PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Helen Frye, the first woman appointed as a federal judge in Oregon, has died at age 80. She presided over an important case involving the Rajneeshees cult in 1985.
A native of Klamath Falls and a graduate of the University of Oregon and its law school, Frye was a state judge when she was named to the federal court by President Jimmy Carter. Her family said she lived in Portland and died Thursday. She is survived by three children and a brother.
Her son, Eric Frye of New York, said that among the cases she regarded as significant was a decision voiding the incorporation of the Eastern Oregon city started by followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
He said she also spoke of the long court battles between environmentalists and timber companies.
