Suzanne Giftai passed away in late 2023.

Suzanne earned a BS in Environmental Health & Safety from the University of Washington in 1998.

Prior to coming to OSU, where she worked as an administrator of the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion, she worked at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The faculty of the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion are deeply saddened to have lost Suzanne Giftai. Suzanne was a talented administrator who nimbly and creatively negotiated the challenges of a myriad demands and complex bureaucracy. Equally important, she was a kind, empathetic person, and for this reason, there were many of us who liked to stop into Suzanne’s office to chat. One of the most beautifully decorated offices in SHPR, Suzanne had golden walls, lamps that provided a soft glow, and a number of wonderfully lush plants. It was a comforting environment, and I have fond memories of sitting in the office and talking to Suzanne not only about work, but about her grandson, her little rescue dog, and the recipes she enjoyed making.

On the subject of Suzanne’s kindness, as well as her enthusiasm for plants and food, Philosophy Instructor Rebekah Sinclair shared, “I know she was amazing with plants and always watered mine during the summer. Also, when I first arrived, she made me vegan treats and put them in a baggie in my mailbox. The thoughtfulness of making them vegan really stood out to me.” From my own experience, I found it touching that Suzanne liked to let me know when Field Roast vegan sausages were on sale at the Coop (because those are the best vegan sausages I know of, but they’re also quite pricey!), and I am so glad to have a recipe she shared with me for cherry pistachio biscotti. Suzanne made this once for a holiday party, and I plan to do the same in the years to come.

We were so fortunate that Suzanne spent more than six years helping to run our school, as she was enormously gifted when it came to administrative work. It would be an understatement to say that the last few years have deviated from the norm on the third floor of Milam. We experienced staffing changes, leadership changes, and not one—but three!—periods of time during which rain entered through the ceiling and destroyed numerous faculty offices and classrooms. And, of course, there was also the pandemic. Throughout all of this, Suzanne not only remained attentive to her usual work, but she also graciously took on additional challenges. History Senior Instructor Linda Richards once worked as an office manager and thus has more insight into the complexities and challenges of Suzanne’s job than most of us do. “Suzanne Giftai has been the most amazing office manager I have ever worked with,” Linda observed. Linda also spoke appreciatively of Suzanne’s support for the Peace Studies program. She explained that Suzanne “helped me create the SHPR Peace and Justice Strategies office for the PAX program. She made sure we had everything we needed, including things I didn't even think of. One day,” said Linda, “I went to unlock the door and found Suzanne had designed and installed the most beautiful silver door sign with the image of a peace crane! I can't walk in the door without feeling valued because of her going out of her way to legitimize our work for peace and justice.”

Suzanne also helped facilitate the growth of our new History masters program. While Nicole von Germeten did much of the initial lifting to create the program and then Marisa Chappell took on the challenge of directing the program, Suzanne helped with innumerable details. For instance, she helped Marisa understand the technicalities for GTA appointments and deadlines for graduation.  Marisa explained, “Suzanne has been immeasurably valuable throughout, showing remarkable patience and continual support. I call on her frequently when there are questions or issues regarding fellowship support, travel funding needs, and appointment questions, and she has always stepped in and steered me in the right direction, often taking on a task and working directly with the Graduate School or Human Resources to solve a problem for me. I truly would not have been able to manage administering this program without Suzanne’s constant, timely, and good-natured support.”

Echoing similar ideas, Hundere Professor of Religion and Culture, Courtney Campbell, offered deep praise for Suzanne’s ability to help him manage the Hundere Endowment in Religion and Culture and direct the Certificate in Medical Humanities programs.  Courtney explained that Suzanne routinely, “assists in navigating a bewildering array of bureaucratic obstacles to help with room and food logistics, and in ensuring students receive their certificates. She has provided mini-tutorials to help me navigate the most recent update to the university’s travel program.” Moreover, Courtney noted that our office staff was reduced by fifty percent in the last five years, and Suzanne was integral to helping us manage these transitions as well as the transition between School Directors in the fall of 2023.

She moved to Corvallis to be nearer to her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, all of whom live in Blodgett.

Suzanne Giftai

To close, I would like to share words from Suzanne’s daughter, Alexandra. She wrote that Suzanne “spoke so highly of everyone she worked with and shared and celebrated all your accomplishments with us.” And she also reminded us that Suzanne was a “huge supporter and lover of nature.” Alexandra told us that if we would like to make a donation in honor of her mom, it would be best to give to The Nature Conservancy or The Audubon Society. Finally, she said, “Mom’s favorite bird was the Snowy Egret. Whenever you see one, I hope you think of her, peaceful and free.”