News

Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan will be in Portland Wednesday, March 1, as the keynote speaker of Portland State’s 2006 Simon Benson Awards dinner. Over 900 people are expected to attend the dinner, which is Portland’s premier philanthropy event.

In its seventh year, the Simon Benson Awards event will be held at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) and includes a reception, dinner and entertainment. Named after one of Oregon’s first philanthropists, the Simon Benson Award recognizes individuals in the community who are visionaries and have generously given time and/or money to support the lives of generations of Oregonians. The reception starts at 6 p.m. and dinner begins at 7 p.m. Tickets starting at $250 are available to the public by calling Judy Anderson at 503-725-8212. Members of the media wishing to attend the dinner must contact David Santen in Portland State’s Office of Marketing and Communications at 503-725-8789.

This year’s Simon Benson Award recipients are Gary and Barbara Ames and Ken and Marta Thrasher. The Ameses have given generously to Portland State over the years to fund many endeavors including establishing two professorships in Management of Innovation and Technology in the School of Business and funding 8–10 student scholarships each year in both the Graduate School of Education and the School of Business Administration.

Ken and Marta Thrasher work tirelessly to raise funds for PSU, Oregon Mentors, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Friends of the Children, Albertina Kerr Centers and other organizations that help young people achieve their full potential. They also recently helped fund the Portland Art Museum’s North Building project.

Queen Noor of Jordan has initiated, directed and sponsored projects and activities in Jordan to address specific national development needs including the areas of education, culture, women and children’s welfare, human rights, conflict resolution and environmental and architectural conservation. She is actively involved with international and United Nations organizations that address global challenges in these fields and has played a major role in promoting international exchange and understanding of Middle Eastern politics, Arab-Western relations, humanitarian and conflict prevention, and recovery issues throughout the world. The numerous projects she has initiated in Jordan are administered by the Noor Al Hussein Foundation and many have been recognized and supported by the United Nations and other international organizations as development models for the Middle East and the developing world.

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For Immediate Release (#06-030)

Source: Judy Anderson (503-725-8212)
PSU University Development