May 2, 2013 was a celebration and ceremony to dedicate the new water fountain at the Portland Women's Forum. What exactly IS the Forum, and why celebrate a new water fountain? Gertrude Glutsch Jensen was the very first chairwoman of the Columbia River Gorge Commission, from 1953-1969. She was also the Portland Women's Forum "Woman of the Year" in both 1963 and 1964. Gertrude was born in May 1903 and attended first Lincoln and then Franklin High School before heading to Reed College, studying Political Science. Gertrude had one son, Fredric Jr. and was an active writer for the Oregonian, and a Realtor. She succeeded at most everything she attempted. When Gertrude visited the Columbia Scenic Gorge with her son, she fell in love. She also noticed that there was a great deal of logging and was afraid that too many industries were wanting to "set up shop" in the Gorge. Gertrude was a leading environmentalist that was "unrelenting, ferocious and constant" in her attempt to preserve the beauty of the Gorge. She was known by many as the "Angel of the Gorge" and also known to wear many, many hats. Literally. She had a huge variety of different styles of head coverings and was often sporting one at events. In May 1970 she was honored for all her efforts to preserve and limit building in the Gorge by a monument with a drinking fountain. It was created in her honor. The fountain was often frozen in the winter months, came into disrepair and eventually landed in the workshop of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept. for several years. Today a brand new ADA drinking fountain has been created and a new capstone for the original monument was rededicated, just days shy of what would have been her 110th birthday. Active since 1946, The Portland Women's Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and beautification of the Columbia River Gorge, and is made up of the principle women's organizations of Portland. The organization was founded by and is comprised of individual women. The original 3.71 acre tract for the scenic viewpoint was purchased by the Portland Women's Forum in 1956, using proceeds from fundraisers; it was donated to the state of Oregon in 1962. The original tract was the site of the old Chanticleer Inn restaurant. An additional 3.55 acres was purchased after litigation in 1970. More than 265,000 visit the viewpoint each year. Gertrude passed away from heart troubles on Dec. 27, 1986 and was responsible for preserving over 3 thousand acres in the Gorge during her lifetime.