Dorothea Marie Lensch

My aunt, Dorothea Lensch, has been nominated to be on the Walk of Heroines. She was a heroine to many, including myself. Dorothea, or Dorothy as she was sometimes called was born in Portland, Oregon to Marie and Julius Lensch, immigrants from Germany. Her father, Julius, owned a feed and grain store on Front Street called “Lensch Brothers.”

Dorothy attended Mills College and completed her degree at University of Oregon in 1929. She majored in physical education and German and minored in education and science. She graduated with honors in physical education. She did graduate work at Wellesley College earning a master’s in physical education, nutrition, and physiology among other disciplines. She received her PhD in recreation from the University of Oregon in 1966. The PhD was a major accomplishment as she completed this degree while working full time as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Portland.

Dorothy was the city of Portland’s first recreation director, serving in that capacity from 1936 to 1972. She had recently graduated from college and was teaching at George Washington University and was hired away from her teaching position by Mr. Kaiser, mayor of Portland. She was a new and inexperienced manager. Her skills were in teaching, but Mr. Kaiser had great faith in her abilities and her vision for Portland. He was proved correct.

Dorothy developed recreation programs in theater, music, and the arts, while at the same time, pushing for more ball fields, gymnasiums, and recreational and competitive sports teams. She was one of the first to promote sports activities for girls. She also promoted women in all areas of endeavors and especially management and supervisory roles in the park system. She fostered loyalty in her staff and worked hard to find excellent employees, to provide training for them, and to provide position changes or other adjustments if an employee was dissatisfied or underperforming. She attacked problems with intelligence and compassion and a faith in each individual.

She paid special attention to children with mental and physical disabilities and low-income families as she pushed to develop programs throughout the city neighborhoods. She also introduced summer outdoor concerts to Washington Park and was the founder of the Children’s Museum. Other projects she pushed for were the Japanese Gardens, Portland Opera, and Chamber Music Northwest.

It’s hard to imagine Portland without the recreation programs and other projects. Dorothy believed in the benefits of being active, both physically and mentally, through participation in the community. She wanted to be sure that every family had an opportunity to participate in many activities, hence the numerous parks and community centers throughout the city. She won many awards in the community and at a national level for her efforts in recreational management. She was especially proud of her induction into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the Portland State Hall of Fame. Other awards she received were the Aubrey Watzek Award, University of Oregon Letter “O” for sports participation, and Distinguished Citizen Award in 1966. She retired from the Portland Parks and Recreation Department in 1972.

Dorothy’s significant achievements and accomplishments are too numerous to mention in this biography. Suffice it to say her resume is fifteen pages, typed. Of particular note is her important work in World War II. She set up and developed recreation facilities and community centers for the influx of workers for the Portland shipyards. This was a tremendous service to the city and to the many new workers residing at Vanport.

Her tenure as head of the parks department from 1937 to 1972 saw Portland develop a parks and recreation program that was a model for cities all over the country. She had many battles to fight to see her programs to fruition. Some of the obstacles to overcome were inertia of the bureaucracy, lack of money, lack of staff, lack of political will, and being a woman in a male-dominated arena. She persevered, luckily for Portland. She often suffered debilitating bouts of rheumatoid arthritis, but this illness never seemed to stop her.

The values she demonstrated through her work were perseverance, belief in progress, hard work including hours of personal time, and dedication to her goals. What makes her extraordinary in my mind was her ability to have a vision for what she wanted for Portland and to continue to work for that goal in the face of many obstacles. It was hard work. Values and accomplishments that made her extraordinary were her numerous community interests and her skills in so many fields. She embraced physical education, the arts, dance, ballet, opera, and scenic beauty. She never stopped giving her time to the community and trying to further personal and community goals. She was the model, the epitome of public service and community involvement, setting a standard difficult for most to follow.

After she retired in 1972 Dorothy continued to be active in community activities, serving on various boards including Portland Opera Association, Chamber Music Northwest, Japanese Gardens, Eugene Opera, Portland State Foundation, the Children’s Museum, Portland Musical Theater, and the 40-Mile Loop Trail. She continued to be a mentor and friend to many women striving to achieve their own goals in these fields.

Written by Claudia Lensch Smith