Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1999)
State News Tycoon builds fortune, gives it away incnMULIdiev ness PORTLAND — Over the past 40 years, Joe Weston was quietly building an empire on the city’s east side, steadily acquiring land and putting up apartments. Now, just as quietly, he's plan ning to give most of it away. To him, its a simple matter of principle: “I made up my mind awhile ago that you don’t pass ex cess wealth on from one genera tion to another.” “Joe is Oregon’s best-kept se cret,” said developer Homer Williams, a partner in the Hoyt Street Yards project in northwest Portland. Here’s a guy with thousands of apartments and millions of square feet of commercial proper ty. And eventually, it will all go to charity. That’s the way Joe is.” Growing up, Weston didn’t re ally know what he wanted to do, but he knew what he wanted to be: better off. He earned his way to Oregon State University selling newspa pers, working as a soda jerk and sweeping up at a local bakery. But he didn’t stay there long. “I was sitting in one of those big lecture halls at Oregon State,” remembers Weston. “And I thought, ‘There’s more money in running a school than there is sit ting in a school.’ So I started the Portland Real Estate School.” The school served as the launching pad for his businesses. “I came up with a plan, and I stayed with it,” he said. “If you do that, success is attainable.” Just as Weston foresaw his own success early on, he likewise knew he’d eventually turn over his assets to help others. Toward that end, he formed the Joseph E. Weston Foundation, run by the Oregon Community Foundation. People don't know the name Weston," said Greg Chaille, presi dent of the Oregon Community Foundation. “He’s not doing the kind of giving that attracts publici ty-” Weston crafted a mission state ment for the foundation five years ago, and at the top of the list are education, children and the work ing poor. My heart is with the working poor,” he said. “I can relate to them.” Weston bought his first duplex in 1957 with $2,500 in savings, forming the Weston Investment Co. A decade later, Weston In vestment began swooping into neighborhoods on Portland’s in ner east side. The company would purchase older homes, tear them down and replace them with apartments. As the economy changed in the 80s, Weston began buying ware houses and office buildings in northeast Portland, then commer cial properties in Washington County. In 1993, Weston made his move into downtown Portland, picking up the Commonwealth Building at auction for $1.9 mil lion. By the end of 1997, Weston had acquired eight downtown proper ties — now worth $27.7 million — on or near the city’s light-rail lines. In each of the past seven years, Weston donated property valued at more than $1 million to OCF, then leased the land back from the foundation. There are tax advantages, but proceeds go into the Weston Fund, which funds a wide range of organizations — from Cascade AIDS Project to the House of Umoja to Loaves and Fishes to most Portland-area high schools. All Ways Travel Pans -$389.00* Quito -$715.00* *tax not included, restrictions may apply FreeEurail Pass!!! Stop by to register to win!!! Want to travel to Australia??? Ask us about the great deals!!! E-mail: awt@luv2travcl.com Oregon daily emerald worldwide WWW. dailyemerald.com ■j SPRING T£RM f ART liiORRSNOP ^ SCH£BUL£S re noM available at the Craft Center University of Oregon - £Rft Memorial Union Registration starts W Phone: M6-</36f , \cmftte.nfer.u(irecjan.edu •. friarcS* 11th at 10:00am J Record snowpacks raise Oregon avalanche danger The Associated Press PORTLAND—The danger from avalanches in Oregon and Wash ington is the highest it’s been since the 1930s. “We’ve issued more warnings this year than any other year, ’’said Mark Moore, director of the North west Weather and Avalanche Cen ter in Seattle. “It’s safe to say that while we may not have had the most snow of any year, the danger is the high est it has ever been because of the way the snow has accumulated. ” Twenty-nine sites in Oregon have set records for snow accumu lation. In the Olympic Mountains, where the snowpack is nearly 260 percent of average, a two-man crew was unable to conduct a snow survey on Mount Craig be cause the avalanche danger was too high. “These were experienced folks, and when they got up there and had avalanches starting below and above them, they said, ‘No way,’ and turned around,” said Jon Lea of the Natural Resources Conser vation Service. In the town of Diablo, Wash., a snowslide closed a road to a near by power plant, and crews had to be flown in by helicopter. “The avalanches have never closed this road before,” Lea said. “We’re seeing it all over — avalanches are larger and running farther than we ’ve e ver seen. ’ ’ A combination of steep bowls and sizeable snowpack qualifies Mount Hood Meadows as a Class A avalanche zone, among the most hazardous in the country. Every morning, a dozen ski pa trol members start their day on the slopes above the ski runs, setting explosive charges into slabs of snow that have the potential to start avalanches. The mountain air resounds with the thwipp of the air-compressed “avalauncher” — a large, tubed gun that fires an explosive charge into inaccessible areas of the mountain. “Safety is always our number one concern, and we’ve been espe cially vigilant this year—we have pressure to open on time, but sometimes people just have to wait until it’s safe,” said Stuart Hill, ski patrol member. “We don’t want to make it any more dangerous than it already is.” Ten years ago, Mount Hood Meadows ski patrol director Jeffer son Wong was swept away by an avalanche on a ski run called The Gulch shortly after the patrol set off charges to knock down a slab of unstable snow. Rescuers dug him out in 12 min utes, but it was too late. Like most avalanche victims, Wong suffocat ed. So far this season, Oregon has had one avalanche fatality. A snowboarder from Spokane, Wash., died in January when he triggered a slide near Spout Springs Ski Area in the Blue Mountains. Nationwide, 17 people have died this season from avalanches. Another 18 died in Canada. Those numbers pale by comparison with the 60 who have died this year in Europe, including 38 killed last month in Austria. “There are more people and more houses, and the mountains are steeper,” Lea said of the Euro pean death toll. Experts say land-use practices in Europe have made the danger worse. Many steep mountains have been denuded of trees, the best defense against devastating avalanches. Pam Hayes, a forecaster with the Northwest Avalanche Forecast Center, said most of the danger in the United States occurs on federal lands, where few houses are built. But Moore said unsafe logging practices and people building va cation homes in high-avalanche danger zones could boost the num ber of deaths here. He said the arrival of spring brings the most danger, especially in back-country areas without avalanche control. We're YOUR Credit Union! REMOTE CONVENIENCE - FREE Internet Banking U-DIAL 24 Hours A Day - Service Telephone: 4^4-4011 APPLY FOR LOANS - Bg ph„n6 EASY CAMPUS ATM ACCESS - EMU - UO Bookstore - Autzen Stadium NO SURCHARGE ATMs - At Over 200 Locations CLASSIC & ACCESS VISAs FREE CHECKING NCUA Credit Union Become a Member! CALL TODAY! www.ulaneocu.org 1-800-365-1111 687-2347 "The University's Credit Union Since 1956!"