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Betty Jean McCaskill Canon ’41

Betty Jean McCaskill Canon ’41, October 18, 2005, in Portland. Betty graduated from Reed with a BA in psychology. In 1942, she married Robert W. Canon; they had two children, and later divorced. In 1965, she received an MA from Portland State University, and began an 18-year career at West Linn High School—17 years as chair of language arts and as director of curriculum for the district. She retired in 1980 to a life full of activity—swimming, reading, and traveling, among other occupations. She was committed to improving education, seeing it as the only viable source for peaceful coexistence and mediation among vastly different communities. "I accept a world based on ambiguities and the struggles that ensue through tolerance," she wrote in 1991. Survivors include her son and daughter, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a sister.

Appeared in Reed magazine: February 2006