranks 46th in the nation. In the article “Stories from the Suit,” we added an errant “p” to former Benny Evan Thomson’s last name and an extra “r” to Darin Paine’s first name. We apologize for the mistakes. Send letters to stater@osualum. com or go to OregonStater.org/ connect. We edit for clarity, brevity and factual accuracy. Please limit letters to 225 words or less. FRESH-CUT COVERS We loved seeing these gorgeous paper flowers, made from Oregon Stater covers by Sarah Cunningham, Ph.D. ’12, OSU senior instructor of anthropology and leader of the Food in Culture and Social Justice program. The bouquets served as centerpieces at a spring Empty Bowls benefit at McNary Dining Center in support of OSU’s Basic Needs Center. If you’ve reused the magazine in a creative way, please send pictures! ↖ Alan Werner peeks out from an early Benny costume in the mid-1960s. ↗ Oprah’s first trip to Oregon included a welldocumented hug from Benny (Evan Thomson).
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