Oregon Historical Society announces ‘transformative’ gifts from Gert Boyle’s family
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Historical Society is proud to announce two transformative gifts from the Boyle family to endow the institution’s top position, providing long-term stable funding for this key staff role, as well as expand its educational outreach efforts.
On Monday, March 17, Tim Boyle, Mary Boyle and Sally Bany announced a gift, totaling $2.5 million, to establish and permanently endow The Boyle Family Executive Director Fund. This tremendous contribution will result in significant and reliable annual operating support from endowment proceeds, helping OHS continue to be a resource for all Oregonians now and for generations to come.
That same week, the Roundhouse Foundation and trustee Kathy Deggendorfer announced that the Foundation committed $500,000 to meet the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s matching challenge to fund an Ethnic Studies educator position as well as help OHS expand educational outreach efforts in rural Oregon.
This new full-time position for OHS will connect teachers to OHS resources such as The Oregon Encyclopedia, create new lesson plans, and offer professional development workshops, providing support to teach to the new state social sciences standards integrated with ethnic studies.
Gert Boyle was one of a kind: One Tough Mother of Columbia Sportswear; a trailblazer in business, philanthropy, and advertising; a fashion icon; and someone who could deliver zingers. Gert was quotable: “Early to bed, early to rise, work like Hell, and advertise!” Gert’s legacy is chronicled on The Oregon Encyclopedia in an entry written by Mary Oberst. She is also an Oregon History Maker, honored alongside Michael Powell and Dr. Brian Druker as part of the Oregon Historical Society’s first class of “Oregon History Makers” in 2009.
“The Boyle name is synonymous with Oregon, and that the leader of the Oregon Historical Society will bear the title of ‘Boyle Family Executive Director’ is more than an honor — it’s a charge,” said Kerry Tymchuk. “The Boyle family’s generosity has given OHS a tremendous boost to keep striving to make our state better, to preserve Oregon’s history, and to put the power of that history into everyone’s hands. It is such a privilege to be the first Boyle Family Executive Director, and it is a daily reminder to all that work at OHS, now and into the future, to keep striving to foster a better tomorrow through an Oregon story that is meaningful to all Oregonians. I can imagine Gert standing over my shoulder now, peering over her glasses, seeing the work we are doing at OHS and saying, ‘It’s perfect. Now make it better.’”
About the Oregon Historical Society
For more than a century, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of artifacts, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms & website (www.ohs.org), educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view.
