Say hi to Jean and Walt

Tram car, station names honor trailblazers, tribes

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Jan 19, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (9 Reader comments)

The two cars of the Portland Aerial Trams are nameless no more: Jean and Walt, named for 20th-century engineering and medical pioneers, open to the public next weekend.

L.E. BASKOW / PORTLAND TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO

Walt and Jean are the official names of the Portland Aerial Tram cars.

They are named after pioneering Oregonians — Jean Richardson, the first Oregon State University female graduate in civil engineering, and Dr. Walt Reynolds, the first black graduate of the University of Oregon Medical School, which is now Oregon Health & Science University.

The names were selected by a committee appointed by Portland Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams, who also solicited suggestions through his Web site. Adams was pleased with the choices, saying they reflected the tram’s role as a major civil engineering project serving OHSU.

Reynolds said he initially turned down the honor but relented after Adams talked to him.

“I’m not too gung-ho on individual recognition, but I told Adams that if it could help minorities and young people realize what they can do with their lives, and if it can help the mssion of OHSU, then go ahead,” said Reynolds, who retired from his family practice in 1998.

The Portland Tribune was unable to reach Richardson for comment. Reynolds and Richardson are scheduled to meet for the first time this morning at a naming ceremony in Adams’ City Hall office, then go for a ride in the tram.

“I haven’t seen the tram yet,” Reynolds said. “I’ve been trying to stay out of trouble since I retired.”

Reynolds graduated from UOMS in 1949 and then joined Dr. DeNorval Unthank as one of only two black physicians in Portland. He also served as president of the medical staff at Emanuel Hospital and president of the School of Medicine Alumni Association, and he worked with the medical school dean on minority student recruitment.

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