Class Notes

Kenneth Spencer Solomon JD ’62 passed away May 22, 2016. He was 87.

Ken was born in Salt Lake City on May 30, 1928, to Charles Drew Solomon and Nellie Cable Spencer. He married in Jacqueline Lois Scovell in 1959 and they became the proud parents of three children. Ken was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, a colonel in the Oregon Air National Guard, and practiced law as an attorney until 1988. He loved golf, flying model airplanes, traveling, dancing, and socializing with family and friends.

Ken is survived by his wife; daughters Kathleen Solomon, Teresa Hale, and Tamara Cowan; and grandchildren Kaden Solomon, Spencer Hale, and Travis Hale. 

Jerry Gene (JK) Kleen JD ’63 passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family, on December 1, 2018. 

JK was born in Salem, Oregon, on August 10, 1929, to Elizabeth Francis and Alfred Henry Kleen. He attended Roberts School and North Salem High School. At 17, he joined the Merchant Marines. Shortly after his return to Salem, he was drafted by the U.S. Army.

After returning to Salem a second time, JK completed a BS at Willamette University. In 1963, JK opened a solo practice in Salem, where he practiced until his retirement in 2014. He joined the Oregon and the Marion County bar associations—he proudly displayed his 50-year pin from the Oregon Bar Association—and became a member of the California Trial Lawyers Association. He was also a member of the local Elks club and Illahe Country Club for many years.

JK’s family loved him deeply and his career was fulfilling. He was at peace and extremely grateful for the many blessings that were bestowed upon him.

JK was preceded in death by his parents; his brother Gary; his first wife, Beatrice Belinda Otjen, mother of his deceased daughter Christina; and his second wife, Geraldine S. Prescott, mother of his deceased children Claudia and Gerald. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Constance Kleen; his sister Darlene Hawley; his sister-in-law Kathy Kleen; grandchildren Linda Briggs, Toni Belgarde, and Richard Theiss; four great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Lillian Meyers JD ’64 died May 24, 2019, just shy of her 97th birthday.

Lillian was born May 27, 1922, in Melba, Idaho, to Iva and James Cason. She was the fourth of eight children, sibling to Ella, Lee, Betty, Marie, Jamie, Richard, and Jean. The family moved to Burns, Oregon, when Lillian was an infant. While in high school she worked for the Burns Times Herald, the Weather Bureau, the hospital, and the courthouse. It was while working in the last of these that Lillian became inspired by the law and decided to become an attorney, despite all obstacles. This independent outlook and strength of character served her well throughout her life.

In 1942 Lillian married Edward Meyers. They bought 45 acres on the Clackamas River, where they raised their five children. Lillian and Edward divorced in 1970.

Friends introduced Lillian to Paul Olenik, who became her second husband in 1978. The couple spent many wonderful years traveling and enjoying life until Paul’s untimely death in 1997. After his passing, Lillian continued to travel and spend time with family and friends.

Lillian was a proud Oregonian and never lost her connection to and love of Burns and the high desert. She returned as often as possible with her children to visit family and travel the back roads of the Steens Mountains and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge.

It was only in her last seven years that dementia diminished the quality of her very full life. Lillian was predeceased by her parents, her husbands, and her oldest daughter, Lynne. She is survived by her children Edward, Leslie, John, and Mona; her stepchildren Bethany, Jeff, John, David, Theresa, and Cindy; a granddaughter; and three great-grandchildren.

Roger C. Germundson JD ’65 died peacefully on March 7, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. He was 86.

Roger was born May 4, 1933, in Hope, North Dakota, the son of Clarence and Millie Germundson. His father died from cancer December 31, 1939; had he lived just a few hours longer, his widow would have become eligible to receive social security. To make it possible for the family to get by during the Depression, Roger was sent to live with various relatives throughout his childhood. By the time he was 10, he was a regular farm hand and could drive a tractor, weed crops, stack wood, herd sheep, milk cows, and haul manure.

In 1951 Roger joined the U.S. Navy Seabees, specializing in heavy equipment. After serving in Korea and Japan for four years, he made his way to Oregon, where his first job there entailed mechanical work and running a Marion rig that laid riprap in the Willamette River. Roger also worked in construction and insurance before eventually becoming an attorney in 1967. He practiced law in Gresham, Oregon, his entire career.

Roger married Donna Jacobsen and they had four children. He and his second wife, Jackie Collicott, purchased land and a home in Troutdale, Oregon, where they loved hosting their grandchildren for sleepovers, pool parties, camping, and other fun activities. They enjoyed travel and visited destinations all over the United States via motor home. The couple also were very active with the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers for many years. After Jackie’s prolonged illness and subsequent death, Roger met with one of her good friends to pass along some photos. He and Donna Nichols hit it off and spent a few years traveling together before marrying in May of 2019.

Ambition was one of Roger’s hallmarks. Always on the go, he could often be found with a dog at his side. He loved his family, music, and RV camping; made friends easily; and was a mentor to many. Roger did everything with passion and a commitment to success. He was very active in the community and supportive of organizations that made lives better. 

Roger is survived by his children Cheryl Terrusa, Carl Germundson, Mary Sellers, and Curt Germundson, and his sister Ranee Svenningsen. He is preceded in death by his sister Janet Stockmoe. 

Stanley “Stan” Edward Weber JD ’65 died February 9, 2019.

Stan was born January 14, 1922, to Adam and Ida (Hammer) Weber in Portland, where he lived his entire life. He attended Benson High School and majored in journalism at the University of Oregon. He also studied at the University of Southern California before serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Stan subsequently was stationed in northern China and served during the Korean War, eventually rising to the rank of captain.

Stan worked as a reporter and then as a columnist for the Oregon Journal, Portland’s daily evening newspaper, from 1946 to 1959. His coverage of the devastating 1948 Vanport flood in North Portland was distributed nationally. Stan became a specialist in labor-affairs reporting and eventually wrote a thrice-weekly column on labor issues.

Stan was executive director of Oregon’s John F. Kennedy presidential election campaign and then served as regional director of information for the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1961 to 1968. From 1968 until his retirement in 1983, he was a Multnomah County deputy district attorney, handling domestic relations cases.

During his retirement, Stan was a volunteer reader of books for the blind and maintained his keen interest in current events, detective novels, history, and sports, especially collegiate football. Cheerful, conscientious, level headed, and hard working, he participated in a number of associations. He and his wife, Yvonne, had four children; one son, Bruce, predeceased him. Stan is survived by a son and two daughters, Mark Weber, Terese Weber, and Katherine Purtzer; and grandchildren Andrew, Laura, and Zach.

Ward S. Armstrong JD ’66 passed away peacefully September 5, 2015, in Salem, Oregon, surrounded by family and the love of lifelong friends. He was 82 years old.

Born October 13, 1932, in Eugene, Oregon, to Hubert and Elizabeth Armstrong, Ward graduated from Newberg High School in 1950. He attended Willamette University, where he met his partner for life, Donna Marie Leonard, whom he married on December 27, 1959.

Ward earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Oregon State University. In 1961, he began work as director of the Association of Oregon Counties in Salem. Ward accepted a job as Oregon director of governmental affairs for Weyerhaeuser in 1966, embarking on a career as a lobbyist and public policy specialist that defined the remainder of his working life.

In 1978, Ward, Donna, and their three children moved to Federal Way, Washington, so Ward could manage Weyerhaeuser’s governmental affairs program. The family returned to Salem in 1986 when Ward was named executive director of the Oregon Forest Industries Council. He “retired” in 1994, after which he accepted a position managing the Executive Seminar Program at Portland State University’s Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. He would remain there for 10 years.

A past president of the Salem Tennis & Swim Club, Ward was also an active member of the Methodist Church in Salem and Bellevue and the Salem Downtown Rotary Club. He served on the state Easter Seals Board and was a trustee on the Oregon State University Foundation.

Cycling was a special passion. Ward completed many Seattle-to-Portland bike rides, the Oregon Bicycle Ride, RAGBRAI, and the Idaho Bike Ride.

Ward is survived by his wife and children Ken, Mark, and Diane; grandchildren Grace, Abby, Lucy, and Alice; and his brothers Hugh of Seattle and Richard of Salem.