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Joyce Winslow
jwins@oregon.uoregon.edu
Connie French | Robert Gillespie | Don Williams
Connie French
Computer Services Assistant
Computing Facilities
Connie French's office in 151 McKenzie is filled with evidence of world travel.
Dolls from the Ukraine, an Alaskan totem, Japanese chopsticks, a Hawaiian paperweight,
postcards from Egypt...these are only a few of the artifacts that UO faculty
and staff have given her over the years in appreciation for her help in setting
up and managing their university computing accounts.
Connie's been overseeing UO computing accounts at the Computing Center for
almost 15 years now, but her history with our department began much earlier,
in 1971, when she worked part-time as a data entry operator while attending
school.
With her extensive family ties in Eugene, it seemed a given that Connie would
settle down in her home town and follow her career path here. But after a few
years, Connie and her husband Don relocated to Sacramento, California, where
Connie found work in the production control division of the California Farm
Bureau.
After eight years in the dry central valley of California, Connie and Don began
to miss the lush green of the Willamette Valley and decided to return home to
Eugene. Connie promptly picked up where she'd left off at the Computing Center,
adding reception duties to her work in data entry. Over time, Connie's responsibilities
grew to include providing backup scanning, scheduling the use of instructional
computing labs, and handling UO computing accounts.
In a relatively short time, the number of UO computing accounts grew from 3,000
to 35,000, and overseeing computing accounts--setting up the new, retiring the
old, troubleshooting problems, and tracking account eligibility--began to consume
most of Connie's day. UO computing accounts are still her primary responsibility,
but Connie also fills in as a BANNER clerk and serves as a backup receptionist
for the Computing Center's Electronics Shop, which services computing hardware
and peripherals on campus.
In her spare time, Connie is fulfilling one of her longtime goals by pursuing a degree in criminal justice. A devoted cat-lover, Connie also enjoys pampering her two Manx kitties, Paco and Mija, and she and Don are frequent visitors at the South Coast Animal Park in Bandon, where they're allowed to handle baby Bengals and panthers.
Robert Gillespie
Systems Analyst, Administrative Services [back
to top]
On most Fridays, rain or shine, Robert Gillespie sports an "Aloha Friday"
shirt. Although he's been to the Hawaiian Islands only three times, this Eugene
native immediately took to the islanders' version of "casual Fridays"
and likes to carry on the tradition here.
Robert has a long-standing interest in Asian and Polynesian cultures, as well
as folklore and myths of all types. A person who likes to pursue his interests
in depth, Robert has taken several classes in the subject--most recently, an
American folklore class at the UO. Robert is also a fan of science fiction,
and since the age of 15 has devoted much of his spare time to writing novels
and short stories--all as yet unpublished--in that genre.
Robert's programming career at the Computing Center began in 1995. Prior to
that, he studied computer science at the UO and OSU and for 10 years was OSU
College of Veterinary Medicine's all-around computer "go-to" guy,
setting up its network, performing system administration, and writing scientific
and administrative programs. For three years after leaving OSU, he worked for
the Oregon University System, traveling throughout the state as a technical
consultant and assisting institutions that were converting to the BANNER Financial
Information System.
Since coming to the UO six years ago, Robert has worked as a systems analyst
for the Administrative Services group supporting both the Office of Admissions
and the Registrar's Office. He works primarily with BANNER and DuckWeb, supporting
the Banner General and Student modules and their infrastructure. Robert designed
the Interactive Transfer Catalog, a dynamic HTML/Javascript application that
allows students to determine transfer equivalencies for their UO coursework.
Outside the office, Robert is busy being a dad to Margaret (8) and Elizabeth (10). He still writes whenever he finds the time, and until a knee injury sidelined him four years ago, he was a faithful practitioner of the Chinese martial art Wing Chun.
Don Williams
Network Technician, Network Services [back
to top]
When Don Williams joined the Computing Center as a network technician in the
fall of 1976, teletypes and punch cards were still the order of the day. Over
the years, Don has kept pace with the evolution of electronic communications
from wire to fiber optics, and he has seen the Computing Center's Network Services
organization grow from a tiny pioneering team of two to a staff of nine--including
three technicians, five network engineers, and a director.
Don began his electronics training in the US Navy, where he maintained teletypes
and keypunch machines and worked on encryption and networking equipment. Near
the end of his tour of duty in 1972, he met his wife Diane while stationed near
Napa, California. The couple soon married and moved back to Don's native state
of Oregon so Don could resume his interrupted college career at OSU, where he
had already put in two years as a chemistry major.
With four years of electronics experience already under his belt, Don changed
his academic focus to computer science and eventually landed a job as instrument
technician at OSU's computing center. For the next two years, Don traveled the
I-5 corridor, servicing the teletype and communications gear at Portland State
and Southern Oregon College as well as maintaining OSU's equipment.
In 1976, Don was offered a similar position at the UO Computing Center, and
he and his family (which now included baby David) moved to the country just
south of Eugene. A few years later, in 1978, David's baby brother Jon was born.
In addition to his troubleshooting and maintenance duties, Don has also assisted
with network evolution, wiring every building on campus and building a patch
panel of more than 50 serial connections. Later, he helped expand the campus
serial communications network, and together with Dale Smith (now Director of
Network Services), he was a pioneer in helping install the UO's award-winning
campus network, UOnet.
An avid chef, Don enjoys experimenting with international cuisine when time permits. He and Diane share a fascination for European history and hope to devote more time to travel in the future. Top on their list is Scotland, where Diane has relatives, followed by Provence, Spain, Italy, and Greece.