Every year, Friends of South inducts notable South alumni into the Axe Hall of Fame. This year, they honor eight accomplished alumni who The Axe had the opportunity to interview and spotlight.

Cory Streisinger graduated in 1971 and went to Cornell University and Stanford Law School. She was inducted into the Axe Hall of Fame this year for her dedication to work in public service throughout her life. I got the opportunity to talk with her about her experiences at South and what her life has been like since then.

Did you live in Eugene your whole childhood?

We moved to Eugene when I was four years old, so I spent the majority of my childhood here. We had about five acres on Spencer Butte. If you look on the left side, there’s a spot where some trees have fallen and a notch in the mountain, and that’s where we used to live. We had some animals there, too; my father and I had goats. We would get up at five in the morning to take care of the goats, but that was just a hobby. He worked at the U of O so he would take care of the goats, and then go to work.

What was South like in general? Were there a lot of clubs, a lot of sports?

A lot was going on at South but I wasn’t a “joiner.” So, I wasn’t involved in all that. But I did join a folk dancing club, and I was somewhat involved in student government. A new senate had just been created so I was on that. But, also, outside of class, we played a lot of cards and the principal would have to confiscate them but we would just play them again and again. And then, of course, there were classes.

What were school dances like?

You know, I was not the “school dance” type. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t a “joiner” so I didn’t go to many school dances. You have to remember, also, this was during the height of the hippie revolution, so there were other kinds of parties that my friends and I went to that weren’t necessarily legal. So, yeah, I don’t remember what the school dances were like.

What kind of classes did you take?

Well, I took a lot of AP classes. South was known as an academically-driven school and a leader for the other schools in Eugene. So, there were a lot of offerings for advanced classes. We had a pretty robust curriculum.

Do you have a favorite class that you took or a favorite memory from a class?

My favorite class was probably AP American History. The teacher was really good. and he was able to make history come alive. It was really like storytelling because that’s what history is if it’s done right. The students in the class were also really strong and engaged. I remember, when I got to college, a lot of my fellow students didn’t know how to write a full essay, but my history teacher always assigned essays. Every week he would assign an essay, and so I got a lot of practice from that. It set me up in college very well.

Were a lot of your classmates college-bound?

Yes, a lot of them were. My father taught at the University of Oregon, so I was in that so-called “academic” crowd, so a lot of my friends did go to college.

Do you feel like South prepared you for going to college?

I mean, it was a huge transition and adjustment, but I feel like I went in with a lot of knowledge. I also had half a semester of credits from my AP classes that I took in high school, so that was really nice. But I’d say the biggest transition was moving to the East Coast and adjusting to life over there because I was just a girl from Eugene. I wasn’t used to that, but I feel like I adjusted well.

What did your career look like?

Well, I went to law school, then I came back and started a private law practice. I was also really interested in government, and I got to be a clerk on the Supreme Court. I was then assigned to head the legal counsel for the governor of Oregon, and then I went on to be the General Counsel for the Port of Portland for several years. The governor also asked me to be the Director of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Service. I ended up doing that for eight years. I was really touched that I was getting the public service award for the Axe Hall of Fame because it’s so broad, and I’m sure a lot of people were eligible for it.

What would you say the best and hardest parts of your job were?

Well, when I was working, I think the first part of the job was all technical and that was complicated so it was just hard to get the logistics of everything down. But, I think the hardest part was the fact that everyone has strong opinions and beliefs. Sometimes, trying to get those to line up with others and come to a compromise was incredibly difficult because no one wants to “give up” their beliefs and values. So, working with people’s political beliefs was the hardest part but it was also what made the job interesting and enjoyable.

What kind of places do you volunteer at?

I volunteer at an IRS program called CASH Oregon that helps people with low income get tax credits. These are people who don’t generally know how to do their taxes and need help so I’m glad that I get to be a part of that.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I really like to travel, and I love coral reefs so I snorkel a lot. I like to get on a small boat and just swim and find good places to snorkel. I also volunteer at emergency relief agencies to help people know what to do in the case of a natural disaster. For example, I have a lot of training in earthquakes. I’m involved in community rebuilding programs. I became interested in emergency relief a couple of years ago when everyone was worried about a huge earthquake and I wanted to be prepared. I have training on how to rescue people stuck under debris. I don’t know if I could physically do that, but I know how I’m supposed to go about it!

What’s one accomplishment, in any aspect of your life, that you’re the most proud of?

Well, I make a lot of pickles and relish, and one time I won a pickle-making competition. I had been competing for a couple of years and won smaller prizes, but then one year, I won the whole thing! I was very excited about it.

Read more about Cory Streisinger on the Friends of South website.

Article by Jada Jones