[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 207-208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF DR. DENNIS WEST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. We commemorate extraordinary people and events on the 
floor of this House. Madam Speaker, there's no more extraordinary 
person that I have known than Dr. Dennis West. To everybody he was just 
``Denny.'' No pretension, low-key, insightful.
  Dennis West had a remarkable career. Over the last 40 years, the city 
of Portland has gained a reputation as a unique community: well-
planned, thoughtfully governed, providing cutting-edge initiatives, and 
creating a model of livability. Our community has been characterized by 
citizen involvement and getting the most out of scarce resources. There 
have been many heroes, elected officials, civic leaders, and 
philanthropists who've helped create this unique and renowned city. No 
one has done more as a public servant than Dennis West.
  He started his public service as an intern in the office of one of my 
predecessors, Congresswoman Edith Green. I first met Denny 40 years ago 
when he was a professor at Portland State University's School of Urban 
Studies, which he helped found and guide. Over the course of these four 
decades, Portland State, now Oregon's largest university, has emerged 
as one of the centers of urban scholarship and practical application, a 
laboratory of livability, a Mecca for planning and sustainability, and 
a critical driver of vitality for Portland.
  Denny then played a critical role as chief of staff to Lloyd 
Anderson, Portland's Commissioner of Public Works, in an era where the 
city of Portland was taking bold action with the development of its 
downtown plan, its transit system, and the creation of a 38-acre 
waterfront park instead of a riverfront freeway. Denny helped play a 
role for his engineer boss, developing the vision and becoming an 
effective and respected political leader.
  Then Denny was recruited by Multnomah County's new chairman, Don 
Clark, to establish the financial and budgetary systems to help modify 
personnel procedures and give coherence to what had been an old-style, 
typical county operation. During this time the county did not just 
modernize its administration and finance. It was involved in innovative 
justice, health, environmental, and transportation initiatives. Dennis 
West was the intellectual force helping guide and implement that 
vision.
  Then Denny was a deputy director of the Port of Portland, a quiet 
agency with a powerful reach to deal with critical freight and 
transportation movements, the airport, the docks, and economic 
development. Again, he played a critical role in the development of the 
port capacity and the professionalism of its staff as a key element in 
the evolution of our metropolitan area.
  The Oregon Health Science University has played a critical role in 
the last 25 years in research breakthroughs, medical innovation, 
economic development, and the delivery of high-quality health care. 
Denny West was a key administrator for research and economic 
development, helping create the academic, economic, and health care 
powerhouse that is one of our State's most important institutions and 
our city's largest employer.
  Denny concluded his career serving 10 years as the director of the 
Portland Housing Authority, one of the Nation's premier public housing 
agencies, dealing with the problems of homelessness, special needs, 
low-income housing, and community revitalization. Under his leadership, 
Portland won national recognition awards for its innovation, cost-
effective delivery, and perhaps the capstone of his career was the 
acclaimed Columbia Village, a spectacularly successful HOPE VI housing 
project making a deteriorated World War II-vintage housing project into 
a point of pride.
  Denny West was an extraordinarily gifted administrator. In agency 
after agency so important to our community, he played a critical role, 
often as the go-to guy, the person who perhaps didn't have the title 
but made things work. With the Housing Authority of Portland, he was 
also the guy in charge, and the results are a testament

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to his extraordinary vision, administrative skill, sensitivity, and 
compassion.
  Over these last 40 years the half-dozen agencies provided the 
infrastructure, the drive, the national recognition, all of which 
blended to make Portland a unique community. While Dennis West's name 
might not be well known, his fingerprints were on the critical 
developments in all of these organizations. Denny's career and 
achievements were made while being an extraordinary human being, a 
friend, and determined civic advocate. Even though his later years were 
marked by debilitating illness, he never lost his spark and drive. He 
willed himself to do things that younger, healthier people could not 
even imagine.
  All sympathy goes out to Denny's wife, Sue, his life partner, who 
played such an extraordinary role, especially in his difficult later 
years, and to his circle of friends who provided unbelievable support, 
who revere his contributions and his memory. We all join in celebrating 
the life of this extraordinary man, Denny West.

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