A Passion for Politics

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 national political telemarketing firm based 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 law school.

Powell says it was Klonoski who encouraged him to work as campaign manager for Wayne Morse's last U.S. Senate campaign in 1974. Powell has run campaigns in Oregon at all levels of government, including local and statewide ballot measure contests.

Powell made his gift through a charitable remainder unitrust, which will pay him income during his retirement years and will fund the fellowship after his death.

"With a charitable remainder trust, not only can you do something to benefit others, there are significant tax advantages and the opportunity to make some income," Powell says.

To learn more about such gift arrangements, contact the Office of Gift Planning, (800) 289-2354, giftplan@uoregon.edu.