Honorary Chairs
Barbara Roberts, who in 1991 was elected Oregon’s first woman governor, is a fourth-generation descendant of Oregon Trail pioneers. A longtime resident of east Portland, she served on the Metro and has a respected record in advocacy for issues involving mental illness, women’s leadership, and hospice. Governor Roberts has many adopted grandchildren from China.
Mary Oberst, Oregon’s first lady from 2003 to 2011, led the capital campaign to restore the Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum in John Day, Oregon’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, and the effort to create Oregon’s Main Street program. She is an emeritus board member of Oregon Black Pioneers and served two terms on the Oregon State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation.
Board Members
Helen Ying, president, holds a BS in mathematics and an MA in education and counseling, both from Portland State University. Her professional career spans more than thirty years as a mathematics teacher, high school counselor, high school vice-principal, and hearings officer. She is currently serving in her second term on the Multnomah Education Service District Board and her first term on the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
Helen presently serves on a myriad of boards and in leadership positions involved in education, health care, civil rights, and social justice issues. They include the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.) Portland Lodge, Portland State University Foundation, Lan Su Chinese Garden, and We Can Do Better. In addition to her service locally, she is also serving in her second term as the national executive vice president of the C.A.C.A. National Board.
Her vision statement is “Connecting the dots for a better world” and her mission is “To engage and empower people to take action in improving their communities.”
Mary Faulkner, secretary, is a founding board member, past chair, and current community outreach chair of the Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation. Her involvement with Lone Fir began in 2004, when she joined the board of Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery, eventually serving as chair. In 2008, with Kate Sokoloff, she co-managed the (D)early Departed music CD project; the CD included original songs from local artists, and proceeds from its sale went to support development of the Cultural Heritage and Healing Garden. Mary is executive vice president of branding and communications for Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, an investment firm serving individuals and nonprofits with portfolios of $3 million or more. She is past board chair of the Oregon Historical Society, past board chair and honorary council member of the Center for Women’s Leadership at Portland State University, and past board chair of All Saints School. She serves on the board of Portland State University’s Friends of History and the Arlington Club’s history committee.
David Dahl, treasurer, joined the foundation board in 2018. David brings more than three decades of deathcare experience to the board. In 2013, as managing director of Milne Construction Company, David designed and built the Chestnut Grove niche columbarium garden at Lone Fir Cemetery (https://www.oregonmetro.gov/historic-cemeteries/lone-fir-cemetery/chestnut-grove-memorial-garden). David also serves on the board for Portland Chinatown History Foundation and Museum at 127 NW 3rd Avenue.
John Laursen joined the Foundation board at its founding in the spring of 2011. He holds a BA and an MA, both in political science. A writer, editor, designer, and typographer, John has for more than five decades owned and operated Press-22, a Portland studio specializing in the design and production of high-quality books and text-based public art projects. His work in public art includes the creation of commemorative installations for the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission and serving on the design team for the Oregon Holocaust Memorial in Washington Park. John is the co-author of Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge, 1867–1957, and the executive director of the Northwest Photography Archive. He also serves as vice president of the board of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, and is a long-time member of the board of the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association. In 2011 he received the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award from Literary Arts, and in 2020 he received the Oregon Governor’s Art Award. His parents and one of his closest friends are buried at Lone Fir.
Marcus Lee, a founding member of the Foundation board, is also a member of the board of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), and the board of Portland’s Lee Family Association. He chairs the CCBA history committee, is engaged in the ongoing development of the CCBA Chinese-American History Museum, and directs the archival operations of the CCBA’s historic resources. Marcus authored the “Snake River Massacre” chapter in the book Dreams of the West: A History of the Chinese in Oregon, 1850–1950, a joint project between the CCBA and Portland State University. He is also a long-term member of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon, where he specializes in Chinese family history. His family roots reach back to his great-grandfather coming to Portland from China in the 1800s.
Rebecca Liu, founding president, brought considerable experience with civic engagement to the Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation. In 1986 she and her husband (Chi Liu) worked to raise funds and awareness for the Portland China Gate at NW Fourth and Burnside. They established the Portland–Koahsung Sister City relationship, and in 1988 brought the dragon boat race from Taiwan, Republic of China. For three decades she was a member of the Soroptimist International Club of Portland, twice serving as the club president. Rebecca has been with the CCBA since 1984, including ten years on the board of directors and fourteen years as principal of the CCBA Chinese language school. She became involved with Lone Fir Cemetery as the sole participant of Chinese descent in the earliest days of the negotiations that would lead to the development of the Cultural Heritage and Healing Garden. Rebecca also owned and operated Lung Fung restaurant in North Portland for more than thirty years.
Mary-Margaret Wheeler-Weber joined the foundation board in 2022. She is board chair of the Mental Health Association of Portland. Mary-Margaret reached Ph.D. candidacy in U.S. history at the University of Michigan. As a public historian, she worked at Educational Service District 112, the Center for Columbia River History, and an exhibit design company. She has conducted research under contract and served as director of the Northwest History Network. Mary-Margaret transitioned to public service at Multnomah County in 2010, and has worked in the offices of multiple county chairs and commissioners, as well as departments. She is inspired by collaborative projects and place-based learning.