April 10, 1925 - May 12, 2008

Harold C. "Shorty" Dorn, longtime journalism professor at Oregon State University, died May 12 at his Reston, Va., home with his family by his side. He was 83 years old and had Parkinson's disease for many years.

Shorty was born in Scottsbluff, Neb., to Adam and Mary Dorn. After high school, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in World War II in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Japan. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

In 1948, he married his high school sweetheart, Ethel Weber, and they moved to Lincoln, Neb., where Shorty entered the University of Nebraska and played football for the Cornhuskers. He continued his academic work at Nebraska and received a master's degree in journalism. Shorty continued post-graduate work at the University of Iowa.

He then joined the faculty at Doane College in Crete, Neb., where he taught and also helped coach football from 1951 to 1956. Shorty then joined the faculty at Eastern Oregon State College in LaGrande for l0 years. In 1966, he became a member of the newly formed OSU Journalism Department, where he taught editorial writing and journalism law, as well as beginning journalism courses.

Shorty developed deep friendships with his faculty colleagues and was known for his quick wit and good humor. Prof. Dorn took pride in advising OSU journalism students, especially around the coffee room in the journalism department. He retired from OSU in 1989 but kept in contact with many former students. There wasn't a trip made to downtown Corvallis, a shopping center in Portland, or to the Oregon Coast where he didn't come in contact with a former student and he could remember them by name.

At OSU, Shorty served on many committees and for a number of years was secretary of the Faculty Senate. He was also a longtime board member of the OSU Federal Credit Union.

In 1992, the Dorns moved to Res

ton, Va., to be with their daughter, Jennifer, and their two grandsons, Jonathan and Benjamin. Another daughter, Lorah, now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their retirement activities revolved around enjoying the active lives of their grandsons and watching them grow up. His grandsons were the apple of his eye.

In addition to his wife, daughters and grandsons, other family members include a sister, Ella Ferguson, Fountain Hills, Ariz., and several nieces and nephews. A private service has been held. Ashes will be buried in the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions to Capital Hospice, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22042 or the National Parkinson Foundation, Inc., Office of Development, 1501 N.W. Ninth Ave./Bob Hope Road, Miami, FL 33136-1494.