Rutherford preserves the past by katlin Smith "It is not wreckers thaI we need, but builders, II it has been written. lanice W. Rutherford t'81 MA) would agree. Rutherford, 44, is the executive director of Heritage Trust of Clark County. the non-profit historic preservation agency (or Vancouver, Wash. and surrounding county. An alumna of PSU's grqduate history program where she studied historic preservation, she recommends buildings to the city and county for historic status and renovation. She also oversees administration of the Grant House Museum near Ft Vancouver and the Clark County Historical Museum. both of which are under the direction of David Freece ('85 MA). "I was determined that I was not going to do anything bad to that house." After graduating in education in 1963 from the University of Oregon, Rutherford moved to New England where she taught for 18 months. The Grants Pass native retumed to Oregon in 1966. Five years later Rutherford and her husband bought the t892 Mattey House, a Queen Anne-style farmhouse situated on 20 acres of wheat and orchard near McMinnville. There she learned, hands on, the hard 'wYOrk that historic preservation entails. Research, hammer! and nails Rutherford began with research on restoration and architectural slyies. "I was determined that I was not going to do anything bad to that house." pose J 4 I PSU Perspective, Sprin8 t 986 she says. Her research soon gave way to hammers and nails. "It turns out I'm very good with my hands," she says, "and I have a thing about working with wood. I really like to do it." Tht!Mattey House was in fair condition but "needed a lot of tender, loving care." Rutheriord quickly learned just what characteristics an owner of an older home should possess. "They have to be enamored with the past to a certain extent," she says. "They might be people who simply have a sense of the aesthetic qualities of an older home." Money is another critical point. "You uncover something and what you find is that you've uncovered more problems." She also found that flexibility was important. "They have to have patience and the ability to live with some inconveniences sometimes," she says. Inconveniences were the norm for Rutherford and her family while they renovated their home. "When you rehabilitate an older home and you're Jiving in it, sometimes you have to live without a kitchen and a bath," she states. "People do that all the time but it's because they love the house." Army fatigues and paint brushes Rutherford's children were lwO and three when they moved into the house. Ten years later their industrious mother finally hung up her hammer. "All of their young childhood was spent in an old house with mother dressed in Army fatigues doing painting and papering," RUfherford laughs. The Rutherfords' sotd the Malley House in 1980 with very mixed (eeHng!i. " tt was sort of (ike a third child," she remembers. While restoring her own home, Rutherford joined local preservation groups. She served on the Historical Preservation League of Oregon board for six years and, as an intern, conducted McMinnville's first phase of their historic resource inventory. Enrollment in PSU's history program was a natural step for Rutherford. After completing the program, she was immediately hired as historic preservation officer (or the City and County of Spokane, Wash. "This was discovered in urban renewal. .. that people were having social problems because they didn't have a sense of place anymore. " "I credit Portland State for preparing me very well." she says. "1 had a lot of experience as a volunteer in the field of historic preservation just from doing it. But I feel like I was really w e l l ~ p r e p a r e d for the job I got." She held the Spokane job for three·and-one-haff years before moving to Vancouver to accept her present position in '985. Though she doesn't presently own an older home. Rutherford still finds herself involved with historic structures 24 hours a day. She now lives in Officer'S Row, the collection of military houses built adjacenl to fort Vancouver between the years of 1849 and 1906. Her home, which Continued on page 18 DeE programs schedule reunion If you participated in Search and Discovery, Job Readiness, V\EW, or any of the other pioneering women's programs sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education. PSU, between' 967 and 1978, your classmates are looking for you. Plans are under way (0 hold a reunion on May 2B. 1986. at the Division of Continuing Education, with Sue Gordon Gessner, initiator and director of the programs, as guest of honor. If you were enrolled in any of these programs, or know the whereabouts of other participants, please call. Bernice Feiblemann, 2 4 6 ~ 1 6 4 2 , or Joan lohnson. 644-8&69. In Memoriam Continued from page 13 Peter Apostoios ('71 BA), a Ponland-area insurance agent, died Mar. 8 at his residence at lhe age of 36. He had been (eceivinS trealment for Guil'ain·6arre syndrome. Survivors Includes a daughter, his IT\O\het ;md \ h l ~ b ~ . The family ~ u s w e s t s !hat remembrances be contributions to the Holy Trinity Greek OrthodoK Church in northeast Portland. Terr.ance l. ~ r o f t ('68 OS) died of heart failure Ian. 29 in his Salem hOO'le. He was 41. Mr. Bancroft was employed by the state as d vocational rehabilitition counselor for 14 years in Roseburg .and Portland. Survivors include his wife, his father and three sisters. RkhMd T. 8kImquIst ('b4 OS), a seJf-emplO)'ed general contr.K1Or. died of an apparent heart attack Ian. 30 at his nome. He was 46. B l o m q u j ~ had operated his own construction firm since 1981. Survillors include his wife, k.athryn E, r65 flAJ, two daughters, his parent5 and two sIsters. ~ family s u ~ t s thaI remembfances be contributions to the Mountain Park Church Youth Activities Fund, l a ~ Oswego, Ore. LinU •. (.on r69 BAl, a Sednle, Wash. attome'y died March 22 of cancer in a Seattle hospital. She was 38. Survivors include her husband, IwO daushters, her parents, a brother and her wandfather. The family suggests remembrance!. to the Bertschi School, 2227 10th Ave. East in Seattle. K.athleen A. kennedy ('71 MSl, an elementary school teacher and southeasl Portland resident, died Jan. 1& in a Portland·area hospital. She was 47. she tlad taush! ment;llly handicapped c h i l d ~ in special education classes since 1961. Sul'llillOf'S include four brothers and three siSl(>r$. P ~ I H. Umb ('50 MSI. one of the founding members of the lamb-Weston firm, TIgard and Portland, Ore., died in a Portland hospital March 22 after an extended illness. He was 58. Mer leaving the finn in t 972. he worked on iI series of nonprofit projects, earned his advanced degree in speech from PSU dnd became a speech pathologist for the Portland School District. Survivin8 are his wife, two §()r\S, two daughters, his mother, a brother and f i ~ grandchildren. 1M family wB8f!SU remembrances be contributions to Lake Oswego United Methodist Church, or to Meadowood Springs SPt'E(:h Camp. P.O. 80)( 1023, Pendlelon. OR 97801. STUDY & TRAVEL WITH ALUMNI Alumni 8('n('lIl.. ( drd nq-4q48
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