In Eugene, she's The Tate.

Byline: Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

As she prepares to become the 2007 First Citizen on Wednesday - a distinction bestowed annually by the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce - 77-year-old Jean Tate ponders the crowning achievements of her long career and quickly comes up with three.

"To me, our kids are first," the longtime real estate broker, housing developer and former schoolteacher says. "Second would be Woodleaf Village," a controversial low-income development of rental housing she spearheaded in 1998 in the affluent Fox Hollow Road area in south Eugene. "And then, this building," Tate says, referring to the high-end condominiums she shepherded to fruition at 1375 Olive St. in downtown Eugene - and which, without her permission, bear her name.

"The rest of our partners named the building `The Tate' while Wayne and I were in Italy," she says in mock exasperation. "When we got back, it was already done."

It's characteristic of Jean Tate that she feels a little uneasy about living in a place that cost $300 per square foot to build, say several who know her well.

"Jean is modest, she doesn't like displays, and she has a huge heart," says Sally Weston, who with her husband, Jim, was one of four couples and a then-single woman who partnered with the Tates to build the condo project. "All six partners wanted to live here, bought units early on and in fact do live here," she said. "But Jean didn't want to live on the top floor - in fact, their unit is the smallest of the six."

That doesn't surprise either of the Tates' two grown children.

Like many of their generation who grew up in the Great Depression, "Mom and Dad live very conservatively, really focused on taking care of their family," son Bob Tate says. "But even though they live frugally, they really enjoy life."

Because her mother was one of Eugene's most successful real estate brokers, "people always expected that we lived in a mansion," Susan Tate says. "But we didn't - we had a 1,300 square-foot, very simple house. And even though my parents live in the condo now, they still have the same furniture they had when they got married. They've always lived simply, and that has had a huge impact on me. To my mother, being a businessperson was not about making money, but about doing things that needed to be done."

That's one of the keys to Tate's designation as 2007 First Citizen, Eugene chamber president Dave Hauser says.

"The first citizen award acknowledges lifelong achievement for folks who have excelled in both business and community," Hauser says. "It's a rather elite group of people who have helped shape the Eugene-Springfield area. It's a difficult choice every year, but this is Jean (Tate's) time, and we're delighted."

Chosen by past honorees who convene in the fall to drop names, debate choices and arrive at a consensus in time for January's celebration, Tate becomes the 60th person to hold the title. Past first citizens include the late Betty Niven, a housing advocate for low-income people, in 1973; dentist Glen Purdy, in 1986; two members of the Wildish sand-and-gravel family, Tom in 1995 and Jim in 2004; and University of Oregon president Dave Frohnmayer and his wife, Lynn, a former social worker and co-founder of the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund Inc., in 1998.

The list also includes five former mayors - Earl McNutt, Ed Cone, Les Anderson, Gus Keller and Jim Torrey.

Last year's winner was Roger Saydack, a Eugene attorney and art curator.

"There is an important connection between business and a healthy economy and the livability of the community, and the people selected as first citizens embody that," Hauser says. "The concept has to do with the notion of doing well and doing good. I'm always humbled when I walk into a room filled with those people."

When they gather again on Wednesday for the chamber's annual Celebration of Business event, they'd better be prepared for some of Jean Tate's outspoken spunk as she delivers her acceptance speech.

"I've warned Dave Hauser that I will get on my soapbox about something," Tate says. "It probably will be the downtown area and what can be done to change it. There have been a lot of reasons why people have opposed plans for downtown, and we need to figure out exactly why. I'm real concerned that we have opposite sides that keep anything from happening - we need to agree to disagree and still get together and solve our problems."

That ability, to solve problems and keep on going, is the key to Tate's success in both family matters and business, Weston says.

"Jean's a ray of sunshine when there are problems; she's determined to find ways to make things work out, and she does it," she says. "She's incredible at working with people of varying personalities. When we were doing The Tate project - and Jean was the only one who knew everyone beforehand - we ran into a lot of serious roadblocks. If it hadn't been for Jean, we probably would have folded our tents, gone away and lost a lot of money. But she kept on, and she made it happen. She maintained an atmosphere of mutual respect that I don't think the rest of us could have."

Tate admits wryly that failure of The Tate condominiums wasn't an option.

"Doing this building was scary," she says. "We had to pledge our entire wealth. If it hadn't worked out, we'd be living on nothing but Social Security now."

That same held true for many of the partners - "None of us had deep pockets; it was certainly daunting," Weston says - but Tate's commitment to the project and those who trusted her never flagged.

"And her timing was absolutely perfect," Weston says. "If we had just been finishing this project now instead of 2006, the situation would be entirely different. But she's an amazing reservoir of good sense and knowledge about what she's doing."

Tate's sense of perseverance, integrity and do-unto-others started at home, Bob Tate says.

"When I grew up, I wanted to work in her real estate company, and she wouldn't hire me," he says. "They had a rule that you had to have two years' experience, and she wouldn't make an exception for her own son. So I had to go to work for someone else."

Tate also served as a feminist role model for her daughter.

"Part of the reason she could do as much as she did was that when she came home every night, she had a `wife' - my dad did most of the housework, and that worked out well for them," says Susan Tate, who grew up to study business. "She was in the forefront of women's rights, and my father agreed with that. That was just as much of an influence on me as her success in real estate and development."

She, too, admires her mother's ability to handle difficult situations.

"She's always able to find the win/win solution," Tate says. "Everyone in the family turns to her - if you need advice, a connection or an idea, she's the one you call."

Bob Tate calls his mother "an awesome advertisement for the city of Eugene," not only for her wide-ranging contributions in real estate, housing development and business but also "her wisdom and her awesome problem-solving ability."

"One of my goals in life is to be as respected as she is," he says. "In fact, my real goal is someday for her to be introduced as Bob Tate's mother, instead of the other way around."

Jean Tate

Born: July 20, 1930, in Yakima, Wash.

Education: Forest Grove High School; theater degree from Pacific University

Family: Husband, Wayne; children Bob and Susan; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren

Moved to Eugene: 1960

Work: Teacher; real estate broker; commercial and residential developer

Jean Tate Real Estate: Established 1969; sold 1989

Commercial development: L&L Market, 1986

Low-income housing: Woodleaf Village, 1998; Park at Emerald Village, 1999; Greenleaf Village, 2000; Oakleaf Village, 2000

High-end housing: The Tate condominiums, 2006

Volunteer activities: Arts Plan, Committed Partners for Youth, Girl Scouts, Greenhill Humane Society, League of Women Voters, Looking Glass Youth & Family Services, Maude Kerns Building Committee, Meals on Wheels, Mosaic Teen Center, Planned Parenthood