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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Senate Concurrent Resolution 10
Sponsored by Senator WAGNER, Representative FAHEY, Senators JAMA, BONHAM, Representatives BOWMAN,
DRAZAN; Senators ANDERSON, BROADMAN, CAMPOS, FREDERICK, GELSER BLOUIN, GOLDEN,
LIEBER, MCLANE, MEEK, NASH, PHAM K, PROZANSKI, STARR, TAYLOR, THATCHER, WEBER, WOODS,
Representatives BOICE, BREESE-IVERSON, FRAGALA, GAMBA, GOMBERG, GRAYBER, JAVADI, MANNIX,
MARSH, MCDONALD, MCINTIRE, NATHANSON, NELSON, NGUYEN H, NOSSE, PHAM H, SCHARF,
SMITH G, VALDERRAMA (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: Honors the life and memory of Peter Courtney.(Flesch Readability Score: 61.2).
In memoriam: Senate President Peter Courtney, 1943-2024.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas Peter Courtney was born June 18, 1943, in Philadelphia and passed away on July 16,
2024, at his home in Salem; and
Whereas while he often called himself by his full name, Peter Michael Coleman Courtney, he
insisted that everyone else call him Peter; and
Whereas Peter was proud to say that he was raised in West “By God” Virginia, where he played
multiple sports in high school, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of
Rhode Island, and a juris doctorate from the Boston University School of Law; and
Whereas Peter came to Oregon in July 1969 as a law clerk for Judge William S. Fort of the
newly formed Oregon Court of Appeals, and lived for two years in a room at the Salem YMCA and
became a huge supporter of the Y and its programs; and
Whereas Peter and his wife Margie Brenden were married for 48 years; and
Whereas Peter and Margie raised three sons-Peter, Sean and Adam-in their north Salem home
along the Willamette River; and
Whereas Peter was grandfather to Brayden, Harper, Emersyn, Zaylie, Noah, Avila, Jasper and
Blaise, who was born after Peter’s passing; and
Whereas Peter loved animals, especially his dachshunds, Yoda and Dilly; and
Whereas Peter’s first political office was that of Salem City Councilor from 1974 to 1980, and
Peter was subsequently elected in 1980 to seven terms in the Oregon House of Representatives,
serving as House Democratic leader for eight years; and
Whereas Peter was elected to the Senate in 1998, serving six terms, and was elected by his
Senate peers as President of the Senate in 2003; and
Whereas Peter was the longest-serving legislator and longest-tenured President of the Senate in
Oregon’s history, leading the chamber for a record 20 years; and
Whereas Peter was a servant leader who brought out the best in his colleagues and celebrated
their accomplishments; and
Whereas while Peter was a proud lifelong Democrat, he staunchly promoted bipartisan cooper-
ation in the Senate and often spoke of cooperation, respecting other viewpoints and the power of
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 1034 SCR10
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compromise;and
Whereas Peter was known as a gifted orator and delivered countless inspiring speeches as a
legislator, as President of the Senate, as a professor and as a friend and family member; and
Whereas Peter was a champion for children, animal rights, earthquake preparedness, victims’
rights and services, and mental health, and he sponsored more than two hundred bills that became
law, including Oregon’s first vote-by-mail legislation in 1981; and
Whereas Peter’s legislative efforts led to earthquake improvements to more than 450 critical
public buildings, including schools, fire stations, hospitals, 911 call centers and the Oregon State
Capitol building; and
Whereas Peter was a driving force in the construction of a new state mental health hospital in
Oregon, which opened in 2013; and
Whereas at Peter’s urging a memorial was created adjacent to the hospital to honor the more
than 3,500 patients whose cremains were stored in copper canisters on the site; and
Whereas the hospital and surrounding grounds were dedicated as the Peter Courtney Salem
Campus of the Oregon State Hospital; and
Whereas Peter worked for 30 years as an administrator and instructor at Western Oregon Uni-
versity and was a champion of both education and physical fitness; and
Whereas Western Oregon University dedicated the Peter Courtney Health and Wellness Center
in Peter’s honor in 2015; and
Whereas Peter regularly exercised in the Salem YMCA spin classes and secured state funding
to help pay for the construction of a new YMCA facility on the same downtown Salem site where
he once lived; and
Whereas the new veterans’ housing apartment building at the Y is named Courtney Place; and
Whereas Peter coached basketball at the Salem Boys and Girls Club where he enthusiastically
believed in the children’s potential to win at sports and in life; and
Whereas Peter loved and was beloved in his adopted hometown of Salem; and
Whereas the City of Salem named the bridge linking Riverfront Park and Minto-Brown Island
Park the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge; and
Whereas Peter loved sports, the Oregon State Fair, the Oregon state flag and Oregon high
school mascots; and
Whereas Peter ran in the iconic Hood to Coast Relay 20 times, including in 2010 just 13 months
after undergoing hip replacement surgery, and appeared in the 2011 documentary Running
Forward:Conquering Oregon’s Hood to Coast Relay; and
Whereas Peter enjoyed spending time with his family camping on the Snake and Metolius rivers,
visiting the Oregon coast and watching his sons play sports, attend college and become fathers; and
Whereas Peter both loved the excitement of jet skiing on the Willamette River and calm and
peaceful moments enjoying coffee and cinnamon rolls with Margie; and
Whereas at every point over his six decades as an Oregon public servant, Peter lived up to his
slogan “Here to Serve.Nobody Works Harder.”; and
Whereas Peter dedicated his life in service to Oregon, often referring to his beloved state as
“Oregon, My Oregon”; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:
That we, the members of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly, declare that Senate President
Peter Courtney will forever be remembered as a dedicated and fearless leader for Oregon; and be
itfurther
[2] SCR10
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Resolved, That Peter Courtney’s work ethic and bipartisan spirit will forever be upheld as an
aspiration for members of the Legislative Assembly; and be it further
Resolved, That Peter Courtney’s compassion and concern for the people of Oregon will forever
be seen as a model for a life of public service and for what can be achieved in service to the public;
and be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution shall be presented to the family of Peter Courtney as
an expression of our immense admiration and profound gratitude.
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