Āé¶¹Ö±²„

Circle of Friends
Doug Weberling '72

Doug Weberling ’72, OD ’74 didn’t know what to expect the first time he returned to Āé¶¹Ö±²„ as an alumnus.

ā€œI was afraid to go back. Sometimes you can’t put it back in the bottle,ā€ he said. ā€œBut I was so pleasantly surprised.ā€

The university had grown since his days as an underĀé¶¹Ö±²„, then optometry, student.

There were new buildings in Forest Grove, not to mention an entire campus in Hillsboro. The core, though, seemed the same.

ā€œIt made me feel at home.ā€

As a member of the Āé¶¹Ö±²„ Board of Trustees, Weberling has helped Pacific continue to grow, while holding on to the identity he so loved as a student. Since his tenure, the university has added the College of Business and a brand new residence hall in Forest Grove.

"It's important to me that Pacific continues to be a fine optometry school and university even when I'm gone."

He and his wife, Eileen, have made financial gifts supporting (ā€œI’m thrilled they brought back footballā€), the College of Business, and the College of Optometry.

ā€œI do a lot of optometry, that’s my main goal. I’m really proud of how well Pacific grads, from the optometry school in particular, have done in our profession,ā€ he said.

ā€œBut undergrad is just as important to the Pacific experience. I was fortunate enough to get that experience.ā€

In 2015, Weberling was among four newcomers inducted into the President’s Circle, recognizing those who have contributed at least $100,000 to Pacific in their lifetimes.

Joining him were Kenneth & Colleen Lewis, the Stanich Family, and Sally Ann Brown.

Lewis, the former president of Lasco Shipping, is a trustee emeritus at Pacific and has been a dedicated supporter of Pacific with ongoing gifts to the Pacific Excellence Fund and College of Arts & Sciences Excellence Fund, as well as to the construction of the Library and Berglund Hall and to several scholarship funds.

The Stanich Family, meanwhile, has been a dedicated supporter of Āé¶¹Ö±²„ athletics, including lending their name to the new video scoreboard at Hanson Stadium, which they helped fund.

And Sally Ann Brown, longtime Forest Grove resident, left a bequest that will fund a rare president’s choice full scholarship for an incoming student.

Such gifts are about creating opportunity for the future, Weberling said.

ā€œIt’s sort of like my practice. When I retire, I want someone to take it over and continue the practice,ā€ Weberling said. ā€œIt’s important to me that Pacific continues to be a fine optometry school and university even when I’m gone.ā€ 

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