Who's Who at the Computing Center Hervey Allen | Rebecca Porisch | Robert Bennett | Jon Neher |

Meet some of the people who work behind the scenes to facilitate your computing experience on campus. . .

By Vickie Nelson (vmn@oregon.uoregon.edu)

Hervey Allen
Microcomputer Support Specialist, Microcomputer Services
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This summer the Computing Center says goodbye to Hervey Allen, a longtime mainstay of Microcomputer Support Services.

When Hervey arrived at the UO in 1988 with a BA in the History of Science from Pomona College in Los Angeles, everyone at the Computing Center was putting in time at a help desk. Hervey, who was then pursuing a second bachelor's degree in Computer Science, was one of the first student assistants hired primarily to provide microcomputer support.

Born in Ankara, Turkey, Hervey enjoys traveling. After graduating from the UO in 1990, he visited his sister in Chile and joined her on an ecological expedition of the rainforests. Paula, now his wife, was also on that expedition. While Paula attended school, Hervey worked as a programmer and studied computer networking at the University of Chile.

In 1992 Hervey returned to Eugene with Paula, accepted his present job as Microcomputer Support specialist, and began working on a master's degree. In addition to his duties for Microcomputer Services, he has worked for the Network Resource Startup Center, participating in computer networking workshops in Angola, the Dominican Republic, and South Africa.

Hervey is currently working part-time for the Computing Center and part-time for Netcorp, a non-profit organization that trains students to be technical interns for other non-profits. Hervey is also a track-and-field fan and is on the board of Oregon International Athletics.

After a trip to Europe this summer, Hervey and Paula are taking off for San Francisco so Paula can work in the field of visual design. Eventually, the couple plans to return to Chile.

Eugene native Rebecca Porisch was an undergraduate working on a BA in English when she landed a work-study job at the Computing Center. She was one of the first people hired to staff the new downstairs Help Desk. After she graduated, she was offered a half-time position as a scanner operator and the position eventually became full-time.

In the mornings, Rebecca operates the ScanMark 2500, which reads optically-marked forms such as exams, course evaluations, grade rosters, ballots, and surveys. In the afternoons, she works as a computer operator, monitoring the campus network and the main computer systems and keeping an eye on their print and mail queues for error messages.

Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys spinning, knitting, and gardening. She's completed the Master Gardeners' Program offered by the Lane County Extension Service and is a regular at the Black Sheep Gathering at the County Fairgrounds. She and her partner, Dan Albrich, share a home with an angora rabbit, two cockatiels, and a few hundred earth worms destined for the garden.

Rebecca also enjoys traveling. Last summer she and Dan took a whirlwind camping trip through many of the National Parks of the Southwest. This summer they may travel to Europe.

Robert Bennett
Computer Services Assistant, Computing Facilities
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Meet Robert Bennett, the Computing Center's new downstairs receptionist.

Since November 1999, Robert's been checking in machines for repair, answering the phones, and ordering supplies. He also serves as BANNER clerk, adding and removing BANNER accounts and changing passwords.

Born in Billings, Montana, and raised in the small town of Hardin, Robert began working with computers when he was five and was programming by the time he was seven. He always enjoyed tinkering with things, so technical school was a natural step after high school.

Thereafter, Robert studied Computer Science at Montana State University and found a job at FutureShop in Billings, where he became an A+ Certified Technician. When his supervisor offered him a senior tech position in the Eugene FutureShop, Robert accepted. After the Eugene store closed, he moved on to the Computing Center.

Robert left Montana in minus-50-degree weather and arrived in Eugene on a balmy 75-degree day. Although the change was drastic, it was a good one. Robert likes being close to the ocean and the mountains and finds life in Eugene with a roommate and four cats to his taste.

When not at work, Robert occasionally DJs for dances around town. Robert also enjoys playing electric and classical guitar, skiing, and riding his bike.

Jon Neher
Academic UNIX Systems Manager, Computing Facilities
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Jon Neher was born in Topeka, Kansas, and raised in Santa Cruz, California, where he graduated from UC Santa Cruz as a music composition major. A fan of most forms of American music, Jon plays pedal-steel guitar, six-string guitar, and various saxophones. After college, he toured with artists such as Elvin Bishop and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

When the time came to settle down, Jon drew on his technical skills--he's been a ham radio operator since the age of 12 and wrote music education software in school. He found a technical writing job at Hewlett-Packard, where he learned UNIX system administration, and eventually moved on to work for Sun Microsystems as a programmer.

Jon always dreamed of moving to the country and working a more flexible schedule, and in 1989 his dream came true. He bought an 11-acre spread in Fall Creek and in 1992 found his present job at the Computing Center. Jon now works as part of Rick Millhollin's UNIX administration team, providing support for the AUTHORIZE program along with Steve VanDevender and Bob Jones.

In addition to playing with his band, The JiveMasters, Jon runs Fall Creek Recording on his property, where he lives in an A-frame with his partner Hilary and his cat Thing2. In whatever spare time he has, he windsurfs, golfs, skis, and tends his vineyard.