EARL B. KIRKLAND

May 22, 1926 - March 30, 2009

Earl B. Kirkland, a resident of Green Valley and Salem, Ore., died at his home in Green Valley on March 30 following complications from asbestos-related mesothelioma. He was 82.

He was born on May 22, 1926 in Frederick, Colo. to Earl and Inez Kirkland. Soon after high school graduation at age 16, Earl traveled to Vancouver, Wash., hitching a freight train from his hometown of Ludlow, Colo.

By trade he was an insulator and member of the Asbestos Workers Union. He chose that line of work because it was among the highest paid crafts at Kaiser Shipyard during WWII. As soon as he had earned enough money, he moved his mother and stepfather to Vancouver.

At age 18, Earl enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served as a Gunner’s Mate. He was aboard the USS Missouri when a ceremony was held for the formal surrender of the Japanese, and was one of those standing in the background as General MacArthur greeted the Japanese and accepted their surrender.

After the war, he worked at various jobs and was a member of the Carpenters and United Paperworkers Unions. He returned to the insulation trade and by age 26 was elected business agent of Asbestos Workers Local 36 in Portland, Ore.

Earl Kirkland is a legendary figure in the Oregon labor movement. During his tenure at Local 36, he logged a number of negotiating firsts within the Western Conference of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers. Among those landmarks were the local’s first printed contract, replacing “handshake” agreements with employers, the first employer contribution to a health and welfare program for the local’s members, the first disability payment plan and the first life insurance coverage: the first dues check-off and vacation fund; and a medical research fund in the International.

The medical research fund studied the effects of asbestos on workers who inhaled the fibers into their lungs. At the time asbestos was widely used in insulation materials used in construction, ship-building and in household appliances. When asbestos is disturbed, the tiny fibers are released and can be breathed into the lungs or swallowed into the digestive system. It can take decades after exposure to asbestos for mesothelioma and asbestosis to develop. The original research was begun at UCLA Medical School and continues today at Mt. Sinai Clinic.

Earl was diagnosed with mesothelioma in February. The cancer manifested in his abdomen rather than in his lungs. Because of that he’d been in failing health for nearly a year before the diagnosis was made.

Earl served as executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council in Portland from 1966 until his retirement in 1988. He was a catalyst in merging what at that time was the Portland Building Trades Council with 28 other building trades unions and councils in Washington and Oregon.

In addition, he was 1st Vice President of the Oregon AFL-CIO, an executive board member of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council and the Washington State and Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Councils. He served in these positions for nearly 20 years.

Kirkland was instrumental in establishing the Union Labor Retirement Association and served as President until his death. Kirkland Union Manors I, II, and III in Portland are named after him. They are part of six federally-financed apartment buildings built by the non-profit organization, which provide nearly 900 apartments for retired workers. Westmoreland Manor and Marshall Union Manor are also in Portland. Kirkland Union Plaza in Vancouver, Wash. is the most recently built retirement home in the group.

Earl met and married Lois Hash in 1946. They had twin sons Gary and Larry; and daughters Deborah Longmire, Lynn Heitz, and Dawn Burbridge. Lois died in 1979.

Earl married Jan Zinsmann, a retired office manager of the Oregon AFL-CIO, on Feb. 14, 1987. She has two daughters Heidi Zinsmann and Erika Davis.

Earl is survived by his wife Jan; his seven children; 12 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law Sam and Betty Harris; and sister and brother-in-law Roberta and Don Taylor.

Earl and Jan retired in 1988 and since that time have spent winters at their home in Green Valley and summers at their condominium in Salem near their families.

Earl was a talented musician, playing guitar and harmonica at business and family functions as well as with musical groups. Few people have loved their family as Earl did.

He also loved his little Shih Tzu Sophie, hunting and fishing, golf and his antique Harley Davidson golf cart, his Green Valley Shuffleboard League and his many friends in so many places.

EARL KIRKLAND WAS A MAN WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE.

Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother will be forever in the hearts of his loving family and friends. He is at peace in a better place, but with us always.

No service is planned at this time, at Earl’s request.