Alex Dewar and Neil Plein, two local students living near the intersection of S.E. 39th and Cooper Street, and longtime best friends, have by coincidence both been accepted for graduate studies at Oxford University in England.
Alex, whose family recently moved from that location, was in Boy Scouts and attained Eagle rank, participated in baseball, golf, and debate, and was an honor roll student throughout his education -- which began at Llewellyn Elementary, and continued on through Sellwood Middle School, Lincoln High, and Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. He now has received a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford, where he will be reading for a degree in Environmental Change and Resource Management.
Neil, also a Boy Scout, played baseball, basketball, hockey (both roller and ice), soccer (both indoor and outdoor), and studied to be a private pilot at 16 and received his license at 19. Neil also was an honor roll student throughout his educational path, which began at Holy Family School, and continued through Sellwood Middle School, Benson Polytechnic High (studying aviation), West Linn High School, and Portland State University. Neil, at Oxford University, will be reading for a degree in English History.
