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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, January 15, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 14, 2005 Memorials scheduled today, Sunday for Joanie McGowan By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Friends and family of Joanie McGowan will join together on the radio and at Southern Oregon University to remember the actress and activist whose body was discovered Tuesday near the Bear Creek Greenway bike path. The first 20 minutes of the Jefferson Public Radio talk show from 8 to 10 a.m. today will memorialize McGowan, who worked for five years at the station and was known as a dynamic personality. Jeff Golden, host of the Jefferson Exchange program, planned the "Joanie Exchange" to allow community members to remember McGowan. "I’m amazed as I traveled around the last day and a half at the number of people I hadn’t associated with Joanie who knew her," Golden said. "They are really hard hit." Listeners are invited to call in recollections of McGowan at 552-6782 or 1-800-838-3760 or to e-mail [email protected]. Advertisement The show is heard on station KSJK at 1230 on the AM radio dial. A memorial service for McGowan is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday in the Rogue River Room of Southern Oregon University’s Stevenson Union, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland. McGowan, 48, apparently died from the effects of a drug overdose and hypothermia, said Tim Pike, Jackson County deputy medical examiner. Her death very likely will be classified as a suicide, said Pike, who assisted at the autopsy Wednesday. Toxicology reports won’t be complete for three weeks, he said. McGowan was last seen Jan. 6 and likely died soon after, Pike said. Her body was discovered Tuesday afternoon by passersby on the Bear Creek Greenway near Eagle Mill Road. Although several cuts were evident on her wrists, the wounds did not appear serious enough to cause death, Pike said. Friends characterized McGowan as a vibrant, passionate political and social activist who also struggled with depression. In recent months, her life had been characterized by highs such as an appearance as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention and by lows such as an early-morning assault in June. McGowan’s right eye socket was broken when she was punched in the face by a passerby as she walked home in the early morning hours of June 4. Her alleged attacker, Coleman Price Nelson, 22, of Portland, is set for trial on charges of second- and fourth-degree assault in April. But McGowan’s death calls into question the outcome of that case, Jackson County Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert indicated Thursday. McGowan was the chief witness, said Heckert, who had not yet decided how to proceed with the case. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers