People
Make a selection below:
Past Theses | Internships | Photos | Alumni | Current Students
Current Students 2005-2006
Kathryn Burk
First Year
BA in History/Anthropology at Sonoma State University
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
Because of my love of old houses, commercial buildings and other structures!
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
The U of O HP Program offered a combination of hands-on technical instruction with scholastic and theoretical-based classes. The U of O HP Program appealed to me as well, because of its interdisciplinary approach.
Research/Professional interests?
My research interests include both Japanese castles of the Tokugawa period and the great siege castles of eleventh- and twelfth-century England. My professional interests apply mainly to nineteenth century commercial architecture and adaptive re-use.
Dream job?
Architectural Historian/Research Historian consulting on numerous projects around the globe (with enough personal time off to research castles in England and Japan for the book I will one day write!)
Bonnie Donaghy
Second Year
BARCH/BS in Environmental Design from North Dakota State University
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
I am pursuing a career in preservation so that I can enjoy working with
buildings in a less high-stress environment than an architectural office.
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
I chose to come to the U of O in part due to the small size of the
program, but in large part due to the emphasis on practical experience
and hands-on learning this program has.
Research/Professional interests?
My research/professional interests are in the nuances of significance,
in particular the tricky situations that can arise from vernacular
architecture and transient populations [i.e. gold rush towns, juke
joints, etc].
Dream job?
My ideal job would be working with the Cultural Resources Team at any of
the Regional Offices of the National Park Service.
Heidi Granke
First Year
BARCH from Andrews University
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
It's just what I was meant to do.
Work experience?
I have worked in the field of architecture for over 11 years. I am a licensed Architect in Minnesota and Oregon.
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
I chose the U of O because of the hands-on approach of the field schools and
the opportunities to take classes from other programs, like art, architecture and interior architecture.
Research interests?
My tentative thesis topic is on natural lighting and ventilation systems in office buildings from 1880 to 1920.
Dream job?
Restoring a building designed by Julia Morgan. Julia was born exactly 99 years before me on the same month and day.
Sarah Helwick
First year
BFA in Art/Art Education from the University of Georgia
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
Because of my love of historic buildings and the education potential of historic sites and buildings.
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
I liked the hands-on and multidisciplinary approach of UO's program, and I wanted to experience a different part of the country.
Research/Professional interests?
My main research interests lie in preservation education and advocacy, and historic site interpretation through the latest technology.
Dream job?
Director of Education/Outreach for a major museum, interpretive center, or non-profit group.
Annie Kidd
Second Year
Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Kansas State University
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
Love for old buildings, history, and architecture
Work experience?
My work experience includes hands-on preservation of 1850s limestone construction farmstead (farm house, barn, spring house, and ice house) in Manhattan, Kansas and being a HABS summer intern in 2005, where I documented 2 barns at Antietam National Battlefield
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
To experience the Pac NW, a liberal city, and to attend the PNWFS
Research interests?
Cemeteries, historic landscapes, HABS documentation, architecture photography
Dream job?
HABS photographer
Shawn Lingo
First year
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
I care about preserving a past that is being rapidly erased and homogenized.
What's your background? Work experience?
I come from a working class family and background. My undergrad degree is in art history.
I have worked for the California State Museum Resource Center as well as cutting firewood, concrete work, and construction jobs. I have a number of years experience as a nurseryman.
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
I found the combination of hands-on work (especially the PNW Field School) with a strong scholarly community seemed to provide a lot of opportunity to explore preservation in areas that have not traditionally been main foci for the field.
Research/Professional interests?
Working class cultural landscapes, community housing, alpine architecture (especially as manifested in the Cascadian style), preservation of Native American sites and resources. The West.
Ideal/dream job?
To be a man in a Big NPS Hat. The National Park system is a priceless treasure and faces serious challenges in the coming decades.
Kathleen Mertz
First year
BA in History from Lewis and Clark College
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
My current experience in the field is at an administrative
level doing Section 106 compliance in a National Historic Landmark district
and I would like to expand my skills to enhance my resume to, hopefully,
get a better paying job in an upper level position. I believe in historic
preservation as an aid to community planning and urban revitalization and
would like to continue to contribute to the field through the reuse of historic buildings.
What's your background? Work experience?
My undergraduate degree is from Lewis and Clark College -
BA History with an emphasis on Latin American history. I have had a variety of jobs, but the most rewarding was my position as Compliance Coordinator at the Presidio Trust.
I oversaw the Section 106 compliance process for all projects at the Presidio of San Francisco, which included both documentation and onsite evaluation of the rehabilitation projects in historic buildings.
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
By accident, I was a displaced student from Tulane University and UO took me in after evacuating New Orleans. I decided to stay for too many reasons to mention here.
Research/Professional interests?
My research interests include colonial structures in Mexico and California. My professional interests are specifically rehabilitating historic buildings for use as affordable housing in the Bay Area of California.
Ideal/dream job?
San Francisco city planning office or redevelopment office working to find new uses for San Francisco's wealth of historic structures.
Sheriffa Wright
Second year
BA in Art from Iowa State University
Why are you pursuing a preservation degree/career?
I knew when I started my undergrad degree in architecture that I enjoyed architecture, but I wanted a different spin - preservation is that spin on architecture. I'm passionate about what happens when preservation is a part of a project.
What's your background? Work experience?
I've worked for grassroots organizations, non-profits, and city governments dealing with historic preservation issues. I did one year of service in AmeriCorps working in a rural community on economic development projects and issues.
Why did you choose to come to the U of O?
I chose the U of O because of I liked the opportunities that were presented to take classes from other programs, like architecture, planning, and landscape architecture. Also, the financial benefits of going to a state university verses a private school were and are apparent.
Research/Professional interests?
My thesis topic is “The Twentieth Century Hunt Club: A Study of a West Coast Example at Lake Oswego, Oregon." I'm primarily interested in cultural resource management, education, and advocacy.
Ideal/dream job?
From my work experience I learned that I need a job in the field at least 50% of the time and that I enjoy the combination of historic preservation and community/economic development; how one effects the other. I’m not sure my dream job exists; I think it is a position that I’ll have to create. I’ve really enjoyed my work in the non-profit sector so perhaps combining that with historic preservation.
Coming soon!