Bert J. PORTER

1928 - 2020

PORTER, Bert J. Bert J. Porter was born on 25 April 1928 to Bert O. and Ruth (Rhodes) Porter at the farm at 14819 4th Ave., Veradale, WA. The Porter family came to the Spokane Valley in 1909 and settled at 922 S. Evergreen Road in Veradale, WA. His grandfather, William H. Porter, with a small group of valley residents started the Vera Community Church in 1910 which later became the Vera Congregational Church and is now the Veradale United Church of Christ. He attended the Vera Grade School and Central Valley High School and received a BS degree in Pharmacy from Washington State University in 1950. He joined the Air Force in the fall of 1950 receiving his basic training at Lackland AFB and then at Sheppard AFB. He received a commission as an MSC Officer and was discharged as an enlisted airman. His first assignment as an MSC Officer was at Fairchild AFB. He was transferred from SAC to the Far East Air Force. His first assignment was as an Assistant to the Surgeon General of the Far East Air Force in Tokyo. Due to staffing problems for the Far East Air Force Medical Facilities he was sent on special duty with a group of officers and airmen from the various Far East Commands and sent to Moriyama, Japan to convert an old Japanese Military base to provide facilities for four medical specialist schools. He was assigned as OIC of the Pharmacy Specialist course and he also taught. Later the school was closed and he took the position of Adjutant and Training Officer of a 400 airman squadron with the 6110th Hospital Group in Nagoya, Japan which was a 500 bed hospital with a staff of 1000. After returning to the states he worked for a couple pharmacies in Eastern Washington and then purchased a pharmacy in Spokane in 1958 at 501 S. Thor which was given the name Porter Drugs. He operated the pharmacy from 1958 to 1976 and again from 1988 to 1994. In 1969 he was appointed by Governor Evans as the Eastern Washington Co-Chairman to the advisory committee to the Department of Social and Health Services. The committee met monthly and he served on the committee until 1979. He also worked with other government agencies and writing health care legislation. He was a past President of South House at WSU, The Eastside Taxpayers Club, Spokane Pharmacists Association (SPA) and the Washington State Pharmacists Association (WSPA) and also served two terms on the Board of Managers. He also chaired a number of WSPA committees. He is a member of WSPA, SPA, WSU Alumni Association, a board member of the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum, the Nagoya/Komaki Airbase Association. He is a past member of APHA, NARD, Rho Chi, Kappa Phi, Toastmasters, Elks and Rotary Club. He is a benefactor of Washington State University. He enjoyed boating and traveling throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Preceded in death by his parents Bert O. and Ruth Porter and his sister Maxine and is survived by his son John Soberg and his grandson Jeffrey. There will be a viewing and a presentation held at Thornhill Valley Chapel 1400 S. Pines Rd., Spokane Valley, WA 99206 from 4-8pm on November 20, with a funeral service at 11am on November 21 at the funeral home, followed by a graveside committal at Pines Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Bert J. Porter Foundation at Inland Northwest Community Foundation, 412 W. Riverside #606 Spokane, WA 99201, the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum, 12144 E. Sprague Ave., P.O. Box 141341, Spokane Valley, WA 99206, or to WSU to support the Bert J. Porter Pharmacy Student Professional Travel Endowment Fund with the College of Pharmacy. WSU Foundation, PO Box 641925, Pullman, WA 99164-1925. Online condolences may be expressed at ThornhillValley.com.