A Man Who Loved a Mountain

Name: A Man Who Loved a Mountain
Start: 2025-04-06T14:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-04-06T15:30:00-07:00
Location: 1200 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR, United States, Oregon 97205

Schedule

Sun Apr 06 2025 at 02:00 pm to 03:30 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

1200 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR, United States, Oregon 97205 | Portland, OR

Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF) and Mt. Bachelor Ski Area are proud to present a heartfelt film about the life and vision of Mt. Bachelor’s founder, Bill Healy, in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday year. Bill Healy: A Man Who Loved a Mountain includes the reflections of friends, family, and community members, and captures Healy’s remarkable character, pioneering vision, and enduring legacy.
This event is free and open to the public and will include a screening of the film followed by a discussion with filmmaker Martin Sundberg and Marieka Greene of Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation.
About Bill Healy

Bill Healy was born in 1924 in Portland, Oregon, and was raised with the Cascades as his playground. By the time he reached high school, Healy was a champion ski racer and jumper. After graduating from high school, Healy joined the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, an elite force of ski troops specializing in winter warfare during World War II. The life skills learned in the 10th Mountain Division by the young soldiers influenced many veterans when they returned home and subsequently revolutionized winter sports and outdoor life in the U.S.

Healy’s professional pursuits brought him to Bend in 1950 where he ran the family-owned Bend Furniture Co. and raised a family of his own. His interests in the outdoors were also pursued, and his vision of central Oregon as a year-round recreating destination blossomed. While living in Bend, Bill befriended local members of The Skyliners Ski Club, which was founded in 1927 and whose members initiated winter sport opportunities in the area. The Skyliners Ski Club introduced Bill to Bachelor’s terrain. With the help and support of fellow Skyliners member Gene Gillis; Regional head of Forest Service, Don Peters; and many other Bend community members, the dream of a ski resort on Mt. Bachelor became a reality in 1958.
In 1980, Bill was diagnosed with Neuromuscular Disease. He remained involved with the resort as Board Chair throughout the eighties until his passing in 1993.