Inside Western Growers
Behind Western Growers are more than 400 employees who are not only dedicated to serving America’s food heroes, but also serving their communities. Here is an inside look at one of Western Growers’ champions, Jeff Gullickson, President of Western Growers Insurance Services.

A mother. A wife. A sister. A daughter. A friend. A tennis player. A nurse. And so much more. Her name was Catherine Gullickson, late wife of Jeff Gullickson, President of Western Growers Insurance Services.

When Jeff created an endowment fund at the University of Portland (UP) in memory of his late wife Catherine, he wasn’t just preserving her legacy—he was embodying her spirit. With this endowment, Jeff created something that allows Catherine’s commitment to both community and service to live on, giving generations of nursing students opportunities in her name.

Nearly a decade has passed since losing Catherine, and Jeff has shared his story with very few people. I recently had the privilege of speaking with Jeff, who shared heartfelt details about Catherine, including her courageous battle with cancer. But before hearing about the generous endowment that was created in her memory, Jeff shared how their journey began.

Jeff and Catherine met on a blind date—Jeff ’s first and last blind date, he joked. After a short engagement, they were married in 1983 and welcomed their first child in 1987. By then, Catherine was settled into her nursing career, initially working the night shift at a nursing home before becoming an ER nurse.

“It was frenetic,” Jeff explained. “Everyone’s understaffed, and there’s a lot of stress and responsibility. But she loved it, and it was her true calling.”

Jeff ’s reflection on the demanding aspects of nursing highlights not only Catherine’s dedication to providing care, but also the unique qualities that make for exceptional nurses.

“If you’ve spent a lot of time around nurses, you know instantly what makes a good nurse and what makes an average nurse—just knowing when you’re cold and you need a blanket or if you need some time, when you want to talk. They have that warm touch, but they’re also very efficient and effective in what they do,” Jeff said.

Over the years, Jeff and Catherine’s family grew to include four wonderful children, with Catherine devoting herself entirely to her most significant role: being a full-time mother.

But the family was hit with devastating news when Catherine was diagnosed with breast cancer. She received care from more than two dozen hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices nationwide, undergoing countless tests, a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgery and intense rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. “It was brutal,” Jeff recalled. “It took a real warrior to survive that.”

But Catherine endured, and with the support of her family, she overcame. For five years, she received what she had believed to be a clean bill of health. But after developing severe back pain, Catherine was met with more crushing news. Her breast cancer had returned and had migrated to her spine. Catherine went through another bout of surgery to have the cancer removed, but it was too late. The cancer had spread.

“Our oldest daughter became engaged, and we actually moved the wedding date up because it was becoming apparent that Catherine wasn’t going to make it,” Jeff said. “But we had the wedding, and a few weeks later, she was gone.”

Catherine passed away on November 17, 2014, after a brave 11-year battle with cancer. But that’s not how Catherine will be remembered by her loved ones, and certainly not by the many lives she will continue to change for generations to come.

As a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and nurse, Catherine touched many lives, and Jeff felt compelled to memorialize that. Since Catherine earned her Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Portland, he reached out to the university to establish a scholarship for nursing students in her memory.

Connie Ozyjowski, Assistant VP for Advancement Services at the university, worked closely with Jeff to set up the criteria for the scholarship, known today as the Catherine Bigelow Gullickson Memorial Scholarship.

Candidates must be enrolled in the university’s school of nursing, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and have a demonstrated drive for inquiry and learning. “They must also be someone who’s well-rounded—someone who’s interested in the arts, sports or other extracurricular activities because Catherine played tennis here,” Ozyjowski said.

The scholarship garnered widespread support from the start and quickly took on a life of its own, eventually evolving into an endowment.
“You don’t see something like this happen every day. There’s a tight community of people who have contributed. In fact, we got a big gift again this year,” Ozyjowski said. “It just keeps growing, and that’s just so unusual. Typically, it’s just the family that keeps giving, but in this case it’s family and friends.”

In other cases, the connections are less obvious. Ozyjowski discovered that a donor from her son’s high school contributed to Catherine’s endowment. When asked about her connection to Catherine, the donor explained there was none, she was simply moved by Catherine’s remarkable story.

“The school has been phenomenal in the students they’ve selected, and the administration has been phenomenal in their stewardship of the money and how it has grown,” Jeff said.

The endowment is now in its tenth year and has supported 20 students since its inception. Jeff and his family receive heartfelt cards and notes from the recipients who have benefited from Catherine’s scholarship, and their personal stories highlight its meaningful impact. One recipient, who was coping with her mother’s illness, discovered a personal connection to Catherine; her mother had attended the university with Catherine.

The endowment will continue in perpetuity, and with it, so will Catherine’s legacy. “I hope this helps a steady stream of nurses who treat their patients the same way Catherine treated hers, and like the nurses we encountered during her illness treated her,” Jeff said.

Jeff joked that Catherine would likely be upset with the attention, as she was never one for the limelight. With the way Catherine lived her life, it was “never about her,” and she put her family first until the very end. How fitting, because when one chooses a career in nursing—one of the most noble professions—it stems from a genuine calling to help others. And even as we’re nearing the 10-year anniversary of her passing, Catherine continues to do just that.

For more information, visit https://giving.up.edu/catherine.