The Authors of the OE
John C. Davies was brought up and educated in London, United Kingdom. He read English language and literature at Kings College, London, where he gained an M. Phil. He was awarded a Ph.D. in American Studies from Nottingham University and was head of American Studies at Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln. He has published articles on William Carlos Williams, Craig Lesley, Molly Gloss, and Robin Cody and has presented papers on Northwest authors at conferences of the Western Literature Association. He has taught ten summer sessions on northwestern literature at Portland State University.
Sebastian de Assis is the Communications & Development Director at Northwest Human Services. In addition to his public relations and development functions at the agency, he is a professional writer and the author of two books, one of which has been adopted by the School of Education at New York State University as required reading. He holds academic degrees from the University of Hawaii and California State University and he is an invited member of two honor societies for excellence in scholastic achievements. Having traveled extensively around the world, he is an expert in cross-cultural communications, multiculturalism, and promoting diversity.
K.J. Deacon was a newspaper journalist at The Bend Bulletin, Anchorage Daily News and The Scacramento Bee. Her B.A. and M.S. are from the University of Oregon School of Journalism, and she studied for a Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Utah, where she taught journalism and communication courses. She was an Interpretive Intern and Public Services Representative at the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
Doug Decker has studied Tillamook Burn history for more than a decade and has helped to build an archive of oral history interviews, photos, maps, and other materials that help create an understanding about the history of the Tillamook Burn area. He served as project leader for development of the Tillamook Forest Center and currently serves as executive director of the nonprofit Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust.
David Peterson del Mar teaches nontraditional students for Portland State University, Oregon State University, and the University of Oregon. He is the author of five books, including Oregon’s Promise: An Interpretive History, and is a consultant for Teaching American History grants. He co-facilitates dialogues with Uniting to Understand Racism and is a board member of Watoto Wa Dunia, which supports community development in Kenya.
Bob DenOuden graduated from the University of Oregon in 1988 received a masters degree from the University of Idaho in 1998. He works as an analyst and geographer with Lane Council of Governments in Eugene. He has interests in Pacific Northwest geography and history as well as hydrology and "sense of place."
Ted Dethlefs was born in Chehalis, Washington. After serving in the U.S. Navy as an aerial navigator in World War II, he earned his BA in Business and his MA in Recreation. From 1968 to 1980, he was the Recreation Technician for Oregon State Parks. He is one of the authors of Oregon's Five-Year Recreation Plan—a comprehensive program addressing the outdoor recreation needs of a diverse and growing population.
Gary Dielman has published over three dozen articles about Baker County history, plus two articles in the Oregon Historical Quarterly. For over twenty-five years, he has been the volunteer curator of Baker County Library's archives, which holds over 6,000 historic photographs. He has an M.A. from the University of Iowa and has taught at Purdue University.
John Doan is a music historian, professor of music at Willamette University, and one of the few masters of the twenty-string harp guitar. He starred in two television specials on PBS with his "A Victorian Christmas with John Doan," which received an Emmy nomination for Best Entertainment Special of the Year. His recording Eire-Isle of the Saints won Best Celtic Album of the Year. John's most recent recording, The Lost Music of Fernando Sor, is the first time Sor's harpolyre music has been heard since it was written in 1830.
Allen Dobbins grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. He earned a B.A. in psychology and masters degrees in history and education from Stanford before obtaining his doctorate at Harvard. He has taught high school and university at all levels, and he was the curriculum administrator for Portland Public Schools. A great believer in the arts, Dobbins has served on several public service and philanthropic institutions in California and Oregon.
