PORT TOWNSEND — Nora Porter, whose activism is credited for the support of several social programs and charities, died early Monday of lung cancer.
She was 74.
The Port Townsend resident was honored with a Jefferson County Heart of Service award in May for her longtime public service.
She was recognized for her passionate support of Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County and many other education and community causes.
These ranged from the Port Townsend Foundation and Port Townsend High School Scholarship Foundation (both of which she helped create) to being a member of the Port Townsend School Board to longtime service on the Fort Worden Advisory Board and Peninsula College Board of Trustees.
“Nora was one of my best friends for almost 50 years,” said Jean Camfield of Habitat for Humanity.
“Nobody realizes all the things she did for the town.
“There wasn’t much here that she didn’t do.”
Monica Maguire, a close family friend, said that Porter’s son, Kyle, had arrived in town, and that those closest to Porter did not want to talk on Monday.
Aside from her local efforts and board memberships, Porter worked as aide for state Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, for the first third of Kessler’s 18-year legislative career.
Unique, wonderful woman
“She was a unique and wonderful woman,” said Kessler, who served as House Majority Leader for many years, while representing the 24th District, which covers Jefferson and Clallam counties as well as part of Grays Harbor County.
“We’ve lost someone who is truly great,” Kessler said.
Kessler said she first met Porter when both were working as college trustees and struck up a friendship.
When Kessler decided to run for state representative, she called Porter “because she was the only person in Jefferson County that I knew” and asked for help and advice.
“She wouldn’t support you just because you were a Democrat,” Kessler said.
“You had to prove yourself to her, that you were worthy of her support.”
Kessler said that Porter had an intimate knowledge of the 24th District.
“She knew both the extremes and everything in the middle, and treated everyone with a great deal of respect,” Kessler said.
One time she did not, Kessler said, was when a person called with a complaint and Porter determined he lived outside of the district.
Porter would also read all the correspondence that came into the office and hand it off to Kessler with spelling and grammar corrected in red ink.
‘Amazing intellect’
“She had an amazing intellect and a fantastic command of the English language,” Kessler said.
Porter also had a passion for the parks, and keeping them open to all people.
Porter was opposed to any park fees, saying they penalized people who had a hard time making ends meet.
Kessler has made her opposition to park fees known and intends to continue that effort in Porter’s memory.
Habitat for Humanity
Porter joined the board of Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County in 2005 and often supplied a different point of view, said Jamie Maciejewski, executive director.
“She wasn’t a rubber-stamp person,” Maciejewski said.
“She asked hard questions that made people think harder about things and wasn’t afraid to present an unpopular point of view if it would help kids get into homes.”
That viewpoint was echoed by Michelle Sandoval, Port Townsend mayor.
“She was a tough cookie,” Sandoval said.
“She didn’t suffer fools and always told you what she thought.”
Among her contributions to Habitat were efforts to secure and support a retail store for he organization.
In September, she contributed $35,000 to Habitat to help secure house sponsorships, bequests, donations of land and securities, and other major gifts.
Scholarships
Along with Camfield, Porter helped create and support the Port Townsend High School Scholarship Foundation in 1976, which has awarded some 500 scholarships to students since.
“She was an imaginative, intelligent person who had a lot of ideas about fundraising that no one ever thought of,” Camfield said.
At the time of her death Porter was an at-large member of the Fort Worden Advisory Committee, where she participated in park planning and argued tirelessly against establishing an admission system for state parks.
In 1977 she was elected for the first time to the Port Townsend School Board.
Porter also contributed several essays to “City of Dreams,” a 1986 history of Port Townsend.
During the Heart of Service awards ceremony earlier this year, Porter thanked her friends.
“Friends really are an important part of what it takes to build a community,” she said.
“If you have good friends, you can drag them into doing projects — so it’s very dangerous to be our friend.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
