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Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org
compromising her professional judgment with politics of
the office. Not one to compromise her judgment or
personal values, she left the Forest Service and joined
Ferguson Surveying and Engineering in Mt. Vernon,
Oregon. Sue eventually became mayor of Mt. Vernon and
later opened Eastern Oregon Professional Services where
she spent the next two decades consulting for many of the
small towns and jurisdictions throughout Eastern Oregon.
Sue had many interests beyond her passion for surveying.
Helping rural communities in Oregon successfully
surmount obstacles preventing them from improving
infrastructure and community resources was a perfect fit
for her. Sue loved knitting, outdoor cooking with Dutch
ovens and solar ovens, tear drop trailering, geocaching,
gardening, lake fishing, crafting and above all her many
friends and family and the relationships she built. Sue loved
her corner of Oregon and her town of Mt. Vernon in Grant
County. She often, when really wanting to make a point,
began with “Well in my little town…”
Sue represented everything that a member of PLSO
should be able to find in the organization; dedication,
service, professionalism and friendship. When I first began
serving on the PLSO Board in the mid 1990s Sue was one of
the first ones to greet me and welcome me to “the Board.”
Over the years, we became great friends and traveled many
miles around the state meeting up at one meeting or
another for PLSO, OSU, and OIT. Sue held so many
positions and did so many things for PLSO they are too
numerous to list here. She was recognized for those efforts
as Surveyor of the Year in 2004.
Beyond PLSO, Sue was appointed to the OSBEELS Board
in 2011 and was president of the Board at the time of her
passing. On any committee, Sue was always prepared, knew
the issues, and had great insights into those issues with
ideas to back it up. She was never afraid to speak her mind
and when she did, it was always with the best interest of the
land surveying profession at the forefront.
A memorial was held on June 27 at Clyde Holliday State
Park in Mt. Vernon with approximately 100 present to
share stories and remember a great lady and one of the first
women surveyors in Oregon. Contributions in remem
brance can be made to the following: John Day Community
Garden, Mt. Vernon Community Hall, Grant County
Library Foundation and the Professional Land Surveyors
of Oregon Scholarship Fund. If you enjoy Geocaching, a
geocache in her honor has been created in Mt. Vernon.
◉
Sue‘s memorial survey marker. Custom-made by Richard Hofland,
Hofland Survey Monuments. Compass design by Mike Springer.
Photo by John LaLiberte
Sue’s campsite—set up at her June 27 memorial—shows her love
of Dutch ovens and solar ovens, and tear drop trailering.
Photo by Pat Gaylord
