Steve is also Research Assistant at the
University of Oregon's CATE
where he works on their Opal
Online Project.
Steve was born in Louisiana in 1951. He
grew up in the small town of Greenwood. Steve credits his
grandmother and his aunt for inspiring his love for history. He
says that he learned to read by finding graves in old cemeteries for
them. He attended college at Louisiana State University. In 1976
he moved to Oregon and began researching the history of his adopted
home.
Steve has worked in the mental health field
for over twenty five years. In that time he has worked
with many people who were "downsized" from out of state
mental hospitals. He has worked with many different groups
of people helping them to overcome their disabling conditions
and have better lives. Opal Whiteley who was locked
away for almost 50 years was the type of person he could have helped
leave
the hospital - with support. Steve created the
Opal Whiteley Memorial in Cottage Grove, Oregon which has educated
hundreds of people about mental health issues. After working for years
with people who have Schizophrenia he began serving people with Autism
and Aspergers Syndrome. This led to a new understanding of Opal as
possibly being misdiagnosed. You can read his article here.
He is also a Research Assistant with the
University of Oregon's Center for Advanced Technology in Education
(CATE). He collects historical research and photographs on Opal
Whiteley for their project Opal Online. CATE is dedicated to helping students learn
using modern technology and ways of teaching. It is a mission that
Steve is also deeply committed to.
Steve is an avid outdoors man and hiker. He
has
also
worked logger and a gandydancer on the railroad (when he was a lot
younger!) He has been married to Karen Williamson a retired pubic
school music teacher for 30 years. Steve has two married children and
five step grandchildren (photo) Steve &
Karen met on Cerro Gordo Mountain outside of Cottage Grove, Oregon in
1976. They often go hiking on the land today.
