One of my personal heroes is former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts. She was Oregon’s first woman governor, served as Oregon’s Secretary of State and before that was a member of the Oregon Legislature. She got her start in politics as a community activist working to make sure her disabled son and other children received a quality public education. State Senator Frank Roberts, her terrific husband, passed away in 1993. Just before he died his office invited me to give the invocation before the Oregon Senate.

The governor worked at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Portland State University's Mark O. Hatfield School of Government after leaving office.  Governor Roberts retired from PSU this past year.

Gene Ediger, my good friend and colleague at Baloney Joe’s, often said before his own death that no one in Oregon spoke with more eloquence and passion about issues related to poverty than Governor Roberts. She was a strong advocate of our work at Baloney Joe’s to end homelessness and also supported our work with Burnside Advocates Group.

So it was a great pleasure for me to read in The Oregonian that the state of Oregon has renamed the Department of Human Services building the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building in honor of her public service.

It is a well deserved recognition.