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Phyllis Cohn Terkla ’48

March 9, 2022, in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Phyllis grew up in Portland and followed her brother, Stanley Cohn ’47, to Reed, where she studied psychology and sociology and penned a thesis titled “The Nature of Stereotyped Thinking” under Prof. Read Bain [sociology 1947–49] and Prof. William (Monte) Griffith [psychology 1926–54]. After graduating she became an administrative assistant at the University of Oregon Dental School (what is now OHSU School of Dentistry), where she met a student named Louis Terkla who said he wanted to see Portland. The next day the two joined a tour that Reed was running to Multnomah Falls. They took a long hike, missed the return bus, hitchhiked back to Portland, and eventually got married.

Phyllis loved her work as a substitute teacher and enjoyed outdoor hobbies—hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking—as well as rug making, knitting, and reading. She shared a wonderful marriage with Louis, who became dean of OHSU’s dentistry school. She is survived by her children, David Terkla and Linda Peppler.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Fall 2023