Voornaam,
The Klonoski Award, named for Professor James Klonoski, is given each year to an individual or group that has demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting civic engagement.
This year, it is with a mix of pride, grief, and so much love that we posthumously honor Mary Gautreaux with the 2020 Klonoski Award.
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Mary Gautreaux served her beloved state of Oregon for more than 25 years within the office of Senator Ron Wyden. In 1994, Mary joined Senator (then Congressman) Wydenâs Senate Family, first as a Legislative Fellow, then as a Field Representative, as the Natural Resources Director, and then as the Senatorâs Deputy State Director.
Maryâs spark shines through countless âMary storiesâ of her colorful life. She was born in 1947 in West Virginia, then grew up in Richmond, Virginia. By the late 1960s, Mary drove her VW bug out west and eventually settled in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon near John Day.
Mary went on to work planting trees and fighting forest fires for the U.S. Forest Service to provide for her young family. Mary single-handedly raised her four children with grit, passion, and perseverance. Mary also went back to college and by 1994 had earned her masterâs degree in Public Policy.
As part of Senator Wydenâs team, Mary had a hand in many of Oregonâs public policy initiatives over the years, including protecting Portlandâs Bull Run, protecting Mt. Hood wilderness, and the Central Oregon Badlands. She was literally and physically all over the state seeking meaningful input and engagement from a wide range of voices in the corners of Oregon.
Mary found herself at home in an Eastern Oregon ranching town, a coastal mill town, and in Portland, as she had called each of them home at a different time. For Maryâs innumerable contributions, the Senator called her âthe Eighth Wonder of Oregon.â For Maryâs ability to delegate and engage other capable (if not unwitting) souls, she was also dubbed âHurricane Mary.â
Mary died on Sept. 20, 2019, leaving a legacy of indomitable will and capacity to find solutions to any situation. Mary is survived by her four children, Ryder, Myria, Callie, and Lucas, five grandchildren, and her brothers, Hank and Richard. She is also survived by countless friends, from the streets of Portland to the Governorâs mansion (or the canyons of the Owyhee).
As Senator Wyden said on the Senate Floor when remembering Mary:
"Mary loved bright colors, to make sure that her home and everybody there really sees that what she wanted was a lot of color, and a lot of passion, and a lot of friends, and a lot of people talking about what a special place Oregon is. And that all these young people, who have done so much, are building on her approach for bringing people together, her values of caring, standing up for people who didn't have very much and were outside the power circle of Washington. So this is a hard talk to give, but it's sure easy to always remember what a wonderful person Mary Gautreaux was, how she represented the very best our state has been able to offer."
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