Judy A. Orem

Judy Orem BS ’66 writes: “January to May was the highlight of 2021 for our granddaughter and us, and it was only because of COVID. Our church services moved to YouTube, so we had time to ride with our granddaughter on Sundays as she learned to drive. She drove us all around Portland and beyond: to Sandy for doughnuts, to Multnomah Falls, over the St. John’s bridge, and to Newburg, Salem, McMinnville, and the Space Museum. It concluded with her driving me to the Oregon Coast. Yes, she got her license.”

Judy Orem BS ’66 participated in a Phase I trial for the cancer drug Gleevec at Oregon Health & Science University in 1999. As a result, she is alive today and has had many opportunities to appear on TV, study grant proposals, and be a representative for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Her story has been included in three books, which address Gleevec, chronic myeloid leukemia, and new approaches to cancer treatments. But most important to Orem is her husband of 53 years, their two adult children, and two grandchildren. She is also happy to report that she and her husband keep 15 beehives. “We enjoy each day given us,” she writes.