Brian Francis Quinn

I met Brian in the fall of 1985 when I was studying in Florence, Italy. He knew a friend of mine who was on my study abroad program and he used to hang out with us occasionally and we became friends. My condolences to his family.

Mr. Quinn, even you were here today, you probably wouldn't remember me. I went to West Sylvan a couple of years ago and you were my one and true inspiration to write. English was never my first language, or a language I was good at, but through you, I developed my passions. In 2019-2021, my mental health declined severely, and I lost the will to write, sandwiched between a bad home life and declining grades as well as social life. I found the writing that you edited in Creative Writing for...

Hello, my name is Brian V. Quinn and I moved to Portland in '93 from the Bay Area. One night in either '94 or '95, I had a late night phone call (land line) from a distraught young girl. She asked for "Brian" but, I didn't know who she was. "You're the teacher at school!," she cried. As she wept, I tried to console her, telling her that she would be OK. Returning to bed, my wife asked what that was all about; I said apparently, there is a teacher named Brian Quinn in Portland and he is a...

I am deeply saddened by the news of Brian's passing. As a West Sylvan Middle School friend and colleague, he was always professional, enthusiastic, and caring. His positive nature and sense of humor made working with him a pleasure. Post-retirement I often substituted for Brian. His communication was outstanding and his lessons were consistently well-organized and structured. He will be greatly missed.

I worked in Alaska with Brian and was truly lucky to have met him. My wife Cathy and loved to visit with him and Sachiko in Portland til we had kids and started operating in different waves. He was funny, smart and so full of life. His energy was impressive as was his character. RIP Young Master Quinn

It was such an honor to work with Brian at West Sylvan Middle School He was very caring and had a great sense of humor! He will be missed!

An outstanding teacher and a great person to work with at West Sylvan Middle School. Brian touched the lives of all of his students and made them better people with his kind and generous spirit. Every student should have a Mr. Quinn in their lives.

Thank You Brian, you made me laugh and you made me think.
Pete Beaumont

Thanks for everything, Brian. You made me laugh & you made me think.
Pete Beaumont