In Our View: Vancouver Loses a Giant

For a community to be successful, vibrant, and caring, for it to be able to look toward the horizon and have a clear vision of the future, it must develop the ability to stand upon the shoulders of giants. For Vancouver, Ed Lynch was one such giant.

Lynch died Sunday at the age of 94, and yet his impact upon the region will be eternal. A Los Angeles native who arrived in Vancouver in 1957 with his wife, Dollie, Lynch rose to the rank of president of Kiewit Pacific, a Vancouver-based subsidiary of one of the world’s largest construction contractors. Upon retirement in 1985, he earnestly set about creating a philanthropic legacy that helped transform Clark County.

Among the organizations Lynch and his wife supported over the years were the Columbia Springs Foundation, Identity Clark County, the Fort Vancouver National Trust, and the PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where a seven-figure gift helped develop a therapy garden that bears Dollie Lynch’s name. All the while, there was a humility to Lynch’s generosity, even as he won award after award in recognition of his work. As fellow business leader and philanthropist Steve Oliva said in 2005: “We all want to grow up to be like Ed Lynch. I would much rather be in the background.”

Among Lynch’s later contributions was $2 million in 2012 to kick off an effort to preserve The Academy, one of Washington’s oldest buildings and a cornerstone of Vancouver’s history. The gift led Lynch to say, “Over the years, I have been privileged to support many important efforts in our community. However, in my view, there is no more important undertaking than the acquisition and preservation of The Academy.” After a two-year capital campaign, The Academy was acquired late last year by the Fort Vancouver National Trust, and renovation plans include development of Lynch Square as part of the facility. Not that such recognition was Lynch’s desire. “He was a good example for all of us,” Lynch’s son, Michael, told The Columbian. “He hopes his life was an example for people to help others as they were able. He doesn’t want a building named after him. He doesn’t want his name on the side of something. He wants his actions remembered, and people to make their home a better place.”

That will be the legacy of Ed Lynch and his wife, who died in 2010 after 62 years of marriage. That also is the legacy of other giants who have called Vancouver home in recent decades and have worked to make it a better place for all residents. As The Columbian wrote: “The Lynches were part of a generation of local residents who made fortunes in business, then spent their retirement spending their money for the betterment of the community. Others in that group included banker E.W. ‘Ed’ Firstenburg, restaurateur George Propstra and barge line owner Ray Hickey, as well as Lynch’s management team at Kiewit Pacific Co.”

Ed Lynch remained active and involved in Clark County up until his death, donating his time as well as his money and helping to forge a sense of community. As Pat Jollota, local historian and former Vancouver city councilwoman, said: “Ed and Dollie were models of what a committed and caring citizen should be. It was not just the monetary donations that they gave, it was the gift of themselves.” We offer thanks for that generosity, recognizing that it is upon the shoulders of giants that an entire community can be lifted up.