Nancy Kelly and Peter Pappas: Terwilliger Plaza Members
Nancy Kelly and Peter Pappas
Terwilliger Plaza Members
Nancy and Peter, you relocated to Portland from Rochester, NY. Can you talk about that journey?
Nancy: I was raised in downstate New York, in Mamaroneck, which is part of Westchester County. From age 14 on during the weekends and in the summer, I commuted into Manhattan to work at my father’s gallery, Associated American Artists. His gallery specialized in limited edition, fine art prints - everything from American and Europeans Masters, up through contemporary. My father was David Hockney’s first American dealer. Working in the gallery was a great experience. It’s where I found my footing.
I had always wanted to travel, and after college I became a Pan Am stewardess and flew with them for two and a half years.
Peter: I was born and raised in Rochester. My grandparents were immigrants from Greece – arranged marriages on both sides. For my first 7 years, I was an only child living in a double house with my parents, grandmother and two bachelor uncles. I got to live the life of an only-child Greek prince. Other than that, I was a typical American youth.
Peter, you began a long career in teaching even before you finished college.
When I was a senior in college, I was student teaching at a small rural K-12 school of 300 students in the Catskill Mountains. Just as I finished my placement, the school fired the teacher who I was working with. The school hired me full time before I finished college. After I completed the school year, I returned to Rochester.
Early on, you realized that teachers can’t lecture.
There was an “aha moment” for me. I was a high school social studies teacher – teaching as I had been taught - largely via lecture. I frequently went in the art class next door to get supplies. I was struck by how different that class was from mine. The art teacher was walking around, interacting with students, while they were busy making art. I realized that if the art teacher taught the way I did, he would be up front painting, and everyone would be watching him.
I began to challenge myself. What would my social studies classroom look like if the students were actively engaged, rather than passively listening to me lecture? I’ve spent the rest of my career focused on designing student-center learning.
Nancy, when you relocated to Rochester you continued working in the art world.
I first worked in a fine art/craft store featuring the work of artisans from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s “School for American Crafts.” Then I joined the Rochester Museum and Science Center as the manager of their Eisenhart Auditorium - an interdisciplinary space for film, art, and culture. We hosted a broad range of programming including panel discussions, film series, book readings and dance performances.
From there, I went to the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester- the leading museum in the region. When I first started at the museum, I was directing the lending and sales program. Following a major museum renovation, a large new retail space opened up and I began managing both the new museum store and the lending and sales program.
This role had both a curatorial and administrative lens.
Our museum store became a well-known source for regional fine art and crafts. I also curated national invitational shows supporting the museum collection or current exhibitions. The objective was to enrich the museum’s educational purpose and generate revenue to support the operating expenses of the museum.
How did the two of you meet?
Peter: I was getting my hair cut, Nancy showed up. Apparently, she had carte blanche to get her bangs trimmed no matter what the hairdresser was doing. When Nancy entered – everything froze. She sat next to me. As the hairdresser was working on Nancy’s hair she and I were bantering back and forth in the mirror. Flirting a bit.
I was thinking to myself, who is this woman? And how do I get to know her better.
Nancy: I was intrigued with him. Later that day, I called up my best friend and told her I met the man I was going to marry. She asked, “who is he?” I replied, “I don’t know. He’s a face I saw in a mirror.”
Peter: After Nancy left, I asked the hairdresser who she was, but she wouldn’t tell me. She thought that Nancy was much too nice for “this guy.” But I persisted and eventually I found out Nancy was the manager at the museum store.
Nancy: A month went by since I first saw him, and mind you, I knew that I was supposed to marry him. I asked the hairdresser– is he married, is he gay, is he younger than me? But she was being very discreet. Then, one Sunday, I had to work at the museum store when my staff and volunteers had called out – and Peter walked in. I looked at him and said, “what took you so long?”
Peter: What was I going to say, I’m the guy from the haircut and I’ve been in here every day buying postcards and books trying to run into you?
That was that. It was 1990 – and we were married in 1992. We each came into the marriage with a child from a previous marriage. Nancy had a daughter, and I had a son. Now we also have two grandchildren. And our daughter and two grandkids ended up moving to Portland!
Peter, it was in the mid-90’s when you began to advance into educational administration.
I continued to develop my student-centered approach, and in my law course I organized mock trials. I worked with local attorneys to design fact patterns - students took on the roles of attorneys and witnesses. Students planned and presented their cases before a real judge and members of the local community who served as jurors. The cases were carefully crafted so either side could prevail.
The assistant superintendent of schools participated once as a juror and was so impressed that he created a position for me as Director of Social Studies K-12 in the Pittsford Central School District. While working as a “teacher on special assignment,” I made the decision to go back to school to become certified as a school district administrator. After finishing my program, I got a job as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction at the East Irondequoit Central School District, where I remained until I retired in 2006.
When you retired you had an active consulting business.
I consulted for many years, overlapping with my teaching and school administration work. I published lots of curriculum materials on-line and via digital books since the 90’s. My student-centered teaching approach also made my workshops engaging and very popular.
Nancy, you were also active after retirement, as well.
Before I retired from the art museum in 2003, I had been involved in organizing the national craft invitationals which offered me the opportunity to travel to shows across the country to discover new artisans and work. After I retired, I ran a fine art and craft outdoor show for a couple of years.
Then Portland – why Portland?
Peter: As part of my consultancy, I was conducting training and workshops around the country. The first time I came to Portland. I did some large sessions for Oregon Department of Education at the convention center. My first free evening, I went to Powell’s and Jake’s Famous Crawfish – I called Nancy that night and told her how much I liked Portland. That first workshop led to more work here and in 2006 Nancy started to take the trips with me. Often, we would stay for a month at a time.
For years we had discussed where we might want to retire. After getting to know Portland and Oregon, we said, “let’s just live here.” We moved here full time in 2009.
Nancy: First, we rented in different parts of Portland. Downtown had so much energy and a great public transportation system. We decided to buy a condo in a repurposed warehouse on the North Park Blocks. Since we’ve been here, we’ve never owned a car.
What stood out as differences between Rochester, NY, and Portland, OR?
Nancy: Rochester was a great place to raise a child, surrounded by nature for solace and pondering. It was cold though, lots of lake effect snow. While snow can be loads of fun, it gets tiresome in the spring. In Portland, I remember seeing pansies in a pot outside a store in February, which was totally foreign to me. I love the ferns and moss, and remnants of old signage on the brick buildings.
Peter: We loved having the ability to walk and bike, with easy access to so many things. A car-free life was for us.
How did you began teaching at University of Portland?
In 2013, I was approached to fill in for a professor going on sabbatical. It was originally intended to be one semester teaching a methods course for students who will become history teachers. Continuing in my approach that grew out of my “aha moment,” my class collaborated with the Japanese American Museum in Old Town. We developed some curriculum resources for the museum, including an iPhone app walking tour of Portland’s former Japantown. In 2014, the University asked me to return, and I continue to teach there as an adjunct faculty member.
Was there a transition from teaching high school to college students?
Very similar actually, just older. I’ve had a lot of experience going into different educational settings. I spent 3 years as a consultant working with all the teachers in NY State Juvenile Facilities to develop an incarcerated student publishing project. I also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Alaska Southeast. I’m still active, this month I’m offering a workshop for area school administrators on how to use Artificial Intelligence in the classroom. I’ve had a lifelong fascination with designing learning spaces to foster interaction and help people take control of their learning.
When did you begin to think about moving into a senior living community?
Peter: While we were thinking it was early for retirement living, Nancy broke her leg and spent some time in a wheelchair. We realized we needed to plan.
Nancy: While we missed the initial launch of the Parkview project, once we found out about it – we were sold. We realized we could have a brand-new Passive House apartment home, live in an open thinking and intellectual community plus have all the amenities of the Terwilliger Plaza community.
The Terwilliger folks were great - every question we asked, the answer was always yes. The process was very open. The marketing team at Terwilliger Plaza is remarkable - the way the community is run is amazing.
Peter: After being on a waitlist at another community for years, we came to the Terwilliger Design Center on a Friday and wrote a check for our apartment home in Parkview the following Monday. Picked out the unit that we wanted, then couldn’t wait for it to be built. We’re very glad we did.
You both remain active in your fields either consulting, publishing, or volunteering.
Peter: In addition to being an adjunct faculty at University of Portland, I'm a consultant to the Library of Congress designing teaching lessons using artifacts from the collection. I also publish a weekly history newsletter through Substack, an archive of historical curiosities called "The Forgotten Files.”
Nancy: I am a volunteer for Art in the Pearl, Portland’s annual Fine Arts and Craft Festival where I’ve both juried entries and served as the Quality Control Coordinator to maintain the standards for artist exhibits. I’ve juried other shows including the “Fine Craft Shows at Chautauqua” NY.
How are you finding living in Parkview at Terwilliger Plaza?
Peter: We love the easy access to the city and nature, and the richness of the cultural offerings. People here are exceedingly young at heart. I enjoy being in a community of elders, with opportunities to reflect back while also experiencing new things. We especially like the governance model, and all the input residents have into the Terwilliger experience and its on-going viability. I just started auditing my first course at Portland State University – only an 8-minute walk away. And it’s fun to be on the other side of the desk.
Nancy: It was the right decision to move here now, before we had to. We love that it supports an active and engaged lifestyle. It’s like going back to college and meeting people all over again at the same level of life experience. Parkview / Terwilliger is everything we expected and more.
I haven’t met anyone here that I wouldn’t want to be friends with.