Kinsey Bass Green

Kinsey Bass Green, 86, was born June 8, 1938, in Powhatan, Va. to Jesse and Kinsey Green. She attended Powhatan Elementary and Powhatan High School. She started taking dance lessons very young and learned to play the piano. Around the age of 5, when her sister Harriett Ann was born, she was responsible for helping her mother run the household and learned to sew. She spoke of helping preserve the harvest each summer and fall. And about taking Harriett Ann across the street to watch the school baseball teams and other sporting events. When Kinsey was 11, she started teaching Piano to save up for college. By High School, Kinsey was running the household. Her parents would host the teachers to board at home throughout the school year for an additional income source. This introduced Kinsey to many different subjects and increased her knowledge. In High School, Kinsey was a member of the Betta Club and Forensics Club and was the club editor. She was also in the marching band playing the tuba and a local Baptist church choir member. She graduated as class valedictorian in 1956. She chose Mary Washington College, an all-girls college at the University of Virginia. She kept busy while taking on a full schedule of classes, working in the cafeteria each morning, starting at 5 a.m. before all her classes. Fellow students would hire her to type up their papers. During school breaks, she worked at the hometown Mercantile. Thus working her way through college. She became a prominent figure in the field of home economics. She demonstrated her commitment to education by earning her bachelor's degree in home economics education and science from Mary Washington College at the University of Virginia in 1960. Her academic journey continued with pursuing a master's in science in 1965 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Maryland in 1969, respectively, focusing on family studies. Kinsey’s love was for her sister, Harriett Ann. In 1971, she convinced her parents that her sister's life would be better if she came to live with herself and her longtime friend and companion Gloria L Crandall while living in Maryland. Her leadership and teaching roles distinguish Kinsey's career. She began her career as a high school teacher in Virginia, teaching home economics and English. Her journey led her to the University of Maryland, where she served as an instructor, assistant professor, and associate professor of home economics for 11 years. She also took on administrative roles, serving as the associate dean of the College of Education and assistant head of the home economics department at the University of Maryland. In 1984, they moved again across the United States to Corvallis, Oregon. Kinsey looked at many homes in the area to no avail until she came to one house with the most beautiful Magnolia tree. She knew right away that this was the place they would call home. Kinsey and Harriett Ann came up with the idea of opening an Adult Foster Home to provide a place for Harriett Ann and Adults with Disabilities to live when they could not find in-home caregivers. In 1999, Kinsey opened the Bridges Enterprise LLC Bridges House. In 2004, she took over the Faith House and renamed it the Evergreen House. She purchased some farmland in Lewisburg and, in 2007, built a new Group home and re-established the Evergreen Group Home. Kinsey’s contributions to the field of home economics are significant. She was appointed Dean of the College of Home Economics at Oregon State in 1984 and served until 2000. Kinsey was a recognized expert on public policy, demographic trends, and economic factors affecting the home economics professional and not-for-profit organizations. Active in the profession, Kinsey served as executive director of the American Home Economics Association (AHEA) (1975-1984) (now AAFCS), director of the American Society of Association Executives, on the board of directors for the Future Homemakers of America (now FCCLA) and the Center for the Handicapped Inc., and president-elect and president of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences from 1999 to 2001. Additionally, she received the Distinguished Service Award from AAFCS in 1992. She published several works during her career, including Family Life Education: Focus on Student Involvement, No Empty Nest: Families of the Handicapped, and The World of Food. She loved the excitement of travel all around the world, but South Africa was her favorite of all the locations she visited. She loved the excitement of travel all around the world, but South Africa was her favorite of all the locations she visited. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Harriett, long-time partner Gloria, grandson Jerad, and many residents of her group homes. Her family survives her: Tina Eveleth, Grandchildren Alex Branson (Chenia) and Zach Branson (Katelynn), and three Great Grandchildren, Avery, Mia, and Thomas. In addition to all her Bridges and Evergreen family, she created Dale, Amber, Adam, Erick, Dana C., Mindee, Dani, Elissa, Dana G. Suzie, Laura and Jerry Pierce, Faith, Aura, Evan, and Nate Pierce. She also had a circle of close friends that she appreciated over the years. Some include ZoeAnn, Alice, Martha, Dan H. Ray S., and Cathy, as well as others.

Tributes

Kinsey Bass Green

June 8, 1938 - August 2, 2024