|Oregon State Bar Bulletin AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009|
The new Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association (OAPABA) has elected its first board of directors. Officers include Julia Markley, David Wang, Emily Yip and Kevin Kono. The regional and at-large representatives include Oubonh White, Kevin Hashizume, Simon Whang, Elisa Dozono, Jessica Asai, Beth Bagley, Connie Kong and Angela Sagalewicz. The new organization of lawyers, law students, judges and law professors seeks to foster communication, fellowship and the exchange of ideas among Asian Pacific American attorneys and other individuals, organizations and governmental entities and to represent and advocate the interests of Asian Pacific Americans in the legal profession, academia and the community. Markley (president) is of counsel at Perkins Coie and practices in the areas of complex business litigation, arbitration and appellate work. Wang (president-elect) is a partner at Holland & Knight and practices in the area of general corporate and securities law. Yip (secretary) is the diversity coordinator for the OSB Affirmative Action Program, assisting in its mission to increase the diversity of the Oregon bench and bar. Kono (treasurer) is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, advising broadcasters and newspapers on media access, defamation, privacy torts and other content-related issues. For more information about OAPABA, contact Julia Markley at email@example.com.
The Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation has elected officers and board members for 2009-10: Terri Kraemer, president; Phylis Myles, president-elect; Libby Davis, treasurer; Aruna Masih, secretary; and Trudy Allen, historian. Elected to the board were: Tonya Alexander, Dady Blake, Kathleen Bricken, Jill Brittle, Laurie Craghead, Nanci Klinger, Suzanne Lacampagne, Kristin Larson, Carolyn Miller, Yumi O’Neil, Kat Rosenbaum, Barbara Smythe and ex officio member Diane Rynerson. See www.owlsfoundation.org to learn more about the foundation.
Rosemary A. Colliver has been elected to the board of the Oregon Sports Authority. An intellectual property attorney with Tonkon Torp, Colliver focuses her practice on sports and entertainment. She has represented various companies as well as individual athletes and celebrities in music, television and film. For more information about the sports authority, visit www.oregon sports.org.
Lisa Neal-Graves and Nikki Dobay have been elected to the board of Bienestar, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that builds affordable housing for farm workers and other low-wage working families. Neal-Graves is a business and technology attorney in the legal and corporate affairs department at Intel Corp. Dobay is a member of the tax section of the business services group at Stoel Rives.
Ball Janik has been named by Oregon Business Magazine as one of the 100 best green companies to work for in Oregon. The complete ranking and list was published in the magazine’s June 2009 edition. The firm also received the RecycleWorks award from the Portland Office of Sustainable Development’s Recycle at Work program.
Jeff Nudelman, vice president and general counsel for Harsch Investment Properties, has been awarded the University of Oregon’s Jeanne Johnson Alumni Service Award. The award is presented to an individual for dedicated service to the association and university, and recognizes the recipient’s efforts to bring alumni closer together and strengthen the association as an organization. Nudelman also was recently elected a trustee of the Oregon Zoo Foundation. The fourth-generation Portlander is active in community affairs and sits on the boards of several local not-for-profit agencies, including Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington, the Jewish Federation of Portland and the University of Oregon Portland Council.
The Oregon chapter of the Federal Bar Association recently elected new officers for 2009-10. Kelly A. Zusman, an assistant U.S. attorney, will be the new president. Edward Tylicki, in-house counsel for Nike, is the president-elect. Susan Pitchford,an attorney with Chernoff Vilhauer, will be the new vice president. Tom Johnson of Perkins Coie is the secretary, and Jacqueline Tommas, a private lawyer, is the treasurer.
The Lane County Bar Association announces its officers and directors for 2009-10: Matt Longtin, president; Kristie Gibson, president-elect; and Jane Yates, secretary-treasurer. Directors are Don Corson, the Hon. Eveleen Henry, Megan Livermore, Valerie Love, Margie Parisand Kate Wilkinson.
Jay R. Chock of Dunn Carney has been selected by the Litigation Counsel of America for inclusion in its honorary society. Fellows are selected based upon effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation and superior ethical reputation. Chock is an experienced trial lawyer with more than 130 jury trials in state and federal courts, in addition to resolving numerous cases through arbitration. His experience spans litigation in areas as diverse as intellectual property, job-site injury, products liability, fire loss, nursing home litigation, church litigation and construction defects.
Three OSB members have been appointed to the board of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission: Ron Roome (2nd Congressional District); Alex M. Duarte (3rd Congressional District); and Cassandra SkinnerLopata (4th Congressional District). Roome has been a lawyer at Karnopp Petersen in Bend since 1988 and a litigation partner since 1994. He is past president of J.R. Campbell American Inns of Court (2002-2003) and the Deschutes County Bar Association (1997-1998), and currently serves on the OSB Disciplinary Board. Duarte is corporate counsel for Qwest Communications International in Portland, and serves as Qwest’s general counsel for its Oregon operations. Duarte was in private law practice in San Francisco for 14 years, including six years as a partner in a national law firm, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation. He has served on the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots (chair, 2007-08) and the boards of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (chair, 2005-07) and the Malheur Home Telephone Co. SkinnerLopata is a founding partner of SkinnerLopata Harris in Eugene. She has held positions on the Governor’s Council on Domestic Violence, the Lane County Human Rights Advisory Committee and the board of directors for Breaking Free, a nonprofit organization promoting empowerment and self-defense for women and girls. Her broad range of community service includes volunteering for the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, Lane County Legal Aid and several programs with the Oregon State Bar and the University of Oregon School of Law. She currently serves on the board for Head Start of Lane County and is a member of the OSB Quality of Life Committee.
Ken Mitchell-Phillips of Mitchell-Phillips Law has been selected as one of seven faculty members at Portland Community College to participate in the Business and International Education program, a federal program to enhance international business education and trade. As part of the program, Mitchell-Phillips, a business law adjunct instructor at the Sylvania and Cascade campuses of PCC, traveled to China in July to learn about the business, political and cultural climate of Oregon’s highest export market. He will use lessons learned from the trip to revise his business law curriculum and will co-author a book about the experience.
Carrie Richter, a member of Garvey Schubert Barer’s land use practice group in Portland, has been appointed to the American Planning Association’s Amicus Committee. Richter is a senior associate who represents business, communities and government entities in land-use planning and municipal law. She is acting as deputy city attorney for Oregon City, contributes to a monthly column in the Daily Journal of Commerce and frequently lectures on Oregon’s land-use procedures and law. She has served as a commissioner for the Portland Landmarks Commission since 2006.
Monica Wells, associate attorney with Bullivant Houser Bailey, has joined the resource development board of CARES Northwest, a child-abuse assessment program in Portland. The board raises funds, in-kind resources and community awareness, and matches contributors with opportunities to support the Portland-based advocacy program. Wells, whose practice is focused on defending personal injury claims, has performed pro bono legal work for the Children’s Center of Clackamas County as well as CARES Northwest. She is a 2003 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law and is licensed in Oregon and Washington.
Los Angeles attorney Rufus Young is the author of three chapters (endangered species; electromagnetic fields; and hazardous waste and toxic substances laws) and co-author of a chapter on homeland security in Handling the Land Use Case, a three-volume treatise published by Thomson West. He also recently authored an article, “2009 Update: California Environmental Reporting and Disclosure Requirements,” in the February 2009 issue of California Real Estate Reporter.” Young’s practice focuses on environmental law.
Adam Rose, a shareholder in the Portland office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has been elected to the board of the East Metro Economic Alliance. The nonprofit organization of approximately 40 businesses, chambers of commerce and public agencies is an economic advocate for communities in east Portland, Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale and Wood Village. Rose also serves on the boards for Adventist Medical Center and the Oregon Center for Christian Values. Rose is a member of Schwabe’s corporate group, where he focuses on corporate and real estate transactions.
Noah Jarrett, an associate in the Portland office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has been appointed to the board of the Classroom Law Project, the Portland-based nonprofit that seeks to incorporate the principles of democracy, law and citizenship into school curricula. Jarrett focuses his practice in the areas of construction law, admiralty law and commercial and business litigation. He is a member of the Oregon and Washington bars.
Román D. Hernández of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt has been ranked among the top 50 influential Hispanic leaders in the United States by Latino Leaders magazine. Hernández ranks number 43 on the list of 101 leaders; it is based on a variety of factors, including his position as president-elect of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Hernández also serves on the 10-member board of the Oregon Health & Science University. Hernández focuses his practice in the areas of employment law, labor law and business litigation.
The Alliance Defense Fund has awarded Beaverton attorney Herbert Grey its Bronze Service Award for having performed more than 2,500 hours of pro bono service. The faith-based organization advocates on matters of religious liberty, sanctity of life and family values.
Jeff Bird, a shareholder in the Portland office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has been appointed to the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Portland advisory board. Bird also is a board member of Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts and provides pro bono counsel to the Lewis & Clark Small Business Legal Clinic. He focuses his practice in the areas of complex business transactions, which include mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, tender offers, proxy contests, divestitures for public and private companies, corporate finance, securities law and venture capital transactions.
The Classroom Law Project has chosen Lewis & Clark Law School professor and former law school dean James Huffman as its new board chair, succeeding Oregon Supreme Court Justice Tom Balmer. Also joining the board are four OSB members: Paul Conable, a Tonkon Torp attorney who specializes in commercial litigation; Noah Jarrett, a Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt attorney who specializes in contract and admirality law and business litigation; Shelley Larkins, a former Davis Wright Tremaine attorney who participated in a U.S. Supreme Court case upholding the constitutionality of random drug testing in high schools; and Kerry Tymchuk, a principal at public relations and corporate communications firm Conkling, Fiskum & McCormick and former aide to Sen. Gordon Smith.
At its June 5 meeting, the Oregon State Board of Higher Education meeting awarded Dave Frohnmayer the title of “president emeritus.” Frohnmayer rejoined the faculty of the University of Oregon School of Law on July 1 following his retirement as university president. He also will teach undergraduates in the Clark Honors College, as well as continuing his service on the boards of Umpqua Holdings Corp., the Ford Family Foundation and the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund.
The Multnomah Bar Association has elected officers for 2009-10: Leslie N. Kay, regional director for the Multnomah County office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon, president; Lisa M. Umscheid, employment and business litigation attorney at Ball Janik, secretary; and Michelle S. Druce, Wilshire Credit Corp.-Merrill Lynch, treasurer. New board directors are Justin D. Leonard, Carol Bernick, Julia M. Hagan, Gregory Moawad and Bonnie Richardson.
Corina V. San-Marina has become an associate with the Eugene law firm of Hershner Hunter. She graduated from University of Bucharest in 1993, Francis Marion University in 2003 and Charleston School of Law in 2007. After receiving her law degree, San-Marina obtained an LL.M. in taxation from the University of Florida in 2008. She will focus on employee benefits and taxation.
Carrie L. Hellwig Christopher has joined Hershner Hunter as of counsel. She graduated from UCLA School of Law in May 2001 and from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1997. Prior to joining the firm and moving to Eugene, Hellwig Christopher practiced law in Southern California, where she worked for both private law firms and as in-house counsel for technology companies. Her practice will focus on intellectual property and technology transactions, business transactions, and business formation and organization.
Beery Elsner & Hammond announces that David F. Doughman has become a partner. His practice focuses primarily on land use and public contracting issues. Doughman graduated from the University of Minnesota and from the University of Oregon School of Law.
Portland environmental and natural resources attorney Peter D. Mohr has joined the environmental, energy and water law practice at Tonkon Torp. Mohr represents both public and private sector entities on water acquisition and development strategies, water rights adjudication, and environmental and energy permitting and compliance issues. Mohr earned his law degree from Vermont Law School. He is a member of the Oregon Business Association’s Environment and Economic Development Committee.
Pat Birmingham has relocated his office to Lake Oswego. His new address is 696 McVey Ave., Suite 203, Lake Oswego, OR 97034. His new telephone number is (503) 675-5355 and his fax number is (503) 675-5384. His associate, Danielle Shirtcliff, has relocated with him, and the law firm continues the practice of criminal defense.
Ken Mitchell-Phillips Sr. has established Mitchell-Phillips Law P.C., at the World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1121, Portland, OR 97204; phone: (503) 471-1330; fax: (503) 471-1350; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org. The firm will focus on business transactions, corporate finance, real estate, international law and estate planning. The firm will also provide specialty services for minority and women-owned businesses as well as small and emerging businesses. Mitchell-Phillips is a 2006 graduate of Lewis &Clark Law School. He began practicing business transactional, corporate finance and real estate law in 2006 with Davis Wright Tremaine. He is a trustee for the Oregon Ballet Theatre, a graduate of the 2007 Portland Business Alliance Leadership Portland Program, a nominee for Portland Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40, a member of the ABA Committee on Paralegal Education and an adjunct instructor at Portland Community College. His website is at mitchell-phillipslaw.com.
Hinshaw & Culbertson announces the election of Allison D. Rhodes as a new partner in the Portland office. Rhodes focuses her practice in legal professional responsibility with particular emphasis on legal ethical matters, attorney disciplinary defense and lawyer mobility. She also handles complex conflict of interest and multiple representation questions, as well as attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine matters. She previously was a deputy district attorney in Multnomah County, assigned to the gang crimes unit. She earned her J.D. from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College. She is admitted to practice in Oregon and California.
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt announces the addition of Ryan C. Fox as an associate in the firm’s Portland office. Fox will be joining the firm’s intellectual property practice group and will specialize in patent prosecution. He has experience drafting software, business method and mechanical patent applications. He also has directed domestic and foreign prosecutions of patent applications, directed invention disclosure meetings and counseled clients on intellectual property portfolio resource allocation. He has been a board member and currently serves as membership chair for the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus. Fox graduated from UCLA School of Law.
Heidi Guettler has joined Smith, Freed & Eberhard as an associate. Her practice focuses on all aspects of employment litigation. Guettler graduated with a J.D. from Willamette University College of Law.
Robert E. Sinnott has joined Smith Freed & Eberhard as an associate. His practice focuses on torts, construction and design litigation and professional liability. Sinnott graduated with a J.D. from Willamette University College of Law.
William Richardson has joined Smith Freed & Eberhard as an associate. His practice consists of general insurance litigation. Richardson graduated with a J.D. from Texas Tech University.
Billie J. Eidson has accepted a position in the trial division’s torts section of the Oregon Department of Justice. She obtained her law degree from Syracuse University Collage of Law in 1999 and has been a member of the Oregon bar since 2001. Most recently, she has been in private practice, focusing on civil rights work, employment claims and personal injury cases.
Gevurtz Menashe has added Stephen L. Brown as an associate attorney. His practice will focus on divorce, custody, support and prenuptial agreements. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
Courtney Olive has been appointed as a special assistant United States attorney. Olive has worked for the Bonneville Power Administration general counsel’s office since 2003, representing BPA in appeals before the 9th Circuit, the Federal Circuit and federal administrative tribunals. His focus will be on 9th Circuit litigation for BPA. In addition to appellate litigation, Olive advises the agency on emerging legal issues in the areas of climate change, renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Zarian, Midgley and Johnson has expanded its practice in Idaho by adding Lane Chitwood, a registered patent attorney, to the firm. Chitwood comes to Boise from Portland, where he spent the last four years as an associate with Klarquist Sparkman. His practice focuses on intellectual property matters and complex litigation. He worked as an extern for the International Trade Commission and the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and as a patent examiner intern for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Chitwood received his J.D. from Georgetown University in 2005 and bachelor’s degrees in both engineering/physics and philosophy from Northwest Nazarene University in 2002. In addition to his legal work, Chitwood is a licensed private pilot.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has appointed Stoll Berne partner David Rees to the Multnomah County Circuit Court bench. Rees is experienced in complex business litigation with proficiency in class actions, customer-securities broker disputes, insurance coverage issues, contract and real property disputes, and accounting malpractice cases. Rees graduated from Stanford University with academic distinction and earned his law degree from the University of California Berkley School of Law. He has tried cases in state and federal courts as well as in arbitration. Rees took office at the end of July.
Harrang Long Gary Rudnick announces that former Oregon deputy attorney general Peter D. Shepherd has joined the firm. Shepherd has nearly three decades of experience in government affairs, litigation and public administration, in matters within and between governments, and in advising private clients with administrative and regulatory compliance issues. He joins three other former deputy attorneys general at the firm, William Gary, Jim Mountainand Stan Long. The firm has offices in Eugene, Portland and Salem.
Lisa A. Amato has joined Meyer & Wyse as of counsel. She continues her practice of counseling employers on employment-related matters, assisting federal contractors with affirmative action programs and compliance and representing employers and management in employment litigation. She received her J.D. from Willamette University College of Law and B.S. from the University of Portland.
The Crag Law Center, a nonprofit, client-focused law center supporting community efforts to protect and sustain the Pacific Northwest’s natural legacy, announces that Tanya Sanerib has joined the organization as a staff attorney. Her focus will be on livable communities, public lands and water issues. The Lewis & Clark Law School graduate has been a lawyer since 2002. She previously was a partner with the public interest law firm Meyer, Glitzenstein & Crystal in Washington, D.C., where she handled environmental, animal welfare and open-government cases for a variety of clients.
Swider Medeiros Haver welcomes Spencer I. Trowbridge to the firm’s intellectual property, patent and entertainment law practice groups. Trowbridge was previously corporate counsel at CD Baby, a digital distributor of sound recordings, where he supervised various domestic and international licensing transactions involving the distribution of the company’s catalog through emerging business models and platforms. Trowbridge also has an extensive background as a professional musician and has composed and recorded music featured in film, video, television and videogames. His areas of focus currently include intellectual property licensing, content distribution and new media. The firm also welcomes Mike Moore to the intellectual property, patent and entertainment law practice groups as a contract associate. Moore previously worked at Klarquist Sparkman, prosecuting patents before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as licensing video and audio rights, rights of publicity and musical performance rights. Moore’s areas of focus currently include licensing transactions, patent prosecution and litigation support, as well as entertainment law.
Portland-based Knowledge Learning Corp. recently promoted three members of its corporate counsel office. Rene Gonzalez has been promoted to assistant general counsel for corporate affairs. Gonzalez has been with KLC since 2005, serving in several roles. In addition to his new responsibilities, he also is the assistant corporate secretary. He previously worked with Stoel Rives in Portland. Sharon Reese has been promoted to assistant general counsel of litigation and employment. Reese has been with KLC since 2001, focusing primarily on employment law and disability services. She previously worked with Stoel Rives in Portland. She serves on the board of the Juvenile Rights Project. Brian Roy has been promoted to associate counsel. Roy has been with KLC for two years. He previously worked as an associate for Preis & Roy in Lafayette, La., and as a risk manager for Bowen Property Management Co. in Portland.
Gordon & Rees announces that Tanya C. O’Neil has joined its Portland office as an associate. O’Neil has approximately five years experience practicing law in Oregon as well as being a member of the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners. Her practice will focus on employment law, professional liability defense and products liability.
Miller Nash has expanded its business practice in Central Oregon with the addition of attorney Jason Conger, who practices corporate, securities and venture capital law. He represents emerging companies in general corporate matters, as well as a broad range of complex transactions, including real estate syndications; mergers and acquisitions; debt and equity financing; and stock and bond offerings. Conger is a founder and principal of Cornerstone Realty Holdings, a company that acquires and manages multifamily properties. In addition, he serves on the board of directors for Revenue Cycle Partners, a manager of hospital receivables based in Billings, Mont.; Xagg Inc., a search and content management software company in Bend; and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bend.
Claudia J. Robinson has joined Smith Freed & Eberhard as an associate. Robinson brings more than 35 years of insurance litigation experience to the firm. Her practice focuses on personal injury, products liability, dram shop and commercial liability defense cases. Claudia is an active member of the California state bar and has been admitted to the Eastern District of California. In 2003, she became a certified appellate specialist under California state bar rules. She was also a 2007 California Super Lawyer.
Molly A. Allison has joined Smith Freed & Eberhard as an associate. Her practice focuses on first party and insurance defense litigation. She also has experience with the defense of personal injury and intellectual property cases. Allison graduated with a J.D. from Lewis & Clark College Northwestern School of Law.
Blake V. Robinson has joined Ball Janik as an associate in the firm’s commercial litigation and construction practice groups. Robinson previously was an associate at McDonough, Holland & Allen in Sacramento, Calif., where his practice focused on working with construction contractors in resolving payment and performance disputes. He also has experience with public and private owners in construction litigation.
Stahancyk, Kent, Johnson & Hook welcomes new associate Emily A. Crigger to the firm’s Portland office. Crigger earned her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law in 2004. She practiced litigation at Miller Nash in Seattle and was also assistant general counsel for a company specializing in handbags and small leather accessories. She recently studied social work at the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration.
Recently retired Portland lawyer Nicholas (Nick) Drakulich, died of cancer Feb. 25, 2009. He had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, but died suddenly in his own bed. He was 58.
Drakulich was born April 20, 1950 in Portland and was a graduate of David Douglas High School, Willamette University and Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark. He remained in Portland his entire life, raising a family and building a law practice. In his free time, he coached baseball and basketball, and loved nothing more than to watch his kids play sports. He was a connoisseur of expensive cigars, inexpensive red wine and Georgia Bulldog football. He spent a few weeks each year fly fishing around the world, but he most enjoyed the days he spent at a cabin on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon.
When he wasn’t sorting flies and preparing for his trips, Drakulich practiced law in downtown Portland. He and his partner, Richard Carlson, built and maintained a law practice, and a lasting friendship, for 28 years. Carlson writes: “He and I were in practice together as Drakulich and Carlson P.C. for 28 years. Prior to that, we both worked as associates for another attorney for approximately two years so we had a total of over 30 years practicing law together.… When we decided to start our own firm, we decided that we would be equal partners, the idea being that we sank or swam together. The result was that there was never any of the friction between us that sometimes affects small law firms.”
He retired in March 2008, just in time to fly to Argentina for a fishing trip and take golf lessons at Black Butte Ranch.
Survivors include his wife, Elaine, whom he met 48 years ago when they were both 10 years old; he picked her as his dance partner in P.E. class, and the rest was history. They raised three children, who also survive.
Portland attorney Eric Hans van Naerssen, 34, died peacefully in his sleep on March 25, 2009 after battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Van Naerssen was born in Royal Oak, Mich., on May 21, 1974. From the start, he lived a life of high adventure. When he was 6, the family moved to Beijing, where Eric attended a Chinese primary school. Between 1982 and 1986, the van Naerssens lived in Hong Kong and Singapore. During that time, the family traveled extensively in Asia, visiting China, Japan, Nepal and Malaysia, and taking the Trans Siberian railroad through the former Soviet Union and Europe.
While in Asia, Eric became a competitive gymnast, receiving informal training at a training center for the Chinese Olympic team. He also mastered Mandarin Chinese, which he learned to speak with a native accent. In 1988, the van Naerssen family returned to the United States to settle near Philadelphia.
After graduation from high school, van Naerssen earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies at Cornell University (1996). Soon after, he returned to China to work in Shanghai’s booming commercial real estate business.
Dissatisfied with corporate culture, van Naerssen struck out on a tour of Asia and his heart. He and a close companion bicycled nearly 1,000 miles through the Himalayas, traveling from Chengdu, China, to Lhasa, Tibet. He continued on to Nepal, taking residence at the Kopan Monastery, a Buddhist center of learning. While there, he studied, meditated and wrote under the tutelage of Tibetan Buddhist monks. After leaving Kopan, he explored India and lived again for several months in a Nepalese monastery.
Van Naerssen eventually made his home in Portland, believing it to be the spot where he could develop a life connected to both western and eastern cultures. (He also really missed American hotdogs.) He attended Lewis & Clark Law School, and after graduating in 2004 served briefly as a law clerk for the Multnomah County Circuit Court before starting a practice that cultivated both local and international clients. His eclectic clientele ranged from local arts and media venues to massive Chinese law firms. Among his professional accomplishments were his association as of counsel with Swider Medeiros Haver and in his seat on the Northwest China Council’s board.
He is survived by his parents, a sister, maternal grandmother, an extended family and a constellation of friends from around the world.
Ralph W.G. Wyckoff Jr. died June 6, 2009 in Lincoln City. He was 90.
He was born on Oct. 25, 1918 in Syracuse, NY. He graduated from Riverdale Country School in New York City in 1935 and obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He served with the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946, spending the last year as a war crimes investigator in the Philippines.
After returning to civilian life, he worked for the Office of Housing Expeditor in Milwaukee, Wis., and transferred to Madison, where in 1947 he met and married Faith Rosemary Jenkel Chada. In 1949, they moved to Salem, where he was employed by the Oregon State Highway Department. He served as an assistant attorney general trying cases in 33 of Oregon’s 36 counties, which among other things allowed the acquisition of land for the construction of the Interstates 5 and 84. In 1956 and 1957, he prosecuted the criminal matter in Multnomah County known as the “Oregon Vice Trials.”
From 1957 to1990, Wyckoff was in private practice in Salem. In the early 1960s he joined with law partner Arthur G. Kaplan to work for the New York Times and Curtis Publishing Co. on major libel cases in Alabama. After retirement, he was appointed circuit court judge for Marion County (1990-94), primarily closing estates, conservatorships, guardianship and adoptions. He and his wife moved to Depoe Bay in 1996.
He is survived by his wife, Faith, a son and two daughters, six grandchildren and two sisters.
David W. Young died June 9, 2009 of natural causes.
Young was born on Sept. 18, 1920 in Filer, Idaho. He attended schools in southern Idaho, graduating from Pocatello High School in 1938. He then attended University of Idaho for several years before moving to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles he worked for Lockheed Corp.
In 1943 while living in Los Angeles, he married Dorothy Davis and adopted her 6-year-old daughter Sandra. The family moved to Portland, where he attended Reed College for a year. He then enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corp in 1945, serving as a cryptographer. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
After the war Young taught and coached at junior high school before returning to Portland to attend the University of Portland. He graduated in 1947 with a degree in English. He immediately went into teaching elementary school at Powellhurst Elementary, where he quickly rose to become principal. During this time he attended the Northwestern School of Law at night. He graduated with his J.D. degree in 1953 and went into private practice in Gresham. He remained in practice there until his retirement in 1986.
In 1954, he and Dorothy divorced. In 1958, he met Barbara Arnell Johnson, and they were married in the same year.
Young was actively involved in the Gresham community. He was a member of the Gresham Elks, Troutdale Lions Club, Gresham Kiwanis Club and the Eastside Commercial Club. Although he made an unsuccessful run for the state legislature in 1958, he did win a seat on the Gresham-Barlow School Board in 1974. He served on the board, including a few years as chair, until 1986. He also spent over 50 years as a member of the Gresham United Methodist Church.
Young was involved in coaching and loved to raise flowers, especially dahlias, on his farm in Boring, where he also always had a collection of horses, cattle, chickens and goats. He even dabbled in cattle ranching, being a partner in the Wapinitia Land and Cattle Co., an 800-acre ranch spread along Wapinitia Creek near Maupin, Ore.
Young also enjoyed playing cards, golf and scuba diving. For about 15 years he and Barbara would travel all over the Caribbean and Mexico once a year for a dive vacation. After retirement they then traveled all over the west golfing together. He was proud to say that one year in retirement he played over 90 rounds of golf in 90 days and recorded a hole in one. He loved music and dancing. He and Barbara attended the Sisters Dixieland Jazz Festival for many years. He was also an avid Civil War buff, reading extensively and visiting battle sites.
For the last 15 years of his life he suffered from Parkinson’s disease, which gradually degraded his health. It wasn’t until the last four or five years, however, that it seriously diminished his quality of life. He died of natural causes at his home in Troutdale.
Young is survived by his wife, Barbara, two sisters, seven children, 16 grand-children and three great-children.
Patrick H. Jensen died June 23, 2009 after a long illness. He was 64.
Jensen was born Nov. 4, 1944 in Wilmington, N.C., and raised in Seattle. He served in the U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division, and after suffering injuries due to a parachute malfunction, he completed his tour of duty and received the Army Commendation Medal for exceptional meritorious service.
He and Judy Herberg were married in 1968.
Jensen graduated with honors from the University of Washington in 1970 and the Willamette University School of Law in 1973. He received his law degree in taxation from New York University in 1974.
He moved to Portland after graduating and started his career with the accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand. In 1978, he joined Duffy, Kekel, Jensen & Bernard, where he was a partner. He was a founding partner of Jensen Draudt, established in 1993, where he practiced until a few days prior to his death. His practice concentrated in the areas of taxation, real estate and estate planning; he was particularly noted for his work in tax-deferred exchanges. He had been a member of the Estate Planning Council of Portland and the board of directors of the Portland Tax Forum.
Jensen loved to travel and was an avid golfer, having been a member of the Portland Golf Club for many years. He combined golf with his love of travel, playing at some of the most renowned golf courses throughout the world.
He is survived by his wife Judy, two daughters, one son, two grandchildren and his brother.
James D. Tiger died peacefully at his home in Sublimity on the morning of July 4, 2009.
Tiger was born Nov. 3, 1938 in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. He moved to Oregon when he was 8, and graduated from Stayton High School in 1956 and the University of Oregon in 1960. He then entered Officer Candidate School and served in the Navy for seven years as a submariner on the U.S.S. James K. Polk and the U.S.S. Queenfish. He graduated from the University of Oregon Law School in 1971 and returned to Stayton to join the law firm of Duncan & Duncan, now Duncan, Tiger & Niegel, where he practiced law for 38 years.
He was a founding member of Stayton Area Rotary, a Stayton Roadrunner, a Marion County Master Gardener and a member of the Marion County Bar Association.
He loved the Stayton community and founded the Stayton youth basketball league on behalf of Rotary in 1982. He coached youth basketball, baseball and soccer. He was named Rotarian of the Year in 1985 and again in 1996. In 1988, he was recognized as Stayton’s First Citizen. He also established the Stayton High School Community Grant program in 2001.
He loved spending time with his family, gardening, running and following the Oregon Ducks. He was an avid researcher of the McGill and Tiger genealogy, celebrating his Creek Indian and Scotch-Irish heritage.
Tiger married Edie Elledge in 1972. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, a son, eight grandchildren, a great-grandson, a brother and eight sisters.