Helen Westbrook: Terwilliger Plaza Member
Helen Westbrook
Terwilliger Plaza Member
You are a native Oregonian.
I was born in Prineville, which is located in the high desert range of Central Oregon. Prineville was a typical small northwestern, farming and ranching community. When I lived there the population was 3,000. It’s known as the Rockhound Capital of the U.S. This unofficial title is due to the abundance and variety of gemstones and minerals found in the region, particularly around Crook County, where Prineville is located.
What I liked most about Prineville was the change of seasons, which were very distinctive. The night sky was also amazing. When I was young, I fondly remember laying on the grass at night and watching the Milky Way and shooting stars. At that time, we never thought about light pollution. Now, Prineville Reservoir State Park is recognized as Oregon’s first International Dark Sky Park.
How did your career in medical technology begin?
During my junior year in high school, I got a job in a laboratory at Pioneer Memorial, the small hospital in Prineville, as a glassware washer. This was back in the days before everything was single use and plastic. I continued working there during holiday breaks and summer vacations and received on the job training to perform some of the more common clinical tests.
Then I went to the University of Oregon in Eugene for a Bachelor of Science. During my college breaks I worked in various central Oregon hospitals to provide support for the medical technicians. From there I enrolled in the medical technology program at the University of Oregon Medical School, which is now OHSU.
From Portland, Oregon to Anchorage, Alaska.
After working at OHSU for some time, I traveled up to Anchorage, Alaska to visit a friend. After spending a week there, I fell in love with Alaska and convinced a fellow MedTech that we should move to Alaska in the spring. This was 1970. We drove up the Alaska Highway in a Econoline Van with our trusty Alaska Highways Road Atlas.
What did you do once you arrived?
I got a job at Providence Alaska as a medical technologist working as a chemistry specialist. Then I transitioned to Lab Manager, and my last position was Quality Assurance on a hospital wide basis. In all, I was there for 18 years.
Providence Alaska was a great employer and an exciting place to work. During this time, especially in this remote location, there were a wide variety of medical emergencies treated. The hospital was growing rapidly and performed a broad array of services and specialties. I also traveled a bit around the state to assist with laboratory inspections, which was a wonderful opportunity to go into the smaller communities.
What was Alaska like in the 1970’s?
It was a great wild place. Beautiful. I loved all the hiking, exploring and salmon fishing.
And then you built yourself a log cabin.
Through Alaska’s recreational land program, I was able to acquire a piece of land and spent a number of years, on the weekends, attempting to build a small log cabin north of Talkeetna, just off the Alaska Railway.
Attempted or finished?
It was a pretty rustic cabin, but I actually did finish it. It took a number of years, during days off to haul in the materials. While the land was barely a mile from the railroad, it was all a function of how much you could carry in at any one time.
What was the reason for returning to Oregon?
I returned to Oregon in 1988. My dad had died a few years earlier and I decided it was time to get back to Oregon to spend time with my mom and two sisters. While still living in Alaska, I flew down for a MedTech meeting and my younger sister, who was living in Portland, took me to the coast to Cannon Beach.
I just had this sense that I was supposed to be there.
What type of work did you do in Cannon Beach?
I was fortunate to find a business that I could buy. It was a very, very small motel at the south end of Cannon Beach. About four years in, I had to decide whether to invest in some big changes to the motel or move on to something else. I decided to sell the motel and got a job with the City of Cannon Beach as an administrative assistant, primarily supporting the City Planner with the City Council, Planning Commission, Design Review, and Parks Department. For the last three years I was in Cannon Beach I served as City Manager.
Talk about your experience working for the City of Cannon Beach.
During that time, I was elected to the Clatsop County Commission and served two (nonconsecutive) four-year terms. This was a whole new education on how to work with a changing and challenging group. The complexities of budgeting on a county-wide basis and the land use decisions, as well as funding programs and departments was an amazing experience. Specifically, issues of forestry, encompassing the economic interests versus environmental protection were particularly interesting to me.
From Cannon Beach to Astoria.
I bought a house in Astoria in a new development very close to the river. It was wonderful. I was mostly retired at that time and spent a lot of time gardening while also working on forestry and environmental issues.
What was your continued involvement with forestry and environmental issues?
As a former commissioner well versed on these topics, and my ongoing interest and passion, I often testified at Board of Forestry meetings to provide input on proposed policies and initiatives. I was also still connected with the Wild Salmon Center which had very helpful staff and advisors on forestry issues.
Your environmental passion has followed you since your childhood gazing at the Night Sky.
That might be true. I am a life member of the Sierra Club. And now here in Portland, I have been active with the Friends of Terwilliger. Its charge is to protect and enhance the historic and scenic character for the two-and-a-half-mile linear park, which is the Terwilliger Parkway. Actually though, what is more of a draw for me are animal rights organizations, such as the Oregon Humane Society. I so admire what they, and many other animal protection organizations are doing.
Which brings us to Portland. What brought you to Portland and Terwilliger Plaza?
I was making a lot of trips to Portland because I had a sister that was in a care facility. I originally thought about a little house on the outskirts of Portland, but the idea of community and the ease of meeting new people was enticing. So, I started visiting some CCRCs and I had known some people who had in prior years lived at Terwilliger Plaza.
At first, being used to small town living, I wasn’t sure about being on the edge of downtown Portland. Then I discovered that Terwilliger Plaza was so close to Portland State University with the South Park Blocks, and right across the street we have two Duniway Parks, the track and the upper park area. The parkways wind up and over the hill to the Capitol Highway and beyond. And then with the wooded hillside that is OHSU and the Marquam Trail access, I knew there would always be easy access to a respite in nature.
You have been very engaged at Terwilliger Plaza.
I moved into Terwilliger Plaza in 2019 and soon realized I knew a person who was living here, and she introduced me to the community and the culture of senior living. I joined the Resident Council as a Floor Leader and then, after a year I was appointed to the Foundation Board. I was also involved with the Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Can you talk more about the culture of senior living here at Terwilliger Plaza?
My perspective is that there is a focus on continuing wellness and strength. A culture that embraces individual choice where one has the ability to be as active and engaged as you wish to be, or not.
Terwilliger Plaza is a place where one can evolve when health circumstances change and certain activities such as running or hiking are no longer a good fit. There is the ability to move seamlessly into different programs and exercise such as swimming or using the amazing gym in our Wellness Center. This to me epitomizes aging gracefully, but actively.
Your comment of continuous wellness in the continuum of aging gracefully is quite lovely.
I like to think that that is the overriding culture here at Terwilliger Plaza.
Can you speak to your involvement on the Board of Directors?
I was elected to the Board of Directors four years ago, and currently, I am in my second term. My first year on the board I was appointed Treasurer, and then I chaired the Governance Committee which was a really great experience. Then I served as Vice Chair and now as Chair. I have also been a member of the Finance Committee for the past five years.
Can you talk about the Governance Committee?
This is a board designated committee very much like the Finance Committee. The intention is to advise the board on a broad array of items specific to how the board functions – from board related bylaws and policies to charters of board designated committees. Comprised of resident Members from the Terwilliger Plaza community, it’s a way to increase the transparency of the board function and to assure that the board is the best it can be.
What led you to serve on the Board of Directors?
Terwilliger Plaza, as a CCRC, has a complexity in its organizational structure which incorporates advancing the vision and vitality of our community, while continually evolving to address the needs of our 62+ senior population and incorporating the ever-changing landscape within the senior living industry. Terwilliger Plaza also has a distinctive representative self-governance board structure which I find very dynamic. The majority of our board is comprised of resident Members, along with outside board members who bring an expertise and thoughtfulness that is incredibly valuable.
Having worked for eight years with a changing, diverse and complex group on a county commission, I thought I could contribute specific insights as a board member. As well, the most direct way to learn about an organization is to serve on committees or boards. It is also important for me as Board Chair, to support the efforts of our President and CEO, Ryan Miller and his Leadership Team. Equally important is to be an advocate for the resident Member perspective.