The Oregon Historical Society is pleased to announce the 2017 recipients of the Oregon History Makers Medal. First awarded in 2009, the History Makers Medal is regarded as one of Oregon’s most prestigious honors and is presented annually by OHS to individuals and organizations that are positively shaping the history, culture, and landscape of Oregon.
The 2017 Oregon History Makers Medal recipients are:
Dr. Nathalie Johnson: Nationally recognized surgical oncologist
As Medical Director of the Legacy Cancer Institute and Breast Health Center, Clinical Professor of Surgery at Oregon Health Sciences University, and a board certified surgeon, Dr. Johnson is a national leader in the field of breast cancer research and awareness. A breast cancer survivor herself, Dr. Johnson is a prolific speaker and author on breast cancer prevention and treatment.
Nicholas Kristof: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Raised in Yamhill County and a graduate of Yamhill-Carlton High School, Nicholas Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and is regarded as one of the most influential journalists of our time. He has traveled the world reporting on human rights and giving voice the voiceless. Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, are also the co-authors of four best-selling books. In commenting on Kristof’s work, President Bill Clinton said, “There is no one in journalism, anywhere in the United States at least, who has done anything like the work he has done to figure out how poor people are actually living around the world, and what their potential is.”
Bill Schonely: The voice of the Portland Trail Blazers
As the play-by-play announcer of the Portland Trail Blazers for nearly three decades, Bill Schonely is regarded as the most popular and revered sports broadcaster in Oregon history. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 as the recipient of the “Curt Gowdy Media Award,” Schonely continues to work as an ambassador for the Trail Blazers and has served as a master of ceremonies for countless charities. His signature term “Rip City” has become synonymous with Portland.
Reser’s Fine Foods: Iconic Oregon business
Reser’s products have been a staple of Oregon dinner tables and picnics ever since Earl and Mildred Reser started the company in their farmhouse kitchen in 1950. The Beaverton based company now boasts more than 3,000 employees at 17 facilities in the United States and Mexico and over $1 billion in annual sales. Oregon State University is just one of many Oregon institutions and non-profit organizations that have benefited from the generous philanthropic giving of the Reser Family.
“Dr. Nathalie Johnson, Nicholas Kristof, Bill Schonely and Reser’s Fine Foods have all left an indelible mark on our state, and perfectly exemplify the qualities of an ‘Oregon History Maker’,” said OHS Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk.
The Oregon History Makers Medal will be presented at a dinner at the historic Montgomery Park building in Portland on Sunday, October 8, 2017. Table sponsorships and individual tickets are available; for more information, please contact Sue Metzler, Director of Development, at 503-306-5229 or sue.metzler@ohs.org.
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.
