2015 President Janet Rasmussen

2015 - Janet Rasmussen

I first began coming to GSOC meetings over 20 years ago. Right away I knew had found “my people.”

Now, a second term as GSOC President has allowed me to pursue several goals made easier by having previous experience in the office. One goal was to increase our membership by speaking out at our Friday evening meetings to encourage and welcome newcomers. There have been more new members than ever due to social media outreach. A second was to get more involvement from Portland State University Geology Department, in part by seeking speakers from the retiring, current and new faculty members. Both of these goals succeeded.

A third goal was to lead a field trip to one of our most remote areas of the state. I contacted many geologists who had worked in SE Oregon, but none were available to come so far—though many were tempted. Instead, they offered support and technical advice, even unpublished material, from which I could compile a field guide and lead the trip myself. I had not learned so much since getting my degree, and it was a great pleasure to make several scouting trips to the area as well. Local folks were very helpful as well and generous with their time and expertise. Bonds were forged with local residents of SE Oregon as well, which will only strengthen with time.

GSOC is a source of wealth: friendship, adventure, travel, and the latest science.

Historical note from Carol Hasenberg in 2024:

This was Janet’s second term as president of GSOC. The highlight of this presidential term was the President’s field trip to Steens Mountain area in September 2015. Shown is a picture of Janet on that trip.

2008 President Janet Rasmussen

Janet Rasmussen was born April 10, 1950, in Pendleton, Oregon. She met her first husband, Dave Logsdon, in Alaska, and married him in 1972. While she took many college courses after high school, she mostly stayed home to raise their fourchildren: Lisa, Reuben, Grace, and Russell. She later obtained her nursing degree while living in Keokuk, Iowa, Dave's hometown. They divorced in 1989 and she returned to Oregon with her children.

2008 - JANET RASMUSSEN

Once the children were grown, Janet quit her full-time nursing job and went back to school for a geology degree, working part-time as a nurse. In 2003 she met her husband, Doug Rasmussen, of McMinnville. They married in 2004 at the site of the cabin they were building in the Elkhorn Mountains of Baker County, Oregon. She received her BS in Geology at Portland State University in 2005, and her MS in Water Resource Science at Oregon State University in2009. Janet and Doug both enjoy attending geology lectures and field trips, spending time at their cabinand working on Doug's farm in McMinnville. They live in Corvallis, Oregon.

Janet has served on the Board of Directors and as webmaster for GSOC. She was President in 2008-2009. Her 2008 President’s Field Trip featured the gold mining country of Baker City, Sumpter, and Granite, Oregon.