Donald Justus Sterling Jr. ’48

Former class secy. Don Sterling died on Mar. 27 of pancreatic cancer. He was the former editor of the Oregon Journal, renowned for his dedication to journalism and Portland's civic affairs. When the afternoon Oregon Journal ceased publication on being combined with the Oregonian, Don became assistant to the publisher for the final 10 years of his career. He retired in 1992 to pursue historical research on politics.

Don came to us from Andover and a freshman year at Cal Tech. In addition to being chair of The Daily Princetonian, he ran the mile in track, won the Pyne Prize, and graduated with high honors in history, Phi Beta Kappa. While pres. of the board of the Oregon Historical Society, he considered himself "one of Jinks Harbison's chickens come home to roost." He was in Dial and a chapel deacon.

Following graduation Don was a reporter at the Denver Post until 1952, when he returned to his native Portland to join the Oregon Journal. From 1955-56 he held a Nieman Fellowship in journalism at Harvard. In 1959 he spent three months in the British Isles on an English-Speaking Union fellowship. Among his many journalism awards was the Golden Beaver Award of the Isaak Walton League for conservation writing. He was pres. of the City Club of Portland and immersed in endless civic activities.

Don always maintained that "my best luck was finding Julie Courteol, a reporter on the Oregonian who had moved west, and marrying her in 1963."

To Julie and their three children, Sarah, William, and John, the class extends its deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1948