By Joyce Allmon The story of Willamette View begins with the tale of two individuals – one a visionary and one a promoter.

The Dreamer In 1942, a Methodist minister, the Reverend Edward Terry, had a dream. He envisioned a “modern retirement home,” a place where those old enough to retire would live together, safe and secure, in an environment rich in community life. But how would this work? There was no model, no “pattern” for a community of this type. Rev. Terry’s steadfast devotion and pursuit of this dream sparked the inter-est of Portland Area Bishop Bruce Baxter who asked Rev. Terry to be a delegate at the Methodist Homes & Hospitals national conference in Chicago. It was in 1945 that Rev. Terry heard Neal Ireland from Pacific Homes, Inc. in Los Angeles talk about pre-selling apartments and memberships, and with these “founders fees” fund construc-tion. Rev. Terry found his model.

The next step was assembling a group of individuals interested in making his dream a reality. On Sept. 1, 1951, at the Mal-lory Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon Methodist Homes, Inc. (OMH) was created. Rev. Terry was named President of the new corporation and organizing sponsor for what would later become Willamette View Manor. From the beginning, OMH was just a branch of the National Association of Methodist Homes and Hospitals, Inc., which would act only as an advisory organization. And from the onset, it was established that membership would be extended to per-sons of all churches and faiths and that the religious character of “the home” would be interdenominational. But was a “home for the elderly” needed? According to the group’s research, in 1950 there were 40,300 people over the age of 65 who lived in the Portland metro-politan area, and this number was expected to grow. “Certainly Portland could support a high-class apartment hotel – a 'Manor' for retired people.” Their research also showed that a 15- to 20-acre site located near churches, stores and bus service for shopping would be ideal. Several existing hotels and buildings were considered, but it was finally decided to build new. When Rev. Terry was transferred from his church in Albany to the Centenary-Wilbur Methodist Church in Portland, a member of his congregation told him about a fund-raising dinner at another church. “It

was the best organized smorgasbord dinner he had ever attended.” And it was all due to a retired businessman from Detroit, Mich., who managed the successful affair. That man was Clyde W. Mummery.

The Promoter From all accounts, Clyde Mummery was a liberal person who helped churches of all faiths raise funds. Rev. Terry approached Mummery to raise the millions needed for the Manor project, but there was a caveat. There was no money for a salary but he could have the title of Executive Director and a desk in the Centenary-Wilbur church secretary’s office. Mummery agreed. His first act was to secure drawings of “the latest designs in apartment housing” from across the country. He also needed an architect and building engineer to work on floor plans – without pay. Architect Walter Kelly and Engineer W. C. Wilcox took the jobs on faith, agreeing to work “until such time as they could be paid.” When an apart-ment design from New York City arrived that they liked, the trio set about to revamp it, creating what was to become Willamette View Manor.

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IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE!

THE DREAM, THE GROWTH, THE INNOVATION, THE FUTURE

A dream comes trueLet's start at the very beginning

Edward Terry and Clyde Mummery

Inside ...See photos and story as the dream takes shape: the first buildings are constructed and resi-dents move in.

A dream becomes reality as buildings rise and first residents move in Continued from previous page

Next, Portland attorney Paul Biggs was added to the Oregon Methodist Homes, Inc. Board of Trustees for “gratis legal ad-vice.” He reviewed contracts secured from other “old folks’ homes,” redrafting them into a contract for OMH. As an enticement to sales, the initial contract included a “successor’s clause,” allowing the first residents or “Founders,” as they were called, to designate a successor for their apartment. Mummery now had what he needed to sell “the dream” – blue-prints and a contract with a hook. But the first few years were not without setbacks. Although $1 million in apart-ment sales had occurred with $500,000 collected, no site had been selected and construction had not begun. The Founders were restless and demanded action, with many pulling out of the project. Five mem-bers of the Board of Trustees also resigned. This was the lowest point for Mummery but also motivating. Much was at stake. He demanded that the Manor had to be built – no matter what.

The Dream Takes Shape 1953 and 1954 were very busy years. The Board of Trustees replaced five board members and restored confidence in the project. Lost sales had to be recouped and a property purchased. When the first location fell through, a 22.5-acre site overlooking the Willamette River was secured for $27,000. The “modern retirement home” now had a name – Willamette View Manor. A construction bid was awarded to Ross B. Hammond. When completed, the Manor cost would total $2.5 million. A groundbreaking ceremony was held,on Aug. 23, 1953, and by October all but 62 of the 240 apartments had been sold.

Clyde Mummery was named Willa-mette View Manor’s first Administrator on March 23, 1954. Rev. Edward Terry con-tinued as President of the Board of Trustees through 1957.

Ground was broken for the Manor construction on Aug. 23, 1953. Founders began to move in on Jan. 3, 1955, as apartments in A and B wings were completed. By mid-April most of the 240 apartments were occupied. Residents celebrated at a dinner in the Manor lobby. In May the first Resident Council was elected and by July the Constitution and Bylaws were adopted.

An open house and Founders Banquet were held on Saturday, Dec. 11, 1954, in the new Manor dining room and lounge, as the Manor lobby was then called. The next day a special worship service was held at Centenary-Wilbur Methodist Church, led by Bishop A. Raymond Grant of the Port-land Area of the Methodist Church. At 3 p.m. the formal dedication cer-emony was held at the Manor. Dr. Karl P. Meister, Executive Secretary of Methodist Homes & Hospitals, spoke on "Adding Years to Life and Life to Years." On Jan. 3, 1955, the Founders began moving in. First were John and Louise Snead into 606A. Willamette View’s current culture and sense of community are rooted in its begin-nings. Much is owed to those innovative individuals who held true to the dream, including board members and Founders. Without them and their talents, vision and promotion, there would be no Willamette

Manor dedicated;first residents move in

A dream becomes reality as buildings rise and first residents move in

Costs in 1955

First class postage stamp

3 centsGallon of gas

23 centsDozen eggs

81 centsPublic college annual tuition, fees

$198Average annual income

$4,137Average new home cost

$15,200

A waiting list necessitated the addition of the 127-apartment Court, beginning in June 1956 and completed in January 1958. A convalescent hospital, now the Plaza building, was added in three phases, beginning in 1959. The color photo below shows the campus as completed by 1964 with its spectacular river view and its proximity to downtown Portland, seen at top right. By that time, garages had been built in the space now occupied by the two-story parking structure. Archive photos

Willamette View wins national recognition

Original dreamer, promotor remembered today The Rev. Edward Terry and Clyde Mummery are remembered today on campus. A boulder on the lawn west of the Manor, bears a plaque with an inscription acknowledging Ed Terry's dream and determination that inspired the founding of Willamette View.

The Mummery Room, on the lower level of the Manor, holds extensive archi-val documents about Willamette View throughout its 60-year history. The room is named for Clyde Mummery, WV's first administrator. The Mummerys became Manor residents.

by Carla Harris A Saturday Evening Post multi-page feature published in 1959 called Willamette View "the largest and most modern retirement residence in the country." The story was written by reporter Arthur Baum, who visited the campus to learn about this innovative new com-munity. He noted that Willamette View "offers a promising solution for the prob-lem of post-retirement living – a unique

combination of freedom and security for its residents for the remainder of their lives." His story brought residents from far away places to WV. In fact, the author and his wife eventually moved from their East Coast home to WV themselves in 1967. Enlargements of the article will be on display in the Gallery along with other memorabilia from the early years. The Post was the most widely cir-culated weekly magazine in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. Many of its covers were painted by Norman Rockwell, depicting Ameri-can rural and family life.Image reproduced by Jim Baker

Other 1955 happeningsin the United States• Marian Anderson becomes first black singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.• Dwight Eisenhower is elected US president.• Disneyland opens.• Minimum wage rises to $1 per hour.• Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give her bus seat to a white man• The US Air Force Academy opens.• Kellogg introduces Special K.• Scrabble board game is introduced.• First US atomic sub is launched.• RCA demonstrates first music syn-thesizer.• Supreme Court orders school inte-gration.• "In God we trust" added to US cur-rency.• Ray Kroc starts McDonald's chain.• "Ballad of Davy Crocket" becomes #1 record in US.• General Motors becomes first US corporation to make more than $1 bil-lion in a year.• AF of L and CIO merge.• Captain Kangaroo and Johnny Carson shows premier.

Initial Willamette View profileThe Founders

Number of Founders 427Number of women 352Number of men 75Average age 69Oldest Founder 95Youngest Founder 48Number of states from which Founders came 15

Manor BuildingCost of the Manor $2,500.000Number of apartments 240Number of floors 8Yards of concrete 8,000Number of windows 533Number of doors 2,000Auditorium seating capacity 460Floor space equals 5 acres

Other detailsNumber of Manor staff 45Number of meals served daily 1,000Number of board members 30