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Heather Burmeister

Heather Burmeister earned an MA in History from Portland State University. Before college, she was active in the writing and performing arts community of Austin, Texas. Her life goals include the research, analysis, and writing of histories of underrepresented populations, especially GLBTQ histories, with an awareness of race, class, gender, and ability; to make these histories more accessible to this and future generations; to promote historical knowledge as important to personal, political, and community growth and sustenance. As a working cook, she also has an interest in the history of cooking as a profession.

Author's Entries

  • Barbara Kay Roberts (1936–)

    In November 1990, Barbara Roberts became the thirty-fourth governor of Oregon, the first woman elected to that office and one of three women in the United States elected as governors that year (the others were Joan Finney of Kansas and Ann Richards of Texas). By the time she was elected, …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Basic Rights Oregon

    Established in 1996, Basic Rights Oregon was the first statewide political organization in Oregon to work on the behalf of LGBTQ rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer). Its mission is to ensure that LGBTQ Oregonians “experience equality by building a broad and inclusive politically powerful movement, shifting public opinion, and …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest LGBTQ History

    The Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest was founded in October 1994 by a small group of community historians in Portland. At the time, it was the only gay and lesbian organization of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, with the stated purpose of “advancing the visibility …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Hazel Ying Lee (1912-1944)

    Hazel Ying Lee, who was born and educated in Oregon, was the first Chinese American woman to fly for the U.S. military, one of two Chinese Americans in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs)—the other was Margaret “Maggie” Gee from California—and one of thirty-eight WASPs who died in service. Known …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Willie Mae Young Hart (1915-2017)

    In addition to the community organizing that characterized so many of her contemporaries, Willie Mae Young Hart made a habit of breaking the color line. She helped operate Portland's first Black-owned cab company and was the first African American nurse to work at Portland's Physicians and Surgeons Hospital. …

    Oregon Encyclopedia