Lydia Kamaka'eha Wright
Former Official Departmental Dog of the Oregon State University Department of Geosciences
~June 19, 1995 to December 9, 2009
Adopted at age 8 weeks from Lincoln County Animal Shelter, Newport (Oregon Coast)
Given to me by a friend at age 4 months
"...best dog on the planet!" -- Kate Lajtha
Donate to "The Lydia Fund"
to Support Student Conference & Workshop Travel
(This is a secure, tax-deductible transaction, and donations are added to the existing "Gordon Matzke Fund")
Student Recipients of the Fund Thus Far:
2010 - M.S. student Jill Smedstad, to attend the 16th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Corpus Christi, TX
2010 - Ph.D. student Kathleen Miles, to present at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA
2011 - Ph.D. student Terry Frueh, to present at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA
2011 - M.S. student William Clark, to present at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA
2011 - Ph.D. student Dylan Keon, to present at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA
2011 - M.S. student Vera Pfeiffer, to present at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA
2011 - M.S. student Rachel Lovellford, to present at the International Association of Landscape Ecology, Portland, OR
2011 - Ph.D. student Dori Dick, to attend a workshop at the International Marine Conservation Congress, Victoria, BC, Canada
2012 - M.S. student Colleen Sullivan, to present at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, New York City back to top
- attended scores of faculty meetings, thesis defenses, lab meetings, and lectures in Wilkinson Hall over most of her life.
- "took" Advanced GIS 7 times and slept through every lecture!
- interrupted a lecture with puppy dream yips while sleeping in the front of my class!
- had a brief beach walk and love affair with the "Father of Geographic Information Science" (Mike Goodchild).
- once appeared on the OSU Reser Stadium jumbotron during halftime of a football game.
- was featured for several years in an OSU Admissions video.
- was the answer to a multiple-choice question on an OSU geography exam.
- was seen "proctoring" an exam in Wilkinson 108 during finals week (I don't know where the instructor had gone but Lydia saw the opening and lay down in front of the class, watching the students intently).
- was a staunch protector in the late evening working hours of Wilkinson Hall.
- played the role of Santa's Elf (in costume) at a Geosciences holiday party.
- delighted students on over 10 annual GEO 103 field trips to the Oregon coast.
- was a courageous camper, 1-time white-water rafter, awesome hiker, snowshoer, beach runner, tidepool wader and squirrel chaser.
- survived car trips from Seattle to San Diego, from Corvallis to Colorado's Pikes Peak, and from Yachats to Yellowstone National Park.
- received emails from all over the country from time to time, including a special one from a little girl in Japan, who is also named Lydia.
- in her heydey, was clocked at over 20 mph running alongside my road bike.
- was the best friend of
Kipper, the amazing yellow lab of Newport, Oregon and Santa Cruz, CA.
- was an avid fan of Animal Planet tv shows.
- loved the music of Sarah Brightman.
- loved "Fawkes the Phoenix" from the soundtrack of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
"Some dogs come into our lives and quickly go, others stay awhile, leaving footprints on our hearts and we are forever changed." -- Author Unknown
"Kennedy often wore shorts and a baseball cap to work and brought his
dog 'Friday' to the office." -- Time Magazine article on John F. Kennedy, Jr., July 26, 1999
Thank you for stopping by!
