PORTLAND, Ore. – A business leader from Southern Oregon is being honored for his positive contributions to the state’s history, culture, and landscape.
The Oregon Historical Society recently announced the honorees of 2022’s “Oregon History Maker” awards. Among them is Ashlander Sid DeBoer, who once ran Lithia Motors.
The OHS listed the following individuals and organizations that will be recognized at the 2022 Oregon History Makers Awards and Dinner set for October 2:
Sid DeBoer: Visionary Business Leader and Philanthropist
Growing up in a large family in Ashland, where he and his siblings worked at their father’s Lithia Motors dealership, Sid DeBoer learned the automobile sales business from the ground up. When he took over the business after his father’s death in 1968, DeBoer created his own legacy by making Lithia Motors a symbol of hard work, honor, and family — with nearly 300 locations, it is now the third largest automotive retailer in the United States. Believing that greatness is determined not by what you have, but by what you give, DeBoer is the founder and president of the Sid and Karen DeBoer Foundation, which supports youth-mentoring programs, hospitals, the arts, cancer research, and universities, among other worthy causes. DeBoer is also the founder of Lithia4Kids, an initiative dedicated to teaching, inspiring, strengthening, and empowering today’s youth through more than $5 million in donations to organizations and programs that enrich the lives of children and their families.
Margaret Carter: Trailblazing Public Servant
Margaret Carter moved from Louisiana to Portland, Oregon, in 1967 at the age of thirty-two, and began a remarkable journey that would lead USA Today and Salem’s
Statesman Journal to name her as one of ten Oregon “Women of the Century.” While raising five daughters, she earned degrees from Portland State University and Oregon
State University and began a long career as a counselor and faculty member at Portland Community College. Her interest in civic engagement led Carter to run for office, and she
was elected to the Oregon State House of Representatives in 1984 — the first Black woman in Oregon to be elected to the state legislature. She went on to serve seven additional terms in the Oregon House of Representatives and eight years in the Oregon State Senate, where she became the first Black woman to serve as president pro tem in 2005. Throughout her legislative service, Carter earned a bipartisan reputation as a tireless and eloquent advocate for the economically disadvantaged. Carter also served as president and CEO of the Urban League of Portland from 1999–2002 and as Deputy Director for Human Services Programs at the Oregon Department of Human Services from 2009–2014.William B. Long, M.D.: Trauma Care Pioneer
A graduate of the University of Maryland Medical School, William Long became the Trauma Medical Director for Emanuel Hospital in Portland in 1983. During the 35 years he served in that position, Long transformed trauma care on the West Coast, saving countless lives in the process. Under his leadership, Emanuel’s trauma program became the second Level 1 Trauma Center in the Pacific Northwest. Long formed coalitions with police, first responders, EMTs, nurses, and medical and surgical specialists to create the first statewide trauma system in the United States, leading the Journal of the American Medical Association to cite Oregon as having the most complete trauma system in the country. Long’s extensive bibliography includes over 140 publications, including a book, Shock Trauma Manual. In addition, Long helped develop the Legacy Biomechanical Laboratory, which has produced multiple patents and emergency and trauma products
that are still in use today.Oregon Symphony: Beloved Cultural Icon
Founded in 1896, the Oregon Symphony is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States and the oldest in the western United States. Uniting exceptional musicians, a world-class conducting staff, an unrelenting focus on excellence, and a compelling vision, the Oregon Symphony is central to the thriving cultural atmosphere in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Propelled by the desire to bring the transformative power of music to inspire people in new ways, the Oregon Symphony is renowned for its many innovative community partnerships, where musicians leave the concert hall and perform in classrooms, retirement homes, and community centers. Through its many programs, the Oregon Symphony inspires youth, fosters lifelong learning, and brings joyous music to more than 250,000 people annually and reaches millions through broadcast and digital offerings.
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