THE VOLGA GERMANS IN PORTLAND
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People > Notables > Pete Helzer

Pete Helzer

Pete Helzer was born Portland in 1946. He is the son of Emanuel Roy Helzer (1920-1989) and Patricia Schuld (1924-2012). Emanuel Roy Helzer is the son of Heinrich Peter Hölzer (1886-1973) and Catharina Elisabeth Burbach (1883-1928), both born in Norka, Russia. 
Peter Helzer earned a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture in 1983 from the University of Oregon. He runs his own bronze foundry on a small farm in the foothills of the Calapooyia Range in Dexter, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, Marge, and daughter, Alison. When Pete is not sculpting, he writes poems and essays or manages his daughter's band, Tonn Nua. He is also an active volunteer, coach, and mentor at the local high school.

According to an OPB article, "If you have visited parks, plazas or public spaces almost anywhere in Oregon, you’ve likely experienced Pete Helzer’s work. Among the more than 200 pieces Helzer has produced are the elegant young dancers at Eugene’s Hult Center, the adorable monsters reading on a bench at the Jackson County Public Library, and the cleverly disguised creatures in Corvallis’ Central Park."

Helzer was commissioned to create a life-sized bronze statue of Louis Southworth, a Black pioneer in Oregon. The statue will be the centerpiece of the new Waldport green space, named Louis Southworth Park. Southworth donated land to build Waldport's first schoolhouse.
Picture
Louis Southworth Sculpture with its creator Pete Helzer. Source: findyourselfinwaldport.com
Picture

Sources

Pete Helzer - OPB Oregon Art Beat, December 11, 2003

"Oregon bronze artist Pete Helzer creates a tribute to Black pioneer Louis Southworth", OPB In The News, June 7, 2023

​Pete Helzer, Sculptor - accessed June 7, 2023

"Waldport park and statue will honor Black Oregon homesteader and musician Louis Southworth", HereIsOregon website, November 18, 2022.
Last updated January 11, 2024
Copyright © 1998-2025 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
    • About This Website
    • Kind Words
    • Contact Us
  • History
    • Historical Timeline
    • Migration to Russia
    • Emigration from Russia
    • Settlement in America
    • Migration to Portland
    • Little Russia
    • A Short History of Albina
    • World War I
    • The Volga Relief Society >
      • Portland Volga Relief Society Subscribers 1921
    • World War II
    • Assimilation and Dispersion
  • Beliefs
    • Churches >
      • Albina Seventh-day Adventist Church
      • First United Mennonite Baptist Church
      • Ebenezer German Congregational Church
      • Free Evangelical Brethren Church >
        • German Evangelical Congregational Brethren Church
      • Second German Baptist Church
      • St. Pauls Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • Second German Congregational Church >
        • Evangelical Congregational Church
      • Zion German Congregational Church >
        • Rivercrest Community Church
    • Pastors
    • The Brethren
    • Denominations >
      • German Reformed Church
      • German Evangelical Synod of North America
      • Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • German Congregational Church
      • Seventh-day Adventists
      • United Church of Christ
    • Church Music
  • People
    • Our People
    • Notables
    • Pioneers 1881-1892
    • Stories
    • Photographs
    • Help Identify These People
  • Community
    • Characteristics
    • Businesses >
      • Bakeries Retailers and Services
      • Garbage Haulers
      • Grocery and Meat Markets
      • Restaurants >
        • Helsers on Alberta
        • McCormick & Schmicks
        • Wildwood
      • Saloons and Taverns
      • Suppliers and Manufacturers
    • Employers
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Maps
    • Documentary
  • Traditions
    • Foods
    • Folk Medicine
    • Expressions
    • Weddings
    • Holidays
    • Folk Music
    • Funerals and Burial Sites
  • Resources
    • Family Research
    • Books and Video
    • Works Cited