Nell V. Crothers

J. Wesley Sullivan and Nell V. Crothers

Wes married Nell Crothers in 1996. 

Initially they lived at Nell's beautiful home on the hill south of Salem.  Together they purchased a condo at the Sandpiper in Palm Desert where they spent their winters.   Below are pictures of 241 Sandpiper Circle.

In 1998 when Wes and Nell moved to the large unit at Brookwood Terrace they sent out this card.

Another Bridge Crossed

        Last Christmas we decided to move from Nell's 10-acre, beautiful home on the hill south of Salem to Wes's big apartment on the creek next to Bush's Pasture Park in central Salem.  We assigned our interior decorator the task of completely renovating the 2,000-square-foot apartment by March 15.

        We returned to Salem March 16 and moved on March 20.  We've chosen to blot the next hectic three weeks from our minds, including Wes's chemotherapy from a cancer operation in February.  (Wes's hair came back in curly, by the way.)

        We returned to the desert to recuperate in April.  Back in Salem in May, we couldn't remember where we'd put anything in the apartment.

        On a memorable weekend in June friends of Nell's daughters held a shower of 19 women inside the apartment (Nell's oldest granddaughter Cara was married in July.) while outside Wes and his three sons expanded the deck by four feet.  Both projects were successful.

        Highlight of the fall was a two-plus-week trip to Georgia for an elderhostel, a visit to Nell's relatives and a reunion of Wes's B-17 crew.

        Back to the desert in late October, where we plan to remain until mid-May.

        The accompanying photo shows our white apartment with the footbridge across Pringle Creek into Bush's Pasture Park in the foreground.

Nell Crothers

     Wes Sullivan '98

Nell died in March of 2004.  

Wes had a bench dedicated to Nell in Bush's Pasture Park with the inscription: "To Nell Crothers and Others." 

The Palm Desert condo had appreciated a great deal during the time Wes and Nell lived there.  Wes donated the condo to the University of Oregon and received an annuity for both himself and Ruth Gray.  The Summer 2006 edition of Oregon Outlook contains the following "Thank you" for donors of $25,000 or more:

Wes Sullivan—$250,000 to the School of Journalism and Communication’s Sullivan Reporting Lab and $250,000 to the Nell V. Crothers Scholarship.