1976 President Opal May Helfrich

GSOC’s first female president!

1976 - Opal May Helfrich

Opal Helfrich, a native Oregonian, was born in Portland on May 20, 1916 to William Everett and Lucy Elizabeth Jones.  As a child she loved the outdoors and spent as much time as possible there, looking for the first wild flowers of spring, savoring the warm days of summer, admiring the colorful maples of autumn, and delighting in the quiet beauty of the new fallen snow of winter.

As a student at Jefferson High School, she was active in Girl Scouts and represented that school on an all-city council.  Upon graduation, she received a scholarship to Linfield College and later one to Oregon State College.  She took courses through the Extension Service of the Department of Higher Education and at Portland State University.  In addition she studied law for two years at Northwest College of Law, now a part of Lewis and Clark College.

In 1947 she was president of Progressive Business Women's Club and is a charter member of that organization.  Other memberships include the Native Plant Society of Oregon, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the Oregon Academy of Science.

During World War II she worked for the Pullman Company, where she had charge of the sleeping car assignments on both troop and civilian trains. After this she was employed by the Internal Revenue Service where she ultimately became a tax technician in the Estate and Gift Tax Division, for nine years, she and her husband, Merle C. Helfrich, operated Parkrose Paint & Equipment Co.  In 1972 they purchased Helfrich Equipment Co. in which they are both active.

At the suggestion of her son, Jerry A. Vanderlinde, an Assistant Professor of Art at North Dakota State University at Fargo, Opal enrolled in Ralph Mason's course in geology at Portland State University. At Mr. Mason's invitation, Opal and Merle became members of the Geological Society of the Oregon Country.

They also share a mutual interest in music, and enjoy playing piano duets together.  They are members of the Oregon Symphony Society. Their other interests are gardening, traveling, hiking, and camping with their grandson Bill Vanderlinde.  They also have another grandson, Orion who lives with his parents Jerry and Thuy Vanderlinde.