[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 186 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING GERT BOYLE

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to remember the remarkable 
life of my friend Gert Boyle and her many economic and philanthropic 
contributions to Oregon.
  Gert died earlier this month at the age of 95. I am one of the many 
fans of Columbia Sportswear--and there are an awful lot of us in 
Oregon--who admired Gert and saw her as synonymous with the iconic 
Oregon company she led. This force of nature came to Oregon after 
fleeing Nazi Germany with her family in 1937. It is an immigrant story 
she shared with my parents, who also fled the Nazis. Like so many other 
refugees welcomed to America over the centuries, Gert arrived to 
America ready to work and eager to contribute. She did both in spades, 
adding her own significant chapter to America's proud history of 
immigrant successes.
  She was a pioneer, a woman running a company at a time when that was 
unfortunately even more rare than women CEOs are today. When Gert's 
husband Neal died unexpectedly in 1970, she stepped in to replace him 
as president of what was then a tiny local company weighed down by 
debt. The challenge was mighty, but so was Gert. She became identified 
everywhere with Columbia Sportswear as she grew this Oregon business 
into a national and international brand. It now generates net annual 
revenue of $3 billion and employs more than 6,500 people. Business 
school students and Oregon historians alike will always remember Gert 
for that exceptional run, as will I. And she gave back along the way, 
generously supporting Special Olympics and the Knight Cancer Institute 
at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. She was also was a 
hell of a lot of fun, as evidenced by her hilarious role spoofing 
herself in a 1980s Columbia Sportswear ad campaign as ``one tough 
mother.''
  I close by citing two anecdotes about Gert among many in the recent 
obituaries chronicling her amazing life. I think both capture her 
toughness and sense of humor perfectly. One of the two anecdotes comes 
from Kerry Tymchuk, executive director of the Oregon Historical 
Society. He said, ``When she took over, you know, she was a woman CEO 
in a business where there weren't many women CEOs, in the sports 
apparel business. She was discriminated against and there was this 
famous incident where she picked up her phone and the fellow on the 
other end said, `I want to speak to the CEO,' and she said `speaking,' 
and he said, `but you're a woman,' and she said, `you know, I noticed 
that when I got up this morning.' ''
  The other anecdote comes from Gert herself. In another obituary, she 
was quoted as having said, ``After my husband died, I said, `It's the 
same ballgame--it's just a different coach. I might not know what I'm 
doing, but we're going to do it my way.' '' Gert certainly did do it 
her way. And her company, its employees, and our entire State of Oregon 
are much the better for it.

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