Gift in Klonoski's Honor to Fund Graduate Fellowship

Don Powell was already interested in politics when he walked into Jim Klonoski's political science class at the UO in 1963. After the class, politics became Powell's passion and later his career. And Klonoski became his mentor and friend.

"I'll always remember his ability to reach students and his passion for politics," says Powell '67, M.A. '75, a longtime Oregon political organizer and gay rights activist who is now president of Powell Phones, a political telemarketing firm in Portland. Klonoski died January 30, 2009 after teaching political science at the UO for almost forty years.

Now Powell is honoring Klonoski's memory with a $250,000 gift that eventually will fund a graduate student fellowship in the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics in the UO School of Law.

Powell says it was Klonoski who encouraged him to work as campaign manager for Wayne Morse's last Senate campaign in 1974. Since then, Powell has run campaigns for Oregon Democrats running for Congress and state offices and has managed many local and statewide ballot measure contests.

Powell revered both Klonoski and Morse for their political courage. "Whenever I face a controversial decision, I ask myself, what would Jim Klonoski or Wayne Morse do in this situation?" he says.

Powell was cofounder of the gay rights group that is now called Basic Rights Oregon. He helped lead efforts to pass statewide gay rights legislation in 1988, 1992, and 1994 and was instrumental in the 2007 legislative passage of Oregon's domestic partner rights law. While working as assistant to the dean of the UO graduate school from 1977-79, Powell worked with graduate students who faced tremendous financial challenges. "If this fellowship makes it a little easier for students to study in the Wayne Morse Center, that's great," he says.

Powell made his gift through a charitable remainder unitrust, which will pay him income during his life and will fund the fellowship after his death. He's a champion of this method of giving to the UO. He's also hoping his gift will inspire others to give in memory of Jim Klonoski, and in support of the university. For more information about making a gift to the university in Professor Klonoski's memory, contact Kat Walsch in the College of Arts and Sciences Development Office, kwalsch@cas.uoregon.edu, or 541-346-0607.

"I'm not a wealthy person," says Powell. "I had a building I sold, and that's where some of this money came from. With a charitable remainder trust, not only can you do something to make yourself feel good, there are tremendous tax advantages and the opportunity to make some income." To learn more about such gift arrangements, contact the Office of Gift Planning, (800) 289-2354, giftplan@uoregon.edu.