Kirk Ward BS ’70

01/23/2023

Kirk Ward BS ’70 says his experience on L&C’s 1967–68 overseas study program to Brazil opened up a whole new world for him to explore. During his 45 years in Portland, he engaged in investment real estate and development while also developing a love for river running while logging some 10,000-plus miles. His favorites runs have included the Grand Canyon and some 1,300 miles in the Arctic and high Arctic, including one or two areas he thinks have not been run by others. He says some rivers emptied out into northern waters, where you could step on the far shore and walk directly to the North Pole. Ward has now retired back to Bend, Oregon, near his family’s old dairy farm (but he’s not milking cows).