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Renee Diana Berg Bergman MAT ’66

A picture of Renee Berg Bergman

Renee Diana Berg Bergman MAT ’66, November 21, 2011, in Portland. Renee and her beloved brother, Irving, were raised in Queens, New York City. Through Irving, she met Arthur M. Bergman, whom she married in 1945. A year later, Renee completed undergraduate studies in premedicine and literature and graduated with a BA from New York University. As an accomplished cellist, she performed in the university’s chamber orchestra. Renee and Arthur moved to northeast Portland after the war, and, in 1957, to West Linn, where they raised a daughter, Julie, and two sons, Barry F. Bergman ’71 and Marc. Renee completed a master’s degree in teaching at Reed, and taught physics, chemistry, and math at Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Adams high schools in Portland until retiring in 1988. “My year at Reed was a wonderful and challenging experience,” she wrote. Renee was a community volunteer with B’nai B’rith and the Multnomah County Library, and was instrumental in the founding of Clackamas Community College. She continued to play cello and enjoyed attending Oregon Symphony and Chamber Music Northwest concerts, as well as opera and theatre performances. She also was adept at ballroom dancing. Renee is remembered for her intelligence and wit, her independent spirit and initiative, her interest in innovation, and her passion for underdogs. For over 20 years, she made her home on a moorage on the Columbia River. She was also the owner of a number of unusual automobiles, including an Amphicar. Survivors include her sons and daughter and six grandchildren.

Appeared in Reed magazine: June 2012