Winter 2026 29 C O M M U N I T Y other Oregon State fisheries and wildlife grad who works as a senior faculty research assistant in the department. “He knew it would bring people together — anybody will go anywhere if there’s treats.” His recipes ranged from traditional Canadian fare like butter tarts and date squares to seasonal bakes like blueberry grunt and strawberry shortcake — and even to experimental recipes like chile verde and mincemeat muffins. Whatever he was whipping up, the department wanted a taste. And the treats weren’t limited to Coffee Club: Scanlan recalls Noakes arriving early on trips to the Oregon Hatchery Research Center to have fresh scones ready for the team of researchers. Baked goods were just one of Noakes’ many ways of reaching out to those around him, Scanlan said. Whether he was leaving piles of guide books on a colleague’s desk after learning where they were taking their next vacation, trying to covertly pass a singing birthday card around the office, or handwriting friendly letters to David Attenborough and the Queen of England, he was always strengthening connections. Even after his death in December 2020, he continued to bring people together. “During lockdown, we couldn’t have a departmental get-together to honor David,” said Crowhurst. “But if there was ever a time we needed community, it was 2020.” She, Scanlan and Professor Emeritus Stanley Gregory were reminiscing in a video tribute breakout room when they had the idea to put together a memorial cookbook of Noakes’ Coffee Club treats. The small team dived right into the project: they compiled Noakes’ handwritten recipes, working closely with his wife, Pat, and began trying to re-create his bakes so they could take photos. “It was a lot of work,” said Crowhurst. “We had a lot of volunteer bakers who were out there in the trenches.” Some of the recipes were trickier to reproduce than others. ScanSMÁKÖKUR (SPICE COOKIES) AND PUMPKIN DIP MAKES 35-40 COOKIES TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 20 MINUTES (DOUGH MUST CHILL OVERNIGHT) INSTRUCTIONS 1. To make cookies, cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Mix in the egg and molasses and beat well. 2. Combine the dry ingredients; then add them to the butter mixture, mixing well. 3. Refrigerate the dough overnight. 4. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 5. Form dough into 1-inch or smaller balls and roll them in sugar. Bake for 6-7 minutes. Careful: cookies burn easily. Cool for at least 2 minutes on the pan. 6. To make dip, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin pie filling, powdered sugar, ginger and cinnamon, mixing well. Store leftover dip in the refrigerator. Cookies: 3/4 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup molasses 2 cups flour 2 tsps baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp salt Dip: 1/2 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese 1 cup pumpkin pie filling 1 cup powdered sugar 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground ginger lan described the team’s attempts at Noakes’ butter tarts as “carnage — delicious carnage, but carnage.” In Canada, spirited debates rage about whether you should use raisins or walnuts in a butter tart recipe: Noakes always lined the bottoms of his pastry shells with raisins. “My favorite is actually the butter tarts, because I’m Canadian and you can’t get them down here,” said Crowhurst. “Once, when Coffee Club was done, he caught me sneaking down the hallway grabbing another one because they were so good.” As the cookbook came together, news of it reached international circles — Noakes’ former colleagues in Iceland and New Zealand sent email requests for hard copies, and some offered to translate it into their own language. A digital version is available on the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences webpage (beav.es/noakes). Like Noakes himself, his recipes are now part of a worldwide community. Goodies this far-reaching are more than just delicious — they’re also a call to gather, to kick back and to form genuine connections. Each muffin or biscuit is an invitation to strike up a conversation. “David would go around the department on Friday mornings, saying, ‘Coffee Club?’” said Scanlan. “He had this very distinctive knock, so you’d know it was him. It was never just faculty and grad students that he visited — he’d go to the undergrad lounge, too, and to the business office.” Now, though the torch has been passed, the tradition of Coffee Club continues, with recipes from the memorial cookbook still making appearances. “It’s something we look forward to every week,” said Crowhurst. “We know not to book meetings at that time.” Grad students, administrators, faculty and undergraduates alike mingle in the small room. Some of them have never met Noakes, but they’ve still been welcomed by him — and tasted his delicious recipes.
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