BUZZ STROUD: Wildcatville Questions & Answers

Wildcatville:

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

Buzz Stroud:

Born in Vancouver, Washington, and grew up about 20 miles north of there in Woodland, Washington.

Wildcatville:

Is “Buzz” a nickname? If so, what’s your given name and why the nickname?

Buzz Stroud:

Given name is Leon Wesley Stroud… nickname Buzz given to me by my sister (two years older) who thought the name of character in a book she had, “Buzz,” was more appropriate for me than my given name… small town with lots of neighborhood contemporaries who heard it and started using it.

Wildcatville:

What did you do growing up… what activities, hobbies, family, school etc.

Buzz Stroud:

Growing up Woodland's population was around 1,500 and most of my contemporaries lived within two to three blocks and our home was half a block from the elementary and high school. Plenty of driveway basketball games and/or games at the covered asphalt courts at the elementary school, over the line baseball at the school playgrounds, home run derby contests in the city park across the street from the school. 

Delivered the Longview Daily News for about six years. 

My father, Leon Stroud, was a Woodland High School (WHS) science teacher as well as a professional photographer and my mother Woodland’s Librarian… I was my father's photographic assistant helping carry tripod, camera gear to high school athletic events as well as family and wedding photo shoots… also assisted in darkroom that was part of his science lab/classroom at the high school helping develop film, print/dry photos.

Family outings were for the most part centered around camping/huckleberry picking trips to Gifford Pinchot National Forest or to friend of the family cabin on Puget Sound (near Heron Island… West/Northwest of Gig Harbor/Purdy). Worked summers in berry/bean fields as well as daffodil/tulip/iris bulb harvest and processing. Learned to fly-fish when I was about eight and my father and I fished streams in the Lewis River drainage.

Played football, basketball, baseball in junior high and high school (my father was the Trico League secretary/treasurer) I was involved in high school newspaper/yearbook, honor society, international relations club. Parents coordinated the American Field Service foreign exchange student program for WHS. Pretty normal small town experience knowing and being known by a good percentage of the population since my father started teaching in Woodland in 1938 and had taught or was teaching second generations of some families.

Wildcatville:

Your father was Leon Stroud. You are Leon Wesley Stroud. Are you junior or did he have a different middle name?

Buzz Stroud:

My father’s middle name was Leon (first name George) and my paternal grandfather’s middle name was Wesley (his first name also George).

Wildcatville:

Why Linfield?

Buzz Stroud:

My parents were both college graduates (father Whitman College, mother University of Washington) and my sister attended Whitman. My father regularly took students from his science classes to visit Linfield, particularly to see the Linfield Research Institute and good friends of the family were George and Helen Murdock parents of Linfield alums (George Jr. and Barbara)… believe Barbara referred the Linfield Admissions Office to me and I did attract some (very little) recruiting interest from the Linfield athletic department. 

On my recruiting visit to Linfield in January or February of 1967, my host was Barry Stenlund against whom I had competed in high school when he played at LaCenter High. We attended a Linfield/Whitman men's basketball game in Riley Gym and enjoyed the people I met (several members of Theta Chi Fraternity and athletic teams) … wanted a small/private college experience and found the connection with the people I met.

Wildcatville:

What aspirations did you have attending Linfield? Was Linfield a good “fit” for you?

Buzz Stroud:

Hoped to play either basketball or baseball but did not have much success with either although I enjoyed the time I did spend participating/competing. Did find Linfield was an excellent fit… small college academic, cultural, social environment was the reason I enrolled and subsequent activities I was involved with and relationships developed reasons for staying. I completed work for my degree from Linfield May 1971.

Wildcatville:

What degree did you earn in what discipline?

Buzz Stroud:

1971 graduate from Linfield with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications… subsequently (2002) earned a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Portland.

Wildcatville:

You mentioned Theta Chi fraternity. How were you/have you been involved with the fraternity?

Buzz Stroud:

I joined Theta Chi Fraternity my first year at Linfield (1967-68) and the friendships started then continue today… I have continued to stay involved since graduation… (1972-74) as a member of the international fraternity’s professional staff (was a traveling chapter consultant for Theta Chi) and subsequently (1974-80) as a regional volunteer consultant, (1980-88) as a two-term member of the international fraternity’s board of directors… have at various times served on several advisory committees for the international fraternity and currently serve as president of the local chapter alumni corporation.

Wildcatville:

What was your career path after graduating?

Buzz Stroud:

Fall 1971 - Spring 1972 worked as a copywriter for a public relations agency in Portland (Cork Schaefer & Assoc.); Chapter Consultant for Theta Chi Fraternity August 1972-June 1974: Linfield College Admissions Counselor 1974-1977 and Asst. Dean of Admissions 1977-78; Commercial radio sales representative 1979-1984 (several radio stations in Portland area); 1984-2016 University of Portland (athletic department)

Wildcatville:

You were with the University of Portland (UP). Talk about your time at UP. What years did you work there and what were your job titles and responsibilities?

Buzz Stroud:

Started at University of Portland athletic department in June 1984 and retired June 2016.

I was hired just prior to the opening of the Chiles Center (UP’s multi-purpose arena) and served as UP’s first athletic marketing director 1984-1990: oversaw basketball season ticket sales, advertising sales, radio/television broadcast production and all game management activities.

I was Assistant Athletic Director/Compliance Coordinator 1990-96 and Associate Athletic Director/Compliance Coordinator 1996-2003: provided NCAA rules interpretations for staff/coaches, oversaw initial and continuing eligibility requirements for all student-athletes, processed all athletic scholarship awards, continued to oversee all game management activities; 1996-2016 Associate Athletic Director: oversaw all game management activities; at various times had oversight for the sports of baseball, men’s and women’s golf, soccer, tennis and cross country/track; oversight for Sports Medicine, Intramural/Recreational Sports, Sports Performance and athletic facilities.

Wildcatville:

You were busy. What else?

Buzz Stroud:

Since 1990 produced/directed University of Portland’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction banquet and have served as Chair of the UP Athletic Hall of Fame selection committee since 2009; Tournament Director/Manager for 1992 and 2007 West Coast Conference basketball tournaments hosted by UP; Meet Director for four NCAA Division West Region Cross-Country Championships hosted by UP; Oversaw all NCAA postseason men’s/women’s soccer championship competition hosted by UP including the 1994 women’s soccer championship semifinals/finals (UP first predetermined site for NCAA Division 1 women’s soccer semifinals/final) and coordinated UP host responsibilities for 2006 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships at Crosswater Golf Club (Sunriver, Oregon).

Also, I was West Coast Conference Representative to NCAA West Region Women’s Soccer Advisory Committee (1999-2001); West Region Women’s Soccer Advisory Committee Chair and West Region representative to NCAA Division 1 Women’s Soccer Championships Committee (2005-08); coordinated phases 1 and 2 of baseball field renovation which saw engineering/construction transform UP’s Etzel Field from native soil/grass playing baseball field to comprehensive artificial turf playing surface and the installation of lights (2014).

At the University of Portland I enjoyed working in an academic/athletic environment … good students and colleagues.

Wildcatville:

You have retired from UP. What are you doing in retirement? You have a hobby or interest that would surprise your Linfield classmates?

Buzz Stroud:

Sixteen years ago I became a volunteer reader with the SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) Foundation first at Sitton Elementary (St. John’s area, Portland) and now at Astor Elementary (two blocks from UP campus) and I continue that in retirement.

I still am involved in an advisory role with the Linfield chapter of Theta Chi; continue to chair the Athletic Hall of Fame committee at UP and I also fill in occasionally as a public address announcer for its men’s and women’s soccer and basketball games.

A little more golf with spring trips to Myrtle Beach and Pinehurst the past couple of years… Hope to incorporate some international travel in coming years (golf in Ireland/Scotland) first on the list.

Also, I want to make more visits to family in Washington D.C./northern Virginia. In the past I attended the 2016 and 2017 National League Baseball playoffs Nationals/Dodgers and Nationals/ Cubs, my first postseason Major League baseball games ever.

I have worked for the Etzel Agency (events management, brand identity/marketing company in Portland) and the Oregon Sports Authority assisting in the production of the 2017 and 2018 Oregon Sports Awards program recognizing the most outstanding high school, college and professional athletes in the state of Oregon by writing the athlete biographical material for the printed program and writing the video highlight voice overs for all the nominees as well as serving as the voice talent for the voice overs of the male high school and college award nominees. Hope I will have the opportunity to keep doing these things in future.

Wildcatville:

Your selection for UP Athletics Hall of Fame was a surprise since you chair the Hall of Fame selection committee?

Buzz Stroud:

At the UP Athletic Hall of Fame selection committee to review finalists nominees for the Class of 2018 the committee was gathered in our meeting room while I made additional copies of documentation about each finalist for the committee to review. When I entered the room and sat down to convene the meeting Jim Sollars (former UP women’s basketball coach, UP Hall of Fame member and selection committee member) said that he would like to amend the agenda to include my nomination and selection by acclimation. Although I started to demur he said the committee had already made the decision to include me in the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 and that I could not rescind or postpone their decision.

Wildcatville:

What does being a member of the UP Athletics Hall of Fame mean to you?

Buzz Stroud:

It is a bit surreal. I have always been working on behalf of those nominated, selected/inducted and never really gave any thought to being part of such a distinguished group. Very grateful for the other members of the selection committee seeing my contributions as worthy of consideration and that they merited selection. Always thought of University of Portland Hall of Fame inductees as exceptional and not sure I see myself in that category. I have preferred to work behind the scenes so being among those honored/inducted (Sept. 29, 2018) was a new experience.

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PHOTOS

All photos from University of Portland/UP except one from Linfield 1967-1968 New Student Directory.

--Group (l-r): Mike Maley (Linfield 1972), Charlie Chadbourn-brother-in-law, Sally Chadbourn-sister, Buzz Stroud (Linfield 1971), Tom Macaulay, Debi Macaulay, Pam Sollars, Jim Sollars-former UP women’s basketball coach and Steve Lathrop (Linfield 1971). Tom is a McMinnville High and OSU grad. His mother, Margaret Macaulay, was in charge of student teacher placement in Linfield Education Department for many years.

--Group: Buzz with sister, Sally Chadbourn; and his brother-in-law, Charlie Chadbourn.

--Plaque: Buzz Stroud, University of Portland Athletic Hall of Fame, Meritorious Service. Inducted Sept. 29, 2018.

https://youtu.be/38vrO4KHFlI
--Buzz UP Athletics Hall of Fame video (14:03) interview from University of Portland

https://youtu.be/zYa-lKEeGgc
--Buzz UP Athletic Hall of Fame (0:56) slideshow produced by Wildcatville using University of Portland photos