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Interview with Kenneth Gurian (b. 1926)
By Augi Richardson and Tanner Burnett, on November 8, 2025
The intention for our club that we're running is to conduct these interviews with people from Schnitzer Manor. The goal is to have a living record of your life for your loved ones and for the future, so you can live on. Well, I hope it'll come out... My hearing isn't great, but let's go for it.
Yes, okay. We do have a couple questions prepared, but if you want to start off just giving us any important details that you'd like to save about your life. Do we want to talk about my life—or my life at Lincoln?
Your life. You can start as early as you want and go as late as you want. Oh, I was born in Portland and raised in South Portland, right near where old Lincoln was. And I went through Shattuck grammar school, and then Lincoln, and then went into the Navy in 1942 and stayed in for three years. I stayed in Portland for a good part of my life, and then started at the University of Oregon. While I was there, I met a young lady who happened to be going to UCLA at the time. I decided, well, I could go to UCLA, so I transferred. We got married and stayed in Los Angeles for a good part of our lives - about 50-some years. And came back when I retired, lived in Seaside for about ten years. She passed away, and I decided that I would stay in Oregon, and I moved back to Portland.
My life at Lincoln—I guess we can spend a little more time on that. I stayed in Los Angeles and I worked for a pharmaceutical company there and then started a medical advertising company…until I retired and moved back to Portland. One of the things - I’ll jump to the end where we are now—when my family and the medical people said it’s time to start looking for an organization like this, with medical care to take care of me and I looked… with my daughter, we were looking at various places. We walked in here, and the first person I saw was somebody I had gone to Lincoln with. And… I moved in here, found over ten, twelve people who went to Lincoln. So I started off with an advantage to a lot of other people by having friends right off the bat. I’ve only been here just short of a year, and I’m now 99 years old. I’ll be 100 in February next year. I’m enjoying it very much.
I have three children - two sons… who live - one in Texas and one in Florida, and a daughter who fortunately lives here in Portland. She has a daughter, and totally.. I have nineteen in my family. Three of my grandchildren each have four children. So I have a very large family. Problem is, they live all over the country and I don’t see them very often, but often enough. I have, especially with the ones who live here, many memories of my life at Lincoln. As a matter of fact, today, while we were having lunch - we have a community dining room - and I happen to be sitting...well first thing I should say about 65 to 70 percent of the people here are women. For some reason or other, the women live longer than the men. We kid each other. Some of us say women are stronger than the men, and the men say that the women drive them crazy and that’s why they go first. But mostly they kid each other a lot about that. Having friends - we were talking, they wanted to know - because sitting at the table, speaking of the number of women, there were six women and me. Started talking about this. They said “what are you going to do this afternoon”....so they started asking questions and I talked about being in the a cappella choir singing at Lincoln, and also in the class play (senior play). I played basketball, but not at Lincoln - I played basketball in the city league. In those days, you guys would be centers…I played guard. Anyway, I enjoyed that.
Also, this was just at the beginning of World War II. While I couldn’t go in the Navy until I graduated, a lot of the fellows looked around for what they could do and I was a volunteer fireman. And I remember the first time that I jumped off the top of an apartment building to practice how to…scared the heck out of… But we did whatever we could at that time. I was in the Navy for three years and got out… when the war was over. My memories of Lincoln are very good. I enjoyed my life there. One thing about Portland at that time, it was much smaller than it is now. So your life, at first when you first get off school, was around school, the same friends for quite a while. And even when I came back after 50 years, still a number of them alive, raising families, and we started life together again. And now I have it here.
What year did you graduate Lincoln? I graduated in 1943. Wow.
In the Navy, I was a radio gunner on a navy plane….About eight, ten years ago, I got a phone call from a fellow who was a Navy pilot. He and some others had put together a group looking for pilots and others… (I’m trying to find a picture here).They found one of the Navy flight trainers and put a group together. This is one of them - an old biplane, one that I trained in, and then took us up again here, in a small airport south of here, Aurora. They said they are gonna do it every ten years. I’ll see if I last that long. Later in life, I was traveling to visit one of my sons and he happened to live near an old Navy flight training place, and they took us up…(this is a picture) and it was a lot of fun. I did not become a pilot - but I became a radio gunner - TBF [Grumman TBF Avenger].
Where were you deployed? During the war, most of the time I was going to one school to learn... But when I was flying in this I was a radio gunner…(This is the 4th TBF) and I was stationed in South Florida flying out of Navy station at a place called Opa-locka in South Florida…and we were flying off the coast anti-submarine patrol… So I saw some action, bombing German submarines. Fortunately, never got shot. But did have some action against the submarines. So this was fun for me, to fly…This plane was an open cockpit -biplane. When I got in, I noticed that in one of the seats, all the controls were gone. And so the pilot who flew the plane said just to let you know that you are going to ride, you are not going to fly. Most of my stuff is in a store room south of here… I don’t have a car, I didn’t get a chance to go down to search for them, and even if I got there I don’t know if I’d find them. But I did have some pictures…
How did the planes differ from now to when you were flying? Oh my God. (Let me see if I can find us a better picture). This is an open cockpit biplane… This is the plane, there were no jets then. This was one of the top Navy planes of the time. So there were no jets…they were just the beginning when the war was over… This particular plane was stationed on land base, but also flew off aircraft carrier. I think the jets just got started around then. One thing at 99, the memory is a little shy, but I do remember quite a bit of it.
What made you want to go into pharmaceuticals? The company I worked for, for many years, was primarily a very small company, but one of the products that they made/invented was a product called heparin, which is an anticoagulant (if you know what that is )… It’s animal-based , and it is used to thin the blood. It’s still being made although there are some substitutes as well. I started working as a salesman, we would call on the doctors and the hospitals. It’s still being used. The company is no longer. That company was sold while I worked for them. But I went to work for them and then stayed for a while, then left and started my own marketing company. Same kind of business, but at the time we couldn’t advertise to the public—we could only advertise/market/call on the doctors. And the doctors at time were heart doctors and that’s what the product was used for, to thin the blood - still being used.. and I still take some oral anticoagulants to control my blood to keep me alive.
You said you were in Los Angeles for fifty years. Did you raise your family there? Yes…. I have two boys and a girl. They have children and the children have children. In fact I have four great-great-grandchildren. So if I last until 25th of February I hope to have some of them here, which would be fun.
So you said living in Los Angeles, you moved there in maybe the 1950s. I’ve seen pictures of how Los Angeles was before, can you explain the changes that the city went through in your fifty years there. Like Portland, different than it is now. I think one of the first real automobile cities in the country… I really liked Los Angeles, but as it grew, your travel time and distance kept growing as well. The traffic is bad. Not as bad as it is now. You could see it growing, you could feel it growing. I know that older cars, bigger cars, slower traffic, and you can watch it grow/change. I don’t travel much anymore, but I used to love to go back. I really enjoyed living there. And I still have some friends living that I used to go to see but I don’t anymore. Travel is a past thing for me…
Arthur was telling us a little bit the other week about your life here… do you mind telling us about what you do here?
I am completely surprised. I dreaded having to move. And most of the people.. are here because their doctors tell them you need help to live, and all the rumors were that they tell you what to do, and they rule your life, and the food isn’t very good. All that kind of stuff. And it’s all of that but not the negative side. First of all, I was surprised how many people were here I knew. So ten or fifteen people knew me and were my friends through Lincoln when I got here. The staff is excellent. For example I was here three, four days, and almost all the staff was calling me by my first name. Things like that. The food, I keep telling my family is that…when my wife died - ...she was 54 when she died - so I…started living alone for quite a while. So I had to do my own shopping and my own cooking and washing clothes and..cooking my food. Now I don’t have to do any of that anymore. And I’ll tell you the food here is better than mine. I would rather have my full life back with my wife - doesn’t happen - but they are doing a very good job. But we have people die here as well as live. I’m 99, he’s 98, 96. We kid each other.
Are you the two oldest here?We do have someone here who is 102. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to live, but right now my doctors are still pretty positive. But you learn to live with it and watch other people live and die.
You look like you are in pretty good health, is that true? I’m lucky. In fact I had a partial physical last week and the rest of it next week, and so far most of the doctors say you’re unusual. We’ll see. I may see you sometimes soon, who knows.
So we have a couple other questions prepared. First one I want to ask you is what are your proudest moments? You want to know about what I accomplished? My family. They’re doing fine. My daughter, especially who lives here. Right now she pretty much runs my life. And I don’t know if I can live without her. She has suffered from cancer but she’s been doing well. She’s been well for more than ten years, so they’ve released her from her care. And she’s very active with a group at OHSU, talking with patients who are having trouble handling, suffering with cancer. The doctors enjoy having her around.
How old is your daughter? My daughter is 74. She works with a group of doctors. She made up with four other women who have gone through care, and made up a little acting group for the women, to help them…So they like to see her around. She has learned about her problems, and medicine in general. So they like her to come because she helps me as well. Naturally I believe that she is very bright.
I enjoyed my work and my business. Most I had working for me was thirty-some people. After I retired, whenever I saw them or would hear from them, when they say how much they liked working with me, makes you feel good. I liked the life I‘ve lived. I did some acting. Matter of fact, at Lincoln I was in the class play. I was in choir (I said that already). Just being able to live, enjoy life, help other people when I can.
So me and Tanner are 16, what advice would you give your 16-year-old self that you can give us - especially going to Lincoln? I think living, enjoying your life and helping others - especially your children - not only enjoy their life but do something with their life. Help other people. I’m sure there is more that I could have done, but I’m reasonably satisfied. There were things I would do more, things I would do less. I still enjoy getting up in the morning.
Are you Jewish? Yes. I am Jewish as well. How does your faith… How is it being surrounded by other Jewish people?
If you look at the history of Jewish people in the United States…you go through periods where you are very proud, very happy; and other times when life is pretty miserable and hard to go through, but you keep doing it, you keep working at it. In fact, one thing that they still do..there are about 75% Jewish people here. South Portland was very Jewish. One year the starting basketball team at Lincoln was all Jewish—not very tall, but good. I was bar mitzvahed. We didn’t keep kosher. I raised my family Jewish. Some grandchildren intermarried and are happy. I’m comfortable here. About 75 percent of the people here are Jewish, 25% non. They celebrate the gentile holidays for those that who want to, and.. There are Jews who live here who are very religious, keep kosher, live that way all their lives. There are those here who do not. You are free to do whatever you want. I went to services last night. I do more than I was doing before I came here. I have a friend who is very active in one of the main Jewish charity organizations. I was talking to him about what is going on in Israel. It is very very difficult because there are things that are happening to them that you are very disturbed about. But there are some things that they're doing that we are not happy about. And we are having difficulties living with both, still want to keep it living and I can say right now, not too happy with Netanyahu, with some of the things that he is doing. On the other hand very proud of some other things that we are doing. Jewish people in Israel right now are going through some really happy and unhappy times. I am still very happy to be living here but there are some political things I could do without.
Do you ever visit Israel? A couple times. Years ago, I attended their 10th anniversary and their 25th anniversary. I have not been back since, mostly because of my own life of raising family, etc. And political problems that they are having and we are having.
How was growing up a Jewish boy in Portland? Well from my personal standpoint, I grew up in South Portland, which still is - not as much.. then the area around Lincoln was very Jewish. In fact I remember one year, I think the year before I graduated, the starting basketball team was all Jewish. Not very tall, but good basketball players. My life as a Jewish boy, was very active in the Jewish community. We did not keep kosher but I was bar mitzvahed and raised my family Jewish. Although some of my grandchildren having intermarried … some have, some not. Some have raised their family Jewish as well. I am very comfortable here. I am happy that it’s mixed…My partner in my business was Catholic. We worked together for over thirty years. Had no trouble at all. But I know they are getting more and more anti-Jewish political activity. It bothers me. I enjoyed living with and working with gentile people, and still socialize. Political life of all kinds is very difficulty today. I feel for you guys and your friends as it gets more and more separated - antisemitism and other religions, anti-foreigners. That's really what’s going on that area. Because my father was born in the Ukraine and fled [from] there. And had a lovely life here. And to see people of all faiths no longer welcome here - it’s disgusting. I don’t know what the answer is. You guys got some work to do.
How are things at school? Are you seeing any anti-semitism and having to face it/handle it? I personally have not seen any against me, but I definitely thinks it’s something that does happen. I know that Lincoln, as you say, has a higher population of Jewish people than the other high schools in the city, but we also have immigrants from both Russia and Ukraine, we have Israeli immigrants, I know one is on the basketball team and we also have some Latin American immigrants. And a lot of Asian immigrants. Even though Portland is pretty white city, there are a lot of different groups in the school. And Lincoln is also- if anything racism, anti-semitism, homophobia… there’s no place..they crack down…it doesn’t happen and if it does you are gone, you get kicked out. Well here in Portland, because I don’t see it much because I am in here, but I read about it and talk to other people about it, what the kids are going through and living through it, in athletics, in all kinds of things. It’s a terrible thing to go through. Having watched especially my father and his generation go through it and live through it and build a life through it, and live happily and see it coming back instead of continuing to live and build on it, to have to fight through it again - terrible waste of life.
Do you have any questions for us? No. What will you do with this now?
We’ll make it into a transcript…and hopefully will send it out to your family, we will send it to you. We can.. learn from it - obviously you have so much more life experience than us. So really the goal is just to learn from you and so your family has a part of you, a memory of you living on… Thank you. Pleasure.