January 22, 2013

In the 1930s, three men who saw opportunity at University of Oregon Medical School (pre-cursor to OHSU) became colleagues. As shown in this photograph taken decades later, they became longtime friends who shared a love for the environment and culture of the Pacific Northwest.

At right is Edward S. West, Ph.D., remembered by many alumni as a popular teacher and skilled administrator. West was born in Virginia and began his academic career at prestigious universities in the Midwest. As an avid outdoorsman, he was eventually attracted to the Pacific Northwest. In 1934, University of Oregon Medical School recruited him as Professor and chair of biochemistry.

After he arrived in Oregon, West befriended Wren Gaines (center), the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds. Gaines began his career at UOMS in 1914, just one year after the school had merged with its rival, Willamette University Medical Department. Gaines first worked as a laboratory technician in the Department of physiology. When the school was preparing to move from Northwest Portland to Marquam Hill in 1919, Gaines helped cut down brush on the construction site. He was appointed Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds at the new campus, and stayed in that position until his retirement in 1954.

At left is professor and administrator Hance F. Haney, Ph.D., the subject of a previous "From the Archives" article. Like West, Haney had Midwestern roots and was recruited to UOMS in the 1930s. The photographer was Wilbert R. Todd, Ph.D., a faculty member in West's department. The image itself is from a collection of slides donated by Harry J. Sears, Ph.D., a former professor of bacteriology. The exact location shown in the photograph is unknown.

 

Contributed by Maija Anderson, Archivist, OHSU Historical Collections & Archives