If you enjoy the urban beauty of the red brick square in Esther Short Park, with its clock tower and fountain, you can thank Carolyn Propstra. The Vancouver philanthropist, described as a humble and honest woman, died Friday at age 85.
Back in the day, Carolyn Propstra volunteered twice weekly at what used to be called the Portland Oregon Visitors Association (now Travel Portland). The gig often took her through Pioneer Courthouse Square and she thought Vancouver should get something similar. So, she had her husband, Burgerville founder George Propstra, visit the public space in downtown Portland. They later gave $2 million toward the construction of Propstra Square and $1.64 million for the clock tower.
“I always thought Carolyn was the unsung hero of that project,” said Nancy Hales, who was executive director of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington when the Propstras were actively donating to causes around Clark County in the early 1990s to mid-2000s. “She subtly put her influence in everything.”
Hales added that Carolyn Propstra’s love of children led to the water feature in Esther Short Park.
Carolyn Propstra worked for Burgerville’s parent company, Holland Inc., for 30 years, which is how she met George Propstra. After his wife of 52 years, Margaret Kettenring, died in 1990, Carolyn and George married. They spent their retirement years donating to causes around the community.
They gave more than $13 million through the Community Foundation, including $5 million for the Jim Parsley Center, $2.2 million for the Propstra Aquatics Center at McLoughlin Middle School, $1.1 million for Propstra Stadium at Hudson’s Bay High School and $100,000 to the I Have a Dream scholarship program.
The Propstras completed their giving through the Community Foundation in 2005 with a $1.6 million gift to the foundation’s Community Giving Endowment Fund. (George Propstra died in 2004 at age 90.)
They were enthusiastic about helping children. Janie Spurgeon, executive vice president and chief development officer at the foundation, said the Propstras were passionate about installing accessible playground equipment for kids with disabilities, tackling food insecurity, and making sure those young and old had swimming lessons and other opportunities to exercise. They spent additional money on children in the I Have a Dream program and threw each Dreamer a birthday bash. One Dreamer contracted cancer and the Propstras provided support while the student’s family lived at a Ronald McDonald House.
Carolyn Propstra served on the Community Foundation’s board of directors from 1995 to 2000, approving budgets and doing much of the behind-the-scenes work of charitable giving, “a legacy that isn’t bricks and mortar, but is every bit as valuable,” Hales said.
Her passing is “a community loss and a personal loss,” said Hales, who hails from the East Coast and grew close to the Propstras.
“They adopted my family in a way that was very special,” she said.
Hales said her daughter got a kick out of occasionally having “the Burgerville people” over for dinner at their house in Stevenson. Hales now works as executive director of the HDR Foundation in Omaha, Neb.
