In Conversation with Robb Ball: the Great Outdoors and His Next Big Adventure
Robert S. (Robb) Ball
Parkview Charter Member
Retired lawyer, non-profit advocate and outdoor enthusiast
Are you originally from the Portland area?
I was born in Red Lodge, Montana. Although when I was five years old my family left Montana, and we eventually moved to Boise, Idaho where I was raised. I still have roots in and many connections to Montana. I attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where I received my undergraduate degree in Political Science. It’s also where I met my wife Julie. We both graduated in 1964, and while at Whitman, we became familiar with Portland. After graduation we moved to the Bay Area where I went to law school and received my degree from UC Berkeley School of Law.
Berkeley, California in 1964?
Yes, we arrived at the beginning of the free speech movement in Berkeley. We had a lot of opportunities to hear speeches and go to rallies to gain an understanding of what the issues were. It was an interesting transition from a small, rural liberal arts college to a large community in the Bay Area with the intellectual ferment of free speech. We always had an idea though that we were likely to come back to Portland, to the Pacific Northwest.
What was it about Portland that drew you and Julie to relocate here?
We wanted a community that was big enough to provide professional opportunity, yet small enough so that there was a reasonable ability to be involved in civic and non-profit activities while still having access to the outdoors. Moving to Portland was one of the best decisions we’ve made.
And how did that come about?
After my second year at law school, I worked for a summer as an associate in a Portland law firm. After my third year, I returned and took the bar exam. We moved to Portland in 1967 and I began working for the same firm where I had clerked during the previous summer. It was a large firm and after a couple of years, I made the decision to join some friends at a smaller firm. Eventually, in 1982 I co-founded my own law firm, now known as Ball Janik.
What was the motivation to establish your own law firm?
Having mutual professional objectives, common values, and strong personal relationships were critical elements. We co-founded, what was then, the city’s only law firm specializing in real estate law. Our work focused primarily on land use and real estate transactions, including litigation involving these issues. Over a period of four decades the firm grew into a more comprehensive firm with broader offerings in the practice of law. While I was still with the firm, we added lawyers with corporate, tax, litigation, bankruptcy, estate planning and environmental law skills. We opened a Washington D.C. office to support our government relations work, and had an office in Bend, Oregon for real estate and land use work. Since I retired at the end of 2004, the firm has evolved differently.
What was it about practicing law that you found challenging and fulfilling?
I loved my practice – I practiced for about 37 years. I enjoyed the collegiality of my firm, my clients, and the challenge of going to work every day. It was intellectually and personally rewarding. My passion was transactional real estate – incorporating both real estate and business law. In the 70s I did both land use and real estate work, but in 1982, I transitioned from land use to focus exclusively on business transactions with a heavy emphasis on real estate. Working with developers, investors, and lenders, I specialized in deal structuring and finance. Much of my practice was in the urban environment.
How have you spent your time since then?
Being involved in the non-profit community has been important to both Julie and me and has stimulated our lives in countless ways. Over the years I have enjoyed being involved in civic activities. I have served on many boards of directors, such as those of Whitman College, Oregon Public Broadcasting and The Nature Conservancy. I’ve recently retired from the Board of the Classroom Law Project that engaged students from around the state in experiential civics education, augmenting what they learn in the classroom.
I decided to reduce my non-profit commitments when I turned eighty, although I still serve on the Board of Oregon for Climate Action, whose mission is to educate the business community about climate change and steps they can take to reduce their carbon footprints and mitigate climate change risks. And, I am Chairman of the Board for EC Company, a private company in the electrical construction business that I have been a co-owner of since 1985. While not involved as an employee, I work actively with senior management and provide strategic oversight.
Have you really retired?
Well, Julie doesn’t think I’ve retired, but clearly I’ve retired from law.
Can you speak about your love of the outdoors and travel?
My interest in travel began when I took a year out of college to travel in Europe on a very limited budget ($3/day) in 1960-61. In my law practice, I instituted a sabbatical program for partners to take mandatory four-month sabbaticals, with full pay, every five years. I took advantage of those opportunities throughout my legal career, and we have continued to travel since my retirement.
Julie and I are avid travelers and have traveled to every continent (most of them a few times), and plan to revive our travels when Covid permits. We are both interested in continuous learning about other cultures, and we prepare for our trips with extensive reading. We also enjoy camping. Each year we travel in our camper to a desert in the Southwest US to meet friends for desert camping, often in relatively remote places without many, if any, facilities. This allows us to explore different geographies, see desert animals and birds, and blooming flora. We love the mountains of the Northwest, but also thoroughly enjoy the contrasts of the desert.
It seems the outdoors is very important to you.
Yes. In addition to my travels with Julie, each year I take a hiking trip with friends in high mountain country for four to five days. In the last five years we’ve hiked the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon, the Beartooth Mountains of Montana, the North Cascades in Washington, the Sawtooth Range in Idaho, and the Wind River Range in Wyoming. We are planning to hike in the eastern side of the Sierras in August. I take a fly rod with me on these trips.
You have seen a lot of changes in Portland over the past fifty years.
Portland has grown into a much more interesting city. Major planning and transportation decisions were made decades ago that were at the center of the City’s revitalization and new reputation. Public/private partnerships helped attract inner city housing, which added to the vibrancy. The relationship between Portland State University and the City has also been enhanced, with a synergy that has high potential.
Although the City’s current situation is dispiriting to most people, we want to stay in Portland and try to be supportive of changes that need to be made for the city to thrive once again. Being at Terwilliger Plaza will offer us proximity to the energy of the city as it is renewed.
How did you come to the decision to become a Parkview Charter Member?
My parents lived in Terwilliger Plaza years ago. Julie and I also have good friends who currently live at Terwilliger, and they have been great ambassadors. It was natural for us to think about Terwilliger Plaza, especially when they announced the development of Parkview.
Its’ hard to find the optimal time to transition into a retirement community. Parkview’s timeline stimulated our thinking. The fact that it was two years into the future overlapped nicely with our ages and thought process. We like the structure of Terwilliger as a non-profit, governing itself, and creating its own culture which it has done remarkably well. Also, the vibrancy of the community with lots of discussion groups and lectures and music, and a highly engaged, interactive community are important to us.
Parkview itself is enticing because it is a new building and will have its own atmosphere while also being part of the culture that already exists within Terwilliger Plaza, knitting itself into a blended community. We feel it’s a unique opportunity to join Terwilliger Plaza. We have several friends who have also made the decision to move into Parkview when it is completed.
Community is an important factor?
Absolutely. There is a consensus among the people that I talk to that a common motivating factor is the Terwilliger community. Also, going into Parkview with a cohort of people that are all joining at the same time reinforced our decision. While the natural aging process drives the decision, Julie and I will both continue to be engaged in the things we care most about, while also making new friends in the Terwilliger community.